Monday 28 February 2011

One bad apple didn't spoil the rest

Last week was half term so I did hardly any teaching and it was fab!

On Thursday I went on a fabric road trip with Lesley, Julie and Rhiannon. That was fab too! Loads of fabric at bargain prices. We discovered the wonders of fabworks in Dewsbury and Pound a yard - why have I never been to these places before???? Then onto the wonders of Lilycroft Rd - Where Stefan's and A1 textiles reside.

Whilst I was shopping the boys were at Esholt farm with Grandad Mc and Aunty Alice. Apparently Ben had a melt down over being taken away from the little Tykes cars - he absolutley loves them - take him in Toys R us and he's the same! Grandad got bitten by a pig but Joseph enjoyed feeing the sheep.

Friday was chilled for the boys and I as we chilled at Granne and Grandad's a trip to Lister Park was fun and pleasantly mild - please say spring is on its way. However, for Nathan, Friday was hectic! An electrical fault involving all our sockets (the bad apple) had an emergency electrician 'Micheal' baffled for 6 hours. He worked like a trooper without a break even for a drink. Nathan was really touched at his endurance as he was determined not to leave us without power. he left just in time for Nath to grab a quick shower and then go to Eric (Bapty's) baptism.

On saturday, Nath and I were able to go to the temple. As ever it was great to be there but particularly special this time as the work was done for Albert and we were able to witness the sealing of Albert and Violet.

It was a bonus that the boys had been delightfully behaved at Grandma Josie and Grandad Harrison's.

Sunday was normally enjoyable though normally busy. Joseph did well in primary and Ben loves nursery. Another bonus that we got invited to the Lawrance's for tea. Great mexican food and great conversation. I performed well in the provide a fact for your dessert challenge and Steve was kind to Nathan!!! It's always fun when we go round and I love the interaction they have with each other.

Monday morning - back to it.
Joseph was a little cranky on the way to school and I went to pick him up expecting a call inside to find out his misdemenars. Total bonus that he'd been brilliant at school and Mrs Rogers was over the moon with him.


Great week, a windfall of good apples with one expensive blip but that's life isn't it?


Wednesday 23 February 2011

Ben




Ben/Bendi/Benjamin/The Bendamin - you are our 21 month old angel/baby/boy.
You are totally scrumptious and I love the way you allow me to show you how scrummy you are through marathon runs of kisses and tight squeezes. I'm pretty sure that you have already caught up with Joseph in the number of kisses I've given you, as with Joseph it's a 'kiss me quick moment' and he'll let me give him 3 max, whereas with you, well you'd sit there all afternoon letting me kiss your head! - I love it!!

You love cars and making car noises. You love Woody and Buzz - and attentively put Woody's hat on straight and press the buttons on Buzz - you talk away to them. You absolutely adore Beau ( Be bo) and whenever we go to Grandma and Grandad's house you jump out of our arms to go find him. Whenever the kitchen door is opened, you try to dash in to see him. If he's in his pen - you feed him biscuits or any other item of food you find on the floor to him - it's very sweet. You are also very loving to babies - especially cousin Isabelle - you crouch down to talk to her, stroke her face very gently and give her kisses x 

The words you are saying at the moment are - car, goal, down, all gone, there, what's that?, milk, ball, Joseph, Mummy, Daddy and 'No' which you say with great meaning and a big shake of your head.

You like to point your finger and tell Daddy off! 

You are brilliant at getting messy and love to eat with your hand. Though I feel there maybe a change in the air as this morning, when I gave you a yoghurt you went and got your own spoon. Yesterday when Aunty Caroline was here we got ready to go to the library, I set you off walking to the car and you went straight to all 3 of the massive (almost permanent) puddles in our drive and went splashing - even Joseph looked on in disbelief at the mess you were making of yourself and that's something coming from him!


Currently you pull a funny face by pursing your lips and touching your nose. ( I'll try and get a photo)

You are still a little monkey at night time and will wake up any time between 10pm and 2am and cry until we give in ( doesn't take much!) and bring you into our bed - you think it's where you belong. You instantly fall asleep and then in the morning are lying there, faced down, desparately trying to resist being woken up as though your were 16 years of age!

Ben you are a delight and I'm so glad to be your mummy, when I come to collect you from nursery or creche, I love that moment when you see me for the first time, your face breaks into the biggest smile, you squeal and race towards me with open arms and then give me a tight hug. It does wonders for my ego and for as long as it lasts I will lap it up all I can.

Love you forever

Mummy x









3 or 13?

 10am - help yourself to mid morning snack time

Joseph : Mummy, look what I got - sporbries they're dishshush.

( verdict - definitely 3 years of age!)


6pm - tea time

Joseph - Mummy... I'm sick of pasta!

(verdict - inconclusive!)

Friday 18 February 2011

New Year Walks

Yep so it's already mid February and I'm only jotting down a memory of our New Year's day walk now. Our digital camera is on the blink and whilst we save up for a fancy new one (not happening any time soon!!! It's on the list behind bathroom, laptop, holiday, car breakdown repairs( this has not happened but will undoubtably happen - I'm not a pessimist just a realist and I'm fine with car breakdowns - they're just part of life and they invariably happen whenever we're feeling like we have a little extra money to spare!!! )) So in the mean time I'm going all retro and using my film SLR. I recieved my developed films through the post yesterday and photos of this walk were in there - hence prodding my memory!

New Year's Day was cold but bright and dry. 'Why not start the year off with a walk somewhere nice?' I suggested.

We checked out the website - pushchairs walks and opted for a walk near Castle Howard suitable for all terrain pushchairs - 'I think our Push chair is an All Terrain Pushchair?!' I assured Nathan.

Wrapped up warm, wellies on, toilet trip made ( love having a newly toilet trained boy) and off we set.

Puddles Galore!!



Joesph was loving it. Ben was not!! About 10 metres into our walk he began to complain.

It may have had something to do with the muddy terrain making it extremely bumpy for him as he sat in our All Terrain Pushchair?!!! OK it became very apparent very soon that our pushchair aint no All Terrain Pushchair!!!...........



But we persevered!!
Ben also persevered with his complaining!
Nathan ended up being the gallant father and took off his coat to wrap Ben up in - maybe he was cold?? It didn't work and I had to refrain from doing a 'I told you so' to Nathan who was only wearing a polo shirt under his coat and I had said he should have worn a jumper but he said he'd be fine and now he was in the countryside, on the 1st of Jan, wearing only a polo shirt and it was really cold and I think I refrained from doing the ' I told you so' only it was many weeks ago now and I can't remember!!! (deep breath!)
Anyway it was sweet of him to do that.

We made it to the bridge to get the good veiw of Castle Howard as the walk description had stated.

Ben still complaining, Nathan set off at pace to get him back to the car - concerned we would get in trouble for disturbing the peace ( He makes a great noise when he gets going!!)
Joseph and I set off without much pace, enjoying the puddles and muddy terrain. Joseph decided at one point to go off track and enjoy the deeper mud in the fields and promptly getting stuck!! Daddy to the rescue again, though by this point he was kind of getting past the joys of the walk himself!


It maybe a slight exaggeration to say that(but it wasn't that much more)it was only 10 metres away from the car, when Ben stopped crying thanks to seeing some dogs!!


Walk numero duex, happened two days later on my Birthday - 3rd January (just in case I forget!). We walked around Swinsty reservoir with Granne and Grandad. Our pushchair was more than up to the task. Ben was happy, Joseph was happy though extremely leisurely in his approach to the pace. At first he was happy to chase a group of dogs, one of which nicked his sandwich but then the pace dipped further and as the sunlight was dipping fast, he ended up being put in the pushchair instead!

Here's to 2011 and hopefully many more memorable walks!


(Ben under happier circumstances on walk 2)

( I love the mittens Aunty Ann  knit the boys especially as there's lots of growing into room)

         (Joseph with sandwich before it was nicked!)

(Swinsty reservoir as the sun dips)

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Future Casting Director!

Joseph: I am Alex the lion, Bendi is Maudy, Mummy is Melman and you Daddy are Gloria!


A few days later .....


Joseph: I am Buzz Lightyear, Bendi is Woody, Mummy is Slinky and you Daddy are Zurg!

Daddy: I don't want to be Zurg, can I be Mr Potato Head?

Joseph: No Daddy you are Zurg!

Monday 14 February 2011

Getting round to it

It was a few weeks ago when I was flicking through
 one of the many albums we have stored on the computer. 
I came across this photo of Joseph 
taken just before I had Ben. 
If I remember rightly it was in fact my due date - the 2nd of 
June '09 (Ben would get a move on 3 days later) 
Anyway back to the photo. 
Joseph looked totally cute  - no surprise there then, but he also looked different somehow to how I remembered him and how he looked in any of the other hundreds of photos we had 
of him taken at that time. 
I wanted to be able to jump in and find out what he was doing right at that moment and the one just before and the one just after. 
I wanted to be able to remember what his new word s were 
that week or the current favourite toy but I couldn't and I couldn't turn to a page written in a journal to help paint the picture either. 
There are journal entries of events in His life and Ben's but there aren't enough entries of the minute and endless moments of joy or craziness that it life with the boys. 
And so to the beginning of this blog and not soon enough I'm getting round to it !