Dear Molly, today we went to the pantomime

Hi sweetheart. Today I took a rare day off work to take you to your very first pantomime with all of your little friends from school. I was pleased to meet Finton, Ruby, Sebastian, Florrie, Francesca, Jack, Jude and George. What lovely children and it was very sweet to see them all shouting your name and running over to see you. Hold onto your friends baby. They'll be important to you all through your life. Some will stay and some will go but each friendship is important so work hard at it and it will reward you. 

Very excited and ready to go!

Our pantomime was here, at the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds...

...And it was Aladdin

Aladdin was a colourful, musical, funny and exotic adventure...

...which held your attention perfectly from start to finish

It was a wonderful show. Beautifully performed and a good mix of laughs for you with a lovely rendition of Hushabye Mountain for Mummy. You turned to me and whispered, on several occasions, that "this pantomime is really brilliant Mummy". It was though. You were right.

"So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain

Wave good...bye to cares of the day

And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain

Sail far away from Lullaby Bay."

We had lunch at The Brinkley Lion on our return and had a nice walk home afterwards. Our village is beautiful in autumn.

Kicking the autumn leaves

Me and my shadow on our street!

And when we got home we made some paper dolls because I'd promised you that we would...and you don't forget that stuff! You wanted me to show you how to make paper dolls "like the Mummy in my book does for her little girl Mummy!" you said. 

...And so, we did

"And the little girl grew...into a mother, who helped her own little girl make some paper dolls. They were Poppy and Pinkie and Binky the Blinkie and Fred with one eyebrow and Flo with a bow" ~ Paper Dolls, Julia Donaldson & Rebecca Cobb (2012)

I had fun today sweetheart and hope you did too. Lots of love, as always, Mummy x

Dear Molly, today was fun...

Today we enjoyed the simple stuff. I love how happy that makes you and this is a magical time of year so it was only fitting that we did all of this...

You went on a carousel for the first time ever. You clung on so tightly, bursting with excited apprehension. I whispered in your ear that sometimes, but only on very rare and special occasions, carousel horses can jump off the carousel and gallop through the countryside on an adventure beyond your wildest imagination. "Wow!" You said. "I love the pretty carousel Mummy." still clinging onto the golden twisted pole as tightly as your little hands could.

"When you're with Mary Poppins, suddenly you're in places you never dreamed of!" ~ Bert (Dick Van Dyke), Mary Poppins (1964)

Yes, we met a real princess today. She was very sweet and friendly, as you'd expect a princess to be. You told her "my name is Molly and I am 3." She asked if you knew who Rapunzel was. You said that you did although I'm not sure that you do. I'll read you the story one day. The original that is, and only when you're old enough for the darker undertones contained within the works of The Grimm Brothers.

"Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried:

'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair to me.'" ~ Rapunzel, The Grimm Brothers (1812)

You were so happy with your helium balloon from the fair. You were even happier when I said that you used to call them be-boons. "When I was a little baby I called them be-boons Mummy?" Then you did your funny little belly laugh. Very sweet.

We came home and watched Miracle on 34th Street and put up the Christmas tree. You put baubles on the tree, set The tin plate Father Christmas and angel on the hearth, hung pine cone hedgehogs on the tree and told me matter-of-factly that "there are penguins at the North Pole where Father Christmas lives too Mummy. They are his friends." There is just so much magic waiting for you at Christmas my love and I can not wait to share it with you. 

I love you darling. See you in the morning, Mummy x

"I'm a symbol. I'm a symbol of the human ability to be able to suppress the selfish and hateful tendencies that rule the major part of our lives." ~ Kris Kringle (Richard Attenborough), Miracle on 34th Street (1994)