Well, last night was the big day my little man has been hanging out for...  WE trundled off to the movies in the cold and met up with his grandparents and 2 aunties and we went to see "Get Smart".  OK, not a good choice for kids, but it was Grandpa's birthday so the movie was in his honour.  R enjoyed it but not the 2 little girls - "boring" said G, "scary" said B - so they sat a lot of it out....

Then, after the movie they headed home, taking R with them.  I asked for a hug and he said "oh we've already done that", so I asked again reminding him we wouldn't see each other for a week.  He gave me a big hug and lots of kisses and said "I gave you lots of kisses because I love you lots muchly"

So now the house is very quiet and, whilst I admit I am enjoying the rest, we miss him already....

If bread covered in 100s & 1000s is fairy bread - what is a toddler covered in them called?

mmmm - that's what you get when a little girl has a shower (don't even ask about the nappy that led to the shower...), then lathers herself in body lotion and then gets into mummy's baking cupboard.  YUM!

Well, after a lot of cleaning and preparation (was still doing the cake when guests arrived) the party went really well.  We had a pirate theme and we all dressed up - some guests did, but not all.  There were 9 kids (R+B plus 5 friends and 2 siblings), which was quite manageable in the end.  We had party games and lots of food and everyone got on pretty well.  I was very drained and hoped it was worth it - until R said "I loved it, Mum" and someone else told me it was the best party ever.  WE had a beautiful day, so (having cleaned the house immaculately) we kept it outside and enjoyed the sun (until about 4pm, which wound it down nicely! ) 

Here are some pics:

Got to preschool this morning and the teacher says "oh, yes, I wanted to talk to you" - uh oh!  Seems my little lad has become the class clown, trying to get everyone's attention and trying to distract the other kids from what they are meant to be doing.  Any ideas on why, she asks?  I'm floored - I knew he'd been behaving badly at home but thought he'd be good at school.  So I go through with the teacher some of the things that are going on - our financial situation, his worry about starting school (and turning 5 is tied in with that), his "accidents"  (which thankfully we have had 2 dry days - yeah!) and we agree that something is worrying him - she is very patient and lovely and I feel so wretched.  I keep wondering what I am doing wrong and what is going on in his little head.  So, looks like we need to arrange some one-on-one time - how I've no idea.  Anyway, I don't know what to do but keep plodding on - keep the boundaries tight and keep reassuring him we love him.  Ideas, anyone?

Having looked forward to his birthday for months he was  a bit apprehensive this morning but I explained that 5 is just a number on a piece of paper and doesn't change who he is or what he does and he cheered up pretty quickly.  He is going off to preschool with a dinosaur cake, then tomorrow we have his pirate party.  So, mummy is pretty stressed right now trying to clean up the house and get everything ready - and praying for fine weather so they can play outside! 

OK - miss B is determined that now she is 2 she can do everything herself and will scream unless you let her.  This includes dressing and undressing, making her lunch, carrying her bowl to the table, even getting in and out of the car.  She will also help herself to food and I am getting really frustrated at the waste!  I went to make myself a coffee this morning and we have gone through 5L of milk since Wednesday!  There is only 1L left to do us until this Wednesday and B has just made herself cereal and tipped milk all over the table!  GGGGRRRR!  Still, I guess I should be grateful as this seems to translate to helping with the washing up and housework too - good girl!  One major difference between my 2 - then again R is a boy!  Are they genetically averse to housework?  Anyway, he turns 5 this week and preparations are getting fierce - I'll keep you all posted!

What a fortnight for catching up with old friends.  I got an email from a website I rarely visit that an old colleague was trying to contact me, so we contacted and have been emailing.  Then I discovered facebook - I know I'm years behind everyone else!  Another wealth of old friends.  Then with my new email address, I just sent out a general email to everyone in my address book - so many were returned, it was a good exercise in updating information.  Then out of the blue another old colleague, now also a mum, emailed me back - brilliant!  It is so lovely to find out what everyone has been doing - so exciting!

As I sit here and listen to them take down branches next door and hoping the bang I hear is not the tree landing on our shed! I thought I'd take a leaf out of Izzy's book and re-read my blogs from this time last year.  I am thinking I might print everything off and scrap book it as I don't record it anywhere else.

So, what did I learn?

We were buying a house and wondering if we could afford it, dreading moving, but so excited about the new house.  So, 12 months on we still love the house, have done little to it, still have boxes to unpack and are struggling to pay for it - but then we didn't know that DH would quit his well-paying job of 5 years and have us in limbo for so long.  Still, we have got through it and learnt a lot.  And I am proud of what we have survived intact and sure that this is only a blip in the long term story.

I was alone a lot and struggling with 2 kids on my own - at least now DH is home a lot more and is a lot healthier (except tired from all teh driving).

We were planning a birthday party!  Still are!  However at least last year our house was empty - this year I have 10 preschoolers coming to a house that is a disaster!  And I worry because many of them I don't know that well and have not really met the parents - that in itself is a change!

Bella was struggling with sleep and waking multiple times a night, I was trying sleep training and trying to get her to sleep without feeding to sleep.  mmmm - now what has changed?  She still ends up in my bed most nights and the nights she sleeps through are so remarkable I wake and run to her room to check she is ok.  She still needs "beeby" to sleep, but thankfully that is the only time she is having it.

R was struggling with sleep too - taking hours to get to sleep and then waking with bad dreams.  What's changed?  Nothing - except they have both grown so much and learnt so much.  When I looked at the photos I couldn't believe that they were taken a year ago - and yet I can see so many changes!  How quickly they grow up - and this time next year R will be in at school.  Wow!

Bella just did a wee in the potty!  Amid lots of praise!  Very exciting.

Unfortunately I had to step over the puddle her brother had left on the floor to get to her - grrrr....  Don't know what to do - his "accidents" are getting worse!  Cleaning up after one is bad enough - not sure I can toilet train the other at the same time....

I just went outside to get the bins in and get some firewood.  I walked back in and was just saying "oh isn't it lovely to walk into the house and the furniture is not pulled apart and two children are sitting nice and quietly minding their own business..." (ant not trying to kill each other), when I caught a look at my daughter!  She had a tube of royal blue paint - all over her clothes, in her hair, all over the lounge and the cushions!  AAAGH!  I knew it was too good to be true!