Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!

Wishing all our Family and Friends a very happy holiday season and we will see you in 2014. x

Where has all the time gone?

Its safe to say that with Xmas and IB's first birthday looming I feel like this year has flown by at supersonic speed. It is only 2 weeks until IB turns One. Its incredible how much happens in the space of the first year of a childs life. While IB develops her skills (shuffling around on her bum and getting into mischief) and language (calling almost everyone except mama by their name) EV is getting on with the important business of going to school.

We scooter to school with our neighbour almost everyday. The day in the photo must have been a hard day as bunny was taken to school that morning. I think this was about the beginning of her 5th week and she was utterly exhausted but refused to take a day off. Luckily EV is loving school with everything she has got and school loves her. She has made friends all over the place and is a regular social butterfly, as well as thriving on the learning and coming home everyday with new skills or knowledge. Last weeks favourite being counting to 199. Not 200 but 199. She has amassed a collection friendship bracelets which festoon her wrists and ankles like Xmas tree decorations. The other week we were talking about how she is finding school and I wanted to know if she was tired and she said that she loves it but it is tiring. She said she thought that school would be fun but didn't realize there would be so many things that they have to do, all of the time!

 I think her proudest achievement to date is getting two certificates for her efforts, one from her teacher and another from the Principal.

In the rush towards Xmas we have been trying to catch up with friends and loved ones including the girls' Great Gran.

I have been making gifts and IB is dragged around on my errands, including a visit to my favourite Art Supply Store, Studio Art Supplies in Grey Lynn. Its an amazing store and IB was enthralled by it all.

 Dada has visited Wellington for work a couple of times and EV got a treat of lolly disguises for being such a super kid while he was away. She modeled them for me with alot of enthusiasm. The moustache one cracks me up.

IB continues to try to eat anything she can, and has become the household Noonoo Monster number 2.

Things are going to be rather hectic around here as we get ready to celebrate the holidays with family. Hopefully the holidays give us all a chance to relax and I'm hanging out for that! Bring it on!

Its all about growing up.

Since EV's birthday its been a whirlwind of activities and growing up. Here is EV post birthday with her favourite clothes and pillowpet, a Unicorn of course. EV loves school so much she declared she even wants to go in the weekend.

IB is quite chatty these days, with her favourite words being IB, Dadee, EV, Uh oh and Happy. She is almost 11 months and is finally cutting her first tooth, a front tooth. Seemed like a good time to get her used to her proper toothbrush. "Uh oh" is often said while she dangles something over the side of her highchair. But if I say "no uh oh" she puts it on the table instead of dropping it which is a result. IB has developed a way of getting around which involves sitting on her bum and pulling herself forward using her hands. Sometimes she goes backwards instead of forwards but she is loving this new freedom.

We are still having some amazing days with lots of sun. Theres alot of trying to keep IB's sunhat on and remembering to put sunblock on EV before she goes to school.

 A couple of weeks ago we bumped into Great Nana at the mall. So she got a chance to get some cuddles with IB and to spoil EV.

And our loveliest friends have had their first baby which is very exciting. They had a bonny boy and EV was dying to visit him and have a cuddle. I don't think she thought he would cry so hard when she was cuddling him, but there will be plenty more chances to cuddle CJ without him crying especially if EV gets her plan to go and stay with Aunty Lav and 'Unful' Dom (maybe later).

 

The First Day.

EV started school on Monday. In NZ a child is allowed to start school after their 5th Birthday. We had made a few visits to her new school and met her teacher and classmates. So when it was time to start EV already felt at home, just more excited if that's even possible.

It was a lovely day too which made the walk to school easy. We all walked together as Dada wanted to see EV's classroom and teacher. When we arrived I took a photo of EV at the old front entrance.

Then EV took off in front of us as she was so excited she couldn't wait to get to class. I managed to catch up and see her as she walked up to the door and looked in, and then went to her teacher to say she had arrived. 

 

The bell rang and EV sat on the mat in the front beside the teacher and waved goodbye to me with a huge smile on her face. That afternoon when IB and I went to collect her EV came straight to me and said that she had a great day at school! She was very tired though so I gave her a tow home on her scooter.

On the second day she told me a boy kissed her on her cheek, and she lost her sunhat. She also came home with her book bag and did her first reading homework. Yesterday they had a swimming lesson and she played with some kids she didn't know. I think each day she seems to find a new kid to play with, and everyday she tells me how good school was. She even came home with the class bear and took photos with the bear to write up a story in Bear's Book.

"Bear and me watered the plant".

 

 
It's all been very exciting and I think she will be pretty tired this weekend!

F I V E !

EV turned 5 on Sunday! We had a party with her friends to celebrate. We played pass the parcel, and Pin the tail on the Unicorn (I was helping with this game and I didn't get any photos of it, if anyone took a photo of this I would love to have a copy). 
Before the party started we hung up the pinata, which looked pretty cool.

I think EV is especially lucky as her birthday coincides with the beginning of strawberry season, so there were a lot of strawberries, and a cake of course.

Waiting for the candles to be lit.

EV wanted a castle cake to go with her Princess, Prince, Knights and Dragons theme. I had to give it a go of course. Lets just say I am over cake decorating (for another year at least).
We also made the 'Princess/Queen dress' that EV wore. She chose the red satin and I chose the purple for the detail. I made it up as I sewed. Its basically an apron that wraps around and is velcroed at the back.

Then the finale was the pinata!

Those kids gave it some good whacks and in the end Dada had to give it a good shake to get all of the goodies out. We were all pretty tired after such a fun party so we relaxed and rested for the evening as EV starts school on Monday, and that is just as exciting as having a party.

Last Day at Pre-School.

Friday was an exciting day for EV as it was her last day at pre-school. When we picked her up she was looking through her folder of memories with her lovely teacher and some fellow Pukekos. She was sad to be leaving and said that she would miss her friends most of all.

We went to the beer house for a short visit to toast finishing pre-school. EV was very tired so we cruised home to enjoy the last rays of the very warm and sunny evening. Here are the staunch crew, back lit as I am kind of partial to that if you hadn't noticed.

Never Doubt a Giant Pumpkin.

I guess the the seeds liked the watering. Serves me right for doubting them on the Internet because literally right after I posted the previous story I found this seedling. If it had a speech bubble I'm sure it would say

Planting Giant Pumpkin Seeds.

Dada acquired a couple of pumpkin seeds that are supposed to grow giant pumpkins, and apparently we needed to plant them on October 1st. All of this was forgotten until just before bedtime on October 1st when EV declared "We forgot to plant the seeds!". So in their PJ's the girls planted two seeds in the hope that a couple of seedlings for giant pumpkins will grow. (I did find EV over-watering them a couple of days later, at which point my hopes of the seeds germinating was dampened).

 

 
I was kind of looking forward to seeing how big they could grow, but there is no sign of a seedling. However planting at Twilight is kind of fun.

A Crystal Loveheart.

I can't remember what I spent my first savings on but I can remember having a piggy bank as a kid. EV has about 5 piggy banks but she's only using 2 of them at the moment. I don't quite know how she manages it but she seems to collect quite a few coins.

 

At the beginning of this week EV told me that we would go out this weekend so she could buy a secret. I was curious to know and she told me she was going to get a crystal loveheart, a pink one. I asked her if it was one she wanted to wear or just to hold? She said she wanted to hold it in her hands. That sounded ok by me, and this morning I came into the living room to find that she had emptied all of her money out of her piggy bank and with dada's help they had counted it, she had $25! That would definitely buy a pink crystal loveheart. So EV and I went to the local crystal shop and she found the one she had "wished for". She was very clear about which one she wanted. Then we counted out the coins and paid for it, she was so happy. I told her she had chosen a rose quartz crystal and it is said that they represent love. "Thats good because I need love" she said. 

We celebrated a successful shopping adventure by having noodle soup for lunch. EV had a good look at her loveheart before our lunch came, she even let me hold it so I could make a wish.

A Bit of This and That.

Last Saturday the girls went to Chloe's 5th Birthday. She's known as Big Chloe in our house because her birthday comes before the other Chloe (little Chloe) and is in fact the first birthday to kick off October, in which we will be attending a total of 7 parties including EV's. Its a busy month! IB had her first wearing of her tutu. Of course EV changed into her tutu to match.

I have to say those face painters do a fantastic job. That line up photo cracks me up.

Here is EV with the camera she made at school. They had a portrait photographer visit and take photos of the kids. When she came home she proceeded to create a studio setting in which to take some photos with her camera. It was very revealing of the poses she had done for the photographer that day, including posing with an umbrella and sitting on a little stool. She had me recreate these poses so she could 'photograph' me. All I could think is thank god its not a real camera! There's a good reason to take photos, so I don't have to be in them.

IB now rocks the little seat in the trolley at the store. We don't need the little baby seat anymore. Although I do need to keep an eye on IB, turns out she's a bit handsy (note the grab of the celery leaves). The poor wee soul had a vomiting bug a couple of weeks ago. It was after our school visits so I do wonder whether she picked it up there. She was sick for a day or so but recovered well. I took this photo as I couldn't believe how peaceful she looked after vomiting so much. I'm sure she will love me for that one day.