a very quick post as pretty tired!!
Wed we did some manic further tidying am, and then my parents, niece and nephew arrived. set them up with crafts and carried on tidying and preparing. had hoped to craft, but just 2 much stuff to do. I did manage to go up the v tall ladder lots to hang the nets and curtains at all the front windows – privacy at last!! did a fair bit of child wrangling as all too excited and not a dedicated adult 
lovely to have them all though. Also baked muffins.
thurs i was more dedcated 
so helped colour and craft including baubles, fimo , crackers. bb and e baked 2 cakes with me, sb and m played board games and wii games. rabbits have been coralled a bit as starting to like pulling cushions apart. played lots of christmas carols, was too snappy with both sb and bb [bb def a lot better, but v nasty bruise now on leg] but was lovely to e, including nearly singing her to sleep [she stayed awake, but t was v difficult, but she wanted to hear me to the end - aw bless ] M doesn’t talk about his mum, but e does, and she says her christmas wish is to see her mummy 
played alhambra with sb and mum. made a lovely pea and mint soup and also brandy butter. tidying pretty much there. the house has a lived in rather than ransacked look to it now anyway
rather upsettingly, the hired telescope does not appear to be working 
Oh e
Very hard for you with E, but good that she is talking about her mum – it shows she feels safe. I’d suggest best thing is to sympathise – give her a big cuddle and say how much you’d like that too, and if you can bear to, share some of your memories of her at Christmas, from when you were both children, from when E was tiny and maybe also more recently. Make it seem as though she is there, even though not physically.
Lots of hugs to you; you are amazing.