Happy New Year

Belated  Seasons Greetings from us. Life is lovely and busy and very, very full these days. We're definitely busy living it and not recording it! This is nearly 2 months worth of photos. I don't know if we hid the camera for a while, but I was surprised to see we've had a couple of weeks without taking a single picture. Wow. I didn't know it was possible with photo-happy Flower in the house! 

Rainbow in the 'disguise' Princess was given in some homemade crackers friends made.

We are very lucky to count Purple Pixie Crochet (her blog) in our friends- Princess has this beautiful snug hat made for her birthday by her- Thank you! She does enjoy slinging her brother- I'm not convinced he always enjoys it to the same degree....

We've had a flying visit from friends who are normally at the end of the country. I'm very glad they have managed to visit us (we didn't manage to get away down to visit when we hoped last year, but hopefully we'll do better this year).

Who's the boss? I'm really not sure!

Christmas Day with family was lovely.

They are all growing up quick.

A Frugi Christmas present Princess is very happy with. She has another hedgehog top from them that is a few years old. Its still a favourite but definitely too small. I don't think Flower is allowed the old one yet...

Sometimes babywearers move in packs. We celebrated the new year with a walk and meal with friends. A rare photo including me- Rainbow is on my front.

Rainbow is growing up and getting interested. The last few weeks have seen him discovering toys and sitting up a little on his own. He still does a fab face plant though!

I've been back at the sewing machine. I've got a sewing class coming up, so I had a practice at a quick top for Princess. You remember the hedgehog top above? Well, I tried to remember how to take a pattern from an existing item (we did this in my class a few years ago) and had some fabric left from nappy cover making back when Flower was in them. Its a lovely soft stretchy fleece. I've not tried sewing a stretchy knit before, so it has been- um,  interesting, but she's happy with it.

Its a nice simple shape and I'm looking forward to getting some tips on improving next time.

 I've also started some trousers for Flower, using fabric from a couple of extra-large charity shop cotton shirts. I need some help with the construction, so hopefully in class I'll get them finished.
Ah yes, the class. This'll be the first time I leave Rainbow for more than a quick errand. It should be fine, but I am a little anxious, seeing as I've not managed to express and he's never tried a cup or anything- he'll have to wait for me. DH and everyone will be quite nearby just in case, but he can go  few hours. Sometimes.

I've not stopped knitting- I've been adventurous and started adult toe-up fleegle heel socks. This is definitely a huge project. It'll be a very long time before i have a pair.

The girls have been helping bake bread, making pictures, bits of sewing, looking at craft kits from Christmas, been interested in a bit of science (today its been solutions and crystal growing). Princess was given a kit to make raw chocolate, so we we've been experimenting with that and tasting the difference between cacao and cocoa- what's an 'a' or an 'o' between friends! We have pets, much to the girls delight. Two fish were being made homeless (complete with tank and food!) so we didn't mind taking them in. Handy to get the girls used to creatures dying, if nothing else.
 When the snow arrived a snow woman was made, Princess has been better at mental arithmetic than me (admittedly that isn't hard), and sneaky reading has been happening. natural history/wildlife  has just finished, and many talks about death, mortality and illness after a very local serious car crash- every trip in a vehicle means driving through the crash site, so those tricky home ed 'intensive conversations whilst driving' (the majority of indepth home ed discussions seem to happen while driving, its a known fact and not just us!) have been death oriented all week.
And finally, tidying has also been a major feature this week, but of course it has to stop when there is tickling to be done:)

Why I've gone quiet- really

Apologies for the quick snap- its a bit dark at this time of the day, and the scan pic is on very shiny paper.

Well, the short answer is early pregnancy and living in a caravan doesn’t go so well together.

Baby is due in July, all being well. We’ve let immediate family know, so it feels right to share it here now.

This time, just to be different, my early pregnancy symptoms have included puking most evenings, and being extremely tired. With the girls I’d been extremely tired, extremely nauseous, but not actually puking. I am sure it’s just the one.

Living in the caravan when feeling so rough has been quite a challenge. Thankfully DH has been wonderful, he’s had to do absolutely everything and has done it all extremely well. The last couple of days I’ve been feeling a bit better- could be due to a few bank holidays meaning I’ve had a bit more rest from work. Being able to rest in the afternoon has certainly helped. Or even maybe the sickness is passing- I hope so!

With me struggling so much with the pregnancy side of it all, that’s the main reason  I'm struggling in the caravan and we’ve given our tenants notice.

Christmas and the couple of weeks before have felt really busy for us- nothing compared to usual ( what with no shopping, baking, cooking or xmas cards happening) but its been pretty tiring. Both girls have been excited about being in a nativity. Little One in the one from her nursery, and Big One went to Sunday school twice with grandma, and that worked out she could be in the church nativity at the Christingle service.

Church normally only features for us, at my insistence, going to the minster Christingle service annually with Dh coming along begrudglingly once J was big enough to come. Grandma had just asked to take Big One to the service once after bellringing, we didn’t realise she was going to Sunday School. However, as the following week was getting parts for the nativity at the Church Christingle service, we made the best of it and Big One was in the nativity this year. Note to self- children in the nativity don’t get Christingles, which is quite upsetting for a girls who was too excited/nervous to have a snack before hand. We had a proper melt-down!

Christmas has been busy catching up with our families, and New Year has been more quiet,which has worked well for me and my symptoms. I've even planned, shopped and cooked a meal- I can't remember when that was last a pleasure to do (and I normally love cooking!).  DH's sister and grown up child have come over from Oz, so its been good to see them too.
 Little One has been a bit poorly the last few days, and has a mystery rash which appeared last night- why do our children mostly only get ill enough for me to consider contacting doctors at bank holidays?!. I’m doing my usual panicking about chicken pox, but we don’t know what it is.My midwife has done a great job of reassuring me about implications for me and 'baby' (someone who does answer her phone even on New Years Eve, bless her). If Little One's rash is still there Tuesday we’ll see what a GP thinks.