Last creche show

Ella & Maria
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

Well although I've been back in creche for 2 weeks, I haven't been in that much. I've been sick twice. First a throat infection, then just when I finished those antibotics, I got sick again and this time it was tonsilitis. And this time Ríodhna was sick too with the throat infection. So we both had to take the same medicine. In the middle between the two sicknesses, I got to go to Archie's birthday party. And super-Mammo came to the resue when we were both sick.

So by today when the creche show was on, I hadn't had a lot of time to practice. But that didn't stop me getting right in there, and doing just as well as everyone else.

Although Ríodhna is in Montessori now, she wasn't in the show because she isn't big enough yet but she did get to sit on mammy's lap to watch me. We did speech & drama and then we did hip hop. The smaller monti-s did a dance first and then me and my friends did high school musical in special costumes. Then we all got certificates. The children going to school got special certificates and Maria said she will miss us all.

I will miss her too - she has taught me to do loads. I can recognise all my letters and I'm starting to read. I can make out a lot of words. And I can add and take away my numbers. So I'm ready for school. Thanks Maria.

It's French and Potable

it's Potable
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

So in case we hadn't been to enough countries on this holiday, one of the days we went on a boat across the lake from Nyon but this time we got off the boat at the other side of the lake and we were in France in a little town called Yvoire. I don't know where the offices of creches are in that town because the bit we were in was very pretty and very old and had more flowers than we've ever seen on the front of buildings before and it had loads of lovely little small shops and restaurants. It was a very warm day but there was a big trough and a pump of water that was very handy.

Of course we had another picnic. Afterwards we found some toilets and when Mammy and I went in, in was very strange. There was nowhere to sit. I had go to to the toilet like a boy. That was strange. It was a specially warm day so Ríodhna had quite a long nap in her buggy while we walked around some other shops. I had lots of photos taken - I specially liked posing with flower - Mammy says those are photos that Mammo likes too.

After Ríodhna woke up, we went into a great shop where they had loads of wooden toys and we got to pick out some toys each. I got some threading beads and Ríodhna got a teddy bear jigsaw. Then we got a huge big ice cream each. We both got grazed knees running down the steep hill back to the boat. A paddle boat arrived to take us back to Nyon. We really liked that boat - Daddy took loads of photos of it.

On our last day we went to a funny place that was like a park but with 3 swimming pools and a playground in it. It was a strange place - it looked like the biggest swimming pool was actually flowing into the lake but it wasn't. We went with the girls - big girls went with Mammy first and then Elaine came back to get little girls and Daddy.

On the way into the pool I tripped over going down the steps and fell on top of my head so we had to go find first aid to get me ice. Unfortunately Mammy forgot to put magic cream on it even though she had some in her bag so I had a big bruise right on the top of my forehead and a scrape on the bruise and on my knee to show Maria when I got back to creche. Once that was all sorted, we played in a small pool. I really wanted to fire some water jets so I had to hang around for ages waiting. But eventually I got a go and I hung on for dear life. On the way home, we all went for pizza, only we had pasta! It was yummy. We were eating outside and there was another slide to play on there so we got to do even more playing.

It was great that we didn't have to go to the plane till lunchtime the next day because we ran around playing outside, running around, splashing around, jumping around, doing all the things we had been doing all week. And then we said goodbye to everyone and Stephen drove us to the airport. When we got there we had to do some fun shopping - Ríodhna and I got new beakers for creche, Mammy got some makeuip and the lady gave me my first lip gloss. Of course we had to buy some chocolate too - it was Switzerland after all.

Always start with a picnic

Always start with a picnic
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

So then we found another park - this time we borrowed the Walshes big car and drove through the countryside in Switzerland. This one wasn't a water park but it had practically everything else. We went and played inside first and we were having so much fun there that we almost didn't want to go see anything else. But Mammy and Daddy eventually dragged us outside to have our picnic lunch.

It was quite pretty out there but I hoped we hadn't just come for the views.

No fear. First we found a playground with so many different things to play on that we ran around from one thing to another, hardly taking enough time to play on anything. We did really like the maze though. It's really good for playing hide and seek. And also when Ríodhna went and played on some little girl things, I went on a tyre swing which was cool until I feel off - then I took a rest on the normal swings with Ríodhna.

The we found a place where you could mess with water, turning handles to make it go along pipes. We had to take our shoes off - I think Mammy was trying to not let us see that place but I'm glad we did.

Next there were animals. Lots of goats including loads of tiny kids - that was the best bit even if they were quite smelly. I thought that was all the fun things and then we found the best bit. There was a place that was like a swimming pool except that you could drive little motor boats around it.

Mammy and I went in one and Daddy and Ríodhna in another one and then we swapped to have another go. We were both very good at steering although Ríodhna likes to steer in circles. And we were excellent at bumping into people.

Next there was a racing track that you could drive around on a mini racing car or motor bike. Mammy took Ríodhna on a motor bike first. But I'm big enough to go on my own so I had loads of turns in a red racing car and then in a blue one. I'm not bad. I crashed into the wall and few times (and cried) so Daddy had to run over to release me. But I was well able to overtake the boys too!

Holidays, Part Deux

Resting on the plane
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

So after our week in Spain, we went on the plane again. Ella was excited about going back to creche to tell all our news but we didn't go back to Ireland - instead we went to Geneva. That's in Switzerland. We went to stay with The Four Girls at their Swiss house. It's a big house with lots of stairs and I got to sleep in the room the Mammy and Daddy while Ella slept in their playroom. I think she did sleep - even surrounded by all those toys. I spent a lot of time playing with L who is a little bit older than me - we have to run up and down the stairs a lot.

It's very mountain-y in Switzerland. We went right up to the top of the nearest mountain and found a restaurant up there. It had really cool things in it - a wooden man who played music when you gave him a coin and a cuckoo clock. We had to go over and stand and wait for the cuckoo to appear - we all did it and managed to see the cuckoo twice for a long time and twice for a little time.

There were lots of things to see and do in Switzerland. We looked around Nyon which is near the girls house. We spent a day in Geneva where we found a funny clock made out of flowers, saw a huge lake with a great big jet of water shooting out of it, went for a walk onto a little island and went on a boat trip around the lake. That was pretty eventful. The first boat we wanted to get was full and Ella was pretty upset we couldn't go on that one but instead we had some big ice creams while we waited for the next one.

We were the centre of attention on that boat. We sat upstairs on the outside with Mammy and Daddy - there were a lot more people downstairs and they were waving up at us and taking our photos. Then they came upstairs. It was a few indian families who spoke to us in English and took our photos and were very nice - but when one lady decided to pick me up and then to pick Ella up to have her photo taken with us, we decided that we didn't like that so much at all.

Park Guell

Smile
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

We did a day trip to Barcelona to see a nice parl that my Daddy kept talking about. The journey there was very eventful. I was making lots of noise in the car but Ella was very quiet. And then all of a sudden I heard here throwing up behind me. She's done that a few times in the car. It's quite smelly. We couldn't keep driving like that so we had to go to a little town and Daddy had to go buy lots of things we could use to make the car clean and less smelly again. And she had to get a new dress to wear too. It's quite a pretty one.

It was very warm in Barcelona and very hilly. We found a good cool place to park but then we had to walk to the park. Well everyone else had to walk. I just had to sit in my buggy and get pushed. We went for a lovely walk around, looking at all the pretty things. And then we went into a little house and when we came out, we sat on little chairs and sang songs. I'd had enough then so I snoozed in my buggy while Ella walked some more with Mammy and Daddy.

We enjoyed the trip back to Blanes in the car with some treats Mammy had picked up in the shop for us.

A Day of 2 Parks

And I'm not falling down
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

We found a great park in Spain. First of all it was like a park with animals and then it was like a park with water slides. We went with Mammo and Mammy and Daddy. On the way in we all got our photo taken and I had a parrot on my shoulder for it. He was cool - he was red and blue and he was really friendly. We started off by going to see a show with sealions and dolphins doing cool tricks - jumping and swimming and knocking people over. Daddy bought us a huge bucket of coloured popcorn - I ate quite a bit but Ríodhna seemed to be eating it all day.

When that was over, we went to see the other animals - this is us in the bird enclosure. The birds weren't very interested in walking under my bridge but Ríodhna did it loads of time.

Then we found a play park. There were lots of children there on a trip but actually there were as many slides and things to play on as we've ever seen in a park so we had a fantastic time.

After all that, we needed some energy for the water slides so we found a picnic area and had a lovely picnic.

It was a good water slide park for children - there were loads of different things for me to try out. Ríodhna just sat at the edge and paddled her feet again. Then we got a big surprise because Mark and Jill and Ross arrived. And Daddy and they went on some of the adult slides. My Mammy didn't go - I don't think she likes water slides. Ross said she's a scaredy cat. Ross and Mark and Daddy went on one called Boomerang and they went up higher than any of the other people who were using it.

Then they had a race down another slide, I was the judge so I said Daddy won but Ross insisted it was really him.

It was a really great day and even better - we got McDonalds on the way home! The only thing is that I ate so much coloured popcorm that it changed s colour of my poo!! For the next 3 days I had green poo - just like the leaves on the trees!!!

I'll show you how to mind her Ross

I'll show you how to mind her Ross
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

So in case you didn't know, all the Dunphys went on holiday together for a week this year. We went to a very strange house in spain - the sitting room and kitchen were at the top of the house, the bedrooms for Mammo and me and Ella and Mammy and Daddy and Emma and Jamie and Clare were downstairs. Ross and Mark and Jill and the baby in Jill's tummy stayed in an apartment underneath our house and down even more stairs there was a swimming pool.

It was good fun knowing loads of people on the plane. Everyone except Ross was on the plane with us. We were near the back near Mark and Jill but then we found Mammo and the others in the middle of the plane so we were able to run up and down to them to check what was going on.

When we got to Spain we all had to go to find our cars. We had a big car for our family - plenty of room for our luggage and then after we got there and took the luggage out we were able to make 2 extra seats so sometimes we could bring 6 people in our car altogether. That was cool although I think Clare probably got the coolest car.

I had to look after Clare on holidays. She loved being wrapped up in my blankie and she loved me showing her how to play with toys. At least I think she loved it...

There was a lot of eating on holidays - food in the car, picnics, barbecues in our house and dinners in restuarants. You can get lovely food on holidays - they have the same hot dog in Spain that they had in Portugal last year but they don't set it on fire.

One evening Daddy and Ross tried to burn all the food on a fire but it was actually very tasty. Everyone came outside and we sat out there until it was drak but in Spain it's very warm even after it's dark. I like being able to eat outside with all my family.

Party Girls

Smile
Originally uploaded by Ella's Ma.

Ok so we're back. We're home. But are we relaxing. No way. We'll catch up with our holiday blogging soon but well you can't just mess around when you get back from holidays. So today, on our first day home, we got all dressed up in out party clothes and went to a birthday party - Ella who lives in no 18 was 4. We love a good party! And tomorrow we're off to creche to tell all our holiday news.

We're still on holidays

up
Originally uploaded by markandjill.

but Jill is home and has flickred some photos of us so I can blog them here so you can all see that we got pretty good use out of the pool in Spain. And we made sure everyone else got good use out of it too. The big advantage of being on holidays with so many grown ups is that there's always someone ready to go in the pool, to be bossed around by you, to have races and to throw you in the air.

I can swim a lot better than Ríodhna and I don't care about the cold water whereas she hates it but luckily Mammy had packed her small boat so I was able to take her up and down the pool when she decided to take a break from playing with a barbie watering can and sieves and splashing her feet at the side of the pool.

Only a small girl can enjoy an ice cream like this - even if Jill's rather cruel title for this photo in flickr is "elton always took time out for a poolside snack". After all, what's the point in being on holidays if you can't make a cornetto last for at least half an hour longer than everyone else and really enjoy it while you're doing it.