My Dancing Queens

Nothing quite as special as watching my little girls twirl and spin to some great tunes.  They are two of the loves of my life, no doubt about that.  It makes me wonder....does life get better then this? I'm not sure it ever could.



And then, just when I think it couldn't get any cuter, I find Poppy in the kitchen, singing a beautiful song to the fridge...

Yes, definitely, hopelessly in love with my cuties...

Freedom.....

....and free stuff.  We all love free stuff, and quite frankly, this big family needs to find the free and the beautiful things in the world.  The things that are so simple, you don't think of them.  My kids don't need big holidays,  they don't need expensive presents.  They don't need anything too much.  Just a bit of time, energy and attention.  They would trade all they had for a few hours of board games in the evening with Mama and Daddy.  They would pass up all the theme parks in Australia for a day at the beach.  They would say 'no thanks' to McDonalds, for a family picnic in the garden.  They would take free every time, and thank goodness for it, because with our 'Waltons' sized family, we couldn't afford life any other way.

Last weekend we took ourselves off to a park that we had heard about.  There was a 'free' petting zoo there, we were told, and it sounded just up our street.  Unfortunately, it was my mistake for not understanding that it wasn't just a 'lone Zoo' amid a park.  When we arrived, to our horror, there was a huge Fair, with rides and stalls, lots of things to buy and do.  We traipsed our kids through the middle of it, $6 a ride and only about $5 in our pockets - nightmare!  We couldn't find the petting Zoo amidst all the activity and  David was all for hot-footing it as fast as he could out of there... we almost did.  But then it occurred to us, the park!  The whole reason that we had decided to come, was still here, and it was free.  So we stayed, the kids played I think they had more fun then they would have had for the 1.5 minute ride that cost $6 each.

I'd like to say that we all went home, satisfied with our 'free' - but in actual fact, David couldn't quite shake the 'guilt' and ended up treating them to a Daddy date night at the cinema too.  Once in a while is fine though, and Shrek 4 is really cool! :)

April Babies & Little Mothers

The number ten is a very important and special number to me.  My little tiny, brand new elf-ling sister was born when I was ten years old.  I remember it as though it were yesterday.  The anticipation as we watched our Mothers belly grow and actually thought she might pop, and the agony of the wait, the day she went into the hospital.  My first gaze at her, my first hold as I cradled this tiny little piece of perfection in my arms, her shock of dark thick hair and sweet baby smell...it changed me in a heartbeat.  Something inside me, that until then, I had never known existed, was born along with my baby sister.  I couldn't take my eyes off her, didn't want to leave her, would be the first to hold her, comfort her and keep her safe.  I would push her in her pram, feeling so very proud and privileged.  Her first words, first steps, her husky voice calling me Emmie, even her terrible two tantrums, I loved it all.  The years have rolled by, and we have grown into proper sisters.  I have my chance to be not just a little mother to her, but a sister and a friend, the age gap has closed and we are the same.  Deep down, I will always feel so protective of her, want to keep her safe, and see that little blonde girl with her sweet baby smiles and her arms so tight around my neck.  She was my special girl, and she still is.
Daisy and Lucy are so similar, with the same age gap, the same bond.  It's Em and Fona all over again.  They have something special that is so pure and lovely.  There really must be something about the number 10, and as I watch them in the garden, playing, laughing, cuddling, and I am reminded of two other little girls, many years ago.....

Garden Sprites

When I was a little girl, I spent hours in the garden, with my sister.  We had our very own version of home made perfume, taught to us by our Mother, and aptly called, 'stinky whiff'.  We would fill little jars with water and add whatever petals were available in the garden at the time, maybe a few leaves for good measure.  We dreamt, we created and we lived in our little worlds of make-believe.  Hours we spent, decorating swings with garlands of wild flower, making mud-pies, and  foraging for chives, nasturtiums petals or seeds to chew on until our breath stank and tongues were hot.   We turned chairbeds upside down, inside out, arranging them with crocheted  blankets and making tents out of them...lying there with the sun streaming through the gaps onto our little bodies.  Oh I long for those days sometimes...happy summers, just my imagination, my sister and I..
I watch my babies doing the same things, history repeating itself, little Emma and little Kate, discovering all that life has to offer.  All brand new for them.  Lucky lucky little girls, and their imaginations.

They run, they sing, they laugh, they play.  It's the beginning, just the beginning of some of the most amazing years of their lives, together.  They don't know it yet, but one day, they will.

 

Ssshhh!

After dragging my sweet girl into the garden today, to test the different settings on my camera, using the morning light, I managed to get a few nice pictures of her.  She wasn't too willing, although eventually obliged, with much eye rolling and sighing.  She would barely look at the end result and I see I have produced a daughter, about as confident as her Mother.  It's a shame, because its something that I've struggled with for years, and I wouldn't wish it on any of my children - but I think in this case, genetics have ruled.  Perhaps too, a little of it has rubbed off as she's watched me fight the big confidence fight.  One day I hope that she will understand exactly what she is, and manage to hold her head up and be really proud of it. 

And Ssshh!  Please don't tell her that I posted these, I'll be in so much trouble! ;)