A Grand pair of Smiles

We had a lovely weekend with (at least) ten visitors, including the notoriously (in)famous cameraholic, Grandad Walton. Despite the many thousand upon thousand upon thousand of failed attempts I and many others have made to photograph the girls smiling, it was all in the push of a button for Grandad Walton. In fact, they were smiling so readily for this jolly old bearded postman - more than they have for myself and Ailsa - that you'd think he'd have a harder time catching the more sober side of his granddaughters. But could I get a smiling picture? No, not once, not once in several thousand attempts. And so with great pleasure, I can share with you the first photographs of my daughters' wonderful smiles:

Violet Grace Lucille


Ivy Elisabeth Clare

Baptism

Ivy and Violet are being Baptised on the 15th of February.  Everyone is more than welcome to come and celebrate with them as they are received into the Church with this great Sacrament.  Please email or text one of us for details:  almachius@gmail.com  &  ailsawalton@gmail.com

As you may already know, Violet has in fact been Baptised already, so it is really only Ivy's Baptism, but Violet will join Ivy in several other rites which she did not have in Liverpool.

Which weight weighs weightiest?

Last Wednesday they were weighed at the hospital at c. Iv: 7,14 & Vi: 6,00.  Bearing in mind that they are usually measured on the health-visitor's scales, we were not surprised to find that the girls had 'gained' more weight than was to be expected.

And so when they were popped onto the health-visitor's balance this afternoon, we were expecting a more sober measurement than taken last week.  Anyway, today Ivy was weighed at 8 pounds, 3, so she had indeed gone up, consistent with last week's reading.  Violet on the other hand was 5 pounds, 14.

Has she lost two ounces?  Probably not: we have certainly noticed a few more chins in the making and well, you've seen for yourself her attitude toward a good fry-up.  Are the scales different?  Of course - but to what extent?  And which one is true, and does this matter?  Does the NHS advocate a plurality of truths?, a subjectivity of reality?; are we to elevate the measurement over the measured?, the structure over the matter?, the signifier over the signified?

Anyway, so there you go.  Today, Violet is 5, 14 and Ivy 8, 3.

TTFN

Oh, who on earth is that?

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For the first time ever (as far as we know), the girls have actually made eye contact and smiled at each other!  It was really lovely; let''s hope this is a sign of things to come :-)

Does anyone have the number for Rosemary Conley?

Violet Grace (Greedy Face)It's no wonder she's put on eleven ounces in one week.

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Weight

Amazing!

Ivy: 7 pound, 14
Violet: 6 pound

Big and beautiful, blue-eyed, bouncing babies

The little ladies have just been weighed: Ivy is now an astonishingly gigantic 7 pounds, 8 ounces; and Violet is catching up at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. Well done tiny1 and tiny2!

Ivy Elisabeth Clare +
Violet Grace Lucille

Happy Epiphany!

Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar, Ivy and Grandpa

The wonderful feast of the Epiphany is usually celebrated on the 6th of January. Everybody knows this. Even people who don't know this know this. Even people who don't know that they know this despite their not knowing it still know this.

HOWEVER

The Council of [RC] Bishops in England and Wales has spoken. This year it is on the 4th, that is, last Sunday, and for good reasons I'm sure. But, frankly, on this occasion I think they've out-dafted themselves a little bit too much, and so, although I humbly obey, I do wish they had just left things the way they were.

ANYWAY, that's a different cheese for a different cake, and the Walton Quartet would just like to wish everyone a Happy Epiphany!. On this twelfth day of Christmas, may we all finish our boxes of chocolate, mulled wine and smelly cheeses with joy and gratitude...

tomorrow, let the diet commence...

Violet
Violet and Ivy
IvyHappy Epiphany!

Ivy wearing hats

The Fifth

My daughters are 4 months old today: Violet at 13:54; Ivy at 13:55 ! Well done girls :-)


This is a filum I took a few evenings ago:

Ivy & Violet

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