Water babes are LOVING having their Daddy home :)

There’s barely been a day in the past week when our girls haven’t been playing in water (thankfully out of choice, not due to flooding – poor Queensland, Australia is in awful strife). We’ve been keeping out of the midday sun and heading to the local swimming pool – or Dan’s taken the girls further afield to the wave pool in Porirua. In the same day they’ve then been down to the beach, after four, when the sun’s not so strong and the water’s warmed up, for some boogie board action in the surf at Lyall Bay.

The other day Dan took the girls out to Wainuiomata summer pools and they had a fabulous time.

Alice is following her sisters in a love of water, eager to splash and crawl in the surf at the beach and loves doing sitting jumps into the swimming pool.  But of course she needs to be watched every second; so it’s rare to get a photo of her in the surf… as our hands are usually far too occupied! Here she is after a good play… what a life!

She happily crawls head-first into the surf, blissfully unaware that a wave could take her out in seconds. She giggles and bounces up and down with glee. It’s delightful to watch, but hard-work too! Hands always at the ready, like a clamp, waiting to hoist her up in a nano-second when a larger wave sweeps up the beach.

Being water safe, in New Zealand, is essential. It is tragically sad that there have been seven drownings in the past three days. I tell the girls that learning to swim is non-negotiable. They sometimes grumble about swimming lessons, but swimming is not so much a hobbie, like dancing and learning an instrument, but a very necessary part of growing up in a country with so much water so easily accessible. Thankfully they mostly LOVE the water (it’s just not the ‘listening’ and ‘learning’ they are always happy about – and the swimming lessons here for young children can be quite intense!).

On the home front the girls have been cooling off under the sprinkler and having a ball on the water slide that Grandma and Granddad got them for Christmas. The garden is looking so beautiful and the Pohutukawa tree has the most beautiful red blossoms. I was lying on the grass with Alice the other day and loved gazing up at it through the lush green of the fern fronds.

Charlotte and Sophie have so much physical energy. They are loving being home. To hear their free laughter in the garden, with no pressure to be anywhere at a certain time, is the most wonderful treasure.

I am LOVING having all my family at home over the holidays. It is so wonderful to have Dan’s company and all the girls are thriving and flourishing with their Daddy home.

The other afternoon we took a drive to the Chocolate Fish Kaimoana, in Shelly Bay, and they had a gorgeous time diving on the bean bags with their Daddy.

The only downside to having so many bodies in the house is the extra mess! And the washing machine is getting a real workout with all the extra sandy towels coming home from the beach.

We’re counting down the days till Chinese Grandma and Granddad arrive – on Saturday 8 January! We’ve been busy preparing and can’t wait to enjoy their company.

It’s going to be impossible to have the house as tidy as I’d like – but they’ll understand. At least I have their room looking beautiful – having re-homed countless toys and dress-up clothes. And the sweet peas, freshly picked from the garden, are the perfect finishing touch.

Sophie took the photographs of sweet peas below. She dictated me a sweet pea poem to write down, for the upcoming ‘Flower‘ theme of ‘Lyrical Sunday‘ and wanted a photograph to go with it. Both Sophie, Charlotte (and even ‘Chicken’ Grandma!) have written a poem already – whereas I have yet to write a line – so the pressure is on! Though I have enjoyed reading lots of wonderful poems.

Sweet pea photographs (including Mummy cleaning in background & Sophie’s amazing Toy Story 3 lego house), by SOPHIE, Age 5:

It’s so wonderful to start the New Year with all this glorious sunshine. It will be such a joy to share it with Chinese Grandma & Granddad. It’s been three and a half years since we last saw them and of course they have yet to meet Alice! Roll on Saturday!