K's 4th birthday ...

When the rugrats were younger, I had many many attempts at keeping a notebook where I would list all their interesting, humorous comments and details on their growth and development. Just before we left Whangarei and moved down here I found what I think was about number 12 in the series, which covered the period February to December 2001 and contained the sum total of about eight entries ....

As K is fast heading for nine, looking forward to the holiday programme next week because the girl he likes is going to be there, wants to know how you tell a girl you like her and is becoming increasingly, frighteningly self sufficient, I read the following the other day and thought I'd share ...

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"My baby is four !!! He opened all his own presents at breakfast - loved the train set, loved his Thomas T-shirt. When he opened his Pooh Bear socks he said (with appropriate level of disgust) "Stink !! Socks aren't a real present !!"

The MOTH was very good and even let K play with his train set. I did, however, have to stop him taking it to work and setting it up on the board-room table "... just to check that it works OK" !!

On the way home this afternoon K asked me "It's my birf-day. Why didn't Grandad come and watch me run at athletics ?" I told him it was because he had to work. "Well then, Nana should just have come-d without him then !" The he folded his arms, stuck out his lower lip and informed me that "I am very disappointed and very very not impressed with him" !!

They were waiting for us when we arrived home."

But will there be cowboys ?

School holidays starts next week. Ever since the MOTH spent a couple of weeks there last year working, both rugrats have been fascinated by the thought of going to the West Coast. And in spite of many many visits to the South Island to visit my grandparents while I was growing up, it's somewhere I have never been.

The MOTH and I have just spent a very enjoyable three hours finalising our plans, booking accommodation and arranging our itinerary. I'm a "list" freak ... so we now have a nice orderly folder containing an Excel spreadsheet with our daily plans, activities, nightly accommodation and budget, print-outs of interesting possibilities and accommodation confirmations and a map.

Just looking at the folder makes me want to go and write up lists of clothing and equipment we need to take with us ... but I have to save something for tomorrow night (whereupon MOTH shakes his head disbelievingly, but knows he will never change me) ...

I think planning a trip can sometimes be the best part.

Watch out !!!

Skating tonight was a blast !!!

Backwards cross-overs ... tick :)
Two foot spins for more than five revolutions ... tick :)
Backwards skating on one foot ... tick :)

In the interests of always challenging myself ... Cara has convinced me to stick around after our normal class next week. For $10 I can borrow hockey skates, a helmet and a really reallllly big stick ...

I feel sorry for the other guys ...

A snippet from youthful minds ...

The rugrats went on an art field trip with school last week and were discussing it over their after school snack today.

S : "Where did you go on your trip ?"
K : "The Museum, and the University ..."
S : "Did you go to xxx School ?"
K : "Yep"
S : "Did you like it there ?"
K : "The school was neat, but I didn't like the teacher there ..."
S : "Yeah, she talked really loud and asked us dumb questions"
K : "Lots of adults do that. We're little you know ... not stupid"

I told you !!!

Exercise is bad for you !!!

SCENARIO ONE
Two weeks ago during skating class we were graded. So Cara and I passed Level 3. And then we got cocky ...

C : "Let's see how much of Level 4 we can do"
K : "C'mon ... it can't be that hard, right ?"
C : "Oooh look, we can already do three of the five requirements ... just have to learn to spin on one foot and ..."
K : "We can already do it on two, one must just be like this and then you lift a foot off the ground and ...... OOOOMPHH !!!"

I'm nothing if not persistent (I prefer the word persistent to the word stupid)

First time I hit the ice I thought : "Hrmmm ... toe picks !!"
Second time : "Gosh, this is harder than it looks"
Third time : "I'm going to be on Level 3 for the rest of my life"

Result : Wicked bruise right down my entire right thigh.


SCENARIO TWO
We've been playing squash a bit over the past few weeks. However, due to work and BBQ commitments, I haven't been down to the courts in a week or so. So we headed down for a few games on Sunday afternoon.

There are three of us playing ... taking it in turns to swap in and out each game depending on who's had enough at the time. Some time during my third game, when the score is about a gazillion to nil and I couldn't hit a ball even if you slowed it down and placed me right behind it, I started to become mildly annoyed (I may be understating things slightly) ...

The MOTH (bless his heart) is still offering encouragement and well intentioned advice. And as anyone who has ever been anywhere near a squash court knows ... "Control the T : control the game".

Unfortunately, when two solid objects attempt to occupy the same space, something has to give. When one of those objects is a squash racquet moving at high speed, and the other is the front of someone's face, there can only be one possible outcome ...

Result : I am thinking of having a badge made up that says "No, I am not a battered wife" ...

Happy birthday to you ...

So the MOTH had another birthday a week or so ago. *

Just a "quiet BBQ with the boys from work" ... a few drinks, nothing too major ...

Apparently it was quite a good night. The last thing I remember is sitting in the bottom of the shower with the MOTH telling me I had to go to bed and my saying "I like it here, I'll just sleep here" and lying down.

Red wine and I are no longer on speaking terms ...



* (during the period we were computer-less or I would have posted and shared my disgrace with you all earlier)

Everyone say thank you ...

... to the nice man at work who fixed my computer so it no longer runs like a dog and I can actually do stuff on it !!!

('tis a mite depressing when you have no programmes running and your CPU usage is at 87% ?!?!?!?!?)