Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Christmas time is beaut!

What a lovely Christmas we have just had. Santa was a generous fellow and was good to all of us. The Rooster still keeps asking "Is it Christmas time?". I have told him it's Christmas until the tree goes down and then we have to wait another year to do it all again. A year is a long time for a three year old so it is met with such a big sigh of disappointment. I have consoled him with the fact that he has a birthday to look forward to, but even that seems a millennium away.

It is such an exhausting time of year for both the littlies and the adults but I feel a little sad that it is over. It was such a magical time this year, the Rooster's first real Christmas. He loved the countdown on the advent calendar and the carols (or harols as he was calling them at one time). He loved collecting the post each day and looking for his name on the cards from far away places. He took such delight at putting out his sack and the goodies for Santa and his reindeer to feast on after delivering his gifts. I wish I could I could bottle his excitement when he came downstairs and discovered that Santa had come and had left the treasures that he wished for.

But, I do love the down time between Christmas and New Year, eating leftovers and catching up with friends at a much slower pace. I am looking forward to the summer with my family. We have a list of things we would like to do with the kids, visits to the zoo and the beach, but I am mostly looking forward to the slow days at home. Late starts (for the one who gets the sleep in!), going out for coffee, playing with the kids with no rush to do the next thing and lots and lots of pottering about the house.

Eye Spy...some bling!

This weeks Eye Spy Sunday comes courtesy of Hoppo Bumpo.

I am not really one for gadgets or expensive possessions, but Santa came a little early this year and delivered this little bit of bling at work this week. I must admit I am a little scared of it. I have had it for 3 days and have yet to get it to do its stuff. It has just sat winking at me, coaxing me to play with it. All I have to do is download something or other, set up some kind of account and people tell me I'll be set. Fingers crossed. The ludite in me is a little nervous!

Ta dah!

Because my daughter has masses of silky, shiny hair and because I have spent way too much on hair accessories in just 10 months to keep said hair from flopping in eyes, I thought that I might try my hand at making this little things.

Eye spy....a burst of colour

I am not by nature attracted to the colour yellow, but since I have acquired my beautiful African mother and child I feel like I need to have something else yellow sitting at the other end of my buffet. These lillies sceamed out to me on Saturday and have been smiling at us all weekend.

This weeks theme comes from Flossy-P and the whole shebang is put together by Cindy.

One more sleep to go

...till my brother and his girl fly in from Canada. We are all very excited. The Rooster is at his Nanny's tonight sleeping over so that he is around for the morning run to the airport to see all the "aeroplanes", oh and Uncle Marty too!

So, its just the girls tonight here at Banjo Place after a very long trip home. There must have been a fatality on the highway as it took me an hour and a half to crawl home in the rain. And then the rain made the transfer of a sleeping baby impossible (ohh, to have a garage attached to the house, or even just a garage at all!)

Here comes Santa Claus

I can't help but post this photo cos it's just so darn cute. The Rooster knows that Santa is the Man. He also knows that he has to have a conversation with this odd looking man if he is to get the things on his list (how else will santa know?). However, he is not entirely convinced that sitting on the lap of a complete stranger in a red suit is the thing to be doing. My neice, who is 12, is wiser. She has worked out that a nice smile and a handshake will do the trick and that magic happens on the eve of the 24th.

Insomnia

The girls of this house had a bit of insomnia last night. Missy called out at 9.15 and then proceeded to squawk and giggle and kick and kick until she was propped up, nose to the top of the side rail. There was no way she was going back to sleep. So, rather than fight it, she came downstairs. Much to her delight. You could see the YEAH! all over her face. Her Daddy kept watch until this little face peeped over my screen.

Was it a full moon, because 2 hours later, I had the same problem. I hate lying awake. I hate tossing and turning and checking the clock. I give myself one hour of this kind of carry-on before I get up, do something and then try again to get to sleep.

Last night's something was Christmas cards. I love Christmas, the tree, the decorating, the lights but I hate the packing away come January. I always feel sad taking down the cards and putting them in the recycling box. Over the years I have been putting away all those special cards that are just too beautiful to become someone's toilet paper. They deserved more.

A little second hand joy for christmas tucked into envelopes ready to be posted off tomorrow. .

Eye spy something in my garden

Eye Spy Sunday is a new game concocted by Cindy at BugandPop .This week's theme is from Curlypops . Since we have a few things of note in our garden, I thought I would play too.

We call this tree the pom-pom tree.

It explodes each December with it's fuzzy pink, lilac and white balls.

The Rooster thinks it's neat having a Christmas tree in his front yard.

It fills the entire frame as you look out of Missy's window.

I have no idea of it's name and have yet to see another like it.

If we ever move, this is the one thing from our garden that I will miss.

Three little monkeys sitting on a bench

Silly Season

It's very quiet here tonight. The Rooster is exhausted. He met Santa today. Santa even gave him present! It had his name on it and it was made with a lot of love. The Rooster was in awe and wasn't a bit shy at meeting him.


It was a day of childish silliness. For running naked through a sprinkler on a steaming hot day. For eating jelly in the shade of a big jacaranda tree. For licking red icing off a cake when the adults weren't watching and for playing chasings, barefoot with your little mates thinking that this is the greatest fun you are ever going to have.

The Wrangling Rooster

The Rooster is one of those kids who has to sit back and survey a situation, sussing it out, before he will commit to doing something. He didn't crawl until he could do it correctly. He never cruised, he just got up one day and walked across the room. He doesn't dance unless he really, really likes the song and he knows that no-one is watching him.

So, it came as a great surprise today when he was the one to jump up and say he wanted to be first to go horse riding. No careful watching and planning, he simply put on a helmet and up he hopped.

He loved every minute (although he thought it was a little bumpy!). He rode past ducks and goats and a windmill. He was on top of the world. It was one of those times in life when something was done with such little thought and the experience was amazing.