lovely kiwis

The lovelies at Lovely Blogs are going to make us famous! Heehee.

You can see us in the *kids with blogs* section or just scroll down past a handful of other lovely photos and you'll come to our interview. It's very short! And lovely!!

ER (14mo) can see

"Before" shots are never enhanced, are they? So we didn't wipe the snotty nose or airbrush away the lunch remains from the chin.

Look, I know what to do, Mama. And please straighten my fringe up a bit.

"After" is so much better. Even if I don't exactly look happy!

The first lock....

And where it came off....it's not as precarious a seat as it looks - I have my teeth brushed here twice a day and I haven't fallen off yet!

Big Birthday Boy

By K10

Do you see that? K10, not K9!!

It's my birthday and so I'm very excited. I've been looking foward to my pudding breakfast. At our house, whenever you have a birthday you get to choose what's for breakfast.
Today it was caramel self-saucing pudding with whipped cream.
Yes, for breakfast!!!! Last year I had icecream and Weetbix (yum), but everyone else thought this year's was infinitely better!

Dadda Had These Blocks When He Was Little

How did I get to this old (14mo) and have missed the joys of knocking down towers? I knocked Mama's accidentally this afternoon and looked most surprised when it fell. Uh-oh.

It was pleasing to do a couple more times! But then I worked out I could actually put the blocks back. Well, to be honest, I've been stacking blocks up for ages (I just don't usually knock them down)

Then the whole block thing tired me - I really would rather sit in Mama's lap!

self-portrait of mother and child

walking winter wonderland

By ER(13mo)

Yesterday I took my first two unaided tottering steps....and I did it a few more times so everyone could see. I even took half a dozen or more steps across the room when Grandpa came over too.

This morning I walked by myself all the way from the ranchslider to the doorway - I really wanted that wooden eggplant J12 was holding.....and she kept moving it just out of my reach. But I got it in the end!



I'm also talking a bit more. My most useful phrase is na-na-na-na-na. I say it if I don't want something...like being picked up or passed to a different person.

A word that closely resembles "Grandpa" and is uttered whenever I see him would make his heart melt if only he could hear it - but by the time everyone else has quietened down enough for him to single out my little voice from the rabble, I've finished my greeting!

ooooooohhhhhh and mmmmmmm with rising and falling intonation expresses my anticipation at the food I've just seen.
Here I am saying "oooohhhhh"....some friends gave us some food and all of us kids got our first experience of raisins in little boxes!

one foot after the other

By ER(12 months)

Mama tells me I'm the first one of us eight to be willing to give this walking lark a go without holding a hand....all the others made sure they knew how to stay upright while their legs were moving before they were confident to push a trolley or pram along....not me. I can't walk yet, but I'll push anything around! On the other hand, I'm not ready to take any steps if all they let me hold on to is a hand or two. I prefer something much more substantial, even if it does race away from me when I apply pressure!

Mama also tells me all eight of us have worn this dressing gown. She made it when J12 was a baby and it's been used every single winter since then! Now she just needs to finish that sewing pile in the background!!

Knit Away Knit

By K8

My first ever cloth I knit was a blue one and I kept dropping stitches, so it was a holey cloth. For my birthday I got lots of wool, so I thought I could make some cloths out of it. I tried one the other day, twenty stitches and twenty rows. But it wasn't a square, and I worked out you double what you cast on and then it will be a square.
So now I have written my first ever knitting pattern (that's it in the photo).
Last night I knit a whole cloth and K9 did too. He wanted to do some knitting, but he didn't know what to do so I said, "You could knit a cloth." We sat together knitting and Mama said we looked like two old grannies.

spotty dotty

There's a reason you look subdued in this photo

...you were about to come down with measles. You've been thoroughly miserable all week....but we have snuggled you and loved you lots and lots. Everyone has taken turns at holding you and carrying you round. You have just wanted to lie on someone's shoulder and whimper.
Yesterday you slept for four hours in the afternoon and today you seem to be feeling much better.

happy birthday ER

you are one!

look what you can do

not too late to swim

It's been well over a week since we ate T3's cake, but Dadda has only just uploaded the photos.

Here 'tis. The Swimming Pool.

misunderstandings

Isn't language such a funny thing?

Yesterday on the way to church everyone was discussing some matter of significance and T3 added her opinion to the general consensus with an emphatic, "Me too"
M4 corrected her "No, you're three T, you're not two any more"

When we got to church we were given a little box with TOOLBOX written on it. T3 pointed out the T and said, "That's me".
Getting better;-)

And these kind of games must surely help:


....not the letter tiles....just the co-operation!

Today J12 was reading to the little ones after lunch. Picking up a book and reading its title L6 said, "Time For Bed"
T3 replied with a very quick "Oh no, one more, one more, please just one more"

The Blog Hog

Sorry guys - I really am hogging your blog, aren't I!

Today's message is for K9. That's you spunky:


Sometimes I would like to be like you! You and I are v.e.r.y. different.
It's interesting getting to know you more and more as the years pass by!

We were sitting there today at MOTAT, waiting in line for a ride on the horse and buggy. waiting. waiting. waiting.

You sat down and after a few minutes declared, "Time goes so much quicker if you switch off and don't think."

switch off. don't think. I need to learn how to do this!

I was standing there thinking about baking bread when we got home, reminding myself not to forget the errands on the way, wondering if I would get any sewing done today, trying to work out if I should cut all the pieces out first or make them completely one by one, dreaming about our trip, feeling confident that you kids will cope, wondering if we should pop in to Dadda's work and say HI.......

switch off. don't think.

Do you remember the day you were waiting at the bench for your turn to help with kneading the bread? I suggested it might be more interesting for you if you helped cut up the apples we were stewing rather than just sitting there. Your reply: "I'd rather just sit and do nothing."

t is 3

happy birthday darling

~we love you dearly~

snip snip buzz buzz

the boys had haircuts.....and Mama's gone for the SHORT bob

bounce BABY bounce

The other day Dadda put me in my cot for my morning nap.
I went to sleep.
I woke up pretty early and would usually go back to sleep again.
But my world was different this time.
The bars of my cot were not up.
So I sat up. I pulled myself up to standing.
I put my leg over......
.....I do love to climb, you know....
and before you could say
"bounce baby bounce",
I was on the floor.

~ER10months

it almost looks like school

sometimes
we do
some things
that
almost
look
a bit schooly!

Look What I Can Do!

A week ago Mama came in to get me up after my nap and I surprised her....I was sitting up in my cot. I had never gone from lying to sitting before. Mama thinks I used the bars of my cot to pull myself up, but I haven't said;-)

A few nights ago Mama heard a little maaaah come from my cot. As I usually nod off quickly, she came to investigate. I had sat up again....and I couldn't get back down!

A day ago I played Sibling Surprise and was STANDING when they came in to get me.

I'm trying to run before I walk....or crawl for that matter.

Today J12 put me down for my nap and I stood up straight away. Mama raced round the corner with a camera to catch this latest adventure. I just LOVE adventure.

splash...pedal...pound

Before the sun rose we were up, preparing to race.
breakfast * drink bottles out of freezer * bags in the car * securing bikes * bursting with excitement *

200m swim....8km bike ride....1.5km run (for J12 & J11...half the swimming and biking distances for K9, although we all trained together, so he really could have done the longer one!)



waiting to start * 2697 other competitors * warm sea water * in the mouth * kicks in the face * transition area * trouble finding the bike * overtaking * riding on the road * little wee nose-to-tail * cold breeze in your face * sweltering sun * puffed out * receiving a medal * ALMOST winning a bike




PS Thanks Mama for giving us a snazzy title!