Moorhens along the river have started nesting

Spring!

You can't imagine the difference some sunshine makes

We went out to feed the ducks

The bridge is ideal as the girls don't have to face the ducks

Did a bit more baking this weekend

Used the extra egg glaze to make a mug of ice-cream custard

Ham and jam rolls, at Izzy's request

Mmm - not bad though plain flour would've been better

Friday night is pizza night

The girls made their own

Say pii-zzaaa!

Roz loved it

Izzy is a seasoned pizza-maker now

Roz makes her own steamed eggs

Both girls then happily cut up some chinese leaves for the stir-fry and some beans. No fingers lost either - bonus!

Weekend treat at the largest mall in Europe

A little pilates with the girls

Roz takes a picture

She loves fiddling with my phone and has worked out how to use the camera. Not bad composition.

Bedtime stories with Daddy

Izzy practising with chopsticks

Not unproud of her earrings

Roz goes for the Most Hairclips In One Go record

On to the makeup now

The Bozz

She is chatting a lot more nowadays. She's even, to my surprise, learning that it's to her advantage and has once or twice volunteered observations instead of repeating something or responding directly to a question.

After Izzy snatched something off her the other day, she lay kicking and wailing on the floor and when I leaned over and asked if she wanted it back, she stopped crying and nodded and then stood up and repeated her "Te-te, keeeys!" Which is how she pronounces che che, please.

And that is Izzy's contribution to Roz's speech development. Whenever they share a snack, Izzy will take charge of it and then dole out, for example, dried blueberries, one at a time. And before handing each over she forces Roz to say "Te-te, keys."

And instead of just wailing now when she wants to be carried, Roz will come hug my legs, look appealingly up at me and go "po-po". Or, sometimes, confusingly, "poo-poo".

But we've also had a few episodes where the two of them take to amusing each other, or holding hands and walking together, which is nice. Izzy is clearly a source of emulation for her younger sister.

This morning they held hands going into Izzy's classroom and while we were waiting for Izzy to hang up her coat on the peg, Roz took her lunch box and book bag from me and insisted on carrying it. How lovely I thought, Izzy has her own little batman. But no, later Izzy had to wrest each bag away from a very disgruntled Roz. She pouted all the way through my explanation that the bags were Izzy's and I made a foolish promise to let her carry her own bags tomorrow. She has got a little Allerand bag, from Aunty Azmi and Uncle Pun which is the same shape as Izzy's school bag but smaller and I am hoping that will suffice.

Meanwhile I am almost regretting Izzy's earrings for the only reason that they make her look even more grown-up. With Roz at her toddler stage it's easy to forget frequently that Izzy is really growing up. And even with Roz I now tell people automatically she's two, even if it's a month away and then have to furrow the brow to think how it is possible that we've gotten this far this quickly.

Tea - or strawberry milk - in our fav coffee place

Roz models Izzy's latest hat

Had to knit another after I unwisely felted the first model and it shrunk length-wise but not in circumference, as I hoped.

Peek-a-boo!

Izzy gets her ears pierced

Or Where I Say Well Done Only 10 Times

Conversations with Roz

One happy bub just before I pointed out mine was finished

The monkeys like their fairy lights

Battery-operated, I should add

Taking a little stroll around town

It's the lollipops keeping them so happy