Hurrah, loft decorations finished at last

D'you reckon if we tell people we hand painted it ourselves they'd believe us?

Rockin the geek look

A vegetable, at last

Today Felix ate mushy peas. It's the first fruit or vegetable I have seen him eat since I made leftover vegetable soup last Christmas.

More about Golby

This weekend was scorchio! and Nani was up so we went to Kew Gardens to melt. Jasmine told me more about Golby.

Golby's mum is a chicken. Called La-lu (or it might be Lu-la - I can't remember). Golby's dad is also a chicken called Da-na. Golby, however, isn't a chicken. Golby, says Jasmine, is a Golby. I think Golby must be quite small because she slipped down a crack in a rock today and had to be rushed to hospital.

Things I haven't noticed about Felix

Felix has lost his puppy fat and looks like a proper little boy.

Felix is football MAD and does a great one-two with his dad, dribbles it up the field and then scores.

Felix can JUMP. Man can he jump. He jumped off the toy chest yesterday and landed perfectly on two feet. Roll on 2012...

Felix is not sure about his new bed which we put in his room a week ago. He doesn't get the hang of the pillow and I often find him with the duvet kicked off, or rotated 180deg. But he hasn't fallen out yet (which Jambeans has, twice)

Felix loves outdoors. At the first hint of rain Jasmine comes in (she is her mummy's daughter), but Felix is out there, kicking his football, in his socks, having a play.

Felix still doesn't eat fruit. Or vegetables. He does eat Annabel Karmel's apple chips. I hate Annabel Karmel with a passion (smug do-gooding capitalist) so I grudgingly give thanks as this is the closest he will get to 5-a-day for a goodly long while.

Evidence:

More things I haven't noticed about Jasmine

Jasmine can write her own name better than Giovanni can write his name - we could tell from his birthday card to her. But Jasmine can't pedal like Oliver pedals his bike.

Jasmine remembers the words of her favourite books, particularly if they rhyme. Tonight we did a great crap-rap routine at bedtime, where I read out the lines and she said the last word.

Jasmine has an occasional imaginary friend, called Golby. Weekend before last she climbed along the cliffs, splashed into the river and then rescued Golby from the waters a squillion times over.

Jasmine likes to sing, particularly with made up words and made up tunes.

Jasmine runs like Caroline Todd

Jasmine likes to sleep in her new grown up bed with the duvet right over her head. When she gets too hot she just lies there shouting for Mum or Dad to come get her.

Now she is 4, and has a grown up bed, Jasmine has given up mussies. This significance of this should not be underestimated. It is the equivalent of a hardened smoker giving up fags. She has been doing incredibly well except for the other night when she kept into Felix' room, snatched a mussy and chewed it to sleep back in her bed.

It's the things you don't notice

Being a back to work busy sort of mama I haven't blogged about the kids' development for ages. Then one day you turn around and realise how much they've changed. Jasmine for example, quite happily wanders round the house and up and down the stairs to get things all by herself. Felix is quite confident on the stairs too. It doesn't sound like much because we take it for granted now, but it gives us a new sort of freedom, not having to worry about stair gates and watching out for them all the time - something we haven't really been able to do for the last 3 years or so.

An accidental find

After visiting Nana we found ourselves near Richmond Park, and took advantage of the clement weather to have a little wander and walk off our lunch. The park itself is glorious open woodland, dominated by oak trees. It's not hard to imagine Elizabethan hunting parties followed by enormous banquets. We wandered into an area called Isabella Plantation and OMFG did we happen to stumble upon what must be the most beautiful garden in London.

A visit to Nana

There have been a number of births and sadly, deaths, in the last few week. It happens like that sometimes. It left me in reflective mood and I decided a long overdue visit to see my Dad was in order - just to make sure he was OK and to take the children to see him when he's still around. Mainly though I went to make sure he wasn't dead.

There's something deeply wrong, yet deeply funny about a bunch of geriatrics all sat in their wheelchairs 'listening' to Tinie Tempah's Top 50 UK Urban Anthems on Viva. Nevertheless, that is the sight'n'sound that greeted us when we went to see Dad in the nursing home.

Despite the wholly inappropriate soundtrack Jasmine and Felix were wonderful with their Nana. Jasmine played shops with him, and sold him a crappy toy snake for £50. If all his mental faculties were with him I am sure he would approve of her ruthless commercial acumen. But then again, if all his mental faculties were with him I'm sure he would have negotiated her down to 50p and not made any allowance for the fact she's only 4, so it all balances out in the end.

Argh-hhaaaargh

Even if we say so ourselves, Jasmine's 4th birthday party was a rocking success.

I forgot how much fun fancy dress is - and it really made the party quite special. Top marks must go to Richard aka Pirate Dan who kept the children enthralled from the off, and meant the rest of us could have a seat and a natter, Meera @ Vanilla Sponge for the most delicious cake I have ever eaten (note to all: fairy cakes = no need to cut, slice and serve anything, just hand them round) and Party Pieces for delivering an entire party in a box. Top marks also go to bf for inflating all the helium balloons and only inhaling a little bit himself and to Aunties Seema and Seema for doing the food. (Bottom marks go to Grama for losing Felix' enormous pirate balloon, but at least the abortive rescue mission made us all wet ourself with laughter.)

The Olympic medal goes to Jasmine, naturally, for being the most considerate and inviting hostess we could possible have wished for. With no prompting required she greeted all her guests with an enormous smile, said thank you for all her presents and introduced them to all the other pirate playmates. Clearly, she is her mummy's daughter!

There's got to be an easier way to do this

as in, blog from my new iPhone (and i only really managed to get the title done on the phone. still can't work out how to move the cursor down to type the actual blog post grrr)