What the Kids Wore - Goretex Shoes

Our Summer Bucket List was long and I never imagined we would get so far through it.  There are still so many things I want to do before they go back to school and some that I doubt we will be able to fit in, but we have had so many adventures that I will be sending them back to school and nursery content with the amazing summer we shared.

One of the things I was really keen to try with the boys was fruit picking.  I have never taken them, which doesn't make much sense considering how much they adore fruit of every kind.  We packed a picnic and plenty of water last week and met a group of friends to spend the morning at a PYO farm.  We happened to choose a ridiculously hot day which meant it was actually pretty quiet and we had the strawberry fields to ourselves.

We collected a few plums, apples and redcurrants but really it was all about the strawberries.  I don't know whether more were consumed there or brought home, but we got home to discover that Archie had tried every single strawberry in his punnet to check it was juicy first.

The boys were recently sent some Goretex trainers and they were ideal on this hot day as they are so breathable.  The fact they are waterproof meant we were prepared for all weather and they kept the boys feet protected when they found hay bales and wooden crates to climb on and over after our picnic.  

We are loving our free range summer, the exploring, discovering nature, running and climbing, playing with friends, staying up late and getting dirty.  The boys are having so many adventures and their shoes are keeping up with them well!  Cora spent the morning cuddled up in the sling which made both of us rather warm and rather glad to find a bit of shade to cool down in for a picnic lunch.

We had such a wonderful time fruit picking that I am hoping we can make it back there before the end of the season to fill up the fruit bowl again.  We are definitely going to be picking our own pumpkins and I am sure their Goretex shoes will be needed to keep them dry by then!

What else have you got planned for the final days of summer?

Disclosure: We are Goretex Ambassadors this year so we have been asked to share our big day adventures.  

All words and pictures are my own.

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No Big Adventure

After all the fun and change and travel that September and October saw, November is looking a lot less adventurous.  Four trips away, the beginning of school and the change to full time, the leaves falling as Autumn begins, the adventures were then.  November is a month of quiet for us (although life with three children is never all that quiet).  There are more days where we do very little, days where our biggest outing is a walk through the park after the school run.  Noses are running, chests are producing coughs and small people are feeling tired from it all.

We are a family who won't let rain or wind put us off enjoying the outdoors, but we are a family who need some time together after all the changes.  Five days apart feels like a lifetime when you are four and two and my big boys need time to reconnect at the weekend.  They need to be pirates, or ninja turtles, or school teachers or mummys and play the way they love to.  They need to cuddle and fight and wind each other up and forgive the way only siblings can.  This has shaped our month more than anything as we respect the bond they have and what they need for it to continue.

November is the month my little sister and the boys' Aunty Nat Nat is around after a long summer away and an upcoming winter season in France.  They love having her around, even though most of the time we aren't doing anything exciting at all.  She is a different face to play dominos with, or to tell all about their day at school.  She is a different lap for cuddles at the end of a long day when some quiet time and TV are about all they can cope with.

This past weekend, our biggest adventure was washing the car.  We drove over to Nanny's as there is off-road parking, dressed the boys in their rain gear and let them loose with a bucket and some sponges.  It really doesn't sound exciting to me, but when you are four and two, anything can be an adventure and they loved getting stuck in. They were both sent a pair of Goretex boots which were perfect as they are completely waterproof whilst still being breathable and they did the job of wellies without us having to pack extra into the boot.

More adventures are coming and Christmas is next month but for now our week is quiet, full of cuddles on the sofa, connect 4, sharing books and kicking leaves in the park whilst these boys recover.

These viking boots go with most of their wardrobe and are so practical for little boys who love to run and jump and splash and explore.

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The Wild Child

Archie was born with a glint in his eye that immediately set him apart from his elder brother.  He was calm, wide eyed and curious and whilst he may be a lot less calm at two and a half, he still has the same bright eyes and that desperation to see everything.

At two and a half he is a typical toddler in many ways.  He wants to learn everything using all of his senses, he doesn't understand his limits and high up is a challenge rather than out of bounds.  He will argue with you all day that he is actually four and 'big enough' for whatever you tell him he can't have and he is learning at a rate so fast I can barely keep up. 

I love this age, I love his developing sense of humour, the 'shows' he puts on to delay bedtime each night and the way he expresses himself.  I love that he is starting to assert his independance but he is also still a baby, needing more cuddles and physical contact than either of his other brothers.

Archie is struggling with Dylan being at school.  He isn't happy to leave him at the gates and he is so excited when he collect him.  I hear their little conversations as they talk about how they missed each other and declare that they are still best friends. 

This picture sums up Archie at the moment.  I told him that he needed his wellies on to go in the puddle - he thought otherwise.  Once he had run through it once, there seemed no point stopping him, and I spent the next few minutes watching him in his element, running through, jumping, stomping and splashing.  He ended up soaking wet to his waist with a huge grin on his face all afternoon. 

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The Last Summer Adventures

September seems to have brought with it colder temperatures, but the blue skies haven't completely disappeared.  We spent a day at Mevagissey in Cornwall this weekend, a little seaside village based around a harbour, and we had glorious sunshine all day.

The village is nestled in a small valley around 5 miles from St Austell.  The streets are cobbled and narrow, the views vast and blue and the ice cream authentic and Cornish.

There was plenty to explore with the small folk, dylan loved the rugged cliffs that were so different from the white chalk we have at home.  There was plenty of opportunities for climbing, which we made the most of whilst Archie and Finn were snoozing in the buggy and sling.

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