Our 5th Anniversary

To celebrate 5 years of marriage the only possible way with two young children, we had a night in. We explained to the children that it was 'a special night for mummy and daddy', and that they needed to be on their best behaviour. With it being a Friday night, we knew that trying to get them into bed and asleep by a decent hour was going to be nigh on impossible, so we did the next best thing. Made them a floor bed and put on their favourite DVD. And bless their little cotton socks, they were as good as gold.

Meanwhile me and Nick cooked a meal together (steak, in case you were wondering!) and shared a bottle of wine. Here's to many more years together.

Ben and Jas had a date with Madagascar!

I do love a man who's at ease in the kitchen!

One tired looking dad!

Ahh how sweet! Joss had come to stay for the night, and as always when she visits, I get the day off to indulge in some girly time. So off we went around Burford and Witney, stopping for lunch at our favourite haunt 'The Hollybush', whilst Nick got some quality time with the children. No wonder he practically passed out on the sofa before the sun even set!

Foxbury Farm & RAF Brize Norton

These are two of our favourite places to visit. So when we have visitors, chances are we'll bring them here to visit the farm (I can then raid the herb beds!) and then to watch the planes land over our heads at the airforce base. We were in luck today as it seemed that the pilots were practising landing - I love the thrill you feel when the plane is directly overhead and then lands just 100 meters or so behind you. Amazing!

We still miss you Gail

Today is the first anniversary of the passing of my aunt Gail. The whole family travelled from near and far to mark this occasion and it was bittersweet as always. Particularly so because Gail never got to meet the newest additions to the family, Nathan and Junior. And there is yet another on the way. Toyin and his girlfriend Anna are expecting a baby girl, due in just a couple months

Ben reading to Jasmine

I love seeing them together like this, when they don't know I'm watching. Priceless moments.

Happy Birthday Jasmine!!!!

My little princess is now 4 years old, and what better way to celebrate than with a fairy party - no boys allowed, except for Ben - who refused to come at first when told he'd have to dress as a fairy too! We relented and he was allowed to come dressed as a pixie instead, i.e put on a pixie hat. So anyway, I stayed up all last night creating my first ever birthday cake. Every time it's one of the children's birthday's I say I'm going to bake a cake myself, but in the end I leave it too late and end up buying one from the supermarket. Well this year I pulled my finger out and baked - and decorated - a cake all by myself. And a very fine cake it was too, even if I do say so myself!

To continue the fairy theme, we made fizzy jelly, jewelled star and flower cookies, butterfly shaped sandwiches and fairy fizz to drink. Me and Ben made paper chains, cut out leaves and blew up balloons to decorate the conservatory, and made arrows to direct all the little fairies to the party......

My creation!

My fairy princess helps with the butterfly sandwiches

Ben's compromise

To break the ice, the little fairies got to colour in fairy pictures, and then when everyone was more comfortable with eachother, we played pass the parcel (amazing how such young ones quickly suss out that holding on to the gift slightly longer than necessary ups their chances of being the one holding it when the music stops - many had to be coaxed into actually 'passing' the parcel!), then they played musical bumps and then they got to have a water balloon throwing contest. After all that hard work playing, the fairies were rewarded with their fairy feast and then took home a magic wand, a tiara and some jewellery. A fun, if exhausting day. Ben now want's in, and has ordered a dinosaur themed party for his next birthday!

" Who wants to go first?"

This fairy can fly!

Why?

Such a small word, yet by no means a simple one. Especially not when demanded of a 4 year old expecting you to provide answers to all of life's intricacies.


Sometimes it can become an annoyance - as any parent of a small child understands. Why, why, why....until you don't even know up from down yoursef anymore! Other times it can be quite amusing, and a charming insight into the workings of a child's mind. Take the conversation that Jasmine had with her dad in bed early this morning. It went something like this;


Jasmine: 'Dad, is your tatoo on forever?'


Nick: 'Yes'


Jasmine: 'Why?'


Nick: 'Because it's permanent'


Jasmine: 'Did you have it when you was a baby?'


Nick: 'No'


Jasmine: 'Why?'


Nick: 'Because I had it done when I was an adult'


Jasmine: 'Did it grow on you?'


Nick: 'No'


Tanya: 'Someone draws it on with a needle'


Jasmine:' What?! A needle? Why?'





And so it went on.....

kid noises

Jasmine can snore like her father and Ben has taken to singing in the shower!

Jasmine a prima ballerina?....perhaps not. Ben the next Walcott?....could very well be!

All summer Jasmine has talked about ballet this and ballet that. She absolutely couldn't wait to start ballet lessons when they restarted in the new school term. So, the week before last we set out at the ungodly saturday morning hour of 8:40am and off she went into the room with all the other cute ballerinas in their purple leotards, skirts and pink tights. Parents aren't allowed to watch so I peeked through the glass in the door and couldn't believe that my usually boisterous and so-not-shy little girl, was following in the line with her fingers in her mouth looking all lost! The teacher told me after class that she did very well, but Jasmine told her daddy that she didn't like it because 'they did too much sitting down', and 'it's boring'! There goes my dreams of the Royal Ballet and Jasmine being a graceful, swanlike, prima ballerina. Despite trying my hardest to convince her that she'd love it if she gave it a chance, last weekend she sobbed and sobbed as I wrestled to get her tights on. I gave up and decided that dragging her kicking and screaming was going to do neither of us any good. I think we'll have to try something else :-(

Before you wonder, she picked the clothes......!

Ben meanwhile, is loving his football lessons. After his lesson he chatters non-stop about his team and which colour shirts they wore, how many goals they scored, which moves he's been taught and on and on and on. He showed me how to use your body to manoeuvre the ball and a few kicks and tricks. I'm so proud of him because compared to the end of the summer term he would get terribly distracted on the pitch if the ball wasn't right next to him. He often just wandered off chasing leaves flying in the wind or picking flowers. He's much more focused now.

He looks so little and cute!