Happy Pancake Day!

The letter

Yesterday we got the letter regarding Ben's admission to school in September.  He got the school we wanted!  Its the school that Susanna goes to, and also the school for which we are in "catchment," so I'd have been surprised if he didn't get in, but you never know...

He will start in September and go from 8:50 until 12.  My understanding is that he will start full days after Christmas.  (I'm not entirely sure because his birthday is near the cut-off for that term, and I'm not certain which side it falls on.  If it falls on the other side, he won't start full days until after Easter.)

Because his preschool is just next door to the primary school, he will probably know most of the kids in his class when he starts.  That will be helpful since it will be a full class - 30 kids!

We can also start thinking about buying his uniform, but I know if we buy the tie now, he won't be able to wait and will want to wear it everyday!

Happy 6th Birthday, Susanna!!

Susanna turned 6 years old today!  We were planning a quiet day at home and maybe around town but ended up going to London to see the aquarium there.  So we ended up with a busy but fun day with her friend and her family.  We got home mid-afternoon and Susanna spent the rest of the day playing with her birthday presents.  Tired Ben fell asleep while snuggling with me around 7:00, but Susanna was ready to stay up all night.  She's in bed now with the promise of more time to play as soon as she wakes up!

Birthday party!

Today we had a party for Susanna's 6th birthday.  She had 9 friends from her class and they all wore pajamas*.  

Our main activity was stuffing feline friends (because "stuffing cats" just doesn't sound right).  We got the empty plushies and bags of fluff, and off they went.  It turned out to be a bit more difficult than anticipated - the openings were a bit small and the limbs and paws were even smaller and hard to reach.  Two of the girls' mums kindly offered to stay and help, and between the three of us and all the girls the cats were all stuffed.

Then we moved on to the food (after running wild through my house for several minutes!) Chef Daddy made fruit salad, pancakes, and sausages.  For dessert we had yogurts, cheeses, and cereal bars.

Then the cake, which was baked by Susanna and Brad and decorated by yours truly:

We handled the cake in traditional English fashion - slices wrapped in napkins and included in the party bags to be enjoyed at home.

We had two games - Pass the Parcel and Stick the Fairy on the Flower.  And then it was about time to go home!  I was worried we'd have a lot of extra time after the planned activities, but in the end it worked out just right.

After her friends left, Susanna opened her presents with a very interested audience of one (Ben) plus Mommy and Daddy.  She got lots of arts and crafts sets.

And now both kids are in bed after a busy day.  This week is half-term so no school or activities for anyone.  We don't have much planned apart from a few playdates and I am looking forward to a relaxing week!

*In case anyone was wondering, yes, I wore pajamas too, but no one took a photo of me.  Sorry.

From my kitchen window

The future neighbour's roof has finally been moved out of my driveway (he had it all out by Monday lunchtime) and is now well on its way to being an actual roof.

Susanna lost a tooth!

After having two wobbly teeth for more than a month, we finally got one out yesterday!  I actually pulled it, but it was very very loose, and the grown-up tooth behind it is well on its way up.  

Susanna put it in her special Tooth Fairy pillow and left it by the window.  And the Tooth Fairy came!  She was so excited to wake up and see.

Her other bottom front tooth is also very wobbly and has sort of moved over to the center of the space.  I promise not to pull this one too, but I know the Tooth Fairy will be back soon!

Snow Day the Third

Susanna's school is closed yet again today!  The third day this week!