Joke time

Alby: Mummy, would you like to hear an alien joke?
Me: Yes please Alby
Alby: Blurp blurp bing bop bop blurp.

Alby makes up a lot of his own jokes. This is the first I found genius.

Bean loves his Bot.

Morning snuggles 

I’m not sure exactly what expectations Mark had for his children in regards to bulldog love.  I suspect he has always been so preoccupied with how much he loves bulldogs that he’s never really had the time to question other people’s love.  His attitude is generally one of believing the whole world adores them as much as he does which extends so far as to mean that he is genuinely baffled on those random occasions that people don’t stop him in the street to congratulate him on owning such a fine specimen of a dog.

Double bulldog love

What? Nothing to see here.  Just your average bulldog on a swing

I think it is safe to say Alby is a Percy fan.  As a baby he loved walking him and would be pretty good at giving Percy a kiss before going up to bed (you can make little ones to do anything!) but mostly, Percy is just another body in the house.  One who every now and then inconsiderately lies where Alby is racing his cars or rudely tries to lick Percy ("I do not like licks) but mostly a friendly playmate.

Walkies! 

If Alby is a Percy fan, George is a super fan.  The little chap may have my big eyes, my dad’s chin and my little ears but he has his daddy’s love for bulldogs.  Perc-bot gets cuddles, strokes, smiles, kisses, the occasional kick but plenty of love from little George-bean. George will even give Percy his treats after a walk, and by give I don't mean just randomly throw them across the kitchen floor for Percy to chase like Alby used to do, but actually put his hand right inside Percy's mouth to ensure he gets every crumb of kibble goodness.  Just this week I got shouted at for trying to take hold of Percy’s lead when we were out for a walk.  It seems George is the only one allowed to hold his bull-love. A few weeks ago the house went quiet and I thought George was getting up to trouble but found him snuggled up with Percy in his bed.  George squeals with delight when he sees him in the morning, after nursery, anytime really.  It’s no wonder all dogs get called a “dogdog”, to George all dogs are double syllabled in honour of his favourite, Percy bulldog. 

Milestones

I feel like we've just gone through a month of milestones and tomorrow we have one more, one for the photo album and memory books!

I'm ashamed I haven't written my blog in a month especially as there has been so much to report on. So many memories missed!! From filling the living room with decorations to celebrate another year of Mark and George finally cutting the teeth I've spent four weeks looking for at the start of the month to moving house in the middle, George starting a new nursery, Alby starting tae Kwan do lessons, Alby starting after school club, a family itrip to the London to see the CBeebies Prom, to present day with (drum roll please) Alby starting school tomorrow.

Although actually I don't need a drum roll. My little lad is absolutely ready to start school and I'm just excited for him. He is going to have so much fun. He is going to make so many friends and learn so much. I'm not saying it's been without emotion. Alby is really sad at having had to leave his best friend Charlie and there are nerves about having to start again, but he's visited the school, he's met the teacher, he knows where his classroom is and he's going to be just fine. If not better than fine.

And to top it all, we are totally prepared. I may indeed be guilty of some last minute sewing this evening, but the clothes are labelled, permission forms signed and book bag packed. Not that Alby has a clue. He's too busy thinking about the pizza he will get for lunch on Tuesday. And his ninja turtle cookie awaiting him after school tomorrow.

George has been setting his own milestones over the past few weeks. As well as cutting four teeth in a week (not so clever) and, most recent of all, deciding that the hours of 10pm and midnight are good for mummy cuddles (he is currently lying next to me literally just falling asleep) again not so clever, we've had some flashes of genius.
He is proving a dab hand at tennis and cricket. The boy has serious skills. He has also tripled his vocabulary. As well as cries of "mama" and "da" we now get "daddy", "mummy", "baaa", "moo", "woof woof", "neigh", "tweet", "toot toot", "ne naw, ne naw", "narna", "bobba", apple", "bubble", "ball" and, our two favourites "woah" and "Alby".
Inspired by TV favourite Mr Tumble he will cup his hand to his face and call loudly for people. Or almost, more he cups his hand over his mouth and shout through his fingers.
Following a weekend with GG he learnt "nose" which he can say and point to, albeit sometimes with very scratchy fingers. He remains a keen dancer now having aced "row row row your boat", "if you're happy and you know it" and most recently, the "shake break" (don't ask).
He loves dinner time. Especially if provided with a fork as he is a keen food shoveller. Unless it's fish. Fish he just rams into his face in large fistfuls.
As I say, genius.

It's hard for a four year old to compete with this level of genius but let's not go thinking Alby isn't developing. He has taken an interest in learning to read and in maths, although the latter seems to mostly come in the form of pop arithmetic tests for mummy. He has suddenly got colouring and has spent days on the same picture to get it just right. We've also done a good few science experiments, most recently growing a crystal tree. He is absolute ace on his bike and has done really well at rugby and his new ninja class. A bit of bribery and new goggles and he'll put his face underwater too which is a bigger step than I can fully explain in words.
Most however I would say his negotiation skills and manipulation skills have seen most improvement.
Somebody told him about pinky promises which are called upon daily to seal deals on how much TV he can watch, where we go on walks, what games we will play, what junk food he will eat each day/meal....
And finally, he has rediscovered his cars. For months they've been sitting in the toy cupboard untouched but now they are in continuous races or football games. Whether it's because George is older and not quite so destructive or because he has a new house to turn into a race track I've no idea but he loves them and that makes me happy. Last week I even saw George line up a few cars for the first time. Bless him. I don't know what he'll do without Alby in the house. They have barely spent a day apart in eight months. I suspect the house will seem very big and empty this week.

Mummy fail #1736

George chipped his tooth today. 15months of being perfect then along comes my lack of discipline and his front tooth is now incomplete. My poor little lamb. Boy did he cry but then I would if I'd been jumping/dancing in the bath, slipped (inevitably) and bashed my face against the side. We were on FaceTime with alarm when it happened so a nice call for daddy: "oh yes daddy, we're all fine, having a grand time" cue splash, very loud tears, phone dropping and me shouting to be heard over the cries (my god babies are loud) "we'll call you back."
My boys are tough - thank goodness - with mummy fails like this they have to be.cwithin five minutes George had calmed to the occasional son and our chaotic conversation with daddy resumed. We were finally able to actually say what a great day it had been (though given the face smash who knows if he believed us). But it had been amazing. A day at being five bombed by Hawks, owls and vultures at the local bird park. And I do mean dive bombed. In their safety announcement they say "you will have to duck and I don't mean a nod of the head I mean touch your shoes duck." My parents then proceeded to smile and swear in equal measure during the flying displays with Alby saying "bloomin' lek" over and over by the end! We saw a duck race, collected our stamps and hunted down golden eggs, got grizzled at by an owl called Humbug, watched two wheelchair users almost get decapitated by an eagle and watched Alby eat an ice cream whilst wearing my gillet because "it's so cold today".
There is something about Alby making my dad laugh that is just the best thing in the world to me. I'm not saying there's anything special about Alby compared to other four year olds and all he does is come out with those "kids say the best things" type of stuff so it's not the content that provides the magic. I guess it's the chemistry or something but I always know that when you put the two of them together you'll get a good three or four cases of my dad just bursting into laughter/choking on his tea because of something Alby has said. And with each instance you want to bottle it up and say "there, that's what true happiness looks like." I don't want to dismiss how lovely it is when my mum laughs with Alby, far from it, her face lights up and it has magic too but there is just something about Alby and Brooks that nestles in my heart.
As well as seeing the birds with my folks it's been a day of family - messages with my brother in the morning, gifts from GG Rita in the afternoon and s phone call from GG Jouce in the evening. Maybe they all sensed a mummy fail was on the horizon - haha. Whatever the reason it's been a good day. A good day to chip a tooth.

And as a side bar please note that even in bodily damage George is proving competitive with Alby. Alby chipped his tooth in the same bathroom albeit on the sink not the bath and the when he was three not one but still. as we get ready to move house again I appear to be feeling nostalgic - or maybe that's because it's gone midnight, but there's something nice about them being able to have these similar experiences even if they are of the mummy fail variety.

And so it begins....

One year and three months and the stick obsession is now firmly in place. What is it about sticks? Bamboo sticks, rotting sticks, sticks twice as long as themselves. The stick collection outside the front door has officially started. The instant cries when you wrestle the stick out their hands as you shepherd them into the house has officially started. 

George is a stick lover. Hilariously, having watched his ninja brother almost non stop for the past year he will even pose with his stick ninja style. I didn't catch on camera but this afternoon he snuck a stick into the hallway, lunged forward, back foot on tiptoe and arm outstretched. Goon. 

Sunny days are naked days

Following a very grey, wet and windy June summer appears to have returned. England has been blessed with beautiful blue skies, glorious sunshine and heat. And as any young boy will tell you the best way to celebrate / cope with sunshine is by being naked. 

Despite me going through the dressing process with both boys every morning by lunchtime they are completely naked, running in and out of the house and garden, normally via the paddling pool ensuring a house full of delighted squeals and muddy footprints. 

So thrilled is Alby at being naked he has come up with his own song which I know have stuck in my head. To be sung along (in the most part) to the tune of Music maker it goes: "I am the naked man, I come from down your steet and I can be naked, I can be naked..."

This little ditty is belted out at top volume as he runs around the house, high knees, whilst George stomps and twirls nearby. 

I'm afraid I won't be sharing the photos I have of this online but shall leave to your imagination and with luck you may get close to a true sense of the ridiculous revelry we're being treated to.

Competitive much, George?

George has come up with a new game.  Actually he’s come up with lots of new games recently.  Many still focus on kicking and throwing but you can see him starting to work out cause and effect whether that’s pushing cars down a ramp, hitting balls with a hammer (toy hammer, just so we’re clear) or copying others, his little brain is starting to link things up and understand that by doing this thing, I can get that result.  One such connection which I’m getting a lot of enjoyment out of is that as fun as running around and throwing stuff is, it’s even better if you preface it with “Ready, Steady, Go!”  Now I’m not claiming at all that George has got his tongue around speech yet.  Mostly when he babbles I think he’s in the wrong county as the sounds he makes seem more Scandanavian than British, but he’s definitely got the right tones and what’s more, he gets them in the right order.  And he’s pleased as punch about it.  As Alby says, it’s just hilarious.  Obviously there are alarm bells ringing.  As an overly competitive younger sister I’m not entirely sure how healthy it is for a 13 month old to be practicing his sprint starts.  The proof will come out at the upcoming nursery Sport’s Day no doubt, but this is hand’s down my favourite video at the moment.  Being such a modern young chap George is also loving this video and giggles every time he sees it.  I don’t know if he realises it’s him but he certainly seems to be thrilled that somebody else understands the importance of sprint starts.

As I’m waffling on about cause and effect I want to share a story from Mark’s parents’ house last week which we were at as I had to go into the office and they were watching the boys. It was late.  Oh so late.  George decided sleeping was for wimps and despite all of us yawning he was still carrying on.  He’d found some coasters and was handing them to Boppa and then taking them back, handing them over one by one and then grabbing both and walking away over and over again.  Then he decided to let GG have them, so over he goes and once he hands them to GG she uses them to cover her eyes and play peek-a-boo.  George takes them back and mimics.  He doesn’t get it at first; they go on the top of his head, then over his ears but when he finally slides them over his eyes there is real pride with himself and he actually squealed with delight.

My final George story comes from today on the way home from nursery.  This is the time when Alby gets to watch telly on my phone whilst George and I sing nursery rhymes together.  Mostly it’s just me singing with him joining in for one or two songs before getting frustrated at being in the car and then pulling on his straps and shouting.  Today he was on good form though and despite a long day at Farleys his brain was switched on and, first time ever, he did the actions to the Grand old Duke of York followed by “If you’re happy and you know it.”  Proof if ever it was needed that my child is a genius.  Hahaha.  I love how all parents think their child is gifted, of course he’s not but in this little moments when all you have is complete wonder and adoration for how they are growing and learning and observing and absorbing genius seems the more appropriate word. 

Alby meanwhile is still a ninja.  Yesterday he got a load of pencils and chopsticks and poked them into his pants and strutted around telling me they were his utility belt and he needed them for fighting baddies.  To save his future self I won’t post the photo I took but I will cherish it forever. As part of showing off his ninja skills he has decided to try and teach himself how to do back flips. He’s not there yet but I’m sure watching him try has aged me considerably.  I wouldn’t mind if he said “let’s try this mummy” and I could help him but no, he’ll just be jumping about and next thing he’s thrown himself backwards, time freezes, my eyes pop out my head and then we move on to another round of energetic kicks and twists as my son educates me on all things ninja. 

He’s also started singing silly songs.  Like really silly songs which seem to start with “Put your head in your belly and you head on the telly….” And then the transform into excited jibberish for five minutes (I’m not exaggerating on the timings here).  Every now and then a real sentence comes out, sometimes once that rhymes with the next but your ears have to be very keen to pick up on such.  The boys imagination is amazing.  He’s rhyming isn’t half bad either.