We four girls recently had a trip to the farm for a week. The girls were very excited about going to the farm, such that they weren't interested in a break during the trip to play at the Matamata playground, but preferred to keep driving. Alexa has grown in confidence and was happy to wander up the drive and across a paddock to watch the cows eating at the feed pad. Isobel found them a bit 'scary' and was not at all keen when they made a noise. She much preferred to point out the cows in far distant paddocks. It was picking time for the kiwifruit so a couple of days there was much action as gangs of pickers and 6 little tractors with trailers to carry the bins raced around the orchard. Alexa, as usual, was fascinated by the action and keen to watch. It was even more fun when they had all gone home and left the two loaders for the girls to play on. They were off to school apparently.
Alexa and Isobel got to share a room with twin beds for the first time. Luckily the girls were so tired each night after busy days that there was no talking until all hours. In the morning, early in the morning, Gran could hear Isobel calling out to Alexa and then talking non stop to herself. Grandad would get up about 6ish, get the girls ready and cook them some porridge for breakfast. This is a special ritual at every visit that both girls get a real treat out of.
Alexa would occupy herself with biking around the courtyard, reading or Ballerining (the act of dancing like a ballerina) during times when Isobel (and sometimes Gran, Grandad & myself) had midday naps. Isobel was her usual talkative self - she seems to go from waking until sleep talking through most of the day. For example when asked what she would like on her toast, she would list all the things she doesn't like "I don't like marmite, I don't like marmalade...etc." On a trip into town we heard from the back "I can, I can, I can't see the moon"
It was Camryn's first visit to the farm - initially although she could focus on people, she didn't appear very interested in her surrounds. But after a week we noticed a distinct change in her looking around more, tracking people and perhaps even noticing Zac the little Jack Russell who had been dutifully following her around when she was crying. At one point when I had her in her tub for a bath, Zac, who had been watching closely decided that the change mat was an ideal place for to lie down. We were lucky in that he didn't ever hop into her basket which was often at his level on the ground as she slept.
