Happy Birthday L11.....

Thank Goodness for Nana and Grandad who *always* send birthday pressies that arrive before the birthday, so they have something to open on the day - these days she asks for the cold, hard cash in lieu of a pressie from us. Here she is with her very own Yates Garden Guide, some new facecloths, a new funky notebook and some talc:


Her and her Bro's:


The fairly predictable birthday breakfast of choice - sushi rice, salmon, fried egg white and buttered toast:


Her first bean harvest of the season from her plants - and tasty they are, too!:

OMG! What Kind of Mother Am I?.....

"I don't WANT to go!"

"You'll be fine, H9, once you're there you'll be so busy having a fantastic time, you'll hardly even miss us. The days will whizz past in a blur and we'll be down to join you before you even know it. Take your phone, and I'll text you each night before you go to sleep"

Well, that lasted for the first night! How crap am I? (I didn't even text her the second night, The Lad (who obviously cares more than me) did ring her, though). I said to The Lad as we fell into bed last night "Shit, I forgot to text Hannah tonight!"

We knew she would be fine during the day, but it is the getting to sleep that our little bed-hopper finds so hard. Getting to sleep by herself is nigh on impossible, and she is often found wandering the house looking for an obliging sibling or parent to snuggle up with. I have been known to be woken past 11pm by:

H9: "Mum! Mum!"

Me: "Hmmmmm, wahhhh?"

H9: "I'm really worried. I've been laughing a lot today."

Me: "Why is that worrying you, honey?"

H9: "Well, remember you said ages ago that you nearly died laughing? I don't want to die."

And other such notions that seem to surface at sleeptime.

Which is probably the underlying reason we received this text at 3.09am this morning:



1 3/4 hours is such a long way when your baby wants some lovin' :o(

Peeling, Mohawks and Fourteen Years.....

The lovely Soph has been staying for a few days and the girls are fascinated by her peeling back, L10 has been writing her name on some of the pieces she peels off - eeewww!


Soph and L10 played hairdressers with L6 and he would only let them do either a Munsters part-down-the-middle and gelled either side, or a mohawk. He secretly wanted the part, but settled begrudgingly for their choice:


Happy 14th Anniversary to The Lad and I ;o)

Weta.....

Hmmmm, do you add an add 's' to a word from a language where there is no 's'? I think not, so read the title as Nga Weta, or Weta (in the plural).

L11 found this little trio hanging out in the sheet they used to use for a hammock:




She made a (badly photographed but *very* yummy) big stack of American Hotcakes for lunch today:

What Have We Learned?.....

We have learned that even when you think you have dug all the potatoes from a plant, it is still worth checking a few weeks later:


And also that if you put the funky glass drink bottles on the top shelf of the fridge, then move stuff around so that they end up at the back and touching that freezy-platey thing (cos' that's the technical name), then they will be cracked from the expansion of the overfull contents upon freezing:

I'm Sick Of The Dust.....

From the roadworks going on, they are sealing the road, but man! can that dust get places - inside, outside, on the washing, in the water tank - everywhere:

Swinging with Melissa.....

L6 in the hammock:


James and Uncle Graeme:



Yay, Melissa's here again:

Hangin'.....

Melissa reading:


L10, Sophie and H9 colouring:



Zara and A12 playing playstation:

Boaz at the Beach.....

We got to have cuddles with Boaz today:


When we met a few peeps for a snorkel at Pilot Bay:

Bunny.....

A12 is very aware of rabbits at the moment, he would like one as a pet, and has been trying unsuccessfully to catch some of the wildies that hang round the front lawn:

Melissa.....

Got dropped off for a holiday today:


James, doing a spot of tidying:


L10:


The Lad showing us his ball balancing skills:



Uncle Paul called in for a coffee while he was in the neighbourhood:

Whangapoua Harbour and Beach.....

Parked at the lookout where you could see way back to the Hauraki Gulf on one side, and out over the Whangapoua to Mercury Island on the other:






NZ Dotterel - cute!


Some of the busy little Oyster Catchers:


Playing in the little rivulet on the beach:











The little airfield near the beach: