:: 33 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

A & E: There have been lots of requests to watch something this week and I have allowed because these bugs, while diminishing are still lingering. It feels like we haven't done much other than go to the doctor's once a week and have the odd trip to pick up or drop off Superma over the last almost-month! I guess that's winter for us. We are, however, getting very very excited about our closely-approaching holiday to Switzerland, so we're trying to take care of ourselves and get well before that date arrives. I had a lot of fun visiting several shops in the city yesterday collecting fun things for you both to do during the flights and long-ish layover in Sydney. I couldn't resist showing you (!) but now we all have to be very patient for another three weeks ;o) 

T: You love playing with the kitchen utensils, but I've noticed since last week's visit from Lucy (who now feeds herself) you have been doing a lot of stirring in bowls and insisting on trying to feed yourself too! It's very cute. We have a little progress to go yet, but you are very focused and sweet to watch. You've also stood on your own a few times for several seconds, so it can't be toooo long before you realise how close you are to walking. In the meantime you busy yourself in finding any possible exit into the hallway to get to the laundry to watch the washing machine or eat Katie's cat biscuits, or alternatively make a beeline for the toilet. If the doors are shut, then pulling the heater plugs out or going for the kitchen drawers and cupboards are much-frequented destinations, but the jammed fingers not so fun :o( Constantly moving, discovering and finding things to play with these days!

:: 32 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Our little guy's birthday week! What a wonderful gift it is to celebrate one whole year of spending life with you! You are much loved by us and we had a fun week celebrating you :o)

A: Your brother's teepee was occupied with pillows and blankets and girls within minutes of being set up! Thankfully at this age he was quite unaware ;o) I'm sure this will be the centre of many adventures to come.

E: Sweet girl - a photo taken by one of your favourite people in the whole wide world - Aunty Jomine :o)

T: The birthday boy! This photo was taken with some very stealthy crown placing movements by mummy followed in quick succession by funny distractions because boy, you are fast to remove anything that gets put on your head! Your birthday gift of Duplo has been strategic in ensuring you also get to play with your sisters...seeing as you own quite a large share of it now!

We had a lovely little celebration among our northern family this weekend, complete with two of your favourites present - Oska and cousin Lucy - and enjoyed yummy treats in the winter sunshine. And, though you still have ear infections, your happy self returned on your birthday and your colour is back - though the sickness is still sticking around.

:: 31 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

The bugs have continued with us throughout this week, so with wild wintery weather included, we've spent a lot of time indoors! Much time at the table making beautiful pieces of art ;o)

A: You always have an entertaining, enthusiastic running commentary as you draw. We were drawing faces for the first time. I drew the circles and you filled in the details. It's always fun to see what you create and how different you both are. 

E: Quietly creating and adding wacky hairstyles to your faces. You're so sweet to watch, engrossed in your artwork. 

T: This was a pretty tough week for you, little guy. Two ear infections and a croupy cough - it was no wonder you looked so pale and were not your usual happy self for several days. With necessary medications we hope you'll be back to your smiles by your birthday in a few days!

:: 30 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

We've been plagued by winter bugs this week. Pale faces, runny noses and tired little bodies. 

A: Engrossed in a video. Your recent favourites are Arthur and Berenstain Bears, after books we've been reading. The enduring favourites are anything Veggietales, Tchoupi, Petit Ours Brun, among others!

E: For you, our water-loving girl, it doesn't get much better than a spa! It's been a treat to have one in the garden, however a mystery leak has meant it is now empty and waiting to be fixed (Papa has hopefully solved the mystery!). 

T: Our ever-moving, adventurous boy. One of your favourite spots is here - playing with the handle of the fire door. Thankfully only within reach when it's open and being cleaned out or set up for a new fire - not when it's hot!

:: 29 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

I treated my girls to a new set of colouring pens this week seeing as they spend so much time drawing and their little collection had dwindled to only a couple. I did get a little over enthusiastic with a newly received printer shortly afterwards, though, and printed them out a pile of colouring-in pages of their favourite characters (i.e. Veggietales, Winnie the Pooh and Friends and Frozen) which meant that they were being coloured in rapid succession. Next time we'll ration them! But it is fun to see how they're both developing quite distinct ways of drawing. I can tell who has done which one just from these differences. One draws in squiggles and loops and the other tries very hard to colour in each different section. Very cute!

A: I love all the colours you use and your descriptions of what you've created. And this being one of your very favourite "friends" at the moment is worth capturing as a memory for time to come.

E: Your attention to detail is impressive. I always smile to myself and show Papa your creations and remark on how you've made sure you colour each section in. Your imagination is quite wild, too. It makes for some interesting drawings, like when I'm requested to draw you a monkey holding a turtle with a bottle of sun cream ;o)

T: It's not uncommon to see you trooping around with something in your mouth. Either a coloured wooden peg or a Duplo man. Your buddy Oska is off to a new home this week and I know you'll miss him, especially since you now say your own version of his name and love to watch his every movement. I'm thinking, though, that Oska will be quite relieved to be out of your collar-pulling clutches!

As a little extra I had a wee moment out in the garden the other day during one of our three-in-a-row beautiful, clear, sunny days this past week. The camelias caught my eye, as well as these berries on bare branches. A little Auckland winterscape ;o)

Have a great week out there!

:: 28 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

We went for a stretch of almost 10 days without going off the property during the last couple of weeks, thanks to a couple of mystery rashes that appeared, then days of galeforce winds followed by a couple of days of solid rain! Unlike last year, this winter has treated us to some pretty enforced-stay-at-home days, which also means that clothes don't often replace the pyjamas until near lunch time and there is a lot of playing happening. Not a bad thing at all! During the first part of this last week the girls entered a colouring competition. As soon as I saw that it featured their current favourites - the Veggietales - I knew it was something they'd enjoy doing. They didn't quite understand the concept of having to send their completed pictures in, understandably, and while working away with crayons, pens, stickers, glue, glitter, and eyes, kept changing their minds about who they were going to give them to. I had to gently convince them that we were going to send them to the bookstore because they just might receive a pretty cool Veggietales prize. They love everything creative and are often found writing letters, making birthday cards or drawing pictures for various family members. 

Another current creative venture is constructing all sorts of things with their Duplo. Duplo has won me over since realising that the little guy can't choke on any of the pieces, as he is also a big fan at the moment. Though his creative use is more along the lines of crawling around with a Duplo man in his mouth or making "Brrrrrmmmmm!!" noises while pushing the car along. There have been several protest calls for help to keep him away from precious creations and vows that he can "never ever" touch the play kitchen or Duplo. Poor little guy! I often have to do a little negotiating on his and their behalf, and on the whole we come to a happy outcome ;o)

A: It's always fun watching you and your sister create, as it is seeing how your drawing/creating is developing. You took great care with this picture and the running commentary throughout the whole process was quite funny and priceless!

E: We're growing out your fringes at the moment, and several times I've been so close to sending a message to our favourite hair"cutter" to book an appointment because I do love them and you can hardly see when the hairclips and ties slip out! But we will persevere for a few weeks yet. You've had a great time building all sorts of fun constructions with your toys this week. Your little brother is not always a welcome companion during these times, though he quite admires your efforts and would love to grab a hold of them! 

T: These days you're either constantly on the move, trying to get to the laundry or toilet, or occupied with an interesting object you've spotted, pulling yourself up to your feet, often with an enthusiastic goal to reach Oska. This development of being able to stand up has foiled Oska's ability to get out of your reach, so I have to be extra vigiliant to come to his rescue now. As good as he is with children, Oska really doesn't appreciate his tags being pulled as much as you enjoy pulling on them. "No" has been a very recently introduced concept to you, our very adventurous and determined little explorer! 

Linking in with Jodi

:: 27 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

It's been an interesting week around here. Unpacking boxes, getting used to not living near my parents and now my sister and her little family, and the wintery weather (albeit Auckland style) has stayed with us through-out. I'd rather have my family and/or their new beautiful, sunny wintery locations! Anyway, we're adjusting. The girls made the comment today "When Superma and Megapop come back from holiday..." to which I had to remind them that it's not a holiday - they are now living in another house quite far away from us. Thankfully we have an upcoming visit from Superma, and then not long afterwards we'll have my sister and co. here with us too. And we have a quickly-approaching and much-anticipated trip to Switzerland. So while life has changed a lot here lately and there can be much to feel a bit sad and unsure about, there is still a lot to enjoy and a lot to look forward to :o) 

A: You appeared in our bed in the middle of last night with a very hot temperature, which reappeared during the day today, but both times you insisted you felt ok. Hopefully that will pass quickly! After a long afternoon nap you enjoyed spending some time with the little bunnies we're caring for, who were having fun jumping in and out of the boxes in the lounge!

E: You're not as much of a sleeper as your sister - you never really have been. More and more frequently lately that means you don't last too long in your room for after-lunch rest time before you appear asking if you can get up again. It's clear that you love this one-on-one time with us and we enjoy your company and chatter. You had fun today helping Papa move the bunnies' hutch to longer grass, then helping him bring them up to have some time inside while the wind blew gales. 

T: This is most-often the scene we see when we leave you for a nap. As soon as you are laid down, you quickly get right up again, pull yourself up to your feet and chew on the edge of the cot. Several times I go in to get you after your sleep and see paint flecks on your face. I hope and trust it is all baby-safe because right along the top of the side of your cot you have been chewing! You are now 11 months old, which means that very soon you'll be one! Wow, this year has flown by, but on the other hand I can't clearly remember what life was like without you. There are grandparents counting down the days on the other side of the world to spend time with you after saying goodbye when you were only a week old. How you have changed in the time since then!

Oska: Our fourth child for another few weeks before you (unknowingly) embark on a new life in Tauranga...where you will undoubtedly be much loved and spoilt! In the meantime you spend most of your days sleeping somewhere warm, and bundled up in your winter jersey. Tonight's location in front of the fire was a great one until a certain little crawling fan of yours wouldn't leave you in peace! 

 

Linking in with Jodi

:: 26 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Wow. And just like that, we're half way through the year! It's been a very full week around here. My dad's 60th birthday which included a family meal out on his actual birthday then a celebration with plenty of friends on Saturday night. In between we moved out of our little farm house and into my parents' and then my parents left for their move down to Christchurch on Sunday morning. So there was a lot of time with family, which was great! Lots of boxes and cleaning and unpacking and then some goodbyes - not so fun. We're now settling into our new home, which feels so much more like "home" probably because it is a family home. We feel very blessed to be here, but it's bittersweet knowing that it means my parents will now live a long way away. 

A: It's always fun to watch you play and listen to the worlds you create with your wonderful imagination. You are incredibly quick, creative and fun!

E: We're looking after a little friend's two bunnies while she's overseas for two months. This was your introduction to one. We're pretty excited to have pets. In fact, within one day of our move we have acquired four pets for the moment - a dog, a cat and two rabbits! 

T: We're Oska's temporary family for a few weeks until he will move to stay with my sister and her family once they've settled into their new home and city. You're very happy to have his more permanent company for a while, and he's generally very good with allowing little, unpredictable people to get close!

You're a fan of everyone who stops and gives you their time. It was a lot of fun having family stay overnight on Saturday and you were more than pleased to have your cousin around. She's your size, even though she's 8 months older and an object of much interest to you as she is much more mobile, coming and going all around the house. We had some fun moments and memories created with you and your pyjama twin :o) 

 Linking in with Jodi

:: 25 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

It's been an interesting week around here. Mum and Dad chose the best week to go to Rarotonga because the weather has been particularly wintery (for Auckland standards) and there has been a lot of rain, which always throws a spanner in the never-ending-piles-of-laundry-and-no-dryer works ;o) Our girls have also been unwell, we've been packing for our move and looking after Oska, my parents' little furry guy. Needless to say there has been a bit of cabin fever for four little people and one big person! It was nice to get some decent length of sunshine this afternoon to get out into. 

A: When we moved in here there were two telephones on a shelf. They've been well used since in making phone calls to friends. I'm often called on to talk to Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato, Junior Asparagus, Peppa Pig and all sorts of friends who are not well, coming to parties and going places. I love the sparkles in the grinning eyes when I do talk to these friends ;o)

E: Caught your sister's bug, but just like her you insist that you feel ok, even though it's clear you're not 100%. I'm always amazed at your toughness in these times! Today you had fun playing outdoors helping Papa pack the van, picking flowers for your favourite people and riding your bike around. Your heart is ever thoughtful and sweet. 

T: I hoped to catch a photo of a moment I spotted when Oska was sitting beside you, which is undoubtedly something you love, being one of his biggest fans! Those moments are fleeting because you're quick to grab hair, or in Oska's case, his fur, and as soon as I moved he did too. I did however catch your adoring look as you watched him :o) Between you and Lucy, Oska's popularity is assured!

Oska: Being our fourth child this week, of course you must feature ;o) Especially seeing as you will be moving much further away in just over a week. You're fast and you keep us on our toes - sometimes a little too much - when we let you out for a few minutes of freedom. Here you had slipped quickly through the fence into the neighbouring field, but only for a moment (no worries, mum and dad!). Sorry, buddy, no doubt you'll be happy to be back in a fully fenced section to roam in freedom tomorrow!

 

 Linking in with Jodi

:: 24 : 52 ::

"A portrait of our children once a week, every week, in 2014."

A: Not wanting to sleep after lunch, you ventured out and I said that Papa might need some help cleaning the kayak. You eagerly ran out and got stuck in, brushing away the sand, hosing the kayak off and doing whatever needed doing. You're a wonderful helper with a brilliant mind and great sense of fun and humour. We love your company!

E: While your sister and brother slept and you couldn't, you sat at the table painting and chatting in equal measures. Your presence is delightful as you share your sweet thoughts, thrilled at the chance to be just you and me. I love these moments :o)

T: Just up from your nap, cosy and cuddly and having a bit of a sore day with teething. You love the new freedom you have in being able to crawl wherever you want to go. But there are so many things to see as you venture. This afternoon Papa was taking down the trampoline as we prepare for our imminent move and you enjoyed watching your sisters bounce before it was tucked away in boxes. It still seems strange that this is our winter time - where we can be outside in bare feet and still relatively comfortable. As much as I miss the snow, it is amazing how winter seems to pass by with the blink of an eye.

 Linking in with Jodi