Special Assembly

On Friday Steve attended Amy's special class assembly, Amy seemed really excited by Daddy going and as there were only a couple of other Daddys there Steve could see why.

All the children from the other classes were brought in and then the reception class went to the front of the hall. Amy was in the top row, in between Charlie (one of her boyfriends) and Liam.

The children welcomed everyone to the assembly and then took it in turns to say what they liked at school and what they enjoy doing.

Amy stood up, wrote on a mini white board and then told everyone that they "like writing on the white board".

The children then told how they had been learning about teddy bears and wild bears. Amy at this point had to say that "Teddy bears are different from wild bears".

The children then showed us some of their spelling skills by spelling a number of words in unison.

Finally it was time to sing "thank you lord" and a small prayer. Before the class thanked us for coming to their assembly.

After all the other children had left to go back to classes, the reception class were allowed a few minutes with their parents before going to break.

Amy was pleased to see Daddy, but didn't want to stay to long with him.......playtime was calling.

Well Done Amy, you done yourself proud.

Two Little Ballerinas

It was a good day today, I got to go buggy shopping (something which I like immensely) as Ben had busted the foot rest on his existing one. Sadly, I could not find anything I liked but I did have fun looking!! (Sad I know).

Later this afternoon Amy decided she wanted to do some ballet dancing and Ben decided he just had to get in on the action...

Don't they look sweet!

Disneyland Resort Keene Way

Well we had such a laugh yesterday. It was Granny's annual New Years Quiz and each year there is a theme. This year was Disney and it had taken me weeks and weeks of sewing to create Steve's costume but I think he looked OK.

Granny had excelled herself this year with her decorations - complete with a pink castle & Mickey Mouse in the toilet!!

Everyone looked really good and it was a really good evening and we didn't get to bed to well after midnight.

I can't wait for next years Country & Western theme and have brought the kids outfits already!!

Cheers Bren - I think you surpassed yourself this year!

The photos can all be accessed by clicking on the link below:

Disney Photos

Happy New Year 2007

Well that's it, 2006 is officially over. Some of you may know that New Years Eve is not my favourite night of the year but this time I had a really good evening.

We kinda left things a little late in organising this year so weren't able get together with all of our mates but we did have PJ, Gav, Evie & Morgan over to stay.

We had a lovely evening and the kids really behaved themselves - so much so that Amy & Evie were allowed to sleep together in Amy's room.

Ben woke up about 1am just as we were thinking of turning into bed and refused to go back to sleep in his cot which wasn't really the start to 2007 we were hoping for but he's doing so well with his walking now I could forgive him just about anything.

So, here are our New Year's Resolutions so we can track exactly how long it will take us to break them!:

Me: Fix my feet
Steve: Learn more sign language
Amy: Stop sucking her thumb when talking
Ben: Learn to run!

Happy New Year. May 2007 be all you hope it will be.

Presenting the Amazing Walking Ben

I'm not sure if this will work but I'm hoping technology will not fail me.

If you click on the link line below, it should take you to a video (on myspace.com) of Ben walking.

Ben Walking

Since his first real walking on Boxing Day, Ben is coming on really well and has now figured out how to get up without holding onto anything either and we are all so proud of him.

It's not very long. Hope you all enjoy it.

Updated 19.02.08 to be a direct link to the video:

Rogers 60th Birthday

Today was Roger Price's 60th Birthday and we all went to a lovely party at their house this afternoon. - Roger & Yoita used to live next door to my Mum & Dad and it's a friendship which has stood the test of time.

As always Yoita put on a marvellous spread of fine foods including the spinach & ricotta dish she does (the name of which I can never remember) which is one of my favourites.

Amy and Ben had a great time cavorting around the lounge floor together and were the best of friends this afternoon.

Roger, Yoita and Mum & Dad are off on their birthday cruise the first week in January and they are all really looking forward to it.

Happy 60th Roger!

Christmas 2006

The wrappings have been ripped and Christmas is over for 2006. Oh but what fun we had...

We woke up bright and early on Christmas morning but didn't venture into the Lounge until 7am to see if Santa had been. The kids faces were a picture when they saw the two presents by the fireplace.
Father Christmas brought Amy a Playmobil Aeroplane and Ben a Cars scalectrix.

Then it was off to Nana & Grandads' house to wish them a Happy Christmas and open some more presents.

We left those gifts there and got to Granny & Grandad's about 11:30 where Christmas Day was being hosted this year.

It was lovely as she had Cessie & the cousins over too and it was nice to have the whole family there. Amy & Ollie disappeared upstairs for several hours playing shoe shops with Granny's ample shoe collection and all the kids were so well behaved.

We had a lovely sleepover and on Boxing Day headed back to Nana & Grandad's house where Ben had great fun showing off his walking.

I think we can safely say that he is now walking. He just has to figure out how to get upright without holding onto anything and he'll be 100% there but I think that seeing him walk the length of Nana's lounge and then some was probably the best Christmas present in the world ever!

So Merry Christmas everyone. The Clarke Clan had a great time!

Christmas Eve with the Animals

We had a wonderful time today at Colchester Zoo with Lily, Rose, Harry, AJ, Archie, Daniel, Luke, Big Ben & their parents.

It's something the others have done in previous years but it's the first time we have joined them and it was a very good way to pass the time on a day which can seem to go on forever with small children.

This is the first year that Amy has been really into the whole Christmas experience and she is so excited.

There must be a little bit of magic in the air though because Amy & Ben had a bit of a love-in tonight and were sat on our bed giving each other big sloppy kisses! It was really sweet.

Anyway, here's hoping Santa brings you everything you wished for!

Merry Christmas!

Holidays Are Coming

Today was Amy's last day at school as a part-timer. She is very much looking forward to returning in January full-time and I must admit that I will prefer to have a little bit more time inbetween pick-ups to play with Ben.

This afternoon Molly came over to play while Auntie Kirstie had to run some errands and we had a smashing time covering the lounge floor with toys.

We went for a play in the little park at the end of the road and Ben had a lovely time going down the slide. I dug out some old reins of Amy's and with just a little bit of support from me he had great fun walking back to the steps each time.

Dinner with Friends

On Saturday night we meet up with our friends for Christmas dinner. This year we went to The South Lodge and it was by far the best mass-produced Christmas dinner I have ever eaten.

There was fine food, good wine and very bad dancing but we had a great time.

I think, if it is actually possible, I was more inebriated that Eric.

It was really nice to see some of our friends who we don't get together with as much these days and we had a really good evening.

Shame about not going to the Cave afterwards though - I was quite up for it apparently!

Ben's Latest Development Check

Ben had another development check with his Physiotherapist, Speech Therapist & Occupational Therapist on Tuesday.

The Speech Therapist was very impressed with his signing and wants us to just continue with more of the same. She was particularly pleased to see him using the "more" sign voluntarily.

The other two ladies were also very happy with him - although he lacks concentration - at 18 months go figure! They are really pleased that he is starting to find his feet and predict a speedy progression which is nice to hear.

It is the last time that Val will see Ben as she is retiring at Christmas and she was really sad to say goodbye. Sweet really!

(Picture of Ben and Molly having a race to see who gets on the tractor first)

Pre-Christmas Party 2006

Saturday 9th December was Granny's traditional Pre-Christmas party only this year we played hosts.

They children got some lovely bits from Granny & Grandad and everyone had a lovely time.

I decided to try and be fun Auntie for a change and brought a Pinata (not very christmassy I know) and everybody had great fun trying to smash it open. It took a surprisingly long time.


We had a really nice tea and pulled crackers and once the kids were all tucked up in bed we settled down to a rousing game of Cranium - well at least the young ones did. Granny & Grandad crashed out on the sofas!

Fins and Feet

Today was a very special day for both Ben and Amy....

Ben got his first pair of professionally fitted shoes today. They are little blue & beige cruisers and he picked them out himself. We went to a little independent shop recommended by the ladies at Moulsham Grange and with any luck they will help him perfect his new found walking skill.

Amy received her first swimming certificate and badge today. She received the Puffin Award for swimming 5 metres with a bouancy aid.

Go Ben! Go Amy!

Amy's 1st Nativity Play

Today was Amy's first ever Nativity Play. She had been practicing for a while now and I knew she was going to be an Innkeeper but that was about it.

The show was scheduled to start at 10:15 so when I got there at 10am I did wonder if I was bit early. I needn't have worried, lots of over eager parents & grandparents had beaten me too it and I was relegated to the cheap seats at the back.

The show was good really, lots of very bemused looking 4 & 5 year olds with tea towels on their heads.

I struggled to maintain my composure - not through emotion like some of the sniffling mothers beside me but through laughter - it really was one of the funniest things I seen in ages.

Well done Amy! You made a fine Innkeeper.

Disney Magic

Well we're back from our trip to Disneyland Paris. All three kids had a great time (that's Amy, Ben & Brenda!!)

Sunday
Our arrival on Sunday afternoon (after a lovely ride in first-class on Eurostar) prompted some raised eyebrows as the place was heaving with people. Amy had said she wanted her first ride to be Dumbo so we joined a 65 minute queue!! I was a little bit worried that was going to be the shape of things to come but that evening the park cleared out and it would appear that it was mainly day-trippers

Monday
We headed off the the busier rides nice and early on Monday and we discovered a new ride this year - Buzz Lightyear - which everyone enjoyed. It was fun to see Amy dressed as a Princess zapping everything in sight and I think it can safely be said that it was Ben's favourite ride - not least because it had a queue which he could crawl around!

We made this our full day and watched both the Princess Parade, the lighting of the castle ceremony and Fantallusion (the night-time parade). The night-time parade was wonderful and it was something we had never stayed to see before and was well worth it. The kids where exhausted by the end of the day though.

Tuesday
More rides today including a brief trip into Disney Studios and a spot of shopping. It started to rain towards the end of the afternoon so we headed back to the hotel for a well-earned rest.

Wednesday (last day)
It turns out that Amy was very much into the characters this time but didn't really mention it until fairly late on so for the last morning we booked a character breakfast at Cafe Mickey. We thought that Ben was waving hello to them all but he was probably waving them away from his breakfast!

The rooms at the hotel were lovely as usual but this time we had adjoining rooms with Granny & Grandad which caused much frivolity crawling/running between the two.

It was an action-packed holiday and a fabulous time was had by all. I don't think my feet will recover for some time!

I've picked a few pictures but really I could add loads more:
Ben eating his way around the park!
Amy meeting Sleeping Beauty and the rather dashing Prince Phillip!
A picture Amy took of us outside It's a Small World.

Twisted Weekend

Its been quite a good weekend. On Friday night the Train Gang came over to ours for a little take-away get together - we decided it was easier than trying to find a suitable time for everyone and arrange babysitters. It was a really good evening - not least for some amazing insights into Jo's job!

On Saturday afternoon we went to CocoNuts with Dave, Kellie, Matthew & Emily and the kids ran about like lunatics for a couple of hours. Then we had tea at a nearby Pizza Hut. Ben's tea must have disagreed with him though as he spent most of last night projectile vomiting which was nice!!

Today was a big day for Steve some trifling football match between the Super Ipswich (aka "The Donkeys" according to Amy) & Narwich so he left quite early to journey to Ipswich. It turns out this is the first time in 8 years that Ipswich have beaten Norwich at home (3-1 for the record - Ste) and apparently that is quite important.

My Mum, Dad & Ally popped over and we decided to go to lunch at the Queen B. It was a complete disaster with Ben practically covering me with his dinner and I have vowed not to set foot into a restaurant with him until he is 13!




This afternoon the kids (both large & small) had great fun playing Twister in the kitchen - I didn't realise how hard to was to play as an adult!

Ben has been practising really hard with his walking and is now up to 3 steps without falling over so he's getting there.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

I wanted to recount a conversation I had with Amy in the car the other day - just in case I ever forgot it. It went something like this....

Scene 1 - Amy is in the car writing out little notelets and putting them in envelopes

Amy: These are invitations to my wedding.

Mummy: That's nice dear, who are you going to marry?

Amy: For my first wedding I am going to marry Ben.

Mummy: Oh so you're going to get married more than once are you?

Amy: Yes, 1st I shall marry Ben, then Ollie, then Charlie McKechran, then Charlie White, then Conor.

Mummy: Won't it get confusing marrying two Charlies?

Amy: No, I'll see one just on the weekends!

Mummy: (giggles to herself)

Amy: But Charlie McKechran says that girls can marry girls if they can't find a boy they like. And boys can marry boys if they can't find a girl they like

Mummy: (Speechless!!)

I'm not sure which is worse, incest, bigamy or the gay/lesbian marriages and all of this at the tender age of 4!! Whatever next I wonder.

Happy 60th Mum

Well all in all it's been a fairly exciting weekend for Mum's birthday. As you can see below we had the dogs on Saturday and then on Sunday we went to The Alma for Sunday Lunch. The Alma's an odd place really - at the front its a dark little pub but at the back it's this uber-modern haute cuisine restaurant which does some of the finest food in town.

Amy behaved quite well considering she's had a sleepover the night before and was obviously shattered and Ben wasn't too bad either considering he woke up in a strange restaurant surrounding by lots of people. I think the big bowl of chips might have helped!

Hopefully, Mum enjoyed her 60th celebrations. I think she did!

One one final note and it's definately a case of last but not least. Ben took his very first tentative steps this weekend. Ok so it was only 1 step without falling over but its a start! Go Ben!!!

Night at the Dogs

Saturday night at Romford dog track - that's what my Mum said she fancied doing for her 60th birthday celebration so Romford dog track it was.

Steve and I sorted out the transportation and a lovely black stretch limo was the order of the day. Mum really enjoyed it and I think we all could have easily gotten used to the celebrity lifestyle!

Dad organised for us all to have dinner in The Chase restaurant and we had great fun throwing good money away on the little greyhounds. Mum and I kept getting mixed up and asking for £1 to win on Horse number 4!!

Everyone had a lovely time and Amy & Ben more so than anyone because they got to have a sleepover at Auntie Kirstie's house. Steve & I enjoyed our 9.30 lay-in quite a bit too!!!

Ben's Baptism

The 5th November - a special day for many reasons, my late Grandad's birthday, Guy Fawkes Night and now Ben's Christening.

Everything went really well. The service was a little long-winded but aren't they always and Ben spent most of his time by the pulpit slapping me about the head with the programme but that's about par for the course really.

After the service everyone came back to our house for a little party. Thank goodness the weather was nice because we seemed to have invited a fair few people.


All the kids played together really nicely and the adults didn't do too bad either. Amy & Ollie especially liked sneaking away up the stairs with a big tin of Roses!

Sylvie made a beautiful cake which was too lovely to cut - well almost.

We got to see Natalie, Kev & James again too which was nice. James is a little sweetie and was completely unfazed about being surrounding by loads of people he didn't even know.

Many thanks to Ben's lovely new godparents Paula & Daniel for doing such a splendid job. I look forward to sending him your way for spiritual realignment when he gets arrested for drunken behaviour at junior school!