Idag är det inte vilken dag som helst, det är min födelsedaaaaaaaaaag!!

Jag fyller Ett, Två, Treeee år. Ett, två, treeeee räknar jag på mina fingrar.
Pappa och jag ska ha kalas, och som sig bör har vi arrangerat med ballonger, dekoration och smaskig chokladtårta. Förhoppningsvis kommer det en massa presenter med det.  Bäddat för fest m.a.o

 
Jag går upp i ottan och startar genast med att dekorera iförd bästa muminpyamasen!
 
Sen fattar äntligen farsan galoppen och levererar första presenten... jaaaaa

  Den här är från Farmor och Farfar och jag får en fin kollektion av tummetott, slickepott, långeman .. fingerdjur.  Jag får även en läcker kockmössa och passande smakbitar i tyg. Hmmmm Så fina och så Spännande på samma gång ...
  
Efter frukost tar jag på mig finklänningen dagen till ära. Vi skall ha kalas hemma i huset vid kanan, och vi har bjudit hem några vänner. Barnen får inte komma då jag vill ha kakan för mig själv.  Jag går ut och upptäcker till min glädje att någon har hängt upp och dekorerat i trädgården. Det hänger t.o.m presenter i buskar och träd.

  Tiiiiiittta .. presenteeeeerr

 
  
Det känns som tiden flyger iväg och snart kommer gästerna. Benny, Annette och Jacob har med sig en jättestor Vovve samt att jag får delad vårdnad tillsammans med Jacob över marsvinen Bella och Sassi (namn som jag gett dom). Sassi och Bella är sååå ulliga och krulliga och tycker om sallad och morötter.

Och här är tårtan som pappa och jag bakat, och så ljus såklart.

  Ja, detta va kort o gott min födelsedag. Tack alla för dom fina presenterna samt uppvaktning på min 3 års dag.  Kramar Freya
 

27.07.2011

A smiling
Ferya arrived today. We put on our gumboots and went out for our morning walk.
We greeted the animals and the sun. and on entering the playground Freya
quickly found a game to play and we enjoyed the sunshine.

Even when Denzil arrived we continued to play out in the garden, only to come inside for
baking.

 
  
 After morning tea we played inside – the horses always
seem to be the first toy to be played with. All the children rode together this
morning. Freya and Denzil very carefully negotiated Ahliah.    

After a while with some discussion between Freya and Denzil, there was a baby horse (Freya's) and a daddy horse
(Denzil's). Freya's horse went to rest, and soon Denzil asked for another baby
horse and a house for all the animals. So we built a cubby house and Freya
busied herself with collecting lots of things for the new house. 'I'm
collecting lots of things.' 'Get more!' She got lots of cooking things and soon
Denzil was cooking up a feast! Freya kept bringing in more and more until the
cubby was full. With that the game ended – the horses were back out riding.

Here we see how Freya moves between 'parallel' role play (typical for this age) into a more
interactive form of play, where rules and ideas are negotiated and shared. This
shows Freya is beginning to comprehend the behaviours and intentions of others.
This comes very easily for the four year old, as the imagination takes hold in
a more dynamic way. Having Denzil here to play is a great for Freya.

28.07.2011

 Today we have had a slightly different routine. Instead of a morning walk Freya felt
more comfortable to sit quietly and do a drawing. She drew very strong colours
on her page today.

Freya was very quiet throughout the morning and at morning tea play time she found it
very difficult to have Ahliah anywhere near. So I decided to pack away and go
outside for some fresh air and to break free from the toys.

 Outside we found a very different freya! We visited the chicken's and the horses (who are
currently in the bush). But they could not be seen from the gate. '

They are on a bush walk.' said Freya. We left the carrots as a surprise treat and wondered
up the hill. There was lots of nice mud to squish in, further up the hill Freya
found some clover flowers. She collected all the ones she could find. Soon we
found ourselves sitting together in a nice clover patch enjoying the sun.
Ahliah gave Freya a big hug and there was the beautifully Freya smile we had
been waiting for!

 We spent nearly all day outside and only came in for rest time. Freya and Ahliah had a lovely time in the sand together.

29.07.2011

 Today is a special day: We are celebrating Freya's third birthday. We had spoken about
this on Wednesday.

 When Denzil arrived this morning he came with 2 presents. A pair of maracas for Freya and a
pair of socks for Ahliah which he had been planning to hand down for a long
time.

The day flowed very harmoniously, with all the children playing beautifully. The
morning was spent in the cubby house baking cakes and making cups of tea.
Denzil and Freya explained how they had built the house and painted all the
walls.

 We came inside to here a special birthday story and bake a vanilla birthday cake.

 At morning tea play time Freya and Denzil had heaps of fun riding on the horses. Freya
even offered Denzil a ride on Unicorn – which is a very kind gesture. Later
Freya picked a flower for Ahliah and Denzil. I think this shows Freya's growing
friendship with Denzil. Which is lovely to see.

 Freya had a practice sit (fully dressed) on the new toilet seat. She was very proud of
herself. Later when Denzil needed to go to the toilet she also went to try, but
decided not to at the last minute. I think if we keep doing practices on the
toilet she will become more confident.

 I have been telling stories about growing up and learning new things. Freya has also taken
to doing more on her own: In the last few days she has been taking off her own
jacket rain-pants and boots and saying 'I can do it by myself.' I think she is
enjoying to try new things and succeed.

20.07.2011

 When Freya arrived it was very windy and raining, so we decided to stay inside and go for
a walk later. She had  some home toys with her which we took to the playroom.

Freya was needed her own space this morning repeating 'Ahliah can not come.'

I set Ahliah up with cooking while Freya pulled together all her favourite toys in the playroom and made a bed for
them all.

The process of collecting and controlling so many toys is a natural
way for Freya to gain some control in her life. 

Freya invited me to come but not Ahliah. This is the first time Freya has verbally
and clearly asked for my support. I am really happy to have her trust. We
enjoyed some time together and soon Freya took out the pine cones and babushka
dolls, 'I'm going to build.' Soon there was a beautiful house with babies, Mum,
Dad and flicker flames.

After Freya had completed her game, she was much more settled and Ahliah was invited to feed
her baby doll. I saw Freya come into the space, take some ownership, settle in, and from there she was
able to branch out to enjoy the company of Ahliah.

By then Denzil arrived and we went for our walk.

 Denzil is great company for Freya, they rode about on the horses, played in the tunnel
and picked winter wattle together.

21.07.2011

Freya away.

Extra note:
Freya looks a lot taller and her facial features have noticeably changed in the
past week, she is leaving the toddler stage and slowly growing into a young
child. I am always amazed with the beauty of growth physically, emotionally and
spiritually.

22.07.2011

I greeted a
very happy Freya this morning.

We said Hello to the horses and found that the rain had made lots of puddles and
squishy mud. 'Squish squish, I'm squishing in the mud.' Said Freya. We squished
our way all through the back paddock and found that the rain had made little
trickle-creeks so we followed them up the hill. Freya asked if we could sing
the 'rain drop' song.

Inside Freya spent some time building her house with the Babushka dolls. Though today Freya
was giving Ahliah lots of toys to play with too. Soon they were riding together
(Ahliah's first ride).

We had a big cubby house theme today due to all the rain. After Morning tea I helped build a
cubby house with sheets. Freya very quickly invited us all inside and served
tea and soup. It has been lovely to see Freya happy and relaxed.

        
In the afternoon I took out the tunnel and 2 cubby houses which all joined together.
One Freya claimed as her house, the other was for Ahliah, soon we were visiting
each other and rolling balls through the tunnel.

Just before dinner Freya found some soft fleece in the play room and brought it out to the
table where she told me a beautiful story about a little seed which grew into
an apple tree.

A butterfly which danced all around (song included). A sad baby
which had a big Mummy hug and a big Daddy hug, and nice warm blankets. There
also came a horse and rider, which rode all over the table as Freya sang.

All these characters were shaped with the wool Freya had found. I will put some more
colours out in a basket for next week.

Idag ska pappa, jag och hans kompis Micke titta på valar.
Vi åker till South Head där man förutom valar kan springa på stranden, gräsmattor och jaga fiskmåsar.

Vi stannar på vägen då vi ser en fin park som man kan springa i ..
  Utsikten är magnifik och vi ser t.o.m en val ... på långt avstånd.. men alltjämt en val.

Lite motstävigt följer jag med när pappa vill åka vidare. Vi har ju trots allt inte kommit fram än, men jag är inte säker på att det kan bli bättre än så här ... Ok .. jag hade fel. Straaanden.

Här är jag i himmelriket. Vatten, strand och snäckor och en massa fina strandskatter överallt. Jag springer och ylar på stranden så att måsarna tittar snett på mig.

Efter att fyllt upp fickorna med skatter går vi på promenad.
Jag plockar fina Banksia och visar på några fina båtar ute på böljan den blå.

Vi avslutar promenaden med fish n chips vid klassiska Doyles.
En klart godkänd dag för Söndag och betyg "Bra jobbat" farsan!

13.07.2011

Freya was happy to come today, we put away her lunch and were off for our morning walk. Freya knows her way around the garden and often asks to see special animals and plants. The neighbours horses are always top of the list, sometimes it takes a while to find them as they move to different paddocks. Sometimes Freya brings carrots to share, other mornings we pick sweet grass. The horses have quickly adapted to this routine and are very gentle giants. Throughout the day Freya plays horse games. There are 2 play horses and 2 rocking horses which are much loved toys of Freya's. Sometimes the horses run fast and we sing as we ride along. Sometimes the horses need a rest. Sometimes the horses get hurt and need some medicine or cream. Other times Freya gives them food and fresh water. Ahliah is often invited to ride as well. Ahliah has just started to walk on her own. Freya cheers her on! I think she is excited about the prospect of a riding friend.

14.07.2011 We enjoyed a brisk morning walk. Visited the horses. Freya and the horse are becoming closer and closer. The horse watches eagerly as Freya picks handfuls of grass and pocks it through the fence. The horse is very careful to pull it through and much it all up. Freya is delighted when the horse takes her gifts. During play time Freya at first was very unsettled and riding her horse in a very wild manner. I told the horse to 'slow down as she was much too wild'. Freya responded well and took the horse to bed. After a wild start Freya eventually settled into a very focussed and constructive world of play. The little Russian Dolls were the inspiration. Then Freya took the basket of assorted banksias and drift wood. 'The dolls need a house', she said. And carefully started building. 'Ahliah can not come', she said. So I made myself busy with Ahliah while Freya built a house. There were rooms, for the babies and mummy and daddy doll. There was even some flicker flames to keep them all warm. Then Mother Moon came (a coloured silk cloth which covered the house) and everyone had a sleep. Next the basket of pine cones came down and there soon was a garden surrounding the house. Freya seemed to be building her life in a way. She often emphasised the house, mummy and daddy and the babies. Beds were also very important.

15.07.2011 Today was very cold outside, so we only spent a short while out before coming in to warm our hands. Once settled inside Freya very quickly went to the Dolls and the basket of banksias and drift wood and the game which started yesterday was replayed. Once again processing and reaffirming life as Freya understands it. Freya very much needed her own space today. She collected her favourite toys together and set up cosy beds for them. When I took out the fleece to make wool pictures Freya was very excited and said 'I like craft.' She sat down and listened and watched very carefully as I told a story and created a scene with the wool. When it was Freya's turn she started with the same story I had told. Showing very good observation and listening skills. Soon Freya's story took on its own life and she very much enjoyed building her scene.

29.06.2011

            This morning I took out the farm set as it was rainy and Freya needed something extra special to play with today.

            Denzil was a great support for Freya today and made her laugh and play throughout the day. They enjoyed playing with the farm set, riding the horses together and lounging around on the sofa.       Our activity today was soft wool pictures. Freya has done this once before with me and today when she saw the wool, she was very excited to be doing it again.

            I told a story as I created a scene with the soft fleece, then it was the children's turn to create their own story. It is a great medium as the children can move the wool image they please. Freya's started with grass and then horses and trees then it soon became a 3d picture as the colours piled up, soon it was a mountain and then the snow came...'it's a snowy mountain.'

30.06.2011

            This morning we baked 'sunny buns', first we knead the dough then we see what shapes might appear. Freya asked me to make a snail, so I rolled the dough out nice and long, then spiralled it up. Freya usually is quite happy to make her own shape but today asked if I could help. With a little reassurance she once again was confident enough to enjoy the task of creating. In the end Freya made a fish to swim into the baking tray. In the afternoon when we sat down to afternoon tea and Freya pointed out she had made her sunny bun all on her own.

            Sometimes we may feel a little insecure to try something new. In the case of the developing consciousness it can be even more daunting. But through little experiences of achievement in every day life Freya is able to feel more and more confident in herself.

            Today we did drawing Freya filled the page with lots of very strong colours. Freya seemed to enjoy putting her energy into the drawing.

            During play time Freya found a little fish and a water drop. So I took out the Mother Ocean cloth and we built an ocean cubby. Freya set up a little bed with the fish and had a nice rest, every now and then it was wake up time and the fish would have a swim.

1.07.2011

            Freya lined all the chairs up today and we were off on a train trip. First the the beach for a swim (maybe following the theme from yesterday) and then up the tall mountain and then finally back home. She had a lot of fun making the train noises and toot toots. At the beach after our swim we dried ourselves with our towels and then hopped back on the train.

            Once at 'home' We enjoyed tea and cake.

            The photo is of the two horses having a rest... With blanket and all.

            Freya is learning to use the potty. At home she is very comfortable to go use it whenever she needs. Here during care Freya is not so comfortable with the idea of the potty or the big toilet (with the special seat). From the time I first met Freya  she has become so much more able, confident and independent. Through getting to know the environment, a steady routine and lots of moments of success. With Denzil joining us Freya is willing to try more and more things with a great positive attitude. This attitude will eventually flow into the potty/toilet dilemma.

            I have told a story about little red hen who has moved to farmer brown's farm and fits in quite well except for when it comes to bed time. All the other hens and father rooster happily fly up into their roost – up on sticks! Which is all a bit high for little red hen. With farmer browns help and  when little red hen is a little bit brave she is finally able to have a good nights sleep.