India has been thriving as well. As always she is full of energy, movement and chatter.

There has been many new and exciting things to experience at school, and it's hard to believe we have survived nearly a complete year there. Next week is school athletics carnavil, and India is very excited. She's been practicing running races in the back yard with Daddy this last week, totally inspired by the Olympics.

Swimming lessons are once again on the favourites list. I'm really proud of how she battled through her fears to get back to this point. She's progressing well now. Her mantra each friday morning is "heart of a lion" and the olympics have really inspired her to put in her best each week. She was VERY thrilled to have witnessed Stephanie Rice win her gold medals.

What she loves to do?
*eat
*play games
*watch movies
*play games
*joke and trick
*talk and sing
*go to parties (any boy, we've had plenty of those this year)

She's growing quite tall.

But the real excitement of the month is......a loose tooth!!

Though it's taken some time to convince me that it is actually loose, but yes, today, I could feel the tiniest of wobbles on that little baby tooth. She's been waiting a long time for this day...lol.

India is also becoming quite excited that summer is approaching. She did feel the same when spring was approaching but now that it's here I think she's found it a little overrated...it still gets dark early, its still cold and still regular rain. But now the excitement is for summer....longer days, warmer weather....means more time for PLAY! Plus summer holidays has Christmas thrown in the middle of it. What more can you say?

We've done a little spring shopping. There is an ever present need to get new shoes for India, as it is quite difficult to find something that fits her long slender feet. We were successful today, not once but three times. She would love me to show off a photo, so here is one pair of her new shoe wardrobe.

Update time

I thought it was about time for a little update on the girls. This year has flown past and we're looking christmas in the face soon. What a year though? Fast and furious.

Esta sure seems to have flourished though.

She is a happy funny cheeky girl, and this age is such a fun age.

What she loves to do?
*anything music, sing, dance, listen

*outdoors outdoors outdoors, bring on summer. Too bad about our weed infested lawn.

*picking flowers

*rudey nudey run...bare bottomed freedom before bathtime

*endless book reading. Thankfully India indulges her with this at times.

*emptying the kitchen drawers, items either strewn over the floor or place in piles around the house or in Jasi's bed. Then standing in the drawer and peeking over the top of the bench.

*being awake for three to five hours in the middle of the night. It used to be okay, but now she is wanting company.

*playing hide n seek or chasey with India

Her language skills are developing and keeps us all amused with a new word quite regularly.

Things she says (that I can think of right now):

star
toes
dance

school

wee-wee

bear

more

up

Noooooo

shoe

Ta

Jasi

In - di - a

ball

balloon

bubbles

baby

bath

this

arm

tickletickletickle

Joke of the Week.

Daddy: Why are pirates called pirates?
Esta: Aaarrrggh!
Daddy: Because they Aaarrhhh!
Esta: Aaaarrrgh!

Can you tell they've been to a pirate party?

Foot out of Mouth.

Please note.
In my Creations post below (august 11), when I wrote 'please excuse the really bad photography' I was referring to my dodgy photos of the layouts.
I was NOT in any way referring to the photos ON the actual layouts.
But you knew that anyway, right?
:)
The photos on the layouts were taken by the fabulously talented Rachel Richter, who couldn't take a dodgy photo if she tried. As you can tell, by looking at the photos ON the layouts. See....even through my dodgy photography OF the layouts, you can see the brilliance in the photos ON the layouts.
Clear as mud?

sorry Rachel.
xx

Handiwork.

Proudly I can say I handstitiched in the purple layout!

And neatly too.

I just keep on stepping outside the comfort zone.

Though i would much rather do that by jumping out of a plane (with parachute), then have to stitch something.

Who is The Funniest Man?

The votes are in. The decision is final.
The world's top 5 funniest men, ranked by India McDougall.

1. Rafael Sanchez (uncle)
2. Paul Cagney (uncle)
3. Steve Low (friend)
4. Peter Dunne (friend)
5. Mark McDougall (father)

Congratulations to Rafa, for being the funniest man alive.
I think you swept into first place after I told India the story of how she used to suck on your head like a chuppa chup when she was 6months old. She found that hysterical.
Paul, I'm afraid your crown has been stolen.

It's still friggin cold here.

But that's not what I'm going to talk about.

I 'm going to talk about spring. And how it is just around the corner.

As I sit here freezing, looking out the kitchen window at the cold westerlies blow the jacaranda around in the frosty dark, I'm thinking about how beautiful that jacaranda is going to look in just a few weeks.

Big beautiful and purple.

The weed infested patchy lawn is going to be carpeted with a soft purple blanket and the whole back garden will be saturated in colour.
India is going to play outside and do acrobatics on the swing, instead of inside on the lounge.
Esta will scurry around collecting twigs and flowers instead of emptying every utensil from the kitchen drawers.
I won't have to have a warm shower and don the jimmyjams at 4pm everyday to keep the frostbite at bay. I can go for a lovely brisk walk at dusk knowing I can feel my feet every step of the way.
We can have the doors wide open to catch the gentle breeze saturated with the scent of blossoms and barbequed sausages. We can watch the spring fireworks from the deck.
It will be bliss!! I can't wait.

As for now. I must go and defrost my feet. I've left my warming up shower too late today.