Well here we are again. How things have changed with the passage of time.
Josh is sitting his driving test today and we really hope he gets it, he's desperate to be mobile and independent. He and Hannah are still going strong - now over a year together. He's been asked to join a band and is growing into a lovely young man. We're still in the end of the teenage years so for him it's still a confusing time of wanting to desperately be an adult and make adult decisions but still having the back end of a teenager affecting his choices and moods. Interesting times.
He's currently working at M&S but is looking for another job as his contract expires at the end of the month. He spent last summer working at the Zoo which he enjoyed when it was sunny but not so much when it was wet!

Ethan is at Yale College studying Music Performance. He opted for that over doing straight A levels as he hasn't been best served by the his high school unfortunately, and the less academic study he has to do the better. He loves playing his instruments and singing and barely a night goes by when he's belting out something from his room. He's in college 3 and a half days a week and is loving it.
He's looking for a part time job to boost his finances.

Ruben is now in Year 8 and enjoying school, still ongoing issues relating to feet and ears but he cracks on and is a delightful boy... although now being 13 we are seeing some of those changes happening. He loves spending time with chums on the X-Box and still spends loads of time reading and creating things with his 3D pen and drawing tablet.
He has a swanky wheelchair to help with getting about when he needs it. More for fatigue levels than anything else. It's awesome.

Ali is now the shortest member of the family! haha.
She's completing her NPQH to go on to do who knows what. She has no aspirations to be a headteacher but felt God very much telling her to do this so we'll see what He has planned for her this year. Had a few scares over the last year or so with her eyes - we thought she was going blind and had to have a few operations to fix a torn retina. She's an amazing woman and I'm blessed to be able to share this life with her.

Me?... I'm flabbergasted (great word) at how fast these years have gone with the boys. I can't believe we are on the brink of adulthood with one of them, and the other not far behind. Almost gone are the days of snuggling down on the sofa to watch tv or a movie together with teddy bear tucked under their arm. It's sad yet exciting to see who they are becoming!
I'm still enjoying being a youth leader and running a club etc.
I'm also an avid board gamer now. That's my escape... My collection is up to about 140 games!

My plan for 2018?... I'm hoping to get back into blogging. I've missed it and I'm currently taking a long sabbatical from Facebook as it was all too time consuming and ... pointless! So updating this "diary" is my goal this year.

Happy New Year!

Before...


After...

So Ethan is now 14 and catching up with his older brother! His main gift... and XboxOne... Halo Edition! This thing is the business! Why have we not bought one of these earlier. Also had FIFA15 and Titanfall with it. He was pretty stoked. (That's a thing right?).

The other activity on his birthday w/e was going to BreakOut Liverpool. This is a room escape ... thing. Ethan chose the Salvage room with it's piraty theme. It was awesome. Evan and Cam joined Ethan and Josh (and myself) and we had 60 minutes to escape this room by deciphering clues and uncovering secrets. The boys had a blast and we escaped with the clock ticking down the seconds. We opened the door with 2 seconds on the clock!!
talk about adrenaline!
We will definitely be going back to do another room.
Happy days.

On Tuesday Ru went in to have his cholesteatoma removed.
He's done his usual trick of being an absolute star. Went down for surgery well, woke up well with a smile for his mum as he opened his eyes. They cleared all the disease without having to do "cavity" surgery! just have to wait now for the would to heal and his ear to become clear so that he can have a hearing test to see if that's been affected.
He received a beautiful card form his classmates and teachers. Brought tears to my eyes. They had some wonderful things to say to him. Mill View is a very special school.

So...
I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to remember the exact order everything has been happening but I'll try. I may be rearranging this post as I go along as it seems that there's been so much going on I haven't really wanted to post about it as it could so easily have become a blog solely about the issues Ruben is having.
Here goes...
We found out recently that the cholesteatoma in Ru's right ear has returned. This means surgery in a few weeks time to remove and probably reconstruct any affected bone/cartilage. Not really what we wanted to hear.
During the Easter holidays at Llandudno Ru broke his foot! He tripped on the concrete steps outside nana's house and caught the top of his left foot on the edge of the step and fractured it across the talus. He came out of his cast on Monday - after 6 weeks - then went yesterday to Orlau to get fitted for his new splints. It's proven painful for him the last few morning getting his splint on but seems to settle by the time he gets to school.

I had a knee operation in Feb to remove shredded miniscus cartilage in my right knee. The same operation I had on my left knee a few years back. All seems well now. Although due to the arthritis they both get a little stiff from time to time.

Ali is now Assistant Headteacher at Mill View and is enjoying that new role and all that comes with it.

Josh and Ethan are still playing a lot in the worship group, enjoy Halo on Tuesdays and are now catching up with me VERY quickly in height. Although I am shrinking! I used to be 6'4" and am now a paltry 6'2"!
Josh has almost completed his first run of exams and is quietly confident with them while Ethan is lining him self up for an exam in a week's time.

They all went to Ireland without me last week during half term with Ruth to stay with Uncle Fred. They met lots of family who were over from Canada and Australia, which was great, along with other aunties, cousins, etc. They also took in a bit of sightseeing in Dublin and Powerscourt, Bray and Dalky.

I missed them terribly but and was thankful that I was in work otherwise I'd have been bored out of my skull. I hadn't realised how much the hubbub of a busy family was such a comfort. Not hearing the boys laughter and arguments, or being able to do things for Ali, or even the comfort of sharing the bed, was very strange for that long a period. It all felt very alien. Fun for about 6hrs... then I felt like I was twiddling my thumbs a bit. On the upside - I did complete Tomb Raider on the 360. :-)

Also, here's Ru watching tv in one of his most comfortable poses...

photos on flickr.

Had a lovely relaxing time this Christmas. As per usual, but it felt even more relaxed this year for some reason.
Plenty of peace and yet spent some lovely time with family too.
A wonderful way to finish the year.

So on New Year's Eve - Ru went into hospital to have a tonsillectomy.
For over a year now Ru has had trouble with glandular fever and tonsillitis. So much so that it has pretty much been the case that his months have gone a bit like this: 1wk getting ill, 1wk being ill, 1wk getting recovering, 1wk ok! And repeat!!

His recovery has been great. Days 3 and 4 of recovery were quite hard for him but mainly in the morning after sleeping and not drinking throughout the night. Other than that he's done amazingly well - with not really any pain [his words - not mine] and mainly discomfort.
As a treat for him while he was off school we bought him the Lego Tower Bridge set to build. Took best part of a week - on and off.






Back to school tomorrow...

What a great summer break!!
Began with a week in a lovely new caravan at New Wine - no more camping for us, oh no! Certainly not for the whole family. Myself and the boys definitely but not Ali. We will therefore have to invest in a smaller tent as our monster is just too big for what we would now use it for.
Anyway - New Wine was fantastic, it was in the South again this year at the Bath & West Showground. weather was on and off [mostly on] but what does that matter when you're tucked up nice and cosy in a... sorry.
Got a lot from the seminars we went to - mostly confirming what we are already trying to get across to the church about how "the Message never changes, but the delivery should change like the wind!". Gavin Calver [Head of Youth for Christ] was spot on, as was Mrs Hockley and Mike Pilavachi.
The boys all had a good time in their respective groups - Ru in Rock Solid, Eth in Club One and Josh in Thirst. As usual we had all the lovely families to share the week with. Especially good to catch up with the Blunts and the Bulls! :-)

Headed home then for a few days to prepare for the journey to Le Brueil, in the Champagne/Ardenne region of France. A lovely 16th century farmhouse surrounded by rolling vineyards and blue skies and the sound of... nothing. Bliss.
Visited a few WWI memorials around about, the Notre Dame in Reims, Dormans, Epernay. Paris for a day where we had a superb boat tour and payed a visit to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre to say how do you do to Mona Lisa.
Stayed of a few days in Belgium on the way back in Ypres, where we took in the Flanders Field Museum and the Menin Gate, where we were all quite moved by the Last Post which takes place every evening at 8pm.
Josh visited Ypres last year with History, Ethan is going back next month, and Ru spent all last term learning about WWI in their CfL at school so he was really interested in the whole thing.
Stayed in a lovely hotel on the main square called Hotel'O - which overlooked the museum that looked particularly stunning at night. The photos don't do it justice.
France / Belgium photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_gibbs/sets/72157646359569108/
New Wine photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/gaz_gibbs/sets/72157646405900165/

So here I am - typing something I never thought I would... I joined a gym!
I'll start at the beginning.
After a short [4km] but energetic bike ride at the w/e with Ethan, the boys and Ali and I were talking about what we could do to get fitter and also to have something to do over the summer other than play games and mill about. So after a little research by the lady wife we all decide it would be a good idea for them to have a junior membership at the Northgate gym. They will not only have access to the gym but also to the pool whenever they want and the racket sports. Then we decide that really... I guess I should joint too!
I do a job that involves me sitting behind a desk 90% of the time, and other than the odd bike ride and run about in the garden with the football with the boys - I do pretty much nothing fitness wise.
How is that an example to set for my kids to be keeping fit?
No - I'm in! I signed up this week and went for my first session on the Xtrainer / treadmill - worked up a good sweat, and generally felt really good afterwards - like I'd actually done something. J & E were there too after their swim and they had a run and went on the rowing machines for a while.
And you know what?... It was great.
Time to work off some of that middle age spread :-) About time too!
In the last 3 days the boys have gone every day. Straight after school - I think they enjoy it too.