Recently in Evelyn's Firsts Category

Evelyn returned from school today, and seemed really rather quiet, rather subdued. Obviously concerned, Jilly asked Evelyn what was wrong. Evie denied that anything was wrong and got on about her business.

Later, as Jilly and I were getting Evelyn ready for her bath, Evelyn approached Jilly very sheepishly...

"Mummy, I've got some bad news to tell you!"

Jilly could see that Evelyn was obviously becoming very upset, and asked her what was wrong.

Evelyn confessed, "I've been put in the red book at school", and immediately burst into tears. Evie was absolutely distraught and incapable even of telling Jilly what she had done to deserve such punishment (for a child to be put in her form tutor's red book is considered very serious indeed).

After spending some time trying to calm Evelyn down (while sat in the bath), we evenually discovered that Evelyn had been told off THREE times during the day and that, as a result, her teacher told her that he was going to put her name in his red book tomorrow! Other children were involved in at least one of the incidents, but Evelyn was chastised on two further seperate occasions for (what was, essentially) minor misbehaviour.

We told Evelyn that her teacher was right to put her in the naughty book, and that she had to learn to do as she was told at school (and at home). As a punishment we told Evelyn that she couldn't watch one of her favourite DVDs before bed, that neither of us would read to her tonight, and that nor would we listen to her ryhmes with her as she fell to sleep (as we do every night). Evelyn seemed to think that this was fair punishment and has gone to bed without a word of complaint.

Of course, before she went to sleep, we were sure to tell her how pleased we were with her for confessing what she had done, and that we always wanted her to be sure to tell us about any trouble she got into.

I'm only hoping that, as she grows up, the trouble is never any more serious than being told off for playing with 'supercat' toys while she should be concentrating on her school work.

I'm living in cloud cuckoo land, aren't I?

Jilly and I went to Evelyn's first nativity today, and it was...er...different. The reception and first year children presented 'Christmas With The Aliens', a retelling of the traditional Christmas nativity as told by alien visitors who have crashed on Earth.

It was lovely being at Evie's first Christmas nativity, and the children all clearly enjoyed themselves, especially Evelyn. Unfortunately, Jilly and I could hardly see Evelyn through the seated audience of parents and grandparents, as she was sat on the floor of the hall, singing.

Jilly and I agreed that - to spare the other childrens' embarrassment - Evelyn hadn't been given a speaking part in the part. Instead, Evie had been asked to share her delightful singing voice with the school.

Evelyn enjoyed another first today; her first organised school trip. Quite literally, Evie has been counting the days down as we have approached today and her trip to Cannon Hall Farm.

As Jilly and I went to bed, last night, Jilly told me of the conversation she had with Evelyn as she put her to bed.

"Daddy had better not be messing around in the morning. We need to get to school for my coach!"

I dropped Evelyn off at school as usual and she immediately made her way to her friends. The conversation, inevitably, was about the trip to the farm and I over heard one of the five-year-olds ask her friends, "This is all very exciting, isn't it?" I could hardly believe what I was hearing; do five-year-olds really speak like that?

When we were all in this evening, Evelyn was quick to assure Jilly and I that she had been a good girl all day, that she had always done as she had been asked by the teachers, and that she had had a lovely time. As she and Molly were in different groups, Evelyn sat next to Niamh on the coach and they were very sensible and chose to take it in turns sitting by the window (we did laugh!). Evie was especially excited to tell us about the baby goat and lamb that she "...feeded..." during her visit to the farm. Apparently, both the lamb and baby goat were very ticklish (I think Evie meant their chins tickled her as they ate from her hand...not that she had spent time tickling them!), but she loved feeding them nevertheless.

Evelyn has gone to bed a very sleepy little bunny tonight.

Evelyn has announced (with disturbing pride), that she has a wobbly tooth. Trying to wobble her tooth (with some ferocity), Evelyn explained that she was, "...doeing to dell Niamh" (going to tell Niamh) after the half-term holiday. In the same breath, though, Evelyn also explained that she thought the Tooth Fairy was probably on her way - tonight - to collect the tooth!

I think her attitude may well change when the pain and bleeding start. Watch this space...

In the run up to the Summer holidays (we'll be 'jetting off' to Cornwall again this summer!), Jilly and I agreed that Evelyn needed a new swimming costume (she's outgrown most of her exising ones).

We took Evelyn shopping for a costume this morning and, instead of the usual 'Little Mermaid' swimming costume, Evelyn was adamant that she wanted a bikini (gulp!). Fortunately, left to choose her own bikini with very little influence from Jilly or I, Evelyn chose a lovely white outfit with red polka dots, and a skirt on the bikini bottoms. She looks absolutely lovely in it.

I only hope that her taste in swimming costumes remains this conservative as she grows up. Well? I am her dad, aren't I!

Updated 21:16 - 21 May 2009
For the benefit of one of my readers, I've had to add inverted commas around the expression 'jetting off'. Naively, Jim believed that we were planning to jet off to Cornwall literally...we will, of course, be driving down to Cornwall (I say 'we', but I'll be the only one doing any actual driving!). And we'll be beginning our drive at about 4.00am. We know how to live the high life, alright!

Jilly and Evelyn went into town this afternon to collect Evie's new spectaculars...er...I mean spectacles.

And Evelyn looks absolutely beautiful in them.

Jilly and I took Evelyn for her long awaited eye test at the opticians today. Evelyn behaved impecably as the staff put her through all the necessary tests.

The optician told Jilly and I that there is nothing wrong with the health of Evelyn's eyes, but that her right eye may be a little lazy. The optician made another appointment for Evelyn to return for another test in three months time to see what affect Evelyn wearing spectacles has on her vision.

Evelyn is still terribly excited at the prospect of wearing 'gebs', and has chosen the same spectacle that she was looking at last week. They're not the pair that Jilly and I would have preferred she'd chosedn, but we agreed that we would prefer she was happy wearing them, and that she looked beautiful in them never-the-less.

Of course, I didn't have my camera with me to record the event, but I remembered that my mobile took decent photo's (and as Jilly seemed not to object), I took a few shots to record the event.

The latter photographs were taken after the optician had put drops into Evelyn's eyes to make them relax and dilate. The optician warned me that the eye drops would make Evelyn's eyes "smart abit" but Evelyn didn't bat an eyelid...er...so to speak! That's my brave liddle beaudee!

Jilly and I visited Evelyn's school for our first parents' evening tonight, and everything went better than we could have hoped.

Evelyn's teacher, Mrs W. told us that Evelyn, "is exceptional"! Evelyn has an excellent understanding of letters and numbers; such a good understanding that her knowledge rivals and surpasses that of many of the children that began school full-time in September.

If Mrs W. had one criticism of Evelyn, though, it was that she regularly forgets to raise her hand before speaking in class. What took the sting out of this particular tail, was that Mrs W. quickly added that, all too often, what Evelyn had to say was so interesting and relevant to the discussion, that she found herself listening to what Evelyn had to say, rather than stopping her and reminding her to raise her hand.

We were proud to tell Mrs W. about Evelyn's recent (very short) reading. Stood waiting for the bus into town, Evelyn announced, "That says BUS STOP!", as she pointed to the markings on the road. Jilly and Kieran were both very impressed. Typically, Kieran immediately asked Evelyn if she could spell POO-POO HEAD yet? Evelyn told him that she couldn't. "But I can spell 'POO POO'!", she added, "And NOO NOO!". Which, of course, she can; and did!

And...in an effort to help Evelyn settle into the school week, Jilly is volunteering to go into school on Monday mornings and help with food technology classes! In truth, I believe it's likely that this volunteering will be more beneficial to Jilly as she is definitely missing the Monday mornings and Thursdays that she and Evelyn used to share! Ah! My beaudeeful liddle laydees!

On the way home from the out-of-school-club this evening, Evelyn asked (as she always does) to walk through the two gates of the fenced playground.

When I asked her why she always wanted to walk through the playground, she told me,

"Because Jack goes in there!"

Jack is the older brother of Evelyn's new friend, Molly.

Jack is in year SIX.

That makes Jack about TEN-YEARS-OLD!

Does this amount to a first crush? I don't know; but I do know that when Jilly asked Evelyn if she liked Jack, Evelyn looked at her out of the corner of eyes, smiling coyly. The liddle minx!

And then...
During the evening news tonight, there was an article about the national anthem which showed several images of the Queen.

"Urg!", exclaimed Evelyn, "That old granny is gettin' married. That's wrong!"

Jilly and I are very pleased to report that Evelyn seems to be enjoying school much more now. Both of us are able to drop her off at school without incident, and she seems to have made a special friend of Molly, another new starter in the Reception Class, who seems to wait for Evelyn, each morning, as Jilly and I say goodbye to her.

Evie seems, also, to be enjoying school meals (no surprise there, then? Could that be down to nature and nurture?). Evelyn came home, today, with her breath absolutely reeking of garlic. When Jilly asked Evelyn what she had eaten for her lunch, Evie started to quiver with excitement; she had eaten, "...sausage and pasta followed by cake and pink custard!". When Jilly asked Evelyn what kind of cake it had been, Evie simply replied, "I couldn't tell because it was completely covered in pink custard!". Just as all beaudeeful girls' school dinner puddings should be!