More Maisy and running around

Here is a little bit of video of Alice meeting Maisy. She is saying hello to Maisy, you just can't hear her very well. Also, our kitchen backs onto our back room. Very excitingly, you can run the whole way round from the back room, to the hall and into the kitchen in a circuit. Alice just realised this for the first time yesterday, we normally have something blocking her way from the back of the back room, because that's where the book cases are!!!! Initially Stuart was chasing her round and round and hiding from her and then catching her. Then she wanted him to run with her. Think Stuart was just about keeping up with her!!

For those who haven't seen them there are new photos below.

Alice meets a friend

Alice doesn't get pocket money (what would a 2 year old spend it on and they wouldn't know how to spend it either), but we make sure she earns her keep. Very useful little person to have around, or at least she will be when she can reach the sink properly.

This box is Alice's best birthday present. Fraserbear (who is her best friend and I'm sure you've met before) sleeps in this every night with one of Alice's baby blankets. She got the box out and put Fraser in it and then sat on him to read him a story. Little Miss Contrary, which actually suits Alice at the moment, and probably most two year olds.

Alice trying on Mummy's flip flops. We can't get any her size, shame.

One of the frogs from the pond had a wee day trip to the apple tree. It sat under it for quite a while. Alice wasn't too impressed, but took her squirty fish back to her paddling pool to fill it up and then was running back to the frog to give it a good squirt when we stopped her in her cunning plan. Didn't think the frog would like that very much.

Newcastle has a place called Seven Stories. This weekend was Maisy weekend. It is a place of seven stories(floors) (plus they reckon there are only ever seven stories that you can write about) and is for children to interact with books. They have reading rooms, craft rooms, writing rooms, story telling rooms, exhibitions (particularly on The Gruffalo as the writer is from this region) a book shop and the obligatory cafe. It really is a fantastic place. We've been without Alice before she was born, this was her first trip. If you don't know Maisy, she's a mouse with different animal friends. Alice loves the books. She's always asking us to draw Maisy. Here she is colouring in the Maisy mask.

Then the most exciting part of the trip, a chance to meet Maisy herself. We wondered whether Alice would be a bit freaked out, but she was more than happy to go and say hello. Even had a wee excited smile on her face as she was saying hello.

Every time Maisy turned away from Alice, she went up to her and stroked her trousers or touched her jumper, to get her attention.

Alice listening to one of the stories. We had a really great time there and she also loved running around shouting "run, run as fast you can", from the gingerbread man story.

The Sunday Service

At 4pm today (and every Sunday for the next 13 weeks; plus repeated on Monday at 12.30pm) on UCB TV (Sky Channel 586, and online at http://ucbmedia.co.uk/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=6) you can view "The Sunday Service". It's been recorded at our church here in Newcastle.

We'll not be in any of the programmes sadly. It's recorded at the evening service when we're at home with Alice. Still, it should be good (even without us!)

Life must go on.

Life is pretty up and down at the moment and I am taking each day as it comes. Here are some pictures of Alice from the past month or so. I have also done a separate post of a couple of videos too. They are short-ish, the first one if the shortest.


Actually this first picture is of Daddy (Stuart) drawn by Alice. I drew the head and hair and Alice drew the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. A very good likeness I think.

Alice in the garden playing with the bubbles. Unfortunately every time I see these pictures now I remember that about 10 mins after we got in I got the phone call from my brother-in-law about my Dad.
Alice lounging in the garden eating her raisins.

Alice's first trip to Northern Ireland and also on a boat. Just wished it was under different circumstances. These photos were taken on Stuart's mobile, as we didn't take the camera.


Stuart told me later that Alice thought she was driving the boat.
This was the cottage we were staying in, with a view over Belfast Lough. It was really beautiful.

Alice got to wheel Fraser bear about in this pram. The garden was great for her to play about in, when it wasn't raining.

Back home again. Alice using her sticky equipment that she got as a birthday present from Nana and Grandpa in her scrap book.

With the gorgeous weather last weekend, we bought her a wee paddling pool. She loved it. Today when it was quite a bit colder, she wanted to go into the pool, but it was freezing outside. So we stayed in doors and did more sticking and singing songs, then lots of playing with Fraser bear.

More paddling last weekend.

Alice also decided last weekend that she was going to make tea for the frogs. This cup of tea turned into a full scale meal. She brought out (one by one) every item on her wee kitchen and lined them up in front of the pond. At points offering them to the frogs.

This is all the food and cups of tea etc all lined up. The frogs didn't seem to want any. How ungrateful!!!


Just a recent picture of Alice with a bit more hair in pigtails. When you ask Alice to smile for the camera, this is the smile she automatically does and then wants to see the result on the camera straight away.

Here are the videos.

These videos go back a couple of months.

The first one is of Alice jumping. The first bit is Alice Sept '08, when she was just under 18 months. Then the rest are just in May '09. Jumping on Mummy and Daddy's bed has certainly helped her jumping along.




The next video is just of Alice over the past couple of months. Can you guess what she is with the blue cup up to her head? Her bear, is Fraser bear and is her best friend, she gives him loads of cuddles (guggles) and plays with him loads. We bought her a wee paddling pool last weekend and we were amazed that she stayed in the one place for over an hour!!!!!