A 'lesson' in bike riding.

We've been talking about taking the training wheels of Otto's bike for awhile now.
I think we were a little nervous. Teaching Aesop to ride his bike was quite a mission for Abraham. It took months and months, much patience and many tears.
Otto is a very different child though. Those two are like chalk and cheese, so I knew it would be slightly easier second time round.

We bundled up on Saturday arvo, just before it rained, and headed down to the bike track at one of the local schools. My Mum and Dad came along, too.

As soon as we set foot on the track, Otto jumped on his bike. With a few seconds of Abraham holding the seat, so he could push off..... away he went! No tears shed and no patience required!!

It turns out that the balance bike his Koro bought his for his 2nd birthday completely paid off. Within minutes, Otto was confidently cycling half way round the field!

So proud!

Miss Mollie got adventurous and went up and down a few of the jumps (with Nana's help, of course!), and Aesop biked round and round like a pro.

Three kids on wheels!

This is especially exciting, as we're planning a big camping trip in the Summer - bikes will make getting  around the camp ground much, much easier for all of us. Yay!

Tiny Eyes Collaboration!

OHMYGOSH!

You guys have been following along with the progress of the Tiny Eyes dolls, aye?!

The wonderful Dee, who might be the most talented person in the world, offered seven creatives the chance to design one of her dolls. I was one of the lucky seven.

I had so much fun doodling a sketch of the wee lass, picking out fabrics and sewing up a tiny dress and itty bitty rosette. I'm quite certain I've never stitched such small stitches before, but it was strangely enjoyable!
(Perhaps doll accessories is my future line of work? ; P)

This is the finished product. Isn't she INCREDIBLE?! (If I do say so myself!)

Dee has done a most fabulous job.

The other dolls (which you can see over here.. though you've seen them, right?) are equally as fabulous. And you're in luck. They will be auctioned tomorrow!

To bid on the Croutons doll, or any of the others, you need to follow Tiny Eyes on FB, and join Dee's event. There you will be able to take part in the auction from Friday lunchtime, through to Sunday lunch. Be warned though, I've been saving my pennies, and I have my eye on at least one of the other dolls! Heh.

The dolls are also on display at the Walton Street Cafe in Te Awamutu today, from 8-2pm. If you're passing by, please call in for a cuppa and ogle them for me. I'm most envious of those who get to see them all in one place! So good.

Corners of my home.

I feel like our little whare is taking shape. It's a slow process, though, this making a home from a house thing.
When we bought this place, we wrote gigantic big lists of things we wanted to do. We also wrote lists of things we needed to do. I would love to say either of these lists have become any shorter but, in fact, they have both grown. This appears to be the nature of the beast that is home ownership.

I like to take photos like these, though, to remind myself that we're getting there. A new blue, chalkboard, wall in the boys room, a swing hung in the back yard, a few lettuce plants in the ground, the primer up on the kitchen door.. these are all itty bitty steps, but we're making progress.

It's been a strange last few weeks. So busy, yet not.
We've been fighting off a dose of the Winter Blues, and mostly winning (first year I've been able to say that!). I've been focusing a lot of my health (weightloss/exercise) and less on sewing and blogging (maybe you've noticed?) and I'm struggling to find a good balance between the two. I do like a good challenge though, so that is my goal for the next month - try and find that magical place, where I'm spending enough time on the cross-trainer, but also storing enough energy to sew for a few hours each night.

That, and keep chipping away at our house-lists.