Things We’re Loving…

❤ Loving the satisfaction of home baking.

I was craving a biscuit, but didn’t have any to hand. I did have a couple of cups of flour, butter, an egg, sugar and a dash of vanilla essence… half an hour later… yummy biscuits with my cuppa!

And once the baking bug has bitten, the hot oven might as well be put to good use! Sophie and I had fun with all things ‘B’ this week and made a scrumptious ‘Banana Loaf’ to keep our tummies satisfied (Alice approved too).

Home baking

❤ Signs of spring in the midst of winter!

One sunny avo we popped to our local Zoo to check out the new play sculptures (along with half the population of Welly – we forgot it was $5 Winter Wednesday – so it was mobbed – but a happy kind of mob!). There at the Zoo, were daffodils and ducklings (as well as the cool new play sculptures!).

Signs of spring in winter at the zoo

❤ Sisters playing together.

Alice visited ‘Tiny Town’ for the first time this week. Sophie had fun roller-blading, as well as trying out the wheels. Alice is a natural ‘elbow on the open window style’ driver! She was very excited with all the different vehicles – but in her enthusiasm to test drive them she kept trying to climb in the windows, instead of opening the doors!

Sophie & Alice playing together

❤ Sophie being a good role model (when she’s not jumping on and off the furniture!).

Sophie is so kind at letting Alice climb up on the piano stool next to her when she is practicing piano playing. Alice sits there, so sweetly, tinkling away on the keys (and then decides Great Grandma’s ‘Royal Daulton’ china dolls on top of the piano look like they need some little hands to play with them… uh oh, cue ‘Mummy!’). Sophie also shares her ‘Princess’ couch with Alice and picks out ‘Play School’ DVD’s from the library for her to watch. Play School has been the source of lots of ‘teddy bear’ parties in the lounge, involving numerous cardboard boxes 🙂

❤ Loving Sophie working hard on her writing too.

She’s doing really well at sounding out words and recounting activities we’ve done, as well as creating her own stories. She wrote about our visit to the Zoo and ‘The Emergency‘ (when Daddy left his mobile phone at home!) on her blog, ‘Fairies vs Pirates’.

❤ Loving Sophie’s imagination.

She spent four hours playing independently the other day. I kept peeking in and having conversations with her in between. She was a ‘vet’ and a very busy one too! She lined up all her patients, wrote down their names and then starting diagnosing their ‘ailments’. She had a very poorly unicorn with thorns in his hoof who also wanted to be able to fly like Pegasus! She gave him an injection and then made some wings for him!

Working, writing, playing

❤ Loving learning happening naturally.

We spotted the country flags of the countries playing in the 2011 Rugby World Cup this week. They are flying above ‘Town Hall’ in Wellington’s Civic Square. We picked up a great sticker activity book from the supermarket and Sophie is learning the different country flags, identifying them on a map and learning a little about those countries (as well as a bit about rugby too!).

Learning out and about

❤ Loving things beginning with ‘B’!

Our letter of the week is ‘B’! We brain stormed on Monday and have had a fun week of baking, biscuits, banana loaf, bracelet making, bus riding, beach playing, bubbles, balloons, boxes, bears… so much! And this week’s ‘Lyrical Sunday‘ theme is also ‘B’ inspired! Charlotte’s written a cool ‘Buzzing Bees’ poem, which you can read on her blog, Pink Pavlova.

Things beginning with 'B'!

❤ Loving Charlotte loving her new school and being so happy!

She has never been happier. She comes home full of talk about her day and what’s coming up. She is more energized, inspired, motivated and enthusiastic. She’s had a great second week. It’s been a busy one with her American Jazz exam on Tuesday morning, but she loves to dance – so it was all great.

She is loving the extra-curricular activities too, like choir and is enjoying learning French (which of course we enjoy sharing with her). She is looking forward to recommencing guitar lessons next week and starting art club. She’s still doing drama club, along with Sophie, which is a great release of energy.

And she even managed to find the time to bake a ‘Victoria Sandwich Cake‘ with me on Thursday after school (yummy!).

She has settled in so well, but is still making sure she keeps in touch with her good friends locally – and we’ve had some great play-dates 🙂

Charlotte's Victoria sandwich cake

❤ Loving Alice and her new words every day!

She can say her name now! And she says, ‘sisters’, awww. She really is such a love.

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Linking up with PaisleyJade: Thing’s I’m Loving