After school conversations....

...during the drive home.  Don't you just love 'em!  Well, when they actually become conversations at least.  Most days the standard response to my enquiring about how their day is 'fine'.  Yesterday they were quite animated as we had Lizzie from Jasmine's class at school with us.  I pick her up on a Thursday as she goes with my kids to our church's after school club.  On the way back home from the club they all got to talking...first about babies.  We talked about how in a few days time Ben and Jas would be coming with me to the hospital for the scan and that they would get to see the baby in mummy's tummy.  I also explained that we should hopefully be able to find out whether it is a boy or a girl.
"how can you tell?"  asks Jasmine.  "Well, " said Ben (in the way he usually begins to answer something he feels particularly expert on, "if it has short hair and a willy it is a boy, and if it has long hair and a ninny it is a girl!"  I found that particularly amusing!  I explained that long or short hair doesn't determine wether it is a boy or girl and that you wouldn't be able to see the hair anyway......and conversation then turned to what they had learned at the club that day. 
"How does God know what is going on all over the world all the time" someone asked (I can't remember which of them - baby brain!), to which each of them had a different answer.  The funniest by far though was Jasmine's.  She told the others that "no, God has an I pod which has everyone's picture on and he can flick through and find all the information on them (just like Daddy can!).....I love the way kids' minds work!  Why wouldn't God have an I pod?  Hilarious :-)

Yaaaaaaaay!!!!!!

Theo Isaiah Witter was born just over an hour ago at 16:27, 13 days before his due date, weighing in at a healthy 7lb 2oz.  Mother and baby (and daddy!) are doing well and he is absolutely gorgeous!

less than 1 hr old and already a heartbreaker!

Tooth stories

Last monday we went to Birmingham to visit the family and whilst I was taking a well deserved nap, Ben's first tooth fell out.  He was soooo excited because he had now caught up with Jasmine!  That night he tucked it in under his pillow and duly waited for his own tooth fairy story - or rather, tooth pixie, because he wanted a story about a boy tooth pixie.  So, I had to think long and hard to see if I knew a story about a boy tooth fairy.  And you know what?  I did.....

Rafael was a pixie that wanted to be the first ever boy tooth fairy - or rather, tooth pixie.  So he pleaded with the Queen of the tooth fairies to please just give him a chance, because he knew he could be a brilliant tooth fairy.  So the Queen of the tooth fairies  told him that if he could successfully carry out a mission to collect a precious first tooth, she would crown his the first ever boy tooth fairy-pixie.  But she had a warning, there was a storm brewing so he must wait until it had passed before setting out.  Now Rafael was so excited that he didn't heed the advice of the Queen of the tooth fairies and set straight off.  He made it to the house of a little boy called Timothy, slipped in through his bedroom window and successfully collected the tooth from under his pillow.  He put it into the pouch he was given especially for the task just as a huge bolt of lightening, followed by a loud clap of thunder pierced the sky.  Suddenly it started to pour with rain.  "Oh no!" thought Rafael, "I must hurry back before the storm get's too rough!".  So off he flew into the night, hoping to make it back to the Land of the Fairies in time.  But in his haste, he forgot that his wings don't work in the rain.  The rain drops weighed him down until he landed with a thump on the ground below and hurt his leg.  And there he stayed until he fell asleep.  The next day he awoke with a start and seeing the sunshine, tried his wings.  They worked!  He flew as fast as he could back to the Land of the Fairies and made his way straight to the Queen's castle.  He entered her throne room with his head hung low.  "Where have you been?"  Asked the Queen of the tooth fairies, "I had to send out a search party for you.  Didn't I tell you to wait until the storm had passed?  To be a good tooth fairy you must follow instructions carefully!"  Rafael felt very ashamed.  "I'm so sorry Queen, I was just so eager to do a good job for my first mission!  I promise, if you give me another chance I will never do anything like this again."  "Very well" said the Queen, "put the tooth in the special first tooth chest."  She then announced him officially a tooth pixie - the first one ever. 

Rafael was so proud, he went off to tell all his friends.  And he never ignored good advice ever again......

By this time, Ben was very sleepy and fell asleep quickly.  And I went straight to work, writing a tiny little letter from Rafael.  I didn't have any pound coins, so ended up putting a £2 under his pillow instead (this tooth fairy business is costing a small fortune!"  Ben already thinks that by waiting for his teeth to fall out, he'll have enough money saved to buy the Little Big Planet game he has his eye on (I thought he might come up with some chores he'd be willing to do to earn the money....)

Anyway, in the morning, Ben was up brandishing the letter and his "£1" (! he didn't even realise it was actually 2!) coin at the crack of dawn, so I didn't get a chance to so much as clear the fog from my eyes!

Then this morning, Ben woke up and went down for breakfast.  When he came back up, Jasmine announced that Ben had another tooth missing.  He hadn't noticed and didn't know where it had gone either.  So off we went in search of the tooth, and found it way down deep in his bed sheets!  There won't be any more letters or stories about tooth fairies though - it's as much as I can do to do it all the first time round for each of them!

So consider this the last tooth falling out post (at least until number 3 gets there....)

one happy boy!

And just because it's so cute......

This was taken late one evening last friday after a particularly fun day with daddy at Millets farm, where they met the animals, went on the merry go round, went to MacDonalds for lunch, then back to the farm to play on the park and go through the maze....phew!  We didn't even have the heart to disturb them to change them into their PJ's"

A weekend of reunions

Saturday we drove to Leicester, where, we spent time with my grandparents from Canada - it was the first time they had seen the kids since Benjamin was just under 2 years old and Jasmine just 18 months or so. They also came along the next day to......

...... a special service at my old church to say goodbye (or rather au revoir et bonne chance!) to our dear friend Jacqui as she prepares to leave for her 2 year secondment in Montpellier, France.  Though remember you read it here first when I say that after she woos those frenchmen, I don't think she'll be back to these shores for more than a visit.  One of them is bound to sweep her off her feet and whisk her away to his chateau.....anyway, I digress!  It was really good to see all the old faces - some of whom had also moved to other parts of the country, and there more than a few who I hadn't seen in 12 years or so.....We had a wonderful time, and there were so many people there to wish Jacqui all the best and testify to her amazing generosity of heart, her ability to always see the best in a person or situation, her sense of fun and fairness and her love of life and God.  I will miss you dearly Jacqui!  But we will be over in Montpellier before you know it to introduce you to your 3rd Allen Godchild :-)

me, Jacqui, my sister

Practicing for number 3

....and it was both a joy and a reminder of just how tiring a toddler can be!  How I managed with two under 2 I can no longer remember :-)  I was looking after my friend's little boy for the morning and he arrived bright and chipper at 7am.

He is such a clever, happy little boy, but being a bit under the weather and not yet over the exhaustion of early pregnancy, I did find it tiring to have to keep up with his demands to go upstairs, downstairs - especially when that covers 3 floors!

Here is a pic of the 3 children enjoying a breakfast of rice crispies, toast, fruit and juice......

With love, from the Tooth Fairy

So, now it was bedtime and Jasmine has been asking me all day when she's allowed to put her tooth under her pillow. And finally the time arrived.  As I was really tired, I went to bed at the same time as the kids and we all piled into my King-sized bed.  We therefore decided that we would put the tooth under the pillow I was sharing with Jasmine.  I duly set my mobile phone alarm so that I'd remember to get up and exchange the tooth for some money, and then we all settled in for a story.  I told them a story (I made up) about a young tooth fairy in training called Tatiana.  She was on her very first mission to collect a tooth from a little girl called Isabella.  The Queen of the Tooth Fairies gave her special instructions, as this tooth was one of the most valuable of all as it was the first tooth that had fallen out and they were extra special.  Tatiana was very excited to be on her first ever assignment and she was very careful to put the tooth in her pouch and leave a shiny gold coin.  She then hurried back to the Land of the Tooth Fairies, eager to show the Queen how well she'd done.  But, to her horror, when she got back and opened her pouch, the tooth was gone!  She then noticed a small hole in the bottom of the pouch......Anyway, to cut a longish story short, whilst flying over the Valley she decided to take a rest under  daisy, and lo and behold, she spotted the missing tooth.... (ok, so I'm not the world's best storyteller, but I did try!) They kept asking me if it was true, but I just said that no-one really knows.

We all then fell asleep, and I was woken a few hours later to carry out my Tooth Fairy duties.  I put the tooth in a special little box I have, just for first teeth, then found a scrap of white paper that I sometimes use in Cardmaking which looks like it is woven out of silky cobwebs.  I wrote a little note to Jasmine in tiny fairy-like handwriting thanking her for her special tooth and signing it off 'with love, Tatiana x'

I put the note under Jasmine's pillow this time, along with a pound coin, and moved the kids to their own beds.

And in the morning........The first thing she did was to look under her pillow.  And the look of utter awe was sooo cute.  Ben read her the letter and then ran off into our room shouting to Nick "It's true, it's really true!"

Memory Lane

I was going through some old pictures today so I could send some to someone who asked for some particular ones (vague I know, but there is a good reason for that!), and came across this one of Jasmine.  It was taken at a her Godmother's (and one of my very best friends) 40th birthday a few years back.  It brought back memories of that night with Ben and Jas performing for all the delighted guests. I didn't seem to take one of Ben singing, but found this one of Jasmine.....

Then I came across pictures of Ben's first haircut.  Prior to this momentous occasion, his hair was long enough to do lovely styles like this:

but, as he was due to start school part-time after the summer, I decided it was time to make it easier to maintain.  So off we went to my aunts salon......

He looked so small in that big chair.....

but was obviously very comfortable because before long, he fell fast asleep!

*yes, rubbish quality photos...I apologise for my old cheap, freebie camera!