Where has the time gone???

My mum or mom as they say in Canada has been visiting for the last 3 months which has been great. Especially when it is nappy changing time! hee hee The kids have been getting lots of nana-time and I have actually been able to go on a few dates with my hubby which doesn't happen too often.

Here are a few of the things Marissa has said and done lately that have brought a smile to my face.

"When I get bigger, I'm going to do big things!" ~ Very well said indeed, if you ask me.

"Mummy, I'm going to have two children one day just like you. A boy and a girl! Their names will be Roger and Lily" ~ I will remind her of this one day when she is about to become a mum herself.

Marissa was talking to me about her "boyfriend" so, I asked her what she liked about him.
"Well, I like that he is smart and he gets more handsome everyday." ~ AWWWW, how adorable is she!

Marissa also had her first sleepover on the weekend, well it was a first for her and her friend. The girls were so excited that they couldn't sleep, they stayed up late talking and giggling. They kept telling me, "We are going to stay up all night talking!" When I would ask them what they were going to talk about their reply was always "BOYFRIENDS!!!" Yes, they are only 5!

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Little Grae, is no longer so little he will be 10 months old this week. It is hard to believe that he is already so big, at the same time it seems like he has always been a part of our family.

Grae now has 6 teeth, all the better to bite you with mum! Which he does and then looks at me with a little grin on his face as if to say, "What did you think about that?"

He is also walking around the furniture, wanting to take his first step without holding on but not quite sure yet. The little scallywag also loves to play chase and will crawl after us or have us crawl after him as he hurries away laughing.

Some of the words that Grae is saying are "Daddy", which sounds more like "Daddeeeee", "Boom Boom", "Nana" and "Mum Mum". When we ask him what does a sheep say, he says "Ba Ba Ba". Well, we are in New Zealand after all, learning about sheep is very important.

Quick update in lieu of a real post....

I have been so busy lately that I am lucky to get on the computer much less do an update on here.

Marissa is back in school after the Easter/Term 1 holidays. She is in swimming lessons and has improved so much! She is putting her head under water, kicking, doing arm circles, floating. Only a few weeks ago she was still refusing to put her head under now she can't get enough of it! SO, SO VERY PROUD OF MY GIRL!!!!

Graeson is as handsome and sweet as ever. Saying "Da Da" (and Mummm, Mummm whenever it strikes his fancy). Doing the combat crawl, rocking back and forth on his knees (so, close to doing the real thing!), clapping his hands, eating solids like a champ. He progresses so quickly with things, my baby boy doesn't seem so little any more. We have also started a water babies swimming class together, he is definitely a water baby.

I will post more later along with some pictures.

Kid's Mail Swap

Whenever we check the mail Marissa always wants to know if there is anything for her. I stumbled upon pigeon pair and it's Kid's Mail Swap. I thought, what a great idea. Marissa is so excited. On the weekend we started the letters, we have also put together a few pictures and added some Kiwiana stickers for good measure. Our letters are going to Australia and Canada, of all places! Another little girl from one of the "Prairie Provinces" will be receiving a letter soon.

Here is Marissa working on some pictures to send to her Mail Swap friends.

Hippity Hoppity, Easter's on it's way... and chicken pox?!?

The end of Term 1 at school is fast approaching. Marissa will finish school on April 9th, Easter Weekend. It seems strange to have Easter in autumn instead of spring. Although the weather is still fantastic, no complaints here. Bring on the chocolate bunnies and coloured eggs!

Well, this past week felt like a very long week. Marissa was ill with projectile vomit and I was lucky enough to be the recipient. Graeson now has the chicken pox, poor wee boy. I guess it is better for him to have it now though, he is too little to scratch. Update on my wrist situation, I have now been told that they do not think it is tendonitis but torn cartilage. Basically a wait and see approach to see if it heals itself, if not then off to see a surgeon.

Littleman...

Just a quick update for the folks back home. Graeson is getting bigger and bigger! So big in fact that I now have tendonitis in my left wrist. OUCH! Oh, well he's worth it.

Grae is rolling around like a Lil' rock n' rolla, he is all over the place. He is also able to shuffle himself backwards around the floor and sit up for short amounts of time. BUT, the best of all is he is saying "Mummmmm, Mummmmm, Mummmmm"!!!! That's my boy!

TEXTING 101

d celfne plnz n NZ rnt d gr8st so nstead of calln or ringin as n "il rng u", dey txt. Im nt d gr8st txtr, d lure of uzn proper eng n sp wrds correctly takz ovr. Im tryin 2 gt btr @ txtn. Hpefully u cn undrst& dis post. F nt read d cmnts sectn 4 a transl8n.


...read the comments section for a translation. No wonder people can't spell these days!

Super Stylish Girl

Although this is a bit late, I thought that I would share Marissa's new look with everyone.

She decided that she wanted her hair cut, not just cut but cut SHORT!!! I was a bit nervous that she would be upset with the result since she has always said "I love my long hair, I never want it short."




I worried for nothing, she LOVES her new hair. When I asked her what she thought of her new hair she said. "I look like a Super Stylish Girl!" I then asked her what she thought everyone would think of her new haircut, "They won't believe my new look!"

The Birds & The Bees

There are many NZ commercials that make me giggle and this is one of them. Can't wait until Ron has to have this talk with Littleman.

Let it pour

Sometimes you want the weatherman to get it wrong, today was one of those days.

In the middle of the night I was woken up by heavy rain hitting the roof. Normally rain wouldn't wake you up, atleast not back in Canada but here it does.

You see, we have metal roofs. Nope, no shingles here. It ends up sounding like someone is playing a steel drum right above your head, fun! Not so much at 3am. After the rain woke me up I remembered that I had hung one of the duvets out to dry the day before, I guess it is now extra clean... and wet. oops

Oh well, TGIF!

Musings by Mimi

I have to say that I do have the best girl in the entire world. She is always able to make me laugh and smile.
Here are some of the things she said this week that gave me a good chuckle...

Mimi: "Mummy, the 7 dwarfs are Dopey, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful and Dave."
Me: "Dave, really?"
Mimi: "Well, actually mum it's David."

As I was making dinner with Mimi's help, I finished chopping up some potatoes and started on the onions.
Mimi: "Mum, these onions are making me cry."
Me: "Me too."
Mimi: "I think they are a very sad vegetable."
Me: "I think they are too."

Mimi: "Being a mummy is really hard work, you should get someone to help you."
Me: "You think so?"
Mimi: "Yeah, I don't want to be a mummy."
Me: "Well, maybe you'll change your mind one day."

Singing the song Poker Face by Lady Gaga
Mimi: "P-P-P Poke in my face, P-P Poke in my face. Mum, mum, mum, mah."
Me: "No, Honey. It's Poker face."
Mimi: "Oh, P-P-P Polka face, P-P Polka face. Mum, mum, mum. mah."

...yup, she's the greatest!

I can now do laundry in the rain!!!!

Well, since moving to NZ I have learned to be much more "green". I mean, I have always recycled, tried to avoid using plastic bags, changed my light bulbs to the enviro friendly type, etc, etc. However I always used a clothes dryer and never really gave much thought about not using one unless of course it stated on the tag "lay flat to dry".

Clothes dryers are not as common Down Under as the are in the Northern Hemisphere. In fact I have not had one for the last year and a half, that is until today, well yesterday actually!! Well after too much rain and not enough clean clothes I decided it was time.

I am the proud new owner of a washer/dryer combo. No, I do not mean a stackable washer/dryer or a separate washer & dryer. I mean a combo, what is that you may ask? Well, it is just that, two, I repeat two machines in one. You put your clothes in wash 'em, leave 'em in there and dry 'em. Those crazy kiwis! Although I do have to admit I have yet to use it, what can I say, the sun is shining!

Better late than never...

Well, I have been thinking about starting a blog for a very long time now but never got around to it. I do tend to procrastinate, you know the type. Photos in a shoe box with every good intention of putting them in an album, never again to see the light of day. Yup, that's me.