Our phone bill

A picture of things to come I fear as nelly is really getting to grips with all things phone ! Do you think that you can still buy those locks that parents used when we were kids to stop them racking up a huge phone bill !! Somehow I don't think so .... Oh well better save up now !
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Nelly and her bike...

forgot to mention that Nelly also got a brand new bike instead of a chocolate egg from Papa! She chose the Angelina Ballerina variety! It is pink with tassles and has a basket on the front and seat on the back for baby - needless to say she loves it and it would be the last thing on my wish list but hey! so Easter Sunday we took it out to the village playground for a practise in the carpark ....She loved it.....since then it has started squaking and has been back to the shop twice - She heard me saying for £65 it is really not acceptable and has been repeating it!

lazy lazy me....

Ziggy the Labradoodle out for a walk...Swanage Easter hols

Nelly with James and Finn at mudeford Bay...

Spider orchid .. ( I think )! Swanage

Nelly with her friends playground Souldern Easter Holidays ..

Nelly and the big girls on day out at blenheim palace

scootering at Blenheim ...

no updates for ages then all you get is a photostream.....ooops

Easter ( egg hunts, grandma staying, trips out..) .....Bikes ( Nelly got a new one from her Papa....she loves it , my back hates it ) ,...Blenheim Palace.( sunny days - ice creams, friends, mazes and train trips...) ...bournemouth....( Beach, Boys - James and Finn - Swanage, sandcastles and collecting yet more shells for the collection! )

A BIG REUNION

for the first time this year we attended the Cach reunion - an amazing event with who knows how many families attending from all over the country, that have adopted children from China ...I have just taken on the role of joint co-ordinator ofr our region and thought I ought to attend!

We decided to attend for the day on Saturday when most of the event happens including seminars and lots of activities for the children. Nelly was quite overwhelmed in the first instance, we arrived and had coffee with a family from our small group in oxfordshire and then moved into the main area where there was a Lion Dance . We walked into a sea of faces and there must have been well over 300 families - Nelly was completely awe struck - I think until now she has not really registered that she and her other friends - Nina, Molly Lola Lucille etc are all from China but coming face to face with so many girls and boys of all ages was quite big for her. Especially as she has really started taking on board the whole ' I am adopted ' thing....So we moved carefully through the day - bumping into old friends and seeing people who were in China at the same time as us ...There were lots of things to buy - Chinese artefacts, great bookstall, charity stalls, clothing etc . Once she had spent the morning with Rob in the circus skills and craft rooms she was well away and she had an afternoon of Tumbletots and nail painting ahead of her ! I managed to attend two seminars, one When is the time right to take your daughter back to china - http://www.ocdf.org/tours/ and one by the guy that made Chinese School ....

We got home at about 7 30 and Nelly proclaimed that she wanted to go back to the China place again next week!

school ........................

last week we visited our village school ....they had an open day so potential pupils could go along...Nelly will not be going until Sept 2010 but we thought it would be good to go along and see the Big School, as she calls it , ! (Pictures above are actually taken at Bletchley park in Milton keynes but the pic fits the theme!)

we were very impressed but we have nothing to compare it to but it is only a ten minute walk away and has a good Ofsted ...nelly had a great time, she loved being there and wandering around seeing all the classrooms. At one point Rob had to find her - she was keen to set off with the boys she knew in the reception class on their Nature Walk!

http://www.croughtonallsaints.ik.org/p_Home.ikml

Scoop of the day

With belts tightened. Seeds planted and budgets being squeezed rob allowed himself one bit of shopping today ! He popped out to local market town and found himself pootling around the antique cellar in search of something to store boots and shoes when coming in from the garden .... Instead he came home with this large wooden scoop and with the threat of going back tomorrow to buy a rocking chair ! Well it is fab and dates back to 1900 china looks great in our bathroom PLUS POINTS for negotiating it down to £22 bargain !
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its my party and i'll drive a tractor if I want to .....

Nelly enjoying her cake at her party ...

A more subtle cake on the day ...

balloons anyone...