Breath of Life Part 3

Now, all about little Esta.

Who is now not so little.

In fact, it is extremely difficult to believe she is still only 2.

Esta is another little atom full of energy, but perhaps not so highly charged as India. This girl is a little more grounded. But just like her sister she is a terrific joker and they both love playing silly buggers together giggling hysterically the whole time they get up to their mischief

She's funny and has a very quirky humour just like her big sister. Her imagination runs wild pretty much all day long, and if we aren't running into animals constantly around the house (wild animals), we are in an altered reality where we are in fact other people or things. This week we are Lil Daughter and Big Daughter and Farda (Father) and Lil Mumma. Soon we'll be back to trains...Percy, Emily and Thomas. Last week we were our good friends and neighbours...Katie, Greta and Pete. And Esta plays hardcore, she will carry this on for days and will severely reprimand anyone (night or day) who slips up by calling someone by their real name.

Esta has recently started in a new daycare, right next door to the old one. We moved her, after much deliberation, so she isn't playing in a playground that sits right next to a main road and bus stop (in an effort to improve her health). The new one at least is about 20 metres further away. It was a difficult decision to change her, but she really loves it there in the Wombat room. She would love to go every day, because being at home when India is at school just doesn't cut it in the entertainment stakes. However, she does still love spending time with me and she'll ask me on our days together "So Momma, what we doin' today?"

Health wise she is doing ok-ish. We've managed to extend the period between antibiotic courses to about 3-4 weeks, instead of every 2. So things are looking up, but we'll see how we fair in winter.

The highlight of her week is swimming lessons. She's only begun this year, due to ill health previously. And she LOVES it. She looks forward each day to her next lesson and we talk about it often.

Esta also enjoys music and stories and running races in the backyard, and swinging on the swing and going to the library, and drawing/painting when I allow it as she is prone to decorating anything around her rather than the paper. She also loves to climb over the gate into India's room to play on the sly, sneak out in the mornings and watch the TV. In fact she enjoys a good sneak, and if you catch her or she's trying to do it in plain sight she'll say " I close my eyes Mummy" or "you close your eyes Mummy".

Oh and she's a chocoholic.

Not sure where she could have picked that up from.

Part 2.

India has been remarkably well, as always has the energy and movement of an atom on speed, and can't be still for a second.

Since we ripped out our whole backyard and re-landscaped, her health has greatly improved. There was obviously something she was quite allergic to back there. She's enjoying Grade 2 and has a lovely teacher this year that seems quite conscientious and willing to get to know her students. Indi's not involved in many other activities as yet but we'll look into joining some groups a little later to harness some of her energy.

She's reading well and loves to email. If you receive one by her, know it's a work of love. Even if it is only one sentence. She puts a fair bit of time and thought into it. It's really hard to climb the wall, do a triple somersault and stand on your head when you are typing with one finger, so it takes her a bit of time.

India's taken an interest in love lately...or should I say "lurrve''. She's never really been interested in lovey dovey stuff before, despite being in school with girls who talk princesses and princes, boyfriends and such things. But she read Esta's library book the other day "Where Willy went" to Esta, it had them in hysterics. lol.

At the library, I thought Willy was a Worm. Turns out Willy is a Sperm! And I don't need to tell you where Willy went, do I? Ask India if you want to know. I think she is now the most well informed 7yo in town, which I don't thinks is entirely a bad thing considering some of the things she's come home and told me about discussions at school. (No, Indi, you don't get pregnant by kissing any male appendage, and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't on the news even if N says that is was.)

True to Indi form we've had to have long discussions about it all. Not something new, as we've done that all before due to her endless questions when I was pregnant with Esta. But this time she wanted more physical, graphic detail of the male/female coupling. Of course, we discussed this rather maturely and matter-of-fact, with only the odd gross out noise from India, while I'm keeping a straight face but laughing hysterically on the inside (thank you nursing experience) and MM is hiding in the other room going red in the face with embarrassment. It's not so much that she wants to know this stuff; it's her intense and direct questions that reach beyond her age and can be rather difficult to answer without a full degree in whatever the topic is at the time.

Anyway, NOW she wants to go to a Co-Ed school.

So she can fall in love!

Breathing life back into the Blog. part 1.

With the new year came the ususal flurry of activities. Holiday celebrations, house guests, birthdays, school starting and the tying up of all the loose ends that moves us on from all the negative influences from last year. So now we are well into February and, although chaos never really leaves us, I think I feel it's influence waning for now as we embrace a loose routine.
{edit: I think I spoke too soon.}

The girls are thriving. They had a lovely relaxed christmas/new year. They loved having house guests here, though they feel no remorse for waking them very early each day. Both my girls have a belief that if they are awake, everyone should be awake. And they wake Early. I'm afraid it is an inherent genetic truth of theirs, I've not managed to rant, beat, plead, trick or bribe it out of them.
MM is well. Or Big Boy as Esta is currently calling him. The other day it was Doctor Daddy Donkey, though we soon tired of so much alliteration, and it became Daddy Donkey. He continues to strive for the sub 3 hour marathon, with all of his mental and physical energy. The aim is at the Gold Coast run this year in July. As long as the injuries stay at bay...curse the stinking injuries! Though I do believe if he ran with one, he'd still make the sub 3, such is his dogged determination and freakish endurance power. So here's hoping that no little muscle fibres go Twang! in the early hours of a cold morn between now and July. We are looking forward to giving him lots of pats on the back and indulging him in extensive descriptions of what a Hero he is to us.

I'd hoped to post photos but Blogger is not working with me on that.
(edit: photo working now, see below)
Part two coming up soon.

Here is our beautiful Jacaranda.
If you look closely you can see Uncle Paul, little E, and Jas (but not from her best angle).

Announcement - Business for Sale.

This may come as a surprise to some, not so much to others.
Flourish ScrapArte studio is now for sale. Due to partnership issues and our personal situations, we've decided it's our best option at this point. So please take a look at the info below, and our website www.flourishstudio.com.au to see if it is something you or a friend or an associate might be interested in purchasing.

Flourish is a retail scrapbook store located in Brisbane, Queensland. It is in 270m2 shop space, elegantly decorated with an excellent shop fit (you can find photos on our website). There are defined areas for classes, office, kitchen, bathroom and kids play area. We are located off a busy main road near public transport and major shopping centres. The lease runs until Dec 2011 with options. Point of Sale and MYOB software and customer list are included. Training is available for the new owner. Price is all inclusive, negotiable for quick sale. Priced $60 000, walk in walk out. Please email scrapshop@hotmail.com or phone the store on 07 3843 1115 for more information.

We'd love the word to get out there, so please pass on this information if you can.
Thank you.

Girlie Favourites.

For the drive home ( by the 2 yo and the 6 yo):
"The girls Hey Ho song"
otherwise know as Hey Ho (on the Devil's back) by Katezenjammer


"Bush-tick-a"
otherwise known as Babushka by Kate Bush



Passing time in the new, hopefully low-allergen garden:

E: Playing on the tree swing. Leaning over it on her belly, facing the ground, and kicking off the grass with her feet.
I: Dad's just hung his hammock, so she's discovered the bliss of laying in a hammock and reading a good book with the sounds of nature (and lawnmowers) around you.

Literature:
E: Enjoys many, regular trips to the library required. Loves stories about animals, Hairy Mc Clary stories are in vogue at the moment. She loves any story though.

I: She has a few books on the go these days but currently nose is mostly in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Colours:
E: Blue and pink. Mainly blue, she's always prefered blue. Pink I think as that's what big sister likes.
I: pink and purple and blue. Blue I think, as that's what E likes.

Nicknames:
E: Essie - she likes being called this. "grandma calls me Essie" she often says. I think I'm supposed to as well. Big sister calls her Essie as well, otherwise Sweets. So cute.
I: Indi. Though she wants me to call her 'darling' more. Apparently I'm not doing that often enough anymore. Probably because she's been acting like a teenager who's been grounded for a month.

Funny quote of the week:
"wow...actually that's kinda freaky!" by the 2 y.o mimic.
There's a mix of mum and big sister in that statement.

More again soon.

Freaky Friday.

It's a very freaky sort of week.
Firstly, I actually read some news on the internet. Not something I do very often.
But, #%@#*@# and #@$@!%@#*!!!
What is going on in the world?
And why haven't I heard about the size of these before?
AND it's in Mackay!!
That's like about one giant spider step away from here!!
Not that it matters, as I'm going there next week!!! Bloody hell.
I'm vocalising all the profanities I've ever heard, said, thought, read and imagined very loudly in my mind right now.
This is what nightmares are made of:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,26025648-13762,00.html

But that's not all.
This is what I heard at the dinner table last night:
"Mum, Can I please have some more broccoli?"
WHAT THE??

Mother's worst Nightmares, part 1.

A situation you don't want to find yourself in.

Stranded at the Servo
On the way to school pick up
Sick and overtired
Tank filled with petrol unpaid for petrol
No wallet (who the hell took that out of my bag?!)
No phone (no phone means no phone numbers...and WHO'S BEEN IN MY BAG?!)
Toddler in arms
Sick toddler in arms
Sick toilet training toddler wearing knickers in arms
Sick toilet training toddler wearing knickers in arms and no nappy pack in car
Not permitted to leave Servo
Permitted a phone call but not knowing anyone's mobile numbers as they are all in my phone (except husbands)
Not permitted for husband to pay by credit card over phone
Not knowing anyone who could come within the hour on a Tuesday at 3pm to the servo to bail me out (remembering child waiting mournfully at school for pick up by very late mother)

Thankfully, Servo Guy was a very lovely patient person who, although he left it until I was obviously on the verge of a storm of tears, and I'd managed to pull out a very very old hospital photo ID that looked nothing like me and toddler had illegally demolished a few chocolate Kinder eggs, finally agreed to allow me to drive the 10 minutes back to my house to retrieve wallet. Though I did have to sign my life and body away first. Whew.

Thank you to the kind heart of that man who went against stict regulations to allow me to do this.
And a kick up the arse to those asshole people who steal petrol and add to such a distrustful society (yes, especially those ones who have done it with a kid in their arms pretending they've left their wallet at home).