A visit from granny and grandpa beard

It's nearly December! We have been to various shops to see all the brilliant flashing lights, which both Isla and Evie enjoy very much.  

We've been going for lots of walks to see the horses. It is great to be without the buggy now that Evie can walk properly, although there is usually some carrying involved at some point. The horses come up to the gate when they see us and wait for some grass.

Both Isla and Evie like tipping the biscuits out for the cats. Evie also enjoys helping the cats a bit more with their dinner.

Granny Ilene and Grandpa beard came to stay for a few days which was great. We went for little strolls and also to the park. We also read books, did some drawings and made gingerbread biscuits as practise for gingerbread house making at Christmas time. Playing shops and cafes and having tea parties with the snugglers also kept granny busy. I managed to play the piano for a bit, although Isla says I'm not allowed to do it again!!

Doing drawings at the little table takes up a lot of our time at the moment. Sometimes still in our pyjamas!

The weather has been rubbish but we have been out to the park nevertheless. Here are two little dicky birds:

Yesterday Isla and I made bread from scratch. Here is Isla knocking back the dough after our first rise. We talked a lot about yeast and how it was making the bread rise and feel soft. She wasn't sure about eating little yeast animals at the end, but actually Isla really enjoyed the bread we had made.

Teeth, brains and buzzy bees

At the weekend, Isla did some dentistry! She made play dough teeth and then drill them and filled them. Evie enjoyed playing with the drill.

This morning we played in the garden. Isla did some writing and Evie tipped all the pens on the floor and tried doing some stickers.

After lunch, we went to @bristol where it was toddler time, so only 6 pounds for the three of us. There was lots to do. Dressing up as monkeys and parrots (when Evie saw this photo she went and brought me her Monkey Puzzle book):

Meeting a calf (one of Evie's favourite animals):

Isla milked a cow!

Both dressed up as bees and went to visit some flowers:

Looking at an actual real human brain:

Pressing some buttons:

Weighing brains:

Learning how rain is made:

Doing some funny skeleton dancing:

Splashing through the puddles

Evie has decided she'd like to sit up at the table sometimes with Isla, and she likes climbing up there sometimes. They have been doing lots of Lego recently. Isla drew a picture of two cars that she made out of Lego. She also likes making different animals and dinosaurs too.

We made some candle holders using old jam jars and sticking on tissue paper and sparkly gems. Both girls loved the sparkly gems and of course they ended up all over the floor at one stage! I bought some glitter glues, which were one of Isla's favourite craft things last Christmas. She thought they were brilliant again this year and nearly used them all up in one go. Evie enjoyed sticking her fingers in the glittery glue and could stick the gems on the jam jar too. 

Isla has been back at pre-school this week and had fun with her friends doing songs and playing. She has been watching Scooby-Doo and also Paw Patrol on t.v. She likes pretending she is in Paw Patrol, which is about dogs that rescue people in trouble.

Evie got her first wellies this week. She is now a size 4 and Isla's first wellies were a bit big for her at size 6 so that is one thing that is not a hand-me-down! It will probably be the only time she gets a brand new pair of wellies. She requested a hat today when we got ready to go for a walk. The rain had stopped and we all put on our wellies and waterproofs. It is the first time Evie has happily worn a hat. It is also the first time she has been on a splashy walk in the puddles, without the buggy! She liked the puddles a lot and put her hands in them to splash, like she does in the bath and at the pool. Isla held hands with her a lot when we went for our walk, it would have been a very cute photo but Evie kept on moving!

When we got back they watched Paw Patrol and then did some Magic Water painting.

Halloween and a trip to Slimbridge

Yesterday it was Halloween. It was a very warm day for the end of October and we spent the morning in the garden clearing away our veg plants and leaves and playing with earthworms.

In the afternoon we went to a Halloween party. Isla was a spooky ghost and Evie was a little fairy. The party was brilliant. They made spiders with wool and pipe cleaners and googly eyes, and then made magic potions that bubbled everywhere. After some party food, the girls were all very excited about trick or treaters coming to the house. Isla was thrilled to walk home in the dark, pointing out flashing lights in the sky. It was a bit spooky as it was so dark and there were lots of Halloweeny people around in the streets.

Today we went to Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre. It was great. Evie liked the birds and wellyland in particular. Isla was very excited about it all too. She was a bit worried about the swans and geese and first, but soon got into hand feeding. The nenes were really gentle to feed but the swans and greylag geese were a bit more rough with their beaks!

Wellyland:

Feeding the nenes:

A couple of flamingos and a few more behind the fence:

There is a great new pond dipping area with soft play that both Evie and Isla thought was great.