Wonderful One !

What can you do when you are 1 ?



See how much your tree has grown since you had your placenta planted.



Stay on your swing as long as you like and complain bitterly when someone tries to remove you.



Have your first birthday cake.



Look gorgeous on your birthday.



Have a laugh.



Dress up.



Let your big sister dress you up.



Dig in the garden and eat it.



Climb high ladders.



Do a funky dance !

Fabulous 4 !!

It's nearly a month of celebration for Anika - being a Boxing Day baby. Pre christmas birthday party with her antenatal friends as they all have birthdays close to christmas - Christmas Day - the real birthday on Boxing Day - then dribs and drabs of presents arriving after christmas in the mail from those far away.


The name of cake for the Antenatal Party is called a Circle of Friends. It is lovely to see how this group of kids have bonded so well and I hope will be friends for life !


Fabulous 4 - what does that look like for Anika. Yes - friends - very important to her - is this a home day ? Can we have someone to stay ? Play ? Are we going out today ?

It's about believing in things - like Santa and that he is all powerful and is able to organise Mum and Dad to give you a bike for christmas.


It's about loving your goggles so much that you wear them all morning and take them to bed and they are highlight of Christmas Day. A special fashion accessory to go with the new bike !!

It's about being like your friends - having the same stuff, doing the same things - cup, plate, santa sack, bikes etc.


OK - (see below) this is a little extreme but this is not about Anika but about a tradition that 'the' cousins have of receiving the same P.J's from Grandad each Christmas.

But hanging out with her cousins is what being 4 is all about - working out how to relate - compete, control, follow, laugh, dance, dig, share .... it's great to have cousins that are your friends as well !

It's about telling everyone you are that magic number .... 4 !!!!!!!!

And it's about knowing ... knowing that you know how to do everything that is important in your world right now. "I can do that. You do it like this."


Finally it's about learning how to be a big sister with a crawling - grabbing - vocal little sister. It's about playing without being too rough, sharing - some of the time, kissing and cuddling her while having your hair pulled and face grabbed, learning to put your play stuff up high so it won't get wrecked, dragging her away from stuff that you think she shouldn't be into, being an entertainment unit for her, enjoying having someone to play with on the 'at home days' !

What about me ...

It's Hazel's turn to have a voice - now she is 9 months old !!



I can clap my hands. My more recent trick !

I am happy to sit and entertain myself as long as I am near people.

I like being with people and visiting new places - I've been to quite a few schools with mum.



I want the things I can't have. (Especially mum's laptop chord.)

I can eat well cooked stuff and lots of lovely sweet fruit !

I will let you know if I am unhappy.

I practice my new skills - today it is learning to climb the steps in the living area !!



I can lean a long long way forward and then sit up again.
I can move backwards and sideways on a shiney floor on my tummy.
Breaking news ... I am now crawling on my knees and hands - look out !!

I like to investigate everything and tasting it is a very important part of my research.



I reward favoured people with grunts, babble, a screwed up face smile and profuse spit spreading bubble blowing.

I giggle when bounced on a bed or tickled under my arms. I laugh at peek a boo.

I enjoy singing loudly and my cry at being put to bed is especially loud.



I sleep long hours most nights.

I am not so keen on being put in and out of my carseat - in and out - in and out - at least 3 days a week when we go to Masterton.





I have an excellent fend ... used on my mum as soon as I have finished feeding so I can see what everyone else is doing. Also used on my sister when she hugs me tooooooo much and a little hard !!

I can say mum mum and something like dad dad.

I love my mum and dad and big sister Anika ... most of the time !

I did it ... but which part did you enjoy the most ....

I completed my Try athalon on the 23rd of November in 1 hour 7 minutes and 40 seconds.

So which part did you enjoy the most ???



Being part of the atmosphere and being the one taking part was really cool.



Not this part - don't be fooled by the smile.



Not this part - yes a welcome relief to have a change of focus after the run.



Not this part - coming in way after all of the road bikes had cruised seemingly leisurely past me.



Obviously not this part before the swim, hobbling over to the pool.











But this part ..... sorry no photo because my support team were behind the camera - waving and cheering me on. Go Mummy Go !!!!

Dressing Up

Our theme for this month is Dressing Up, that is for Correspondence Kindy. Anika just loves it. An age and stage thing or maybe a life pattern being set in place.


She has been to outer space with a wee basket on her head tied on with a scarf - we have been waitresses and customers in a cafe with a scarf tied in different ways to show different customers - she has been a netball player, a chef baking lolly cake and chocolate chippie biscuits, a cat with a scarve tucked in for a tail, and of course a ballerina.

I have been dressing up too and boy has it taken a lot of working out. I am training for a wee triathlon. I need a goal to start getting my body back after my years bearing and nurturing babies. (I know it's not that many !!) Training is scarce and casual but as the day nears it's working how to 'dress up'. Togs under bike pants rolled down - firm bra (not a maternity bra ...yay) ... another crop top (hold in the floppy boobs !!) a singlet top - to excentuate the rolls ... yuk ... cap for the run, bike helmet for the bike, goggles for the swim ... my cross trainers ... maybe 10yrs old now and socks
.
I can see why people don't 'race' into doing these sorts of things - so glad to have my mate Shari to talk it over with - have a practice run with - borrowed a bike from her - she looked after my babe while I trained once - it takes a lot of confidence to even think of attacking something like this .... or stupdity .... or maybe a love of dressing up.

Exhibition openings ... what the ...

Veiled
(On display)


Today I am the very proud wife - Andrew's photography is now on display at Aratoi - our local art centre - gallery in Masterton. He has put himself out there - asked for the space - and a year later he is exhibiting his fine collection of landscapes - Outlook - Observations from within a 50m circle of our house.

The Hunt
(On display)

The work looks awesome - finally printed off the computer - large - matted and framed and on a wall ! It has been fun - stimulating - challenging to talk about his photographs over time - and to be part of the process of having an exhibition.

Being very ignorant about how these things work - we have taken a few stabs in the predawn light ??!! and are hoping it will have put us on the pathway to developing a career and a business opportunity.

Obscured by Clouds
(On display)

Andrew has worked incredibly hard at developing his art over the last year and a half, (and for a long while before that pre digital). He now has a huge collection which can be seen on his pbase web page. www.pbase.com/tikouka This is an overwhelming amount of photography but we hope we will in the near future put together a web page where a more select range can be viewed and ....... enjoyed and .... added to your own collections !


Epiphany
(On the web)


The opening itself was another totally new experience having never been to any others. Who do we invite ? How long do they go for ? What happens at them ? And with two small children in tow I had no idea what was in store.


However it was a lovely time - too short for me entirely - to talk to all of our fabulous friends who made the effort to come out - to talk proudly about Andrew's work - to take photos of the event - and to keep a track of our kiddliwinks.


Far from the Maddening Crowd
(On the web)

Big thanks to Shari, Ali, Hannah and Esther who did end up jiggling and entertaining the kids so I could have some good adults conversations.

Anika then headed away with 'best friend' Olivia for the night - she was in heaven. The rest of us headed down to the great atmosphere of the Carterton Lounge Bar for tapas, relaxation and quality chat. We managed to score the couches so Hazel was able to spend some of the evening sound asleep on a comfy couch next to her mum.

Anika
(on the web)

So yes .... we had a night out - and lovely food and a glass of wine and live music in the background and real adult conversations - we didn't get home til midnight ... oh my gosh ... it must be a first in many years.


Dandelion
(On the web)

Family holiday - visiting with friends and relies Pt 2

The day after the wedding - no sleep in - no mucking around we were off to Hi-5 !! For those uninitiated - this is a group of 5 Aussies who sing and dance - appearing on TV to educate our 3-7 year olds. Their music is very palateable for the older listener. Even Andrew came along with us .... him very much a discerning listener of music ... Pink Floyd etc. Very cool to go in Invercargill - 20 minute trip - no parking hassles - easy entry - staged at the mighty Stadium Southland home of the belated but very successful Southern Sting.



We had great seats and Anika was happy to sit and take in the atmosphere - she could have been up the front dancing her wee heart out - but our girl is an observer then a doer. We did get up and dance in the second half.



We got to see our Hazel developing into a wee being - loving the atmosphere and being nosy - watching the audience and their enthusiasm.



We missed seeing Charlie, Tim and Kathleen who now have all moved on from the original crew. It was an excellent show and well worth the outing. Anika, was oblivious to all of the merchandising but I have a feeling this will be the last time. She is turning into quite a wee consumer. Being on holiday and out and about lately - asking to go to cafes and have fluffies has become part of her every day vocab. What has happened to my rural child.



After Andrew had gone home, Dad, Mum, the girls and I drove up to Cromwell - stopping in Roxburgh for a playground visit and some Jimmy's pies - and their other great bakery food. It's a Southern tradition thing. The girls and I stayed with my mate Julie and her lovely poppets - Michael and Aimee. Anika and Michael play really well together.



We had a dinner out with all the family from the wedding - Pete and Lisa and his in laws and my lovely cousin Ben, whom I haven't seen for a few years. He has finally got a wee bit of hill country to farm - a goal of his of many years - fantastic - and we met his lovely girlfriend. Good work Ben !! Anika took this shot. Note Hazel bonding with Uncle Peter in the background.



Anika and Hazel were stars - they coped brilliantly with their big night out - but the evening was made really special with the birth of my first great grandnephew ... on my goodness - I have a 6 month old daughter and I'm a great Auntie !! My bro is a grandad - now that is wierd. Chase is the wee babes name - I think Kierran will make a great dad. I wish him all the best !




On the way back from Cromwell we stopped in at the bungy jumping. Anika really loved it and said she'd like a go one day. So I think she will be saving her pennies.



We managed to get to Riverton for a picnic - which is a bit of a tradition in the making - having a lunch around the rocks - paddling in the water - collecting rocks off the back beach for our doorstep - there are the most beautiful stones.

We also visited Raylene and Robert Guyton. It was inspiring to see their gardens - a real permaculture garden - fruit forest with herbs growing everywhere - Robert and his son are really in demand now for their skills and experience. Has sent me back home very keen to grow as many of our own vege as possible.

Classic digital camera failure - my batteries went and mum forgot to put her card back in - it sent us reverting back to dad's SLR. It meant I had to make sure that the shots I took were fab - no room for mistakes !! Nice to get the print today. But nothing to put on the blog !!

Great to be home for a while ..
Great to spend time with mum and dad ....
Great to see a few of my relies ....
Great to experience that Southern hospitality..... ( which I used to take for granted)
Great to be in the South Island.....

But good to be home in my lovely house .. in the Wairarapa ... and for us as a family all to be hanging out together again.