MY NEW SANDPIT

There has been a lot happening in our garden lately. At first I thought Mum and Dad were just mucking around, like planting more agapanthas down the side and growing tomatoes and pumpkins and stuff. And then this hole in the sand appeared...
I was pretty impressed with having a big hole in the back yard - throwing bolts down the post holes was the best fun ever! Especially watching Mummy get down on her hands and knees to reach all the way down and fish them out. (And I'm not smoking for those of you who have already commented on this picture!!! Although if you whack a stubby in my left hand, together with the pot belly and bucket hat, then I think you have a pretty convincing Life Be In It ad!)
Here's Daddy and Gran lowering the frame into place
And here's all of us filling the hole with clean white sand. What's going on here...
Oh, it's a sandpit just for me! Here I am making sand angels.
And here I am again - I'm a little annoyed that Mummy is trying to get me to pose for a photo, I mean you just don't interrupt when one is building sandcastles!
Thanks everyone, I love my new sandpit - now we just have to keep Johnno out...

A CATCH UP POST

Hi there.
This will probably be a pretty long post, I have to catch you all up on my adventures over the last couple of months. So here we go...

Here I am with Sophie again. I love playing with Soph and I had a great time showing her all my toys. I can't wait 'til next time she comes and the sandpit and cubby are ready. We will have so much fun!
Then I got to go to a party with Daddy and Gran. It was Daddy's cousin Narelle's 30th birthday party and she had a fairy theme for the day. This worked out perfectly for me since I had a fairy dress just waiting for the perfect occasion (thanks Kaye!) There was bobbing for apples in these great little paddle pools, but I just liked grabbing the apples, biting some of them and then seeing how big a splash I could make when I threw them back in.
I have also discovered Jungle Gym - now that is the best place ever! Everything is padded and there is so much to do. I think I love the long trampolines the best - I can really get up to speed on those. You can see in the bottom photo that I am just about to stack it. Apparently your leg isn't meant to bend that way... I have been going with Talia and Sophie and even Dylan last week. It's hard to catch up with my friends though because there is always so much to do.
We've found something else that's great to do on the weekend - we took a drive out to Serpentine Dam for lunch. The scenery was great and the best part was all the birds who came and talked to us while we were sitting there. There were 28s and little blue wrens just to name a couple - fantastic! And of course, there's always a kiss for Daddy...This photo is just here because Mummy thinks it's cute.And this last photo is of my with my newest little friend, Maya. She's so cute and I have learnt very quickly that I need to be very gentle when we are playing together.I hope you've liked this little catch up. But check back again soon for updates on my new sandpit and my new cubby house - YAY!

Hannah.

AUSTRALIA DAY

Australia Day 2008 was all about the water.

We started the day off at Jessica's place (she's Mum's cousin) to celebrate her 30th birthday. Thanks for having us, Jessica. The spa was a great idea for a hot day and I had so much fun playing with Connor.
Then from Jessica's we headed out to Gran and Pops' place for all the fun and games of Australia Day in South Perth. I had the best afternoon playing in the apartment and then Pop Mark took me for a swim in the pool - 2 swims in one day, sounds like heaven to me!Mummy says I look like an angel in these pictures. I decided to indulge her and keep the headband on long enough for her to catch a couple of happy snaps - she really does try very hard even if she is a little annoying sometimes!And this last picture was taken while I was sleeping (yes, I slept through the entire Skyshow). Daddy is pretty talented with the camera too.Happy belated Australia Day everyone - what a great country this is!

Love,
Hannah

PERTH ZOO - THE SECOND TIME AROUND

Post, post, post. I have to admit that this has been a pretty busy month for me. I've had people to catch up with and things to do, new toys to play with and masterpieces to create. But one of my favourite January days was our trip to the zoo. Mummy, Nana, Grandad, Uncle Dean, Great Aunty Raye and Jaimee came with me and I had the best time.

I saw lots and lots of animals - I think the penguins were my favourite although the rhinos caught my eye for quite a while too. Mummy now fancies herself as a bit of a wildlife photographer - don't say anything to her, but I think she had better just stick to the teaching... I can't wait til our next visit because Mum says I can have a go on the Merry-go-round, bring it on!

Catch you all soon,
Hannah.

HANGING OUT WITH SOPHIE

I am so lucky, my friend Sophie came to visit and we had the best time playing together (when I actually stood still for a while!) In fact, we were so busy playing that Mum had a very hard time catching us both in a picture together. That was until it was time for Soph to go home - then it was on, a big goodbye smooch. I can't wait 'til our next play date.

STILL A WATER BABY

It's official. I love swimming. Here I am at Aileen and Guy's lovely heated pool again. I had so much fun and even started swimming on my own. Well, Mum was always within arms reach, but I started kicking and I even blew some bubbles and lay back to float (that was a bit of a battle, but I got there in the end).
Compare these to almost a year ago...
Can't believe how much I've grown in such a short time! And how bald was I!!!

Hannah

AT THE BEACH HOUSE

Even thought I went swimming at the beach when I was just a little bubby, this was my first real swim at the beach in Busselton. We'll call it my first successful swim. I had a great time sitting by the water's edge and sussing things out...
... before Daddy and I started building a sandcastle together. Well, I was building the sandcastle and Daddy was seeing how big a hole he could dig - and yes, it filled with water.
Then it was time for some serious swimming and I loved it - I didn't want Daddy, or Mummy, or Gran, or anyone for that matter holding me back. After a couple of good stacks (one with a great save by Pop Mark) I realised that perhaps being held back for a little while wasn't such a bad thing after all.
When I thought it was time to get out, my lovely new beach poncho was waiting for me. Mmmm, cosy and warm!
The next day, Gran and Pop's friends the Pikes came down for a visit. They even had a little friend for me to play with - Sienna. She was just a little bit younger than me and just starting to walk. I wasn't too sure I really wanted to share my chair though as you can kind of tell by my frowny eyebrows in this picture.And who's the greatest? Still Hannah of course.
Here I am with Daddy and my baby, a pressie that Gran bought for me when she was in Canada. I do love my baby. I go and find her when someone asks me to and I always have lots of kisses and cuddles for her.Not only did the Pikes come to visit, but Dave and Nic and Jack and Toby came down too. I love playing with Jack and this time it was extra fun - they had a big new tent pitched in the yard just right for us to run around in!And when Uncle Paul and Scotty left (because they were there too), they left lots of cans of XXXX Gold (which Daddy says is old man beer) in the ice box. And we all know how I love to get into an ice box!And for those of you about to call child services, the can remained unopened throughout this photo shoot!

The beach house is great - I can't wait to go again soon.
Hannah.

BOXING DAY

Turns out it was a very busy December for us Chatfields. After all the excitement of the 23rd, and the craziness that was the 25th, we had a lovely relaxing Boxing Day at home. Well, not really! Nana and Grandad, Great Grandma Walker, Great Uncle Kevin and Great Aunty Helen, Kim and Chris and Mummy's cousin Narrelle all came down for a delicious BBQ dinner. Oh yeah, Uncle Dean was here too.

I had lots and lots of cuddles for Narrelle. Mummy thought that was very cute. She was also amazed by my new book from the Varvells. It's called 'Gallop!' by Rufus Butler Seder and the pictures actually move as you turn the pages. If you get the chance to check it out, it is well worth a look.

I got the chance to read lots of my new books... ... and I especially loved playing with my new bubble machine.
Uncle Dean and I played with Johnno - he really is a very good dog and i love him very much. He even sits still when I give him big cuddles now.
But just when I thought my December couldn't get any busier, it was time to go to the beach house...

Hannah