Wet

So most of you will be well aware of our little stormlet this week -- for Overseas Readers, it rained for about three days and nights, with one poor little village recording over 600 mm of rain.  Half  a year's worth.  End result -- lots of flooding and slips.  We were relatively unscathed, but the cellar is still knee deep.

This is the school across the road on Thursday, the day that I spent an abortive FOUR HOURS trying to get to work, and then giving up and trying to get home.  See that white handrail in the middle of the picture? That's a bridge over what's normally a six foot deep hollow. Beyond that is a netball court, which was also half a foot underwater.  Fun!

And this, unfortunately, is across the road from where we're due to be spending Christmas and New Year... yeah.

Anyway!  The sun has come out now and yesterday was the playcentre Christmas party.  Santa came, yayyyy!  With presents for everyone!  And Seb was very happy with his present.  Here is his happy face.

Today we redid M's hair, which is now a very vibrant purple/pink.  I am finally content.  In the last couple of weeks we have done two bleaches, two pink semi permanents, and now this.  I can rest.

This is the range of colours she's had this month.  A more responsible mother might not do this, I fear.  But she looks fab!

Lucky Break

I think I might be the luckiest woman in the world.  Look where I just spent the weekend, all on my calm, silent lonesome: Hairy Hobbit Cottage, up a vertiginous and bouldery "road" (those are ironic quotes) in the hills above Motueka, a million miles from the world.  Yes, there was even a hobbit hole!

Each night I poured a deep hot bath in the outdoors tub, and soaked and soaked.

And in the daytime I swung in the hammock, under the fruit trees, listening to the whirr of fat woodpigeons and watching tuis drink from the flax flowers and hop from branch to branch above my head.

It was awesome.  I painted and read and painted some more and stared out at the world.  So peaceful.  Thank you, Liam, for understanding your wifey so well and letting her be in a quiet place for a while.  You are a really wonderful bloke.

And while I was away... the mice had a fine old time, putting up the Christmas tree and going along to the Brightwater Carols, seeing Santa arrive in a fire engine, and even having a ride in one, which is pretty awesome stuff if you're Seb.  I mean, Santa's Helper.

There was even ICECREAM!!!

And I know there are several people very keen to see my Pretty Flamingo girl.  This is what her hair was like on Thursday; well actually it was PINKER than this, but came out quite orange in pictures.

But, frustratingly enough, the pink has pretty much gone now.  Back to a goldy-coppery-red.  We have a backup plan, involving putting a deep red permanent over this strawberry blonde, to see if we can make a sort of a fuschia pink.  Oh my, it is all very challenging!

Learning Curves

So, we have survived our first post-Mutti-and-Bunce week in relatively good shape.  Seb did really well with figuring out that they'd gone home "up in plane, up in sky, gone Auckland!" and seems secure in the knowledge that they're coming back (oh I typed "coming home"! Sniff!) in the van soon.

Meanwhile, he and Daddy have been biking this week.

And Seb has been having lots of tries on the toilet.  They are largely unsuccessful and sometimes just a way of getting his lazy-arse parents out of bed in the morning (it didn't take him long to find out that "Mummy!  Toilet!  Monster poo!" is a very efficient Summoning Spell) but he does enjoy TRYING REALLY HARD.  And singing his special toilet song, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Poo".

Friday was a something-in-the-wind day.  Cousin Pearl had a giant haircut and Cousin Molly had a much more minor one.  She got a taste for short hair after getting her fabulous Mutti to have a go (twice) and decided to go all the way.  Here she is just before we went crazy and started her on the first step to PINK HAIR.

And here she is after!  Thank you Mutti for helping her to go through the in-between stages slowly.  I think it made it so much easier than just going straight to a short version and I hope you don't mind that she couldn't wait for you to get back to do the next stage!

The pink dye hasn't arrived yet, and we're going to need to do another bleach first (this was just some leftover from last year) but WHOA DUDE THAT IS A SERIOUSLY GINGER CHICK.  I think it's kind of cool... her skin looks so creamy and pretty!

Will keep you updated with later stages this week...

Sad Things and Funny Things

Today was a sad day because we had to say goodbye to Mutti and Bunce, who have been with us for over a month and made our little Southern whanau bigger, brighter, and happier.  Not to mention cleaner and a hell of a lot more under control during a very busy time.

We've loved having you here, guys.  Thank you so much for everything.  Just having you around has been a delight, and I'm not even going to start on how much Seb has benefitted from having 24/7 grandparents -- but I'm sure you know!  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  You're just the best and it is very strange here tonight without you.  Glad we don't have to wait too long for your return.

Here's a couple of favourite pics from the visit.  Firstly,  there is no greater love than being a horsey for a rather sizeable two-year-old when you are sixty-*cough*.  I hope Seb will look back on this one day and appreciate it!

And how lucky our big girl is too, to have such a great grandparental relationship at her advanced age.  I love this photo to bits.  You are both gorgeous.

So yes, it was very sad to wave goodbye at the airport.  Luckily we had a Distraction, viz., the Richmond Santa Parade, which was full of charmingly half-arsed floats and wandering groups of dazed looking children in elf caps.  But at the end came the man himself, SANTA, perched high on a sleigh behind half a dozen papier-mache reindeer.  "Merry Christmas, everybody!" he boomed over the PA in his best St Nick baritone.  Seb got the message and waved madly from his perch on Daddy's shoulders.  "Hi, Santa!"  Santa waved back, and his trusty steeds edged carefully around the rather sharp corner next to us -- and then there came a terrible crunching noise.

Disaster!  The Give Way sign on the corner had failed to give way to Rudolph's glorious set of antlers!

Crunch -- creak -- rip -- and suddenly Rudolph's head was TORN FROM HIS SHOULDERS, followed by his  front legs, doubtless traumatising a whole decade of Richmond preschoolers.

It was AWESOME.  Best Santa parade climax ever.

"It's hard to steer and talk at the same time," said Santa, mournfully.

My Tiny Househusband

I'm not sure whether I should be proud or slightly disturbed that, surrounded by his choice of cars, slides, balls, a bouncy castle, scooters, and see saws, my angel boy decided that the best thing to play with was a kitchen set and a tiny pretend hand-held vacuum cleaner.  About fifty times, we had to pretend to microwave some lunch, eat it, spill some crumbs, and hoover them up.  Whooo adrenaline rush!!!!

Life with Mutti has brought his pretending skillz right up to par, eh?

"Amateur Photographer" magazine was a good investment

There are an awful lot of good things about having Mutti and Bunce to stay.  The time that Seb gets to play with them, the extra love and grandparent time for Molly, the miraculous ease of a house with four grownups to do washing and cleanups and take turns with cooking.  The joy of watching Survivor with my Mutti.  If only it was Dr Who season!

And here's another benefit: decent photography. Here are a couple of pictures that Bunce took today, and they are quite markedly better than my usual sloppy point-and-click efforts.  Here is Seb up in the studio in the morning (his angelic grandparents entertained him while his tired and hungover parents -- okay it was mostly me that was horribly hungover -- took it easy).

And here are the boys at the A&P show today.  Lots of fun!  And even better for the Hungover One, who got to stay at home and supervise science study instead.  Phew.

Sunny Garden Boy

A sunny spring day today, and thank goodness Sebby had his Mutti and Bunce to play with, 'cos  his mama and sister were busy studying trigonometry, and his Daddy is in Dunedin.  Busy times!

We weeded this morning before Molmol woke up.  It was lovely and soothing, me and my boychik.

Then it was time for stones and water play with M & B.

And how's this for a TREAT?!  What a happy chap that made.  Cheers Buncie!  (Mine's still in the freezer, heh heh heh.)

What would we be doing this week without our wonderful Mutti and Bunce?  I have no idea.  It would be chaos.  Poor Miss M has been sick and had to get up from Math Study yesterday to barf.  Today's a bit better, and we hold out hope that tomorrow, exam day, will be better still.  She's a trooper and she worked very hard, though -- so we can all say that.

Good luck, darling girl!!

Our Second Year of Living Sebbishly

A very special day: our darling is TWO!

Don't tell him, but we cheated.  We had his birthday a day early, because Daddy is in Timaru doing an audit today, and besides, it's Monday, and what sort of day is that for a birthday, eh?

But Sunday is the perfect day for a birthday boy.  He started off with presents, which was a bit of a challenge, because he decided that one was enough, and wouldn't have a bar of the rest.  I don't think this is something that he will ever do again, so it was quite charming this time.  Here he is with his "weeeeeee ooooooooor weeeeeeeee oooooooooor weeeeeeeee ooooooooor".

And here he's reading BOOKS, which still managed to render him immobile and wordless even when surrounded by trains, fire engines, and dump trucks.  Good to see!

Mid morning he had a bit of a do.  Lots of friends and lovely kids who were all older than him, but are wonderful to him nevertheless.  Thank you all for being so kind to our little man!

He was a bit deer-in-the-headlights when confronted with his cake and birthday song, but held it together and blew out both his candles very efficiently.  He then demolished cake and jelly jetplanes even more efficiently.

And then Zac made him a treasure hunt with leftover Smarties, wrapping them in foil and hiding them around the garden.  Jack hunted too.

Rimu shaved for the occasion and is still wonderful with little boys, even though his Kenai is not so little any more!

It was a lovely morning and the afternoon started off even better, with the lovely surprise of BUNCE turning up.  Things went downhill a little after that, with a fever and a giant spew, and today he's been diagnosed with tonsillitis and dosed up with antibiotics, so it would have been a terrible day for a birthday.  Thank goodness we did it early.

But the important thing to record today is just how very dear you are, Seb.  How sweet and smily and full of energy (when you're not fevery and spewing, that is).  You are learning words so fast, we can't keep up.  The sentences are coming thick and fast, three and four and five words all strung together in a gabbly heap.  "Iluvoo", that's my favourite.  You are smart and strong and special, and as Zac says, "very mature".  Iluvoo, angel boy.  Happy birthday!

BOO!

Hey its me SEB and i have had a party weekend!

Acherly its bin more of  a party week cos my MUTTI is here and I love her soooooooooooo much she is orsum.  Wen those boring parints of mine come in to my room in the morning I hav to shout NOOO NOOO MUTTI till she comes.  She is my bestie.  We do top stuff like making peez out of smooshy pastry.

And reading books and books and books and books and books and books and books and books.

On Saturday I did somefing really top and clevver.  Can you gess wot is in the TOILET???

EVERYFING!

Pritty ace for a little guy eh?  But I am groing up.  Here I am wiv my first fayshul hare.  We went to a Halloween party and Mutti was a witchypoo and Molly was a... ummm... spunky Halloween chick and I was one of the Village People.

So we went to the party and I had sooooooooo much fun and we went to a GRAVEYARD and disturbed the SPIRITS wiv lots of stories and swordfights and I sat wiv my Daddy and my big frend Zac the Vampire and it was totally top.

And next week I have my MUTTI all to myself again YAAAAYYYYYY YAYYYYYYY YAYYYYY YAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!

Presents and Visitors

I have been rather horribly remiss in documenting the last week or so, when we have had the pleasure of Anna, aka The Hunching Blue Witch, for reasons which are completely beyond her control, and so we really shouldn't be so horrid as to call her that even in private, and certainly not to her face, and CERTAINLY not on the internet, but hey, family, so THBW it is.  

Seb has loved, loved, loved having his big cuzzy around.  He calls her everything from Annie to Nannie to Dannie to Zannie, though not THBW so far.  It's been great having her here.  And she cemented her place in his heart by giving him THIS.  Wunty Will, take a look and know for sure that you are a great present-buyer.

It was a great day for surprises yesterday.  When Seb woke up from his nap, his Mutti was here!  We crept in to wake him up, and he sat up with this look of frowning confusion; and then the penny dropped, and Mutti! he cried, with a smile of pure happiness.  It was lovely. 

The big one was pretty pleased to see her Mutti too.

And then to top off his lovely afternoon Seb got to talk with Bunce on the phone.  This is a very still and boring video, but that intense concentration is a rare and beautiful thing when you are Not-Quite-Two and I just have to share it with Bunce.   Plus the goodbye smile with bonus wave and eye-crinkle is just too dear! 

Anna is off back home this morning.  We will miss you, Na!

Project Funway

So here it is!  This is what Miss M will be modelling at Fashion Island on Saturday.  Not bad for a sheet eh?

Sunday at the Beach

I love spring days at the beach!  Sunshine and clear skies and no sweating.  Perfect.  The boys agree with me.  Today we took coffees and the Sunday paper down to Rabbit Island (along with bucket and spade of course) and wiled away the morning with sun and beach art.

This is a cool photo but it was a very brief respite, Daddy was soon corralled into sand constructions.  No rest for the wicked.  Or Daddy.

But look what they built!  A huuuuuuuge sculpture!  I did the fiddly bits at the top.  Daddy did all the hard labour.  Seb mostly just made a nuisance of himself.

We wonder how long it'll last...

The rest of the day was spent working hard on our Project Funway dress.  Pics later this week, promise!

Spring spring springetty spring

So, first -- spring is so sprung!  Our garden is so lush with blossoms and camellias it's ridiculous.  Loving it.  Every time I pull into the drive way is an utter delight.  PLUS the first asparagus has appeared!  Yayyyy!

Speaking of utter delights, when I got home today I saw the boys playing over the road in the school playground.  Oh my goodness.  That little dude of ours is some crazy acrobat.  Look at these pictures and remember that this little creature isn't even TWO yet!

Here he has climbed up a ladder to a platform at my head height.  I'm standing in heels taking this picture.  He's clearly not suffering any vertigo.

Again, at head height.  This was terrifying.  See that other yellow metal thing behind this one?  He did that one too.

This is a serious big kid slide, the middle section looks close to free-fall.  Even Molls sat at the top of it with him the other day and had major second thoughts about the advisability of descent.  Admittedly, Seb does like to hold someone's hand while he plummets down here.

And this is just cute, he looks like Piglet.