Productions

Both the girls are to be in productions this term. Isabella has a speaking part in her school production which is an adaptation of the dr Suess Sneetches story. She gets to be a bitchy star bellied sneetch sitting in a ponsonby cafe and the script reads with a 'valley girl' accent with lots of ' that is like so lame'...not at all how she had ever spoken but she is very excited to not just be in the chorus this year. Her school productions are always amazing, a big multi cultural event with all the Ropu performing in different languages.
Harriet is to be in her dance school production, this promises to be a very different sort of show if the video of last years one is anything to go by, a very proper , choreographed ballet production. We have already been told it will involve two rehearsals..no rehearsal no show..proper costumes and makeup, children are to be dropped off and picked up later. The fairy dance girls last year had their hair in tight little ballet buns and wore little leotards and ballet shoes and flitted round the stage. Mrs Rodgers ....or Mr Rodgers as Harriet still insists on calling her obviously runs a very tight ship when it comes to her productions. Last term we were able to watch the class via a live video feed to the room outside the hall, this term we are not allowed to see what is going on, only watch a video of last years production and the newsletter instructed us not to ask our children about the show so as not to ruin the suprise. The only clue involved alot of sequins being sewn onto cotumes. I suspect the person in charge of Harriet and her costume will have a fun time keeping her entertained while the rest of the show is going on, especially as she will have been at Kahi's 5th birthday earlier in the day and will probably be on a nice sugar high...but the little fairy dance girls did loook very cute last year and I'm sure the whole thing will appeal to harriet's show pony nature.

picture of Isabella and an Orca Whale 

Happy Birthday Uncle Hamish

Today was birthday lunch for Uncle Hamish. Kahi came up with a cake decorating idea...a bowling green, which was very appropriate being that Hamish is now Green Superintendant at the Piha Bowling Club where I believe the lady bowlers put on a very fine spread. Kahi came round at 10am to help Ella and Harriet make the cake and Ella did very well at sharing out the tasks between the two as there was alot of 'my turn' and 'me first' to be heard coming from the kitchen. Kahi coloured the coconut green for the grass and luckily Uncle Hamish said there would need to be four bowling balls as there were four small people to eat them off the cake. Pictures posted below of the cake making and singing happy birthday. The candles had to be lit twice as Harriet and Sol got in with a big blow before uncle hamish even had a chance to blow them out and make a wish.

making the cake with Ella 

concentrating 

waiting for the cake with uncle hamish 

blowing the candles 

happy birthday to you 

cutting the cake 

the proud artist 

mummy with baby boy ib her tummy 

the girls and nani ji 

with mamma 

Harriet and the case of the mysterious painted on ears

It would seem that sometime in the last month or two someone or thing has taken Harriets' perfectly lovely looking and well functioning ears and replaced them with an equally lovely looking but poorly functioning painted on pair. The new ears are very selective in what they like to hear and in fact don't appear to hear some things at all, especially if said by mummy, mamma or Ella. This includes 'Harriet please get out of my room' (from Ella), 'Harriet please get out of the pantry' and 'Harriet we do not stand in front of the TV so no-one else can see' . They do however seem to like the sound of Harriets own voice. In the car the ears are very selective in what they do and don't hear. If we are quietly talking in the front the ears hear everything, even above the radio but if we say something to Harriet, especially the phrase 'please do not kick the back of the seat' the ears malfunction and we hear a loud 'what'? from the back, in fact 'what' is the standard reply to most questions posed to Harriet in the car. We realised we are forever repeating ourselves so I have conducted a wee experiment this week and replied with 'i think you heard me'...it seems the painted on ears do infact hear because a few seconds later Harriet will repeat what I said. The ears other big area of selectiveness would seem to be in the 'please do what i ask you when I ask you harriet' department...to which the standard reply has been 'but, but, but, I'm just.....'. Consequently Harriet and her painted on ears have been in preschooler boot camp for listening and doing what we are asked this week. We consulted the Diane Levy parenting handbook and have taken the approach of ask once nicely, make sure we have eye contact and her full attention and tell her than it is off to time out if she doesn't oblige. You may not be suprised to learn that Harriet and her ears have spent alot more time in her bedroom than usual this last week. We are hoping the painted on ears will soon be leaving on a long vacation...probably to return in her teenage years and that she will magically be able to listen and do what we ask in the near future.

miss Harriet 

miss Isabella 

harriet priya pukeko owl fireengine digger alice in wonderland pippi longstockings big sister girl 

guess who got a new pukeko outfit from cha cha ji and sara 

The Girls are Getting.......

a new baby brother for xmas.
For those of you who don't know already we are expecting baby number 3. at xmas time and it's a boy.
Harriet just said WOW when we told her and now insists on being addressed as Big Sister. She is very happy about the idea of a baby brother in mummys tummy..whether she will think the reality is so great remains to be seen. She likes to pat my tummy and says the baby talks to her ...what does he say...you're the big sister Harriet pukeko girl.
Isabella has finally been able to share the news with her friends and took the picture below to school yesterday.
Now we are working on our short list of boys names and doing some shopping but I have to say boy shopping is just not as exciting as girl shopping.

baby boy 16 weeks 

the weekend

we had our first weekend in ages where ang wasn't studying and I wasn't working. We decided on a bit of a spring ( yes we know it's the middle of winter) clean and reorganised our room, Isabella and Harriets are next on the list. We had friends to lunch and dinner on sat. Sunday morning at 6.30am so technically it was the middle of the night, harriet joined us due to a pullup leak, nothing like changing PJs in the dark and freezing cold. I put her in our bed in the hope she would go back to sleep...instead this very perky little voice comes out with Mama is there, Mummy is here and Harriet is in the middle, this is PERFECT!!!! She than proceeded to tell us how perfect it was while doing a very good impersonation of an octopus with two very cold tentacles which seemed to be on all the warmest parts of her mothers...needless to say by 7am she was installed in front of a video which was perfect for the mothers. Ella cooked us a wonderful pancake breakfast and set the table with flowers for us at the much more respectable hour of 1030. Pics below are of afternoon tea at Gran and Barbs where kahi and Sol were also visiting. Kahi has a fabulous new pair of jeans complete with a wallet on a chain in which he has his library card and a license he has made for himself. We suprised the girls with a trip to see Madagascar which was great. Harriet still needs to perfect the art of sitting still at the movies but as we were in the front row she was able to 'move it , move it' to the music at the front of the theatre.

gran sol and harriet 

gran and isabella 

kahi and his drawing 

Ella and sol 

kahi showing off his drivers licence and wallet on a chain 

sol and Barb