Out Walking

This was taken the weekend before last, while we were up at Lake Tarawera and out for a walk. We had great weather up there, and everyone had a restful weekend, before the hectic weekend that was this weekend just gone.
The Birthday party was great fun, and we have farewelled all our house guests today and will get back into the daily routine. going to go to a play centre on tuesday with some friends from Havelock, so that will be fun to look forward to tomorrow.

Teddy Bear Cake

Mum Ella and Grandma, with Ella’s first birthday cake, a chocolate teddy bear cake that Grandma made.

Ella's new sandpit

The new sand pit that I built for Ella was a hit at the party, (just as well some of the kids bought their own toys though, Ella didn’t have any till today.)
NB: I even had to use my new drill (thanks to LHPC for that)...

Rip into the presents

Ella has worked out what to do with presents that are wrapped up, she literally climbs into the task of un-wrapping this wooden trolley that Grandma and Poppa gave her.

Party Party Party

Ella knew something was up when she got up this morning and the kitchen floor was covered in balloons. Must be a party here today. Well a whole year has gone since Ella was born, and what a year it has been.

Shadows

Just like shadows in the evening, Ella is growing quicker than you expect.
Her understanding of things is really come on in the last week or so, she knows what to do in the bath when you say 'pull the plug out' (to the extent of dropping the toy she was playing with and heading to the other end of the bath to pull the plug) She has also started waving bye bye, sometimes without prompting now, just picks up on the cues like when Ang gets in the car to go to work. Kisses are a new thing this week and she is getting pretty good at dishing those out. (hopefully that will go down well this weekend at her birthday party!) I think she is even getting the hang of blowing a kiss, (but that takes a little bit more prompting.)
NOT walking yet, and long may that last, everyone I talk to makes it sound like they cause twice as much trouble once they start walking... is that really the case?!!

Helmet Required

Just as well Ellas friend Nat is wearing head protection here, it looks like his brother Finn could be planning on launching him into the air!
Thankfully that didn't happen, and the see-saw was soon dismantled and transformed into a bridge between the sandpit and the deck. How quickly kids move from one game to another!!!

Boating Trip

This weekend we all went on a boat trip over Lake Tarawera, to have afternoon tea at hot water beach. (only we didn't actually end up at hot water beach, it was a saturday afternoon and there must have been at least 20 other boats there already.) We did find a little beach to land and have a swim, it was only a little bit muddy, but we all managed a swim, (water was really warm) and afternoon tea for the kids. Ella loved the trip, esp sitting on the captains knee (Guy) and looking over the side watching the waves splash past, as we raced along. Only problem she had was getting snacks into her mouth as we were going over, the combination of bumps and the bulky life jacket made hand to mouth coordination that little bit harder...

Stairs

UP down UP down UP down, who would have thought that climbing stairs could be quite so entertaining. I suppose when you don't have many stairs at home, and then you stay somewhere with nice carpeted stairs, it makes sence to make the most of that and practice practice practice. Thanks to Nat and Finn for helping Ella out, showing her how to do stairs in both elegant and not so elegant ways... Here is Nat and bunny, supervising Ella on sunday morning.

Silence

As a parent I am quickly learning that silence has several meanings. Silence can be good, ie: it can mean that Ella is asleep, or that Ella is having a feed with Mum. But I am also learning that Silence can mean something is up, or someone is up to no good…

I was packing the car to go away for the weekend on Friday morning, and Ella was happily playing with her toys in the lounge. As I was just through the door in the hall I could hear her tinkering away and I looked in on her through the window each time I went out to the car. As I was putting some towels into a bag to take, I noticed that there were no tinkering noises coming from the lounge anymore, so interested to see what was keeping her attention so completely, I went to investigate.
Now the previous evening, Mum and Dad had enjoyed a few chocolate hazelnuts while watching some TV, the remaining few in the box had been left on the coffee table. You can guess the rest, Ella had found the box, found the chocolates inside, and had managed to get 5 in her mouth at once! The only thing is I don’t know if the silence was due her trying to keep it quiet so she could finish the box with out me noticing, or the inability to talk with so much chocolate in her mouth!

Caught!!!

birthday parties

Birthday parties,
It is the season for birthdays and here are a few photos from parties attended in the last few weeks. Cousin Lily turned one on the 1st Feb, and here are the girls caught blowing raspberries on the windows!

Then cousin Lachie turned 3. That digger cake was yummy! Great time had by all, especially with uncle Cole in the sandpit.

Hitching a Ride

On the topic of little red trikes, here is Ella hitching her first ride, on a much racier model of little red trike than the one at home. Her mate Nat is not so sure about his cargo, and he is really not that keen on having a girl in the back of his vehicle (at least not for now that is…)
Kids grow up so quickly, I am finding it hard to believe Ella is almost one, where has that time gone!

Little Red Trike

The Little Red Trike, handed down from generation to generation, been repaired more than once and got plenty more years in it yet!
The Little Red Trike has been around longer than me, and will no doubt out live me too, and is one of those projects that I thought 'I could do that up a bit when I have kids, it would be great'
Well our daughter Ella is now almost one and the little red trike continues to battle on just as it has for the last half a century.

It, like the conception of this blog, is one of those jobs, (we all have a list of them) that I have been meaning to get around to for ages. (not quite half a century but well overdue.)

So before Ella turns one here it is, the web site that will endeavour to keep you all up to date with the exciting and not so exciting happenings that keep things interesting around here.

The plan is to post updates as often as possible, and that could mean as often as daily, and as infrequently as monthly, but will more likely be somewhere in the middle.

Life seems to be more hectic and busy now we have a little girl racing around the place, probably more busy than I expected but not a hassle. Just have more of 'those jobs' backing up on 'that list'. Only the stuff that has an immediate deadline makes it to the top of the list, and more often than not, the list just gos missing and only the stuff pertinant to getting the next meal on the table gets done.

Anyway speaking of getting things done, this ought to do for the first post, and the dishes are calling...

narly link