language

On the eve of a second birthday I want to note a bit about how Ada talks. 

Yesterday Ada told me I was a good girl, twice. I moved a playmat so her bike could go through... Hmm, I need to get back to just saying thank you or descriptive praise. 

 

She says 'morning world' looking out the window in the morning like I do, Cam wondered where she got it from.

 

When we get home or back to the car she says 'here's Ada's one, yay!'  

For a girl who has never seen him before Ada runs around yelling 'superman', a lot. This one I s from daycare. She also talks about her shoulders really often?!

Sometimes, when she has all her faculties and needs something, Ada will tell me to 'lie Olive down now, there'. 

I was out of the room and she called out 'Mummy Loren'! Cam has only reminded her that he is called Daddy and not Cam once. 

Our favorite is of course when she says 'I love you'. No 'v' sound yet so it's 'ilayu' one word. 

I love you miss. 

milestone, bye bye bassinet!

Hello doing crunches in my cot!

Loving this. 

Eep, so quick. 

5 minutes peace

An evening walk. A view like this is so restorative don't you think? I felt quite lucky strolling about on the mountain yesterday. How do you steal five minutes peace?

fashion sense

Ada is developing a taste in clothing. Everytime she sees a different item on anyone in our family she yells 'new one, new one'. She loves trying on clothes when we get given some hand me downs. Her favourite so far is this red and gold number...

Great photo Uncle Hayd!

out about: child friendly cafes

Hi friends!

I am so obsessed with coffee. I thought I could write about 80 Cafes in a short amount of time but it turns out there aren't that many that kids can go to so I have only done 56! Here is a list of where we chose to go with our two in Auckland.

Walton Street, Te Awamutu

Our local is Ruby Red in Mangere Bridge, it has some toys and a couple of kids chairs down the back. This place is packed with toddlers on a Friday morning after music at the library!

On a fine day Luscious in Te Atatu is fantastic. Lots of tables outsided, trees and a big shade covered sandpit. They do a good coffee too.

Kohu Creamery in New Lynn was awesome, you could buy ice cream and there was a caravan with kids DVDs!  They have a new cafe collaboration called The Tannery that we need to go and check out to see what's new.

Mostly we go to Bean There in Onehunga. The space is lacking some style, it still looks a bit like the awkward bar that has changed hands here numerous times, but they have a kids play pit. This too is rudimentary but it gets you through. The coffee is excellent and the food is good standard cafe fare.

In Onehunga Library Cafe is often touted as the go to kid friendly spot. They have a tramp and slide outside and a big kids area inside. The service and coffee and food are hit and miss unfortunately. We get fries and a cold drink now...

Also in Onehunga there is Luscious Cafe. They have a kids play room upstairs. It is noisy but convenient. Luscious do great food but just an OK brew.

Localist recommends entirely different spots, a few over on the North Shore that maybe one day we will hikoi to.

Walton Street, Te Awamutu

Anyone else have a favourite place to enjoy coffee with kids? It's obvious by now, you must tell me!

so this is still happening

A little less often though...

firsts

Special and memorable moments last month:

Ada and Olive sharing a bath. 

Which led to... Ada and Olive sharing a laugh. 

A family walk up the mountain with two babies; one on mums front, the other on dads back. 

Roll. 

Family holiday with two babies. 

Changing Olive on a rugby field while Ada plays at the kindy in Katikati, on the way to family holiday. 

Feeding Olive while leaning on a tree at a desolate and windy truck stop, on the way to family holiday. 

4 months is fabulous

Happy four months to miss Olive on Saturday!

Look at the cheeks!

Olive is such a happy gal, her current obsession is blowing raspberries and sounding like a baby dragon in her efforts to talk. She is rolling over to her back from her front and chowing down on anything she can get her hands on. 

Olive you make us very, very happy. 

Mwa!

Three months.
Two months.
One month. 

Ada at four months.

momentum

Momentum is a wonderful thing. How to get it? Start moving, then keep moving and repeat. I feel like I finally have the momentum to get things done. Don't stop I say! The sense of accomplishment is rewarding. It's so easy for me to get bogged down. I can choose to get swept up in my girls and their wonderfulness or I can be thwarted by the never ending mess and tidying up and sameness.

Would you look at this one though. 

Life is good. 

baby in a bucket

Olive has been getting into the Playcentre vibe. 

Note the heuristic basket and the peg! 

the time Ada painted her own face

Hi blog, long time!

Playcentre was fun in the sun with a paddling pool/ball pit and face painting too. Olive had a long sleep there so it was fun with Ada rather than being pulled in two directions as is often the way with two kiddos. 

Matchy.