Wow I actually had a really amazing sleep!  Forrest, you had gone to bed at 17:00 last night and I was convinced you would wake up super uncomfortably early, I had gone to bed around 20:00 just in case and we didn't wake up until 6:00!  While making coffee you were playing with the vacuum and when I tried to take you away from it so we could hang out in the lounge you got so upset about having to be separated from it that I decided to bring it into the lounge for you and it made you so happy! You played with the vacuum for at least 30 min straight giving me a chance to slowly wake up and enjoy my coffee. But soon enough you were on the move climbing up on the couch and now your new favourite thing is to lunge yourself off the highest edge but so far you always give me a warning and you stop and look at me and give me the biggest sweetest grin and then I rush over to you and grab your legs while you propel yourself off and I help guide you down so you don't break your neck! You are getting faster and faster, now if we leave the lounge door open even just for a few seconds you are out in a flash trying to rush up the stairs as fast as you can! 

I decided to make our daily fort so that it would be ready for when Nixie woke up,  I wanted to surprise her. You also really love our fort making although you really enjoy trying to take it down by pulling the edges down. When you,  Nixie finally woke up and came downstairs your whole face lit up when you saw our fort (or flort as you call them) and you immediately rushed in saying you were laying on your eggs and protecting them from the carnivores and that I was a microraptor that wanted to eat you and that Forrest was a carnivore too. 

 Muaddib isn't as patient as he used to be. In some ways I'm proud of him for finally sticking up for himself but it also makes me worry a bit more about you Forrest.  Sometimes you can surprise me and be so incredibly gentle but then other times you try to drum him or grab his tail or paw and there's been a couple of times now where he's hissed and swatted at you,  and half bitten you,  he's never actually hurt you but he's scared you and has made you cry and it makes me so sad when it happens!  There was another incident with him and another cat in our garden,  I had heard two low rumbling growling sounds and when I went to have a look they were in the middle of a standoff and you,  Nixie, got very upset with Muad'dib and told him he wasn't allowed to fight and that you know he likes to fight with Mariam but that also needed to stop. 

I had been looking forward to today all week ever since we made plans to have a girly day out to Bournemouth just the two of us. It was something that you and I both really needed,  Just some time to truly be able to connect with each other without my attention always being broken because of Forrest. We had planned to leave right after I put Forrest to bed for his morning nap but he didn't fall asleep as early as he usually did so you and I ended up leaving and waved goodbye to him and daddy instead. 

It was such a beautiful day! We've had so much rain and gloom lately that it was such a gift to be out when the sun was out! We caught the 9:45 train and once on the train you were so sweet and even covered my eyes from the sun because it was so bright and you were worried that I was going to hurt my eyes.  We had to change trains in Brockenhurst and as soon as we got on the next train we pretended we were hiding and taking shelter from a tornado,  we had to hold on to incredible tight because the wind was so strong and we were almost sucked up into the eye of the tornado. You then said that you could talk to the white clouds and that they were going to scratch the tornado cloud so it goes away,  you said they were having a fight but that the white fluffy cloud was going to win. 

When we arrived in Bournemouth we hopped on a bus that took us to the sea front and we headed towards the beach but first you had to stop to feed the pigeons,  sea gulls and try to feed the squirrels. You got so incredibly excited at the sight of so many squirrels running up to you,  we didn't have any food for them but you kept trying to feed them rotten nuts that you found on the ground which they weren't interested in so I promise on our way back that we'd go buy some nuts so that we could feed them.  

As we approached the seafront your eyes became fixated on the big wheel and asked if we could go on it and I said OK,  why not?!  When we finally got seated and were waiting to go up you started getting a little nervous,  you said you were feeling scared but still wanted to do it,  I had you move from in front of me so we could sit side by side and I could have my arm around you and this made you feel safer.  Once we started going around and we were at the highest point you couldn't stop being amazed at how high we were but that you were still a little bit scared but that you still liked it. You were being so brave and the look of wonder in your eyes along with you facing your fear head on made me teary eyed.  Afterwards when we got off and were walking away I said to you how amazingly brave you were and you said "no I wasn't! I was still scared! " and I said but that is exactly what being brave is,  to be afraid but to do it anyways! And then you said "really? Oh!  Then i was really brave!"

We headed to our next stop: the aquarium. What an amazing time we had there!  You were absolutely enthralled with every exhibit we walked past, your eyes were wide eyed throughout our whole time there.  You would stop and say hello to all the fish and when the timing felt right you even gave them kisses.  You especially loved the sea horses,  the turtle, and the puffer fish and the sharks.  We had such a fun time that we went through the aquarium from the beginning to end twice!  When we were finally ready to leave we went into the gift shop and I told you that you could choose one thing as a souvenir and you chose a very cheap costing little dolphin figurine and a mini orca balloon. 

We had a short walk on the beach and then tried to find a shop where we could find some nuts but didn't have any luck so we were going to head to a bigger grocery store but then as we were walking through the park where all the squirrels were a couple who were sitting on a bench already feeding the squirrels saw us and gave us Two big handfuls of walnuts and it could not have made you happier!  Immediately you proceeded to lure the squirrels to your hand and whenever one came up to you and put it's little paws in your hand your entire face filled up with the most beautiful joy. 

then we went to do a little shopping,  we needed to find you a pair of trainers. And after that we finally made it to a restaurant, you had been looking forward to this all day!  You weren't being very helpful with helping me figure out what you were hungry for so we ended up at a slug and lettuce it's actually the same one we had to leave a couple years ago after you had a big upset there and refused to sit down and were making things a bit difficult. But now you're a lot older and things are so different. You got to choose where we sat and you just looked so grown up!  Going out to eat with you is my new favourite thing in the world! 

Afterwards you really really wanted to go on the little fairground ride you had seen and even though they charge an extortionate amount of money I said yes and each time you went around your eyes would lock with mine and you just looked like you were about to explode with happiness. It was already getting dark by this point and leaving caused you to become really upset because you wanted to have another turn on the ride but I said no and you did not like that, it was time to head back home. It was the longest I had ever been away from Forrest and I stayed feeling the need to get back to him. 

Eventually we made it to the bus stop. Here you had the biggest meltdown ever over not getting a chance to have an ice cream, you were so angry,  lashing out at me, screaming that you didn't want to go home that you needed to have an ice cream.  When the bus arrived you were still in the midst of it all and grabbed a hold of a pole and refused to get on the bus. I knew that it has nothing to do with ice cream but that you were sad that our one on one time was coming to an end and that if I could just get you on the bus and give you a cuddle that youd be fine well the bus driver did not help the situation and started yelling at you and telling you off in such an aggressive tone saying,  "you better not be like that on my bus! I have a headache and you'll make it worse, you better be quiet! " well this triggered me and I unfortunately did not react in the way I would have liked,  and shouted at him and told him it was not OK for him to talk to you like that.  I also swore.  It was not one of my finest moments. We walked away,  you were still very upset,  but you let me give you a snuggle and soon after you had calmed down and we waited for the next bus.  

The rest of the journey home couldn't have been more perfect,  we reflected on our day and you gave me lots of snuggles.  You couldn't stop talking about the aquarium, the restaurant and the fairground ride.  We got lucky with the train and ended up on a fast one and arrived brockenhurst within 20 min just around 16:00! Daddy and Forrest were waiting for us but Forrest was sound asleep in the car and didn't wake up until we were home. 

You and I were both very happy to see him and he was very happy to see us. The rest of the evening we all took it easy,  played around and had dinner and then our usual evening routine of bath and bed.  I went to sleep with a full heart feeling so happy and so close to you, it was such a perfect day.