Little princess

I couldn't resist - not much to say again, but I just couldn't resist! Chose the colour myself and I'm delighted :)

King Valley

What a lovely surprise! we got a call from our friends Nathan and Teresa Schroder to say they were at the farmhouse in King Valley and would we like to join them?!!!???
Well - it didn't take long for us to decide to travel up there (1.5hours) on Saturday after Eb's sleep and have a nice evening with them. Of course what ended up happening is that we stayed the night. We were totally unprepared, but as long as I had spare nappies I didn't care. We just stayed in the same clothes for a day and survived.
It was so much fun. We'd been there a few times before we got Ebony and had tried to get there since we've had her and haven't succeeded - well we finally did.
King Valley is a beautiful place and the farmhouse is exactly how it sounds. Outdoor loo - shower in the outdoor laundry - no problems at all having children running wild and sleeps about 10. It was so much fun. They have the big 'silage' bails that are wrapped in the green plastic stacked up near the house so we ran around playing 'tag' on top of them until it was almost dark (and almost dangerous!). Then we had a yummy dinner together and the boys took the bigger children out spotlighting and the girls just chatted. Eb went to sleep beautifully as usual.
The next morning we had the joy of feeding two very new calves that had just been separated from their mother. Ebony really enjoyed it and didn't seem scared at all. She also got to ride the motor bike(s) and the four wheeler with Nathan which she absolutely loved. We packed a lot in again and just loved it as we always do. Made our way home on Sunday after much, much fun!

the farm house



views from the farmhouse


Good buddies - Eb and Nathan


Mummy and Eb up on the silage bales


Eb learning to climb gates!


Nathan, Eb and Teresa enjoying the morning sun on the front verandah


Nathan making sure Eb doesn't get too close to the wrong end of one of the calves!


On the motor bike with Nathan


Feeding the calf


Georgia, Eb and 'Bindy' (Belinda) on a walk



Some posed shots on an old piece of farm equipment

No particular reason - just a beautiful photo

A bit unusual for me not to have anything to say......but I just loved this photo. Ebony's fringe is getting a bit long now (I'm growing it out to see how it looks) - but it's all cute anyway!

'Smile' photo competition

Centro shopping centres have a competition on called 'Smile' and I decided to enter a couple of photo's of Ebony and to my delight she has made it as a finalist! Here's the photo I chose with a couple taken of the display at the Albury shopping centre.


This is the original




These are the display

Trains, friends and Colin Buchanan

We took the train down to Melbourne this weekend and had such a lovely time. We went by car to Albury with our friend Susan and her 4yo daughter Sarah and there we all caught a bus to Wangaratta (don't think I'll do that again - the bus made me feel sick!). The train to Melbourne was great though. Different this time because we went V-Line rather than the XPT. Much cheaper! Ebony enjoyed the trip again and we arrived in Melbourne and were picked up by Eliza, Kate and Jim. We had such a lovely relaxing time with them. They are such wonderful hosts and I just don't know how meals got cooked because I never saw it happen! they just seemed to appear.
Eb and Eliza had so much fun together too. What joy it is to watch these precious little 'Suixi sisters' as we call them enjoying each other. They had a few 'moments' but they were sorted quickly. Eb had been getting much better after a cold, but the first night she really struggled to sleep (had a bit of a sleep terror too) because her chest was so congested. I ended up sitting up and laying her on my chest as she slept to help the fluid drain. That helped a lot thank goodness.
We arrived Saturday night and on Monday morning we headed in to the "Colin Buchanan" concert. It was fun, although poor Eb was frightened again. I had my hand on her chest as he appeared and her little heart was almost bursting out of her chest! She clung like a Koala again - she did enjoy it, but was happy to watch from Mummy's lap and didn't want me to move a muscle!
After the concert we went and shared a cuppa together while the girls explored the cafe then we headed home so the girls could sleep.
Tuesday came way too quickly and we headed home on the early train. It was a BIG day but it was a wonderful weekend.


On the train


Playing on the first night


Dress-ups (there was plenty of this sort of fun!)



Two girls enjoying a bath


Hang on to me mummy! (at the Colin Buchanan concert)



'exploring' at the Cafe after the concert


Eliza after finding the 'lip gloss' in the car!


with a wig dress-up


last night of fun


then back in Albury having a ride on 'Thomas' while waiting for Daddy

I said she loved this book....Brown bear, brown bear....

Kisses and 'Ebby do'!

Wow how things can change in such a short period of time.
I have the most emotionally beautiful little girl at the moment! She just gives me kisses when I least expect them - and in the cutest of places....eyes, nose, back, arm, hair - wherever she can surprise me! It's just totally the cutest thing I've ever seen or experienced......and always followed by a smile of course - a smile that reaches totally from one ear to the other :)

She's also saying lots of cute things...one of her favorites is 'Ebby do' - and it goes for almost anything! She wants to dress herself, undress herself, hold the pin for the nappy during changes, get in the car, get out of the car, carry the shopping (!), open doors, turn on lights, turn off lights....gosh the list goes on and on! - but what amazes me about this precious little child is that she still lays peacefully in her cot whenever she wakes up - she doesn't get up - she just lays there saying 'mummy' or sings or whatever - but she doesn't try to get out! I can't believe it. I said to Graham this week that I'm sure she'll 'grow' out of her cot before she climbs out. She still sleeps 2-3 (sometimes more) hours during the day and doesn't wake up really well after the afternoon nap - although some days are crackers when she just wakes up smiling and giggling. She also wants to make sure that Suixi bear and rabbit have good control of her 'snugli' when she's not there. It's so funny.
Here's a photo of her sleeping today - just to keep Chel happy :) (Yep! that's how well she sleeps - she'd been in the cot all of 15mins when I slipped in and flash photo'd her)



Some of the other funny things are....
'scuse me' when we even touch each other - as she pulls at whatever parts of our body are connecting!
terover - when she wants us to roll over
Trying to get her to stop saying 'what' when I call her from another room!
All chairs are 'highchairs'
All cups are 'cupatea's' - she has her water out of a 'cupatea' now :)
If she doesn't want something or I've finshed doing something (like the ironing tonight) - she says 'all gone'....'see you later'. It's really funny to listen to.
If I say we're going to work today she says 'no more...see you later'
Then tonight she said 'no medicine eyes' (she's had conjunctivitis) and I said no - she said 'later' and said 'no - no need to now' and she blew me away when she said 'sooner'! How did she get to know later/sooner??????

Well - enough ranting...here's some cute photo's!


Daddy and Ebby feeding one of the new lambs next door


sorry - couldn't resist - footprints on the bathmat


Daddy and Ebby games !!!

Now I'm getting slack!....and Brown Bear, Brown Bear

I've just downloaded photo's from my camera and have been devastated to find that there are only today's photo's! This has been unheard of since we got our girl. My gosh! 6 days without a photo....then I remember that I found my 2 'un'digital camera's and also had to buy a chemist version of a camera this week because for the first time I left my good camera at home when we went to Mt Hotham last Tuesday, so all the photo's - at the moment - are on 'unobtainable' camera's! I'm trying to use up the films so I can try and sell the camera's. Anyway I took a few this morning of my little treasure. We've had such a fun week in many ways - we've travelled over to Mt. Hotham (1 hr 20 mins) to see wonderful friends of ours on Tuesday. It was incredibly beautiful over there - you have to see it to believe it. The snow is so incredible this year. We've also seen our little cherub grow amazingly with her language. Came up to me one day this week and said 'what you doing Mummy?' - I couldn't believe it. She also asks 'what wong?' when she picks that tone in my voice that suggests something isn't right. Today we took a very quick trip into Albury to help out a friend of mine and then I worked then got home and worked in the garden. Today is the first day I've happily gone and worked outside because it's been too cool - it has been so beautiful and to watch Ebony playing outside made both of us realise just how much she is growing up. She plays differently and she communicates so much better than she did the last time we were out in the garden together. She is so well mannered and mostly she will ask nicely (if she doesn't and I prompt her she quickly does...ie water peese Mummy and then she'll say tankou Mummy). She's amazing and we're very proud of this side of her - the hard side is the independent three year that seems to have appeared .... the one that doesn't like not getting her own way. It's quite a challenge and Ebony has had a LOT of 'quiet time' in the past week. I know it's a stage and as hard as it is I'm sure we'll be glad we tackled it now. I hate seeing those unhappy tears - but I know it will be well worth it in years to come. She's really just trying to communicate and getting frustrated AND she's finding her own will. I don't want to 'break her spirit' but I do need her to have boundaries.


The shots I took today - one blurred but both beautiful I think!

Anyway - on another note - have you heard of the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear?" - it was given to us by Eb's Suixi buddy Camille and it's the BEST book. Ebony can now practically read it to us and it REALLY makes me smile when she does. I'll try and capture it on video if I can.
Here's a photo of the book.....

Father's Day #2 with Ebony

We had a lovely day today - we started with giving Daddy his 'homemade' card from Ebby via Mummy and then we gave him the greatest surprise we could! - I've been scrimping and saving to get Gra a ticket to see his daughter in Brisbane. I almost regretted it once I'd bought it - but seeing his reaction made it all worthwhile. We didn't do much else because finances are so tight - we just loved each other and spent lovely time together.....and took some family photo's!



Our happy family out on the deck on a beautiful spring day


and Eb having a run on the deck in her 'e-bay' barbie outfit - too cute :)

Some ways my daughter melts my heart.....

Often when I get Eb out of the high-chair she wants a cuddle now and it's the most beautiful cuddle. I still think there's still a degree of eye-contact avoidance, but the hugs I get are incredible.

I love it when I hold my arms out toward her and she holds hers out to me to be picked up. Something simple I know, but it honestly touches that special spot in my heart. I know it wont happen for that much longer.

The feeling when she puts her tiny little hand in mine....so, so special.

The look that says 'I trust you Mummy'.

The fact that Mummy is the ONLY person she will happily kiss :)

Some of the most gorgeous words she says....
biba (bib)
loshandlosha moo tows (lots and lots of moo cows - almost sounds like she's had a few drinks!)
apeese (please)
reada (when she wants a book read)
cuddwle (cuddle)
Ebby do - (said more than almost anything I think!)

And some of the things she does....
Everything round is 'bubble'
She's learning her square/rectangle/triangle/circle - because that's how I now cut her toast in the morning!
Everything is 'purple'
Turning on lights when she goes into rooms now
Trying to climb onto the change table (and she even attempted a somersault but thankfully I looked at the right moment 'cause I was getting a nappy at the time!)
Loves a balloon more than almost any other toy
Kicks a ball like no other child I know and is definitely a left footer and possibly a left hander too
Wants to be exactly where I am most of the time
Loves helping to load the washer/dryer with me