And this is the reason I am still smiling despite having had about three hours sleep this weekWe had some gorgeous photos taken by some friends needing models for their new family photography business and they look amazing! And this one perfectly captures the absolute delight Finn manages to find in everything, even at 3am. Actually, even more at 3am than at any reasonable hour! It's amazing to me that even when sleep deprived and PMT-ridden, our instincts are so strong that it's impossible not to melt and smile at our babies.

Finn has discovered so many new things this week. He can crawl at top speed, usually towards a cupboard full of fragile things or a guitar, pull himself up to stand, usually on something equally dangerous, pick up teeny objects, yes, usually dangerous ones... oh and clap his hands! He just looks so proud of himself each time he does it that it's really funny to watch! It's phenomenal watching the learning going on - the cogs turning, as they say. He's also discovered it's great fun to hide the remote control from daddy and to post rice cakes into the video player, which has gone down very well with the rest of the family who don't seem to find it as funny as I do.

I'm exhausted, actually. Totally worn out and really would love some sleep. But despite that, it's been a great week. I went to my first ever book group last night, which was really good fun and I awarded myself major bravery points for actually going along! We've got a pretty busy weekend too, but I'm planning to make it more bearable by doing a photo diary of a day. I keep seeing them all over the net and they look so lovely. Watch this space! (or don't - I think I may well be the only person who reads my posts, but I'm enjoying it, anyway!!)

Frogs, frogs, frogs...!!

This morning we discovered these little visitors in our garden:

About a dozen of them, maybe more, come back to this part of the garden to mate - which they mostly did in our old guinea-pig run - no idea why, and it didn't look particularly comfortable!!

They all look very individual - the marking on their backs are totally different and really unique - some are completely different colours!

And below is them, looking for the pond. Which we filled in as soon as we moved in two years ago in a panic about children drowning and a husband with a frog phobia. This really upsets me now. Last year I was heavily pregnant and couldn't do anything except feel sad about the frogspawn on the grass, but this year, having researched the whole thing a lot more, I really couldn't just do nothing again. So we've created a mini-pond (just emptied some rainwater into a big old dustbin lid with some rocks in it) and tucked it into the bushes. And we're using EFT to work on Phil's frog phobia - he's been amazing actually, coming outside to look at them several times and not arguing with me about welcoming them instead of trying to get rid of them! I've persuaded him they'll be great for the slug problem, and he's intrigued by their colours too - mostly after looking at the photos, not close up in real life though! And this evening, when I went out to check on them, the little pond is a teeming mass of ribbeting froggies and there's a whole batch of lovely frogspawn floating around under the water. I think we'll have to work out a way of sinking a little pond into the ground with some water plants too and cover it. At least we know they can climb through the chicken wire with no problems after their guinea-pig run adventures!!

I'm really excited to have them out there and can't wait to see if we get some tadpoles!

An idea is born...

I've spent the weekend at a 'Life and Love after Birth' conference in Totnes, which was brilliant! Lots of revolutionary stuff about vaccinations, EFT and parenting, and hey presto! A new career for me!

Well maybe it's not quite that simple, but I'm really starting to feel that the doula/antenatal/postnatal facilitator course could be for me. It's expensive (ish, not as much as the degrees I'm not using but will probably never have actually paid for...) but I really think it'd be brilliant. I spoke to several people who've trained already and they couldn't praise the course enough. Plus they all love the work, which is promising. So I'm going to start saving, and sign up for the taster day in April... how exciting!

Half term :) We're planning lots of crafts and lots of fun - fingers crossed!!

It's too cloudy to take a photo of the moon right now, so I'm using this site to follow it - I thought it was full last weekend, but it seems it's next week...

http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php?tcv=31

I'm exploring EFT at the moment, looking through some very americanised info on it, and one of the seminars at the conference I'm going to this weekend is focused on it. I'm intrigued, it sounds great.

I've spent today trying to make washable breast pads - which I've just about got the hang on now but they're still a bit rubbish! I want to make a couple of pairs for the GP LETs scheme as I really need to earn some greenies, but I need a bit more practise first. The influence of the GP forum is creeping in everywhere though - I've just made shampoo from soapnuts (which I'm a total convert to!) and have used the bathroom cleaner made from them for the second time. Must go and try the shampoo out actually - I've put Rosemary oil in it and I think it might be a bit strong!!

I've really enjoyed reading some of the GP blogs lately - I hadn't looked at any for ages and now feel all inspired. I really want to keep up writing this one now :-)

Moon musings

Well having been a horrible snappy pmt-ridden me for a few days, I've decided to do a moon cycle this month. When I do this I just pay lots of attention to what the moon is doing and to where I'd like to be in life by the time the cycle of the moon is complete. I'm sure it has a proper name but I can't remember it and have forgotten which book I originally read about it in. Anyway, I find it really helps me to new awarenesses and it works - it's what brought me my lovely husband actually!

So this month I'm thinking about re-training. I'm not sure what I want to do in the future but feel very drawn to antenatal/birth/postnatal work at the moment. I'm still very keen to do reflexology but I think the training - and the cost!- might be too intense just now. I'm going to a postnatal conference at the weekend and I hope to find a bit more direction there! Hopefully by posting here, I'll be really aware of my progress...

Snow!

We didn't get as much as everywhere else in the country, but the schools were all closed yesterday and having spent all week making snowballs, Chloe didn't even want to go out! So not many good photos as I was too pathetic to go beyond the porch, but Finn's first sight of snow was quite funny!

Gorgeous pictures of gorgeous babies :)

Lovely photos of lovely people! My two favourite boys in the whole wide world...
The most beautiful girl in the world:

And a lovely picture of my bright-eyed baby, who is so very photogenic! I love this age, it's impossible to take a bad photo!

I'm really enjoying playing with the camera so I'm just indulging myself now :) I have a new plan to make this blog more useful to me so I'll get the pictures out of the way first!

Photos!

Our wonderful and amazing new computer is compatible with our camera and it's sooooooooooo easy! So I can post all those scrumptious pictures now. So here are some crafty things I've done lately:

Two bags I made (very late and sent with lots of apologies) for two very patient mummies on the GP LETs scheme, and the scarf I finally finished for my gorgeous girlie. It was supposed to be a Christmas present but I needed her to play with Finny while I knitted so it ended up being a January present!

Now that Finn actually goes to bed in the evenings (well he goes in our bed and I pop up to feed him 2-12 times depending on how often he wakes up!!) I'm feeling more human and finding I have more time to make things. I've made two bags this week, although I'm still sulking that one of my beautiful buttons broke on the first one so that needs fixing, and some Sylvanian clothes (very badly, with no pattern) and I've had a quick go at needle felting. My mum bought me a kit for Christmas and I've only done ten minutes so far but it's just occured to me that I could do it now while collapsed in front of rubbish tv (it's friday) so I'm going to go and do it! I'll post some more lovely pictures tomorrow...