Rose's first time on the swing!

Well, yes, that day has come! Today Rose had her first go on the swing, and the slide too!

So, she can't walk or even crawl yet, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying some of the same things as her big sister!

The Kiss

We thought this was far more beautiful than Klimt's rendition, but then we are rather biased.

This shot was taken early in the morning, before my eyes could properly focus - so it is a good thing my camera can auto-focus!

Beginning to sit up

So, at a few days over six months, litte Rosie Posy Posy sits unaided for the first time. Obviously, she is bound for great things in life!

Thinking, rolling, thinking

Daily, Rose becomes more active, more interested in food, and it is wonderful to watch her figuring out the world. Think back to the first time you felt grass - hard, eh? So it is quite a privilege to share these 'moments of discovery' with the girls.

Another great example was the other morning, when Ana asked where her friend Giovanni was (he's in Brasil) - so we called up google maps, showed her Olney, and gradually zoomed out until we could see Cambridge, and then Bristol, and the the ocean with the fishies (a real hit, it seemed), then finally Brasil. She was quite enthralled.

I'm sure the teaching profession could be rewarding if all kids showed such interest, 100% of the time.

Out in the garden

We are so enjoying the sunny weather! Ana spends most of her time outside, generally getting stuck in trees or behind bushes... and Rose is spending her time practicing crawling and rolling off her blanket.

Ahhh! Don't touch the camera!

Messy, messy, messy! But what fun! I now have a lovely hand painting up on my wall in my office.

Feed me!

"Please sir, can I have some more?"

Rose is (as of tomorrow) six months old. Time flies. And her first taste of food was also over in a blink of an eye. She gobbled it down very quickly for someone who has never eaten before, almost leaping out of her chair in her eagerness to eat!

Steak tomorrow, Rose?

The Bunny, the Bunny, ohh I love the Bunny!

For Easter Ana was given a white chocolate bunny. So, as a sunny Sunday treat we let her munch it for a while.

She was, quite understandably, very happy! We were graced with a performance of the "I've got a white chocolate bunny" dance around the garden, and a long sequence of happy munching sounds.

Rose vs. the chair

Our rambunctious Rose wrestles her bouncing chair! And wins!

She is really becoming so active now - rolling here, there, everywhere and back again. We don't think it will be too long before she is crawling - so watch this space.

Laughing with Daddy

We discovered that blowing raspberries on Rose makes her giggle - so cute!

I want my big sister's car!

Rose has really been becoming more and more active over the past few days. She also has been developing a greater ability to communicate her desire for particular things - cars, bunnies, forks, chocolates... - and her displeasure if they are removed from her ever-strengthening grasp.

Our turn!

While Rose and Ana were being minded by a small army of relatives, we took the opportunity of playing on the big-kids swing!

Sheer happiness

Yes, I know we have a lot of pictures at the park, but Ana does so love it, and we do spend a lot of our waking hours there...

At the park

again!! Here she is being whirled around by her Great Uncle Bah and Nana - we're not sure who was having the most fun : )

More blossom

I just thought this tree was so beautiful.

Trying to catch up on sleep

But there wasn't much hope of Tim getting extra sleep with all of us around, especially with Rose lying on his tummy!

Notice here Ana just can't sit still EVER.

Awwwww

She's cheating!!!

When Daddy explained that the object of the game was to get your ball as close to the little white ball as possible, Ana didn't realise she had to stand still. She legged it down the garden and gently placed her ball right next to the jack, clever girl!

Nana and her great-grandchildren

She looks like she has happily juggled two little ones on her knees before!

If you don't pay your car tax...

...DVLA will send a giant to pick up your car.

Ana loves Papa's toy cars!

Watering the flowers

Our Ana LOVES watering. And if she can get soaked in the process, well, all the better!

Here she is on a very sunny Cardiff day (yes, they do happen!) tending to Auntie Esme's forget-me-nots, and wearing her hat.

At the park in the rain

You know how when you go to those theme-parks in mid summer, and you have to queue for 49 minutes to go on a rollercoaster which then makes you feel sick?

Well, the solution is to, instead, go in early spring to your local playground, in the rain. No crowds, no queues, and no sick-making-you-feel-rollercoasters! Horray!

And the rides are amazing too! Take Ana for instance, dressed in her all-in-one puddlesuit, climbing a big, big, wet, wet slide, sitting at the top of the slide, and then, think, "no-friction" and, less than a millisecond later, she is at the bottom of the slide, flying through the air, before landing rather with a bump a meter or two beyond the end of the slide.

Shortly after this event, Papa turned up and there were no more such misdemeanors.

Growing up...

So, the first real ponytail... sniff... she is growing up so fast! What happened to our little baby who kept us up all night? (Oh wait, there is a new one doing that now...).

I shall comfort myself that Ana pulled out the ponytail hairband very quickly. Still a toddler. Still a toddler...

My first car

So we had a special day out at an 'open farm', introducing Ana to many and varied forms of livestock.

And what did she enjoy best? Well, there must be something of her Papa (that's Lara's Dad) in her because, yes, it was the car. After seeing the sheep, we had to go back to the cars. Then after the horse too. And after lunch. And before getting to the rabbits.

But the rabbits were great! They unleashed a barnfull of rabbits for the kids to play with and Ana LOVED it! Success!

Ana and the pony

"Ride on it?!" Ana loves ponies : )