No Mummy I did not kill the cat...

honest!

I just love this look.

Singin' in the rain...

I have some even cuter pics of Moo running around nude in the garden and under the sprinkler, but after talking to a friend of mine who has just started working for the STOP Trust in Christchurch (and attended some truly scary induction and internet training) I decided against the nudey shots, no matter how cute they are - plus, I don't know how much Molly would thank me when she's eighteen!

So, no, she's not practising her singing in the rain dance routine, she needed her umbrella to keep her dry under the sprinkler! I know, I know, we tried to explain that maybe just staying out of the sprinklers reach might be more effective, but she's two and therefore knows far better then two fully grown adults (I used the term loosely obviously!).

And I'll be honest, we didn't really try that hard to stop her, cause she says 'splinkler' and 'gumbrella' which is just so cute it's untrue. Oh and yes, we do have a paddling pool for her, but the basin is so much easier to fill, expecially when you know that any second she'll go off the whole idea or the heavens will open again.

Knock knock!

Nana (my Mum) came to visit us in October. We only had three weeks together, but it's better then nothing.

We had a really lovely visit, although we were all ill, off and on - but hey, who isn't at the moment! Even our doctor says it's been an extra hard winter this year. Molly has had cold and ear infections, Mum had a cold (or possibly a bit bout of hayfever, not sure really) and I had, wait for it... Shingles! Oh yes, you know it's not just an old person illness - although yes I know I am quite old! I would not recommend it, and am concerned it may be on it's way back as my residual 'poxmarks' (as hubby so lovingly calls them!) have begun to itch again, woo hoo!

Anyway, I digress, we had a lovely visit and Molly fell truly, madly, deeply in love with Nana again. Every morning we would have to creep along to Nana's room and 'knock knock' on the door - verbally and physically, very cute - and then poor Nana would be pounced on and forced to read books and play stickers for hours on end while lucky old Mummy got to go back to bed for a bit. I tried to stay up with them a couple of times, only to be told 'Mummy, you go back to bed, you're very tired', what an angel she is, ha ha!

As you can see, we had some really good (and some really crap) weather and made the most of it when we could. Daytrips to Willowbank, etc. lots of fun. Our one planned weekend away - we were going to go to Lake Brunner for a few days tramping and kayaking - were unfortunately nixed by my pesky pox! oh well, next time. We're sure Nana will be back as soon as she can be, in fact Daddy told Molly he was sure Nana would be back in just a few weeks/months, hint hint, eh Mum!!

November! Already?!

Really, how did that happen! It's been three months since my last blog entry... three months! and an awful lot can happen in three months... that's the reason I haven't really been thinking about blogging, too much to say and not even sure how to start to be honest. So a brief catch up and then we'll carry on as normal eh?

I wasn't sure whether to write this down or not, but you know this is supposed to be a journal of Molly's life and times and this was a major event within that so, horrible though it is, it's happened and it's in.

In September one of Molly's little friends Emily passed away. No one knows why, and I guess the official verdict will be SIDS, and I don't suppose it really matters how or why. It's one of the singularly saddest things in the world when a child dies. She was only two, a cute little button of a kid, who only two weeks before she died was racing around the park with Molly and her big brother full of the joys of Spring.

She will be sadly missed by everyone that knew her. My heart lurches every time I see her Mum, what to say, how to act... she is doing as well as can be expected and wants Molly to play with her wee boy whenever we get the chance. We both cried the first time she inadvertantly called Molly Emily, how can you ever get over this kind of tragedy?

It made me (and everyone else I know) hold on just a little bit tighter to their children and think that little bit harder about the truly important things in life. I could go on and on about how I feel, but I know that practically everyone reading this is a parent, so I don't need too.

I'm going to stop now, have a cup of tea - I'm British after all - back in a bit.