Fabulous Four

Oh my goodness, another birthday and, Lydia, this time it is your turn, and you are FOUR.

You are awesome, Lydia. You are the girl wearing a princess dress, welly boots and a superhero cape. You are the girl who doesn't care what anyone else is doing, you are doing what makes you happy.  Often what makes you happy is doing what other people are doing (by people, I mean you (big) sisters), you love to be in the thick of it.  You love to join in the big girl games and are revelling in the fact that you are getting to be a big girl and often you really can join in the big girl games.

You love to have an adventure. Trees are to be climbed, streams to be crossed, hills to be climbed (then, ideally, rolled down) and rocks to be made into some sort of structure. On our recent holiday you had an amazing time building a den, you were so happy and I loved spending that day with you.

I have to confess, that sometimes with all the busyness of life, sometimes I feel like I forget you a bit.  I had a bit of a stress in the run up to this birthday feeling like I didn't know you because I didn't know what to get you for your birthday. I have since decided I don't know what to get 4 year olds as I remember having the same struggle with your big sisters too, but I am sorry that sometimes you get a bit forgotten. We've never left you anywhere but sometimes you just get dragged to things your big sisters are doing. I don't think there is much I can do about that, but I really am sorry.

You are so kind to your sisters (when you aren't fighting with them, you are sisters, after all).  You like to make sure that I know if anyone is upset and you are quick to dish out a cuddle to anyone who needs. You love to play with Esther and you get very sad if she needs to go for a sleep after you get home from nursery. I love watching you play together and I think you're going to have a brilliant time in the next few months when she starts to get better at playing.

Mainly, you are you. "I am NOT four, I am LYDIA!" You are the princess dress, welly boot wearing girl who knows what she wants.

My prayer for you this year, is that as well as knowing who you are, you will start to really know that you are God's princess, adopted into His family and that He loves you so, so much.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do.                                                     Ephesians 2:10

Drawers

We finally shifted all the decorating stuff out of the play room cupboard, and got ourselves some drawers to put in there instead. Miriam and Esther helped me out with the construction - in fact Miriam really did put in several screws herself, and did an excellent job otherwise of fetching things. Well done her!

Esther also got a couple of things quite effectively.

Deservedly pleased with herself!

New office

I've been in my new job a few months now (proper teaching starts for me in a couple of weeks!), and one of the perks of Stirling is that all lecturers get a pretty generous office to themselves. This is apparently because the university was built with the intention that staff would host small tutorials of a few students in their rooms, but higher education changed pretty soon after that to the larger groups we have today. It is still useful to have space for meetings with project groups, and frequent meetings with other researchers though. If one is having a hard day it's also good just to shut the door and have a lie down! I know one person who had an easy chair for such things, and another with a full hammock, but I'm not quite there yet.

I had one of these rooms before, but shared with my Greek chum Michael (now at Lancaster University) - but this one is all mine! I posted a few pics before, and here's me now all settled in...

First up, my old office door. That's my poster to the right, it's now moved to my new room.

I had - rather by accident - spread out to fill two desks in my old room.

Research Fellow no more!

See?

The view out of my window

 Now the new room... first, in its empty state pre-moving in.

and now with all my stuff! 

 

Look at those lovely fast machines behind my chair. Great.

Umbrella collection behind the door.

I didn't have a photo of my Japanese umbrella before. Here it is.