Fun in the Sun

Finally half-term holidays are here!  Since Lee took the week off, we all enjoyed a wonderful week of family time around Southport and working on the house.  And somehow, the weather has managed to be perfect all week, so we were able to get out every day much to Jackson's delight.

Tuesday and Thursday we went 'old school' and visited the children's centre for outdoor activities and a top tots group which is sort of a gross motor skill session for toddlers.  It was really nice to see how Jackson has come along from the last time we went in the summer, before he could even walk.  Now he plays chase with other children, performs his dancing skills on a stage, races endlessly up and down steep hills, and can even drink out of a milk carton with a straw without spilling!  We were really proud to see his new skills.

On Thursday, we also tried out a new place in Southport called Imagination Station.  This is a toddler's play place that has mini shops for them to play in, a playhouse with three different rooms, a room full of sand with construction toys, crafts every half hour led by an extremely nice lady, story time with props, and a painting room where anything and everything is allowed to be painted--including a shed, bushes, outdoor decorations, and the walls!  Even though Jackson could have gone crazy with the paint, we had to really encourage him to paint on things that he knows he's not supposed to usually.  He was very careful with the paint brush and neat with his brush strokes.  The Imagination Station is also connected to a cafe which is great for parents to transition to lunch time because as the children play, or when they are ready for a break, we can go straight into eating.

Today was the Ainsdale Gala Fun Day and Jackson loved riding the rides.  He's developed a new laugh and throws his head back in complete joy when he's having a good time.  It was great to see that so many times today.  Although, since Jackson doesn't understand that rides have time limits or a limit to the number of times they can be ridden, we had a major meltdown after each one.  We tried to pass by the rides, but it was hard to deny him what he wanted when we knew he would have a good time.

After a few rides and then a short break at home, we went to the one thing that I wait all year for:  The Southport Food and Drink Festival!  On the way there, Jackson looked like he was going to take a nap, but he wouldn't rest because he didn't want to miss a minute of the fun.  So, what used to be about an hour adventure, turned into a three-hour trip of following Jackson around, going on more bouncy castles, and then finally getting some food.  Everything is different, but much more fun, with a baby!

Helping mow the lawn with his new toy from Dobbie's Garden Centre

It was really hot this week so we washed down all of the outdoor toys and even broke out the old water table!

Lots of laughter and joy

Welcome to another episode of Home Improvement with Jackson

Finding the perfect spot that needs a bit of red paint

We're painting the roses red

After just a dab, he needed reassurance that he could continue painting anything he wanted to paint

Preparing a drink in the playhouse

We weren't sure how Jackson would react or if he would try to climb out of the mini aeroplane, so one of has to ride along.

You can tell by Jackson's windswept look how fast these two arrived at the bottom of the Helter Skelter

The six-year-olds who were quickly scaling the ladder for this bouncy slide made it look really easy to climb to the top.  It wasn't!  I only managed one out of four of the rides down while Lee took Jackson on the other three slides.  Both of the boys loved it.

Neither of us would fit in this one, so Jackson had to go it alone.  We were just happy that he chose the car without an open top and with a door that latched closed.  He did really well and loved every minute!  We had to peel him out at the end--I think he could have stayed in his little bus for hours.

Developmental updates:  Jackson's favourite new word is 'duck' for 'stuck.'  He loves to tell us when things are stuck and even likes to get himself into situations where he can tell us he is stuck.  For instance, this week, he purposely laid the laptop cable on top of his foot so that he could be rescued from being 'stuck.'  Today at the food festival, Jackson was eating with a fork and positioned the fork between his teeth, held it in place with his mouth, and then managed to mumble the word 'stuck' so we could 'help' him from his precarious predicament.  Jackson is going up and down the staircase, as he has done before, but now he walks up like an adult, holding the railing, and only using his feet to go one step at-a-time.  This worries us to no end, but he refuses to crawl up or slide down which would be much easier for his little legs.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Manchester United

On Monday morning, I read a post on my friend's Facebook page that listed 'Six Brutal Truths' and one of them was the fact that 'everyone has his or her own best interests at heart.'  I thought about that the rest of the day and tried to think of the times I have seen that this is in fact not true.  I didn't want it to be true because I want to believe that people will help others when they see someone else in need.

There were so many courageous people who helped when they must have been shaking with fear themselves later that night.  Many accounts poured out in the news reports this past week:  concert-goers in wheelchairs were struggling to get out of the venue so a line of people formed to raise them up and out over the debris to safety; taxi drivers worked through the night giving free rides to people who were stranded with no way of getting home because the train station was closed; adults waited with young teenagers and pre-teens who were alone without parents to make them feel some sort of comfort; hoteliers invited those affected by the attack to come in for a hot drink and a refuge from the uncertainty of what was happening outside; people who were collecting their children from the concert served as make-shift taxi drivers, taking people home; and finally, the police rushing bravely to raid houses, arresting those living here who only want to harm us, and to secure our country.

Meanwhile, there were scenes of horror among those trying to help.  The nightmare for people in Manchester that night has affected us all.  Their descriptions of searching through the debris for their loved ones, not knowing where it was safe to run or hide, families being injured and separated into one of eight different hospitals to suffer alone, and the rescue crews running towards the bombing, not knowing what other dangers may await them there.  So to address the cynical quotation that I read just the day before this:  people are in fact inclined to help others and even when put in the most frightening situation possible, they face it with a courage that can only be motivated by the interests of others around them--even if they may be strangers.

My friend at work was just at the arena at a concert three weeks ago.  I have a few friends who go to Manchester a couple times a month.  I was planning to be at the arena hotel Friday night to see a concert one block from the terrible attack.  (Obviously, I cancelled my plans and stayed at home.)  My two friends from my hometown were performing with their band and it was supposed to serve as a high school reunion of sorts.  It sends chills down your spine to think what caused this terrorist to pick that date, that venue, that time?

Initially, I cancelled my plans because I knew that I would be worrying the whole time.  The train station that I was supposed to arrive into is still closed and the area around the hotel is still cordoned off by the police and there are armed guards in the streets.  Besides all of these things, the UK terror threat level has been raised to critical.  Needless to say, it was not a place to where I wanted to travel.

Then, as the details came out in the following days, I knew it was not appropriate to be celebrating on the site of utter chaos and destruction and the point where families were destroyed forever.  That place, for me, is hallowed ground now.  I have no intention of going there and in my opinion, it should not be a place of celebration.  I would support a memorial there where people could pay their respects to all who were terrorized on that night, but anything other than solemn reverence in that spot would seem inappropriate at this time.  And for people who were saying within hours of the attack, "We need to keep going with our lives.  We can't let the terrorists change our plans":  frankly, I disagree and I think we do need to take time to reflect, pray, and grieve the loss of those poor, innocent lives--some of them little children--on Monday night.  Eventually, some people can keep their plans, but can we just take time to honour those who have passed?

Over the past week, I have thought, "What good could come from this?"  There have been uniting vigils and strangers coming together to give others a shoulder to cry on so that we don't have to suffer alone in our agony of this terrible, horrific attack.  It is inspiring to see hundreds of people encouraging each other and taking time to reflect on what is happening in our world together as one.

Maybe another improvement could be border security and response to tips provided by the general public.  Hindsight is twenty-twenty; however, there were many warnings about this disturbed, evil individual.  For instance, he was on a government 'watch list.'  Two different individuals from his community reported that he was a supporter of terrorism and specifically, suicide bombing five years ago.  He arrived from a trip to Libya just last week--no one in the public knows for sure what type of questioning he faced upon his return into the UK.  This person also recently dropped out of university, showing a lack of interest in his life's goals.  His father and brother were also involved in terrorist groups.  All of this was known information and not discovered after the attack.  An excuse from the authorities was that there are 'three thousand people' on the watch list and they cannot possibly follow-up on all of them.  My idea for a solution to this very discouraging statement would be to remove all of them from residing here.  If someone has the tendencies that land them on a government watch list, then I would say they do not get a second chance and they need to be removed to another country.  I appreciate the security that the government authorities do provide and the bravery of the troops that are completing the raids into this horrible person's network of terrorists; but, I think with the warnings they received on this individual in particular, he could have been removed and not allowed to re-enter the country years ago.

One common idea this week that I heard was that people need to respond with love and we need to stick together.  The people who think this and repeat this idea are preaching to the choir.  The question now is, "How can we reach the people who have already turned hateful?"  I don't know if we can; these people do not have the appreciation for human life that the majority of people do.

Although I don't have a clue what to do about this road block in the pathway to peace, the love shown by all of the people around the world for the victims in Manchester does prove that there is mostly Love around the world.  Maybe this message and these signs of caring can reach those who need it most.

Here is a poem from a Mancunian Tony Walsh, aka Longfella.  I found it very moving and hopeful for those who are left to face living with the tragedy in a city dealing with great brokenness.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Would I Lie to You?

There are two times every day that I feel like a liar:  (1) after I drop Jackson off at nursery and finish my drive to work with the "Baby On Board" sign gleaming through the back windshield.  There isn't a baby anywhere near my car, but I continue to drive around looking like a proud mom.  (2) when I drive over the "Keep Clear" sections painted on the road.  For that split second, I know that I'm not following the rules of the road and technically, am not 'keeping clear' of the designated area.

Recently, we had something happen to us that was quite unbelievable and I took note of the people in our lives who non-verbally doubted our story.  I also realised that the more you try to convince someone that you are telling the truth, the more you sound like a big, fat liar.

Lee and I have been UK car owners since July 2015.  Since we have needed the car to get to work instead of just for fun on the weekends, we have thought about purchasing AA (the UK's version of AAA).  Every time I passed one of AA's goldenrod vans on the road, I have considered signing-up online, but week after week would go by and I put this task on the back burner.  After my friend brought up the subject at school about the peace of mind AA brings, I knew it was a sign that I should make time to buy-in to this auto recovery service.

Three weeks ago, on a Saturday night, Lee and I made time to vacuum the car and give it a wash in the driveway.  Then we discussed the options that AA offers and purchased the plan that covers one all the way 'to their front door' because as I told Lee, "Some day we could go out and the car won't start."  (For some reason, this company offers a cheaper option that will cover you anywhere except for a quarter of a mile from your front door.)

Low and behold, Monday morning, we loaded up the car and it didn't start!

(Now, this is where half of you probably don't believe me.  But, this is exactly what happened.)

Luckily, the AA man was able to fix the problem fairly quickly and I wasn't too late to work.  Apparently, the engine was flooded and our only guess as to why that happened was that we got a bad batch of gas (petrol) since we went to a new place to fill-up the tank.

I wasn't too offended when I saw the doubt in my colleagues' eyes after I told them the coincidental story, but I don't know why they questioned me.  I've known most of these people for five years and I don't lie, let alone exaggerate the truth, but I guess this story was out of the realm of believability.  It's probably because I never have this much luck!

We are incredibly thankful that we signed-up for AA (again, the UK version of AAA, not Alcoholics Anonymous) and we will definitely be using it every year from here on out.

Our golden boy

Swinging really high and enjoying the Formby park all to himself

Sweet little Jackson

Taking a break to have a little picnic--I held him up because he wanted to sit at the picnic table like the big kids.

Developmental updates:  Jackson has enjoyed mimicking us this week--whether it is our dance moves, singing, or daily routine activities.  He is such a helpful little boy and likes to put the groceries away and clean-up his toys.  Jackson is definitely trying harder with his speech and experimenting with new consonant sounds.  We feel like we are on the brink of a big breakthrough and his vocabulary is going to be blossoming soon. 

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.