At long last, the children and I are in France. This is a happy little family update for us in August! We’re having such a great time with our family. Our last visit was a whole year ago, so we were desperate to see everyone (and eat ALL the food!).
Wriggly (3 years 2 months)
· One Friday afternoon, all was quiet upstairs… then you came downstairs, looking quite pleased with yourself, and I spotted hair on your shoulders.
As soon as I asked what you’d done, you started crying and sobbed, “Sorry, mummy!”
To which I replied: “Are you allowed to cut your hair?
You: ”No mama, Rachel cut my hair!”
Ok, so you know Rachel (our lovely hairdresser) is the only person in the whole wide world who’s allowed to cut your hair, but you still gave yourself a chop, aaaargh!
· You’re such a water baby! You could spend a whole day in the swimming pool or the bath.
· Your dexterity is great for such a little person, and I’m pretty sure you’re better at throwing a ball than I am.
· You’re not eating many greens, but you love ‘chicken’ (meat).
· You love pretending you’re a dog and licking me… Yuck!
· You’re very thorough when brushing your teeth.
· Are you ever going to go to the toilet and stay dry for a whole day?
Jumpy (4 years 9 months)
· You’ve written your name on your own for the first time…. I’m so proud of you! Letter formation still needs some tweaking, but you’ve remembered all the letters in your name and you were so pleased with yourself when you did it!
· When we left the play area at McDonald’s in France (I only take you to the nicest places!), you said you’d made a friend and she didn’t speak like you (English). I asked you if you’d spoken French with your new friend and you replied, “Ouais!” (Yeah). I know it’s not much, but it made me so happy you’d made a French friend!
· You had a sack race with your brother and sisters and you were the winner by a long stretch. Afterwards, you said to me: “I was tired but I kept jumping until the end.” That’s my girl!
· You’re becoming a tad fussy and apart from bland, beige food, you tend to refuse pretty much everything else other than meat and berries at the moment…
Beanie (6 years 10 months)
· You: “I gave the thumbs up on your video.” Since it was logged on as me, it sounds like I gave myself the thumbs up, but that’s sweet anyway that my girlie things one of my videos is worthy of a thumbs up, he he!
Me: “Am I as good as Dan TDM?”
You: “Yeah!”
· You are determined to get a puppy. You keep asking for one, despite firm refusal from me.
· You have been quite temperamental in the past few weeks. One minute, you are laughing and the next you’re crying or shouting. I am not looking forward to hormones kicking in when you’re a teenager, that’s for sure!
· A couple of days ago, you demanded a dummy. You’ve never had a dummy and you’re almost 7 years old. Apparently, one of your friends sleeps with one so you are desperate for a dummy. When I refused yet again after your 10th request, you hissed: “If you don’t buy me a dummy, I will go to a baby shop and I’ll steal one!”
· You absolutely love your godmother and have been looking forward to seeing her for months and months. You had a much-awaited sleepover at her house with your brother last week and that made you so so happy! You were as shy as I’ve ever seen you.
Crevette (9 years old)
· We had a conversation about YouTubers (as you do!)
You: “Some of your videos have no likes!”
Me: “How many likes should I get?”
You: “At least 5!”
Work harder Mel, work harder…
· You went on a cooking class at Jamie’s Italian and you loved every minute of it: the demo, the cooking part, eating, the Lickalix ice lollies for dessert.
· One morning, you asked me, full of hope: “Mum, do I look French?” I think you secretly wish to blend in, whether you’re in France or England.
· Your uncles have been showing you how to catch Pokémon on my phone. You keep asking to go for walks with them!
· As I was getting down the stairs in my swimsuit and a denim skirt at Mamie’s house, you shouted, “Maman, you look like a model like that!” I don’t think you’ve seen many models, but I was flattered nonetheless!
· You’re incredibly sensitive and you cry quite a lot. One evening, you did some research about crying and found out it was a natural way to relieve pain, and quite good for you…
