1st Day at Nursery School

The Uniform...


The Tears....
To be honest there werent really any tears, although I could have easily shed some when I saw other peoples children crying for their parents that had just had to leave them at school and go to work or just go home.
I could cry at the thought that our baby, little Emily-Jane is no longer a baby but a little girl now starting Nursery school and she is our last child together and she is growing up too fast.

The story behind the day...
I had set my alarm to go off around 7am as I needed to get up to get myself ready before I got EJ all dressed for the day, then once she was up, daddy made her some breakfast before I wiped her face so it was clean and got her dressed, all smart in her polo shirt, cardigan and skirt, socks and new shoes, she had to have her hair done and then we were ready, I bribed her to stay still for the photographs I wished to take before making sure she was definately ready for the day at school.
We took EJ into nursery (All Saints C of E) for 8.45am, hoping to speak to a teacher and get me to work, however that was not to be and we stayed there a bit longer than expected after waiting in a queue of new parents and new intakes til 9am.
Emily-Jane was fine, she found a jigsaw and did that quick to show big brother Dec-Dec and then she went and sat down and did some other jigsaws with a new friend, Olivia, before we spoke to the teacher and left.
Daddy (Phil) and Dec picked EJ up at wrap-a-round care club later, (after their mucky round of golf).

Spending a Saturday at Grandmas

The Sun was shining, the weather warm, it didnt go cloudy until granddad scared the sun away with his shorts on.

We had a few giggles at EJ, she wanted everything out of the shed play worthy i.e. swingball and bats, badminton rackets (until granddad informed her they werent really worth playing with), a DIY see-saw and the old raleigh scooter (well say old, im 32 years old now and i played on it when i was little after receiving it for christmas one year, i loved that scooter!!!)

Here are a few snaps of EJ at Grandma and Granddads...
...smiling for the camera as she sits on granddads home made see-saw! (i always got my imagination and ideas from my dad and my lack of humour from my mother!).
Looking longingly at her raspberry ice lolly as she chills out on the see-saw (granddad pushing it down one end so EJ rises up at her end)

EJ had a bit of a weird moment where we werent supposed to look at her or talk etc as she was "trying to sleep" and "shhh mummy im trying to sleep", my mum laughed at that!

Later on after lunch, EJ thought trying granddmas shoes on and wandering around the garden and paths was great fun, granddad was varnishing some bookcase in the shed and mum was reading the paper....

She looked ever so funny but she was having fun and happy which was the most important thing!

During lunch earlier, EJ had spotted a ladybird (or ladybug as she calls them, wondering if she watches far too much american tv, hmm!) anyway, she wanted me to take a photo and then get the ladybug off the leaf but she didnt want it on her, oh no! she wandered off to play so I had to put ladybug back on a leaf again.


With Grandmas shoes on and Grandma and myself in the summer house reading newspapers, EJ and grandad went to the garden swing and started to do some colouring on her wallpaper...



When Daddy, Dec and Euan returned EJ ran up and gave Daddy a great big hug!!! She is great like that when one of us parents are missing or both of us, and Dec when he has been missing at school, she runs up and we get the biggest hugs!!!!!

Explorations around Leekbrook!

Due to large amounts of rain last week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday), to the point we could not go exploring our local countryside we tried to make up for it today!We were waiting, or rather I (mummy), was waiting for an important phone call this morning, whilst I was interacting on the telephone, EJ enjoyed time with her play-doh, she hasn't played with it for ages and so we got it out this morning, she happily played with it on an upturned Twister game play mat.

Then a few snacks in the bag off we went exploring....
I had totally intended to take EJ to the other park at St Edwards Park (housing estate up the road from where we live) but somebody has blocked the way between the Churnet Valley rail track at Leekbrook Junction and the woods, but I would not be won over by this blockage, somebody else had seemingly had a go at getting through before us, and flattened/broken down the barbwire and post, so I carefully lifted EJ over the barb wire, stepped through it carefully myself and off we went, through the lovely wooded area, one of my favourite walking paths of Leekbrook.
We walked joyfully through the wood, having little stops to take in the beautiful nature around us, here is ej posing for me in the woods...

A little further up is field access for cows, a gate and a shipping where cattle/sheep can graze and eat and be sheltered. EJ loves climbing gates so I just had to capture her doing so...

She got down graciously and I snapped a few macro shots of flowers before we headed off for the playgrounds on St Edwards Park, during munching snacks and playing, she really enjoyed herself and played with sticks with a fellow 3 year old. Another little girl, Olivia, is going to All Saints nursery school in September, yet she will be in afternoons it seems unlike EJ who will be in mornings.

Here is EJ happily playing with a stick in the woods before we even got to the park.
I had asked her to sit and pose on the log and she made some strange expressions so I decided this was my favourite shot.
EJ loves this little park, I can sit and watch her just go around and around the play things happily on her own, two slides, climbing and other little activities all around it. I just fancied editing this photo and making it selective colour as she just wouldnt swing like a monkey at the top of the slide for me.
"Talk to the hand 'cus the face aint listening" kind of attitude here me thinks, I asked her to swing on the bar at the top of the slide (which she normally casually does in a teasing way every time she goes on these slides) but she wouldnt do it and turned around to press the big buttons on these two coloured horns.
EJ loves ponys, most girls do apparently, yet we know she definately does! This one doesn't bite or eat lots of food, EJ just climbs on all by herself and rocks away.
I edited this into antique format, Always a lollipop kind of girl and here she is sitting on her favourite little pony toy in the local park.

Tittesworth

It is only up the road yet we dont seem to go very often (£3 parking is a bit off putting but apparently the grandparents (my parents) park up the road and walk around tittesworth from there so they dont have to pay) Honestly some people!Here is EJ enjoying herself at Tittesworth.

EJ enjoying the new play equipment for the toddling population at the playground at Tittesworth, I must add though that this has only been added early this year so its the first time she has played on it and loved it although she did take some convincing that it was there to be reckoned with after spending about an hour in the sand pit with daddy.

After Ice creams and a football kickabout I captured EJ with a beaning smile.

The big brother during a game of football with dad! It started off a cloudy day and thus got hotter as it went on!

Pretty as a Princess in Pink!

Emily-Jane in her new bed. It arrived around 10am and by 12.10pm I had fully constructed the full bed! EJ didnt want to see it at first but as soon as Dec came home she had to show him, the same.
Here it is before EJ slept in it, all set up and ready for bedtime.
This is where our little princess will sleep.... She did too! All night, its amazing what a new bed will do, thats 3 full nights sleep she has had in the past week, can she make it a full week? (or am i going to jinx it by saying this?).

What did i say about pink and girls when pregnant?

Well we went bed shopping about 2half weeks ago, ej looked and admired lots of beds, we went to dreams, mfi and the local "bedz" shop in town, but nothing she saw did she really like (apart from a cabin bed with a slide, yeah right madam, you have issues sleeping all night as it is there is no way you are getting a slide on it) so she went for her first choice, ok so its argos but this is the PINK bed she chose, how could we say no?



it is getting delivered tomorrow and as long as dp promises to make tea, il be constructing this by myself (yes i am capable, i did decs cabin bed by myself) Lancs cricket is on tonight so its good its not being delivered today as ive been told im doing tea as HE is watching cricket... sigh! (and he wonders why i escape to our bedroom at once kids are in bed lol)so there you have it, i have let her have yet more pink!

and school again today!

(Friday 4th July!)

Well the last one hour session (of 3 hourly sessions), for EJ and her fellow friends at All Saints before school begins for her in september. She played in the water which she enjoyed before the lively twins adam and daniel starting their splashing routine and then she retired into the main school nursery room to play with other toys, ranging from toy DIY tools to kitchen playing with her friends before settling down to sing songs and listen to stories.