Butlins!

Well, we survived a few days at Butlins! this past weekend (yes, you must say it with enthusiasm EVERY TIME!).  It was cold, loud, full of food and treats, and the kids had a great time.

I mean, c’mon.. look at the pure joy in this face:

Before the coffee.

While there, we made sure to see the Nick Jr. Rainforest Adventure show.  Oh boy!  Dora, Diego and (oddly) Ming Ming from the WonderPets!

Dora gained a little weight in the past few years.

... and Ming Ming, too!

Sidenote: So the show takes place in somewhat of a multi-purpose club-type setting. Stage, bars on either end, tables, etc.  The Redcoat in the DJ booth “spinning” was REALLY into his work, mixing Bob the Builder and Lazy Town.  There were kids all over the place, dancing and having a blast.  Wonder what he really thinks of his job?  All the Redcoats seem to genuinely like what they do!

Of course, there was facepainting and temporary tattoos, and Elliott had to get in on the action.  Guess who he chose?

Spiderman was scared of Bananaman, the pub's mascot guy and busboy extraordinaire.

For once, Elliott actually rode rides and liked them, too.  Wouldn’t let anyone see his excitement… always covered up his smile with his elbow.  I think the ride operators were worried he was going to be sick.

"But we call them ladyBUGS. Nursery calls them ladyBIRDS."

His favorite ride.

He wasn't so sure about this ride.

I really don’t know how people can do that for more than just a couple of days.  One woman waiting in line for the Nick Jr. show (she had no young kids, by the way…) was there for two weeks, and this was her 22nd time.  I can’t even imagine that!

We left Butlins! with less money (damn those claw machines!), two stuffed animals (yay, claw machines!), a Spidey temporary tattoo and two tired kiddos.  Good weekend.  Will we do it again?  Doubtful!

let’s try this again

So, I’ve historically had a bad track record with starting and maintaining blogs. I’m going to have another go at it, and can hopefully convince Sammy to do the same. I have the basics set up, at the domain name I’ve always wanted, and will shortly be uploading pictures to the gallery. Not just new pictures, but pictures dating from way back when. Hopefully I’ll have those up soon. In the meantime, I need to order the baby picture books that I owe to the grandmas from Xmas time. Oops. Otherwise, we’re currently in the process of making travel plans for the summer. We’re going canal boating in Wales with Curt and Nettie, and will be heading back to the States for our friend’s wedding in October. Otherwise, we’re considering London or Scotland for July. We’re also noticing that some of our friends are finally starting to show some interest in coming out and visiting … still waiting on that first booked ticket ….