Praise and pride

Isn't it a wonderful feeling when you're in a shop and a complete stranger, rather than just tutting at your child's antics, oos and ahhhs and says how lovely your child is.

Happened at the butcher just now. G and I had just picked up Bax and Izzie from kindy. They were dressed very alike (not done on purpose) in red and cream with Izzie in Bax's hat and Bax in his fireman helmet. A little old lady came up to us and said how much she wished she could take a picture of Izzie because she thought she was so adorable. Then the woman at the counter said how cute they both were and how she'd like to take them home with her.

G and I glowed.

Isn't she lovely?

This is a little dress her Great Auntie made for her birthday.

Art Deco picnic in Napier

Otane Art Deco

Otane Art Deco

Art Deco

This weekend has been art deco weekend in the Bay (that's what we LOCALS call it!)

On Saturday the steam train came to town which was very very exciting for adults and kids alike! We all got dressed up and walked down to the pub which is right by the train stop. WE waited for ages, all dressed up in our art deco outfits: Izzie had on a sailor suit and straw boater with all her curls spilling out from under the brim. Bax had breeches, braces, shirt and his good ol "farmer" hat which is actually an indiana jones hat and perfect for all sorts of costuming opportunities. G had braces, lnog shorts and white shirt, I had frock and pants and flowers and beads. There was a coconut shy and a sausage sizzle and horse shoe throwing!

Then the train arrived and excitement excitement it pooped and chufed and sizzled to a stop and 400(!!) art deco people got off. They all traipsed off to the town hall to eat art deco food. It was so bright and sunny I couldn't cope and had to take the kids home to eat and wash and bed. But G went back later and reported there was a WONDERFUL jazz band and dancing in the streets and much much fun. I lay in bed and could hear one jazz band at the town hall and another down by the pub and all the old old oldies like fever and summertime floating across the fields up in through my window...

Then on sunday....(you'll have to wait - I have to get Izzie up...more tomorrow)

Special day

Yesterday was the day they celebrated Izzie's birthday at her kindy. I was up til midnight the night before making a cake, thinking "Where's George when I need him?!"

Banana cake with chocolate icing and lots of mini-marshmellows and smarties and hundreds and thousands on top, and a little dolly lolly Auntie H sent. I called my creation "Izzie in Wonderland".

We took it to kindy the next day, Bax carrying it carefully inside. Then G and I went back at 9.55 precisely to join the children for morning tea.

We sat on tiny wooden chairs around the table with children and their main teacher Johanna (she is German and so her name is pronounced "Your-hanna", Bax calls her "My-hanna").

There are about 10 children and two babies. And about four carers so the ratio is very good.

Anyway....

The cake sat on the table and all the children stared at it, some said "Cake!" like drooling lions. Johanna put a rainbow coloured cape around Izzie's shoulders and a golden crown on her head. Izzie kept putting her hand on her head to feel for the special golden band. She sat with her arms folded on the table and a big grin on her face, lips together, self-contained but beaming. Then Johanna told a little story about an angel who peeped down from heaven and asked if it was her turn to come down to earth yet - all the children listening so well. Then J asked Izzie to help deliver the parcels, and they went with a tiny basket right around the room giving each person a tiny parcel of a chocolate raisin wrapped in blue or red tissue. All the older children knew what was inside and they carefully opened the tissue and popped the raisin in their mouths whispering "chocolate...."

Then the candles on the cake were lit and Izzie gave an amazing effort to blow them out. She knew exactly what to do as if she had been watching all the other children before her blowing out their candles and knowing that when it was her special day she'd have to do it too. So concentrated. She blew out one but not the other and try as she might it just wouldn't go out so the other children blew with her and it went out . Bax slipped his hand into mine under the table. I had tears streaming down my cheeks.

Then Johanna showed the children Izzie's special card and their was a beautiful drawing of Izzie palying on the beach and Bax asked "And me?" and without missing a beat Johnanna said that Baxter was just around the corner in the picture. Then J held up each card that each of the children had made and we all oooed and ahhhed.

I cut the cake and the kids devoured it and I had a cup of a tea. It was really lovely and special. G saw the beauty of it too and he's still new to all this Steiner stuff.

So now Izzie is truley 2. She's in the big kids room, she hasn't got a kindy daybook (they are only for the babies).

All the way home G and I discussed when Bax should start proper kindy and then school and same for Izzie. And so I guess I don't have babies at all anymore, just two big kids. Boo hoo and yeehaa in equal measures.

Bax especially likes to play dress ups (the chickens aren't so keen)

Fasanated by the new music box with the pixie inside

Izzie's party

Heloise, Allessandro, Izzie, Bax, Miz Lili, and Fraser
Disco Iz and George
Bax, G and Izzie tackle the dolly cake

"It's all happening"

We are discovering new things everyday about our new hometown. Waitangi Day is "Fair Day" for instance. Families and businesses put out stalls and there are kiddy rides and sausage sizzles and it all happens right outside our house!

Bax opened the curtains at 8.30am and yelled "It's all happening" because out on the street there were balloons and candy floss and a merry go round and the fire engine and lots and lots of people.

We spent the day wandering round the stalls not buying anything (all a load of tat really - I bought some jam) and welcoming friends who had come to town for the fair. I made oodles of baking and we all sat on the balcony chatting and drinking tea and eating. It was really marvellous.

H and Miss Lili and Master So stayed for lunch and dinner and baths and we had a fantastic day of doing lots and nothing much all at the same time. You know how it is.

We had a lovely birthday thank you so much for asking!

We had Izzie's birthday party last weekend. She is 2 on the 11th. We had 7 little kids come to the party which was 'disco' theme. All the kids dressed up in tutus and ribbons and bells and played musical instruments (when I say 'played' what I really mean is 'wacked') while Bob the Builder, Ten Fat Sausages and Hokey Cokey played in the background.

Then they ate piles of cheerios, fairy bread, sausage rolls etc. Then lollies, cake and icecream. George and Sop made the most terrific doll cake with the skirt being the cake (chocolate) and a Bratz doll sticking out the top (an african american one to be extra PC). we even had a pineapple and cheese hedgehog.

Everyone had a great time and we were all exhausted by the end of it.

Izzie got some really special gifts including a music box which has a pixie going round inside when you open the lid.

Tuck

(that's tuck and not what you thought it said!)

Our dear Georgie has gone back to boarding school and we miss him. We went to say goodbye in the weekend and Bax saw his Tuck box (he keeps all his treats in it under lock and key) and boy did he want one. He couldn't stop talking about it. So after we left Georgie we went to Payless Plastics and bought a little red clickclack lunchbox.

Now Bax has his 'tuck box' too. He fills it with crackers and dried fruit (and the occasional lolly) and hides it in odd places.

He seems to gobble his tuck much faster than I think Georgie does - Bax' stash certainly wouldn't last all term!

Full of news and no time to write it all down...

Well we still have a problem with Izzie and sleeping in the portacot. ie she still is...

We're stuck between a rock and a hard place in so much as she is really too big now to sleep in the portacot and so she wakes herslef up because she's so uncomfy, but she won't sleep anywhere else.

For example, last night at 11pm she was crying so I went in and ended up putting her into the bed that is in her room, she went straight to sleep. But when I woke up this morning she was no where to be found. I had slept in the spare room because G has put his back out (again) and so was sleeping flat on his back star-fish like in our bed (snoring loudly). Apparently what had happened is that not long after I left her she had woken up, climbed out of the big bed, and in the dark, walked down the hall, past the baracade I had made with a big chair, into our room, then climbed up onto our bed and right on top of G;s stomach. He woke up to find her sitting on top of him staring at him. A bit freaky in the half light I would suspect! Then when I went to look for her this morning she was down stairs in the lounge playing quietly be herself. So she must have gone down all those steps (19 of them) by herself again in the dark.

I went down with Bax and they were so cute saying "Good Morning" to each other. Bax says "Good Morng-een" and Izzie says "Mormeen".

So we don't know what to do now. Annette suggested making her bottom bunk in Bax' room more appealing by making it more like her portacot. I think that's what we'll try.