It's been a while

Sometimes life seems to fly by at such a speed! It's been ages since I looked at this blog and Tony reminded me of it earlier today. SO... there's so much to report on that has happened I do not know where to start.

Tony - now working in Nottingham City for Crytek UK. He gets to the train to work from the end of our road which is a huge improvement following his years commuting for 2 hours a day. His recent game Crysis 2 has been a huge hit (he was Lead Animator). When Tony's not working he's either playing with the children, watching football, taking photos, on his computer, DIY-ing our house, or spending time with me :D

Molly - 13 on Monday! Molly has had a difficult couple of years with her back. In March this year she had major surgery to straighten her spine using titanium rods. Molly has made an amazing recovery and we are so proud of her. She has now returned to school and we'll see how she copes.
Molly spends her spare time on her iPhone, having a 'lie in' and avoiding homework. She still reads lots and enjoys a bit of computer gaming every now and then.

Daisy-Kate - is a few weeks away from turning 6. She's a sensitive, cute and happy little girl who loves being with her siblings. She dances 4 classes a week, goes to Rainbows and swims. She is bright and works hard at school. Daisy loves playing with her toys (Sylvanians etc) and is still closely attached to her cuddly bed time toys too. Daisy still has a sweet tooth and loves nothing more than a piece of cake or two (wonder where she gets that from!)

Stan - Stan turned 3 1/2 last Sunday. He's made so much progress in the last 12 months... he talks, sings, shouts, and makes small world play with his trains. He's still a huge fan of trains of all sorts but also enjoys playing with cars, geomag and games with Daisy. Stan loves the Disney Channel. He goes to preschool twice a week and although he settled really quickly at first, since Molly's operation he's been more unsettled. Stan now takes little in the way of medication and has no lasting symptoms from his early illness filled days.

Me - well I'm just the same. These days I seem to spend less time saying my old catch phrase 'Why am I always chasing my own tail' and more time enjoying watching my beautiful family grow up. I am the proudest Mummy and wife - I am enjoying living 'happily ever after' ;-)

More Snow Day 1 pictures

This morning Daisy and I went out to buy new wellies (with tinkerbell on) so she could play in the snow this afternoon if it arrived as forecast.

I just love seeing Daisy in the background of the second picture making her first snow angels. How cute! The huge hole in the garden is for sinking a trampoline in the Spring.

Snow Day 1

Well... is the weather man can be trusted today is the first in a few of snow snow snow!! Daisy-Kate has been excitable all day and her and Stan had a lovely time playing out in it. Stan has always been so up and down health wise we've never let him play out in the snow before but today he did and he loved it :) He stayed out for about 10-15 mins and then came in ready for a hot bath and some warm milk.
Tomorrow Daisy is hoping to wake up to a huge covering ('Snow is my favourite and my best' is something of an inspiration!). She enjoyed making her first ever snow angels today... she also remembered how when we'd had snow on Easter day last year she'd enjoyed sliding down her slide into the snow. As soon as she went outside that was the first thing she did!
Daisy enjoyed hot choc to warm up afterwards and a hot bath too... and I've just washed their clothes and coats in the hope they'll dry on the radiator by tomorrow for day two of the snow-fest!
Tony and I are excited too really... it's funny how snow brings out the child in you :) The really heavy snow is currently forecast for about 4pm tomorrow so I may be making a v.swift exit from work.
The snow is lovely... fingers crossed the weather man has got it right!

Molly Anne Sunflower

Molly came into my life when she was 3 1/2... we were meeting for the first time in Cambridge and Tony phoned me to say they were running late. I walked to the car park to meet them and saw this tiny little girl emerge from his car... with a large helping of red hair and not a hint of a smile!! She clung to her Daddy. Later on we started to chat and got on very well. She called my 'Y-ucy' (she also called herself Mo-yy-y') which was so cute.
Today Molly is much more confident and outgoing... but still a real Daddy's girl. She's always got her head in a book... or she's listening to music on her iPod... She's a star with Daisy-Kate and Stanley (who ADORE her).
Molly is popular with her friends and has a wonderful, kind nature. A true delight.

Molly loves

Reading
Watching films
Playing with her siblings
Craft
Gymnastics
Football
Sausage and Mash (like father like daughter)
Lemonade
Pop music

Teeth

Today Stanley has cut tooth number 13... Now, when he cut tooth number 11 and 12 we had sleepless nights, children's nurofen and a really runny nose. Today his 13th has just popped up without any fuss or bother... why can't they all be like that??

Also today Daisy ran happily into PreSchool, I didn't even have to walk her into the register room and help her put her name on the board. Again... if only everyday were as easy.

I then went and had a lovely morning having a cuppa with a new friend... Stan was shy and unsure at first but typically just as we were about to go and pick the children up from Pre School he and Matilda started to show an interest in each other!

Tony has been up and down since being made redundant. Things are on the up yesterday and today though, with two job leads looking v.positive. Watch this space...

All in all a good day today... and I didn't have to go into work for anything!! YIPEEE! 

Stanley Keith

Born on 1st November 2007 in QMC Nottingham healthy and contented. A very calm, settled baby who ate well, slept very well (all day in his moses basket and all night in his 'magic' cradle) and gave wonderful cuddles :)
Stan took ill with RSV and haemophilus at 8.5 weeks old and spent a week intubated in PICU, he then got meningitis and encephalitis caused by the RSV and had to fight for his life again. He really is our little miracle!
Stan is a lively boy with lots of energy. A bit of a pickle who likes to do lots of climbing etc. Stan loves playing games and listening to songs, music on the keyboards and Mum/Daisy singing. Stan is just starting to enjoy looking at books without trying to rip the pages!
We have to be very protective of Stan, he cannot mix too much with other children in case he picks up bugs and we avoid situations where he is around other people for too long... but when we do go out we all love showing him off.

Stan loves
Daddy
anything with wheels
spending time with Nanny and Grandad
milk and his bottle (!)
tubby ted
anything he shouldn't have - remote controls, the computers, PS3 controllers, wires, plug sockets etc etc
breadsticks
his sisters
and of course his Mum x

Daisy-Kate Florence Jackson

Born 18th June 2005 in the Rosie Maternity hospital in Cambridge. Daisy is the most delightful little girl... beautifully natured, kind, cheerful and bright. She fills our world with wonder... (and song!). Daisy is naturally shy around unfamiliar people but soon comes out of her shell. She's a bit of a Mummy's girl but no one can make her laugh like Daddy.

Daisy can be a bit 'needy' and still suffers a bit from separation anxiety when going to PreSchool etc. Inevitably she will have been effected by Stan being so poorly... she likes lots of cuddles, snuggles (and 'wuggles').

Daisy loves -

spending lots of time with Nanny and Grandad

going to ballet class

playing with her cousins

soya milk

singing

Molly and Stan

drawing, writing

going on Mummy's computer

going to the park

her bike

chocolate (!)

going to cafes for treats

books and reading

Blog Virgin

Well, having always enjoyed keeping diaries and journals I thought it time to break into the modern era and start a blog. I want this to be something for me... and for the children to enjoy when they're a bit older.

Me

1. 30... but only feel about 24!

2. Married to my 'lobster'

3. Mum to Daisy-Kate and Stan and step-Mum to Molly... Not always the most patient of Mum's but certainly supportive and dedicated... I hope!

4. Over protective and perhaps defensive (!)

5. Bit of a worrier, some would say a pessimist (Tony!). Maybe I'm just so happy with my life that I can't quite believe I'm this lucky and am scared it might be stopped by some external factor out of my control

6. Haunted by Stan having been so poorly... the sounds of the monitors, the guilt, the 'donate your babies organs' posters, and the emptiness inside that cannot be described

7. Part time teacher

8. Wine lover

9. Always saying "I just feel like I'm chasing my tail"

10. So happy with 'my lot'

Tony

1. Wonderful husband and father

2. Totally dedicated to his children

3. Fantastic artist and animator

4. Addicted (!) to energy drinks

5. Newly found enjoyment of herbal tea (hooray!)

6. considerate

7. Optimist

8. Loves sausage and mash

9. Liverpool supporter

10.Wishes he got to the cinema more...

Molly (10 years and 8 months)

1. Book worm

2. Film/tv lover

3. Always sketching, drawing, designing

4. 'Man of the match' winner

5. Great story writer

6. hot water bottle lover

7. Daddy's girl

Daisy-Kate (3 years and 7 months)

1. Loves craft

2. Mummy's girl

3. Books books books

4. Mary Poppins, Sound of Music

5. Singing

6. Cbeebies website - squigglet is favourite

7. Enjoys PreSchool... although usually she's not eaten her dinner because she 'ran out of time'

8. LOVES her family 

9. So kind and loving

Stanley (1 year and two months)

1. Happy Chap!

2. Can clap hands and play peek-a-boo

3. Daddy's boy

4. Loves snuggles

5. Had a rough start health wise but is making great progress

6. Taught his Mum the true meaning of the phrase "Don't sweat the small stuff" at just 8.5 weeks old!

7. Our little miracle