Twenty Six/52

A: How you managed to get in the tree with your ice-cream intact was a surprise to us. But there you just hung out and enjoyed yourself. You have gone from reading a book a day to finishing three or four a day... So speedy! And you are getting close to finishing all the books in the Rainbow Magic series. No small feat considering there are over 200...

H: We couldn't Not have a cake for your birthday so of course the celebration continued after our weekend. You were delighted and loved putting the candles on and cutting pieces for us. You spent a lot of time this week working on all your birthday Lego sets. Despite not getting any from us, you still managed a few and had a ball! From Elves to Storm Troopers to Pirates. You are such a diverse little person.

L: You went on your kindy trip to the petting farm and had a ball. You brought home an egg and were torn between having to use it for food and wanting it to hatch. I loved seeing how beautifully you played with one of the neighbours' boys during the week. So much so, that you kept wanting to just wander on over and play all the time! Is he home yet? Is he home yet? Now? You love running - you will run what seems like "mindless" laps around the backyard. The way you all continue to be so different from each other is always a joy to observe.

Halfway through the year!  Unbelievable.
L xx

On the train: London - Day 2

Sunday morning dawned bright, sunny and beautiful so we decided to go and see the sights first thing. Southbank, Big Ben, the Parliament Buildings, Parliament Square, then on to St James Park and Buckingham Palace.

There was a chartity fun run on around the place and it was packed, so it took a while to get to the front, but we did manage to see a guard changing. The girls especially loved being in front of a real palace, where a real king and queen live!

On the train and off to a scrummy lunch not far from the Natural History Museum.  We had been hanging out to come here.  The girls were terribly excited about the dinosaur skeletons and the mechanical t-rex.  I was terribly excited about the gorgeous building and the amazing details in everything.  Little things like monkey's scaling walls, birds and animals watching from carved hidden corners.  Patterns everywhere.  Such serious eye-candy.  The museum was beautiful, the exhibitions fantastic.  We didn't get to nearly half of what there was to see but gosh it was great!

We decided to make a small detour on the way back to M&M World.   So much chocolate and colour.  L just about lost her mind being the little chocolate nut that she is.  Well worth a visit :)

Another awesome day in the Capital.
L xx

On the train: London - Day 1

At the end of May there was a second Bank Holiday weekend. We made plans and set off for London-town right after school on Friday afternoon. The train trip took about 1.5 hours from Birmingham and besides having to find the right platform, was an exceptionally easy and relaxing trip. We packed ourselves a light dinner, some books, sat back and took in the English countryside.

We stayed at a simple and central hotel, close to a train station. Super easy to get up and out in the morning and start exploring! On Saturday we headed to Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. The weather came and went during the day but the morning was gorgeous. It was a lovely quiet morning and we strolled from the Circus down to the Square. The fountains, the buildings... so lovely in the sunshine and a wonderful way to start our trip.

Next up was the London Zoo. The girls quite enjoyed it, so did we, and it was amazing seeing gorillas there. It is a lovely lovely place, though personally, it's not a patch on the Auckland Zoo that we frequented once a week for almost two years.

We headed off to Westminster Abbey next. Exiting the tube after arriving at the Westminster station, and walking into the street, you are met with Big Ben.  A was speechless, she couldn't believe she was seeing it - for real!  After a lovely lunch, we skipped the super long line to get into the Abbey with pre-booked online tickets - phew! No photo's allowed inside the Abbey, but to say it is breathtaking is an understatement.  It is almost painful in it's beauty and history.  Everywhere you look inside is amazing and rich with history and detail.  So much detail.  Mind-blowing to think of all the time, people, hours, and history in there.  Stunning, just, stunning.

The girls know all about Coronations now thanks to Frozen, so got a kick out of seeing the strangely ancient looking chair that is used for the occasion.  And then the chapel... amazing architecture and centuries old wall murals...  Wow.

A short stroll afterwards got us at the London Eye.  And we were going up!  The two older girls and I were so excited... The other two in our party... not so keen on heights but came along for the ride :)  L is mainly just going through a phase so it didn't take her long to start peering out the windows.  Although a little grey at the time, it was still spectacular.  Views and sights for ages.  We had a great time spotting and identifying different landmarks.  H who had been hanging out to go since first spotting a "wheel" in Liverpool, was thrilled to bits about this experience.

Such a great first day in London. London!!
L xx

Twenty-five/52

H: Happy Birthday precious girl! You loved your pressies and we all had an absolutely fantastic day at Legoland. So. Much. Fun. It was a surprise for all of you and your reactions were the best. A lovely day for our lovely girl. One of your gifts was an orange football - "my wish has come true!" you exclaimed. Cannot believe you are 6! You got another certificate at school during the week for great work in maths. We love you to bits xx

L: You are too funny. Using your badge as your camera here - click click click! We were so impressed with how brave you were on some of the rides and you were dead keen to be part of every thing. And we were so delighted with how kind and generous you were with the birthday girl. Definitely growing up and maturing in so many ways. You are a bit of a joker and will make things up or tell wild stories just to get a kick out of the response. They are rather funny. We let you all make a wish by trowing a penny into the water. To the amuzement of everyone around you yelled out your wish: "I wish I was a Mermaid!"

A: The next wiggly tooth came out. Three teeth all in a row, in three weeks. That grin, that face... heart melt. So expressive and so happy. Your face and your nature over the weekend was priceless - so sweet, gentle, kind, and loving every single moment. I love how you love and care for others. This morning you appeared with H, holding her hand and holding her close as you informed me she wasn't feeling well. She was ok of course but your lovely nature immediately wanted to look after her - I have many such memories of you. After seeing some dear close friends who were visiting briefly, you were really upset about missing them when we finally had to go home. We so love your gentle soul.

L xx

Twenty-four/52

A:  We love watching you talk with the gap in your mouth.  The tongue and that big hole are hilarious.  We are still astounded by how much food you pack away.  You easily eat more than Mum and Dad combined!  But in the last 4-5 months we have noticed just how much you've grown too.  The food is definitely filling up those hollow legs, as slightly big/well fitting clothes in January, now look like they belong to your little sisters when you wear it!

H:  The last few days has seen the appearance of your Brummie accent.  It is highly amusing hearing it.  One moment you sound like your kiwi self, the next moment you sound like your new Birmingham self.   We are very conscious of not making a fuss over it, given the various accent-related ordeals Mummy had when first arriving in NZ.  But it is very hard not to smile when the sentences vary in sound and intonations as much as they are.

L:  This week has been dominated by nursery rhymes for you.  Eventually I cottoned on to the one that you were singing almost all week.  Sing a song of sixpence.  You know the long version and can recite it by yourself.  Just gorgeous to watch, especially when "pecked off her nose" on our noses, is swiftly followed up with imaginary "plaster, plaster, plaster"!  Then this morning you started on Tickety Tickety Tock... Such cuteness :)

L xx