Week 2

First week.. Tough one..
Starting to get the kids to trust me with no one else around us.. It takes a lot of babysteps and unfortunately a lot of screaming (it is kind of a comfort that Grace sometimes does the screaming with mum and dad too..)
On Monday, I almost burst into tears because non of them felt like hanging out with me.. As long as mum was around, they could cope with me being in the same room. As soon as she left.. Let just say, not well! Luckily Laura, my program manager, popped by a little later and told us that it might take 6 weeks before I settle in completely.. That gave a bit of hope again =D
Tuesday.. Way, way, way better! Mum snuck out while playing with the kids and for a little more then an hour we were able to play and have some tea. In the afternoon I

even got to put Grace to bed. Loved it! (I did, she was to tired to be bothered)
Wednesday was going great with Jack, Grace was still a bit stand-offish.. We did some muffin baking and some drawing on the driveway with chalk.. In the evening we did some drawing for dad's birthday and Jack even let me help when he got out of the bath.
Thursday I went with Nanma and Grace to music class.. I had no idea what to expect, but it was a half an hour of singing, dancing and making music with little instrument. It was a great way to connect with Grace on her own territory and she could see that the other (smaller) kids already trusted me. The afternoon was a bit messy.. Grace got out of bed every 10 (2) minutes.. Even when Kim put her back, she kept crawling out.. On top of that, the chickens got out! As good as I am with these two-legged-creatures, five minutes later: Ellen 1 - Chickens 0 =D
On Friday morning we did another sneak-out and Kim was able to get some work done while I was home alone with the two rugrats.. Just a little scream when Grace noticed, but nothing a few bubbles couldn't solve.

Later that day we went to Granddad and Nanna @ the farm. A 2 hour drive later, we arrived there and got to enjoy the night in front of the fireplace. My hat-crochet-skills came to good use and I made a hat for Grace. On Saturday morning I was promoted to gate-opener while doing the sheep feeding (funny to see them all chasing us and then standing in one long line). Later that day I got to learn about working dog training and saw it been put in action. We visited Twizel, cosy town nearby and made a stop to watch (and take pictures from) Lake Pukaki. Later on we saw some rugby and while making my own beanie I got to witness the All Blacks kick some Aussie Wallabies *beeb*.
Sunday was a relaxed day, going back to the lake to take a bit brighter pictures of the surrounding and the farm. After lunch we got back home and the rest of the day was pretty chill.