Aidan is four years and four months old! It's been a fun month with Megan's second birthday party at the beginning, several visits around Scotland, an autumn school outing to one of the local parks (with Daddy as a parent-helper!), in addition to seeing family and friends, nursery school, gymnastics, swimming, church and Sunday School.

It was great to have Jill and Andrew pop in to see us as they were en route home; we also had a lovely time visiting Stacey, Becca and Sarah, with Grandma. During the October holidays, we went with Grandma and Grandpa to East Links Family park near Dunbar. Both Aidan and Megan enjoyed their first ever pony ride; and loved the trampolines, go-karts, and feeding the animals as we went round the park on the narrow gauge railway. At the end of October, we visited Cairnie Fruit Farm, in Fife, which has the attraction of a Mega-Maze (created from a field of maize), more go-karts, trampolines and a giant haybale fortress, which the kids both got quite happily lost in for a long time!.

Aidan is slowly starting to regain confidence in his cycling (he had a non-serious fall some time ago leaving him scared to go down hills). Aidan is finally showing an interest in drawing and painting at nursery school, and came home one day with a very impressive piece of artwork: he had drawn a flight map of Polmont-to-New Zealand: Polmont on one side, and NZ on the other, and a line from one to the other (which matched up on both sides). It also had various roads and other things drawn on it, and he could explain exactly what each item represented.

At story time one evening, he impressed Daddy by looking on the back of one of the "Little Miss" books, selecting one that he knew we had, and then correctly told Daddy what was on the first page of the story! Aidan has also been being very helpful recently, very quick to do as he's told and helps to look after his little sister.

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Image 0075-5538 Canon PowerShot S45 1/399 sec., f/2.8 2007:10:14 15:52:47 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn

On top of the climbing frame in our back yard.

Teamwork! Aidan and the "green spots" (his group at nursery) working together to move the branch! As anyone who knows Aidan and his love of sticks might guess - the idea to move the branch came from Aidan (far right), aided and abetted by Joseph (far left), and they convinced the rest of the group to join in.

Image 0075-5579 Canon PowerShot S45 1/60 sec., f/2.8 2007:10:25 13:24:31 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn

Image 0075-5592 Canon PowerShot S45 1/199 sec., f/2.8 2007:10:27 10:48:01 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn

At the Maize Maze. Standing on one of the view points over the maze; Aidan had lots of fun running through the maze and trying to find all the clues.

Riding on the go-kart.

Image 0075-5608 Canon PowerShot S45 1/319 sec., f/3.2 2007:10:27 12:18:07 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn

Image 0075-5614 Canon PowerShot S45 1/60 sec., f/2.8 2007:10:27 12:49:22 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn

Playing in the haystack!

Aidan and his escalator. Aidan's idea, executed with a little help from Daddy.

Image 0075-5621 Canon PowerShot S45 1/60 sec., f/2.8 2007:10:28 09:29:13 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn

Image M20071018-1405 Motorola 2007:10:18 14:05

Aidan's first ever pony ride.

Stepping stones - was he trying to find the troll?

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