Pearl did her Christmas shopping today.  This is the first year it has occurred to her to give presents.  I gave her a small budget, which she “earned” partly by washing all the windowsills and skirting boards in the house yesterday, as well as scrubbing the shower and toilet and helping to tidy the younger kids’ bedroom today.

She would have more than blown her budget with her first idea for a favourite cousin, which was a $70 toy.  Lesson number one.

Once she’d recovered from that disappointment, we re-focused at the other end of the price scale and she found several suitable gifts at a dollar shop.  I was impressed with her thoughtfulness as she weighed up whether the intended recipient would find a use for each item, or whether they would like the colour and design.

Of course, we didn’t find everything she needed in one place, so we browsed through town in the warm sunshine, enjoying all the buskers playing Christmas music.  She was impressed by one young violinist, but pointed out “Of course, he’s older than me, Mummy”.  A few minutes later we passed another, much younger violinist, playing very well indeed for a 5-or-6-year-old.  Pearl pursed her lips and shot me a rueful look.  I grinned and told her that if she practised hard, perhaps next year she could earn the money for her Christmas shopping by busking instead of scrubbing!

We had lunch – she chose the venue and was thrilled with the toy which came with her meal.  It’s a miniature version of her Father-Christmas-request.  I have tried to tell her that now she has one, Father Christmas won’t need to visit us at all this year, but she’s not having a bar of it.

Finally we ended up at a large department store where – even though it was very busy – I could be certain the staff would be kind to a small child doing her shopping.  I had to stand some distance off “and not peek!” while she negotiated her purchase.  She carried out her mission with aplomb, and I was very proud of her.  Not that I was peeking, of course.  They even put whatever-it-is in a brown paper bag so I wouldn’t see it before she could get it home and wrap it.

I think she’ll find that this Christmas is even more fun when she sees other people unwrap presents she’s chosen herself.

Pearl had a good friend over to play this afternoon.  They played outside for a while, drew some pictures, and helped me bake.  We made chocolate “Christmas Puddings” and stained-glass biscuits (cookies).  While they were off running around I also made a Christmas tiffin, adding orange peel and almonds to the usual recipe.  Pearl’s friend was very pleased to take a box of her work home to share with her Mum.

I saw these in a magazine, and thought they would be good for kids to do.  The girls loved making them!  It was so simple, just a dollop of white chocolate on top of each chocolate-marshmallow biscuit, then a red lolly/sweet/candy on top.  We put some green candy “leaves” on some too.

For these, I made the biscuits and got the girls to fill the holes with crushed boiled lollies.  We found that one or two colours at a time works best – you can kind of see that the heart in the centre-bottom of the picture has an orange-and-green centre.

It was a busy day, but it had its compensations…  Don’t worry, we didn’t eat all that’s missing all by ourselves!  We’ve already packaged some up for gifts.  But Pearl and I did have to carry out extensive taste tests.

And finally, since I’m posting photos today, here’s one for NannyGoatsInPanties:

… nearly half of our Christmas tree decorations are goats!  It’s a Scandinavian tradition we’ve borrowed, and I’m not sure of the story behind it.  But I think they’re lovely.

Babess loves the phone.  She’s not very interested in toy phones, no matter how many noises and flashing lights they have.  She wants a real phone.  She will toddle off with my cell-phone (keypad safely locked) and carry it around for ages.  She would love to get hold of our cordless phone, but it doesn’t lock so I’m pretty careful with that.  She likes to talk to her Dad if he calls, though, and sweetly waves when she she bids him “Buh-bye Daddy!”.

Today we were Auntie B’s house, and her cordless phone was on the table.  Babess was sitting in her aunt’s lap, and reaching out, “Phone!  Phone!”.  “No,” said her aunt, “that one’s my phone.  It’s not a toy.”

Babess pursed her lips, gave Auntie B the Look, and repeated “Phone!  Phone!”.  She was refused again, and was preparing a stronger protest when – suddenly and loudly – the phone rang.  She nearly jumped out of her skin!

An hour or so later, she was playing very happily with a toy phone.  No chance of that one ringing and giving her a fright.

Out shopping, we stopped at a large store which has both a cafe and a playground.  This was the perfect arrangement for us today, as we had tired, hungry, bored children – and they had tired, hungry, irritated parents.  We fed them then let them run around, and when we left everyone was much happier.

While the Dad finished his latte, I ushered Pearl and Fainjin into the enclosed play area, then turned my back for a minute to get Babess and let her loose too.  When I got back, I saw Fainjin up on the top level of the play structure.  It had a climbing wall at one end, and a rather difficult (for a 2-yr-old) ladder at the other end, so I was quite surprised.  “How did he get up there?” I asked Pearl.  “Oh, he probably climbed up the slide – everyone’s doing it”, she replied, and she was right.  I watched several children climb up the plastic spiral slide to get to the upper level, and it did seem the easiest route.

Fainjin was very confident up there, waving to us and climbing through tunnels and such.  He would slide down and then climb back up, having a great time.  Babess loved walking around the bottom, calling up to the bigger kids and watching them move around.  She soon learned not to stand at the bottom of the slide, in case someone came down quickly.   Instead,  she’d go over to where they’d all left their shoes, and move them somewhere else.  I had to keep stopping her from stealing other kids’ shoes.

The Dad finished his coffee and came to join us.  Pearl was mostly climbing up and sliding down the slide, and clambering over the lower part of the structure.  Fainjin was all over the place.  I looked over and saw him halfway up the climbing wall.  “Can he get up that?” “He saw an older boy go up, so he knows it can be done”, replied the Dad.  We watched, and sure enough, he found the hand- and foot-holds, and was soon at the top – about 5 or 6 feet off the ground.  He seemed quite self-satisfied with this newly-discovered skill.

I’m grateful that Babess didn’t see him climb up.  She would have tried to follow, and might even have managed it, but I don’t think I could watch.

We hosted a neighbourhood barbecue this evening.  It was lovely, not a huge crowd (busy time of year!) and very relaxed.  It was BYO everything, so I didn’t have to do too much preparation or even very much shopping.

The kids had a great time.  They really enjoyed having lots of people over and eating outside.  We took the highchair outside so Babess could survey her kingdom (and not wander off while eating).  A hedgehog came to visit, rather surprisingly as they are normally very shy.  We see them sometimes if we go outside at night, but they usually freeze or run away when they realise we’re there.  This little fellow seemed about to come and join the party in broad daylight, but eventually thought better of it and trundled around the edge of the garden to his hidey-hole.

Fainjin steadily munched his way through a bowl of chippies and another bowl of crackers, disappeared while the “real food” was being eaten (and it was delicious, mmmm bacon off the barbecue with grilled asparagus and mushrooms, topped with fresh avocado and tomato…), then reappeared when pudding was on the table.  He managed to con someone into a second bowl of icecream, as well!

That’s what Christmas parties are all about, when you’re nearly-three.

Pearl’s school has a tradition on the last Thursday of the year: the classes for the following year assemble in their new classrooms to meet each other and their new teachers.  So she spent some time in next year’s class today.

There are two pairs of children in the class with the same names, let’s call them Jane Smith, Jane Jones, John Watson and John Brown.  Pearl was highly entertained because, instead of the more-usual convention of calling them Jane S, Jane J, etc, the teacher has suggested that everyone call them Miss Smith, Miss Jones, Mr Watson and Mr Brown.  All the other children will be known by their first names.

I think the teacher was surely joking, although I quite like the idea.  I had one teacher at high school who couldn’t tell my sister and me apart (we’re not twins), so he called us both Miss UpsideBackwards.  That always amused me.

What amuses me more about this idea, though, is the contrast afforded by the fact that at Pearl’s school, most of the teachers (including Pearl’s teacher for next year) are known by their first names.

This morning Babess was playing with a toy before breakfast.  I lifted her up, showed her the toast cooking (she likes to see it pop up), then put her in her high-chair.  I belted her in, put her bib on, and clipped the tray in place.  Then I took the toy off her, putting it where she could see it and collect it after breakfast.  When I turned back, she had stuck out her bottom lip in a pout!  That’s the first time she’s done that, at least as a conscious act as far as I know.

I had to bite my own bottom lip.  There’s nothing more maddening than someone telling you how adorable you look when you’re mad…

Twice in the last two weeks, I have taken the two toddlers into town on the bus.  Both times, it’s been easier than I expected.

Last week, although they argued about who would sit where (they both wanted to be in my lap at the same time, or by the window at the same time), they were pretty well-behaved.  Babess charmed the woman sitting across from us by smiling and making cute eyes at her until she said “Hello”, and then Babess introduced us all!  I had to laugh, she pointed to her brother and said his name, then pointed to me and said “Mummy!”, all the while looking quite seriously at the stranger in front of her.  And then Fainjin pointed to his sister and said “An’ dat Babess!”  Whereupon the woman grinned at me and asked “Is this the little boy who used to come on the bus every morning with his Dad?  He’s grown so big!”

Today, they were both as good as gold.  Fainjin sat by the window at the back of the bus so he could see everything, and Babess and I sat next to him, her on my lap.  They entertained each other all the way to town, often bursting into giggles for no apparent reason.  I saw other passengers, unaccustomed to such merriment on a rush-hour morning bus, glance over their shoulders at us to see what was going on.  At one point I saw Fainjin wait until Babess had stopped laughing.  He paused a beat, then caught her eye again and poked the tip of his tongue out at her.  That was enough, they were both helpless with giggles again for several minutes.

It certainly beats having screaming children for company on a bus-ride!

Pearl was working on a Christmas card, semi-secretly.

“Daddy, what’s your favourite colour?”

“Which of these stickers do you like?”

“Don’t look!  … Do you like stars or angels on top of Christmas trees?”

After a while, quietly giggling to herself, she said “In a little while you should look in the letter-box, OK Dad?” and disappeared outside.

She came back giggling harder and said “You can go look now!”

He duly went to check the box, and surprise surprise, found a hand-made card.  On the front it says “Merry Christmas” and has a picture of a decorated tree (with a star on top).  Inside it says “Dear: Dad, Merry Christmas! Love: Pearl”.  It was enclosed in a hand-made envelope with the names and addresses of the recipient and sender (both on the front, one below the other), a hand-drawn “stamp”, and the chosen stickers.

One day several years from now, she’ll find that he’s kept it with his important papers, with a small “2009″ added to the back in pencil.  I hope she’s as touched that it’s there as he was that she made it.

We put up our Christmas tree this afternoon.  It’s a little later than we intended, but we wanted to do it without rushing and today we had the whole day at home with no obligations except the supermarket shopping (gotta eat!).

Last year when we put it up, Babess was still “swimming” to get around, and wasn’t very aware of the tree.  This year she was right into it.  As soon as we opened the box she had both hands on the branches, scrunching and stroking them and laughing.  Pearl and Fainjin were on the couch, opening the decorations and arguing over who would put up what.

While I was still assembling the tree, Babess came over and lay down under it.  I don’t know what was going through her head, but it made a very cute picture!  Her older siblings were enchanted and both came to “snuggle up under the tree” with her.  When it was up, they were both quite good at hanging decorations on it, although the little loops on some ornaments confounded Fainjin.  Babess had to be held in my arms so she could feel like she was helping.  I managed to get a few ornaments in the top third of the tree so it doesn’t look too bottom-heavy – not that it matters, since the kids are the ones who will enjoy it most in any case, the decorations might as well all be at their eye-level.

Babess did get to put the angel on top, and we turned on the lights.  Even in the bright sunshine of a summer afternoon,  the kids clearly enjoyed the “magic” of the moment.