Introducing baby 4!

Scan went well last week - all looks fine baby was moving lots more than I have ever seen - head of heels so was hard to get a good picture. Thankfully only one - got a bit worried after discovering a history of natural triplets in the family!! Have told the children who are all thrilled and keep talking to my tummy - have managed to persuade Ben he can do this without lifting my top and exposing my fat belly to the world!!

Home! exhausted!!!

Back from an exhausting but great fun weekend at Center Parcs - the children all slept until 8.30 this morning which is unheard of in this house! maybe we need to spend every day playing football, riding horses, walking MILES and eating an icecream bigger than Ben!
Tom was a bit unsure about joining in the soccer training but once he got started he really enjoyed it and did really well.

No Ben didnt manage to finish this enormous icecream but as Center parcs were paying for it (long story!!) it didn't matter!

Ben really enjoyed his first pony ride and so did Sophie - Tom's fear of heights made the start a bit wobbly but he eventually settled down and enjoyed it.

Got a scan date!!

WooHoo!! after another frustrating morning on the phone to local hospital who had decided in their wisdom that I didnt need a routine 12 week antenatal scan!! have finally been given an appointment for this Thursday at 11.40 - will have to cancel a couple of things and move things round - drop Ben off at Mum's - sooooo looking forward to it - will finally seem real and I can tell the children!

I've been tagged!!! by Louise - here goes

4 places I have worked
Toy shop called Scotch corner in Perth as a Saturday job while at school - general dogsbody but fun! Derriford Hospital Plymouth Accident and Emergency - high stress high adrenalin (like Casualty Louise!!) and great fun - social life was pretty amazing too adn that is where I met dh. Harrogate District Hospital A&E - one of the worse 6 months of my life crap hours crap staff. Tadcaster Medical Centre - as a longterm GP locum - my last job which on a bad day as a sahm I still miss

4 places I have visited
Prechildren I got about a bit and have been to San Fransico, Cape Town, Redang Island Malaysia and Bucharest.

4 favourite foods
chocolate, peanuts, hot buttered toast and at the moment the pregnancy craving - Caesar salad!

4 places I would rather be
In bed, at an all day crop with my cyberbuddies, on holiday with dh, mum and the children, in an American scrapbooking store with an unlimited credit card and luggage allowance!

off to tag the lovely Lynsey :)

Having the weekend from hell with poorly children and very little sleep have managed 4 layouts!! - obviously I function better with less sleep so should do well for team points come the Spring :) - despite the return of the mojo still didn't manage Jems CJ tho - really must tackle that. The first layout is a complete scraplift from one by teamie Jen - don't know how to add links in here but her blog is linked on the right to see the original which she posted today and I liked so much I had to lift straight away (did ask first :) ) thanks Jen really enjoyed this one and even Sophie liked the finished result - she is very critical of my 'work'.


Sophie decided she wanted to make a card today and as John's aunt has been in hospital in Corfu for a week with chest pain while on holiday thought it would be great to make one for her - hope she likes it - Sophie had great fun making it :)

Question for the day......

Why are pooey nappies and toast alike?
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they both fall wet side down when thrown on the floor by a stroppy toddler - aaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!

Had a lovely weekend with the inlaws - the children really enjoy having their Grandparents around - Thomas especially thrives on all the information grandad knows - he was telling Tom about how they made paper years ago and later they used the bark to make pictures - great memories.

The next photo is especially for my uks friends who I know love spiders sooooo much - this littel beauty (and it is little compared to some we have) has taken up residence above my monitor in the study - cute isnt he??

AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH

When are my children going to start eating!! - made a lovely shepherd's pie which Tom thankfully tucked into but Ben and Sophie both had a fit and threw it at me refusing even to try it - tried coaxing tried anger just ended up wearing their tea - I give up :(:(:(

mojo is back!!

Think my mojo might have finally returned - managed 3 layouts today - 2 of them from a recent pencillines sketch that I loved the moment I saw it and yet still couldn't get a layout to work round. Have had such fun today can't wait to get another chance but with the inlaws coming the day after tomorrow cant see much scrapping being done this weekend :(

Sophie has started school and looked sooo cute in her uniform this morning especially as she asked for her hair to be in bunches. She is halftime at the moment so I collected her at lunchtime - she seems to have had a great time and already has a partyt invitation!

Back to school

Tom went back to school last Tuesday then had Wednesday off sick with a high temp and cough! He looked very smart in his new uniform and I love the new shiny shoes! Took some first day photos and looking at them he looks so sad - didnt realise at the time he was coming down with a bug. Ben went happily back to playgroup and was really pleased to see his friends - I broke the news to the staff about the addition to our family - I am Chair of the management committee and had agreed to do that until I got pregnant again - shortest position ever didnt even make it until the start of term - but ....noone else to take over and an Ofsted inspection imminent so will have to stick at it but made them understand the baby comes first and if I get preeclampsia again will not be able to do any playgroup work as will need to rest - we should manage.

Sophie starts school tomorrow - she has had a bad week - spent one night in A&E with a croupy cough and she is still very sensitive and finding sleep difficult - she was awake from 11.30-1.30 last night and kept mum awake too so both are still sleeping now.

Well after ...... tests I finally believe it - I am PREGNANT - want to shout it from the rooftops and feel like it is tattooed across my forehead and everyone can tell just by looking at me - never been one to keep these things a secret (if it all goes horribly wrong as it has twice I would rather people knew why I was grumpier than usual) - just got 8 months to go!!!

Trying to chose 2 group photos from recent holiday to go in the frames in the kitchen to replace some professional ones I dont like anymore!! - think these two might be the winners - have ordered them from photobox and will see how they look - the frames are near the sink to give me something to smile about in the hours I spend there!

Louise's Challenge

Before I went on holiday Louise set us the challenge of using doodling on a layout - I had also set myself the challenge of doing my first minibook so decided to combine the two and had such fun!! It took just over an hour and was soooo satisfying. Sophie helped with the doodling and we filled a 12x12 sheet then cut it up - the photos are from the last year and really sum up what a big character Benjamin is. Think I am hooked on doodling and minibooks so thanks Louise!!

More photos!!

Loved the Otter and Owl Sanctuary - Ben spent ages watching the otters play in the water.

Ben got very cross!! can't remember why!!

He discovered his shadow for the first time and had a long incomprehensible conversation with it!!

Then Sophie got angry - can't remember why!!

The Mitchells on holiday!!!

Had a fantastic holiday in Sussex then the New Forest - took far too many pics as usual - the rapid burst function does make me snap happy but at least I get a chance of some classic shots of the children having fun!!

Oh and a cute toad!!

I've been tagged!! by Jems - who said some really nice things about me on her blog - think someone better check her temperature?? Now I have to find someone to tag back and since my teamies are the only blogs I follow and they are all done will look at some new inspiration and talent!!

First my attempt at last week's TT - did do this at the crop last Wednesday but taken until tonight for me to be able to find it again to take photo!- the challenge was to lift a fab LO by teamie Monika - I pretty much copied her sketch but used 4 photos instead of 3 and made a girlie page - thanks for the inspiration Monika. Next another story telling layout from last summer hols - was determined to get last year's photos finished before we go again but not looking likely! Wasn't happy with how this layout was progressing and was getting sick of looking at the same pics and just moving stuff around so stuck it down to get on with the next - now quite pleased!

and finally HS:MS prompt today was 'eyes' - Louise did a fab sandpit photo so I decided to think laterally and saw the cotton reel and needle on the desk and attempted a pic of the eye of the needle - tricky especially in bad light and when knacekered - but anyway here we have 'eye'

Next prompt was 'smile' this is what Ben does when I ask him to smile now!!
Then 'fat' - which is what I will be ( well fatter cos already fat) if I dont keep away from the biscuit tin - which is calling me now as I type!!

and then 'bloom' - everything in the garden is looking a bit tired - battered by the heavy rain then scorched by the sun - except this gorgeous pink hydrangea which is looking better than ever this year.

right up to date now - off to look at today's prompt then need to take Tom for his eyetest - he is quite excited and went to bed muttering 'big day tomorrow better get some sleep' ! :)

HS:MS is back !! so I have a bit of actching up to do - here are the first three - summer - just LOVE Ben in that hat - bought one for Tom too but he wont wear it :( Breakfast - dont remember to give it to him everyday but he loves me when I do - this is what George gets if he is good!!
and foil - boring pic but couldnt work out what else to try!!

By the way - really pleased with myself for geting a new fancy header but cant work out how to get the size right to fit in the previous title's outline - any ideas?? and would love some more fancy stuff to add - slideshows etc so any recommendations would be great!

OK couldnt find the details of template size anywhere but have continued to fiddle with size and looks a bit better!

have just found out MS:HS is back - so have 5 photos to catch up on - had promised myself would do daily prompts when they came back but didnt know they were up yet - anyhow have the first and will get the rest later and post - looking as fun as ever :)