And another weekend draws to a close.  They go so quickly!  After a pretty quiet week last week, we’ve packed a lot into this weekend.

We’d read a piece in Time Out about a story centre in Stratford called “Discover”, so we ventured east to investigate on Saturday.  It was the first time we’d been on that journey since the Olympics last Summer, and I must admit I felt a twinge of nostalgia coming out of the jubilee line.  Instead of glorious August sunshine though, it was grey and wet – and our spirits were quite low.

Until we arrived at “Discover” that is…  What a fabulous place! Billed as “London’s only children’s museum is a place where children and their families can enjoy playing, learning and making up stories together”, Alex was in absolute heaven.  Their indoor trail was perfect for toddlers with things to climb, jump on, explore and touch.  Here he is peering out of a bubble:

And deciding where to sail with daddy:

There were fancy dress costumes, art stations and puppets – so many opportunities for making up stories.  I can imagine it would be brilliant with slightly older children to invent characters and adventures.  Throughout the day, there were story telling sessions – but Alex was too excited by all the things to climb on, so we couldn’t persuade him to sit still to listen to a story.  But he did enjoy his journey into space session – especially the countdown to lift off and seeing the moon!

It really was a fabulous place – I’d highly recommend local (and not so local) families to try it out.  There are loads of special events and themed activities all year round.  And it’s right next to Westfield Stratford, so we popped in there for a delicious lunch and ice cream.  All in all a great day out (made even better for Alex because we travelled by both overground and underground train!).

Today we stayed in South London. We had our usual Sunday morning, with Sophie and I at the local farmers’ market, and Alex and Matt swimming in Brixton.  Apparently Alex did his very first solo swimming today holding on to a float (for a few seconds, but it’s a start!) 🙂

This afternoon was Phoebe’s 5th birthday party (how can she be five years old?).  Alex LOVES birthday parties – well, he loves cake and chocolate!  And he certainly loved this one. Not only was there chocolate and an incredible cake (I am totally hiring Catherine for Alex and Sophie’s next birthdays!), but there was a great magician and entertainer.  Alex wasn’t sure to begin with, but as soon as he brought some sweets out, he became engrossed!  He got to try plate spinning and balloon sword fighting (!), got the hang of musical bumps and musical statues and even led a conga round the hall.  He was absolutely exhausted by the end of it, but I know he loved every minute.

Here are a selection of pictures from the party:

Not much Sophie news to report – she enjoyed watching Alex enjoy the weekend (!).  She’s also just mastering the art of rolling over and has had a run of much improved nights – I’m keeping everything crossed that this will continue.  I can certainly cope nicely with a single wake up each night, especially if I make it back into bed within 20 minutes.

And because I can’t resist a cute Sophie picture, here she is enjoying a cuddle with daddy: