out of the mouths of babes

One of Nelly's favourite daytime routines is to take the bike out - her on the back and go down a lane that has a ford half way along and we splash through the water on the bike - whatever the weather....after doing this about 16 times ( back and forth!!! ) we carry on to the village playground where the village Mums meet and all the kids run around and play football, bikes, slides etc. There is normally a sprinkling of 2 and 3 year olds in attendance, but Nelly prefers by far to pass the time with the big girls ( 5 and 6 year olds ! )

Last week she was running around with a group of about 4 of them playing chase when one little one asked me Is Nelly Chinese ....I replied, she then asked me if I was Chinese! I explained that Nelly was adopted and what this meant .... a little while later this little one was walking with me and Nelly to see the sheep and lambs in the adjoining field and she very thoughtfully asked - did I think that Nelly's mummy and daddy in China worry about her and did I think they knew where she was now.....My friend Heather ( who was there at the time) then told me that she asked her son Rory ( if he knew that Nelly was Chinese - he said yes of course Louise went to China to have her baby and that is why Nelly is Chinese!!!! Priceless and cute at the same time!

and the sun came out again!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a few photos ....the sun is shining again, Nelly is happily potty trained, attending pre-school and generally being a grown up big girl Nelly and her Papa on his birthday...

Smell those tomatoes

Nelly and Nina on a hot shed roof!

She managed the lot! St James park on a baking Sunday afternoon for an annual reunion with other adoptive parents....

some video ....

Just worked out how to put this on the blog....N loves looking at video of herself so have taken quite a bit recently - she can sit and look at it for ages!!!!! sorry if this is a bit long ...

but the rain came back again...!

why is it that we only get summer for about one weekend in the year....last year it was at Easter - this year at May Day Bank Holiday, because the week running up to to the Spring Bank Holiday we have had the heating on! and the last two days we have been holed up in the house watching DVDs and keeping Nelly amused!

News from here is that Nelly is now on the way to being potty trained! started two weeks ago ( one of those nice sunny weekends ) and donned pants and dresses and spent the weekend in the garden with strategically placed potties.! All going well....Now she says she is a big girl with knickers and no dummy! Still in a nappy at night time at the moment...but working on that one....

Other news is that Nelly is about to start a pre-school in the next village after the half term holiday ! Another Big Girl moment with a large rucksack on her bag with her packed lunch! She will start with one morning a week and then I will add extra days, she will remain in nursery for two mornings too....so I get three mornings to do work and the cleaning etc !

Had a horrid moment last week when we went to her baby gym class - the lady that runs it asked to have a word with me - I thought it was going to be about taking a potty into the gym ( it was week one of the training ...) but no, one of the other mothers/carers had had a word about Nelly hitting her child! I was feeling particularly sensitive that day and was so so cross and upset not about the hitting but about the fact that the person could not have said something to me directly , I mean better at the time ...and if and when she does do it I discipline her as I do. It turns out that the person in question was a very young Nanny / childminder who basically sits down and lets her child get on with it and does not move an inch for the whole two hours they are there. I stomped around a bit and told the woman who runs it that we would not be coming back ! She then said Oh please come back we love having Nelly here..but as it turns out it will clash with pre-school...so they can make their own minds up about the fact that we have not returned ! !

and the sun still shines

nelly enjoying ice cream at friends house in London
Rob and Nelly on his new toy! - Daddy's tractor as N calls it ...

Wow we are going fast!

and we have taken the opportunity to start potty training! all going well lots of successes!...no pictures!

you cannot bottle it ....

spent the last few days in London getting a half head of highlights and cut done, spending time with friends, all lovely seeing and catching up with people but getting home - fresh air....going for a bike ride . hearing the lambs...! you cannot beat it ...

Spring has arrived

the weather has improved.......the heating is off and the Aga is still pumping out heat!!!!!!!!!! we have to turn it off in the summer. Cousins came to visit ... they lpayed well together ...three buggies helped!