On the plus side 4 year-olds are easy to entertain - any old nonsense game will do provided you are not fussed about rules (very arbitrary at present). The down side is though they have a very short attention span so you need lots and lots and lots of quick and easy ideas to keep them going.
Every weekday evening I am faced with this challenge. How to entertain an over-tired but full of food 4 year-old for a minimum of 30 mins before storytime. In summer it was easy - just run around the garden. But now, with the onset of winter, it has become much more tricky. And so...I invented Jumping School!
The first rule of Jumping School: You do not talk about Jumping School
The second rule of Jumping School: No Walking.
The third rule of Jumping School: Only Jumping allowed.
Simple.
Now you might think that jumping repeatedly over piles of cushions isn't that great. But then you're not 4. And it's certainly passed my evenings for the past 3 weeks - so don't knock it till you've tried it, that's what I say. And no matter what - the Supreme Being loves it!! And that's good enough for me...
The last few weeks have all been a bit frantic. There's been Halloween, Bonfire Night, Emily's 4th Birthday and an unfortunate 'non-decision' on the adoption. It has been a truly wonderful few weeks though as there's been more than enough great experiences and lovely social memories to add to the many, many that make up our bulging family memory bank.
It's been a stonkingly, good, leaf-crunching autumn. The mild yet fair weather has meant we've spent much time out of doors and there's been plenty of biking activity all round. My morning commute has been particularly stunning at times...although I had been hoping I wouldn't have to do it all winter with adoption leave seeming imminent. Unfortunately the panel couldn't come to a decision, so it looks like we'll be back there either later in the year or early 2017. Slightly frustrating, but we really do have so much to be thankful for that it hasn't dampened our spirits.
The morning rush hour
So even though the new dawn didn't quite rise how we hoped in time for Christmas, Emily has been as ever leaping on apace. Her nursery school parents session gave us a glowing report and she clearly loves to learn. We've been out and about and she's taught herself to swing. She enjoyed Halloween and turned it from the macabre to 'fairy stylee'. In fact princesses and fairies are definitely a major feature in her life. Bonfire Night and fireworks were also a big hit (much improved from last year), and we had a grand 'old-fashioned' bonfire bash at the neighbours. And finally her 4th birthday was simply lovely, with my personal highlight being she got a 'new' (well obviously second-hand) pedal bike - which she mastered within days. Since then she's been peddling like crazy, and I've been one proud Dad.
