busy bees

It's been 2 weeks since my last post, and boy has it been a busy fortnight!  Little poppet has been fighting off a summer cold this past week, so I will have to relay our happenings quickly while she naps - so much to say, so little time!

Firstly, I can't neglect to mention a fantastic play date with her bestie to a newly discovered gem - MiniQ at Questacon, you were a total winner!
The folks behind this ingenious exhibition have truly thought of everything.. From the water play centre (with bath temperature water to combat the chills), to interactive displays on magnetics/sound/motion (where the children can touch and explore freely) - the poppets were in absolute baby heaven, all their senses stimulated and curiosity peaked.
We will most definitely be making this a regular haunt, a great one for using up all that excess energy and guarantee a lengthy day sleep at the end.

Lots of new tricks learnt by Tils this past couple of weeks too - most notably, Little Miss has mastered the walk! And it is THE cutest thing her Dad and I have seen to date - the wobbly steps with arms raised for balance, her cheeky smile as she proudly demonstrates her new swagger.  I honestly can't get enough of it - and neither can she apparently..a good part of the day now spent doing simple laps of the house, the joy of simply walking enough to keep her happily occupied for what seems like hours at a time. 
It has increased the stealth factor though I have to say - not only much faster than crawling, but without the tell-tale sound of knees shuffling across carpet, she's been able to reach those forbidden corners on several occasions unnoticed, much to her delight. 
It'll really be game on when that walk turns in to a run, fingers crossed a couple more weeks yet!

And some exciting news for me this past week also... After an impromptu visit to a beautiful and admired local shop, I was very lucky to be offered the opportunity to put my Florist hat back on for a few hours each week.
I was a full-time Florist before becoming pregnant, something I really loved, but have to give up temporarily due to all the heavy lifting involved in the job.
I won't lie, I was very nervous before arriving at my first shift on the weekend - worried it had been too long, that I'd be clumsy and awkward.  But to my great relief, it all came flooding back so naturally - and it was so lovely.  Lovely to be working with my hands again, doing something creative and organic.  Lovely to be surrounded by beautiful things and smells.  Lovely to be experiencing a slice of the me I was before I became a Mama.
And what I mean by that is, that whilst being a Mum is most definitely the best thing I have ever done, and brings me more joy than I ever thought possible - it feels good to take time out, and thrive in doing something just for me, something unique to me.

Yep, it's definitely happy days around these parts of late - with end of year celebrations and preparations beginning to gear up, it's assured to be the best Summer yet!