Happy Feast Day my Lucia! I love you Baby!
Today we used some of the Swedish traditions for Lucia Day. The girls dressed up as St Lucy and we decided to surprise Nanny Mo with a little visit with some brioch rolls and a lantern.
Story Club first at the library, then a quick run with the dog, then trampolining lessons and then off to Nanny's in the dark for a fun surprise.

The girls ready outside Nanny Mo's house - she's going to be so surprised!

The girls chortled and giggled and yelled "Happy St Lucy's Day" to Nanny when she opened the door.

Lucia was so excited that we had surprised Nanny Mo!

Earlier on in the day...
Time out with playdough :)

We used some of our lovely Autumn collection...

...to make glittery decorations (glue and glitter). I took this picture before the wonderful inevitable glittery mess - but it was well worth it :)...

...drying and glittering...

...ready to be hung from the ceiling when Papa gets home :)

The girls also made...

...bead and pipe cleaner snowflakes (we discussed symmetry and the word 'symmetrical' - both Elodie and Lucia did well making each branch exactly the same) ...

...snowflake mobile...

...Nativity picture in a red frame (Elodie's)....

...Nativity picture in a green frame (Lucia's)...

... and sparkly Christmas lanterns.

Making frosty footprints this morning before work time. Elodie found the ball very funny - it had been left out overnight and looked like it was covered in white hair.

Dominique was intrigued by a hole that has appeared in the garden.

“He did not say: You will not be assailed, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted, but he did say: You will not be overcome.”

“All shall be well
and all shall be well
and all manner of things shall be well.”

My baby is 2!!! Happy Birthday Darling!

Today my Darling Dimpled Dominique turned 2! When she was born Doctors suspected she had Downs Syndrome; blood tests came back 9 days later confirming she did not. When she was 3 weeks old she was in hospital for a week with RSV, very poorly, but "the most stubborn baby I have ever seen" according to one of the nurses and she made it home :)

When she was 4 months old she began to crawl. At 8 months old she began tottering around the furniture and she finally walked on her own at 10 months. At 11 months she fell on a ledge and severed through a third of her tongue, with no teeth...! She cried, I cried, the doctor almost cried - it was not nice.

The day after her 1st Birthday she had a suspected asthma attack and went to hospital with pneumonia. Afterwards life became a little boring so she filled the following few months with taking a swig of bleach (not at my house), drinking a bottle of bubble liquid and blowing bubbles from her mouth for the rest of the afternoon, munching on a rhubarb leaf - apparently highly poisonous - and then we discovered that she has a spare tear-duct next to her eye which will need dealing with in the next few years.

Anyway, Lucia then took over with her atypical mycobacterium malmoense lymphadenitis and so Dominique decided enough was enough for a while.

She is adorable, determined, so affectionate, wide-eyed and dimpled and all mine! I am very blessed!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIQUE-NIQUE!!!

Dancing with delight :)

Learning some new dance moves from big sister Lucia.

My eldest and my youngest :) Happy Birthday Sweetheart :)

The girls completed a workbook on snowflakes, created some beautiful paper ones for the door and danced around to 'Susie Snowflake'... dressed in a snow white gown... if you wanna take a sleigh ride, the ride's on me......

Lucia and Dom's Playgroup Christmas Party - the first year that Lucia did not cry when Father Christmas walked in - and, AND I took a photo!

Craft time (again!)

Find that matching card - a Christmas game to keep the girls entertained before dinner :)

My sister and my daughter: Grace Dominique and Dominique Grace - with beloved Panda that Aunty Grace bought for her name-sake when she was born :)

My sister (Aunty Molly) teaches the girls Atrium every week-end.

Hot chocolate (can you beat it?) after visiting the reindeer, with Uncle Anthony, Aunty Grace, Grandad, Uncle Thomas and Papa.

Dom intrigued with our visit to see real reindeer!

Feeding the reindeer.

Dasher?

I have my very first nephew!!!  Welcome to the world Baby Luke!!!  Kisses to Mummy Rosalind and my big brother Michael!  xxxxx  Thank you to Our Lady for listening to our prayers.

I love my children!

Christmas Stocking. Elodie has sewn 4 cushions now and I felt she was ready for something a little more challenging. She made herself comfortable on the sofa and I put on some Christmas carols for her. I showed her different stitches to the ones she has done before and then I left her to some quiet time. She thoroughly enjoyed herself, rushing a bit at the end because she was so excited about finishing, but doing a lovely job - especially considering she is only 5! Well done Baby!

Card Stocking. Lucia had to really concentrate to work out where to thread the ribbon. It was a good exercise for her to do as she is keen to learn to sew like Elodie. She was very pleased with the result and she got a big kiss from me!

Elodie and Lucia loved this activity. I gave them pipe-cleaners and they threaded them with beads to make candy canes. Candy canes represent the shape of the Shepherd's crook, used to bring lost sheep back to the fold.

Dress the snowman. A little fun thing for the girls to do while I put Dom to bed for her nap.

We made bells as part of our look at Christmas symbols (see December 4th) . The Bell: Rings out to guide lost sheep back to the fold, signifying that all are precious in His eyes.

Hand print and footprint Rudolphs. This was fun! The girlies were so intrigued - they had no idea what we were doing until I gave them directions on how to put it all together.

Elodie and Lucia made another batch of candy canes later on in the day. Dominique, awake from her nap, had a go too and managed to put 7 beads on all on her own. I watched her for a while and she had such a look of concentration :)

Our miniature Christmas Tree to which the girls added their beaded candy canes.

This is the most gorgeous crib set from my wonderful Aunt in Australia. The girls do some lovely role-playing with it.

Dom and the Christmas Tree.

Trying to get on with some housework I noticed that suddenly the children had disappeared from under my feet. I crept to the living room door and found this :)

St Nicholas. December 6th.

Happy Feast Day St Nicholas. We remembered you and we made these (Elodie's)...

...Lucia's...

... Dominique's gorgeous attempt. She is so proud. She showed Papa when he came home from work this evening and showed me again, just before she went to bed, saying "see mine"