Joel's first book reading

Enjoy

Flu and cookies

Well, I have been sick since before Christmas, I then picked up and felt better. I went back to school on the first day back and had to be brought home as I had a near fainting episode at my whiteboard. I got flu! Which one they don't know, but what I know is that nearly 2 weeks later I still don't feel 100% but I am better than I was and I have 32 children waiting for me back in class.

Today we had a pyjama day. It was a good way to recover as we were all tired and weary of routines, illnesses and life. It was so unusual for us that Emily didn't know what one was but she really enjoyed being in her nightie at tea time! So note in the pictures they are wearing their pjs despite it being 3.30 in the afternoon!
Yesterday we met up with the McCulloch clan from across the country to celebrate Christmas. It usually happens before Christmas but the snow stopped that this year. We have this great tradition of one family buys for another with a set budget. This year we received a great gift, we always do! Kids baking sets, a grown up apron as well as cookie jar and a gingerbread decorating book. So we tried out a few of them today. It was a little messy but so much fun and tasty too ! Joel has been back to the hospital last week for measuring and tests. His height has jumped massively and he is now 95cm! This means he is above the 91 percentile, something the dietitian thought would never happen. His weight has improved too (75 percentile) and he is no longer on infatrini! The milk he has been on since he was 2 weeks old has now left our home, not bad considering he is 2 and 5 months... and at 98p per 100ml we are no longer a drain on our doctors surgery prescription costs! (not that they ever questioned!) Joel continues to enjoy dressing up, he will use whatever her can find... including his underpants!

He did make me smile when I could hear, "yucky, yucky," coming from the bathroom when Joel was having his bath. I went to ask what was yucky only to be told... "my bottom, Mummy!".

A parcel arrived from Canada last week and in it were some homemade biscuits, which looked and tasted great. Thank you Soren, Kate and Sophie for sharing your cookies with us!

Well, I have successfully distracted myself with this for 30 mins so it is back to planning for tomorrow. Here's hoping I can get through the day without feeling faint or weak and that my class can forgive me for being off for 2 weeks and leaving them with a supply teacher!

Returning to a comfy pair of slippers

It has been a while, probably too long since I have updated my poor blog so here goes, a whistle stop tour of the past couple of months. I must say that I have been laid lower than usual as we are excitedly waiting the arrival of a new McCulloch baby, due to enter the world mid June. This pregnancy thankfully, has been like no other. Sickness, at night, lethargy never known to me and bugs and germs caught galore. That tailored with the start of term, Emily starting school, Jamie embedding himself in his new role at work and Joel starting with our new childminder, it has been a hard couple of months. That said, we have survived and are moving on.

Emily got her first school photo taken and was kind enough to share the experience with Joel. (note the flash, as it is a photo of a photo!)

It has been lovely to have the proper Winter season this year. We thankfully were prepared with sledges this year and have had fun down on the back lawn of NTC with the sledge. Mummy didn't have a go because, a, it was too cold, b, it was too cold and c, I had to keep baby safe!

We got the Christmas tree up and it stayed up, with a little help of daily moving decorations by Joel. The top half stayed the same, it was just the bottom that looked like a higgegly piggily house!

Emily was a star in her Christmas Nativity at school. She was quite proud of her mummy sewing the tinsel on the bottom of a t-shirt. Little does she know about the skill level required to create such a master piece. She received a headteachers award for her performance skills at the end of term. We are still unsure if this was related to the nativity play, her drama in the playground when she falls over or her interaction in class! Either way she was proud of a yellow piece of card with her head teacher's and her name on it!

Our church had our walking around the streets Nativity again this year. Emily was princess fairy angel and Joel was cold and stubborn shepherd! I believe Jamie may have been Caspar, but the details have escaped me... he did like the bling on his head dress!

Joel and her continue to fight one minute and love each other the next. It can be quite exhausting, but on the whole there is a lot of laughing going on as Joel is quite the character. At the moment he is refusing to sleep in his big boy bed instead opting for the baby bed or cot! Something I find mighty frustrating!

Santa visited Belfast and brought snow, family and presents. It has been fun trying to find places for everything, you know where the drums have gone?! The conservatory!

Well I am sure that I have missed lots of details and stories, we are ok, I am off work with some sort of Influenza virus. Jamie had to come and pick me up from class yesterday morning after a near fainting episode. I feel a little better today, it has been nice to sit upright for 30 mins, but I am ready to lie down again!

Hopefully more to follow I won't leave it so long next time and it is good to know that the slippers still fit!