September always seems to be the busy month for us and usually runs parallel to December where we have Zannas birthday, all the Christmas festivities, all the activities etc at School with Olivia then of course the big day itself.
I thought I would pop together some of the things that we have been up to lately in a bit of a round up so get ready for plenty of pictures!
The first to mention of course is that Olivia started Primary School this year. She was more than ready for it and very excited. We could not be more proud of her as she sailed into the classroom and 4 weeks later hasn’t looked back. She is thriving and all the reports back from her teacher have been amazing she really is a little star.
Chris and I took some days off work and once Olivia had finished school early on her first week we headed up to the North Coast. This is Olivias favourite place in the whole world and she would even tell you after being on a few holidays this is still her favorite place out of all of them. This was a special treat for her to celebrate how well the first week of school went. We decided to try out Rosepark Farm in Ballymoney as we had never been there before and it looked really good. We took advantage of the good weather as we might not get back up the coast until next year and it paid off. From animals, to a beach, to zip lining both girls had a blast and we would definitely recommend a visit if you are in the area.
I attended a wonderful NI Blogger Brunch in Cafe Parisien in Belfast. If you are local and have never been here before then you are definitely missing out! Stunning views of Belfast City Hall and absolutely delicious food always make for a good combo! Hosted by the lovely Cathy Martin from CMPR agency with lovely gifts from Sisterhood Gin and Vee Beauty London we were all very spoilt. Its lovely to get a bit of time out and catch up with friends. Cafe Parisien is part of the Galgorm group which of course is my favourite place to stay ever as I got married there eight years ago.
September is of course the biggest fashion month in the calendar with all the new season trends launched. Summer dresses are switched to cosy knits and autumnal colours and its exciting to see what the high street will unveil in all the fashion shows taking place over the course of the month.
My frind Jill and I attended Stylefest 2018 held in conjunction with our local ABC Council and it was a fantastic night showcasing local retailers from the Banbridge Area. Held in the FE McWilliams Gallery and hosted by Sarah Travers the night was a sell out. I particulary enjoyed a make up masterclass from Paddy McGurgan who not only gave great ideas for the new season but he was incredibily funny as well.
This last week has in particular been busy with Chris celebrating his birthday, there must always be cake of course although his chance to blow out the candles himself has totally been taken over by Olivia and Zanna is just mesmorized by the cake itself and how quickly we are going to cut it so she can have a piece!
On top of celebrating his birthday Chris proved once again he is always up for the hardest of challenges and this time around it was a tough one. Chris and his friend Alan run 10k nearly every week and like the contest to see if they can better their time etc by entering competitions and now some half marathons. This one seems to have proved the hardest at the Causeway because it isn’t a road race but actually takes place on the beach, over rocks and up and down steps. Once they had completed it, drank a bee and ate the free burger they both confirmed it was the scenery of the coast line that helped push them on. Having said that I think they might be up for the challenge of the Causeway Coastal Marathon next year again as they know what to expect. Amy, Alans wife and I both agreed that maybe the New York marathon would be better suited for them as we wouldn’t mind travelling for that one 🙂
Friday nights are back to the Girls Brigade run for Olivia. Of all the clubs/classes she attended this is by far her favourite. She joined last year and it was the highlight of her week going and after receiving the biggest honour at her display back in March of best all round Tiny Tot she was absolutely buzzing to go back and september couldn’t come around quick enough. The photo on the right was taken last September 2017 and the one on the left was taken on Friday night. I cannot believe the difference a year makes! Here is to another successful year for her at this brilliant organisation 🙂
Before we know it October will be here and Halloween will be the next big event in our household. Ive already been informed that olivia wants to be a ‘rainbow coloured Unicorn’ however she might be disappointed when I bring out the witches outfit I got 1/2 price last year in the Tesco Sale..oh well!
