... a 40th and a triple baptism

Last weekend Phil and I went to London to help Ali get ready for her 40th birthday bash. It was really just an excuse for me to play with the kids all day so I was happy. Phil, Ali and Michael did all the party prep work. It was a really great day getting ready and the party was a lot of fun, Happy Birthday Ali!!

Lottie giving big baby cousin a kiss

The weekend was a double celebration. Ali and Michael took the opportuniy of having all the Aunts and Uncle's in the one place to get thier three children baptised on Sunday morning. It was a priviledge to be asked to be Godmother to Hannah and to take part in the service. We love each of the children very much and pray for them and Ali and Michael as they are raised in a loving Christian home.

Lottie, Hannah and Sam

The Paterson Family

Phil and I with our niece/Godchild

... some birthday photos

Two very special people lighting the candles

My cake

Some of my friends chillin' out after a wild

night with a cup of tea and a piece of cake!!

....a birthday party in Belfast

Last weekend Phil and I flew home for some much needed family time. I hadn't seen my parents and big bro since January and my little sis and bro since this time last year so it was fab to catch up with everyone. They had all gathered in Belfast to celebrate my 30th birthday and some of my friends who live in N. Ireland also came to the party. It was so lovely to see everyone and show off my big baby bump. It was the last weekend that I could fly before this little baby arrives so I made the most of it and saw as many people as possible.

The party was alot of fun, sadly I have no photos yet, I'm waiting for friends to send me some. My lovely family thought it would be fun to put hideous pictures of me all through the house and even my birthday cake had a picture of me on the top!!

I don't feel 30 so that's cool and I'm looking forward to my next trip home at Christmas time when God willing we will have our little baby with us :)

... a babymoon, bala and a birthday

I've had a few comments about the lack of posts recently but Phil and I were on a well deserved holiday abroad. Possibly our last for a few years, definitely our last when I can lie all day and read. We jetted off to Lanzarote and spent a relaxing week by the pool reading and sleeping. Phil got involved with the crazy pool side activities and when he discovered that you won medals he became very interested/competitive. The week away was really relaxing and just what the doctor ordered. I was worried about the heat but had absolutely no probs, even managed to get a bit of tan in the shade :)

After our long week away we then had a week at home. We had thought about going away for a few days but in the end we were thrilled to be able to help out some friends and look after their cute little boy whilst they had another baby!! Very well planned on their part I thought.

I finished the week off with a fabulous weekend away with some of the ladies from Church. I'd missed the weekend last year much to my disappointment, but I made up for it this year and had a really great time chatting to people I already know and getting to know new people. Can't wait for next year :)

Oh nearly forgot to mention that in the middle of all our holiday madness I turned 30. Big party this weekend for family and a few friends. Still feel 25, let's hope that lasts.

... a baby scan

Yesterday Phil and I went for our second scan of the baby at the hospital. We were fairly relaxed about the whole thing and very excited about seeing the little baby again. Apart from the 30mins wait the scan was brilliant. Seeing our little baby wriggling about, sucking and what looked like scratching her head was amazing. The sonographer was also pleased cause it was a very well behaved baby, lets hope that continues after birth!! All the measurements were in the correct zone and the heart was beating away. We are so thankful and continue to pray for the safety of this precious little person. I've attached a photo (Phil thinks the baby has its mummy's big fat tummy!!)

... LOTR risk

Bank holidays are meant to be lazy days spent doing stuff that you want to do, not stuff you have to do. So Phil and I started the day off lounging on the sofa in our PJ's, that was until the door bell rang and Phil's friend Kentin was at the door. Since it was already 12.00 we thought we should get dressed and spend the day entertaining Kentin. After lunch the boys went off to the driving range and I went back to lounging about....but then the worst imaginable thing happened. The electricity went OFF!! So our evening of Wii playing and DVD watching was out, couldn't go on the Internet, couldn't watch TV!! There was nothing left but to search through our large stash of board games and Lord of the Rings Risk won the day. We sat down at 4.00pm to begin had 30min break for tea (electricity was back by this point) then returned to the game only for Phil to take victory at 10.00pm. A slight consolation was that I didn't come last!! It was a fun bank holiday and a rematch is being planned as I write. :)

...10 thoughts I had yesterday

Ione has tagged me but since I only got out of bed 30mins ago and my only thought so far today has been 'do I really have to get up?' I'll list my 10 thoughts from yesterday. Thanks Ione!!

1. I wonder what the traffic will be like this morning through Birmingham
2. Why doesn't the client listen to me, am I not scary enough on site?
3. Can I get away without stopping to get a sarnie for lunch and just have crisps and an apple instead.
4. This wriggling baby can be quite distracting whilst I'm driving.
5. Why does H take soooo long to reply to text messages.
6. Have I told everyone that I've changed the date of my Birthday Party?
7. Why do boys feel the need to watch football even if they don't like either of the teams.
8. When is Phil going to book me a holiday, I need a week away reading my books.
9. Can I get through all of Thursday without finding out who was fired from the Apprentice before I watch it tonight...I'm thinking no!!
10. Why is it so important to sleep on your left hand side when your pregnant...it just feels wrong.

... a visit from her favourite mum-in-law

Last weekend, we had a fab time with Phil's mum. We always love it when she comes to visit cause she does the dishes, and shes great fun to spend time with. On Saturday we had a full day of shopping. Firstly we went to look at cars for Jean and then we headed over to Cheshire Oaks for a bit of a mooch in the shops. Didn't buy much but it was nice to window shop. Sunday was a lovely day, introducing Jean to our many friends and she had a chance to catch up with some old friends also. We're looking forward to her next visit in July.

... a little bit bigger

This photo was taken just a week ago. It's not the best photo in the world, but for those of you who haven't seen me for a while it gives you and idea of how crazily large my bump is getting. I'm feeling thoroughly massive at the moment so who knows what I'll feel like in 20 weeks. I've had two big pregnancy excitements this week. Firstly, I've reached the half way mark. I have my second scan in 2 weeks which is really exciting and Phil and I have started looking at baby stuff (although all hand me downs are greatly appreciated)!! Secondly, I have had an exciting week of feeling the baby move. It feels a bit like bubbles popping in my tummy, really weird but strangely nice. Sadly Phil can't feel it yet so he's feeling a bit left out, but I'm sure it won't be long until baby Brumby is performing some kung-fu moves that Phil can feel! All is well with Mummy and Baby, please pray that this will continue.

... Malvern Spring Garden Show

I'm not really a gardener although I do fancy growing some veg. I have started but Phil says they are all dead, I'm holding out hope for a revival!! This week I had a opportunity to see the professionals at work. The school where I'm working had entered a garden in the Malvern Spring Garden Show and our company had sponsored them. So I was asked to attend as a rep from our office. After my site visits on Thursday I popped down to the show to see the Show Garden that we had sponsored...it had won Gold (whatever that means). It was still pretty cool, it featured plants and boring stuff but at it's focus was the schools miniature steam train. It was a fun afternoon in the sun.

... London with family

Last weekend Phil and I headed down to Lonodn for the May Bank Holiday weekend. We expected awful traffic on the Friday but I was ok :) We had a fab weekend with the Paterson family, it's great to see the kids growing and the girls are now hilarious, chatting away. Little Sam is also cute especially when he laughs and blows bubbles. Phil sadly wasn't feeling great, he's been poorly now for about 2 weeks. I think he is now starting to come out the other side. I don't really mind him being sick (since he is quite often) but this time it's been super annoying cause he's half deaf and I have to remember to shout at him or else repeat myself!! But we still managed to have a fab weekend.

The Paterson Clan

Phil and Lottie

Lottie and Hannah snoozing after playing hard

Me and ickle Sam

Pirate Lottie and Pirate Sam

Hannah chasing bubbles in the garden

...some rapid heart beating

Last Thursday I had my 16 week midwife check up. It was nice to finally meet my midwife and chat over any concerns. My biggest concern was that I hadn't put on any weight despite the fact that I already have a rather large bump. The midwife laughed and said don't worry you will!! Apart from the midwife taking far too much blood for my liking the best bit about the visit was getting to hear the heartbeat for the first time. It's nice to be re-assured that Baby Brumby is growing inside. I'm looking forward to the next scan in about 4 weeks. So far the pregnancy has been good and I've not had too many of those awful pregnancy symptoms. Lets hope it continues!! :)

... a weekend with friends from Uni

This weekend we had some lovely friends come to visit who we have known since Dundee days. Ruth came over from Nottingham on the Saturday with her new husband Giles and Nicola came up from London with her not so new husband Ian. It was great to meet Giles for the first time and get to know Ian a little bit better.

We had a super day on Saturday catching up on old times and seeing what everyone is up to know. We took them all for a walk along the canal and finished with a large coke in Lock 57. Nicola and Ian stayed for the whole weekend and we chilled out on sat night with some great food and chat. Sadly they have all left now but we're hoping to see each other a bit more often than we have up to now.

This morning at Church was also a Baptism service for 6 people, it was such a moving and wonderful service and I felt privileged to be there and to share it with them all.

...book club

I was at book club again last night. We meet every month to discuss a different book. Last night we were looking at 'Stepping Heavenwards' by Elizabeth Prentiss. It wasn't my favourite book but there was so much to take from it that I couldn't dislike it. I enjoy book club mostly cause I get to meet up every month with a great group of ladies and chat about books, God and anything else we think of. Sadly I have to lead a month next year which means choosing a book. I'm a bit stumped as to what to choose, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know. Most of my time these days is taken up with reading Book Club books, and the books I like may not appeal to the wider audience. I have a few ideas up my sleeve so we'll see what falls out!! I've started the next book for next month already, lets hope it's a good one :)

....wish that other bloggers would add an RSS feed to their blogs

I do wish that all my blogging friends, not to mention anyone in particular - Ione, Olga, Liz, Nic, would add an RSS feed to their blogs so that I don't have to continually check if they have been updated. RSS Feeds are great, they link to your email account and everytime you check your emails it gives you all the blog updates.

...some building work

Ok so the title seems to imply that I have building, which isn't technically correct, but Phil has been building on my behalf. Last summer we tried to buy some garden furniture in the summer sales but couldn't find anything we liked. So this year we just grabbed the bull by the horns and bought some garden furniture. It's not exactly what we were looking for last year, but times have changed, priorities have changed and bank balances are going to be alot smaller in the future. Below is a picture of me working at the table this afternoon when I came home from my site visit. It was great to be out in the garden and the wireless Internet seems to work even if it is a little slower.

The other thing Phil has been building is the gas BBQ that we bought last year for a great price on the Internet. However Phil has now discovered why it was such a good price...it's ridiculously difficult to built. The instructions are very complicated and the diagram is not much help. But he's great at stuff like this so hopefully it'll be finished by the weekend when we have friends coming to visit and we can have our first BBQ of the year.

....a few things for the first time!

This weekend Phil and I had the pleasure of going to Barcelona for my very good friend Cheryl's 30th Birthday. Barcelona is an amazing city with loads to see and do. We arrived on Friday morning after a stupidly early start!! This meant we had the rest of the day to explore. We dumped our bags at the hotel and headed off to the Olympic village area, about 5 mins from the hotel. We both had different reasons for going here, Phil wanted to see what it was like without 5million computer geeks (this was where his conference was at the end of Feb) and I wanted to visit the German Expo pavilion designed by the legendary Mies van de Rohe. I LOVED it, Phil wasn't quite so excited.

Friday night we met up with Cheryl and James for dinner. Cheryl was very shocked to see us in Barcelona but thrilled, we haven't seen each other in ages so it was great to catch up.

The Birthday Girl is the attractive one in the middle!

Saturday was a full day of Architectural sight seeing, Phil wasn't sure about this but by the end of the day was well impressed. Gaudi is a famous Architect in Barcelona so we went to see a variety of his masterpieces. One of the most spectacular was Sagrada Familia (the unfinished cathedral), and I think I'm now in the camp that says it should never have been finished. We got a lift to the top of the towers and had great views over the city, then had to walk back down a really narrow stairwell. Very scary!!

Next I took Phil off to Parc Gruell which if I'm honest I wanted to see because S Club 7 come here in their movie (I know I'm sad but S Club are fab) :) Apart from the monster climb up to the park it was a super afternoon, the sun was shining and we had a picnic on the curvy seats. Then Sat night was the big get together for all of cheryls family, 17 of us piled into a very busy restaurant and picked random things to eat (the menu was in Spanish and all waiters spoke Spanish). It was really lovely to kick back and chat to loads of lovely people that I haven't seen since there wedding day.

Sunday had a slow start to the day due the previous late night. I thought I should really let Phil see something he is actually interested in so we went to Camp Nou for a tour of the stadium and the museum. I have to admit that it was quite spectacular, especially sitting in the directors chair and pretending to be a footy commentator!!



We spent the reat of the day wandering around La Rambla area before we flew home. We will definately go back to Barcelona, but who knows when.

In the midst of all that excitement I have decided to take up knitting. The reasons for this will become clear as you read, but inspired by an old friend from school I bought a book, needles and some yarn. I'm currently a quarter of the way through a Debbie Bliss Buggy Blanket. It is lots of squares of different colours with a lovely blue external trim.



I'm enjoying knitting at night whilst I'm relaxing, but sadly my reading is suffering at the moment. I never was very good at balancing things.

Really the biggest news is that Phil and I are, God willing, having a baby in October. I am now 13 weeks pregnant and we are both very excited. So far I have been very lucky and haven't really had morning sickness. I have been a little sleepier than normal but nothing too drastic. But now that I'm moving into the second trimester I am hoping all signs of nausea and tiredness will be a thing of the past. Although we are absolutely thrilled with our liitle bump it was a bit of a surprise so finacially we aren't as prepared as we had hoped, but good friends and family are already coming out of the wood work and offering clothes, baby things, etc so this should help alot. I'll keep you posted as time progesses but for now here is the first scan images of the baby.

... a fab 70th Birthday

A few weekends ago Phil and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with Mrs Brumby Senior (aka Jean). It was Phil's Mums 70th and although Jean didn't want any fuss, we did :) So much to her delight (we think) we arranged for Andy (her other son) and a few of her Whitby friend to come round for afternoon tea. It was a great surprise and a lovely afternoon was had by all. Even the cake was amazing, but that's probably because I didn't make it or decorate it!! In the even Jean, Andy, Phil and I all headed out to a really posh restaurant in Whitby for some top nosh. It was a super evening full of laughter, we were only sad that Ali, Michael and their little ones couldn't make it. But they sent a specially recorded Happy Birthday message which made everyone smile.

I still can't quite believe that Jean is actually 70 since she's still teaching virtually full time, has bags more energy than me and acts like a 20 year old most of the time. But we hope there are many more happy birthdays to come over the years.

... a free meal and a mad weekend in London

It's hard to believe that on the 19th Feb 1998 Phil and I went on our first date. What a wonderful 10 years we've had, we've experienced so much together and grown in our love for each other every day. To celebrate we went out for dinner at a local restaurant. We had a lovely night reminiscing and then to our delight we were informed by the manager that on a wed night they have a raffle and one table wins a free meal. WE WON!!! It's totally irrelevant that we were the only people in the restaurant!!

We then headed down to London on Thursday night to spend the weekend with Ali and Michael and our nieces and nephew. This was the first time that we had met little Sam so we were very excited. He's an absolutely adorable little boy. We also had lots of fun playing with the girls. Hannah is now walking and just potters around the house minding her own business. Lottie is full of chat and likes to give you a running commentary on everything she is doing.

It was also lovely in the evenings when all the little ones were sleeping to chill out with Ali and Michael, eat nice food and put the world to rights. It was a really special weekend for many reasons and we want to thank Ali and Michael for everything :)


Lottie, Hannah and Sam with their favourite Auntie (ok, so I'm their only Auntie but that's not the point)

... a week at home alone, and survived!

This past week Phil has been in Barcelona with work, he tells me that it was hard work and long days, but he was in Barcelona eating nice food and not in the office. Some people have all the fun. I one the other hand was at home, working!! I did however disprove some of Phil's theories.

Theory 1: That I steal the duvet....the duvet has remained in the same place all week and hardly needed me to make the bed when I got up in the morning. I conclude that Phil gives me the duvet during the night :)

Theory 2: That I trash the house....the house was tidied on Monday night and stayed tidy all week. I conclude that Phil finds my stuff and throws it round the house to make it look like I trashed the house.

Theory 3: That I'm allergic to the bin...I had to put the bin out whilst he was away AND put the recycling out. I conclude that I don't like this job and would rather Phil did it, which he does graciously.

Phil did however miss that all important commercial event that we never even celebrate..Valentines Day. So to make up for it he brought me home some lovely presents from Barcelona. I was expecting perfume from the airport but he excelled himself and brough this home for me instead....


If you have good eyesight you can read that the heart shaped cookie says 'Mobile World Congress 2008' and the bottle of champers was about the be thrown out!! It's the thought that counts :)

Phil is now home and although he's tired its been great to catch up properly and spend some time together.


I noticed that my video of Stricty Come Dancing Live didn't work, so here are a few photos. Sorry they are so far away.