Safety is cool

I finally got around to getting a new helmet because the old one now lives at NeeNee and PopPop's house. EV loved the new one so much she wore it all day (nearly), even in the supermarket. After her nap we went to the tennis courts around the corner so she could have a big ride. After school the kids came out to do tennis practice and EV said "Mama, the kids playing tentis".

I have to say I am rather impressed with the quality of photos my new phone takes!

Shopping at 'Bunnies'

 Last Friday EV went around with a little measuring tape to measure things. She even took it to Bunnings hardware warehouse which was handy. She loves "Bunnies" because they have little shopping trolleys that she can push. I wanted a photo but she was pretty speedy.

Thursday's music day

EV loves music. She loves to sing and dance, and lately its all been about dancing and music. We went to our local kids music group on Thursday morning and EV chose to wear her dancing skirt. She likes to choose her outfits these days, and usually calls them her dancing shoes, or dancing skirt or such like.

 

Later on that day EV got it in her head she was going to perform a talent show for Dada and me. She came into the lounge with her ukulele and strummed and sang very loudly. It seems that in EV's talent shows the talent likes to sing very loudly.

This is from the second act in the talent show which was performed on the couch next to my ears.

A horse of course

EV asked me to draw a horse for her. I drew a skipping horse in pink crayon. Later on I noticed the toy horse lying on top of the drawing. EV must have been making comparisons between them. Does this mean we have a critic in the family? Just what I need for my art.

The end of the golden weather

PopPop wanted to get away for a weekend on Uncle P's boat and EV and Mama and Dada were invited! Its Ev's first time away on a boat so it was very exciting, and a good way to be distracted from missing Granny and Papa who had just left.

 It was a beautiful Friday as we left Auckland City behind. Ev was a bit wary of the boat at first but after half an hour she was into it and was happy to wander through the cabins.

 We stopped near Rakino Is for a fish, but didn't catch anything (had loads of bites though). Then we went and picked Dada up from Waiheke.

 Later on Neenee arrived with Uncle Daz and Neenee gave EV her first fishing rod (a pink one of course) and they had a little practice while the sun went down.

Later that night we heard about the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami warning! Dada and I woke up early the next morning to see if the tsunami warning was still on, and we decided to go out to the open sea rather than being in the bay. We had a nice breakfast floating around off Waiheke waiting to see if anything would happen wave wise. Luckily it didn't so we decided to head to Garden Cove for a swim and a play on the rope swings.

Uncle Daz joined us too and EV was learning how to use the whistle on her life jacket.

After that we headed to the bottom of Waiheke to Rotoroa Is for some scallops and to anchor for the night.

 EV fell asleep on the way there, and when we arrived we all went for a swim. Perfect!

Eventually Uncle Daz turned up with some snapper for dinner. EV and Dada watched PopPop fillet the fish while the sun went down behind Waiheke.

I think this weekend was a perfect way to end the summer.

Komban wa

EV loves Japanese food and a couple of weeks ago we went to a lovely local sushi and sake bar to celebrate our friends birthday. Before we went we taught EV to say "komban wa" and when we arrived at the restaurant EV said "komban wa" to the waitress. We had a lovely time and EV ate her favourite things, rice, seaweed salad and salmon sashimi. When we left she insisted Dada take her back inside so she could say "komban wa" again to the waitresses. It could be interesting to see if she could say "gochisosama deshita"

I have been thinking about Japan since the earthquake and tsunami occurred last week. My thoughts are with my lovely Japanese friends and I hope that they and their families are safe and well!

x x x x

E haere ra!

On the last day of Granny and Papa's holiday we went to Cornwall Park for a picnic or 'pic-a-nic' as EV calls them.

After our picnic Ev had a long nap so she could stay up late to see Granny and Papa off at the airport. She woke up with a fringe that I think I had in the 80's.

Then we had to say bye bye to Granny and Papa.

Mission Bay

Our last week with Granny and Papa was a good time to make the most of the sun before they went back to the northern hemisphere. We went on a wee visit to Mission Bay, a favourite spot of Granny and Papa, and on a day like this you can't blame them really.

The best bit for EV? We had to ride on the train and the bus to get there and home.

A birthday party in the park

EV was invited to Emi's 2nd birthday party in the park. It was a beautiful day and Emi's Mama and Dada did a fantastic job of feeding and watering everyone.

Emi's Mama is a crafty Lady and she made a beautiful Tepee for Emi.

 

All the kids loved playing in the big trees. Caro helped EV walk up the roots of a huge tree.

After the cake and prezzies had been devoured there was a lot of Kite flying action going on. EV got to fly her first kite.