Just Humans Being...

Having time away from work is great & since Hugo is doing his circus class, it is a good excuse to get out & about. He's also doing a second day, but it's on one of our busiest days, so for the first time in his life - he's now travelling the 30 miles by train independently! We've not forced him into, he has just decided for himself - which is great! The only problem is that because he's so tall now, the rail staff are not believing that he's only 14 - so he's being asked to pay adult prices!   He is going to use his passport next time to make sure they give him the right ticket! Although we're loving having the opportunity to do whatever we want to do, we are also starting to feel quite redundant as parents... The girls grew up years ago & Hugo has been our baby for so long, but I'm really impressed with his mature attitude & I'm sure as soon as he can - he'll be off, not in a desperate way - but just in a spreading his wing

We're quite excited, as on Sunday we're heading north for a few days to visit our folks... Not only will it be great to see everyone, but it's just nice to get away & staying in a hotel always feels like a holiday to us! Hugo's coming with us again, which is lovely & although we have things to sort for Bebe - we'll also be taking her out for a day to meet up with relatives in the Derbyshire town of Bakewell . A town renowned for it's puddings & it's Pride & Prejudice connection! We've had a busy couple of days & tomorrow will be yet another one, so tonight we're going to chill out, eat chocolate & watch  Fantastic Mr Fox  & try to have an early night... See you soon! Kay & Sime xx

The youngest member of the Smith Tribe turned 14 yesterday! Where have the years gone? Before Hugo was born, the only boys we knew were those that the girls were at school with... Sime really hoped we'd have another girl! I didn't mind & knew that if we did have a boy - he'd be our boy, so felt confident he'd turn out just fine! He was completely different to the girls - slept less, ate more & got into a lot more mischief as a toddler, he was also much more competitive than the rest of us (& still is really)! Saying all that - he's caring & generous, sociable & always grateful, a big animal  lover & great fun to be with (unless he's tired)! He's never been to school or had any formal teaching, choosing to pretty much educate himself, with a bit of input from Mum, Dad & Sissies. He read his first book at the age of 8 (Harry Potter/Half Blood Prince) & has been a massive reader ever since... He seems to know far more than we