Nanna Cuddles

Last Saturday, my parents and grandparents visited. I just love these two photos that were taken of my Nan during the day...

I just love how happy she looks as she gives our little girl a cuddle.

It's such a precious moment captured.

My Baby

Our friends who recently visited have a little baby. Now our daughter is OBSESSED with babies (to put it mildly) and spent the entire weekend kissing her, trying to cuddle her, patting her, talking to her - you get the picture...

One time we let her "hold" the baby. At which point she cuddled her and said "My baby".

Pretty quickly, baby's older sister jumped in and said "No, she's my baby."

Aren't kids adorable!!!

We've Been To The Zoo - How About You?

The weekend before last, we had some really good friends staying with us. We planned to do a trip to Australia Zoo while they were visiting.

In the lead-up to their stay however, Mummy was required to sing numerous renditions of "We're going to the zoo, how about you, you can come too, we're going to the zoo" (Mummy's taking us to the zoo tomorrow...), as well as listing out the many animals we may (or may not) get the chance to see.

A good friend of mine from mums group came along as well with her beautiful little girl, so all up we had three little girls under three (and a baby). It was a great experience and our daughter just had a blast! She loves animals but has never really seen any of them up close.

So on the Saturday morning we headed off to Beerwah and embarked on a wildlife adventure.

This is a bit of a dark photo but here's our little girl patting a koala...

Feeding an elephant...

Feeding the kangaroos and wallabies...

Patting a baby alligator...

Checking out the giant turtles...

Hanging out with Daddy...

And spending time with a friend.

Our one disappointment was that the one and only tiger on view at the time, was sleeping along the back wall. Honestly it didn't really look too different to our little Amir at home - just bigger (and fiercer)...

By early afternoon, the kids were exhausted (and so were we!) but a great time was had by all.

Busy, busy, busy...

Well as you can see, I've been incredibly slack at blogging, so here's an update from the last month/s...

Dakota did the transition to her bed rather nicely, and still (mostly) stays there. Having said that, we have had the occasional daytime experience that began with playing in (or should I say destroying!) her room for an hour, followed by extremely strong (incredibly loud so the whole neighbourhood can hear) objections to sleeping, resulting in a very cranky girl later in the day. There have also been a couple of incidents of falling asleep on the floor behind the door. As far as we know, she's only fallen out of bed about four times (onto another mattress on the floor). So on the whole, the new bed thing has been quite the success!

We've had family visiting - Dave's parents came down from Mackay recently and his brother Tim returned from London to live. His sister also moves back from London in January, which will be excellent! Now we just need them to move to the Sunny Coast...

Below are some shots of Grandpa trying to teach Dakota what to do on Uncle Tim's skateboard.

I've been trying to cross a number of "jobs" off my to do list - things that I've been wanting to do for ages but kept procrastinating over - such as stripping back and repainting Dakota's little kiddie table and chairs (that were mine when I was little), spring cleaning the house (YUK! - still working on that slowly) and finally getting around to printing out some photos of our almost two-year old daughter - just to name a few.

On the healthier side, I'm endeavouring to walk from our place and back a few times a week, to either Mooloolaba beach / or Alex beach (depending on the mood). So far, I'm mostly achieving that goal so I'm gradually getting fit again.

We're also trying to increase our "family time" as much as is possible with Dave's work being so busy. He's been working most weekends for a long time, so recently I decided that regardless of what work he had on, we needed to take some time out on the weekend even if just for a few hours. So one of the mornings, we walk to the beach for a paddle, and then have brekkie or coffee before coming home. It's been wonderful! We also decided that one night every fortnight, we will have dinner out somewhere - nothing flash but just to get out and be together as a family. Last week was our first time, and having dinner out with a toddler is quite interesting (dare I say challenging), but I'm sure once we start doing it regularly it will be fine.

Other than that, life is pretty much the same. Swimming lessons, playgroup, play dates, etc. The usual Mum stuff... I hosted a Melbourne Cup lunch at our place yesterday with eight of the mums from our group and the kids, including two new babies. Have I mentioned how obsessed our daughter is with babies!!!! She's very gentle with them, but becomes quite a handful when they spit their dummy out - she seems to feel it's her duty to put the dummy back in the baby's mouth, and we literally have to physically move her away from them before she'll eventually stop. We currently have on loan from the toy library a little baby pram which she's loving putting her little baby dolls in and carrying them around. She's recently started trying to feed her babies food from her little toy kitchen as well. It's all very cute!

Dakota is LOVING reading at the moment. She always has but now she's starting to remember how certain stories go, so she "reads" along with you. Here's a beautiful shot taken one night of Dave reading to Dakota and her little cousin, Isabella.


She's also mastered the ABC's and can count to 14. Our neighbours (who have been teaching her Italian since she was born) can get her to count to 5 in Italian, but she only does it for them. She also completely understands what they are saying and responds when they ask her questions. It's incredible!

A Smooth Transition (So Far...)

Well we've entered a new phase of parenthood. Our little girl now sleeps in a "big girl's bed".

Last Wednesday, the bed arrived but we because it required a little bit of construction, we decided to wait until Saturday morning before we made the transition from cot to bed.

We had been "hyping" up the arrival of her bed for some time now so she was quite excited about it, even though I don't think she fully understood what it meant. She knew it meant she would have a pillow and blanket like Mummy and Daddy, but I don't think she knew she wouldn't have the cot anymore.

On Friday night, she asked us - "Mummy's bed? No! Daddy's bed? No! Dota's bed! Yay!" Over and over and over she asked...

During the pulling down of the cot, we had some tears, but they were quickly replaced by excitement when Daddy started working on the new bed.

I'm pleased to say that (so far) she hasn't fallen out, and she seems to be happy to stay in her bed rather than run around her bedroom and play. I'm not saying it won't happen, but so far, it's been pretty smooth sailing.

I imagine some of you longer term parents are having a bit of a giggle right now at my wishful thinking but please let me enjoy it for now!

Reality Check

I just read a really interesting article in last year's Sept/Oct issue of Life Etc magazine. It was entitled "Aim lower!" and basically discusses how "beating your inner perfectionist can help you discover a happier you". It sounds a little "new age" but it really had some basic comments on perfectionism that rang a little too true for me. On reading the article, I accept that I'm not an extreme case, but perfectionism definitely is part of my personality (as my husband and those close to me can attest).

Here are some things I found noteworthy...

• While on the outside things appear well, there is a lack of real joy in the things you do. It's as though the journey doesn't matter - it's all about outcomes.
• High standards are not the problem. The world needs more people committed to striving for excellence. It's about excessively high standards - setting the bar so high that you never feel truly satisfied. This leads to feelings of inadequacy and the lifelong pursuit of self esteem through external indicators of success.
  
• Perfectionists tend to be difficult to live with, not only because they are hard on themselves, but unrelenting standards frequently extend to the people in their lives.
• "Look for the beauty in imperfection".
• Solutions - write a list of costs/benefits of being a perfectionist; catch yourself out (avoid criticism - standards are subjective); get your priorities right; set time limits; choose imperfection.

I think overall the advice could be summed up in two words - CHILL OUT!

Perfectionism often leads to anxiety or worry - whether you measure up; have you completed a task to the best of your ability or could you have done more; what others think of you; and the list goes on and on.

Jesus' response to that was Matthew 6:34 (NIV) - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sounds easy doesn't it, but to those who are in this category, it's not so easy. I guess in a way it comes down to TRUST - that God really does have it all under control and He really wants the best for your life.

Anyhow, something for me to work through. Just sharing my thoughts.

Verse of the Day

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:5-6 (NIV)

Time for Change?

Change will not happen until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of changing.

(An excerpt from "Boundaries with Kids")

A Life Remembered

Every now and then you meet someone who stands out from others, making them memorable.

At our Wednesday Playgroup, one of the volunteers was such a person. On Thursday night we received the sad news that she had passed away after battling with cancer.

Now I can't actually say that I personally knew her very well other than to say hello to each week, but I had seen her often enough to take notice.

To those of us who weren't aware of her illness, you would never have known she was sick. She had such a cheerful disposition and was absolutely wonderful with the children. They were all "darlings" or "sweethearts", and she was more than willing to help both the kids and mums whenever she could.

It's people like Sandy who leave a lasting impact on all they come in contact with and I think her loss will be felt by all in our Playgroup.

How fantastic though that she will now be rejoicing in Heaven with her new body having a well deserved rest.

I love these moments...

I'm all grown up now

I'm too tired to smile Mummy

Yes this really is an Alpaca on Mooloolaba Esplanade

A quiet moment amidst the noise

The girls with Aunty Kate (from London)

Faster Aunty Kate

Special moments shared

Cousins playing at the beach

Dancing with Daddy

Eskimo kisses with Daddy



Crashed out on the couch

Friendship

I've been part of a fantastic mother's group that's been meeting together weekly since our children were all around 6 weeks old, so the kids have been growing up together for the most part of their young lives.

It's so beautiful to watch their interaction at the age they are at now. They are all so incredibly comfortable and familiar with each other. In the midst of stealing each other's toys or trying to get down the slide before someone else, there are genuine moments that melt your heart - the times when you see them hugging or kissing each other just for no reason; when they sit together on a chair and just casually lean on each other; when they walk up and say "hello" to the children as they arrive; when they actually offer their toy to someone else because they are sad - these are the makings of a friend.

Here's a few candid shots taken recently.

Playing with friends

At Playgroup



With her cousin and friend

What's in a name?

DAKOTA is a Native American name that means "friend, ally".

Extended definitions of her name are:

Character - A person with strong self esteem
Feelings - Shows affection readily
Inherent - You are known for your sense of humour
Intellect - Knowledgeable
Motivation - Has a conviction in life
Spiritual - Has hope and trust
Nature - Is a disciplined person

Another meaning we found on the internet some time after she was born is “forever smiling”.

It's amazing how already we can see her developing most of these characteristics.

Her middle name is Lily which means "flower".

The flower posted above is a wild lily found in North Dakota - a "Dakota Lily".

Visitors

Over the weekend we had a lovely visit with my family. My parents brought my grandparents up with them and we all had lunch together. It was my Nan's birthday on the Friday and we were also celebrating an early Father's Day for my Dad as they are heading to Tassie for a holiday next week.

I love it when our different family generations come together and everyone shares stories. Unfortunately it doesn't happen often enough (the story telling part that is...).

This time, my Nan was telling tales about when my father and his siblings were all little and the mischief they got up to. Apparently my dad took a liking to the lead paint that was on the walls and got himself lead poisoning, and then had to drink some horrible smelling medicine.

Maybe it's just me, but I love it when they open up and talk about their lives. They just light up reliving the memories. I think when I was younger, I didn't place much value on listening to my grandparents, but the older I am, I realise that they won't be around forever and their stories are part of my history, just like our stories will be part of Dakota's history.

I now only have two grandparents, so I really treasure these little stories...

[This is an older photo of them with our daughter taken at her first birthday party in December.]

Gardening

Yesterday we got stuck into our back garden, which sadly has needed a bit of loving for a while now.

So we weeded the garden, pruned back bushes and chopped out a couple of small trees, and suddenly we have so much more sunlight in our back yard. It looks a lot "cleaner" now as well.

It's still a work in progress. We need to put mulch into the back garden at some point, and we didn't even start on the front garden (which needs weeding and then filling with pebbles) but that's a job for next time...

While we worked hard, our little girl ran around the back yard in amongst the garden clippings, played on the slide and had some play dough time. The kitten went crazy "catching" leaves. I think he thought they were grasshoppers (not that he's ever seen one - he's only 4 months old).

It was really nice to have a morning where you feel like you've worked hard to achieve something that you've been meaning to do for a while.

Now what else is on that "To Do" list...??

Days Like These...

Today was one of those challenging days with my lovely daughter, where suddenly things come crashing down around me and the startling reality once again hits - I don't have it all together.

So I had a good cry and asked God one more time for the patience, wisdom and strength I need to be the best mother I can be. And after the storm has weathered, the sun always comes out again and my beautiful angel does something to delight my heart and remind me how much of a treasure she is.

I think God uses her at times to chip away at the things in my life that need some remodelling.

I think God uses times like today to remind me how much I really need Him.

How very clever of Him!

Outside Play

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that we spent a fair bit of time outside in the back yard. My lovely daughter was practicing her aim using a watering can to fill up some buckets.

And of course tipping the water back in again...

When the water ran out, she would say to me "A bit more...".

She had a great time on her slide as well.

It's amazing what a difference it makes to ignore all the washing and housework for a little while and just enjoy spending time with your child. What a delight!

Even the cat enjoyed having playtime outside.