Tyler Breaks his Wrist

Tyler in A&E asking questions

So not everything goes to plan and as we all know accidents happen.  Tyler, Hannah, Rayna, mum and nan had all gone to the local park for the morning before they planned to go to shopping.   Tyler in his typical way got a little too brave and fell off a climbing frame and fell awkwardly.

Nan helps support Tylers arm

 Straight away it was apparent that he'd hurt himself and grandad was phoned to come and see what he thought (Martin was at work).  Grandad checked it out and decided to drive everyone to the Accident and Emergency ward in Chelmsford.   Within an hour Tyler had been looked at and X rayed (showing he'd broken two bones near his wrist).  A small pot was put on his arm to stop it from moving and another appointment made the next day so he could have a full cast put on after any swelling had gone down.

 

Mummy, Martin and Tyler all went back tot he hospital the next day where the Doctor looked again at Tylers arm.  They then took the old cast off and put on a new full cast (see the video) and then more X-rays.   The doctor was happy with everything he saw and told us the cast could be removed in about 4 weeks time (just before we fly back to Louisiana).

Has it slowed Tyler down any?  Nope not in the slightest.

 . 

Grandads Retirement Dinner

Having Dinner at Fowlers Farm

Grandad retired from work recently so we all got together for a surprise dinner.  Nan had arranged without grandad knowing for us all to meet up at Fowlers farm.  As well as Aaron, Clare, Kelly, Deb, Col we were joined by Auntie Margeret and Uncle Ivan.

A really good meal with some fun friends.

Saying goodbye outside the restaurant

 

A Surprise Visitor

Rayna on the Pony

Tyler on the Pony

Hannah on The Pony

We were all visiting with Uncle Terry and Auntie Anne when Kara came riding her pony and gave the kids a special surprise.  They were all really lucky and were allowed to sit on the pony which they loved, especially Tyler who wanted to ride off into the distance.

An afternoon at the Ladybower Reservoir

Dawn and Martin Posing by the Labybower Dam

One of the things we stopped and looked at during our drive around the Peak District was the Ladybower reservoir.  The kids had a great run around and we even made friends with some local ducks who fed from our hands (see the video).

 

The Speedwell Cavern

Grandad leads the way down the mine

The boat at the bottom of the stairs

Whilst we were all in Derbyshire Hannah, Rayna, Tyler, Martin and Grandad took a trip down the speedwell cavern which is an old tin mine.

After a long walk down many steps at the bottom awaited a large boat.  We were lucky enough to be right at the front so the kids got a fantastic view as the boat travelled along the mine.

The guide told stories about the history of the mine and how it was a financial disaster as a tin mine costing thousands whilst only having a few hundred pounds worth of tin found.

The miners flooded the mine to make it easier to move rocks and rubble but it makes a great trip for tourists.

The guide pushes the boat along the route

Tyler, Hannah and Rayna deep underground

The halfway point where you have to get out and swap boats

A day at Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House

We all spent a day at Chatsworth House, Unfortunately the day we had chosen to visit turned out to be one of the wettest so far.  We had a really interesting look around the beautiful house and the stables, we had planned on looking around the gardens but the continual down pour put paid to that unfortunately.

Dawn checks out some of the fantastic ceilings inside the house

Still we had a good time looking at everything indoors.   The house has been used in many movies and TV series so may look familiar.   We even met one of the people we recognised from the recent BBC series all about Chatsworth House.

Treasure Hunt In Robin Hoods Sherwood Forest

Walking towards the Great Oak in Sherwood Forest

We all headed up to Derbyshire for a few days in and around the peak district.  One of the things we went to see was Sherwood Forest.  The home of the legendary Robin Hood, where he and his merry men hid from the Sherrif of Nottingham.

As a special surprise Auntie Tamsin, Uncle nick and Charlotte had hidden some treasure in the woods and left video tape clues which we all watched on Raynas, notebook before dashing off into the woods to find the hidden treasures.

Hannah, Tyler and Rayna watching the first clue to find the hidden treasures

 We didn't do too bad and only needed slight hints occasionally from Uncle Viv who was helping us on our quest.  You can see some of the searching in the video above.

Heading off in search of the treasures

We had to stop regularly to keep checking the clues

Tyler in one of his many Dens in the forest

Young Robin hides in a tree and tests his archery skills

 An excellent days fun, so special thanks to Uncle Nick, Auntie Tamsin and Charlotte for organising the treasure hunt and Auntie Anne and Uncle Viv for meeting us all in the woods and giving us the occasional hint and point in the right direction when needed.

Warner Bros Studio Tour London, Harry Potter

Waiting to go inside the Harry Potter Studio

So we decided to do something cool and visit the Harry Potter Studio in London.  Since the movies have finished being made the location of many of the sets where they were actually filmed has been opened recently to the public.  If you're in England and want to visit the details are here, Harry Potter Studio Tour London.

As you can see from the video and pictures a great time was had by all.  Although Tyler was a little unsure about the magic book with the eyes and teeth, especially when it started moving.

Inside the Great Hall in Hogwarts

Riding on Hagrids motorbike and sidecar

Enjoying a Butterbeer on a rest

A day at the Discovery Centre, Braintree

Hannah and Rayna on one of the climbing frames

While the weather was hot we all took a day out and went to the Discovery centre (English spelling again). Nan, Grandad, Mum, Martin and Kelly as well as Tyler, Hannah and Rayna.

 The Discovery centre is a large piece of land full of exciting climbing frames and swings to be discovered.

As you can see in the video Rayna took and unscheduled departure from one of the swings but after a quick cuddle was soon up and running around again.

Grandad and Nan enjoying the sun

Long Walks in the British Summer

The view we normally get as we walk along

Water is just so irresistible

So it's been a long time since the blog was updated (Dawn has been to busy and not much has happened hmmm).  We've been apart for 5 months due to lack of funds and paperwork needing to be completed for my (Martins) USA Visa.  Anyway we're all back in the UK now and have so much to add I figured if i don't start soon we'd be forgetting stuff.

We're here for 2 months and then we fly back to Louisiana and get married!

One of our favourite (English spelling) things to do when we can is to go for our family adventure walks, normally a couple of miles and we have some great fun.  

We walk through tall grass and up and down steep hills and sometimes (depending how hot it is) we may even go for a little dip in the river (see video).

It's surprising how few arguments there are  when there's a lot of running around to be done and it certainly helps everyone getting to sleep at night.  Which is one of the reasons we do it :0)

The kids always find a more adventurous route

Christmas in England

Rayna, Tyler and Hannah playing pooh sticks on the bridge

So Dawn and I collected the girls and Tyler from school early and headed to the airport.  It was finally time for the gang to fly to the UK and meet the other side of the family. So many things were different and yet so much the same.

Shopping in Tescos with Nan and Grandad on Day 1

The first few days were spent in and around Braintree as we all struggled with jet lag and getting used to being hungry / tired at all the wrong times.

Walking through Braintree town centre

England's secret food (sausage rolls)

After a few days (and discovering how good sausage rolls taste).  We set off to spend the weekend in derbyshire and visit some relatives.

A tea party with Charlotte

Drawing with Kimia

Having spent the weekend up north we returned home, there's so much more that we did that isn't covered on the blog such as the trip to the zoo and the day at crazy kids but you can get the ide we were kind of busy.

Playing games with Paul, Julie, Rebecca and Annabelle

Outside Colchester Castle

For more of a taster you can see some more of the things we did on the video below.

Christmas in Central, Louisiana

So it's been a while since we updated this blog but there's been a lot going on.  I (Martin) managed to get over to Louisiana from mid November and join the family for some pre Christmas fun before we all flew back to the UK for Christmas.

The above family picture was taken at Dawns dads and is one of our first with us all in.  To be honest it's a mix of two images as Tyler decided to be grumpy in the main picture so I had to change his head to make a good image (where would we be without photoshop).

Here's another shot of the gang playing on the logs outside Paw paws.  Although it looks posed it really was a grab shot, with Tyler deciding to get in on the action at the very last second.  One of the things we did was attend the Central Christmas parade, which was a new experience for me.  Standing in a T shirt in the sun as Santa comes past is something that doesn't occur in England.

Anyway here's a short video of some of the parade and watch what happens when the Central High School football team spots Dawn (their favourite teacher) in the crowd.

Family dance off

Something that we all have in common is the love for music and dancing. It is common the find us rocking out in the car, or having and dance off on the Wii. Either way, I say a family who dances together, stays together. It's fun to be silly.

Water Park

The other day we brought the kids to the Denham Springs Water Park. It is just a small park with a few water features, a play area and this cool musical game area. The kids enjoyed it and started working together to get a good score. The girls hit the top and Tyler hit the bottom.

Library Day

So, every Wednesday is library day for us. We have been bringing Tyler each week while the girls are at their Reading Camp. He loves it. He runs in and the first thing he does is get on the computer. It teaches him basic skills like how to use a mouse. He also gets to listen to Elmo and friends and watch fun skits. Martin usually reads to him also. The librarians have gotten used to us also. His favorite books right now are the Wanda Witch series....too bad there are only 4 books.