MY GREAT SID 1916 - 2006

Two weeks ago we went to Hastings to say goodbye to my Great Sid. He was a very special person and lots of my family were there to remember all of his stories and to say good bye too. At the church there were lots of people to smile at and watch. Dad and Uncle Hamish got up to tell their stories about Great Sid and I waved to them both. Lots of my other family got up too. There was even a man who played the cornet at the end of the service because Great Sid was in the army when he was young. That was pretty special.

I first met my Great Sid when I was three weeks old. I thought he was wonderful and I liked to lie in his arms and look at his smiling face. Mum and Dad tell me that Great Sid thought I was wonderful too and he loved to hold me, and hear about all the things I got up too. He was very gentle and kind to me.

After meeting Great Sid on that first visit in Hastings I saw him lots of times both in Hastings and in Palmerston North. I have got lots of nice photos of us together which i'll be able to look at when i'm a big girl. He was a very special person to all of my family and everybody misses him a lot. We all think that we are lucky to have spent time with our Great Sid.

HELPING MUM

I like to help my mum fold the washing, put things into the cupboards and get things out of the pantry. I say 'ta' when I pass all the things up to mum, which is very helpful.

Mum tells me that soon we are going to go on all of those aeroplanes again because we are going to move all the way down to Invercargill. Fun! Dad will be going on August the 16th but Mum and Jessie and I won't go until the first week of September.

I will be so good at helping Mum and Dad with all that packing!

I AM 1

I am now 1 year old. Wow! Mum and Dad say the time has gone so fast but I don't know about that.

My Nana and Grandad came to stay from Taranaki and Aunty Susan, Uncle Si and Bradley came over to celebrate on Saturday. We had lots of fun. I have been very spoilt by all the people who love me with lots of cool presents. My Mum and Nana made me a puss puss cake too, which was very yummy.

Bradley and I got to take the bike outside and we had heaps of fun zooming about everywhere. Bradley showed me how to push my new Baby around in her buggy too and since then I have been very busy pushing her around the lounge. I also like reading all of my birthday cards. I get them down off the bookshelf so I can look at them. After everyone went home on Saturday I had my very first bubble bath. That was just the best. Thank you everyone, for my lovely presents and cards and all my birthday wishes. xoxo

JETSETTING GIRL

On Monday Mum, Dad and I flew to Invercargil for a wee holiday. We went on three planes to get there so we got to see Paula and Jessica in Wellington. That was lots of fun. I let Jessica share my Dad for a little while and I even had a few cuddles with Paula - usually I like to stay close to my Mum and Dad these days.

All of these plane trips were very exciting, so I didn't sleep until 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Mum and Dad say I was very good, even when we got stuck at Christchurch airport for an extra 3 hours.

In Invercargil i learnt to climb up stairs (in my motel) and I got to see some snow (when I wasn't sleeping in the car). We flew home from Queenstown. I was very sick landing in bumpy windy Wellington and we were all very please to get home to Rotorua but it was a cool trip.