The School Photo Disaster...

It's a photo every parent has on their mantelpiece... that very first school photo. The little Reception child, smiling angelically and beaming with pure joy that they are finally big enough to go to school. I had it all planned in my head - I'd buy the Reception portraits, and the Year 6 portraits, and that would be it.

And then Ava brought her school photo home.

There's a bit of background to this one... last year, when Ava was in Nursery at a different school, we had a good giggle as the Mums when the photos came back. I don't think its an understatement to say that without exception, our children looked hideous. Grimaces, funny faces, and even closed eyes. It was as though the photographer had asked the children to look as ridiculous as they could, and then taken the shot.

So I hadn't bought the Nursery photo, and consequently, the Reception photo was all the more important. So I opened Ava's book bag with trepidation yesterday and pulled out her Reception photo.

The poor child looked like she was in pain!

"It's not a very nice photo of me, Mama..." she said matter-of-factly. "I don't look very happy, and I've got circles all over my face" (the watermark). I found I couldn't quite disagree with her. I spoke to her teacher at the end who admitted apologetically that a few of them hadn't turned out so well.

I marched home pretty frustrated... one photo... one decent photo. In the days of modern technology where you can see immediately if the photo is any good, why couldn't these photographers seem to get it right?

As a matter of principle, I was not about to part with £30 for a less than flattering picture of my eldest.

I have hundreds of photographs of the girls... but I wanted this one, just this one pretty portrait of her looking lovely in her school uniform against a clear backdrop to put on my mantelpiece and send to the Grandparents.

And so the idea dawned... I'll take it myself! How hard can it be?!

This is how hard it can be...

After taking about a hundred photos... and deleting about 90 that either had weird facial expressions or grimaces... I realised that actually these photographers have a pretty tough job on their hands. Four-year-olds have not yet perfected the art of the "natural smile" and posing is not in their repertoire.

After a while, I gave up, and just tried to make her laugh or chat to me...

And we got there... in the end!

































By the time I had shots I was happy with, we'd been trying for about ten minutes. Multiply that by a school of nearly 500 children and I was slightly less irritated with the photographer than I had been at the beginning.

That's one tough job!

Have you had any school photo disasters?!

Do share in the comments below, and we can all have a good giggle!

Left Behind...

There's one little man round these parts who gets an awful lot of loving.... and ever since biggest sister has gone off to school, the attention really has become focussed on him...

Heidi has not found the transition the easiest. While Ava has skipped happily into school every morning, Heidi has been sad, clingy, and just down in the dumps. She's missing her best buddy like crazy, and I'm getting the same questions repeated every day...

"When is Ava coming home?"

"Why can't we go and get Ava now?"

"When can I go to School with Ava?"

And when I can't answer the questions in the way she wants me to, the tantrums start...

I feel so sad for my usually chirpy, fun-filled littlest lady

But yesterday I noticed a switch in our Heidi... she seemed more settled, eager to play with Jonas, smiley and chirpy. I notice with all of the children that when their behaviour's a little off the wall, they usually just need some down days. Days at home where it's easier to follow through on discipline and be consistent... Days where we potter and play and just be. And somehow, those days seem to do a little heart mending.

I still had the string of questions, but yesterday was the first day in a while that we had no tantrums.

I suppose I worked quite hard to prepare Ava for the transition to "big school". I was so concerned and worried about how she would settle in, that I didn't really consider the impact on the younger ones... and now I'm seeing that actually its almost harder for those left behind. Ava gets all the excitement and adventure of school, while Heidi gets the same old routine, just without her big sister around.

So it warmed my heart, and made me feel especially thankful to see her being so sweet with her baby brother yesterday... she's got a new play buddy who is getting more interactive every day.

Even if he does look a little glum in this picture... perhaps he's missing his biggest sister too!

The Ordinary Moments

Off you go, little one...

My dear little Ava M,

Today's the day. The start of a new chapter. A new adventure. The journey to independence begins. Oh! How I have loved these little years... having you potter around me, chattering away, asking questions, filling my days with your little thoughts and constant flow of "good ideas"...  I have savoured them as best I could, storing all these memories up on this blog so that not one little moment of having all my babies surrounding me would pass me by. It has been a wonderful adventure, my Ava... you have taught me so very much - how to be a Mama, how to open little hearts, how to get out of the house by 8.30am with three little ones in tow. I have learnt, and continue to learn, so much from, and with, you. And I'm thankful that we have lots of years ahead of learning and growing together still to come.

But this little chapter. This little cocooned world of our own. It is coming to an end. Because you, our firstborn, are breaking free into the big wide world. There is so much for you to see and discover and learn, and I only hope the little foundations we have laid these past four years, will hold steady for all the building blocks you will place on them as you make discoveries for yourself.

You are so excited about school - you have been telling me how you are going to be able to read Jonas stories, write letters to Heidi, learn how to use money and "cook like a Mama"... I love that you are so eager to learn, and I'm so excited for all that this next chapter holds for you.

But its not just the "lessons" I'm praying you'll learn as you embark on Primary School... I'm praying you'll learn compassion - to care for those different to yourself... I'm praying you'll learn patience - with others and with yourself... I'm praying you'll learn faithfulness - to be a loyal friend whatever happens, I'm praying you'll learn perseverance - to keep trying, even if you find something hard, and I'm praying you'll be like Jesus in that little school of yours... a little jar of clay... holding precious treasure.

I am reluctant to hand over hours of the day with you to someone else... but I know you are ready for this new adventure, and so I will walk you to those school gates this morning with the biggest grin on my face, and excitement in my voice, because I know that's what's best for you, even if inside everything in me wants to turn around and walk you home again!

I love you, my Ava. You are a precious little girl who I love being a Mama to. We have our moments, but you are just such a good little friend and I will miss you dreadfully (as will your siblings who think you're the best thing ever!)

Off you go, little one. I'll be ready and waiting at the end of the school day to have you back in the nest...

I love you and am so proud of you,

Mama xxx
 

Back to School Feast // 2015

Summer is bliss. Weeks of freedom, a relaxing of the routine... late nights, days spent in the sunshine, Papa at home. It is wonderful, but there is something I love about the onset of September... a return to routine and structure... our weeks start to resemble the same pattern and children, I have learnt, thrive in structure.

But this September, it is not just Papa who is heading off to school. Our Ava is ready to start Reception, and in true family fashion, we wanted to send her off with a bang (projects like this are also a good distraction for a Mama who needs to not think about phrases like "end of an era", "things will never be the same again" and "no longer have all my babies at home")

 
It's a tradition we set up last year (you can read more about that one here), when Ava started at our local school nursery... and its one I'm keen to continue. A celebration of the summer that's been had, and looking forward to a fresh start... a new year of learning, and life and new experiences. An opportunity to be together in holiday mode one last time, and a chance to pray together with, and for, Ava as she looks forward to the School-year ahead.

And so, last night, we celebrated our annual "Back to School Feast"

And seeing as its her very first year in big school. I thought we'd go for a traditional school theme this year - red and green, apples and ABCs, blackboards and bunting, and of course a crown for the school child (and one for Heidi too... couldn't leave her out, could we?!)

It was a fun-filled evening! Nanny and Grandpa joined us for a feast of chilli wraps and ice-cream Sundaes. Cheap and cheerful but full of fun.

And one little lady was thrilled!

So I thought I'd share a few pictures of our "Back to School Feast"

What are your "Back to School" traditions?

Saying Goodbye...

You'd think it'd finish a girl off to have to deal with the emotion of a first and last day one after the other...

Because just as Ava has gone into her "new" school today... tomorrow, we prepare for her "last day" at Nursery.

We didn't really plan on having a last day at Ava's current school... at least not until she reached Year 6 and was ready for the big transition to Secondary School. But I have been reminded again, these past few months, that His ways are not my ways. That God always has a bigger picture, a better plan an intricate design that I cannot see, and cannot always understand. We didn't get the school place I had planned for... but we did get the school place he had planned for us.

I know who's plan I'd rather follow!

And yet knowing we are in safe hands doesn't make the goodbyes any easier. In many ways, Ava is oblivious... a few of her little friends are also starting "new schools" in September, and I'm not entirely sure she's clicked that the majority of her little friends are staying put. And to be honest, I'm quite happy with it that way...

And so we find ourselves saying goodbye to lovely friends... and perhaps its me, who does understand what all this means, that is actually finding this transition hardest.

Because its not just Ava who's made friends this year.

Little did I realise, when I rocked up at the school gate last September, how much this bunch of ladies would come to mean to me...

We have gone through milestones together this year... we have picked up and dropped off each others children... we have supported each other through new arrivals and sad partings... we've laughed at the antics of our children, and shared our concerns and worries... we've bonded over fish and chips, countless cups of tea and coffee, and even full English breakfasts! We've all smiled and waved through our first Christmas production together, cheered our children through their first sports day, and helped the children through their little tiffs and upsets.

And these past few weeks, while I've been "in recovery"... they have really shown their stuff. Dropping everything to look after my children for me... taking Ava to and from school to save me the school run... getting their husbands to drive me to the Doctor's surgery... cooking us meals and creating amazing "Breastfeeding Survival Kits" full of goodies! These are true friends... people who go out of their way for you, people who are willing to be vulnerable and real with you, people who listen because they want to understand, not because they have something to say...

I really never could have believed that in one short year, I would have made friendships that I hope to keep for years to come...

So Kirsty, Natalie, Suzie, Siobhan, Sarah, Anna and Dilek...

This one's for you.

Mwah.xxx

(and a big thank you to Andy for driving me to the Doctor's surgery!)

Big School...

This past couple of weeks has been filled with milestones for our Ava M... her first sports day, her first school report, her first school trip... perhaps its the sheer volume of "firsts" that have kept me from being an emotional wreck about it all... or perhaps its just the busyness of life with a three-year-old, a two-year-old and a three-week-old. Whatever it is, we're about to embark on the  biggest first of all...

Big School.

Tomorrow, my little Ava will be walked up to an unfamiliar school gate, be picked up by her TA at the School reception, and be taken down to her new class, new teacher and 29 children she doesn't know yet.

The thought just turns me into a nervous wreck...

And yet Ava? Tomorrow morning cannot come quickly enough for her. She is so excited to meet her new teacher, is looking forward to making lots of new friends, can't wait to see what she's going to be doing at big school. And knowing her, I'm pretty sure she'll walk through those doors and not look back.

And as she goes, she'll take a little piece of my heart with her.

Because with this step, begins the journey of the next fifteen years and beyond... the gradual letting go... the move to independence... the existence of a pocket of life of which I am not a part.

Ava starting Nursery School last September...

I suppose in many ways it began last September, when she skipped into her school nursery and began the routine of 5 mornings a week in a classroom... but still we were the main environment, time with us was still dominant, our little world at home was still the big event.

All that is about to change.

And so I give myself a little shake, and remind myself that this is all a wonderful opportunity, that this will be the making of her... that this next year will be a wonderful adventure of discovery of numbers and letters and friendship and independence. That this time next year, she will be able to read me stories, and write me letters! That she will learn so much about making friends, and being kind, and sharing... that she will also learn how it feels to have your feelings hurt and what it means to not be the best at everything (one of the advantages of being the eldest sibling). She will learn that other children are different to her - believe different things to her, have other interests to her, are better at some things, and not so good at some things... these lessons will be hard for her, but they will be good for her... because those classroom doors will open wide the world for her in a way I can't do at home.

So as my little Ava M walks through those school gates tomorrow morning, I'll be reminding myself of all the adventures she's going to have, and not focus on the fact that we will miss her sunny little character at home!

My sunny, smiley girl!

Sports Day...

It's a bit of a momentous occasion, your child's first sports day. Ava had been talking about it for quite a while... Giving us snippets of information. On the big day, I packed the younger two into the buggy and we headed up to the school field to greet this happy little face...

She was just so thrilled that we were there to watch her. She literally grinned from ear to ear the entire time as she rotated round the activities and threw herself into every challenge with real enthusiasm!

And her biggest little fan was there too, cheering her on and supplying her with copious hugs and kisses of encouragement (and having one mini meltdown about wanting to go home in the middle of it all which was resolved by the provision of a pack of raisins... Needs must!)

And I watched this little girl running, bouncing, jumping hurdles, throwing, tunnelling and smiling the whole time and I just felt that realisation, that penny drop moment, that yes... This was our little girl. No longer our baby, or our toddler... And soon not even our preschooler...

She just seemed to grow up right in front of my eyes... 

It was a lovely morning with two happy little ladies who toasted Ava's sporting success with a hearty "cheers"...

 ... And a little man who pretty much slept through the entire thing!

Homemade Evacuee Costume Tutorial...

When Ava brought home the letter inviting us to her Nursery VE Day party, I'm not going to pretend I wasn't a little bit excited. I love history. Always have, always will. I studied it for GCSE, A-Level and as part of my University Degree. I have always been fascinated by the past, and by the Second World War  Era in particular.

And so, last week, Ava and I enjoyed a little project afternoon, which Heidi joined when she awoke, and it was so much fun to see my little ladies developing the same curiosity and fascination that I have always had with that particular era.

But onto the party...

This Friday, Ava's nursery have asked the children to come in dressed up appropriately.

What could be more appropriate than a little Evacuee??!

So here you have it, a little "how-to" on how to turn your budding historian into an evacuee lookalike!

You need...

For the clothing

Ours were from the wardrobe, but charity shops are a cheap alternative

* Blouse and skirt/ dress, cardigan and long white socks for girls

* Shirt, shorts, tank top and long socks for boys

For the gas mask

* A small packing box 

* Brown string

* A black pen

For the label

* A brown label

* Brown string

* A pen

Accessories ideas

* An old style small suitcase 

* A teddybear

I am fortunate enough to have a real gas mask at home, which my childhood babysitter gave to me many moons ago from her own childhood, but I wasn't about to let our three-year-old traipse into school with that, so instead, I folded up a small postal packaging box, punched holes in the sides to tie the string through, and modelled the design on the original, copying out the original text from the genuine children's masks. I then simply adjusted the length of the string, until it was just the right fit for Ava.

The label was easy. I simply googled our local authority evacuee labels and found an exact match for the type of label the children in our local area would have had seventy years ago. I had always thought children wore the labels around their necks, but I discovered on closer inspection that they were, in fact, usually pinned to the collar, or tied through a button hole. Always want to be as true to life as possible!

We didn't own any suitable suitcases, but we do have a little bear who looks fairly old fashioned, so Ava picked him out as her travelling companion.

And there you have it. The transformation was complete. One little lady was delighted as she glanced between her costume and the evacuee pictures in her library books... And then she was off, running around the garden and re-enacting the games her Great-grandmother played which she had read about in her memory book last week. She was utterly thrilled, and it was rather a battle to get her to remove her costume and save it from getting damaged before Friday.

I think it's fair to say, if we were looking forward to it before... We're definitely looking forward to it now!

Hmmm... Now to create a little two-year-old evacuee sister!

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When His way isn't my way....

It's been a journey this weekend. A journey of moving from the gut-wrenching disappointment of Thursday, through the disbelief, through the sadness about leaving our lovely friends, through the questions and the uncertainties.

It's only a School placement. But somehow its knocked me for six.

This wasn't the plan God. When I said I wanted you to have your way... what I really meant was "Can your way be my way please?"

And so it's meant a lot of soul-searching... a lot of questioning... and as always, the Lord has shown that his ways are not my ways, but that he has a bigger plan and a bigger purpose and is "bringing all things together for the good of those who love him"

On Friday morning, when I woke up, I was overwhelmed by a sense of fear and frustration... anger at the unfairness of it all... and just sadness. Sadness that Ava would have to leave her little posse of school friends, sadness that I will have to leave a lovely group of Mums at the school gate who have become real friends these past 8 months. And somehow pouring all that pent-up emotion out on the blog helped. And then I spent a long time pouring it all out at God. There are perks to waking up at 4.30am...

Could this really be God's plan?

And then things started happening. Too many coincidences. Too many little snippets of information filing through that slowly awoke me to the fact that perhaps God was moving a lot more pawns on his giant chess board than just ours.

That perhaps Ava being placed in this school was all part of his masterplan; that perhaps this school where I didn't want to be is exactly the place where He wants us to be.

And then I got a lovely message from one of my friends on the school gate... reading it broke my heart because I realised again how much I will miss that place, but also made me laugh out loud. She wrote "I too believe that nothing happens accidentally. A bit of me feels that although you didn't pray for the choice you were given... perhaps they were praying for you?"

OK God... I get the picture.

And then Sunday happened. And as I sat in church, it was as though our Pastor was talking straight at us...

"Has there been a time this week you have resented a situation you have been placed in, that it seems has worked out for everyone else?" Hmmm... try being the only member of the class to not get in?

"Has God answered a prayer you prayed, and yet you haven't thanked him because you didn't like the answer?" How about... God, please let Ava get in to the school that you can best use us as a family... oh no, wait God... that wasn't quite what I had in mind when I prayer that prayer...

"This week, you may be faced with a choice... and you know what he wants you to do... will you choose his way? The way of wisdom? The way of blessing? Or will you choose your own path and follow what YOU want for your life?"

Oh man. I sat in stunned silence afterwards...

We spoke a little later. We have decided not to appeal. There have been too many little "coincidences" this weekend, many of which I cannot specifically state on the blog, but which have left me in no doubt that this is, it seems, exactly what God has planned for us.

And slowly, gradually, I'm starting to feel a little bit excited about that.

Because amidst the fear of starting all over again, the sadness at leaving precious friends, the uncertainty of what the future holds, there is peace and certainty in one thing.

We serve a God who is faithful, holds all this in his hands, and has called us, and our little Ava to this particular school.

So however scary it feels, I can say with increasing trust, there is no other school we would rather be in.

Because bang in the middle of God's will? That's right where we want to be...

Thank you again to all of you who have been so unbelievably supportive this weekend.... thank you for your comments, messages, texts, virtual hugs and general well-wishes. We thank God for each and every one of you.

Early morning School struggles...

It is 5am and I up. Not because of the pregnancy, not because I generally struggle to sleep, not because the girls disturbed in the night.

I'm up, in all honesty, because I'm feeling sad.

Yesterday did not go our way.

We did not get our first choice school. The School at which Ava has been at Nursery since September, the school at which all her little friends are at, the School with the Christian ethos and the lovely teachers, the School in which I feel we, as a family, have already invested so much.

We didn't get our second or third choice either. We got our fourth. A school which Dave hasn't even looked around... we just didn't think it would be necessary if I'm honest, naive as that seems. A school which doesn't have the greatest reputation. A school which seems so big to be sending our little summer-born only-just-four-year-old to. We live only a five minute walk from our local church school... based on the last three years intake, we would have got in easily every time.

And I just don't know how to tell her. On a day when all her little friends will be excitedly talking about starting in Cherry Class in September, I have to break the news to her that she will not be going there. Or at least that we don't know where  she'll be going for definite yet. That we will trust God as a family to take her to the right school...

And I'm still trying to figure out how waiting lists and appealing figure into all of that.

I went to bed last night feeling more peaceful. Dave and I had chatted it through; perhaps this was for the best. We had prayed that God would send us where he wants us... and maybe this was it.  We had no grounds for appeal. We would simply go on the waiting list and see what happened, trusting him. I was sad, but honestly feeling at peace that waiting and watching was the best course of action.

Except that at 4.40am I sat up in bed, in the middle of my sleep with the sudden conviction that we did have grounds for appeal.

We are committed Christians. It won't come as a surprise to anyone who reads this blog, that our faith is central to who we are as a family. For that reason, I trust that God has this utterly in his hands, and his purposes will come to pass.

Our grounds for appeal rest on the fact that despite all that, we were denied any right to a Church School placement within our town (despite their being two Church schools) due to their conflicting criteria...

Let me explain...

First Choice School...
We live five minutes from our local Church School. But this Church School has a clause which means that only certain Churches are considered in their bracket. This means that despite the fact that our Church is only 10 minutes from the School and we live only 5 minutes from the school, we are not considered as it is not part of their "group".

Second Choice School...
Accepts applications from any Church members in our town (our church included) but stipulates you can only apply for a church place if it is your nearest church school.

In other words, we are not considered for a Church place in the first school because we are not part of the right Church, we do not qualify for the second school because although we are part of the right Church, it is not our closest Church School.

Therefore at no point in the application process did we ever stand a chance of getting into a church school on anything other than distance.

Is it just me, or does that seem wrong?

I think the hardest thing about it all, is that the second choice school was so oversubscribed that a lot of people who live right over the other side of town have got church places at our School and therefore taken up all the spaces, because our School does not stipulate that it has to be the closest church school.

So now I face a dilemma. Do I simply accept and trust? Or is it possible that God has allowed this situation so that someone can challenge the seeming injustice for it for anyone who lives on our side of town but doesn't go to the right church...?

I don't know.

And that's the dilemma that has me up at 5am. Because I'm finding it hard to distinguish what the right thing to do is, and what is my protective, wanting what I think is best for my child nature kicking in.

So I'm up and praying. Watching the sun rise. Asking for peace. Asking for direction. Asking for God to continue to hold our little girl in his hands.

I'm so thankful that I know He does.

Big School...

Today is a big day in our house.

We are waiting for some news that could directly impact the next decade or so of our lives... or at least the lives of our littles...

Today we find out what primary school Ava will start in September.

My baby girl... still so little in so many ways... who loves to pretend that her scooter is a horse, who enjoys baking cakes and cooking endless cups of tea in her playhouse, whose favourite games are "Mummys and Daddys" and "Sleeping Beauty", who loves to please people and takes great delight in "writing her letters", is growing up. In September, she will spend as many hours of her day away from me than with me...

In so many, many ways, she is ready for this step. She loves school, she loves playing with her little friends, she is hungry to learn - letters, numbers, stories and songs. She comes home from Nursery School full of all that she has been up to - the games she played, the songs they sang, the items they pulled out of the "learning box". We have loved her Nursery School... we are hopeful she will get a place there, but the honest truth is, she may not...

I won't deny I will be sad if we have to move her next year.

And yet in the uncertainty, I do feel peace about it. We have been praying as we have made this decision, and as we await the outcome, not that she would get into our first choice school, but rather, that she would get into the school which will be best for her, and in which we can best serve God as a family. Where are the people God wants us to meet? Who are the little friends he wants her to make?

And in His sovereignty, there is peace. In knowing that though the outcome may not be what WE would choose, he has his plans and purposes.

Where does appealing, and where do waiting lists fit into that?

Well, if we don't get our first choice we will go on a waiting list... and we will trust that if that's where we're meant to be, she'll get that place. Her Nursery School is our local primary. In so many ways it is exactly what we would choose for her... it is nearby, she would be at school with her neighbours,  it upholds the faith that is so central to all we are as a family.

But we will also seek to accept that if that place does not become available before September, then God has other plans for us... for her. For our little girl.

I'd rather leave it in our Heavenly Father's hands.

For all of you out there awaiting big news today... we wish you all the best!

I'll keep you posted!

The Back to School Feast...

There is something wonderful about traditions, isn't there? Whether it be Advent activities, Easter countdowns, birthday breakfasts, Sunday afternoon roasts or Friday night pizza (to name but a few!) they are, in many ways, the stuff that a childhood is made up of.

They are what we hang our memories on.

And so starting school, and the yearly "back to school" that will therefore follow is most definitely an event in need of celebration. Another year older... a fresh start... a new beginning. We may have been doing all these things for the very first time this year, but I knew I wanted to start up some yearly traditions that would make that start back to school that little bit special (as if a pencil case full of brand new stationery isn't enough!)

And so the idea of a School Feast was born... a celebration for the School children as they look forward to another year, and lets be honest, a grand finale to a summer hopefully full of wonderful memories...

A feast. Food. A few nice serviettes. Homemade crowns for the school children. It doesn't break the bank, but still makes that last night at home something to remember.

We were joined by my family and a feast was had...

It was noisy... and busy... and delicious.

And our little school girl was thrilled that it was all in honour of her (even announcing to the family that it was her birthday... OK, slight misunderstanding there!)

We devoured all that yummy food and then packed two tired little girls off to bed right on bedtime.

No late night allowed when you're starting school the next morning!

It was a simple, fun tradition that I'm excited to repeat every year.

What back to school traditions do you have?

Savouring the Season: Starting PreSchool

This season, for us, has been a season of new starts. I think September always is, isn't it?

Not least of all for our Ava...

Yesterday our Ava walked into Nursery class for the first time. She found her name and stuck it on the board. We found a new book for her book bag together. And then she was ready; "I'm going to play with the animals Mama... bye bye!"

I walked back out of that classroom feeling a strange mix of joy that my little girl had gone in so happily... and gulping back the tears. The end of an era.

So here's my little lady - delighted at her Schultuete, excited about her uniform, ready to take that next milestone in growing up.

Link up your Savouring the Season posts below... have you celebrated back-to-school/starting-school yet? Do you have that strange mix of emotions? Is that what this season represents for you?

Savouring the Season is all about celebrating the season we find ourselves in...whether it be recipes, crafts, outdoor adventures or reflections on life, link up and share some comment love! And don't forget to grab a badge!

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Schultuete...

Last night I put the finishing touches on Ava's Schultuete; now it is hidden away, ready to be revealed to her tomorrow morning as she gets ready to head through the school gates for the first time to Nursery class.

But I know tomorrow I'll probably be far too emotional to even think about sharing pictures of Ava's first day, so I thought I'd give you a little sneak preview now...

Just don't tell Ava, OK?!


It's amazing what you can do with card, material, crepe paper, thread and a bit of double sided sticky tape!

Ava's Schultuete contains...
* Pencils
* Rubbers
* Stickers
* Raisins
* Sweeties
* Little pack of tissues
(Thank you £ shop - grand total: £3!)

Can't wait to see her little face in the morning... at the same time, don't want tomorrow to come!

Anyone else an emotional rollercoaster with all this school starting stuff?!