Last night we held a "Healing Party" for Nina. Nina has been struggling with the temptation to scratch her skin for a long time. I have tried many approaches without success and finally decided to offer her a party as a reward if she could let the most tempting spots be long enough for them to heal. She exhibited excellent self-control and by Thursday the one on her arm was almost invisible. Unfortunately H. was out to dinner on Thursday night so we decided to postpone until Saturday, which turned out to be not the best choice as temptation was too difficult to resist. We pushed the party back to Sunday and I realized again the importance of giving rewards as soon as the target is achieved. So last night we hung our party bunting and served ice cream sundaes with lollipops stuck in them, Coke for Nina, and pineapple juice for Sam. We stuck an iPod in Nina's pink Build-A-Bear and played Kraftwerk and Kasabian at Nina's request. Nina was pleased with the party atmosphere. Grandma had sent along a couple of books for the kids, not specifically for the party, but it seemed an appropriate time to present them. She gave Nina "Linnea in Monet's Garden," and Nina found it captivating. Nina requested a visit to the actual garden in France. I hope we can take her there at some point.
Cricket season has started for Sam. On Saturday he did some scorekeeping for the All Soul's church team. It was a very cold day but he was warmly dressed. He was able to concentrate for awhile but then wanted to do some practice batting with H. (scorekeeping is a very long process-- it usually takes over an hour for one side to play). On Sunday morning Sam had his first official practice. The previous practice, the school practice, and the first game were all called off due to weather; when the game was called off, Sam was upset and wondered what we could do to change the weather. Yesterday he was so happy cricket was happening that he got himself all ready before 8AM (practice started at 10). We expect his first match, as part of the A team, to happen this Tuesday.
Nina has become a keen rope skipper. I got an extra-long rope, the length they probably have at the school, for us to practice with at home, and she has been enjoying skipping sessions immensely. It is lovely to see her succeed at skipping and have fun doing it (I never worked up the courage to attempt skipping as a child-- I stuck with rope turning).
We need to work on making sure Nina gets enough exercise/enough squeezes to help her modulate her energy level. That is an ongoing process.
On Saturday both Sam and Nina went to Vineyard football, which was great, only Nina has gone in the past. There was only one child Sam's age there but he didn't seem to mind.
The next week will be a busy one. This Saturday Nina will dance and Sam will sing at the May Fair, we expect visitors from Sweden for the day of the Fair as well. On Sunday we have tickets for the London Pet Expo (yay!), and on Tuesday, the kids will likely see the Queen, who is coming to Richmond as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour.

Yesterday Uncle Hans and Auntie Marianne arrived at our house at about 10 in the morning. After fika (coffee&biscuits) we prepared for the May Fair. Hans &H went with Nina to the ballet studio while Marianne and I took Sam to the church in central Richmond where he would be singing with the choir. We were lucky with the weather-- for the past few years it has been very cold during the May Fair, and last year it rained, but this year was sunny and warm enough (although a bit chilly in the shade). Nina's performance went well; I got to see it on video. Just after Nina's dance, H. was called up on stage to assist two "escapologists." I'm sorry I missed that as it sounds like it must have been quite entertaining. :) Nina was pleased that H. was rewarded with candy for his participation.
Sam seemed to enjoy the choir performance. The main choir sang a couple of Cat Stevens songs, and Sam also sang "Strike the Viol" by Purcell with the chamber choir.
When we all met at the Fair, we spent quite a lot of time at the Vineyard School stall making smoothies on the smoothie bike for nearly everyone in our party. The kids went on the swingboats, and then we went to meet the greyhounds and both kids happily pet them. Nina introduced Marianne to the Helter Skelter, Sam played Ring the Bell, and then it was time to leave. H. took Hans and Marianne up to the Roebuck to admire the view over the Thames and enjoy an English ale in the sunshine, while the kids and I returned home to regroup after the morning. When Hans, Marianne, &H returned they had "Random Hug" stickers on as it was apparently "Random Hug" day. For the rest of the evening Nina gave lots and lots of random hugs. :)
We had a lovely dinner all together and then it was time to say goodbye. We hope to see you back soon Hans&Maja and thank you for the lovely gifts as well! Thanks to you I have trattkantarell stuvning to look forward to!
Today began with Sam's second cricket match. At his first, he did some good batting but didn't run, but he took two wickets clean-bowled, including one against a friend of his from church. During today's game he also did some good batting and did one stumping while bowling.
Nina went to gymnastics as usual on a Sunday, and then after lunch we were off to the London Pet Expo. I don't think either kid really understood what a pet show would be all about, and Nina was a bit nervous. But they both loved it. Nina pet so many cats and dogs, and even pet a rabbit and a rat (!). Sam stuck with petting some dogs, had a close encounter with a German Shepherd that went reasonably well, and was intrigued by seeing some of the breeds he has read about in the Encyclopedia of the Dog in real life. We got to watch agility, obedience, and fly ball, and the kids even got to do a mini-agility course against a dog. That particular bit proved problematic as the Shetland Sheepdog was a bit faster than Nina, but petting the rabbit helped Nina recover. It is quite amazing really that we were able to do this when before Christmas the mere thought of being that close to so many dogs would have been terrifying for both children.
Nina has been doing much better in her maths tests at school. Turns out practice at home really helps...