Bathing belles

It's october now and the chill is out of the air, the weather is
still a bit changeable, but we've been venturing down to the beach to
have a quick dip and a bit of a play in the sand, the girls in their
adorable new matching swimsuits, thanks grandma......it's all lots of
fun!

 

School hols!

It's Whitsun week, so Mato's been off school, living it up at Meme's with her cousin Meisi.

 ....on the neighbor's slide and trampoline (I know what we'll be getting for Mato's birthday and Christmas pressies now!).

In the meantime Viriamu's been busy with the horses......

......and Heimana's taken up entomology!

She just can't seem to find Clatterpillar in the handbook!

Exodus

Matotea's fanclub has been shrinking rapidly since Tuati and Iro left last weekend (as well as Apera, who left for Tahiti and Matai who went back to Tubuai, so Meisi and Simei also returned to their home on the south coast).
The blow was cushioned slightly by the return to school on monday, but on friday grandmere and grandpere left us....back to chilly Wales, on the avion bleu.
The Christmas/New Year holidays are finally over! Now we need to get back to our old rhythmn.....

Heimana's progress

Tuesday Heimana celebrates her first six months - her progress has been remarkable, even in the six weeks since the grandparents met her in the flesh. In late november she was just getting the knack of grasping things and had just started to prop herself up on her belly.

Yesterday she rolled over properly for the first time, and is already doing her best to sit upright unassisted, at least for a few seconds, followed by the inevitable face-plant and frustrated little screams.
The baby gym now serves as exactly that - a gym, she likes to do pull ups with the little toys and does the whole babyzilla pose that Matotea liked so much. She's picking things up and quite clearly throwing them away now.....or making them 'disappear'.
She's also discovered that you can make noises just for the fun of it, and for a few days she was screaming and yelping with glee, just because she could! She really loves her sister, her little eyes light up when she sees Matotea up to something (.....which she normally is).

She's still all smiles and charm......

Blowing Bubbles

Matotea's new favorite past-times requires a LOT of concentration.....a bit like taking Heimana for a ride in the pram, when you can't see over the handlebar!

Adjusting

Poor Matotea's having a bit of a hard time adjusting to the new baby, of course she is and always will be our baby, but she's not the only one any more, and while she's ever so gentle with her little sister, she's just a bit too keen.

We bought her a baby doll in Tahiti and she enjoyed that for a few days......


....but frankly the shine has rubbed off already, and she really prefers playing with the REAL thing. We tried to spoil her as much as possible while we were in Tahiti (including going to the funfair for the first time!), and I'm doing my best to make ' Matotea time' every day, but she is being extremely demanding and frankly a bit cranky at the moment, but I'm hoping it'll pass, she's been 'hanging out' with our guests to get some extra attention, it must be a big fall for our little starlet, though it's a bitter pill she'll just have to learn to share!