What a busy week

On Tuesday we headed down to Play Centre for one of the girls 5th birthday party and last day at Play Centre. We normally only attend the Friday session and I was reminded again today why. Little Hannah just does not cope with it when there are so many children. The main reason is probably because there is more chance of someone saying "I'm not your friend" which just breaks her little heart.
The bubble machine was fun though - and although the children had headed off for another fun thing to do - I asked Ruth and Hannah to come and pose for a photo. :-)
When we got home I decided to try and get some of these seedlings planted. Especially the corn, sunflowers and marrows. You can see form the first photo how lovely and warm it was with a beautiful clear sky. While I was busy though a massive dark cloud came over and eventually it was pouring down. Ruth quickly got Hezekiah in while I put the last two seedlings in (they had taken turns helping with the previous ones). And it went like this a few times through the day. It felt like we were living in Auckland. :-)
Rachel was at the school this morning and again at lunch time for music practice. They got to sing one of their items during the Assembly this morning - so that was something different and nice for Rachel to experience.
You can tell there was face painting at the party this morning too. :-)
On Wednesday morning I had Sandy (my midwife) visit. It was good to catch up with her again.
After lunch we had Kerry come and visit with her younger ones and it was nice for me to get to catch up with her too.
Thursday saw me out with Rachel from 8am till after 11pm. Thursday gets a whole post of it's own though.







On Friday morning I decided I would rather have Hezekiah at home for his morning nap so that I could just get some time at home after the whole day out on Thursday. Because Ruth is now 6 she is no longer registered with the Play Centre although she can visit as Rachel does when I am there. So Hannah had to stay on her own today. I was wondering how this would go after the tearful day on Tuesday but she was absolutely fine.
There were only 5 children there and so she got loads of time with the teacher getting a huge pile of books read to her. She also spent time playing with the others and also playing on her own. So it was a great morning for her and I felt a bit more normal for the hours spent at home.
A lovely photo of Ruth in her new sneakers. I am so thankful to one of the ballet mothers who - after reading my previous post about our barefoot runners - said that her girls had a pair that did not fit. They look hardly worn (what so often happens with how fast their feet grow) and Ruth was thrilled with them. She ran up to fetch the post today. I can't believe how big she is getting. She is now as old as what Rachel was when we moved to NZ.
Noortjie phoned to ask if the younger girls would like to go with her to "messy church" in Waipra this afternoon. They left before 3 and were only back after 7. I was really pleased that Ruth got something special to do today as she was disappointed with not going to Play Centre in the morning and then Rachel and I were out to Youth Group in the evening.
So this week - and especially today - it's felt like a train station at our house.

It was lovely to have everyone home on Saturday though for another fellowship meeting. It was only Kerry with her children this time but it was a lovely time of getting to know one another a bit more. And still a garden full of children having fun - so that was special too. I did not manage to get Hezekiah in this photo but he had so much fun playing tag with the rest of them.
Our "chore chart" for the last 3 weeks has filled up - so a new one is now in the making for the next 4 weeks. It's been great to see how much it has helped everyone and how it is helping to get new habits formed.

11 months and on the go

Here come fun and games. Hezekiah has discovered that he is now tall enough to get a knee up onto these chairs and so can manage to climb up. When I picked up the camera he was just kneeling. Standing like this while I took the photo and then by the time I put the camera down next to me he had let go and was standing without holding on. I think he has seen Hannah singing on these (as her stage) and he decided he wanted to join her. It even looked like he wanted to dance a bit too while up there.
Then he discovered that the kitchen step was nice and easy to climb on too. No back to help him stand - so for now he seems happy to just kneel on it and be that little bit higher so he can watch what I am doing.



On Wednesday I took his 11 month photos. So standing very confidently at this stage and perhaps willing to take just one or two steps.



It's getting a bit more tricky to get a sitting pose. He is not one to sit still for long. :-)

Time for a monthly children photo again.

Hezekiah sure does love eating bananas. And now that we just give it to him to eat he is so pleased.








I finally took a photo of the beautiful flowers I get to look at our my kitchen window.
On Thursday we did BBQ pork chops for our shared meal before Bible Study. Ruth likes helping Dad with the meat.
And who says you need a fancy toy from the library to get walking practice. A deck and plastic chair work fine. :-) He enjoyed being out there with Dad and the girls too. It did start cooling off a bit though.
On Friday the girls had breakfast at Play Centre IN THEIR PAJAMAS. Hannah as been looking forward to this the whole week. And boy did she eat. She had a small bowl of ricies (rice krispies) when she got up (otherwise she would never have made it to 9:30) and then had corn flakes, ricies and weetbix (and a 2nd bowl of corn flakes later). The highlight was using some of the left over cupcake decorations in the cereal. 100s and 1,000s make a lovely little addition to cereal and add to the excitement and special memories created.

Hernia again

Ruth was booked in to have her umbilical hernia fixed again on Thursday morning. We had to leave at 6am - so it was a really early start for the two of us. Noortjie had said she would be able to come over at 7am when Brendon had to leave for work. She suggested that I call the hospital and at least ask them to put Ruth as early as possible as it is a far way for us to travel and I do have other children (including a baby) at home. Well - the request was heard and Ruth was scheduled to be the first. We had to be at the hospital by 7:30 although the first op would only be at 8:30. Ruth was a little surprised at having to put on these hospital clothes. At the other hospital for her first op - they just did it in her own clothes. It just came out because when someone asked her "was everything the way you expected" she said "no - I had to change". So it made an impression on her - although it did not worry her at all.
I even had to get dressed up "like a smurf" to accompany her until she was asleep. So that made it more fun. She was not the only one getting dressed up. We had a little wait in this room but thankfully there were so many pictures on the walls that Ruth's suggestion of "I spy" kept us busy and laughing.
The nurse was very friendly and when I came out and she showed me where to throw all my blue clothes - I asked if I could keep them for the girls. She insisted I throw the "slippers" away - but she made sure I had at least two of everything. Hannah was very pleased.
Ruth took a little longer to get the "all clear" afterwards from the anesthetist. He stayed with her for a while longer as he was not happy with her breathing. She was struggling quite a bit and they had to keep her on oxygen and wait for her chest to settle and her breathing to get back to normal. Although she has not had any indication of any sickness - Hezekiah did cough yesterday - so perhaps the start of something was there and the anesthetic just upset it all a bit. It took her a bit longer than last time to feel well enough to leave recovery - and then we headed back to the ward.
The policy in this hospital was that you stay in the ward for 2 hours though. Ruth was eager to get going though - as she wanted us to have enough time to get Chinese food on the way home. I had been hoping to get home before Noortjie had to leave at 1 - but when I realized they wanted Ruth to stay longer we let Joyce know that she would indeed be needed for an hour or two. So we did get the Chinese food on our way home. And Joyce had enjoyed the time she had spent with the children too. It was reported that Hezekiah was as happy as could be the whole time. I am very thankful it all went so well.
I really have had to adjust to leaving Hezekiah lately as I had to take Ruth into town to get her gum checked on Monday. It had been hurting her for a while and because it was a different colour to the rest Brendon was concerned about an abscess. I had phone the dental nurse and she suggested we rather get to see a dentist. So at very late notice Nikki said she could pop over and watch the others while I headed in. Nikki is the Play Centre lady and Hannah really likes her. So she had a lovely time and Hezekiah was a happy little boy for her too. Thankfully Ruth did not have an abscess. The dentist just suggested using a really soft toothbrush and being extra careful in that area for a while. I think the gum was just healing still from the baby tooth Ruth had to pull out - almost out the front.
On Saturday we headed up to the Spencer's home for Katie's 5th birthday party (up because they are 30 minutes drive UP into the mountains). It's always amazing to think how quickly time flies when Katie has a birthday. I was already friends with Kerry via e-mail before we left South Africa and Katie was born just before we arrived. So it's always a vivid reminder of how long we have been living in New Zealand. It was hard for Ruth to not be able to run around with the other children - but it was still special that we got to spend the day with them.

Teeth, toes and tests

On Monday we had Rob and Jenna joins us for dinner along with Holly. Rob has worked on the farm with Brendon for quite a while now and although we met Holly when we first arrived she has been living up in Auckland and only recently moved back to the area to work on the farm too (her father is one of the owners). Holly has known Rob and Jenna for many years - so it was great to have a catch up with everyone. They have little James who is 3 months old - he was born just after we got back from SA.
Hezekiah's 3 new teeth are really pushing out now and on Tuesday morning I even noticed the one was really red. He has also started with a bit of a runny nose (perhaps because of the teeth) and so we dropped the two younger girls at the play centre but then came home so that he could get an early nap.
The girls normally go to Play Centre on Friday but as they had a special "trip" today they joined in. They walked up to the local school so that especially the 4 year olds can get an idea of what it's all about before they start attending when they are 5. Even though our girls won't go to school - it was still a nice experience for them to go and see what it is like.
When I headed out to take the above photos as they walked past our house I noticed all the ice on the deck. And that still at 9:30.
Thankfully it does warm up more by lunch time and so we have gotten into a new tradition of spending some time in the sun after lunch. At least on the days when it's warmer than 5 at lunch time. :-) Hezekiah just loves being outside too. So although yesterday he was able to crawl around on the grass - it was wet today - so he just sat and chewed on some toys while I read to Hannah.
Another regular to our week is that we have weekly guests while Rachel has her ballet lesson. One of the girls in her class comes from half an hour away and so Rowan and his mum (Rachel) come and stay warm at our place until the lesson is done. It was so cute watching Hezekiah with him today. He had such big smiles for him (despite those teeth and all the DROOL). Rachel is expecting her 6th child any day now - so our weekly visits may not happen for a few weeks until she is back to doing the ballet run.
Wednesday morning was a bit of a different morning as the priority after breakfast was getting the girls ready for their ballet exams.
Thankfully one of the mothers was able to take Ruth and Rachel.
For the last 4 years I would buy pies for lunch on our way to the exam. Thankfully the mother was happy to stop for the girls to get pies - and so even though I was not a part of it - the tradition was kept up. :-) And I even got a photo of Ruth and her group before they went in.
The ballet teacher sent me this one - they are hoping to get it into one of the papers. Looking so lovely.
On Wednesday evening we finally got some nice quite time to chat to the girls about why Mum popped out on Monday morning when Mrs Spencer was here. Rachel already knew from Monday - but it was fun getting the little one's reactions. Brendon asked Ruth how many extra spaces we had in the car. She said "2" and he said "soon there will only be 1". She immediately looked at me and asked if I was pregnant. Clever little girl. We all then had so much fun laughing as Hannah said "it's going to be a boy" "no - it's going to be a girl" and then started coming up with all different names.
Hezekiah loves getting up onto his knees so he can get hold of things properly. Getting so big.
We attended a lovely big party for two 5 years olds on Saturday morning and although I had my camera with me - I ended up chatting so much I did not get around to taking even one photo.
It was Ruth and I off for a scone at the tea rooms this weekend. This time the lady gave us two plates and knives and Ruth was very pleased to do her half "on her own". And as could be expected - she put her marshmallows in a serviette to take home for her sisters. :-)
We sat on the other side of the tea rooms this time (as there was a very arrogant loud man on the other side) and so we got to spot this lovely big teddy. His name is Ben. Ruth read the sign to me and as it says he likes getting cuddles and having his photo taken - we obliged.
Another one with Hezekiah up on his knees.
On Saturday it was great catching up with a mother I have not seen in a while. Her daughter is just 2 months older than Hezekiah. She only started on solids at 8 months and went straight to finger food. So it inspired me to try and get Hezekiah more used to different textures and "feeding himself". I really love what she has done though - I wish I had known about it sooner. No puree for this little girl and she has just learnt to chew right from the start. Maybe I will get to try it with the next one.
A friend organized for us to do a meat swop (with me needing to get more red meat for Ruth's iron levels and us having loads of pork) so Brendon picked some up on Saturday evening. It was lovely to make a HUGE pot of bolognaise sauce on Sunday (and have 3 extra meals for the freezer). This wonderful friend also offered us their slide and swing (as their children have outgrown them). So on his way home from work on Sunday Brendon went to pic them up. The play area in our garden has expanded. :-) Hannah had been "making" a slide out of a plank and a plastic table. The table is not that strong and so I said I would try get her one from the toy library. When they did not have one of Friday she was so upset. So this was a lovely blessing - especially the slide for Hannah.

And he's off

On Monday it was lovely having Hannah ask for more veggies after dinner. Trying to hard to smile for the camera though. :-)
On Tuesday I was reminded that even though we live in the village now - we still live "in the country". I spooted this calf out on the curb and so the girls walked over the road to see if they could find out who the owner was. He eventually made his way home on his own though.
On Friday we headed off to play centre. There was no play dough and so the one mother said she would make some and asked my girls what colour they wanted. They decided on purple and even helped make it.
Instead of mixing the red and blue in completely she let the girls have fun seeing how the colour was created.
I love this painting that Ruth did last week at play centre. Anzac day was not too long ago and so a field full of poppies was a perfect choice.
I had to return things to the Toy Library today and there were a few toys out that they want to sell as they have not been used in a long time. The girls were thrilled with what I came home with and it was even better that it now belongs to us.

And nothing like new toys on the floor to encourage Hezekiah to crawl nicely so that I can get a video. He has just taken off this week and is on the go.
The girls then went out for a children's church activity with the theme of The Lord is my Shepherd. Hannah was a bit tired by the time she got home - so I don't know if she will go again.
On Saturday Brendon took Rachel to finally get her birthday riding boots (they had to order the size for her as she has such big feet). So they had their Dad and daughter morning tea at the same time and did some shopping for me while they were out.
One of the items on the shopping list was chicken liver pate. I had noticed this week that Ruth's energy levels are really low again and I am sure it's due to the fact that we have not been eating as much beef since we got back from SA. Our beef supplier only has calves at the moment so we will have to look at other options till we can stock up the freezer again. Chicken liver is a great quick fix though - so she has been eating tablespoons of the stuff again (followed by a mandorin or something else rich in vit C). I am sure her low iron levels and energy levels did not help with all the running she did this week. It will be interesting to see how she does next year - just with better energy levels.
The weekend saw Brendon and I spending a number of hours cleaning in the garage. Now that the walls are done we could start cleaning properly. We cleaned loads of cobwebs and dirt off the walls and floor and had at least 3 buckets full of cobwebs and dust to take out. I really should have taken a before shot so you could see the transformation. It was great to have the walls clean so that we could start packing agains the walls and finally get some organization out there. It's great to have the extra bookshelves now for extra toys (untill we build on an extra play room) as well as all my food storage boxes with a lot of my bulk purchase stuff in them.
My job tomorrow will be sorting our my room so that my sewing cabinet can finally come inside. It's so heavy though - we will have to get some help in moving it in.
And a nice photo of Ruth and Hezekiah looking at a book together. Apparently they each had a side when Brendon first saw them and was hoping to get a photo of that. This one is still special though. After all our cleaning in the garage I got to unpack 3 more boxes which helped us uncover a number of extra board books for him. He does so enjoy books already and definately has his favourites. :-)