funny like a bunny,cute
round tummy
today she is two
hooray
by rose
quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) mischievous and fiercely determined to do things her own way...
'my, what big eyes you have'....
the first thing people comment on are her enormous brown eyes, which she puts to good use.
loves nothing better than a kiss and a cuddle...still a mama's girl which is just fine by me....
happy birthday to our sweet,funny little girl
xxxxx
courtesy of a newish app. This post from this blog led to me buying a camera app which I am currently putting through its paces.
A crispy blue day and the Sun was out hence the big black sunglasses. I thought it was about time I showed my face around here despite the tragic hair day/year.
(I'm trying to decide whether to keep on growing it or chop it all off. At the moment stuck in that horror somewhere- in- between land. I wish I could be like the Baby Chrissie doll my sister had as a girl. You could pull her hair out of a hole in the top of her head and voila! Long swingy hair. Press her belly button and the hair snapped back into her plastic head. Kind of scary and not much room for brains but at least you could switch between long and short depending on your mood when you woke up in the morning....)
Grace enjoyed being able to play outdoors. The fact that she couldn't bend too much due to all the layers I made her wear, didn't seem to bother her one little bit.
Would it be too much to ask for a simple smile?
OK, enough happy snaps, time to get back to the rabbit....
a birthday cake fit for a king! Whole oranges boiled, pulped and then baked - perfectly simple and delicious.
At least we thought so....
Happy birthday to the king of our castle
(slightly blurry shot courtesy of the iphone)
I know that for most of you, 2010 started on the first of January. I welcomed in the first day of the new year by running along the Manly Beach front at sunset followed by a splash into the refreshingly cool and salty Pacific Ocean.
Perfect.Hello 2010.
Grace and I were meant to have flown home with the rest of the family on New Years Eve. However , my new niece delayed her arrival into the world until a day and half before we were due to return back to the UK- a lot of phone calls were made and Grace and I were able to stay for another 9 days.
Rose and Charlie were very sad to say goodbye to their new cousin but school and work commitments meant they had to head North.
After a week of cuddling the baby and enjoying the unexpected extra time with family and friends, it was time for us to head off to the airport.Naturally it was hard to say goodbye once again to loved ones and to home. The whole family enjoyed the sunshine, swimming and the chance to shed a few layers of clothes. It was really Grace's first experience of warmer weather and she rarely could be convinced to wear anything more than a nappy. She also discovered the joys of eating fruits like mango and watermelon sans clothing!
The flight home it is something I'd rather forget sooner than later. Due to the last minute flight changes, we had to fly to Bangkok (stopping for five hours), change airlines and then to Abu Dhabi( three hours) and then finally onto London. Which would have been OK had I not began to feel ill two hours into the Sydney to Bangkok leg. By the time it came to board our flight from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, I was quite unwell and not showing signs of getting better. Grace too started showing signs of the same malady- however it did mean that she slept the whole way to Abu Dhabi. The stopover there was all a bit of a blur and then it was back on the plane for the final leg to London. Neither of us well but thankfully Grace slept so I slept when I could and tried not to count the hours and miles in between times.
I have never been so glad to get off a plane in my life and let someone else take responsibility for Grace and myself. We both slept most of that first Sunday home, and steadily got worse. By now, from phone calls between the UK and Sydney it was evident that the two of us as well as three of my family back home, had some sort of food poisoning.
After a trip to the doctors next morning (drink as much as you can, try to rest, nothing much we can do until test results back) and then a late night ride in an ambulance to the emergency department for me, it was confirmed as salmonella poisoning. Not that I cared by this point; I just wanted someone to do anything that would make me feel better! Grace ended up in hospital the next day for an overnight stay and then it was just a matter of time, rest and loads of water.
Meanwhile it looked like this outside my front door
Five days after we arrived home in England, Grace and I ventured out into the back garden for our first bit of (very) fresh air.
A bit washed out,not quite her usual bubbly self and also a little bit puzzled by the snow.
Hey! Who took my sunshine?
So there you have it. A rather good reason for my lack of posts, my overflowing inbox and ever growing to do list. We have both sworn off home made mayonnaise, even though I and other family members has been making and eating it for years without any trouble .Only store bought stuff in sealed jars full of preservatives and crap but not salmonella! from now on.
Really though, the whole of January has passed me by. I had resolved to start this year by getting a few projects underway as well as returning to regular posting and blog reading. However that all went out the window with the help of a spoon or two of really rather delightful mayonnaise, hence my resolve to start the year afresh as of tomorrow.
February 1st, 2010.
Happy Second New Year to me.
And of course to you!
my sister's soon to arrive first baby in....
A small but soft bit of luxury, that is still to be blocked but is at last, off the needles.
Cashmere with a knitted bound edging that I hope will lie flatter once I get a bit of steam onto it. At the moment it is a bit too bouncy and curly for my liking.
This was a blanket that constantly evolved as I knitted. I started off with the idea in mind of it being mostly the soft linen colour with just one stripe of pale pink on it somewhere.
Then it was going to have a simple pink tipped ruffle instead, about two thirds of the way up. By the time I was halfway through I had decided that I wanted it to feel and look a little like an old favourite sweater- hence the small band of Fair Isle. I had to ponder the edge finish for a while as I wanted to keep the overall feeling simple. After seeing this blanket, I decided on the knitted bound edge.
Hope the baby likes it...we'll find out in just a few weeks.
I am just a little bit excited.
Just a bit....
A little apprehensive but excited as well.
First day at big school - reassured by the fact that big sister is around to keep an eye out for her.
Best of luck,my little bird.
A sleepy but happy birthday girl.
In such a rush to grow up and do all the things her big sister can do - read, jump rope, reach the shelf to get the milk down all by herself. Other days,she declares that she wants to be a baby like Grace so she can yell and cry as much as she wants and be carried around everywhere.
Full of energy and with a good sense of humour - quick tempered but learning to manage it day by day, sometimes hour by hour!
Always first there with a hug and a tissue if you fall down and bang your knee.
A sweet, lovable and sometimes prickly girl- charms everyone with her smile and her songs.
Happy birthday, Charlotte- wishing you a year full of laughter and love..
All you have to say is "Grace - sparkle!" ...and she does.
a day of sunshine, vanilla, raspberry and chocolate ice cream cake and ceramic painting.*
Early morning opening of cards and presents from family half a world away and lots of warm wishes by phone.
Eight,finally, for her.
Eight all too soon for her mama...
Happy birthday, my caring, clever and confident girl.
I love you more than the whole wide world.
* When you take children ceramic painting for a bit of party craftiness, you should remember that the children are the reason that you are there in the first place.
You should not get totally absorbed in the ceramic piece that you thought you might as well do while you were sitting there and forget the four small people that might want a bit of help.
Not that I did of course - I'm just saying that you shouldn't.....
(I didn't get to finish my rabbit which means I'll just have to sit down and paint a bit more when I drop in to pick up the children's fired pieces. Of course, I'll leave the children at home this time....)