New Look

So its been a while and I'm not sure if anyone is still checking this site. I will probably send an email at some stage to let everyone know that I'm updating again.

To catch up, here are some random things that may or not be of interest;


Zack is reeeeeeelly excited about Santa coming, cause Santa is bringing everyone "Peasants". When I ask Zack, he wants swords, although he quick to remind me of his broken sword, which at the time I said I would replace and never got around to. Mostly because it made an annoying noise! I know I always said that noisy toys never bothered me, but at that time I had never encountered this particular sword which makes a (really loud) clanging sword noise. For all of December, the first thing Zack asks in the morning is "Open the window?" which refers to opening another door of his Advent Calendar for a chocolate. Chocolate first thing in the morning can either make kids REALLY grumpy or REALLY silly!


Zack knows exactly how cute it is when he says "I love you" and now uses at appropriate moments (for him), like when he is in trouble, when he wants something and when he is showing off.


Zack's best friend would have to be Gabby from over the road. Zack will stand at the gate calling her, in the hope that she will come out....her Mum tells me that she does the exact same thing! Gabby is the fourth of five kids and gives Zack a real run for his money, although Zack has learnt that if he puts on the tears that she will give in to his demands. They fight regularly but always make up with a big smoochy kiss when she has to go home.


Some norty monsters have been visiting Zack's bedroom after dark. He wakes up crying for me and I have to go in and tell the monsters "Get home to bed, your mother is very angry, you should be home in bed sleeping" (thanks Mum). It always works and he goes straight back to sleep.

Zack sleeping peacefully;

after I have sent the monsters home

We haven't had a chance to get a Xmas tree yet (a real one) so I have put the fairy lights from last year up in Zack's bedroom. It has made going to bed a real novelty for Zack...they may have to be a permanent thing, just as well they are cheap!

Zack counts to 10 on his own (without any prompting what so ever) and loves to count just about everything. In particular steps! He has been singing lots and likes to use my hand to do "This little Piggy". Dancing is a big thing at the moment too...although he makes this "chi chi chi" noise as he is dancing...I do it too, so he gets it from me but I still think its odd - I don't know why I do it!

Zack and Mamere, relaxing at the MCC Family Xmas in the Vines. It was a beautiful day and we had a fantastic time. Zack was so excited see Santa and get a present from him (a kite), although he would have rather pushed to the front of the line instead of waiting his turn.

Zack was NOT at all interested in having his face painted...until we suggested he get a spider. He was most impressed with it and kept wanting to look at it. Long after it had worn off he kept telling me to be careful not to smudge his spider, even when he had a bath that night he refused to let me wash his face, I showed him in the mirror that it was already gone but I guess he thought it was a good excuse to not have his face cleaned.

Zack's favourite TV program is Mickey Mouse Club House, but a close second is Handy Manny. He still loves Little Einstein's but as he has seen all the episodes about a million times it isn't as much enjoyment for him. He will sit and watch Mickey Mouse Club House from start to finish and even interact with it...like when they ask which tool to use or which colour the shape is. There is a bit where Mickey calls the tool kit (or what ever its sposed to be) "Oh TOOOOOO-DLES" and Zack yells along with them.

All in all, I think Zack is a very good boy. He eats well, he goes to sleep without much hassle, his tantrums last a few minutes at the very most (when he is tired/hungry), he is very sympathetic and compassionate. If I walk into something or stub my toe (which happens regularly) and happen to say ouch (or worse) he will drop what he is doing to make sure I am OK, tell me to "Come here Mummy, its OK, kiss it better". I love him to bits, he is amazing!


Love
J

November!

2 Days till Guy Fawks
A few weeks till my birthday
Just over a month till christmas...

Where has the year gone?

Work is good, Im back doing 20 hours a week from 30 hours. Perfect time of year for it to happen with all this beautiful sun shine too.

Zack is very settled during the week at the Baileys. He is talking so much now, full on sentences and repeating lots of things we would rather that he didn't.

He is sleeping extremly well, still napping in the afternoon most days and going down to bed very well at night.

His favourite toy at the moment is a plastic gun which shoots those rubbery, sticky bullets. The bullets are long gone (thanks Jack) but he loves it just the same. He particularly likes to pretend to shoot the neighbourhood kids out the window (who could blame him though).

Zack has started drawing spiders and they actually look like spiders. I know that may not seem like a hard task to achieve but we are impressed and thats all that matters.

Denzil is practically fully grown now, Zack can hardly lift him. Im sure Denzil thinks that is great! Denzil still hasnt been fixed as he seems to have a constant cold. The vet tells me its common with persians but his fixation on humping Cailsen and Zack is getting a bit much.

Maya is talking lots, most of it in a language that we dont understand but most of the time we get the general idea.

I took Zack around to Mum and Sean's in his dinosaur costume for halloween, taught him "trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat" on the way there, not surprisingly, all he remembered was "smell my feet".

Here are some photos I took on my new phone;

Zack, ready to go to Nanas

Zack about to grab my phone

At Sahria's Birthday Party

Zack wearing his favourite hat (its Sean's)

Such a Boy!

This morning Zack jumped in bed with me (as he does most mornings) to watch TV. Denzil was asleep next to my head...but he gets jealous when Zack joins us, so he usually hops up on Zack and purrs loudly in Zack's ear or sneezes on him (errr cat snot is not nice). Anyway Zack starts complaining that he has a sore back, I know its because he wants me to move Denzil. So I move Denzil to the other side and give him some pats. Then Zack says to me "Rub back Mummy". Lovely to be fought over like that, but I really just wanted to sleep for an extra 10 minutes! Oh well, how many girls could say they wake up to their two favourite boys fighting for her attention every morning. And even though I am WOKEN up, it's to their cute smiling faces!

Update

Zack was back at the Bailey's as of Tuesday. Everyone was extremely happy with this. Zack didn't have a sleep on Tuesday as there was just so much catching up to do. Both evenings when I picked Zack up, told him it was time to go, he asked Nana and Grandad if he could stay. It's so cute, hard to say No to.

Zack is right into singing at the moment, he likes to take my hand and try to sing "This little piggie". The song goes on for ever as you can imagine but he makes sure to get in lots of "Wee wee wee, all the way home". He also likes for Mummy to sing the "Little Einsteins" theme song and leave gaps for him to fill in. Its especially cute how he uses his sing song voice just for one word!

Uncle Fork is up in Auckland for the weekend, even though we saw him briefly last week, it will be nice to sit down and catch up with him properly.

Anyway, must dash and get ready for work.

J

Just a little slack

Well it hasn't quite been a month, as you can imagine lots has happened but when you think back and try to put it into words, there doesn't really seem that much to report. So I will fill this post with just random thoughts/stories.

Zack is a real DVD fan...STILL. He is right into his Little Einsteins of course but also likes Ice Age and Monsters Inc. I have lost count of how many times we have watched them, sometimes I even dream about them!

Zack has had a tummy bug for the last week, like every other kid in Auckland by the sound of it. The Bailey's are missing him terribly having not seen him for over a week now. I am back to work tomorrow, so Zack will be coming with me to work. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to it. Since he has been sick he has been quite grumpy and very bossy (something else he got from me), to the point where when we are out in the car, he tells me what way I should be driving and gets very angry when I don't go the way he wants me to. As you can imagine it has been a very tiring week. Most of the time it's just funny but when you have him fighting you at the doctors because he is insisting that you drink more water (your onto your second cup), its much easier to cry than laugh.

I tried to buy a Nemo light for Zack's bedroom the other day and although he liked it, he insisted that I put it back on the shelf. He turned his back, so I snuck it back again. The look on his face when he turned around and caught me in the act was hysterical, again he demanded that I put it back. It took about 5 minutes of me pretending to look interested in something else on a nearby shelf before I could sneak it back again with out him seeing.

On the other side of the coin, he has become much more aware of things WE do that are 'norty' and is very quick to point them out. It's amazing how quickly you chill out when a little voice tells you that a word you just used "isn't nice".

Zack's bedtime routine has changed in that he prefers to read to himself in bed, without me. This is a little sad for me as I really enjoyed the time we spent together reading (providing it wasn't the SAME book night after night after night). Now the light gets left on for 5 minutes and he sits, propped up on pillows, reading to himself. It's very cute! After a while I go in turn the light of and kiss him goodnight, he snuggles down and goes to sleep.

Zack still has his blankie although his need for it seems to swing wildly from not needing a specific pink pillowcase (any silky pillowcase will do), to insisting that he take his specific pink pillowcase EVERYWHERE with him and not even wanting a clean one.

that's all for now, will post again soon as I think of more to write
J

Stuff

WARNING : Due to the fact that I just lost everything I had written, this post may seem a little pathetic

Zack is becoming a rat bag going to bed...the requests for cuddles and drinks and kisses and additional blankies go on for about half an hour at the moment. He has also started asking for Bottles again which is really strange because he hasn't had a bottle at bedtime for a good 6 months or more (except when he has been sick). Nana thinks it might be because Maya has bottles, I think that might be it. Tonight I told him the bottle was in the bin, he got terribly upset but he stopped going on about it.

Mamere brought Zack a watch last week which Farts, Burps, Coughs and Spews....Zack thinks its hilarious. We played up to it, pretending like he had farted (which is his favourite). He didn't get sick of it and had to be distracted with other things.

The weather is getting warmer now which means Zack can spend more time outside (Yah). He certainly sleeps, eats and drinks better when he has had a lot of fresh air and that is always a good thing.

Zack is counting more and more, he can tell you what number comes next and will even start counting on his own... One, Two, Three, Four, Six, Seven Eight. Seven seems to be his favourite number (as is mine), if there are more than two of anything he will tell you there are seven!

Zack enjoys talking on the phone and is actually managing to talk back (sorry to those of you who get fed up having to talk to him all the time), although he does need reminding to say Good bye! Since being back at work, Zack doesn't like saying goodbye and thinks that if he avoids saying goodbye then no one is leaving.

I know this post is a little dis-jointed...that's just how Im feeling right now, but I knew I HAD to post so here it is!

J

Some more photos

Zack and Denzil, having a cuddle

Denzil looking very content

Zack wearing my sunnies...upside down!

What a dork!

Hi Stranger

Well its been a while, thank you to those of you who gently (and not so gently) reminded me that it had been a looooooooong time between posts.

Not much new to report
- Denzil has had a couple of baths and showers since the last post. Keeping that cat out of water is proving to be a real mission
- Zack is making big sentences, like 7 plus words.
- We have been to playcentre twice since the holidays, its fun!
- It was Sean's Birthday yesterday, "Happy Birthday Sean"
- Zack spent the day with Dad on Tuesday, Zack had a tummy bug and Dad came to look after him. They had fun spending the day together, so much so that Zack was still in his PJs when I got home from work HA HA HA HA
- Kody and Trinity have both turned two...they both celebrated their birthday's yesterday. We went to Trinity's party as we went to Kody's party last year. Yesterday we had a bouncy castle and with only three little kids there the adults had LOTS of fun. Zack was a little nervous but had some fun bounces.
- The passenger side of my car was kissed by a bus last week :( only paint damage but very annoying!
- I paid off Zack's bike...his early Xmas present. He is loving it although still hasn't worked out the pedals.

Here is a photo I just took...Zack decided it was more fun to put the ant stickers on our faces than in the sticker book

This is a photo from last week...the boys in the bath. This is the only shot where Connor WASN'T scratching his butt cheak (excema) HA HA HA HA.

Water Baby

Well Denzil finally did it...after NIGHTS of dreamily watching Zack in the bath he finally got in (of his own accord). I managed to snap a shot in while trying to find a towel and pissing myself laughing;

He dried off amazing quickly and has been incredible snuggly ever since, I think he is feeling a little silly. Poor cat!

Zack has really been pushing the limits...grizzling a lot, every second word out of his mouth seems to be "NO" and hitting :(

Gotta run, can't type with Denzil climbing all over me!

J

The weekend has arrived!

Another hectic week at work for me...I certainly got in the hours. Zack is still sick, its been a week now but he certainly on the mend. Still a little grumpy at times but bearable. Here is a photo from last night...him snuggled up on the couch.

I can't remember much of this week, other than lots of running around. Tonight Margaret cooked us dinner (although we turned up late), it was nice to catch up with them but both Zack and Connor were in rowdy moods and didn't play very well together. Margaret got a computer...YAH so we can chat online now!

This morning Zack and I spied two beautiful spider webs outside the dining room window...

Uncle Fork is up for the weekend to put new shocks in my car....funny but Im actually excited about it. Hoping it will make a big difference.

Anyway, Im off to bed...Night

J

Greggles and Glennills

And of course...the boys were up from Wellington with Gracie (dis-gracie). We only had the chance to catch up with them for one evening but they are JUST the same, although Grace is a bit less hairy on her tail! It was great to see them, but still sucks that they don't just live around the road!

Love you Boys!
J

Another week just disappeared!

Well, we have been pretty busy. Work was full on last week and our weekend was jam packed.

Uncle Fork was in Auckland, Maya turned One, the entire Christini Family was in Auckland to celebrate Grandad's birthday and Zack has been sick.

I felt like I haven't sat still in a looooooooooong time. I haven't had a decent night sleep in like a week, but somehow I am still going (thanks to energy drinks actually).

Poor Toni had a birthday party planned for Saturday, but of course Maya was sick as she has practically been living in Zack's pocket the last few weeks.

The family dinner on Saturday night was lovely, great food and great company. Shame the boys were both sick and grumpy. They weren't that bad though considering.

We saw lots of Brett during his visit, Zack just loves Uncle Fork and gives him the cheekiest smiles.

Poor Denzil has hardly seen us the last couple days, he has worked out where everything is and is very comfortable with Shaydee and both the other Cats now which is nice. He cuddles up with me at night which is very cute until he gets playful and then it just hurts. Needless to say he is as much to blame as Zack for my lack of sleep.

That's about all I can manage at the moment, Zack is calling for me to wipe his "boogers" again.

Take Care
J

I just can't help myself...

But look it was worth while snapping all those shots, cause I finally got a good one.

Love
J

More pics of the baby!

Our little ball of fluff!

Looking grumpy, but he is actually falling asleep!

New Addition to the Family!

We got a new baby tonight...he is a 15 Week Old Chocolate Smoke Persian. He kinda looks a bit like a kitten sized wookie! I tried to snap some shots but when he isn't busy playing he wants to snuggle up close and purr loudly.

He is an awesome little cat, loves to play and not very skitterish (although he hasn't met Shaydee yet). Very affectionate and a talker! Not sure what we are going to name him. Suggestions welcome!

Bye for now

J

Not quite a week!

Woah, things have been busy.

Tuesday - I worked, Zack entertained the Bailey's. Mamere picked Zack up from the Bailey's as I had a Playcentre Meeting to attend. Zack had dinner with Mamere and Sean, loved it!

Wednesday - We went to Playcentre, very fun session. Lots of kids and very noisey! Zack went the Bailey's in the afternoon.

Thursday - Zack and I popped into Manukau Water (Zack left me a lovely picture on an important note), then MCC to visit Mamere at work, then to the Bailey's for the day, and to stay the night! I worked :(

Friday - Grandad dropped Zack off home in the afternoon, although Zack wanted to go again (with Grandad). We had a quiet afternoon at home for a change, watching "Little Einsteins" of course.

Saturday - Zack slept late, I didn't! Margs, Connor and Jack came over for a play, then we all went to the opening of the new ToyWorld at the Manukau Super Centre. A little bit of shopping and then home to play with our new toys.

Sunday - Visited Nan C and Grandy, did the usual tour around the back yard. Home for lunch and a nap, then visited Mamere and Sean in the afternoon.

Monday - No Playcentre this morning as I had to be at work, Zack is at the Bailey's having loads of fun no doubt.

New Stuff!
This morning Zack pointed out that the horses were wearing blankets! Zack now knows the difference between his Ugg boots and his Gum Boots (still called Gum Gum Boots). If Maya cries, Zack tries to comfort her with his blankie. Zack wasn't scared of the big dressed up characters at Toyworld (even the big scary looking Dora). Zack will answer questions with a "Yes" or "No" (mostly honest). Zack is all about numbers, trying to work out how many of something he can see (mostly two). Very polite, always please and thank you. Zack says "Love you" and "Miss you".

Bye
J

Quick Update

Yesterday we went to Playcentre, I offered to do Mother Help again as no one had their name down and I was still feeling bad for forgetting I was on the week before. So again I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Luckily Tracie and the boys were there this week (after being off sick last week) and Zack spent most of the time with them. He came to check up on me a couple times, I think he could smell the cheese I was grating as that seemed to be all he was interested in.

He went to the Bailey's in the afternoon and was VERY happy to see them, after being away for a whole two days. He stayed the night there last night as I had a playcentre meeting which surprisingly enough finished by 9pm and I was home in time to watch Grey's Anatomy (yah).

Today I'm sick with a terrible sinus headache. I went to work this morning till lunch time and was then sick all over myself on the way home :( at least I was more prepared for it than when Zack does it.

On the 'learning new things' front...Zack is talking on the phone lots. I spoke to him yesterday and today. He blew me kisses down the phone, it was a little strange that I recognised the noises and didn't need to be told by Nana what was going on. Oh and when ever he sees birds flying he tells me "Seegils" for Sea Gulls I guess but it comes out as one word.

That's about it from me...my head is too stuffy to think straight, hope this post makes sense!
J

Meow

Well it's been a cold wet weekend. But we have been inside by the fire for most of it so it's been cosy!

I woke up before 7am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, meanwhile Zack slept till just before 10am, where is the logic in that??? These early morning starts must be getting to me! I have been going to bed earlier, not making it past about 10pm and not even getting through one chapter of my book.

Shaydee has been a real shadow all weekend, I guess us not being home much is affecting her too, or maybe it's just that we are both "Fire Hogs"!

I managed to snap a few shots of my two favourite boys last night...smooching on the lazy boy!

Cailsen was there first (asleep), Zack managed to squeeze up there next to him

OOoooh Smooch!

Cailsen isn't too impressed with the Paparazzi

But Zack just LOVES to have his photo taken

Congratulations!

To the Dunphy family...a baby girl born at 10:52am this morning. 8lb 12oz, 59cm tall, they have named her Briana! Well done Tonia! Can't wait to visit!

Love
J

More Photos

Some other random pics

My little caveman just loves to eat meat off the bone!!!

For some reason, Zack gave himself red whiskers with the felts while I wasn't looking. Luckily they were washable!

Not a very good photo, but Zack brushing Sammy

Photos!

Zack pushing Maya in the trolley

Zack trying to squeeze into the trolley with Maya

Maya left Zack to it!

Zack took this photo of Maya

Zack took this photo of Nana and Sammy

Zack....by Christina!

Sammy with hair!

Zack's toes and Sammy...guess who snapped this shot

First post for June!

Well as you can guess we have been pretty busy these last few weeks. Zack has settled into the Bailey's well, as expected. Now on the weekend, he is still expecting to go there and when ever we go in the car asks if its to Nana's house! Work is great, being kept busier and it's just the right amount of stress for me. I'm really missing Zack while I'm at work and I feel like the time that I do spend with him is mostly spent in the car in the process of either dropping him off or picking him up. So it's been nice to have a quiet weekend at home just the two of us. Although Zack is really missing Mamere and asks to go and visit her and Sean constantly. Apparently the staff at Mamere's work are missing Zack too. We would visit her at least once a week before to have lunch or just catch up for coffee. Each time they see me there, I see this look of anticipation on their faces and then disappointment when they realise that Zack is not with me. So that will be one of the first things we do when I finish work and life is back to normal.

I dislocated Zacks elbow last night when I tried to pick him up by the arm. I have been told all my life that you shouldn't pick anyone up by their arms because this would happen but quick as a flash, I did it and it happened! Poor Zack wouldn't even wiggle his fingers and just held his arm limply crying that it hurt. He perked up when we told him we were going to the doctors to get it fixed though. So we got to the after hours doctor...and it was Zack's favourite doctor - Dr Fur. Unfortunately, it was quite a wait and Zack fell asleep while we were waiting. He woke up to Dr Fur pulling and twisting his sore arm to get it back into place, which really hurt. Needless to say he wasn't too impressed to see the doctor so not sure if he will still be his favourite. Perhaps he was still too sleepy and sore to remember! Anyway...it was put in a sling overnight and Zack was back to normal using his arm again by lunch time today, like it never happened. Not so lucky for me though, I will not forget that feeling...it was like a Simpsons episode where anyone who ever told me not to pick a kid up by their arms floated into my head and told me over and over again not to do it - but it was too late :(

Aside from that drama though, we seem to be finally getting over our colds, just a few runny noses here and there but certainly on the mend.

Back soon (hopefully)
J

50 things

As at 30th May 2006...

1. Zack loves to be tickled and asks "More tickle"
2. Zack’s favourite book is “Hop on Pop” by Dr Seuss
3. Zack has just been locked out of Mamere and Sean’s pantry by stronger magnets
4. Zack will spend hours trying to wake Uncle Sam, so he can hammer with him
5. Zack counts “4, 2, 4, 2”
6. Zack loves to play with Junior and Shaydee where they kiss all around his neck
7. Regardless of a hat being worn or not, Zack calls it a “Hat On”
8. Zack loves Mummy’s singing
9. Zack likes to read books with Maya
10. Zack enjoys a drink of water just as much as juice
11. Zack wants to be like Sean, he copies things he says and even mimics his stance
12. Zack will tell you Nana Bailey is 100 years old
13. Zack refers to all meat at dinner time as “Chicken”
14. Zack remembers all your pets’ names and will recite them on our way to visit you
15. Zack likes to use the potty but still prefers to wear a nappy
16. Zack’s favourite song is “Hammer Hammer Hammer”
17. Zack makes sure Sean gets a share of any lollies Mamere gives Zack
18. Zack’s favourite saying is “Mummy do it”
19. Zack still uses a pink-purple pillowcase as a blankie
20. Zack will blow you kisses, but you must put them in your pocket for safe keeping
21. Zack likes talking on the phone
22. Along with his blankie, Zack takes Nicki, Giraffe and Penguin to bed with him. They must each be kissed, cuddled and tucked into bed with him
23. Zack still loves spiders
24. Zack’s favourite colour is blue
25. Zack admits he is a ratbag
26. Zack is very good at pealing potatoes
27. Zack does an excellent job of brushing his teeth but needs help from Mummy to rinse
28. Zack understands what birthdays are but always asks where the spider cake is
29. Zack’s most favourite things in the world are Diggers!
30. Zack likes to use the Paris Hilton quote “Zack love it”
31. Zack can tell you the noises Mr Brown can make from the Dr Seuss book
32. Zack is a real poser when it comes to having his photo taken
33. Zack likes to watch/take part in cooking dinner
34. Zack’s favourite TV show is “Little Einstein”
35. Zack is learning opposites e.g. “Big/Little, Warm/Cold”
36. Zack tells Mummy she is a “Good Girl”
37. Zack and Jack (Sean’s dog) don’t like each other very much
38. Zack is quick to point out a mess and tell you that someone else did it
39. Zack loves to hide in Mummy’s bed
40. Zack likes to get up at the computer and browse through photos
41. Zack is very good at helping to clean up/put toys away
42. Zack’s favourite ad is the BNZ piggy bank one
43. Zack talks non-stop in the car.
44. Zack thinks it’s funny to ignore you but can’t keep a straight face.
45. Zack enjoys making people laugh
46. Zack has an excellent memory and sense of direction, he will tell you things he expects to see on the way somewhere in the car and then point them out
47. Zack makes sure all cats/dogs are well fed
48. Zack will say “Oh Look” when he finds something new or interesting
49. Zack loves reading and is good at pointing out even the littlest details
50. Zack is my most favourite person in the world

Over a week!

Well I have been REALLY slack and not posted in over a week. I keep meaning to but never get around to it.

I started work last week, it went really well but it meant that we were incredibly busy. Either at work or picking up/dropping Zack off. I really missed him last week. He ended up staying overnight 2 nights with the Bailey's. One thing I didn't miss was all the housework...I did have to catch up on it this weekend though which wasn't fun.

On Thursday night we went to see Those Indian Guys perform "From India with Love" it was hilarious, if you can get to see it - its worthwhile!

Here is a photo of Zack and Grandy - Taken on Nan-C's pxt phone.

Almost a week

I know its been AGES and I have been slack. Most of you will know why I haven't really felt up to blogging. We didn't make it to playcentre at all this week. Monday I had to take a mental day off...luckily Mamere was working from home and Zack had lots of fun making her run around after him. Tuesday we spent most of the day with Margaret and the boys. Yesterday Zack had a snotty nose so I decided to keep him home rather than make him worse or spread the bug further. We did get out for a walk in the afternoon with Tracie and Campbell - it turned out to be a beautiful day. We ended up going back to have dinner with them all...it was lovely and the boys had so much fun playing together. It was nice to see the older two boys take Zack under their wings and play/cuddle/fight. Zack was even introduced to their arsenal of weapons, Machine Guns and swords. He wasn't really too sure about what to do with them at first but quickly learnt the idea.

Anyway...just a quick catch up, back with more tomorrow perhaps
J

Long time no post!

Well it's been a while since I have posted, not because we have been busy but more because I haven't really felt in a blogging mood.

Monday we had playcentre, monday is great cause Tracie and the boys are there. Zack and Campbell played lots together, they seem to get drawn to the same things. We did marble painting and Zack did LOTS of painting. It was a really messy activity for the kids to do...the girls dropped the marble idea all together and had fun with their hands just mixing all the paints together which made for some very wet paintings. Ange and Amber were away for the week and we really missed them, it seems things run so much more smoothly when Ange is there and Amber is always the life of the party encouraging the other kids.

Tuesday morning we went for a walk round Papakura and Zack fell asleep not long after we had gotten going. It did make the journey a little quiet what with his usual gabble and singing. In the afternoon we visited the Bailey's and Zack was a little grumpy having had a sleep in the morning rather than his usual afternoon nap.

Wednesday we had Playcentre, it was windy and rainy and as usual the kids were running a much which is always stressful on the Mums. We came home and Zack had a massive sleep, almost till 6 o'clock which meant he was up a little later than usual.

Yesterday we met Mamere at Manukau for lunch. Before meeting her we did a little shopping for some warm pants for Zack although as usual I couldn't find much to chose from. Unless your going to buy an entire outfit which can't be mixed and matched with other outfits there isnt really much selection (for boys anyway). Zack was a handful too, going on and on about Mamere wanting to know where she was and why I was bothering with boring shopping when there was a fun Mamere to be found! After lunch we went to Margaret's...in his excitement to see Connor, Zack fell asleep in the car. Connor was not impressed and tried to get near Zack to wake him up any chance he got. When Zack finally woke up the boys played really well together and we ended up staying for a YUMMY dinner.

Today the rain is PELTING down which interferes with the digital reception and Zack is NOT impressed that he can't watch the Playhouse Disney channel. Lucky we have recorded a few "Little Einstein" episodes on DVD so he can still get his fix. Thinking about visiting Lex and Saharia today as we haven't seen them in ages...will ring her shortly to arrange. Meanwhile...her are some pics!

Zack - making a REAL fashion statement "What NOT to wear"

Two ratbags in the bath!

Sleep In

Zack stayed at the Bailey's last night, which meant I got to sleep in this morning. Just as well too cause yet another night where I woke up about 2am and didn't get back to sleep until after 5am. Not sure what’s up...I have been walking lots lately and since I started I have been waking with these weird bursts of energy early hours of the morning :(

We have been spending lots of time with Margaret, Connor and Jack lately. Connor and Zack have been playing together, laughing, squealing, running, giggling, jumping, dancing and even tickling each other. It's really cute to watch, Margaret and I are sore from laughing afterwards. They are both real characters who just love to make people laugh. It's really good to see them getting along so well, Zack went through a stage of real jealousy with anything Connor played with or even looked at...it seems giving him time-out and being persistent paid off cause he finally got the message. We still have the odd battle but it's nothing like it was and Zack is very quick to apologise and its obvious that he just got carried away. We had no playcentre again on Friday which was weird, but we still managed to have a jam packed day visiting and walking and doing house work. I think moving to Mondays and Wednesdays was a good move.

I have been approached by Manukau Water to co-ordinate some testing they need done, starting 19th of March...20 hours a week for 6 weeks. I'm still going to keep attending Playcentre with Zack on a Monday and Wednesday, Zack will be with the Bailey's for most of the time that I'm at work though. I hope that it isn't going to be too much....for everyone - me included. But it's only 6 weeks so I'm sure it will be fine...just my usual anxious self thinking too much :)

Today I plan to mow the lawns while Zack is away, vacuum the bits of the house I never get to when Zack is here cause he wants me to stop short of finishing the job and then collect Zack. Yah!

Well I’m off, back later
J

Another rainy day!

This morning the weather wasn't too bad...We had playcentre and spent the day mostly inside. Zack had a pretty good time, usually he gets a little frustrated at not being able to run around outside. He was a little clingy today, I was mother help which kept me busy in the kitchen for about half an hour. By clean up time he was ready to go and requesting "Home, Home, Home" and trying to push me away from the sink where I was cleaning the play-dough toys, he can be quite persistent. I mostly find it funny but I think a couple of the other mums felt sorry for Zack.

We met up with Tracie and Campbell as they dropped Ronan at playcentre, then we headed up to Botanical Gardens for a walk/run. The boys were very happy to see each other though it was only for about 5 minutes before they were both rugged up in the buggys and then asleep once we started walking.

By the time we finished, Tracie and I were both drenched but felt good due to the exercise. I can't even remember the last time I was out in the rain like that (getting soaked to the bone). It was like being a kid again...it certainly put us in a silly (well sillier than usual) mood.

We have the fire going this afternoon, its lovely! The rain is pelting down outside but we are inside in the warmth, drinking milos! Zack was so cute, sitting on the big leather lazy boy with his little cup of milo and me in the other...everytime I took a sip he would too!

Tomorrow I'm back to the optometrist to pick some glasses and maybe lunch out!

Seeya!
J

Long Week

This week has been a tough one. On Wednesday night Zack started throwing up everywhere and couldn't keep anything down, I ended up taking him to the Doctors, they said it was either a bug or a reaction to something he ate. It lasted about 48 hours so but no one else seems to have been struck by it. You know how when you have a tummy bug, you feel fine one minute and REAL bad the next, well with two year old, that means loads of power chucking at the most unexpected moments. I think he managed to hit both the lazy boys and the couch, just as well its leather so it cleaned up! I got at least 3 blasts, one of them in the Manukau Car Park about to go to an optometrist appointment :(

But it seems we have gotten past it without losing too much hair, however there is lots of catching up to do on washing, housework and sleep.

I finally got to get my eyes tested on Friday and I got a major telling off...I have to buy glasses and when I get them, I have to have a nice long break from my contacts to allow some scarring to heal. The scarring is from wearing contacts past their expiry date and not enough time without my contacts in my eyes (awake). Oh well, at least its getting sorted!

Zack and Maya in the bath!










Tomorrow we have playcentre, its Campbell's birthday (cake Yummmmy). Nothing planned on Tuesday, then playcentre again on Wednesday. It was nice having Fridays free of playcentre again, perhaps this term we might even be able to get away one weekend *Fingers crossed*

later
J

Photos from the Zoo

A Giant Tortise

Cute Penguins, one getting impatient for some fish

The new Cheetahs....so gorgeous

Big Cats lying in the shade

"Come-On Kitty"

A Giraffe taking a drink...took a while to snap this shot!

Zack loved the Fish

An Elephants bum...they were fast movers surprisingly enough

Zack and Mamere watching the Elephants

Zack watching the Lions

The Lions watching Zack

The Spider Monkeys were out and very playful

Two playing on a log

Zack pointed out (very loudly) the monkeys "diddles" and still does everytime he sees this photo!

And just for Dave...see there ARE snakes at the Zoo