Back to normal?

Well I'm pleased to report that Katie is almost back to full fitness, Sophie continues to pile on the pounds (14lbs give or take an oz) and that after a very hectic start to the school year I can now catch a breath, get back to running and try to get myself and our house in some sort of shape before the winter.

"Someone told my Mum that cabbage leaves would help
her get better, I'm not sure this is what they had in mind." 

Thanks must go to Hilary along with my Mum and Dad - they have all been amazing at supporting us through the last couple of weeks. We really appreciate it and Sophie has enjoyed spending so much extra time with you all.

The main highlights of this week have been:

* Grandparents coming and going, helping us all get better
* everyone feeling better
* stuffing fingers in the mouth (Sophie) - we think teething may be upon us
* grabbing things with both hands (Sophie)
* new noises (Sophie)
* new smiles (Sophie, Dad and Mum)

The highlights of the upcoming week are plentiful and going to include a visit from some Kiwi friends who we stayed with when we were in Napier (click to follow this link) It will be a flying visit from them so we're just going to be a base camp for them really. It will be good to see them though and it looks like the weather may just come out for them in a late summer flourish (or is it early autumn?)

And we're also continuing to make progress with the house although you won't be able to tell from these photos.

We've almost got a dining room - well we have a table cloth!

Just the fire to be removed, the walls all prepared, the walls painted then the floor done and the dining room will be almost finished - until we knock the kitchen wall down and start again! Arrgh.

My Mum and Dad have certainly been putting in a shift lately....

Just when I thought the back garden was a job that I didn't really need to start yet,  I have kind of decided that the devastation of the front garden is in order to make us all have a better outlook and try and put a smile on face of the house.

Today my Dad and I removed most of a huge tree, two bushes and lots of extremely prickly brambles. Oh, and I re-homed a large frog that was in the front garden - when I say re-homed, I think i probably mean evicted. The garden is certainly starting to look very different though to when we moved in.

I have quite a few other photos to go up from this week and I will get them up as soon as possible but for now, here are a few more of the star of the show.

"Hi Grandad, my hair is too long for a spikey hairdo now."

"I'm enjoying eating my hands these days - won't be long until
I'm eating everything i can get my hands on!"

"I've had so much fun this morning I think I'll just sleep here."