Its asked so many times - why blog... I was thinking about it today.  Mine is just a scrap book really and to me that's ok.  I don't know why its here really except it as a nod to the like minded out there.  Nerdy yes - but reading blogs has / is changing me.  But is blogging good or is it bad?  I feel motivated to do things from posts I read.  On the side of blogs = good says that's inspiration.  On the side of blogs = bad its 'keeping up with cyber jones".  For me so far the scores balances on the side of good.  So thanks for the efforts invested bloggers out there.

bali baby

 You were a great little traveller, you loved to explore, met some monkeys, entertained your fans, ate .... but mostly just spent hour after hour playing cups in the pool with Dad.  What a lucky baby you are!

little man about the village

You've grown up in a village HK.  Literally - its called a village, it looks like a village and people get to know everyone just like a village.  Like your barber doing your first hair cut.  You walk past him and say hi most days.  You bumb into him at the local coffee shop.  We love that about living here and it been just great to be able to take you out and about so easily.

you love the zoo

yes you do.

ankle biter

My view most of the day.  So we’re at that stage HK –you are literally always at my ankle and biting me! Occasionally annoying but mostly just really cute.  Not sure what to do about the biting - "ouch that hurts mummy" just gets a laugh from you.  Hummm might need to toughen up a bit there MK.

little traveler

Hey little HK - you've just enjoyed your first weekend away.  You stayed in your first hotel and stayed with your first baby sitter!  But most of the time you just enjoyed having both MK and DK around to give you attention.  We visited the very pretty country town of Kynton.  DK went fishing, MK when antiquing and you laughed out loud when seeing your first sheep.  Above we are visiting the organic farm hoping to show you some pigs ... no luck though it was too cold and they stayed in bed!  I think they would have given you a laugh too - either that or you'd yell at them to get "OUT" as you seem to do to all animals you see at the moment.  I can't imagine where you picked that up....

little chicken legs

Another rewind... this was you a year ago today little HK.  Loving those skinny little legs.

always my baby

Things are changing so fast with you little HK.  This last month you turned one, weaned yourself, started to chat chat chat and I can see that walking is only moments away.  Life is flying by in a rush.  In this photo you were just moments old.  Can't you stay a baby just a little bit longer?

who's that there...

In joint celebration of mother's day and your first birthday tomorrow we took you for your first trip to the zoo.  You now 'roof roof' as your means of communicating with all non humans.  And there were some pretty funny looking dogs at the zoo today.  Certainly a much more relaxing way to spend the day than the 22 hours of labour that was my first mother's day... a year ago today.

MK: "You're nearly one - you can try your first bit of cake" HK:"Humm cupcake you say?"

HK: "YAH CUPCAKES ROCK!" MK: "Humm this must be why they say not to give babies sugar"

We posted the invites for your birthday party today little HK.  A whole year has nearly gone.  A great year - a tough year all in one.  If a fairy asked me if I wanted to live it all again? Sure would my little bundle of fun.

 I made him for you from scraps.  You seemed pleased.  We named him POG.

Best holiday ever.  Still suffering a serious case of the "don't wanna go home"'s.  Despite copious sun protection you even scored a slight baby tan.  So cute.  Back to reality now though.

going on a summer holiday..

We're packed and ready to go.  A month at the beach with the family.  There might be a few posts if we find some internet access but otherwise see you on the other side.

don't make me hurt you

Mamma bear's gonna knock you out! A visitor playing with HK yelled at him (well at least spoke loudly in a snappish tone) the other day.  I was shocked, snatched him away at the time and changed the subject.  And since I've become borderline furious.  And then it made me nervous.  Nervous about how I am ever going to trust a carer to take care of him as I would.  Arrgghhh back in your cage mumma bear.

come here - go away

This learning to crawl business has you in a bit of a dilemma little HK - you want nothing more than to wriggle away from me and practice practice practice - then you get suck or hurt yourself and demand to know why I wasn't right there.  So I guess it's begun already ... the push me pull me of parenthood....

Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.
So he said to his mother, "I am running away."

"If you run away," said his mother, "I will run after you."

For you are my little bunny."

"If you run after me," said the little bunny,"

"I will become a fish in a trout stream

and I will swim away from you."

"If you become a fish in a trout stream," said his mother,

"I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you."

"If you become a fisherman," said the little bunny,

"I will become a rock on the mountain, high above you."

"If you become a rock on the mountain high above me,"

said his mother, "I will be a mountain climber,

and I will climb to where you are."

"If you become a mountain climber,"

said the little bunny,

"I will be a crocus in a hidden garden."

"If you become a crocus in a hidden garden,"

said his mother, "I will be a gardener. And I will find you."

"If you are a gardener and find me,"

said the little bunny, "I will be a bird

and fly away from you."

"If you become a bird and fly away from me,"

said his mother, "I will be a tree that you come home to."

"If you become a tree," said the little bunny,

"I will become a little sailboat,

and I will sail away from you."

"If you become a sailboat and sail away from me,"

said his mother, "I will become the wind

and blow you where I want you to go."

"If you become the wind and blow me," said the little bunny,

"I will join a circus and fly away on a flying trapeze."

"If you fly on a flying trapeze," said his mother,

"I will be a tightrope walker,

and I will walk across the air to you."

"If you become a tightrope walker and walk across the air,"

said the bunny, "I will become a little boy

and run into a house."

"If you become a little boy and run into a house,"

said the mother bunny, "I will become your mother

and catch you in my arms and hug you.

"Shucks,"said the little bunny, "I might just as well

stay where I am and be your little bunny."

And so he did.

"Have a carrot," said the mother bunny.

Excerpt from The Runaway Bunny by M W Brown

someone is reading!

Thanks so much to Nicole from Healthy Earth Healthy Me for sending over my first blog award.

So for seven things about me:

1. I love to travel and have - a lot.  I lost count of the counties I visited after about number 40 and have to visit South America and Antarctica and then I will have set foot on every continent (above is my favourite travel pic taken in an Indian desert);
2. I once appeared in a Bollywood movie (during Indian travels above);
3. DK and I have been together since I was 17 years old - so our next major anniversary will be 20 years! Shhhh that makes me feel old.
4. DK and I got matching tattoos after knowing each other for three weeks - yeah we're classy...
5. I was born in a country that no longer exists - Rhodesia which is now Zimbabwe and we immigrated to Australia when I was seven.
6. I'm a terrible procrastinator - seriously I can waste months before getting started on something.
7. I'm a reformed spend-thrift. 

Seven new blogs:

1. http://champagne-and-bubbles.blogspot.com/ - adventures of being an expat living abroad
2. http://colourlikewater.blogspot.com/ - there should always be more poetry;
3. http://jowilliamsphotography.blogspot.com/ - lovely pics;
4. http://esmeandthelaneway.blogspot.com/ - super stylish vintage;
5. http://ballynoecottage.blogspot.com/ - a green guru;
6. http://heathernetteking.blogspot.com/ - wonderful interior stylist;
7. http://renoblogo.blogspot.com/ - a new "reno" in progress.

Gee that took me days... what am I going to do when I got back to work soon and you know .. have deadlines to get things done!

He's off

You're crawling.  Well more often reversing than crawling but you're getting around. And banging your head.  A lot.  Still smiling though. And I thought I was busy before...

intruder alert #2

Remember that friend you made in the bedroom mirror last week HK?  Well you made a new one today - on the floor.  Half an hour playing with your own shadow - who needs toys?

yay it's friday

Given I am on maternity leave I don't really know why I get excited about Fridays.  But I still do especially when the sun is shining like today - years of habit I suppose.  Also getting very excited about our beach holiday coming up in a few weeks.  We are going to Wye River the most beautiful place on earth. Picked up a couple of cute beach suits for HK today - with this little cutie on the butt of one :-).  Have a great weekend.