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The little girl (as you would have seen) has hair which is completely out of control and I’ve started putting clips in her hair with the aim of trying to contain it!  Its not really working as she likes to keep taking them out – but I’ll keep trying.

She has had 5 sessions at day care now and has started to settle in quite well ie she didn’t actually cry when I drop her off or when  I arrive to pick her up – thats progress.  The carers tell me she is very good in a group playing with other children but is equally quite happy to go off and play on her own.  She likes the books, the singing and playing with the blocks.

The walking legs she got for Christmas are working well and she is now spending more time on her feet rather than on her knees.  She has started ‘chatting’ more and likes to say ‘hello there ..’ to everyone she sees and likes to cuddle people, dollies, the sofa, the dogs  well almost anything with a big ‘ahhhhh ..’ and places her head on what every it is – tis very cute to see.

She now recognises animals in books and she can point to cows, sheep, pigs etc when asked and she roars like a very convincing lion when asked to.

At bed time she is very capable of telling you which two books she would like you to read to her as you lift each one and she will either say ‘yay’ or ‘no’ to it before she settles down to snuggle onto your lap.  Ian has taken to putting her to bed as he says its one of his favourite things to do

She is continuing to grow quickly and I wonder if she will be 6ft tall by the time shes five!!  Even Megan thinks Charlie will be taller than her and shes currently the tallest in her class – even the boys!

A few photos taken while visiting with Ians Uncle Ian, Aunty Sue, cousins Charlotte and Gennie – so the girls Gt Uncle and Aunt and cousins once removed!!  It was really cold but that didn’t stop the girls from wanting to go outside and bounce on the tramp and poor Gennie and Charlotte were very good about being out their with them!

And Aunty Vic I’ve got my new dress on that I got for Christmas

A completely random photo of Charlies cousins Logie (holding green frog) and Lukies (Little blonde boy) taken just before Christmas – its a great photo of Lukies with Hazza (mark 1 and 2) his much loved Harrods puppy that Ian and I gave him.

Wow its beautiful and before you ask – no date set but it will happen in NZ sometime before we need zimmerframes

Happy 8 years of marriage to Marc and Vic 

Bring on 10 years and a trip to Vegas!!

lots of love from us all

xox

Thank you Aunty Vic, Uncle Marc, Max and Elliot for my pretty red dress.  Mum tells me she will post a couple of photos very soon of me in it.

Thank you Aunty Jen, Logies and Lukies for my Dora the Explorer DVD.  Its CHOICE!

Thank you Nana and Koko for my clothes and my really pretty tights which Mum tells me I desperately need.

Thank you Tanya for my pretty yellow flower which glows when my Mum squeezes the leaves.

Thank you to Sue and John for my really cool animal book.

Thank you to Aunty Stacey and Uncle Gary for my clothes which Mum says  will come in handy in the next few months as I seem to be constantly going through a growth spurt!

Thank you to Uncle Gordon, Aunty Sam and Eds for my new dolly and my hat and mittens set.  I wore them the next day and Mum tells me green is one of my colours

Thank you to my Gt Uncle Ian and Gt Aunty Sue for my teddy bear, he sits up on my window sill looking out.

And finally a big Thank You to Santa for my other presents although I’m still working on those ‘walking legs’ you gave me and Mum tells me I wobble a little like my Dad does after he’s had a few down the local pub!! 

Well its been threatening for some time and Ian did say last night he thought it might snow and sure enough it did!   We woke this morning to the following outside, photos taken at about 7.30am.

taken at about 10.30am

Lets just say Charlie and I are staying indoors with the heating on today 

I have been keeping track of a number of peoples holiday snaps showing themselves in shorts and t-shirts enjoying the sun .. so thought I would post a few photos of what we woke up to on New Years Eve..

The village green

Our front garden

Our cars

View up the village

I bet you wish you could swap your sun for our frost – Yeah Right!

We had a lovely day and the weather was quite mild (maybe I’m getting used to the weather .. god forbid!).  It was an early start with Megan arriving in our room at 5.50am, it was her 3rd visit to our room to see if we were awake so we thought we would let her in   Charlie for once decided she didn’t want to wake early and I ended up waking her at 6.45am as poor Megan was chomping at the bit to go downstairs and see if ‘Santa had been!’.

So we all got up and the girls opened up their stockings before Ian cooked scrambled eggs with either bacon or smoked salmon before we opened up the other Christmas presents under the tree.  Anna (Megans Mum) and Neil (her partner) arrived at 11.30ish with Megans big present from us all for her to open.  They left after a couple of hours and our Christmas day continued along very quietly with just the three of us and the two furry animals.  Ian cooked a fantastic Christmas dinner:

Entree: crayfish tails and prawn pancakes in a cream and pesto sauce

Main: Duck cooked two ways in clemintine sauce with truffled crushed pototoes and glased carrots

Pudding: Christmas pud with custard.  But we couldn’t managed desert after the first 2 courses.

Charlie Christmas morning

Megan in her new dress and her new bike with accessories

Family photo

I have to admit if Ian hadn’t been with me I probably would have been a blubbering mess however he didn’t give me the opportunity.  We dropped her off  he took me by the hand and said ‘lets go ..’ and we left.  We spent a couple of hours shopping in Stratford and I did keep asking Ian to check his phone ‘just in case ..’ the centre rang.  But they didn’t.  She apparently cried for a couple of minutes and then she settled in okay for her first morning.  Day 2 is tomorrow.

Below photo is Charlies first day at care with her little school bag