McDonalds

As some of you know I had a fast from the golden arches for 2010 and I have to say it did help! I am no longer pulled in the same way I once was and I can't eat a burger (once my favorite!) only the chicken nuggets! Joel's love however, has only grown for the place.

At Joel's school they have been talking about healthy eating and Joel sat down with his teacher to make a shopping list. Here is what Joel had...

Burger

Chips

Chicken nuggets

Fish fingers

Coke

Ice cream

-Some of you will recognize this as the McDonalds children's menu!!!

I'm really looking forward to my next parents night. Cant't wait to hear what else he's been saying to them!

Poorly people

So we made it through Christmas with out any sort of illness taking on our family and I smugly thought I had some how protected my family. Unfortunately, all I had done is delay the inevitable. We have spent the last month passing round different bugs. It started at the end of Jan when we had a lovely family retreat planned to Centre Parcs. Phil's parents decided to take all of us away- this included Phil's brother, sister and brother-in-law all to stay in a lovely villa together. The morning we plan to leave Alice wakes up feeling not herself. I let everyone know, but they all say we are fine to all come... if only we knew now what would happen next. Within 12 hours of arriving I was out. D &V to the extreme, Alice only got worse! And then 12 hours later the rest of the family was head down as well. From about 11 on the Saturday night every hour another person was running to the loo. It was unbelievable how one tiny little bean took out a whole family.

Now this is terrible to say but I was so glad to be one of the first ones to go down, and I was really down. I couldn't move I was so sick but glad to be first cause I am not good a cleaning up sick! But on the other hand it was so hard to see my kids (and Phil) have the same thing and not be able to comfort them. Phil's parents were amazing and they cleaned up after both of our children multiple times and gently took care of them. I am so grateful!!

Then we I got a terrible cold (fever, headache, serious cough!) that I just couldn't shake and after two weeks of that I passed it to Joel then to Alice.

Oh and in between that Alice got two new teeth!

Now you never want your children to be unwell, but I can so handle a cold better than a tummy bug!

So now we are all sat on the sofa watching TV. I'm trying to convince Joel to watch something without Buzz Lightyear.

Fingers crossed this is it! I am disinfecting the house like a wild lady!

Joel and Alice

What have they been up to lately....

1. They love playing together! Building with the duplo is a huge favorite!

2. Outside!! This last month we have had really mild comfortable weather so the kiddos have been outside lots and they love it! They got a slide for Christmas and while Alice is very happy going up the steps and down the slide over and over again, Joel has decided to start "extreme toddler sliding" so he sneaks different toys to the top of the slide, like is scooter, and tries to ride them down the slide. And has even moved the slide to the edge of the deck so he flies into the air!

3. Joel had his first homework for pre-school. Daisy dog got sent home and we had to write in her diary about what she did in our house! Wow that was a bit of a challenge. I felt like we needed to make it sound like we do more than watch TV and eat! So I let Joel think of something fun and he decided we should take Daisy round to the neighbors to jump on the trampoline. It was very sweet and I feel like we had a decent diary entry to write.

4. Alice- loves to dance!! Any music she loves to shake her little bum!

5. Everyone is excited about the new baby! Daily the kids get my belly out and kiss the baby and wait for kicks.

Not a very exciting entry but we needed something to get us going again!

Christmas

There have been several different great stories from Christmas but this is my favorite...

Joel was still trying to work all this Christmas thing out. From early on Joel knew what he wanted, a remote control crane, and that was all he could talk about. Until about a week before Christmas he started asking for everything he saw, and then he got it in his head that he wanted a "big green bike with a bell!"

When Phil got home from work that day he asked Joel what he wanted for Christmas and Joel said "I'll get what I'm given."

Poor little guy. I think my efforts to prepare him for the fact that he wouldn't get everything were a little too strong.

*he did the the "big green bike with a bell" and the remote control crane!

Mum why did you call her "Alice Grace No?"

* Something we haven't had to say much in the last year, but we will hear a lot of in the coming year!! Alice is also a climber!

Joel in America

Joel has commented on some of the difference in America.

1. The cars have much bigger wheels

2. The toilets have lots more water

3. The fridges are the other way around

4. The lights on fire engines are red not blue

5. The grass is longer

Will add more as the come=)

The Good Samaritan

Joel has always loved the story of the Good Samaritan or as he calls it "the sad man". I found Alice outside crying and I asked Joel what happened and he said "We were just playing 'the sad man." Upon further questioning I found that Joel was pretending to be the robbers that stole from the man and beat him up and little Alice was the unsuspecting man walking down the road.

He said "I made her sad and took her things. Now she is the sad man. Mummy you can be the one to help her." I'm so glad we have taken the time to teach our son this valuable story!! Yeah for Bible stories!!