Abi & Izzy - the next 5 years

Phew, it's been a frantic birthday weekend and the girls have collapsed into bed exhausted. I think we may do the same! The weekend started on Friday morning with a very excited Abi and a very tearful Izzy. Not because Abi wasn't sharing or because she was upset she didn't have a birthday, she was just overwrought with the excitement at the end of a busy week. So, despite the periodic weeping they had a lovely start to the day of opening presents. Abi finally got her new wellies from Amanda, Alex and the boys and triumphantly turned to me to say "now I can come walking with you again Mummy!" About time - 2 weeks it's been since she vetoed all walking because I wouldn't allow her to have these before her birthday - stubborn child! Add to this new books, money and a big farm and farm animals - a very lucky and happy little girl set off to school proudly displaying her cake. This is clearly the signal for all the other children to rush up and wish you happy...

Blink and it's Sunday evening again. Where did the week go, and more to the point where has this year gone? I was reflecting on 2014 yesterday. It's been a year of so much change. Starting with all that uncertainty of what might happen work wise, the stress of finding a new job, selecting the right job, balanced by the amazing opportunity to have 4 months of freedom from commuting, being in an office and being governed by a working week. I have so many highlights from that time - spending time in our new house, Glenn and I spending lots of time together, and in particular riding Mount Ventoux, being able to cycle and swim everyday, walking twice a day with Scoobs and of course being able to spend more time with Abi and Izzy. Also the creative challenge of planning our house, the satisfaction of making decisions and getting it all sorted, seeing it all completed within a year of moving in. Being able to do it in one go has resulted in a much better, more cohesive finish than w...

The love-in continues and currently Izzy in particular wants to do nothing else but spend time with Abi. I won't complain, it's lovely to see them so close, I just wonder how long it will continue. I was listening to them in the bath together this evening - they were having so much fun, screaming with laughter as they played yet another game of make believe. This all said, goodness knows what the game was. When I came back into the bathroom after the normal mad pre-bedtime tidy up, Abi informed me that Izzy thinks she's half boy. Apparently on one side she's all girl 'long hair and wiggles' and the other side she's a boy 'with funny hair'. Without thinking I called her an hermaphrodite which prompted lots of questions - when will I learn?!? After me trying to find a relatively simple explanation Abi asked what you can do if you are born a girl and want to be a boy.... She concluded that if you have to make a choice you should wait until you're ...

So quickly it's time to go back to work / school / normality - bah humbug.  We've had a lovely week with lots of family visits and a jam packed week of activity. In fact today has been the first time in a week when we just stopped and did nothing. Izzy took full opportunity and fulfilled one of her life time ambitions.... an entire day in her PJs. Yes, I'm ashamed to say she didn't want to get dressed today, and we didn't make her. She even had a full Sunday roast at 5.30pm in her pyjamas - our standards have fallen to new depths! I asked the girls what was their favourite part of the week and  got the unanimous response of "Thursday riding!" - so much for all the people who made the effort to come and see us, the Halloween party I threw for them on Friday or the trip to London where we got VIP access to the front of the queue to see the Crown Jewels. Sorry everybody! Our trip to London was great fun even if it was an exercise in queuing from start t...