The final present

On December 30, 2011 - Uncategorized

Grace had one final present waiting for her when she got home – the present we have been waiting to give her for a while – her new balance bike.

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After unwrapping it she tried to climb onto it and said the most unexpected thing, "Not stable, not stable." There is no context for her to say that (although I am sure we have used the phrase before when she is climbing onto chairs and so forth), so it really surprised me when she used it in the correct way.

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It is going to take her a little bit of time to figure out, but I am excited to help her learn how to ride it.

A visit to Homeleigh Farmyard

On December 29, 2011 - Uncategorized
Homeleigh Farmyard has a lovely petting and feeding animal yard with goats, donkeys, sheep, cows, horses, an emu and even more animals.

Grace is watching the goats…in the next scene one gets a bit too close and she freaks out a little bit. She is normally quite calm with animals, but does not like it when they come at her too fast. She was actually quite touchy and skitzy today – even the crowing rooster was bothering her.

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Other than the bunnies one of her favourite animals were the horses, particularly the very small Falabella horses (full size horse in the photo, not a Falabella).

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And she loved the pigs too.

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Song choices

On December 28, 2011 - Uncategorized

What would Kim call it? Oh yes…a rookie mistake. Two nights ago I joked with Grace about what songs we could sing instead of Silent Night, “What about Happy Birthday? Or maybe Merry Christmas?”

So what songs are being requested now? Happy Birthday and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Funnily enough Donné and I both independently decided to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus seen as it is Christmas.

Today was the last day in Jeffrey’s Bay – a last swim in the lagoon for the whole family and a whole lot of cleaning. PE for a day tomorrow and then back home on Friday.

Bubble catching

On December 27, 2011 - Uncategorized

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Having fun in the garden catching bubbles.

Dad’s and their girls

On December 26, 2011 - Uncategorized
Barry, Leslie, Chloe and Robyn popped in for a quick visit today. Once Grace warmed up to them she had lots of fun playing in the water and jumping with her two cousins that love her to bits.

I always find it interesting to watch other fathers of girls and how they interact with their children. Grace will become a little girl, and then a teenager, and grow into a woman, and each step of the way will be a journey which I hope to walk well, so it is nice to watch other people and start to get my head around what it might be like in the future. I know that we grow into it as we go along, but it is still good to watch and see and picture what things might be like.

Water fun with the girls as Grace sprays Chloe with a water pistol

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Grace having some fun with her doll's house from Gogo & Gramps

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Christmas Carnage

On December 25, 2011 - Uncategorized

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The aftermath of present opening.

Grace seemed to like the process of opening the presents a lot. When I asked her what her favourite part of the day was she said, “Running in garden.” It’s what we do with our family that matters more than the things we give.

Have yourself a Merry Christmas

On December 24, 2011 - Uncategorized
May you all have a blessed Christmas, filled with the love of those closest to you tomorrow. May you have peace and enjoy the gift of giving. Lots of love from the Drennan's.

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The horsey goes "pfffffft".

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Bring on the Christmas eve dinner

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Tea

On December 23, 2011 - Uncategorized
After a little trip to the beach we came home, showered and put the kettle on for a cup of tea.  While drinking a juice Duncan asked Grace if she would like a cup of tea or if she was happy with her juice, she turned to him and said, "I want tea too."  She is enjoying Gogo's espresso cups – it would appear to be the perfect size for a delicious cup of tea.   

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Chef-ing

On December 22, 2011 - Uncategorized

John and I attacked supper tonight and as expected it came out awesome. Grilled chicken breast served on a bed of roasted baby tomatoes and potato rosti, topped with beetroot sprouts and a balsamic vinegar reduction, served with a side of sweetcorn. Credit for the balsamic plate decoration goes to Donné, as my attempts were a serious fail, and after seeing me try John abstained.

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Dads and their girls.

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Puzzling

On December 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
When Donné decides to build a puzzle on holiday it always turns out to be a team effort….maybe we should look for a 4000 piece puzzle so that everyone gets 1000 pieces.

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