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!