Eight

Eight ....really!?

Spunky Monkey : A time capsule of sorts for my little/big boy.

• the only game that you want at this years party, is a pinata.

• sometimes at night, 10 minutes after you are in bed and I think you are asleep, you yell out : "I love you Mum, night, night." This makes my heart melt every time.

• you are mad for Lego right now, but you definitely don't want any Star Wars Lego. I'm not sure why.

• you hate wearing jeans.

• during winter you live in tracksuit pants and hoodies. All jumpers must have a hood and a zip front.

• you have only recently discovered computer games. You would stay on Kizi all day if I let you.

• you are a collector, you can't help it, it's in your genes. You collect: money (foreign and old) cloth badges (scouts and tourist) rocks, shells, stamps (old, foreign and new) and tourist teaspoons. Sometimes old dice, and sometimes bottle caps. You were collecting trash packs for a while, but not anymore. And you are half-heartedly collecting hot wheels.

• On most days I can't see your bedroom floor. On most days it is covered with Lego, coins, rocks, marbles and little things made from boxes and sticky tape. Oh, and usually your pajama's.

• you love to op shop

• you love eating meat patties for dinner right now: chicken, beef, pork or fish, but you still turn your nose up at casserole every single time.

• you eat your biscuits with a fork, some people think this is strange, but it is just you.

• you love to go off riding your bike with your Dad, pushing the boundaries: going off road and riding on roads that I think are too dangerous.

Some days you move to fast for me, it can be hard to keep up, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have known you now for eight years and there is something wonderful and exciting to learn about you with each new day.

Life must have been pretty boring before you came along. I love you baby boy, Happy Birthday!

My little baby girl turns six

Where have the years gone! It seems like only yesterday when a tiny baby girl was popped up onto my chest and then, whooosh! Monday, Miss Moo Moo turned six.

A tradition in our family has been to record a typical day in his/her life at each age. A time capsule of sorts. This is our little girl right now.

Miss Moo Moo - aged six.

• You are a sensitive and gentle soul with one of the kindest hearts I know.

• I love your latest drawings. Brightly coloured and very detailed. Beautiful houses, elaborate princess dresses and birds in trees. Your garden pictures are filled with apple trees, cherry trees, orange trees and different flowers: roses, tulips, geraniums and daffodils.

• You and your friends at school are crazy (crazy!) about drawing horses, your teacher has even set up a special 'horse gallery' on the classroom wall.

• You have a beautiful circle of friends at school, you like girls who are confident, but not bossy and who have an independent spirit.

• You give great cuddles.

• You can 'shuffle it' like nobody else I know. In fact, you could 'shuffle it' before I even knew what 'shuffling' it was!

• You leave little notes lying all around the house for me. Things like: "Welcome Mummy, I love you" and little drawings with flowers. They make my heart smile.

• You love school and fit in well. You love to learn. At bedtime I have to tell you to stop spelling out loud and to go to sleep.

• At playtime you love my little ponies, baby dolls, barbies, polly pockets and dress ups.

• You are generous and kind and thoughtful.

• You recently told me that you were trying very hard to stay off the monkey bars at school (your most favourite thing to do) so that other people could have a turn.

• You like dresses and skirts that twirl and rarely wear shorts.

• You can do a very 'evil laugh' on cue, it is your party trick.

• It is so nice to hear your tiny footsteps every morning as you walk into my bedroom, like a fairies alarm clock. I love that you are the first thing I see each day.

• It makes me happy when I see you playing with some of the old toys that you have. My Rainbow Bright doll, my Wendy doll and Grandma's 60 year old doll that you have loving named Louisa. You play with them gently, with care and respect, you are special like that.

• On a hot summer days you like nothing more than to go and get an ice-cream after school. Your favourite is Rainbow Paddlepops, although you don't mind the occasional Hava-Heart, like Mummy.

• You and I always wake up with the sneezes, as soon as the cold air hits our warm bodies we start sneezing, the boys never do.

• You sleep the same way as your father does, with arms out from under the covers or covers kicked off. No matter how many times I tuck the covers under your chin, within minutes, your arms are back out again.

• You love to play barbies and ballet dance with your daddy. How you talk him into being the lead dancer to your principal ballet dancer, I'll never know.

• This year will be the third year that we will go to the ballet together. It is such a special time. I reminds me of the times my mother took me to the theatre when I was a child.

• You have exceptional manners, you ask "May I" and say "Pardon"

• I love it when we sing all the words of a song together, just you and me. We turn the music up loud and sing like we are rock stars. But never when anyone is watching. Right now, we are loving Noah Jones, Kasey Chambers and Grace Knight.

• You miss my Nana even though you never met her. This melts my heart.

• You have a strength and understanding beyond your years, you put up with a lot when dealing with your, mostly lovable, but often challenging brother. As your father says, 'big shoes for such little feet.'

• My favourite moments with you, are when we are in the kitchen together, I am constantly surprised at your ability and skill, I think I forget that you are a big girl now.

• I love that you like to watch River Cottage or cooking shows with me, instead of ABC kids.

• We also love to watch old movies, Funny Face is still your favourite.

• I know now, as I guess I always have, you were send to me, to be my teacher.

Happy sixth birthday my beautiful princess.

Happy Birthday Miss Moo Moo

Miss Moo Moo turns five!

Miss Moo Moo : A time capsule of sorts for my baby girl. 
• You are my little princess. In quiet moments I watch you in awe. 
• You are mad for everything ballet, although you don't want to go to classes.

• You love, love, love to dress up.

• You love all things French: croissants, hot chocolate, baguettes and cheese, the Eiffel Tower, poodles. However you don't want a beret, you tell me that only artists wear them.

• You really like playing with baby Liesl (doll) You named her after Leisl in the Sound of Music. You love changing her nappy, feeding her and putting her to bed. Apparently she does a lot of poos and vomits.
• I love your bedtime routine - every night you get your favourite toy of the moment, have a drink and when you are tucked into bed, you ask me "What was your favourite part of the day?"

• I can't believe how smart and wise you are. Much smarter in life than me sometimes. My little teacher.

• I like to watch the determination in you face when you are trying to do something that you can't.

• In the middle of the night you sometimes get up to go to the toilet. You come to me and we silently do what we have to do, both of us half asleep, trying not to bang into the walls. The only words spoken are when you are back in bed and I am leaving the room. Deep from under the covers your tiny voice speaks: "Love you" It melts my heart every time

• I love watching old movies with you when the boys are not home. Funny Face and Singing in the Rain are your favourites right now.• I wish that you wouldn't change your clothes seven times a day.

• I love to secretly listen to you while you are playing with your barbies.

• You are desperate for me to make some more dolls clothes. You really like to dress up your dolls.
• You love all Disney Princesses: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Snow White. You often ask for your hair to be put up like Belle's.

• I love to see you playing with my dolls that I had as a little girl - Wendy the Wendy doll and Christopher the Cabbage Patch doll• I love your hair. I love how you wake up in the morning and it still falls beautifully. Actually I'm a little jealous

• When you watched the original Batman movie, you told me you liked Cat Woman and hated The Penguin. (just like me)

• You don't like it if I know all the words to a song and you don't. You ask me to stop singing and give me a funny look.

• I love to watch you dancing to the Flashdance LP. You know all the moves because I showed you once on you-tube.

• You make me laugh when you sneeze, you add a deliberate "achoo" at the end of your actual sneeze.

• I love that you little hand reaches out for mine as we walk along to school, at the shops or on a walk.

• You have just started to eat (some) salad, a month ago you only liked potatoes, pasta, bread and meat.

• You will often jump up from the dinner table and 'act out' an event or a feeling rather than just telling the story.

• You love to make funny faces.

• You sometimes laugh with a over the top, wicked laugh. You love the reaction you get from this laugh.

Happy birthday my lovely little princess.

Six - the boy

 Oh my baby boy, how did you get so old and wise, so fast?

Spunky Monkey : A time capsule of sorts for my little/big boy.

• I love your independent spirit

• The first thing you do in the morning is go outside, just to have a look around for a few minutes. You look to see what plants have grown or if it is going to rain today. Your Poppy also does this.

• I love the mischievous look on your face when you are scheming to trick someone. The twinkle in your eye and your cheeky grin

• I love the way you rub your hands together, like a mad scientist, whenever you have a great idea for something. Or the way you tap your fingers when you are thinking.

• I don't love, that you want to put tomato sauce on everything

• As a toddler you drank heaps of milk, now you drink none

• I love the depth of the questions that you ask me, even though, I can never answer them

• All you ever want to eat for dinner is tacos and sausages

• You don't like to eat potatoes, but love sweet potatoes, which you call golden potatoes

• You like your Meccano, Lego, K-Nex and Mobilo, but you have much more fun with a recycled cardboard box and a roll of sticky tape. You love craft.

• You always have a least four plastic containers filled with bugs, worms, spiders, etc in the house

• You love volcano's and bones

• I love to sit and eat taramosalata with a fresh baguette and you. Just us.

• You have recently discovered Milo and would have four cups a day if I let you

• I love your sense of humour. You make me laugh so much. Very left field.

• You love to go with your Daddy to collect junk (wood, pipes, etc) from the building sites near our house

• You need to be outside. You need to collect. You are my nature boy.

• I love your sleepy eyes

• You really wanted your very own drill for your sixth birthday.

• It is fascinating to watch you, when your mind is ticking over, a hundred miles a minute, thinking, processing, wondering. I cannot keep up.

• Most of all I love your beautiful kisses and big bear hugs

Happy Birthday my Angel. You are my spirited child, a special gift. I am so grateful for you, every single day.