Christmas Advent

Emma has 3 advent calendars... One a Christmas Tree that I made last year with a sour snake lolly inside each little present. Another one a Barbie one brought from Grandma who likes to buy treats when she goes shopping with her little helper! So the third one that is hung in Emma's bedroom I wanted to do something different.. And then I remembered something about a baby being born at Christmas!! I am now using each day in Decemeber to share a little of the Christmas story with her (good for a four year old attention span too!) We started on the 1st with Mary and the 2nd the angel Gabriel. And it's so easy to spread the story out. Wouldn't it be cool to do a mass production of a nativity advent... We went to our first Farmers Santa Parade on Sunday and I couldn't help but notice the lack of a nativity float. And then I thought of all the rich churches in Auckland full of creative people... I think a nativity float should've been leading the way! The Playgroup I help to run at church does the Christmas story in there music session every year for the Christmas party and kids love it when they pass round a dolly during Away in the Manager - kids love the Christmas story despite what there parents believe!

Year Review 2009!

I'm thinking of the environment this year and not doing a Christmas newsletter but a year in review blog! So tomorrow I'm sending Christmas cards to the UK and they can choose whether to catch up on our year!... I'm flicking back in the calander/camera and so I thought I might do a 12 month highlight reflection with pictures...

January - Rob turned a year older! And it's Summer and holiday time! We took Em on her first camping experience in our very small tent (we did buy another one not long after!) We went to Raglan - a gorgeous little small town with large surf beaches. This time of year is always great - hot, lazy Summer days... And Holly Eve - Jo & Pat's baby girl made her entry into the world..

February - My birthday! Emma started at Kindy. I remember the day before she started she fell over and hurt her knee and as I comforted her I feared that at kindy if this sort of thing happened she would'nt receive the same comfort. But to my relief she loved kindy (& the teachers love her) and after the first week she said she never wants to go to school she just wants to stay at kindy forever!!

March -Quieter month getting into the year... We did have the Coldplay concert this month which was awesome. And Emma had the Wiggles concert which was fun too. Bummer thing for the month was having the car stolen...

April -A nice quiet Easter... And our nephew Kaleb had his first birthday! I love seeing how Em & him are such great mates.

May -My first weekend ever away from Em - I went to Port Waikato for a ladies craft weekend which was fun & refreshing.

June- At the end of this month my Mum & Emma had an operation on the same day. For Emma it was her tonsils for Mum it was a knee replacement. Both recovered beautifully with no probs!

July - We had a great week down in Queenstown - we hadn't been for about 8 years so it was great seeing how it had changed/developed. Rob managed a bit of snowboarding while Emma and I made snow angels and drank hot chocolates! Wonderful family holiday.

August - Looking forward to the end of Winter.. I joined the gym & was good at going at the start... No before & after photos (ha ha ha!! - I wish!)

September -Springs' here! Spring party at Kindy, Spring fairy festival, daffodils at Cornwall Park and Spring Flowers! The only time I buy flowers every week!

October - Rob had a conference in Rotorua this month which Em and I went along for too. Gorgeous Spring weather with so much fun things to do! We're going to head back there in February when Rob's family comes over. Fabulous few days away during a very busy month!

November - Our little girl is growing up! Em turned 4 - November 14th and we celebrated with a Little Miss & Mr Men party which I talk about in the previous post. She was very cute this year with her wish list and knowing exactly what she wanted!

December - This month isn't upon us yet but I look forward to our Christmas traditions including: making gingerbread houses, making Christmas crafts, new pj's on Christmas Eve, Church service Christmas Eve and then all sleeping under the Christmas tree which is easy to do with a family of 3! Having a nice lazy Christmas morning opening pressies and pancakes for breakfast - taking Dudley somewhere for a Christmas walk followed by more food and family time at Mum's place! Can you tell I love Christmas! Hope everyone has a good one! And all the best for 2010... XX

Emma's 4th Birthday!

What a long blogging holiday I've had... October was Light Party month which I'll have to blog about at another time.. Because this weekend has been all about Em! My little girl is growing up she turned four yesterday!

This year we celebrated with a Mr Men & Little Miss party. Em had nine little friends come and help her celebrate. And she was completely spoilt with gorgeous gifts. At the start of the party the kids dressed up glittery $2 shop hats - which was Em's own idea! I should've taken a picture of everyone wearing their completed hats but I only thought of that after the party!!

We played a few games - a postman game complete with Mr Men & Little Miss letterboxes, musical statues and pass the parcel.

Our house is little so I hired a gazebo where I set up the party table. Grandma Janet helped getting cool Mr Men & Little Miss cups, napkins and banners sent from England and these were great - thanks! Party food included some of Em's favourites - jelly, lollies, popcorn, fairy bread, cupcakes, strawberries, grapes, cheerios and cheese and pineapple sticks.

Em's present from us this year was a trampoline which Daddy was still putting up late on Friday night! Em was surprised and delighted. It was well and truly tested during her party. I had wanted my friend Gillian to do one of her amazing cake creations - maybe a Miss Sunshine or something... However my independant daughter was determined to have a trampoline cake which I managed to do myself - although being the theme addict that I am I remade the dollies clothes so they were wearing Little Miss & Mr Men clothes! This won't make sense cos I don't have a photo just yet! But below is a photo of the take home goodie bags that I made - full of important things like - hairclips, bangles, glitter pen, Mr bounce ball, Little Miss figure and jelly beans.

Em has always had issues with the Happy Birthday song - not too sure why and she can't explain it herself... This year Emma had a few ideas of what to do... 1) No one sing and just shout out Happy Birthday! 2) Grandma only is allowed to sing Happy birthay as a solo and lastly 3) Children were allowed to sing it but only if they sang it like a choir! In the end Em wanted option one - there were still some tears but she quickly told us they were happy tears!!

Mummy even shed happy tears later that night too - the wonder of loving a little person so much and feeling so blessed for the last four years. Just one of those heart bursting moments...

Spring Weekend!

We had a wonderful weekend... Em & I went to the annual Ellerslie Spring Fairy Festival - which was fun, hundreds of little girls dressed as fairies being entertained by older fairies! Em wasn't overly convinced about the fairy dust and the fairy wishes... And then in the afternoon I was motivated enough by the sunshine to do some gardening and even planted some strawberries and flowers in pots (now I just need to remember to water them - we encourage Em to sing to them too!)

Meanwhile Rob was busy assembling our new garden shed. Our next house WILL have a garage!

And then on Sunday it was Fathers' Day so we had a nice lazy picnic in Cornwall Park with a lot of people who had the same idea! Great to get the annual daffodil photo with Em! Wonderful weekend and the sunshine is gorgeous! I heard on the radio the other day that August was the warmest recorded August since they started recording... yippie roll on Summer!

Em made Rob a Number '1 - that said 'I love you Daddy because... 'you make me giggle, you take me swimming, you spin me round, you fix stuff and you give me sloppy kisses!!'

Queenstown

Long time since I posted... We had a busy month of July! But feeling all refreshed now after a lovely week in Queenstown. Rob & I hadn't been there for about 8 years - it's changed quite a lot with old motels/hotels gone and new luxury apartments in there places. Emma got to direct lots of what we did for the week - like she was desperate to go swimming, to Puzzleworld & to play mini golf! Rob on the other hand heard the Mountain calling - Emma and I went up with him for one day and once again Em's favourite thing was the chair lift! I was amazed to see some kids as small as Em already learning how to ski - paranoid nurse Mother wants her to be a bit older! My one request for the week was that the motel had to be nice and cosy - it was bliss doing no cooking, or housework - (to me thats a holidays these days!!) So we all had a great time - I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

What a Day!

This photo was taken yesterday after a family lunch... And today these two very special people have undergone surgery. Little Em has had her tonsils out today - with no problems. A few classic Em comments like on the way to the hospital "Mummy I don't think I'll need the medicine in the mask to have my tonsils out - I think just Pamal will be ok!!" And then on the way home - "I'm all better now - can I go swimming!" Everything went very smoothly.. And she's not into the icecream & jelly thing - what did she request for her first non-tonsil meal - a happy meal from McDees of course!!

And my darling Mum is at this very minute having a total knee replacement. So blogging and praying all is going smoothly for her too! Mum is coming to stay at our nice flat bungalow after her operation - after about a five day hospital stint. So I'll be busy with 2 patients!!


The highlight of Em's day - getting her first Barbie doll from Grandma. I did catch her kissing her and telling her she loved her...

Emma's Five Greatest Loves Right Now!!

The other day Emma was sitting and drawing and started randomly listing some of the things she loves - so thought it was worth sharing!...

1) Singing - usually Abba - which has been a hit to Em now for over 6 months. She is amazing how she knows the words. She has also recently discovered humming!!

2) Playing: She stated she likes playing 'cafes & Mums & Dads'. Yesterday when Em came home from Kindy I had used a broom between two chairs to set up a shop with her dress up clothes. Complete with till - hot chocolate & chocolate fish! We had great fun taking turns being the shopper & shop keeper. She loves this kind of play now.

3) Dressing Up: Em has loved dressing up for ages now. She loves being let loose on her dress up box and it is so fun seeing the different things she comes up with! I'm so thankful for the $2 shop which has provided most of the must-haves in her box!

4) Dancing: I know I've used this image before - but dancing is still right up there for Em. I stopped taking her to the Pre-Dance class - but I think come next year we'll be back doing some form of dancing. She loves twirling - and quite often she'll ask me to be her Prince and to dance with her - how could I resist!!

5) Cooking: Wasn't sure what to say for number 5 when there are lots of things Em loves!! So I just asked her and she said cooking - more like baking! Oh well at least she didn't say watching TV which would rate in the top 5 if she had thought of it!!

Ever since Emma got a book out of the library called 'Choosing Day' - by Jennifer Beck she has been desperate for me to try on my wedding dress and show her! In this book the Mummy spends a whole day in her wedding dress - shopping etc... Emma was delighted to see me in my dress which is stored at Grandma's place. It doesn't quite fit like it once did - but I was happy to get the zip up all the same even if it was sitting in the wrong place!! Emma also wanted to put on her favourite blue/white check dress so that she could be my bridesmaid. I guess dressing up is still lots of fun for me too!! - I didn't risk the zip by going shopping though!!

Butterfly Creek

I loved the school holidays... The first week was a bit of a bore for Em - with me having scans & blood tests galore (for fertility stuff that didn't work this month anyway!!) Oh well so I thought I had better make it up to my darling daughter in the second week. So we had lots of fun trips and playdates. One of my favourite places that we hadn't been to in ages is Butterfly Creek. This has a very hot tropical butterfly house with hundreds of butterflies flying round and doing there thing. It also has a pettting farm - always a hit to hold a baby bunny! And the cafe & playground are lovely too. We went with my friend Diane and her daughters Grace & baby Abbey. Emma & Grace have a lovely love/hate relationship they're great friends but they know how to push each other's buttons too! Oh well this particular day was great. Emma's other treat for the holidays was buying the Madagascar DVD - and if you see her she'll be sure to ask you... "Do you like Madagascar??" She asks her one year cousin everytime she sees him!

Easter!

Emma survived her first term of Kindy! I'm so impressed with the way she's settled so beautifully into it. One day a couple of weeks ago I was the 'parents help' and it was so great seeing her playing and interacting with everyone - at one point I witnessed her chasing a boy twice her size round saying "Sione - I said my name is Emma!..." I love how she cares about everyone at Kindy and wants to know everyone's name and story!

Easter was a fairly quiet weekend. Too much chocolate, too much TV, too much shopping!! But we did do an egg hunt on Sunday morning for Em - with little eggs hidden around the garden with clues attached to each to find the last treasure egg! Em loved it.

And the little chick in the birds nest was the easter craft for the year - inspired by Martha Stewart. The little eggs are yummy candy covered chocolate eggs and they're very yummy! Emma painted the chicks (plastic egg) herself choosing the colours and choosing to paint them with a cotton bud! Hopefully over the next two weeks while we're on holiday from kindy there will be lots of time for more fun craft stuff...

Something Old & Something New

About a year ago I accidentally/on purpose borrowed some dolls clothes from Mum's house... These are gorgeous little numbers that take me right back to my own childhood. I automatically know when I pick up the silver/pink one that it has a broken button at the back - I remember that the pink bootie has a hole and I remember the hours I use to spend playing with dolls, my old favourites and even dressing my cat Shadow in them etc... I think some of these clothes were created by my Mum's Grandmother, so isn't it awesome to think that Em is playing with dolls clothes that were made by her Great Great Grandmother. Even if the old ponchos look a little out of place on Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisies! It is fun to watch Emma play and I love it when I hear that small voice saying "Will you help me...." Then everything else can wait....

Anniversary Thoughts...

Last weekend was our 6th anniversary.... And Emma & I were away with Grandma in Masterton celebrating my Aunt & Uncles' 50th wedding anniversary which was lovely. Great seeing relatives I haven't seen in ages. Emma who is amazing us more & more by being more bold and not so shy,was great chatting away to anyone who spoke to her.

The other week Gail (who is a blogging queen) mentioned things her father in law had shared at her wedding - which encouraged me to look back on what was said at our wedding six years ago. My brother who is a youth pastor took our ceremony and he gave us a red rose to symbolize different things - (we still have that rose - its pretty dusty but its still in one piece...) Anyway these are the three things my wise old bro said...

1) A red rose stands for love - remember to passionately & unashamedly love each other. Be proud of each other - build the other person up whether their there or not. Let the words of your mouth build each other up.

2) Second thing to remember is that pruning produces growth... Prune back the pressures of life, prune back time so that your marriage may grow. Don't be ordinary be adventurous. Prune the old and do new things that cause you to grow together. Don't leave the small things untreated by quick to mend any fences that may appear in marriage.

3) And lastly... Remember the unseen. You may not be able to see the scent of a rose but its there - you may not be able to see God but he's there and only a prayer away!

Cool eh? In fact I think I might need to buy some roses today...

Dancing Queen!

Emma has a new obsession! She is loving Mamma Mia & everything about it. It started when we were in Taupo and it was a grotty rainy day - Rob was asleep and I was bored (Dale & Nell both at work...) And so I lay Em on the couch while I watched Mamma Mia - but Em's eyes stayed open the whole time and she watched the whole thing and then said at the end of it - 'can we watch it again Mama?' Very cute - my little one sings from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed. Her favourite song today is 'Honey, honey'! (And she likes to hold a diary while she sings it like Sophie on the movie!!)

Everything has started for the year now. Emma is now a big girl and is in the swimming pool all by herself - which she is finding a little scary but it's early days. And she has also started in a Pre-dance/Preschool dance class (thanks to UK pounds sent for Christmas!!) The first week she couldn't understand why Mummy wasn't dancing too - but by the second week with a little bit of a chat and bribery she was dancing with the best of them. And she was enjoying it too cos she had her gorgeous little content smile on her face. It was lovely seeing her dancing being Humpty Dumpty - a fairy etc... So cute I almost got a bit choked up - bit sad really!

First Day of Kindy!

Emma has just survived her first day at Kindy! I was a little sad last night - knowing it was the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in her life... I love kindergartens and the whole philosophy around them and it's all part of the bigger picture with school in mind! Kindy is 2 and a half hours three times a week - focusing on learning through play and then when she's four she moves up to mornings five times a week in preparation for school. So that means I'll be missing my little gem for seven hours every week - I'm thinking I might do housework, go for a run, sleep & scrapbooking! But we'll see.... but first I have to learn to let her go just a little bit!

Also - yesterday we had a great day to celebrate kindy starting - a real Mummy/Daughter date day. Firstly I took Emma to the movies for the first time - she wasn't so keen on the movie previews but the actual movie (Madagascar 2) she loved. It was nice being in the movies with only 5 other people - didn't have to feel so bad with all Em's questions.. "But why did the lion do that Mummy..!" Very cute phase! A McDonalds Happy Meal was also enjoyed together. And then we explored and played on a playground we haven't been to before. And then to top everything off we went to the Fairy Shop and brought clips for the first day at Kindy! While Mummy went to a shop further up and brought pretty tea cups... retail therapy can't beat it!

Lazy Days of Summer

Loving Summer! Lazy days - not doing much! Going to parks everyday - water play somehow everday -picnics everyday & beach bag packed by the door just in case we're in the mood!

And then there's lovely weekends away... Some of these photos were taken while at Taupo staying with Dale & Nell between Christmas & New Year. And then last weekend we took Em on her first camping experience. We went to Raglan which was perfect - I love the beach there. Emma thought sleeping in our very small tent was great - it did keep us dry & very warm when there was thunder & a lot of rain on Saturday night!

Joy, joy, joy long may Summer continue...