Waterfall and other fun

This time on the hike we managed to make it to the waterfall and resulting stream. It was a lovely little place which was perfect for reflection and a snack. Also for climbing and jumping.

Repeat hike

We took the kids on a hike that we tried previously. This time there were no real mishaps and we managed to get not only to the lookout, but beyond it. SV loved the hike and was fascinated by the man-ferns. MV enjoyed her time in the backpack, especially when TV pretended to be a horse klip klopping down the path.

Morning balloon fight

In the morning MV's new lego was quite popular as both the girls played with it for quite some time. Eventually the balloons got their attention and a mild balloon fight and chase happened. Afterwards we let them watch a bit of television as we packed up. They were mesmerised.

Fishing game

MV was very excited about her fishing game. We got into it and had a family game of fishing. MV was having a bit of trouble using the fishing pole, so she reached back to her southern heritage and noodled the fish. For those that don't know, noodling is using ones fingers as bait to catch fish who think they are worms, generally used for catching catfish in the southern US. MV did quite well with her technique while SV was successful with the more standard fishing rod approach.

The presents

After dinner and cake it was time for presents. We only gave her a few things from us as everyone else has been so generous. She really enjoyed her three presents, one from each of us. We did the traditional gift giving of shaking hands and a congratulations from each of us which she liked. She seems to enjoy ceremony and a bit of formality.

MV's 2nd birthday!

We can't believe it's MV's second birthday already. The time has flown by too quickly. She is such a wonderful and confident girl. Her speech and maturity have taken a big step in the last few weeks.
We had a family celebration for her and sang her happy birthday which she really enjoyed. In fact we kept singing it all weekend and it made her feel very special. She enjoyed her little cake which she picked out, although she and SV only had one or two bites each. The fun part was clearly blowing out the candles, oh and the chocolate balls.

Exploring the backyard

Since the weather was still nice and not too cold, the girls went outside to explore. The backyard was perfect for that as there were plenty of interesting things to find, including a secret garden with a lawn where they ran around. It was a perfect way for them to burn off some energy before dinner.

After the nap

MV had a good nap and in the meantime SV got to watch a show. We also got the house ready with birthday decorations in preparation for when MV woke up. She noticed our handiwork straight away and really liked it. In fact it was even more interesting than tv for a while.