BethanyDee, Alfredo G and Famil-ee

I have updated the decor and the photo. ICould I be about to start blogging again? If only for the family records....

I just want to cuddle up in bed with a hot water bottle and it is not even 10pm, but I shall write a few lines, if anyone is listening. Ellie is almost two now and her cheekiness knows no bounds. She has the naughtiest loudest chuckle which she uses at all the appropriate moments. Amelia loves it! They are now in bunk beds. "A no like it a Ellies bed" she said on the first day. I put her back in about 25 times the first night (Saturday) and it is slowly getting better,. Alfredo said she appeared by our bed at 4am last night "HOLA!" she said happily.I shall write more tomorrow.

to blog again. I will update as soon as Ellie naps, right now, it may be 0612 but I have gotta crack on! Ellie is in a big girls bunk bed now and gets up terribly early.

The whole house is asleep. I love silence. The lounge is almost dark. I have some delightful contemplation time! I went into Ellie at 5am to settle her "HIYA!" she said happily. I was still very tired and had eyes shut as I walked in (almost) and did not reply. "HIYA! HIYA! HIYA!" she insisted. we had a little giggle together. What a wonderful way to be woken at 5am if you must be woken :)

I can hear Amelia upstairs with Ellie, sat in her cot singing her "WaddleyOtcha", complying acquiescently every time Ellie requests delightedly "Again!" Amelia loves any songs with silly lyrics, and silly words in general. In fact one day I mentioned that Uncle Seth used to make up silly names and she got me to call him to ask him what they were...you remember the ones...Chucksy Mulligan, Buddigan O' Hanny being the most well know; I forget the rest...oh yeah...Seekaboo.....what was that anyway? Amelia asked me to write them down and dutifully copied out each silly name with great enthusiasm. She also loves the song I made up when I was a girl, made of words I liked the sound of. It was more of a chant. "Rumpsteak, Kadarecore, Bless my Whiskers, Pity, Mind your beeswax!"  (Kadarecore was a mde up word that I liked the sound of, Pity had to be said in a certain way with a very long -eeeeeee sound at the end, the other phrases came from a kids book at the time, Richard Scarry maybe?)

Which words do you like the sound of? I love the word "droozle" and "smidgin" and have a love hate relationship with the word "muggy". I also love the French word penchant (as in "he has a penchant for wearing make up" for example) In fact, I have decided to revive my French when I found the maupassant book on my shelf that I had bought a year ago for this very purpose. It is so beautiful, in my opinion. French, not Maupassant.

My birthday ended up great. I tend to have very low expectations out of life ie I do not ask for much but I found myself feeling a bit fed up as we were having one of those "It's ten days till payday- really? THAT many?" weeks. Alfredo had already given me my gift 6 weeks ago which was an Ipod and I had killed it 4 weeks later out of my own carelessness, it slipping from my fingers into the latrine.Yes. Sadness does not even come close to describing my feelings. Anyway we did in fact go out to a gorgeous carvery last night, and then went driving round Eccleston (a beautiful village, though by night, just kind of....dark) and chatted. Also earlier we did a party tea for the girls which they thoroughly enjoyed. breakfast time, more later.

Alfredo has taken a day off to go rock pooling with his friends on the North Wales beach we recently visited. They started a scavenge but the girls were so cold that they called it to a halt to trek off with us for chips. He is so excited! I have the car, also happy. Amelia begins school at 1130 today, and therefore has her first big girls packed lunch in the canteen. She is very excited indeed. She wanted a peanut butter wrap for her sandwich and made it herself...I neatened it up a bit afterwards because it looked like a war zone and I couldnt help myself. So it is Ellie and I for almost 4 hours today and next MOnday, full time! This morning I went for a run, showered, dressed, and made bread, pesto, lasagne and coleslaw.  domestic goddesses everywhere- step aside!

Ellie has a soft blanket that has always been put on top of her since she was born (it was passed by Emme, like those big Gap ones that Marla is) It has never been more than a blanket to her.....until Friday. We slept ovr at the Temple and I popped in her blanket as always as she sleeps quite badly out of her house usually, so just to have sth familiar.....she noticed it in the little case and pounced on it crooning "BELLY!!!!!!!!!!"  From that moment, it has been "Belly" Think I will spell it "Bellie"...it looks nicer.. and she has not let go of it for very long....woe betide anyone who touches it (unless it is to throw it on her head in a playlike fashion) or stands on it.. "Bellie, Bellie!" she wails, and then, with a relieved sigh as she reclaims her friend "Bellie!" She went to sleep on the way home from Chorley sucking thumb and hugging Bellie to her cheek, which she has never done, and cuddled her downstairs for a good long time on the sofa. Meanwhile, of lesser emotional significance but still noteworthy, is Amelias cuddly Larry the Cucumber, who she sometimes sleeps with and has named , simply, Bob. As you lay her down in the night, bleary eyed she has been known to mutter "Bob" as she searches with her right arm for Larry (her left hand is occupied as she still her thumb) Welcome Bellie and Bob, welcome.

Amelia was helping me with the breakfast. She chopped my banana for on top of my cereal and then immediately decided to  open Ellies water bottle to refill it. "Can you help me please Mummy? It's really tricky when you've got your hands SLOPPERY".

There is something so great about running down a silent road, with the darkness of night to your left and the pale blue of an approaching dawn on your right. I just love it!! Every morning I cross the river, and while my absolute favourite is to see the sunrise over it (alas, it will be a long time till I see that now, the time of morning I am obliged to run), the street lights reflecting on the water, and the lightening night sky is also magical. I also like seeing the same postie every morning, as I run one way across the bridge and he cycles the other. It is such a wonderful way to start the day. Hooray for running, and hooray for early mornings!

Yesterday was.........chaos.But not fun chaos. Chaos coupled with unacceptable behaviour (eldest; understatement) and an oscillation between tantrum and whiney clingy (youngest) for...mmmm....almost all day. Meanwhile everything that could go wrong seemed to, my body felt wasted like never before and when dinnertime came I was incapable of eating. When Alfredo arrived and took them up I flopped onto the sofa (6.30) and did not move till 10pm.Beautiful.And today is another day. even more beautiful. My mamma told me there'd be days like this/that.