Tomorrow is the 1st...

I'M PREGNANT!!!! No. not really, an early April fool. Although, you never know, never say never and all that.

Well, Lola has got her place at St.James, thank goodness, now we have to wait for goodness knows how long to confirm that she is up the hill Ebrington. Fingers firmly crossed for that!



Look at our pumpkin plants, we planted them from seeds that Lola was given in Catherine's party bag...











took these photographs this evening at 9ish, on a school night! She is currently having a growth spurt, so as a result, she is covered in cuts and bruises from clumsiness and falls asleep
in the middle of her lunch!!! She crawls into bed, shattered and then wakes to "stingy legs and a very hungry tummy". She has just munched her way through many grapes and many more cheddar biscuits.




We went to get new shoes today, although failed as they wasn't any in her size. 10 H !!!!!

Have been helping my friend with her little girls letter of appeal as she didn't make it to the school of choice, so stressful and made me even more grateful that we were successful. Lola and Jonas had a birthday party together for the first time, was lovely to see them together, passing the parcel.

They spend lots of time cuddling / wrestling on the floor at the moment...

Which is a great game until someone gets hurt, usually about ten minutes in!

We went to the Vicar's house after Sunday's service - a grand Chipping Campden stone affair. Lola had a great time eating chocolate and playing with Abbey. Whilst there we went on the usual loo trip, she is so nosey! Anyhow, today, we were sat colouring and she piped up..." Mummy?" "Hhmmmmm" I replied absently " We need a bigger house don't we?" "Whys that then Lola?"

"Well, I was thinking, we could have David's house (Vicar) as his children all live away now, and its so big and so lovely, it would be perfect for us, don't you think?"...

I agreed, when I'd finished chuckling.

School D Day

Tomorrow we find out if Lola has got the school place we want her to have. I have constantly fretted, worried, panicked and generally stressed myself into a right old tis about the whole thing. We moved to the village so I could walk the kids to school - well that didn't work out as blooming planned did it?

Anyhow a lovely weekend has past in a flurry of family activities. Went to the spring fair at Lola's school, way too much chocolate and cakes being consumed by all. Then Lola had a mini sleepover with Emily. My car windscreen wipers are busted - so praying for a fine morning or all plans blown! Did a bit of digging and pruning and now the weekend is almost over...way too quickly. Rob away in London for the next couple of nights so trying to get a little organised.

Managed to go over to Nottingham on Saturday night and was really fab to see everyone again.

Am feeling too strung out to write anymore and Lola still settled as she fell asleep in front of Scooby Doo, that and the clocks springing forward has left me right behind!

Thursday arrived, well finished almost as I sit writing this... what a week. Is potty, Rob working loads and of course as is the way, has been very busy here too. We have managed to put a row of carrots and beetroot in and Lola has planted lots of flowers...not sure where the flower seeds ended up but am sure that there'll be lovely anyhow.

We have had a new bed for Lola, like a bunk with a desk and drawers and things underneath - she loves it and as a result I am the best mummy in the world - well till the next time i say no, so probably all of 3 and a bit minutes anyway!

Some quick piccies, will add some words in a bit...

Monday Monday

Monday rolls round again. I was on baby duty, as is fair on school nights. So night feeds done when the baby woke up this morning, i glanced over at time, jabbed rob in the ribs and said "only 15 minutes till get up, you're in charge". I later came down at 7a.m, which I thought was 15 minutes later, to make the coffees and begin the day. It was only this evening that Rob told me it was in actual fact 5.45a.m, not 6.45a.m that the boy had got up, and he thought it was unlike me to be so harsh!! Whoops, sorry Rob.



Anyhow the day was lovely, Lola went off to school this morning and Jonas and I hit the shops. Sounds exciting but mostly consisted of baby stuff alongside toddler stuff. Jobs done went for a quick coffee at the garden centre. No sooner had I entered the building when Jonas was whisked off and the usual "ahs" echoed around the cafe. He is a total flirt and has learned how to wave and high five people - a real crowd pleaser!



12 o'clock rolls around quickly and time to pick up the girl, who was very pleased with a sparkly sleeping beauty nightie and a grow your own runner bean set. Home for a quick crumpet then back off to the garden centre to paint a tile with Jonas' handprint. We did the same for Lola and I was keen that it be at the same age- 10 months, strictly speaking he is 11 months today, so only just within the limits. Auntie Jo, possibly Jonas' favourite person, was unable to help due to work commitments, so I brought in the big guns - CHOCOLATE. He'll do just about anything for the stuff, so two tiles later, one for the shop to display and one for us; we headed to the playground and back to the delights of Mickleton.

One of my favourite sayings is " look at this pickle" normally at the state of the house. As my usual pickle saying accompanied by the rolling of eyes always makes Lola giggle, upon entering our toy strewned room I retorted ..." look at this pickle" Lola when giggle subsided say " we have lots of picklers living here and only one pickle sorting mummy, that's not fair is it Mummy? Me and daddy and Jonas and Blue are always making pickles for you and you still love us, aren't we lucky?" When I'd finished laughing at her grown up, serious face and stoppped cuddling her, I replied simply "I'm the lucy one".

Park Life Continued

A lovely afternoon in the park with our friends, Sally, Mark and Daniel and Tamsin. Was great, kids played happily, grown ups played happily. All back to ours for a barbie. Too pooped to do anything but post some piccies.

Jumble

A wet and sunny day - the heavy showers, occurring both times I walked the dog! hmmm?! Refreshing though! Jonas did better last night and has really begun the finger food in earnest, so hopefully with be gaining a full tummy and hence will then be SLEEPING really soon. His favourite food remains the pink wafer biscuits, closely followed by strawberries.

Lola and I went to help at the pre-school jumble, well help set up the pre-school jumble, I am on the committee, but often miss meetings as Rob is away so much. It turned out to be good fun, not many turned up to help but those that did all had a good giggle. Lola had great fun on the village hall stage with Harrison. Meanwhile Rob and Jonas played at home - well apparently the baby slept whilst Rob visited the butcher and cleaned the playhouse of all the mudpies Lola and Seth have been cooking out there. I got loads of toys for Jonas at the jumble sale at massively bargain prices. As you can see he loves them.

So once we'd had the usual battles over lunch over with we headed out to the bottom of the garden. Lola's pumpkin seeds have all grown so job one was to transplant the three baby plants into a pot of their own.

Then we raked over the soil and planted two rows of carrots and a row of beetroot. Not holding out much hope of many of the seeds hitting the soil though as Lola liked making the seeds fly through the air!

We took some photos of the kids grubby hands, oh and Jonas eating sand in the sandpit, as well as Princess Lola in her weekend finery.

We have friend and her family coming over tomorrow, so have spent the evening preparing food and making an apple crumble to pop in the oven...after a day of trying to tackle the mounting washing situtaion and an evening ignoring the now critical mass ironing situation I am headed for a sitdown and a vodka and tonic.

Friday.!?!..Where Did That Week Go To?

Goodness, what a week. Lola has been a star, we found some photos on the old computer of when she was 2 ish. Was lovely watching her giggling at her own image, a blonde toddler wearing a nappy collecting eggs whilst on a posh camping holiday. I can't believe that the time has past so quickly and busy in the mundane stuff of living she has grown a foot and gained a lovely sense of humour and an even more wicked laugh and a right diva attitude - just like her dad really. She got a new ballet outfit today so she is now the same as all the others in the class we joined back in December - will add a piccie in the morning.
Loving the warmer weather although is raining pelting the window, which is a worry as we have friends over on Sunday for a day at the park followed by a barbie, risky I know but ever the optimist!
Touch wood tonight we'll all get some sleep. Last night a very tiddly Rob, returning triumphant from the Races at Cheltenham woke everyone up then promptly fell asleep sending toxic fumes in every direction. I sent Lola in this morning first thing for a lovely cuddle hee hee.
I am writing this whilst Sports Relief is on the tele; bouts of laughing and crying, we really are blessed, there is so many who have nothing.

Pink Biscuits

Jonas doesn't do food, not proper lumpy food anyhow, just the slop that comes in a jar is all he can manage without gagging...except from today and a bit at the picnic yesterday too. It started with a pink wafer biscuit - yes one of Lola's. He ate it, every last crumb. Then proceeded to eat a bag of wotsits (nearly; I helped a bit...can't resist the cheesy munchies) and has carried on munching his way, locus like through anything put in front of him! Not counting my chickens, but maybe he'll be eating cake on his birthday and not birthday cake puree. Got to go as have friends over on Sunday and need a Tesco shop before then or we'll be eating bread and cheese.

Oh Great Bags on my Bags!

I decided that I would go to bed with the children last night, so both cherubs snoring by 7.20, bottles washed, sterilized, made up and fridged. I headed straight to bed. Read for a while, snoring (probably) by 8pm.

All remained restful till 11 when Jonas has his bottle, then again at 1, then he wouldn't settle till gone 3. Then Lola, who often sleeps in our bed when Rob is away pootles in to 'keep mummy warm'. Several fidgets, coughs, a drink and a check underneath the bed for trolls later...a little more sleep. Cue Blue; barking at a fox, who was barking at him; cue baby barking at the world. Settle baby and return to bed to find 3 year old covering most available mattress and all potential snuggly duvet. I fall gratefully into bed and begin snoring (definitely) before my head reaches the pillow. Then 5.57 the baby squeals to inform of a rather smelly nappy; duly changed I give him a nice warm bottle whilst silently performing a 'please sleep, please go back to sleep' mantra....to no avail. Alas my beautiful giggly boy is wide awake and ready for the day, he beams up at my silently pleading face, whilst he performs the 'get me up mummy, get me up mummy mantra'. And so, here i am trying to be cross with son no 1 and my farce of a night...but he is in new red Thomas the Tank Pjs and is so squiddy I feel my resolve to tackle the ironing pile diminishing as I head to play trains...

Park Life

What a lovely day! Rob is away at the races all this week so it just us. The house tends to run very 'ship shape' and routinued when he is away so the kids were in bed at 7 last night and Lola slept well - Jonas, well he didn't do so well.
This morning was Lola's swimming lesson. She did really well and I had a good gossip whilst Jonas was ooohhhed and aaahhhed at by the waiting mums. Lola loves her new swimming teacher, Will, and seems to be doing really well.
Then off home to make a picnic to share with some friends at the park. What a fab afternnon. The girls didn't stop.
I had to prod Lola to eat her tea and bride her with ice cream to keep her eyes open. We were all in the shower by 6pm. She has perked up a little and playing on the computer (as The Night Garden is for babies!!!) before bed.
Off to read her stories now.
how do i change the time i posted this blog it is now 6.57pm .... not what the puter says!!!

What a lovely sunny day

Spent the morning at Toddler group with Jonas and the afternoon in the Pixies park with both of the wee ones. Took the biscuits and the picnic blanket and had a brillant afternoon. What a joy to spend some time in the sun. Jonas had a sun hat on - not impressed, not helped by Lola folding into laughing fits at our blue legionaired hat boy.

So will try and add some more photos....This blog has been spurred on by very lovely, bessie friend Louise - look Loubee am trying!

These are Petit Pois and Mange Tout...and are getting stronger on the windowsill as per the gardening books from the library!

This is Lola and Jonas sat in the raised bed - that will soon be filled to the brim with veges.

We spent Mother's Day afternoon planting some Shallots and a Garlic bulb.

It took longer to get Jonas in all his keep warm and dry gear than we were playing...but it was great fun getting all dirty with the kids.