Thursday, December 29, 2011

Celebrations, celebrations everywhere and way too much to drink

We have been in a whirl of festivities over here, starting with Evie's 2nd birthday party!

 The much-anticipated George and dine-saw cake!  It took forever and was the reason our guests arrived while we were still tidying the family room.  Luckily our guests were all family of one sort or another, so all very relaxed.




 Let the present opening commence.


And let it continue...

 Especially if they contain fairy dresses.


Happy birthday for me?

 Evie's bike!



A quiet moment.

Then it was Evie's actual birthday on the 22nd.

 "I want that" on spying below..



"My playhouse!"


"I make dinner.  Pasta?"


"Hello, le' me know if need some help, 'kay?"




"Baby cupcake cute!"


Pancake breakfast for the birthday girl.


Then Christmas at my parents (on Christmas Eve)

 Doing craft with Mama, my beautiful grandmother




Finally!  The first presents are given.  The traditional babies from Mama and Papa. The girls were so patient, they waited beautifully until about 10.30!




 And to go with them, from Nanny and Grandpa..

 Bunk beds!  Babies were put to bed immediately.


 My suitcase?

Please take note of my Christmas earrings.  Abi picked them out for me all by herself.  And the necklace was part of a very special present from my grandmother; a necklace, bracelet and earring set that was originally her aunt's sometime in the early 40s.  I adore it and am going to get the earrings remodled to pierced-ear compatible.

And last but not least, Christmas day with my own beautiful little family.  I am so blessed.







 It was all fun, but sadly the fun is written all over my face.  The exhaustion, it resides in the bags beneath my eyes.
   Happy New Year, everyone!



Sunday, December 18, 2011

Oh my baby!

Darling Evie Flora,

Mummy is so slack, I missed your 21 month letter and I am only just sneaking the 23 month one in three days before your birthday!  We had a little party for you yesterday, but I think I'll let Daddy tell you about that in his 24 month letter.

It's hard to know where to begin.  You fill my life with such joy, how can I describe all the funny and wonderful things about you?

One thing I always love is putting you to bed at night.  We used to have our last breastfeed sitting at the computer desk, but you have put a stop to that.  "Go bed!  Evie have mi' in bed!'  So now we lie down, ("Fan on?  Mummy iPad? Evie have mi' in bed RIGHT NOW.') 

You have gone through lots of funny little games during our go-to-bed ritual.  For a while you liked to look up at me and say 'Evie happy.  Evie cuddle mi'.  Evie kiss mi'.  Evie happy'.  That was my cue to say, 'Mummy happy too, because Mummy has Evie!  Mummy is very happy.'  We would go back and forth like that a few times and then you'd go back to drinking your mi'.

Then it changed and you decided that what Mummy needed while wating for you to go to sleep was a hair cut.  So you would sit up and pull my hair over my face while saying, 'Haircut?  Hair on your face, Mummy.  Evie cut it.  Cream?  Evie put cream on your face.'  I don't know why you decided to open up your own little salon, but I loved it.  You would also often sit up and lie down with your cheek on my cheek and say, "I love you so much.  Evie love Mummy so much." and I would say, "I love you so so so so much." and we would have a big cuddle.  Right now we mostly have cuddles and mi' with the occasional request to look at a picture of your birthday cake, which was/is in the shape of George from Peppa Pig and his dinosaur, who you love.

You talk and talk and talk all the time now.  You and Abi chat away in the back of the car and I adore listening in on your conversations.  Abi says, "Evie?" and you say, "Yes Abi?" so politely.  You are often very polite with your 'yes please', 'thank you' and 'sorry'.  You even say ''scuse me Mummy' when you are squeezing past me in the doorway.

Knock, knock jokes are very funny to you right now, even though you haven't got the script quite right yet.  You say, "knock, knock, who's there, Mrs Cow Poo Head!" all at once, and then laugh and laugh.  You and Abi also like to do your version of Mary, Mary which goes something like this; "Mary, mary, qui' contrary, how your garden grow? With a plop of wee and toilets all in a row.  Your turn Abi!"  Do you see the theme emerging?  Daddy and I don't help matters by laughing hysterically at all the toilet humour that surrounds us.

I am so so grateful I get to be your Mummy and spend time with you every day.  I am torn between wanting you to stay the same forever and being so excited to see what you do next.  Next year you might start kinder in third or fourth term, and I'm not looking forward to the time away from you.  You're my chatting little companion and you make everything we do together so much more entertaining. 

I love you.  I love you!

Mummy