I am 2

Hello, Mummy and Daddy are too busy on Facebook to update this so I thought I had better write it.
It was my birthday last week and I had a fab party with all my family. I had lots of nice presents and we played pass the parcel and musical statues.
Thank you for all my presents and cards.
I have been poorly this week with a virus. I also had a horrible rash that made me swell up so much i could hardly see on Tuesday. It is fading now and looks like yellow bruises.

We have had lots of snow recently and had fun playing in it, but it has nearly all gone now.
Off to play now, will get Mummy to write again soon.

Girl Pride

Sometimes we get so caught up in everyday life that we forget the things that matter most. So this post is dedicated to three wonderful girls who make life worth living.

Beth continues to delight us with her little ways - the games she plays with us and the things she says that are just sooo cute and make us laugh. Christmas is going to be delightful with her, she loves stroking the Santa on our 'Santa stop here' sign, she adores all the 'pretty lights' and is quite happy stood looking at all the decorations on the tree. Beth loves helping out with housework, especially the washing, and will gladly load/unload the washer for me - she loves turning all the dials and pressing the buttons.

Beth enjoys the simple pleasures in life and loves being outside kicking through the leaves and hiding behind the lampposts and trees.

Rachel has been very busy recently, she is continuing to do well at swimming and has passed her level 3. She was an angel in the church nativity, and did an excellent job of looking after the little angels. In the school nativity Rachel was a narrator and quickly learnt her lines, which were spoken with confidence. At home she is really helpful, knows what her jobs are and does them without moaning. She is also getting a lot better at playing nicely with Beth so that I can get jobs done. She is just learning the art of telling jokes and comes out with some really funny ones, usually because they are so bad it makes us smile.

Gemma is just fab and I am so proud of her recent achievements at school. As well as all the jobs she does to help around the house and with looking after the girls she still finds time to do extra revision for school. In just one month her grades in Science and Maths (both of which she struggles with) went from an E to a D. She has spent the past 2 weeks doing mock GCSE's and has already had one of her science papers back - she got a D, but was only one point from a C.

Her confidence is slowly improving and I am sure she will continue to do well.

Gemma was in the chorus for panto this year, and did very well learning her dance routines and songs in time. She also stepped in at the last minute and had one line to learn in 2 days, because another chorus member wasn't confident enough to say it.

It is wonderful to see Gem having fun with her mates and doing girly stuff, chilling out and just enjoying life.

My girls aren't perfect, they all have their moments and I do shout at them. But overall they are good kids and I wouldn't be without any of them. I love them all. :-)

Panthers and Panto

What a busy weekend that was!!

Saturday started at 3.45am when my alarm went off for work. After dinner we took Beth and Rachel to Tubby Bears then Alison dropped me off at Tim's (friend from work) and together with Lisa (another work colleague) we went to Nottingham to see the ice hockey. The Panthers were playing Newcastle Vipers and it turned out to be a nine goal thriller with Panthers winning 6 - 3!! After the ice hockey we went to the Trip of Jerusalem for a few pints. Got home about midnight!!

Sunday was full dress rehearsal for panto. Its Aladdin this year and I'm Emperor Won Hung Lo. The photographer from the Evening Telegraph turned up and took a few shots (they should be in Fridays QT section of the paper). Sian, who plays Ambassador Bond also took a few snaps of which there are a few below.

Roll on next Friday and opening night!!

Daddys day off

Hi, Bethany here!!

It is half way through the half term break and it was Daddy's day off.

Mummy was at work and Gemma went to nursery for voluntary work experience.

In the morning Daddy took me and Rachel to Markeaton Park to feed the ducks and geese with some bread. Daddy had to shoo the geese off as they were a bit close for comfort. Then we went for a little walk kicking through the autumn leaves, it was a cold day but bright sunshine and Rachel said that Jack Frost had been in the night. Rachel tried walking on a fallen tree trunk and slipped off (silly girl).

After the park we went to Park Farm shops at Allestree and browsed the charity shops. Daddy bought a CD (Beethoven - Symphony No9) and a book each for me and Rachel. On the drive home i fell asleep as it was nice and warm in the car.

After dinner Daddy took us to Tubby Bears play den. Rachel took me on the big slides and i took her in the ball pool whilst Daddy enjoyed a nice cappuccino and read his Classic FM magazine.

We got home about 4pm - Mummy and Gem should be home for tea soon so bye bye!!

Presents

Paul has had a new car - his was getting very unreliable and wouldn't start at times, the windscreen wipers didn't work properly, it was also scratched and dented. We were on a limited budget so the BMW Z4 and Audi R8 had to stay in the showroom for now. Instead we have bought another Rover, slightly newer and better condition.

I have finally had the last of my birthday presents, well worth the wait!! On Thursday, Mum and I spent the day at Eden Day Spa in Hoar Cross, South Derbyshire. We had a little over 8 hours of relaxation and pampering all paid for by my dad. The day started with a continental breakfast, I had already had cereal at home so settled for a cup of tea and a croissant. Then we headed to the Yoga Relax class; 30 minutes of gentle exercise and relaxation designed to slow your breathing and free your mind from the stresses of daily life. After that we opted for a leisurely swim in the saltwater pool, a jacuzzi and a saunarium (similar to a sauna but more humid). We were booked in for lunch at 11.45 so we went and got dressed then made our way to the Seventh Heaven Restaurant. I thoroughly enjoyed the creamy vegetable soup, pork escallop with roast vegetables and Apple and Black Cherry Crumble, whilst Mum had Stuffed tomatoes, Tuna steak with rocket salad and Eden Mess. There was still enough time to sit in the lounge with a drink before we had to get ready for our treatments.

We were treated to a deep tissue back massage, with started with body brushing and reflexology concentrating on the parts of the feet that relate to the back. I have always stored all my tension in my shoulder muscles, so knew this would be slightly painful, but hugely beneficial. We then had a facial, which included cleansing, toning, exfoliating, moisturising and many other things including a face mask. While the face mask was working we also had an arm and hand massage. By this time we were thoroughly chilled out and reluctant to move, so went to the snooze room and spent some time in a leather reclining massage chair. We then went for another drink before heading back to the pool for a foot massage using the water jets, a swim, jacuzzi and another sit in the saunarium. Then it was time to get showered and dressed before making our way back to the lounge to finish the day with champagne and truffles (I was driving so had a freshly squeezed orange juice instead).

We both had a fantastic day, it was not our first visit and certainly won't be our last. :-)
(Start saving dad, it's nearly Christmas).

Growing up and Acting up

Rachels surprise on the Monday was a day on a narrow boat with my parents, brother and cousins. We were very lucky with the weather and there were only a couple of brief showers. We hired the boat from Stenson Marina and travelled down to Horninglow Basin for lunch, before having a leisurely trip back in the afternoon. We arrived back at the Marina just as the heavens opened. Thanks to Dad (and Nick) for driving the boat.

Rachel is back at school and really enjoying it - she took great pleasure in telling me 'after next summer holidays I will be in juniors'. Her reading is fantastic and she is currently reading Roald Dahls 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

Beth has started at Nursery one day a week, and has amazed us all by how quickly she has settled in - the first two visits were rather tearful (for her) but now she only cries for a brief minute when I first leave. She has soon made friends with the other children as well as the staff, and is already learning lots of new things there.

Paul had four nights on stage at the end of August as Officer Crabtree in 'Allo Allo'. Mickleover Players performed to sell out crowds every night.

Rehearsals and set building are now well under way for the christmas panto - Aladdin, in which Paul is playing Jasmines father, Emporer Won Hung Lo!

Summer fun

I thought I'd better let readers know what we have been up to over the summer holidays before I forget.

At the beginning of the holidays my brother invited me and the girls for a day out at the Midland Railway Centre, Thomas the Tank Engine was there with his friends. We had a fun day with rides on Daisy (a diesel engine) and Thomas. We also saw Diesel, Oswald and the Fat Controller. One of the carriages we had a ride in was called Rachel!!

Last week both Paul and I were off work, so we organised a couple of days out. On Tuesday we went to the cinema to see Wall-E and then went to McDonald's for dinner. Rachel really enjoyed the film and thought the robots Wall-E and Eve were great, although I'm not sure she understood what the film was about.

On Friday we went to Drayton Manor Park and Zoo, their big new attraction for this year is Thomas Land. All the rides in this section are based on Thomas the tank engine and other characters from the stories. We all enjoyed the day even though it was really busy and there were huge queues for everything. We all managed to go on a few rides and had a walk round the zoo as well.

Paul and Rachel on the Troublesome Trucks

Ali, Rachel and Beth on Diesels Locomotion Mayhem

Then on Saturday we went to Carsington Reservoir for a picnic and a walk, enjoying the sun while we could.

A few times over the summer Rachel has told me she has had the best day ever, so I am pretty sure that she has enjoyed herself. We have still got one more surprise lined up for her on Monday, but I will tell you about that next time.

Rachel learns to ride

Yes that's right, today Rachel learnt to ride her bike.

After only the second time taking her out without stabilisers (with me) and a couple of times with Ali she can now ride up and down the street and round bends and everything!!

See below for proof...

Butlins Weekend & 40th Birthday

Yet again i am starting the blog with apologies, though you should be used to them by now. Sorry but I've been too busy turning forty - more about that later.

On Friday 18th July we took Rachel & Bethany to Butlins, Skegness for three nights. Stopped in a lovely apartment and breakfast and evening meals were included. Rachel really enjoyed it saying it was the best holiday she'd ever been on!!

Lots of photos to follow...

On 31st July i celebrated my 40th birthday, the actual day was quite a quiet affair (was even at work in the morning) but we had a family get together on the Saturday with a meal at The Gulshan (local Indian restaurant), and then drinks and birthday cake back at our house. Had lots of lovely cards and presents and birthday wishes from everyone. Thank you to you all and a special big thank you to Alison for all that she does for me. She's one in a million!!

More photos...

Splashing around

I have found a problem with the blog - if you have time to post, then it means you haven't done anything to write about; and if you have something to write then you are too busy enjoying yourself to actually sit at the computer and write about it.

Now I have to test my memory and try to remember what we have been up to....

I have finally found the time to take Bethany swimming and for the past 3 weeks have gone on a Thursday with my mum, Beth and Rachel. Beth was very clingy the first week, but it is over a year since she had been so that is understandable. Now she is really happy and loves splashing and kicking her legs and playing games in the water with us. It has also made her more confident in the bath and that is getting less stressful.

No other major developments in Beth's life, she is still reluctant to talk but always finds a way to get what she wants.

Rachel has had a good report from school and we are very pleased with her progress. She had a great day out on a school trip to White Post Farm where she held a Guinea pig and a mouse and had lots of fun feeding all the animals.

She is enjoying her time at Rainbows where she has earned lots of badges, and is also doing very well at her swimming lessons.

Paul is busy with rehearsals for the next Mickleover Players production; 'Allo, Allo' in which he plays the part of Officer Crabtree. He has also got a part in the Pantomime - Aladdin, and will be directing their spring play. There is always something to look forward to.

Paul and myself went to a fantastic party at the beginning of this month - two of the members of Mickleover players share my birthday and one of them had a fancy dress party at her house, with a fairyland theme. Paul went as the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and I went as a fairy. We had a wonderful night despite the rain and it was great to see everyone dressed up in a variety of different costumes.

I had a good birthday with some wonderful presents including, a Nintendo DS from Paul, a day at Hoar Cross Hall Health Spa with Mum - from my parents, and a tub of Ben and Jerry's Fish Food ice cream (yummy).