Baking Christmas goodies

Isla and I have been baking some gingerbread biscuits and mince pies this weekend. We used a Mary Berry gingerbread recipe pimped with some treacle as we had no brown sugar. They were yummy. Isla is brilliant at rolling out dough with her little pink rolling pin and then cutting out shapes. All that play dough mucking about must have been handy!

Evie has been enjoying lots of cuddles from everyone. She has made friends with her toy octopus and been practising grabbing the fur of Isla's toy cat.... watch out Pob! She was cooed over in our local shop by all the shop staff yesterday, who appreciated her smiling at them. Isla had her first tube of smarties and was intrigued that the orange ones actually taste of orange. She has been helping with present wrapping up and today we got out a special Christmas magazine for her to look at and put stickers on. She really liked a page about the Octonauts cartoon (you'd have to see the cartoon to find out about Captain Barnacles and the GUPs!!). She liked pretending our hands were sea anemones. Evie was asleep on my lap while we were playing, and everytime Isla giggled, Evie did a cute little laugh in her sleep! I wonder if she used to do this when I was pregnant with her. 

We ventured out between hailstorms for a walk in the sunshine to see the ponies eating sweet-smelling hay. Isla was desperate to ride on Andrew's shoulders and eventually got her wish so was very happy! I remember doing that too when I was little.

Pies and butterflies

I came back into the sitting room yesterday to see Isla reading some little Christmas books to Evie. They have been smiling and laughing at each other a lot today, and it thrills Isla when she can make Evie smile at her.

Isla had another little friend round yesterday. They exchanged Christmas presents, with Isla receiving a lovely craft set to make sparkly butterflies with pink glitter and sequins. As soon as she had opened it she said, "can we do this now?" so she really loved the present!

Isla is chief egg-wash painter for our steak pies:

Squealing

Today Isla had a little friend over to play. They sat down to do some drawing together and eat snacks and then went on a bear hunt together with their two buggies. They chased each other round and round my armchair, making Evie and me feel very dizzy watching them and then they ran off squealing. It all went quiet. "Mummy!" "Mummy!" Oops they had locked themselves in the downstairs loo!

Princess party

Yesterday was a very exciting day. After the toddler group Christmas party we went to a princess birthday party for one of Isla's friends. As well as tasty food, Isla was given a party bag full of princess crafts and a crown, sparkly ring, bracelets and amazing jewels.

We have some new lights in our garden. Isla was very excited today to look at the lights as they do look magical. 

Isla asked me when she will be old enough to drive a car and wondered if it is when she is four. Four year olds must seem very grown up to her. She asked me today whether dogs have teeth and also whether horses have teeth.... she is showing an early interest in dentistry! She tends to call random things her "brain". She wanted to shine a torch at my "brain" by pointing at my wrist, she meant vein I think (although these days I frequently think my brain has gone adrift!) and also told me her "brain" was coming off, when she meant the skin on her finger. Brains are indeed very important!

Today, Isla and Evie did some playing in the afternoon. Isla's preference was for Happyland, obviously. Evie's preference was.... for blowing raspberries and waving her arms about but she was given a toy crab with squeaky claws to play with. 

The crab toy tired Evie out and she snuggled up on Daddy this evening. Today Evie also had fun kicking about on the carpet a bit too close to the Happyland: the vet's surgery got knocked over by a wayward foot which annoyed Isla! Evie can spin around on the floor now and grab at things around her. She is also starting to pull her socks off and is very pleased when she grabs her toes. Another exciting skill is sticking her thumb in her ear. Amazing huh.

Yo Ho Sushi

We went to Yo Sushi and had a look around the shops last week. Isla enjoyed using the special chopsticks and watching the food go around the conveyor belt in the restaurant. Evie had a nice snooze and then liked looking at the fish lights in the window.

Evie is pretty good on her tummy now, although she doesn't always enjoy it! She found her feet this week, and can grab them sometimes when she is on her back. Isla found her old favourite toy Sophie the giraffe and passed it on to Evie. It is sure to become one of Evie's favourites too.

Andrew and Isla built a huge tower with some blocks. It was very exciting to push down!

Some robots came to visit again:

Father Christmas came to our toddler group party this morning! He rang a bell as he came in, handed out some presents and then sang some carols while playing his ukelele. It was a bit overwhelming for Isla, so we went and did all the washing up instead. Isla had a huge piece of chocolate cake and a good bounce on the bouncy castle before Father Christmas arrived, and then she helped me and the others with the tidying up.

Looking for the moon

Whenever we are out and about, Isla looks for the moon in the sky. It is very exciting now that it gets dark earlier because Isla can look out for the moon properly and look for the first stars that come out. One evening, Isla had a look at the crescent moon through Daddy's telescope. She thinks that Okidoki is the name of a planet in real life (it is from a cartoon called Q Pootle 5) and asked me today: 'Mummy, what is the name of the planet we are on?'

Decorating the tree and the cat

We've all had colds the past couple of weeks, but hopefully getting over them now. We've been doing lots of crafty things as well as decorating the Christmas tree on the 1st Dec!

Evie has got over her cold after a week and is back to her normal gurgly self, although she is blowing fewer raspberries now. She is getting better at sitting up supported in her rubber ring and is much more interested in toys. Her favourite thing is still watching Isla. Isla likes to cuddle Evie at any opportunity and put her finger in Evie's hand for her to grip her finger. Evie likes waving her arms about. One day she was just waving her left arm manically about, and then a few days later it was her right arm which got working and waving about! She likes pushing up with her little strong legs and standing up while being held, looking very pleased with herself. She can hold toys and things now and likes colourful patterns to look at. She shows she is happy to see you or excited about something by smiling lots and kicking her legs. She likes looking at the Christmas cards we get through the door.

There are lots of things to do to prepare for Christmas such as making presents and cards and Isla enjoys helping with everything as well as playing with Happyland and waking her sister up from naps.....! 

Isla often asks what things are made of, and knew that our chimney is made of bricks. We had a look outside to see where the chimney is for Father Christmas to come down, using a bit of magic of course. Isla has been planning what to leave out on Christmas Eve for him and his reindeer. We have been having lots of other interesting discussions. For example, Isla asked the other day about how fish drink and how dolphins drink. She is very into counting things and we often have to think how many legs various animals have. It was very quiet when Isla was poorly with her cold and sleeping in the day. She was so poorly that she didn't want to eat her chocolate from the Christmas advent calendar train. I had a little time on my hands to crochet Isla a snuggly hat and also a little hat for a friend's baby.

Isla and all of her friends were in the pre-school nativity play this morning. It was lovely. All of the children walked in past the audience of grown ups. Mary and Joseph walked in first while we sang 'Little Donkey' as they pushed a little donkey/dog toy along. Then we all sang 'Silent Night' as the angels and shepherds walked in. Isla was wearing her colourful tutu skirt and a sparkly gold tinsel crown whilst she held hands with another little girl as they walked in and sat at the front of the stage. We all sang some more songs including 'We Three Kings', 'Away in a Manger' and 'We Wish you a Merry Christmas'. The children looked so cute and no-one cried! The first of many nativity plays.

Here is what else we have been up to:

One of Isla's drawings:

Isla doing some gluing with some paper pieces we've cut out:

Showing Pob her artwork:

Meeting a new robot friend:

Playing with Daddy's old toys at Grandad and Granny's house:

Evie having a cuddle:

Putting up the tree and decorating it!!

A meal out together. Isla got to feed Peggy the dog a biscuit in the pub.

Exciting post!

Making a house and a dinosaur out of Duplo. We've also had to make lots of postman pat houses with chimneys on. Everything is about chimneys at the moment!

Isla's drawing of a crocodile:

Evie modelling a little hat for our friend's newborn baby:

Isla modelling her new Hello Kitty hat:

Making a space rocket:

Doing some cutting and sticking:

Isla's first nativity play at pre-school this morning: