ONE MORE STEP ALONG THE ROAD I GO

Here we go! THE END of a 3 years road....loads of experiences learnt, cried, laughed and stressed....! The day has come for PRIZE GIVING at Kloisters where Reuben has been attending since May 2008. He has been doing amazingly. I remember the awful screams and cries when I used to live him there and then the happy face when I went to pick him up. He was and is such a cheecky monkey who loves loves to act dramatically only to throw himself into every possible adventure there is. I had been given his LEARNING STORY books and wow....how amazing to look back and see just how much things have changed. ....but how much I have forgotten.....

I must give him credit he has put up with a lot my lovley boy....he was sometimes 5 long days at nursery 9-5pm 5 days a week....and the least he has attended would be the avarage of three days. He has made so many friends there and so did we. I am thankful to some of the staff for being Reuben;s guardian angels and often being the mum I could not be. The young girls seemed to all love Reuben and I saw tears in their eyes as they were singing their leaving songs. It is hard for staff and kids as some of them have been there every day for the past 3 years.... but its hard for us parents too. I guess no one chooses to put kids in nursery willingly (well I did) and unless they make sure its a good alternative to being stuck at home with a neurotic mum. I FIRMLY BELIVE IN THE IMPORTANCE OF NURSERIES, SCHOOLS and I BELIEVE NO MUM CAN MAKE UP FOR THESE.

Reuben has aquired amazing social skills, good manners, eating habits and fantastic listening skills at nursery among many other qualities. He also has had to cope with being bitten, hit, scratched and such but I am glad he did and we were able to cope with these as and when they happened....

He was very overwhelmed and very tearful. We were and are always proud of him as he is indeed just so so lovley boy....

He was awarded a CERTIFICATE in Physical Education and CREATIVE PLAY (oh we do know about this) and a lovley little book. He was very happy to pose with all his friends. In total 60 children left Kloisters and are ready for schoo.

On a personal note, I am very glad to leave Kloisters.....and head into a new direction....I hope that I will manage my own tears as my son "takes yet another venture on"...prayers and preparation have intensivley started...I am very anxious with regards to school, routine....schedules....and such. Lets hope it will all work out....for now here we are saying BYE BYE KLOISTERS a huge part of our lives....

Spot my gorgeous son in white T shirt...happy as always. Behind him with long hair one of my favourite aunties Sophie, then Rachel, Aunty Mal the room leader and Reuben's Key Worker Sian (Mal's daughter). As for the kids....(I do know the names) but won;t bore you with them....

home to home!! we have two homes...and a third one too!

Ah the big rooms and the humongous garden and courtyard...miss ya so very much. My home sweet home! It would be just a building but I have lived there once so happy so unaware of just how far away from home will set up my new home.....still very happy we have two or three homes! reuben loves mama and tata's home with having cousins on hand and aunty rebeka....Mama makes the best cake ever! It all went. THe taste was amazing...although she really did not like how she managed the decorations. I say....better taste good and look good than taste bad look good:) Mama your cakes are the best! And when you think it was all organic and hand made....that alone is a WINNER! Reuben loved it and so did we!Aunty Rebeka...and her big boy Reuben who was just too pleased to have a humongous pool all for himself in the garden.OUt and about on his birthday BIKE!:)) a bit on the smaller scale but loved the basket. It was red as well so he loved that too. It was bike time a few times a day:)Sunday am we went for a drive in the mountins....we saw amazing sights after which we had stopped at uncle Jojo's camp. We drunk a coffee (with a slight explosion) and came back down to mama's house to rest and go to church and say THANKS TO GOD FOR SUCH A FAB BOY!

after church and when the heat subsided a bit around 7pm we have got together to celebrate with Reuben being four. He was so so very unaware of it all. Until we got the cake out and we all gathered around him. He had a firework thing (sparkler) in his cake...he loved that...we sang Happy Birthday several times before it decided to go.....and he just loved the attention. He had all his cousins (first and some second cousins from Romania - Beius) I was so really touched ....he was too.Sitting down with the big cousins enjoying some toooooooting (annoying adults who were deeply into their chats:)Reuben was very interested in singing in Hungarian in the church he was a good boy.Kiddies champaign was served by daddy who is not only so pleased and proud of his 4 year old but was indeed drunk with champaign.....the day was hot and long....but who cares when one has loads of fun!!! - and is on holiday.Having two cousins in the same house that one has his holiday means they can be up to all sorts of fun things:) Reuben would wake in the morning and start with : Where is Hanna and Hanniel? I want Hanna....thanks son...good morning to you too!!!:)Oh the many many dips in the water we had ....even Zac managed to befriend the water....

Daddy was in it too but sorry this one is the one of the better ones so this got posted...:))))

Reuben loved most his time in the water several times a day as it was soooo hot 40 degress most days. We managed to keep up most nights with going to bed early about 8pm when most people were going to the park having spent the day sheltered from the sun. So while boys slept mummy and daddy set on the veranda....and enjoyed the peace and cool of the evening. Basically one would not be able to be out and about from about 10am to 8pm....still cause we had the pool and a shaded and cool house we managed just fine. We managed to send the trains we had too many of home and Reuben loved loved using the huge spaces to build tracks and play out scenes from Thomas films. He has successfully communicated in sign language pretty much with everyone....and has picked up some hungarian .....will be defo back again hopefully not before too long. BIG HUGE THANKS TO ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIEND WHO MADE OUR STAY IN ROMANIA THE BEST HOLIDAY EVER...thank you to MUM, DAD (MAMA ES TATA) and Rebeka and my beautiful and inspiring sister in law IRENKE, my brother Jojo and their kids HANNA and HANNIEL for making us feel at home more than we could ever imagine. God bless you all. Already missing you all.

Ready for Schooollllll????

Time has come! We had to start looking for uniforms as school is starting in September. I was putting things off but then I had a school meeting and reports to write and reports written vfrom nursery to school (for me to read) and I got the bug and got out there today to get a few essentials. Grey socks, grey trousers and shorts and white polo shirts....all done. We now need plimsoles and some school logo stuff and we are done. So far he likes what he is wearing but can;t get his head around why and what is big school all about?!!

Once uniform on ....needs some christening so off we went to the garden to see just how dirty it all gets in no time at all. To my surprise R played so carefully and even ate his dinner in his uniform and did not seem to have had one little single dot of mess on them. Must mean he is ready for schoool:)))) Monday we are starting a week of half sessions 9-12 at school to meet others and get used to it.

June where have you been and gone?! Finally we got to see the NCT friends after many many months of not seeing them Wednesday pms. It was good fun but chasing Zac was not. Reuben was so happy to play with everyone. I think judging by their grinning faces they all had fun too...

I love this photo! ONe day we were a bit at a loose end and decided to go find this hidden park. Wow!!! What amazing view. I was swept off my feet (almost literally) and loved loves the sun trapped garden and the view and the equippment was fanatsic. Copperfield Park this is.

After many years of living in Kent we had somehow never managed to visit the Hop Farm. A friend suggested it so we were off to see that and I have to say I was thrilled with the place. It was fantastic. there is so much there we could have just stayed all day. I just loved and loved it....and so did the kids.

PLAYING FOOTBALL HAS NEVER BEEN AS EXCITING EVEN i WAS GETTING EXCITEd

Let me tell you this son of mine is a SPIDER or something. No matter what physical activity he encounters he goes for it and look what he does!!! reaches all goals. I hope he will make it into life and not stop ever at hudles I am teaching him to be a WINNER but not at all costs.

How fab is this?! A dino world in one HOP FARM there must have been Dinos before the Hop right?? :)))

Animals are still the favourites!!! He loves loves loves any sort of animals. This little black piggy was rather sweet and the bunnies too

Wow!! Still at Hop Farm we also had a mini Golf area. I know nothing about golf but I would say it was so cool had so many things to do....thats one.

Giant cushions pillows things wow...scary but is my son scared?! Nope....and whats scary for me is when 16 months old Zac follows his older brother like a little sheep. I am sure will soon be all white haired!!!

I don;t want to go on too long but another visit was to lego Land!! It was truley HOT possibly the hottest day of June so far! We were melting, getting lost, hungry and fed up....tired and shattered but had an amazingly good time. This was also because our dearest Romanian British friends Elena and Alex with Nicholas and Andrei were with us. It was like being home for a little while. Kids enjoyed rides but I was dissapointed with the quequeing and the short time of the rides. I guess it is a main attraction worth visiting for sure but I would say unless your kids are good at quequeing and patient don;t go there instead go to HOP FARM especially on a week day as there is hardly anyone there.

I think this concludes June well.....!!!! Now we are in July and we have two major things we are preparing for.... a week at his BIG school starting Monday the 4th July, A TRIP BACK HOME TO ROMANIA on the 13th and Reuben's 4th Bday at home on the 17th July (or thereabouts depending on when everyone can make it) and a huge bday fundraising event on 31st July here in UK. All being well you should soon hear more from us....for now...hope you enjoyed this post!!