Checking back in

Yesterday, in the space of one hour, not one but two complaints were lodged with the management about lack of new posts around here. Pardon me! I had no idea we were so in demand! We haven't gone anywhere. Actually, that's probably a lot of why the posting has fallen to the wayside. We are in the rut of the perpetual school holidays. Ellie has been out of school since mid-December (summer holiday). She really misses her friends and the intellectual stimulation. She has had enough of me and Stephanie, and she desperately wants to go back to school. Stephanie also has had enough of Ellie and sharing me with Ellie, and she desperately wants her to go back to school too. Both ask me each morning if we can go there. It's all part of their big spoiled rotten package. The fact that Mama is home with them all the time is a given, so it's not very interesting. Friends and time away from Mama (at least in Ellie's case), now that's very interesting!

In case you think I'm overdramatizing in the "spoiled rotten" department, here's a snippet of yesterday. The girls were up and frazzled early, so I thought I'd pack us off to the beach. It was early enough to avoid the viciousness of the sun, and we hadn't been in ages. My mention of it, though, brought on a big tantrum. "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE BEACH! WAAAAAAAAAA!" etc. Ignoring this, I packed up the sand toys, lathered them in sunscreen and buckled us into the car. Ellie asked where we were going and threw another screaming fit when I answered, "The beach." I pulled over, turned around, and asked her why she didn't want to go to the beach. Quite firmly, she stated that she hates "the sand and the color of the water." Well, then. Two reasons. Crazy reasons, but reasons nonetheless. We went to King's Park instead. Now, just to reinforce my spoiled rotten point, the color of the water is this:



Still, I do my best to keep things fun around here! We have been in the pool every single day since Christmas. Due to the vicious Aussie sun, we only last about 15-20 minutes at a time, but it's been great fun. Ellie has always loved launching off the side, and she and Markus have perfected "crazy jumps", most of which involve a complicated ritual resembling in sight and sound some kind of ninja training camp. I will try to catch it on video over the weekend for you. Baby Stephanie has bit by bit worked through the worst of her water fears, and now (despite lingering reservations) she is an avid pool girl. It's really sweet to see. This morning, we discovered an awesome indoor kiddie pool at the Beatty Park Fitness Center in Vincent.


You can see Ellie peeking out from around my friend Meg's legs (standing toward the right, babe on hip). Ellie was right in with her friend from school, and the two of them were happy as clams! Baby Stephanie spent the first fifteen minutes or so wrapped around my leg, but then she too gave in to the joy of it and had a blast! I know we'll be back, maybe as early as tomorrow. It opens at 5:30am! Why had no one told me about this early bird sanctuary before now?