28th March 2010 (Sunday)

TOY WARMING (or 'Toy Warning - Watch out, there's a Toy!' as the Non puts it). Really and truly that's mostly what we did today. The Do was at 2pm, so we took it easy in the morning, then the Non and daddy wrecked the upstairs quietly while I did preparations downstairs, and then we swapped for a short while to get the upstairs sorted out. I think all the girls had an absolutely excellent time, they were as loud as Saturday night drunks by the time they were finished and absolutely reeling with excitement so all signs of a good party. Have to say they're much easier to direct thant hey have been in the past - must be because they're getting older and more manageable, but there was very good joining in and so on. Not at all excluding the Non - she did do a few daft things but almost all of them did, and she was mainly right in there stuck into the action one way or another. She really seems to get on with this crowd.
Obligtory games were (of course) Pass the Parcel (with actions and a little sweet for each one - i.e. flap your arms and cluck like a chicken) - Musical Mooses (like musical chairs only you have to grab a moose), Duck Diving (retrieving ducks from the Thomas pool filled only with playballs - but not retrieving other rubber animals), Baa Baa Black Sheep (random one I invented because we have so many sheep, simply singing Baa Baa Black Sheep while passing round lots of sheep in a cirlcle, faster and faster - you wouldn't believe how well it went down), Save the Australian Animal (Antipodean and other animals are now in the pen, you have to answer quizzes to get them out), Feed the Pigs (two groups throw balls into two boxes with pigs in them as fast as they can and we tally out the winning group), and of course the initial activity of decorating a paper mask with glitter and feathers and the like. Bit of drink and a bit of fruit and a few fairy cakes into the mix, and bob's your uncle. They discovered the face paints at the end of the day so I finished up sitting impromptu in the bathroom hurriedly painting on flowers and roses all the way up their arms just before they left - rather odd but there we go.
After they left, the Non insisted that the Thomas pool be filled up with water, so we did. So there was a good dip in Thomas while the house was tidied up, and then a bath proper (a bit warmer this time), and then a lovely lamb dinner that the Mr had prepared for us on the barbecue - really beautifully done, just plain roast lamb and boiled veg but I really think it's one of the Non's favourties because it went down like lightening, she almost finished first (unheard of - simply never happens). She went to be with a fantastic air of contentment.
Anyway, I'll get this posted and slap up a few pics - sorry there are not many but it was very hard to take pics and supervise all the games - and Ian was busy both entertaining the parents and laying out the food and drinks in the background, no hands free for camera most of the time. That was another thing actually, it gave us a chance to meet some of the parents, which is always nice. They all seem lovely without exception - quite extrodinary. Anyway, lots of love to you all, V xxxx
(p.s. the one from after the party with a semi-naked Non jumping off the sofa is the nightly 'Fuzzy Flying Ears!' in action. Become such a tradition I thought it needed recording.)