A Strawberry Kind of Day!

With only a week & a half til the 1st of our 2 due dates....I'm trying to savour as many one-on-one moments with my girl, whilst she's my only child. Although my patience is thin at the moment & my body is aching with all sorts of swollen & uncomfortable twinges & my frustration levels are high.....I'm still trying to get out & about, have fun & show my girl new things!

So...today...we headed off to a Strawberry Farm that we'd never been to before.

It was perfect! You could pick your own....so an adventure we had :)

Yes....corny I know, but I dressed Ella in head to toe "Strawberry Attire"....us girls take our day trips seriously you know :))))

Shirt from KasiaBear

Skirt from Missy Melly

Hair Clip from So Sew Sweet

We trudged through mud, picked the juiciest looking berries, filled our basket & laughed at little things like caterpillar nibbles & squashed berries under toe! It was a fun hour.....just my girl & I :)

I love finding new places where we can explore & create some great memories!

And although, I LOVE these mid-week adventures with just Ella & I.....I also CAN NOT wait to have another child on hip to explore the world with! I'm super excited that we are just days away from meeting our little baby! I'm ready to embrace a new life with him.....with us.....as a family of 4. 

Ok, I'm off to eat some fresh, juicy strawberries & take Ella off to ballet!

I hope your Tuesday has been fabulous!

Pinch Me......{Week-a-Boo}

 {Warning....photo overload of a certain 3 year old heeee!}

Do you ever have those moments, where you literally need to be pinched to wake up to the reality of something? Since becoming a Mummy.....Ella's Mummy, I experience 'those pinching' moments quite a lot. Through good moments & through tough moments! But, it was on Saturday....as I sat in the 'waiting room/foyer' of 'Miss Parker's' ballet school, all teared up and a ball of emotion, I felt like I needed to be pinched!! Because something was happening on the other side of the large brick wall, that was making me so full of pride, so full of joy, so full of nerves & so full of fear! Kids are so unpredictable, that's for sure! And even though, Ella has done 8 months of a 'Mummy & Me' ballet class @ our local hall, and she's been in part-time daycare for the past 2 years, and her independence has blossomed beyond belief....I still sometimes, can't but help feel a little anxious....that, that little baby of mine {the one who was so scared of people, so scared of noise} may re-lapse :) So....as she strutted off beaming with confidence & independence on Saturday morning at her first 'big girl' dance lessons, I pinched....HARD! She proved me wrong....in so many ways! And for that I am so proud! She's growing, she's learning, she's trusting and she's blossoming in more ways than my words could ever do justice! She may only be 3, still a toddler.....but my oh my.....what a gorgeous little lady she is :) Uhumm.....a gorgeous 'dancing' little lady I should say :)

 

{Above photo, edited with Paint The Moon's action set}

{Pinch Me.....my baby is THREE!!! My baby is no longer a baby!!! Ahhhh!!!}

Saturday afternoon, my heart still beaming so full....we spent a fairly quiet afternoon at home.....trying to ignore this state of chaos:

So, we breezed through the afternoon with movies & popcorn & lots of outside play:

{Ella LOVES her Rainbow Wands from Pinwheels & Pearls....the perfect gift from our lovely friend Tara}

Sunday....to be honest, Sunday started a bit slow! I felt queezy & sluggish after a sleepless night! So we filled the morning with coffee & lazing {while Chris went our running & cycling!!} and housework & washing. Ella painted my face, I painted hers. We did puzzles & drawings and watched Donald Duck on YouTube over & over again. We played Doctor's:

{I know you must all be worried about Bunny & Teddy's state of health....but rest assure, Dr Ella had it all under control. I am sorry to report that Bunny had caterpillars & zebras in her ears, a temperature of 12, a sore knee, broken head, buzzy ears & 1 tooth!! Eeks! }

{AND, we laughed.....oh does this girl laugh!!!!}

Sunday afternoon consisted of hanging out with my bestie, which is always lots of fun! Except for the constant calling of "Hey Aunty Mon".... Hey guess what Aunty Mon".... Excuse me Aunty Mon" .... "Look at this Aunty Mon"..... "Watch me Aunty Mon" hehehe!

I also got something new, pink, creamy & shiny for myself today....and as I write this post, I can hear Chris tinkering with it in the lounge......YAY! More on that later this week....

But for now....please tell me.....What did your weekend bring?

Blog about it, facebook it, tweet it, photo it...whatever floats ya boat....and please add it to the linky below so me {an my readers} can pop in to be apart of your weekend antics :)

Live Laugh Love!

She's 3.

On the 25th of January 2008 at 11:31am, after a 6 & a half all-natural, drug-free labour, Ella's 8 pound body left the comfort & safety of my womb. That day, my life changed....I changed!! Ella made me a MUMMY! That day I discovered a whole new layer of LOVE! A layer that I didn't know existed.

Three years on, I have this amazing, vibrant toddler who still grows that layer of love on a daily basis. I'm not sure how much bigger this layer can get.....coz it feels so beautifully full right now!

Ella, you are wild yet so wise, you have a sense of humour that is well beyond your years & a magical sense of the world. You are scared & cautious yet sometimes so brave & confident that it inspires me to take on the world more like you do! You are a terrible sleeper :) But that's ok.....I'll pay you back one day....LOL!! You are smart....so smart & constantly wanting to learn & understand & know! You're clumsy {hence the chipped tooth} but 'Barbie' band-aids always turn your tears into smiles :) Your vocab blows us away! We sit with you for hours & just listen to you lecture & chat about the ways of the world :) Your memory freaks me out....you remember the most random of details & names & sequence of events & I often ask you for information because your memory kicks butt over mine :) You don't like vegetables.....so when you consume anything from the 'vegetable' family, we dance & sing & make a big deal of it :) You are fairly easy to compromise with....as long as there is some imagination & fun involved :) You give compliments & ask questions and for that I am so proud. You love to take photos. And just like Mummy...you love receiving things in the mail. Mummy's pancakes & Daddy's bacon & toast are your favourite breakfast meals but you hate Mummy's risotto for dinner :) You love to dance....our little dancing girl and you love to swim {but you won't put your head under}! You sing along to the Wizard of Oz songs, you know your ABC's, & you are still singing Christmas songs in January :) Since watching the Disney movie "UP", you love the idea of 'adventures' and we go on pretend adventures most days lately....with the maps you've drawn & a baby doll under arm :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Ella!!

We love you!!!

{above: and...just a few months ago!!!}

To lift your spirits & brighten your day.....{friends}

"There's nothing like the company of good friends to remind us that life is to be enjoyed. If you have been feeling lonely or bored, make an effort to catch up with close friends and enjoy the simple things in life."

I have this cute little 'quote' book called "DOG WISDOM" by Tanya Graham, which I got for my birthday about 4 years ago. Ella has become obsessed with it {as it's full of photos of cute dogs & pups} and she carries it around, making up stories for each page :) I've decided to randomly pick a page every now & then....and copy that quote to my blog.....accompanied by a photo....of course :)

And this lovely friendship quote was the page we landed on today :)