Déjà vu...

The last time I was in Banchory we were preparing for the arrival of Niomi. And as part of that preparation we made her a 'book'. The book contained lots of photos about us and what we were like, and I'll always remember the photo towards the end which was just after Emily climbed Scolty Hill for the first time (see post 'Banchory Firsts'). It was here we told Niomi that 'we like climbing hills and I'm sure you will too.' Brave words.

And so we thought it time to put that to the test. I've been to Banchory many times before, but never as a 'proper' holiday. And as Nana and Baba were away, we thought we'd take advantage of free accommodation and introduce Niomi to Banchory's delights. Well we've had a ball so far - it's brought back so many memories and created many new ones. The sun's shone nearly the whole time, apart from when I got the barbecue out. I've managed to indulge in the delight of photography, and what more beautiful subjects than my 3 lovely girls. And I think we can say that Niomi did enjoy her first hill climb/carry. She ate her way to the summit and answered positively to questioning about her enjoyment of the affair. That said, we were forced to beat a hasty exit from the top as the 'wilful one' neared her naptime.

Déjà vu...the terrible twos. We've definitely been here before

 Excited sisters

 Stylish sisters

Running sisters

 Hide and Seek I

 Hide and Seek II

Hide and Seek III

 Have I been here before? (Part I)

 Have I been here before? (Part II)

Have I been here before? (Part III)

 Summer moments I

 Summer moments II

Summer moments III

My beautiful girls I

 My beautiful girls II

 My beautiful girls III

 My beautiful girls IV

Family magic!

Bird poo...

Seeing language develop in toddlers is an amazing, and sometimes very funny, experience. Toddlers are wondrously curious and beguiling. They’re also irrational and convinced of their own omnipotence. But you can’t blame them (and you certainly can’t reason with them), it’s just the stage they’re at. In this early stage of cognitive development, toddlers just think in fundamentally different ways from older children and adults. And if you can fundamentally get your head round that – then you’re half way home and dry in understanding a 2 year-old.

And so the same must be said for their sense of humour. Early on, babies respond to things that look or feel funny - a silly face or raspberries on the belly. But in the toddler years, kids understand more language and also have a good grasp on how the world is supposed to work - the right way to wear a pair of pants, for instance. So, if you put your pants on your head, you're likely to get an uproarious response. Pure slapstick. Anything that disrupts a pattern or expectation is funny to a toddler. Like the appearance of bird poo on your swing for instance.

Now, as adults, bird poo on the swing is pretty annoying - certainly not comical. You have to go clean it and dry it before any swinging can take place. But for a toddler, like Niomi for example, bird poo on your swing can be just downright hysterical, and so it goes on…

Videoclip: Comedy bird poo

Still as Niomi starts to develop language so the understanding between the 2 sisters starts to develop as well. They’ve been having some lovely moments recently, and can both be great fun to be around. Nana and Baba have also been visiting so they've had loads of attention. All in all the sun's been shining all over.

The wonderful Nana and Baba, daughter and granddaughters

Learning to read before learning to talk

Love is...helping to put one's socks on