Our Taupo Trip - May 07

Princess Amelia and Prince Daddy


Amelia and a horse named Solider




I could look at this face forever (Sigh)

2007 - Nearly Half Way There!

Where oh where has the time gone. John and I are about to celebrate our wedding anniversary - Reward - 1 whole night together without our little one! (Thanks Aunt Tracey and Ashleigh) I might even get a sleep in!

Well this first half of the year has flown by. We are very slowly doing up our house - we have taken the laundry out of the Pantry (don't ask) and made a whole laundry downstairs off the Garage. John did all the plumbing, I did all the painting, someone did the tiling and Amelia just talked.. and talked... and tried her very 3 year old best to help. John then remade my pantry and it looks great! Feels so good to do it yourself! Next is the bathroom and the guttering!
We had a wonderful Summer - although it arrived late - we are still enjoying some lovely sunny, yet crisp days and we are nearly at June. My sister and Neice moved all the way over from the US of A and are now living just 2 mins walk up the road. This is soooo nice. Tracey had been away nearly 20 years. My brother is coming home on the 15th to live - followed by his wife and 2 boys after Christmas... so the whole family will be together for the first time in 20 years - Bar a few weddings and funerals.
John surprised me with a visit from my brother for my 35th Birthday - which was lovely... he is such a good husband and always spoils me.
Amelia is growing and growing in size and vocab. She stuns us sometimes with her understanding of the English language... sometimes it's nice... sometimes... not so nice. We have definately struggled with this 3 year old stage - I'm just about done with it.... Makes you really think hard about number 2!
She loves singing and dancing. She is into Gymnastics at the moment. One lesson a week and she sleeps for days! She goes to Kindy twice a week and loves it and has made some sweet little friends.
We have yet to find a church - we are visiting but haven't felt settled yet - hopefully soon.....

Well I am going to need to post more regularly to my one or two valued readers! I have just babbled!
Anywho - hopefully the next one is not half a year away!

Miss Amelia the Buzzy Bee...

With her little class for their formal pic

Ok I am not a stage mum (mom) but dang I was soooo proud of Amelia. Here I was peeping from the side like some crazed woman, waving my arms about like a bee, singing at the top of my voice. There was my daughter, lined up with her little dancing friends, waltzing to the front of the stage, waving frantically at her VERY pround daddy, nan nan, Aunty and cousin... then it all crashed down around us.... she roamed slowly back into the line, buzzed for about a minute, saw me in the wings.... and came running.... I hugged, scurried her back with a firm but loving shove and she sang some more, danced slowly and then finished the dance with a forlorn look on her brow.....
Boy I was so proud, I was nearly in tears... my little girl at her first dance recital.
Well then I felt like the worst mum in the world... poor girl was shivering and red cheeked when she return and misrable as heck. Her temp.... 38.4 - scorching... we hung around for her cousin's two dances (0nly cause we couldn't leave them there without a car...)
The poor girl was sick for days!!! But I was still as proud as punch.


Take a look at these cute pics... the things we parents do....

Lipstick and eye makeup and a cheesey smile

Look out world.... she's THREE!!!

Flashback... September 19, 2003 2.37pm Amelia entered the world screaming and pinky purple in colour...















Today.... September 19, 2006 2.37 AM! Amelia wakes up her mum and dad screaming "where is my dummy" in her pink and purple PJ's!


Yes.. today was the day! Well yesterday in New Zealand - Today in Canada and America. Amelia turned three - and she started the day at 6am - WAY too early for any kind of happy anythings... Dad managed to settle her down till 7 when she arose to find a bag of goodies on the end of her bed... screams of sheer delight as she found some NEW princess glass slippers and some bubbles and a ball and some princess books.... there is a theme...
Then out to the lounge where hidden under a sheet were her new worldly treasures.... a bike - a BIG girls bike, a snow white dress and oh the very best gift - A CINDERELLA DOLL - with glass shoes of course.... now not that my child is obsessed with cinderella.... well she is bordering on it.. let me back track...
The previous night Amelia and John (the prince) preformed a small renditition of the famed "Cinderella" complete with the crying at the dress being ripped by the mean stepsisters to the dad having to chase her round the house trying to fit the glass slipper on her foot (the glass slipper had to be carried on the cushion of course) What a giggle she is... note to mum - more outside play - roll on summer.

Then the Aunty's and uncles and grandma and cousin came over for Pizza and garlic bread (and veggies) and more presents were unwrapped -more squeals of delight and more princess things... thanks guys.... your just feeding the habit! She had a great time though and went to bed exhausted....

What fun to be 3 but boy... I think she came with 3x more tantrums and whatnot! ahhhh Now its 3 mins on the naughty chair.... I'm a mean mum.

Anywho... here are some pics to help you enjoy her birthday too.
Oh and more presents to come at the Princess and Pirate party on Sat......SUGAR!!!!!!!
Oh and we moved.... more bout that later!
I love you Amelia and am soooo happy I'm your mama... You are my big girl now with your cheeky grin and your cute sense of humour but you will always be mama's chicken fried rice.....











Ok this has been in draft form for nearly a month - I was having problems downloading pics... and I had to clean my house after the 3 year old party.
Ok so lets do a quick update... Amelia has been 3 for one and a bit months and let me tell you I think she thinks she is 21!!!! She wants to do EVERYTHING herself especially when we are in a hurry and wants to do NOTHING we ask her to do... there are tantrums for Africa and John and I are now renewing the life insurance because if she keeps it up one of us may go off the deep end! She is awake at all hours of the night with requests from I am scared, pray for me, water, bathroom, sirens, fireworks, and the list goes on. So now we are using good old bribary as a last resort... If you can sleep 5 nights withour waking mum and dad up you can go to Butterfly Creek (Her choice) worked once and that was cause she slept in our bed! Arrrggh where are we going wrong... I think I need SUPERNANNY!

Party was good. I was sick again... third year in a row....something suspicious here...Amelia had a ball with her little friends. I made a Barbie Princess Cake... quite surprised myself at my hidden talent... She got more Princess stuff, and some pony stuff... lots to keep her amused but she had a ball. Kids ate, played games, bounced on the bouncy castle and tramp and went home to their lovely mums and dads.

Love being a mum but am thinking I need a holiday from the tantrums and CONSTANT no's! Lord give me strength and wisdom and LOADS of patience... I am so sure Amelia's Dad was like this when he was a kid.... I know I was an angel......

PHOTO TIME!!

Thought it was about time I posted some pics of our holiday in the sun in California. Most are of Amelia. She had a ball. This is just the first half - Disneyland to follow! Hope this works...

Blowing fairies

With dad, making sandcastles...San Clemente Beach

Amelia makes friends with a local...

Crazy Aunt Tracey from Disneyland and Cousin Ash.. these two were too much fun! MISS YOU

Notice the glasses... just got them before we left. She is longsighted... does very well in them!

I will post some more when I can work out how to do it more efficiently. I'm blond in parts and proud! Ha boy I need sleep..... so wait of the sequel.

August Already!!

OK.. Yes I am like the worst blogger... and yes... it's August already - has been for a few weeks now. September is looming and all is go for then. First we move into our new house!! John, Amelia's and my FIRST house that is ours, that we can paint and decorate however we wish, put as many holes in the wall for new pictures as we want... SO excited!! Going to look for paint this week to paint my girls room - all by myself.... good luck to you I hear you say! I will post some pics of our little house - its like 50 yrs young and needs a bit of tlc but I love it!! Loved it along time ago when it was someone elses house.... might call it Amelia's White Gables... or something else......

Our new little house!

Enough room to swing a few cats!

The Pip is 3 on the 19th September... where has the time gone! She is having a princess party with 10 of her friends in our new back yard... mum can't wait - LOVE a good party - even if it is full of 3 yr olds in pretty princess dresses - ahhh the perks of having a girl. Going back a bit... July was good - we went on a family trip to the States to see Crazy Aunt Tracey from Disneyland and Cousin Ashleigh - the little Pip didn't do so good on the way over with very high temps and vomiting... all good in a small enclosed place!! She took about four days to get over it all...." I want to go home...." We thought about it - I can tell you. Once she took on the sights of Disneyland and all her glory ... home was soon forgotten. Loved every moment of it... seeing Disneyland from a 2 and a half year olds perspective was amazing.... her face, her expressions, her language, her actions... was priceless.

Favourite ride was Alice in Wonderland and the teacups, DID NOT like Pinocchio and proceeded to inform all that she did not like the "nocchio ride" - She loved seeing the princesses and mickey and donald - we stayed late and watched the fantastic Fireworks display twice!! Amelia clapped and cheered with the thousands of people - such an amazing experience for all of us!! (Except when Amelia decided to pop her head thru the rails at the Dumbo ride! - Thankfully John is soooo strong!) fan fan ohh my hero.
We also went to Sea World and had a ball - Amelia loved the water area and giggled and ran and got sooo wet. She chased Shamo and the penguins (dressed up) and had an all out ball. It was sticky and hot but we loved it as it was windy, rainy and bitterly cold at home!
Had such a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. We miss our Crazy Aunt Tracey and Ashleigh and can't wait to see them again.... Christmas next year - fingers crossed.

So all in all - it's August and we are humming along... each day a blessing and each night without a child screaming "MUM!!" an even bigger blessing.

Roll on September

HELP!! I'VE BEEN TAGGED

Ok, ok I am bowing to the pressure... the pressure of ONE. I am so week. Deanna... my one loyal blog reader... this is for you.

FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD:in no particular order...1.Hairdresser (can't do my own hair to save myself)
2. Teacher
3. Nanny (to horror children)
4. A pieman or is that piewoman... anywho...I made the best pies in Auckland as voted in 1992!!

FOUR MOVIES/SHOWS I'VE BEEN ADDICTED TO:
Ohhhhh easy 1. Princess Bride...GREAT lines in that movie
2. Anne of Green Gables (That's for you Dee)
3. Survivor and Great Race... I love other peoples Drama's so I am quite the reality tv buff.
4. I've been told I'm quite fond of Brad Pitt... some have even said obsessed...so anything with Brad in it... - oh did I tell you my sister met him!! AGGGHHH I was like NO! but that's another story.

FOUR PLACES I'VE LIVED:
1. Bulls.... yes like a male cow... small hick town... nothing to write home about.
2. North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand... most of my life - surrounded by beautiful beaches and lovely people.
3. Sacramento... California's state capital and the only place that one can dry their tennis shoes in 10 mins due to 110 degree heat... they also went from white to brown...
4. Anaheim California - 2 of the best years of my life... where I met Dee... lots of very good memories that still make me smile:)

FOUR COUNTRIES I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT:
1. CANADA oh CANADA... don't know anymore words that that... wanna meet Dee's man and kids and cruise around Winnipeg in a VW convertable - mental note - not in winter!
2. La Rochelle.... with my husband - something romantic about that place
3. Wanna travel the states in a RV with my family going to all those crazy places that have things like the biggest ball of yarn...etc - you know what I mean.
4. MEXICO.... just a dream but hopefully maybe one day I can take my girl and my guy there and they can see why I fell in love with the place... something special ah dee.

FOUR POPULAR FALSE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ME:
1. I have no sense of humour... lies...
2. I can spell cause I am a teacher...
3. I like being woken up 6 times a night...
4. I like cats....

PEOPLE I LOOK LIKE:
Ha...1. Minnie Driver... I have blond straight hair..
2. Drew Barrymore... I have a round chubby face...
3. My sister
4. My daughter?

FOUR THINGS (I HOPE) TO DO BEFORE I DIE:
1. Have another baby... I think
2. Get to Winnipeg before Dee's kids are grown up
3. See my children become christians, marry and play with my grandkids
4. Go on a cruise with my husband when we are old and grey... I wanna sing the LOVE BOAT theme song and wear matching cruise wear with large hibiscus flowers on them.

PEOPLE I TAG NEXT: Dang sorry NO ONE I know has a blog except Dee so... Brad, Tom, Matthew and Elvis - YOU ARE IT