Happy (?) Birthday Nick!

Well here we are. Nothing major to report about that last week or so except that Madeline has cut her first tooth! It's not "out" yet, just breaking through the gum (nice image huh?!!)

Other than that, we went and saw Nana and Grampy and the Thurlby's on Saturday, measuring for wedding clothes etc, etc. That was good fun. Just a shame that John and Lucy didn't get the phone message in time, or we could have really gone to town on trashing Nanas house!!

On Sunday Nick took the girls to see Nanny Carol as I needed to work. So they had a good time and I... well, it was quiet!

So to the real business of the day. Nick's 31! And by his own request, he opened his presents last night "because I'll be rushed and agitated in the morning"... hmmmm, there was all evening! Although having said that, Jessica has an ear infection and kept us up all night so he was probably more in the mood to be birthday boy last night!

So anyway, he didn't have a birthday cake as I had my hands full all day with children (one of whom "wanted" me almost all the time), but we did have pancakes, which he had to cook because he's much better at the whole flipping thing than I am. So there you have it.

Turrah!

Birthday presents #1

Birthday presents #2 

Birthday presents #3 

Top centre! 

Flippin' marvelous! 

WOW! 

MORE!

Goings on!

So this week we've tried hard to fill our half-term abyss of time, quite successfully I think! On Monday Nana came to see us (sorry no photographic evidence!), but we had a lovely, lovely day.

On Tuesday we had an "interesting" visit to Funky monkeys indoor play centre, the less said about that the better! Nick and I went out for a romantic (?) meal whilst Heather babysat in the evening which was very enjoyable.

On Wednesday we visited the Thurlby home where we discovered that five children under six in a confined space can be great fun as long as there's enough of you to crowd control, comfort cousins who've fallen into fireplaces in a fit of passion, (I got photographic evidence of the passion though!) and are not averse to a teeny(?) bit of noise! Anyway, it was great fun.

This is beginning to sound a bit like an online appointments diary!!!! Sorry.

On Thursday we had a visit from the MaxArry crowd (again no photos) and on Friday we just existed - which was a bit of a relief!

So on Saturday, I went on a very successful (Nick would say "expensive") shopping trip with Mum. Prime target... wedding outfit and lo and behold, an outfit, complete with shoes AND bag have been purchased... obviously along with lots of other "very necessary" stuff. So, erm....Nick looked after the girls. I believe dressing up was the order of the day, oh and teaching Jessica inappropriate phrases whilst watching football. I'll let Nick explain.

And finally today. We have been and fed the ducks with Heather and Fred this morning, and a little mooch around town (for no particular reason Graham!). Sleeps for little girls as Heather and Fred invited us all around for tea, which, coincidentally, was; a) duck and b) delicious! Even Jessica ate potato and it WASN'T deep fried! (Will wonders never cease!)

So there you have it, a week in the life of. It's been a blast!

Making kaleidoscopes #1

Making kaleidoscopes #2

Making #3

Har, har, me hearties!

Playing so nicely that...

Ooooohhhhhhh! 

Kissing 

Playing 

Maddy wants a go! 

No comment!

Heather and Fred

Feeding some ducks....

Eating some ducks!

Can't you recognize my face? Is it hard to see...

Joseph, Joseph, is it really you?

So, we unceremoniously "dumped" our two bundles of joy with a delighted Nana and Grampy and travelled further south to meet Joseph Gaskell. And a bonny boy he is too. He performed all requisite tasks perfectly (you can work out what!) and is a credit to his Mummy and Daddy, who, coincidentally, were definitely suffering the war wounds associated with becoming new parents... sleep deprivation being top of the list!

Anyway;

1) He's lovely!;
2) Nick was broody;
3) I wasn't (much!);
4) Andrew and Allison are doing a great job; and...
5) He's lovely!

(Apart from that... we've done very little. Not taken any photos, not been anywhere wierd or unusual and not seen many people. We've seen Harry, Freddie and Jocelyn - all doing very well I hasten to add (oh, and of course, their mothers!), and that's that!
Next week'll be a bit more exciting (although all organised by me as it's half-term... grump!). So see you later!)

Proud Parents (+Joseph!) 

Broody #1? 

Broody #2?

Possibly not!

Goodness.... only three days later!

Will wonders never cease?

Today saw the monthly car wash. It's never intended to be monthly but that's what it always seems to become. So we all togged up and braved the February weather to find that is was, well.... not too bad really. Although Maddy started to feel the cold, or was that because she fell on her face for the umpteenth time!

Anyway, the car's now cleaner (I won't say clean because we've probably missed loads), the pantry's tidier so that you can actually get in it and apparently the shed's much better too. We have had plenty of time on account of our children insisting that 6am is actually time to get up BOTH DAYS! (We want some of those other children that sleep!)

So what did you do with your weekend?

Busy doing nothing