At home with chicken pox

Last weekend, we went for a trip into Bath and stopped off at a park on the way where we bumped into our friends and Isla enjoyed going on all the play equipment:

Then on Monday, she came out in a few blistery spots and a trip to the doctors confirmed that she had chicken pox. So no groups or playing with friends for five days until all the spots were crusty and non-infectious any more! Instead, we played at home quite a bit. Isla made a colourful kite with tissue paper:

..... and we made some new blue play dough:

......we had indoor picnics with Isla's snuggler friends:

On Thursday, Isla's granny came to visit so that I could go to the hospital for a scan. Isla had great fun playing with granny. Our scan was amazing as we could see a chubby cheeked-baby who poked her tongue out at us! She is very cute!

On Friday, we had a quick trip to the library where granny found some funny library books. In the afternoon, Isla was entertained with lots of fun in the sandpit and reading by granny whilst Andrew and I went to a lovely wedding nearby.

Isla's first mini milk

It's the end of the week again! We've had a busy few days. On Wednesday, I had a midwife appointment which was all fine but very very hot in the waiting room. Isla went to feed the ducks at Corsham lake with Andrew. By all accounts, the ducks were starving and so a little vicious in their attempts to get bread. Our newly bought double buggy (thanks to Mr Ebay) was put to the test on the way to the lake. Isla did some paper mache on a balloon to make a mask and also a toilet roll telescope at home.

We went to toddler group this week. We opened up and made teas as we were the first ones there. Isla didn't really want to go there, but we went anyway and by the time we had to leave to go home, she was really enjoying it and didn't want to leave! She enjoyed driving in the toy cars and pushing buggies around. She recognised some children there from Pre-school. We had a friend to stay for lunch with a two-year old and a 3 week old baby, which was really nice. We had scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam and so we had a delicious cream tea for dessert...!

Today it was really hot and sunny again! We went to Corsham library rhyme time. Isla liked the songs a lot, especially her all time favourite Baa baa black sheep, and also Riding on a big green tractor. Old MacDonald was good too, apparently he had a crocodile on his farm! We went on an adventure to find the park in Corsham (after purchasing some iced buns to keep us going) and found a good one with a slide and swings and a fun spinny thing. This afternoon we went for a walk to the local shop and bought ice creams. Isla had a chocolate mini milk which went all over her face and top and then she ate most of my cornetto too. Luckily we bumped into our friends who have a labrador on the way home and so Isla got lots of licks to clean up her top, much to her delight.

Father's day at the forest

On Friday, we made some secret cheese straws and dorchester biscuits for Andrew, however this was impossible for Isla to keep secret!

On Father's day, we went to Westonbirt Arboretum, where there was lots to do in the forest. We followed the play trail through the old arboretum after playing at the 'Exploratree' playground:

A pyjama morning

Today we had a bit of a lazy morning where Isla didn't get dressed until after lunch! We had fun at home as it was a rainy and windy day. We played at hairdressers, with Isla having her hair 'washed' and  'cut' and then 'blowdried' and also having some of her hair put up. She said that she doesn't like clips, but she does like hair bands. And she wanted an orange one today. After playing hairdressers, we made animals out of our new green play dough. We made a pig, a horse and a cow. Isla then made them some play dough pizza to eat. We also did some puzzles, drawings and shopping games. 

After lunch, we did some gardening during a brief spell of sunshine. We rescued some of our windswept plants by tying them to canes, and also hunted for any rogue snails and slugs as there were some bite marks on some of the plants. Isla reminded me to water the seedlings in our mini-greenhouse: four sunflower plants (three grown from cousin Harry's party bag seeds!) a spare tomato plant that unexpectedly germinated and a couple of nasturtium plants that Isla planted ages ago. Then we went off for a walk to the post box and to see the horse and sheep on the way. Isla climbed up the gate to get a good view of the animals, which she had seen her friend Charlie do last week. On our way back home, Isla found a wiggly worm on the pavement, picked it up and carried it with her all the way home. She said that she would have liked the blackbird in our garden to come and eat it from her hand. Instead, she put it in the soil in the garden and watched it wriggle about. She had to pick it up again though to show it to Monty and Charlie. We went inside before a really heavy rain shower soaked us.

Here are some photos of our lazy pyjama morning, with Isla showing off her new hairstyle:

Here is a video of Isla singing baa baa black sheep (a current favourite) to baa baa, whilst wearing a tutu and welly boots (baa baa is dressed as a fairy!):

Green

Here is a picture of Isla when she came back from pre-school today. She had green paint on her face and in her hair from painting octopuses:

We made some green play dough today as well, so today was a very green day! This afternoon, one of Isla's friends came round with a little gift of some sweets, so Isla ate her very first cola bottle sweet today and they played with the play dough together.

Yesterday we went to tumble tots where Isla enjoyed pretending to be an elephant and a giraffe and also climbing on the equipment. She did a backward roll for the first time, but wasn't too sure about it. She much preferred swinging on the rings (although she is very tall for them so has to lift her legs up!), jumping on the little trampoline and singing 'here we go round the mulberry bush'.

Puxton Park and chocolate biscuit cake

Last weekend we went to Puxton Park near Weston-Super-Mare. There was lots to do there for Isla. We met our friends there and spent ages in the sandpit, looking at animals, on the play equipment and on the soft play. Andrew got a friction burn on his arm on the soft play which is only just healing, but the two toddlers were unscathed by their adventures! We also had a lovely picnic in the sun as the weather was very nice.

On Wednesday, we went out for lunch with Isla's granny and grandad. Isla had a feast for her children's meal! After her food, she enjoyed sorting out the stones near our table, and doing some colouring in.

The rest of the week, we've been to Tumble tots which was really fun as Isla is in the next class up and has more activities to do. We also had some freinds round to play and went to pre-school which Isla enjoyed, as well as a trip to the local park one afternoon. We all went to the midwives as well, and she checked Isla's baby sister's position and heart beat. She has been hiccuping occasionally now, and one day jumped when there was a loud noise outside which was quite a strange feeling! Isla asked if her teddies will be her sister's teddies now and I explained that only if she wants to give her any of them. She said that she would like to choose a new teddy for her sister.

On Friday, Isla was ill in the night, and Andrew stayed with her all night long. She was talking a bit in the night, and was concerned about the medicine that we had put on the cats' backs a few days before. We had frontlined the cats to keep fleas at bay, and Isla must have been thinking about this that night!  She was poorly most of Saturday (Peppa pig on tv and her Cbeebies magazine helped her feel better), but was almost back to her normal self on Sunday again. We visited a local community farm on Sunday morning, where there were lots of animals to see, a few tractors, and (to Isla's excitement) a red cross transport vehicle that children could sit inside. We had a picnic in our garden for lunch.

Isla playing in the garden: She likes pretending that she is taking her various cuddly toys to toddler group or preschool in her little pink buggy!

We made chocolate biscuit cake this week: Isla was good at crushing up the biscuits!

She also enjoyed playing with (and eating!) the syrup:

The recipe was: Melt 150 g chocolate with 150 g butter and 2 large tablespoons golden syrup then add
200 g (ish) crushed up digestive or rich tea biscuits and put it in a lined baking tray and put in the fridge until set.


Visiting the pigs at the farm:

Playing at home: