Ashton meets Casey

Hollie and Ashton

Kayla (and Pete) have a baby

Ash - this dude could well be your good buddy in years to come

Ash learning to read

Don't get into Debt

Debt crisis: Spain and Italy to be bailed out in £600bn deal

European leaders are poised to announce a £600 billion deal to bail out Spain and Italy, it emerged at the G20 summit on Tuesday night.

Cypress became the 5th country in the Euro-Zone to get bailed out

Authorities from Cyprus and the so-called troika of international lenders – the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – reached agreement on a bailout loan for the country of up to 10 billion euros. A look at key parts of the deal:

Times are tough Ash

Adam's free kick caught on camera

Hopefully will will be good at football like your Brother

Ash in his school play

New School Shoes

Meeting Hollie at work

Me & Ash at Mcdonalds

Me & Ash at the cinema

More Brighton Pic's and video

Do what ever it takes, not what's easy

Ashton, this weekend your Mum is working extra hours to help pay for a family holiday, I did my usual early Saturday morning run, it was freezing cold and raining hard but it did not stop me. The point I am trying to make is don't decide to not do certain things because they are not easy. 

There is little to be gained from doing what is easy, easy things are usually dull and boring, yet things that are difficult and challenging are usually satisfying, rewarding and a great sense of achievement is to be had. Long lye-ins followed by a few hours with your feet up watching tv is easy and nice for all of us on the odd occasion, but what satisfaction or reward comes from that?

Mum has worked full time all week at her normal job, but has been out all of Saturday and Sunday doing hard manual work, but the reward is a better family holiday for us all, I was up early and running in the rain but the reward is that I am getting thinner and fitter, when I run I try to beat my best time by saying in my mind - try, try, try, can, can, can which is something you taught me, believe it or not.

I see the same determination and will to win when I watch you do your football, golf, swimming and gymnastics as well as leaning to read at home. I hope me and Mum can develop and nurture this spirit as I want your life to be for-filling and successful, and it will be if you can keep the same desire to do better, be better, push yourself and to continually strive to carve out a better life and standard of living for yourself and more importantly for your family!

As I write this you are only five and it will not mean anything to you (even if you could read it), but hopefully you will find it when you look back one day and it will mean something, we had some quality time together this weekend as Mum had to work, we went to see 'The Croods' at the cinema and you are sitting next to me now, not long after getting back from swimming lessons.

You have a massive head start on most people as you are clever, funny, good looking and charismatic, if you can retain your will to win and develop the 'heart of a lion' you will SET THE WORLD ON FIRE! 

It is not easy, but if you can do 'what ever it takes' instead of what is easy - there is a great life to be had!

Mothers Day

Concorde - Mum's Birthday present to me

I think you let me win

Ash, when you were three I used to let you win at Computer Games (sometimes) as you don't take well to losing! Now you are five I am sure that you let me win (sometimes) as you can easily beat me if you want to!

Ash picked these out for himself

The Spider you painted

Your Mum & Dad are in a weight loss competition

Hi fat fighters, well done to everyone with a collective 4.8 stone shed so far. Below is the current scoreboard % with lighthearted comments for fun. 

We started not knowing when to say no, but the tables have turned with everyone losing at least 5% of their body weight in a short time!

David 9.2 (getting thinner by the day)

Barb 7.6 (trying very hard)

Kas 7.2 trying (very)

Jeff 6.8 (spidery web tastic effort)

Michelle 5.7 (could try harder)

Good luck all, the end is in sight! - see you at the end of the month x

Ashton's Birthday Present to Me