Fidget Nostalgia

Doing the post about Fidget’s 4th birthday and the comparison between photos of her and her friends from when they were babies got me feeling quite nostalgic, so I decided to pull out as many of the group photos as I could from the intervening years….

3months old

10 months

1 year old

15 months

Christmas 2008, 19 months

Halloween 2009, 27 months

Christmas 2009, 29 months

Easter 2010, 32 months

October 2010, 39 months

4 years old…

Through mummy mornings/afternoons, parties, clubs (music, gym, and baby signing) pre-school, and general get-togethers, they have met up in one sub-set or another pretty much every week. At times they have each been best friends or worst enemies! Now they are all going to school. Fidget could have been at the same school as Sophie or Iestyn (as some of our choices overlapped) but we all had different first choice schools. Fortunately we all got our first choices, but of course it means unfortunately Fidget wont be going to school with any of them. The six kids are going to 5 different schools, even though we do live fairly near each other, I guess that is being in Bristol for you.

I do feel really lucky that Fidget and I are part of this group and they have all been a really important part of her (and my) pre-school years.

Fidget nearly 4 & nearly a schoolie

25th June was Armed Forces Day. There was an event in the park with a parade, stalls and rides. Fidget had a go in the teacups, we did think Squidge was still quite likely to throw herself out, so stayed in the pram.

We had a wander around, then enjoyed some tea, juice and cakes in the sensory garden which was lovely…

Squidge does pull some funny faces…

The Sunday was a surprisingly warm and sunny day, we set up a little camp on the far deck…

but it got a bit hot for some and it was soon time for a siesta..

Uncle A came round in the afternoon…

On Monday, Daddy had the girls out in the garden helping him pick fruit. Fidget was brilliant at washing and de-stalking the berries, Squidge was more keen on squidging berries

Saturday 2nd July, we got out in the garden to pick more gooseberries

Fidget was in her finery as we were going out to Anna and Sophie’s birthday party. Me and Faith walked there together and had a lovely time.

Sunday 3rd we hosted a work BBQ at the Challis-Palace. We were fortunate with the weather, and the place held up very well to accomodating everyone. One of our colleagues had brought his 2 daughters who are each about 2 years older than Fidget and Squidge respectively. Squidge wasn’t very well and just sat on the sofa looking glum at the scene, but Fidget had an ace time playing alsorts of role play games that seem to involve filling every surface of our front room with toys.

On Friday 31st June, Fidget had been for a story session at her new school. We had arrived (with Squidge asleep in the pram), been shown to the school cafe, then the supply teacher came and took the children to the library for a story. Fidget had been quite happy to go on her own – I was very proud of her. We had also been able to buy some items of uniform from the school. I had also picked up some other bits of uniform from the supermarket.

On Thursday 7th July, Fidget had had an afternoon session at the school. I had taken her up there with Squidge who again fell asleep in the pram. The children were taken into the classroom for quite a long session (1.30 until 3), after an initial squirm Fidget did not look back and was happy to go in. The weather was quite bad, so I took Squidge into the nearby church for an hour and a half, she slept in the pram and I relaxed and listened to the rain on the windows.

Fidget had had a great time, playing shops with other children.

We walked home and she was still so enthused by the idea of school that I suggested she try on all her new clothes so we could take some pictures…

strike a pose…

Saturday 9th we went across to Aunty M’s house for the day. Fidget’s birthday was coming up in the week, it was Aunty M and Granny’s birthday just before the weekend, and they hadn’t seen M since his birthday, so there was lots of present giving going on, including Fidget getting her new bike from Granny and Grandpa…

with tassles and a seat for Bear, these were non negotiable parts of the bike specification…

two cheeky imps…

Grandpa was not happy with how the bike was working, so couldn’t resist a tinker with it….

the kids chilled out and played…

the new patio was a bit of a busy area with all kinds of wheeled vehicles passing through…

On Sunday, Grandpa came over to help finish off the tree house steps, while Squidge slept, Fidget and I went out to the park to try out her bike. With Grandpa’s modifications and a straight run she did really well…

In the afternoon, Granny arrived and Fidget and I set off for Iestyn and Toby’s party…

This was the one party this year where they were all together so we got them to line up for the traditional photo…

the earliest picture of them together I can find is from Mush’s bog and is from October 2007 when they were 3 months old…

http://topflumps.blogspot.com/2007/10/mothers-meeting.html

clockwise from Fidget at the bottom is Iestyn, Anna, Sophie, Toby then Ellis

and now they are all so big and going to be schooooolies!

There was also a secret birthday santa present exchange…

Fidget got a moon sand kit, thanks secret birthday santa!!

When we got back it was time to test out the steps to the treehouse…

a friendly butterfly…

and there’s always time for a big hat!!

Quick update…Squidge is now regularly putting two words together… “shoes-on”, “socks-on”, “me-first”, “sorry-Faith” (gives you an insight into our lives), also “rainbow-shoes”, “Faith’s-bear”, “dolly-vest”, “more-chocolate”, “my-shoes”, “baby-shoes” and also a 3 worder “socks-and-shoes”. It’s worth noting that “shoes” was one of Squidge’s first spoken words, then “shoes-on” and “shoes-and-socks”, she certainly seems to have a fascination, but I have no idea where that could have come from!