Dad

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed"  says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54 v 10

Sixteen months (last week!)

Ruby is such a delight at the moment, this month has been full of many happy things:  first shoes, lots of baby babble, especially "Dadda", exploring and running around with older brother, pulling her eye patch off and visiting a soft play centre for the first time.

These flash when you walk and are shiny purple...what more can a little girl want!

Patch on.....

Far too easily taken off nowadays!

Happy Sixteenth month little girl - do you fancy sleeping now?

Beautiful Day with Beautiful People

May Tree Days seem very far away!

fifteen months

I started this  blog for several reasons:  to create  family memories, especially for Ruby's first years, to actually do something with all the photos that are on the hard drive, and to hopefully motivate me to finally finish one of my many craft projects.  Since I have not even opened a baby  record book for my smallest child, this little blog goes some way to alleviate the  guilt and will hopefully be a lovely memory to look back on.

The little lady is now fifteen months and is developing such a lovely sweet nature, she has been the slowest of all of them to walk but  this week seems to have finally decided she prefers to walk  rather than crawl.  She loves her bags and is a girl of expensive taste as her accessory of choice is a Jack Wills bag.  For those of you who are not familiar with this oh so trendy and pretty pricey shop we are only able to stretch to the bag they give you when you buy something.  Ruby has been tottering around the house putting a variety of things in the bag,  usually shoes and socks, this lady has style!

Another top activity is to empty all the cupboards. Mummy was prepared however, and after several breakages last week has now moved the plastic plates to her cupboard of choice.  Little miss independent is now able to go to the cupboards and open the bread sticks or hunt out the raisins and help herself to a snack, I'm sure she would prefer a much less healthy snack but they have been hidden in a higher cupboard.

You bring us all so much happiness little lady!

Is that more mischief you are planning?

Finally Finished!

There is something very special about knitting, especially when it is for your own small children,  it is truly calming to sit down and wind the wool around the needles making it into something beautiful and practical.  Once finished there are so many memories woven into the garment that it is more than worth all the effort.

I was determined to finish Ruby's cardigan in the Easter holiday and as I  finally sewed it together was reminded of the many  places in which it had been knitted.   I vividly remember casting it on  last October as a distraction while  oldest boy  was in the hospital waiting for an operation to mend his badly broken wrist,  the front side was almost finished while he was being operated on and it was so good  to concentrate on the wool and not my worry.

The cardigan took a long time to finish as there were many distractions along the way and it was not picked up again until Christmas, however  knitting by the fire watching seasonal films with the children is another precious memory wrapped up in this little piece of clothing. More recently I took it along to the new monthly  Saturday craft morning at church and have other good memories of chatting and catching up with friends whilst making, also a new motivation to actually complete it before the next crafty meet up!

I confess I had to get a little bit of help with the fiddly bits at the bottom, but that also makes it special, knowing my mum has played a part in making it as well.

I  also made a little hat for a new baby girl who has just arrived safely in the world, it only took one evening, was very impressed with my speed!

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If you are a local friend please do join us at our monthly craft cafe, it is such a lovely place to spend Saturday morning,  either learning a new skill or just chatting and working on your own craft.  Anyone is welcome, it is held in Stanmore Lane and the coffee is pretty good as well!

Fourteen months

We have been having such a fun and relaxing Easter holiday so far, it has been so lovely spending time with the children without the pressure of work, school and all the many things family life seems to bring.  We have been enjoying the sunny weather and almost forgot that little lady was fourteen months yesterday. 

She is rapidly taking the role of naughty child in the family, cupboards are emptied at every opportunity, especially the one where we keep the little boxes of raisins, which she is able to open and eat with incredible speed!  The poor dog is a bit dehydrated as little lady keeps spilling her water bowl,  which is only the start of her  trail of destruction around the house.  Her latest trick is to stand at the top of the stairs or at the backdoor wobbling around just about to fall down the stairs or onto the patio.  She is very good at walking around pushing her trolley  or using the furniture and has just started taking a step on her own. 

Her most exciting achievement (and it has taken a very long time) is that for the first time in her entire life she slept all through the  night! Of course her older brother decided to wake up, just in case we felt lonely but we may be looking at a future that involves more sleep...............here's to beautiful sleep.

Morag & Bracken

Such a beautiful sunny day in the south of England,  we were tempted to drive to the beach but couldn't face the inevitable traffic queues.  Instead we drove a few miles down the road and met Morag and Bracken, two Highland cattle who have been introduced to the local countryside to help maintain it.  

It's been a while since we visited and there are now fun places to play in the woods, Ruby had her first swing.

Felt just like a holiday!