Sunday 26 May 2013

This is Our Thing ...


The thing we love to do most as a family is go to the beach!!!

Ad is happy, the girls are happy and I'm happy just seeing all of them happy!

The beach has always been in Adams life ever since he was a grommet so as soon as the girls were big enough he couldn't wait to get them down there.

This is the view looking back at the seaside town of Coolum. Since we have moved house we have a new beach we go to now, at the end of Pita Street, Peregian Beach. Madison loves it, the ocean with lots of dogs, heaven!!


 



 
Madison loves the beach, its on her top 5 list of things to do. She doesn't ever tire of the waves and the water. That's why we would have many meltdowns when we would have to leave to go home. Thankfully as she is getting older it doesn't happen as often, and I repeat often, as she will still let it rip every now and again!

Madison loves that feeling of the waves pummelling into her body. It's a sensory thing. Ever since she was very little she has always loved swinging, spinning, running and banging into things, squeezes, jumping on the trampoline and of course the waves at the beach as well as other stuff.

When she does all of these things it helps her to define her body in space and it provides feedback to into her muscles and joints. You would think all of those things would hype her up but they don't. They actually calm her by getting that deep pressure to her body and this is very important for Madison.

I was watching an interview with Temple Grandin, a very well known lady who has Autism. She actually made her own squeeze machine and after she uses it she would feel a lot calmer and can cope with this crazy world much better. When Jaimee was younger she wanted to make her sister a squeeze machine, she even drew up plans for one too, god love her!

Madison never rocked back and forward, just liked to run and bang into things, like the lounge or humans. But she really enjoys the office chair at the computer now so she can move about how she wants to. She does hand flap every now and then, a lot more when she was little, it's more of a side to side action instead of up and down. She will do this when she is either really overwhelmed or extremely excited.

I could probably write a whole post about the girls and their sensory issues, so I think I will do that. Everyone one's got a sensory thing, mines fluffy socks, uhhh so snuggly and comfy, when I put them on at the end of the day it's just divine.

Do you have a sensory thing? Have a think about it, I bet you do.

  
 
The girls found this little lagoon to play in and float around.
 

You can see Adam in the background mucking around on his board. Even when there are no waves he still manages to find something.

Poor Jaimee is being very patient waiting for a go. I tell you, Jaimee has got to be the most patient kid in the world, she puts up with a lot and rarely complains and the girl does a lot of waiting around in this family.



Come on Daddy!! Hurry up.

 
Still Waiting ...
 

And still waiting ....


Jaimee watching over Madison making sure her little sister is ok and having fun, doesn't matter where we are, Jaimee is just like that. So sweet!

Finally Ad gives up the board so Jaimee can have a go. Thank God, that took forever.


Adam has been wanting his girls to be his surf'in buddies for along time. It has been tricky with the whole OCD and the Autism thing but with lots of patients and time he is finally getting his wish.



This is were it does get tricksy though as Jaimee, just being Jaimee, wants to be able to surf perfectly from the first go. She does get pretty upset and down on herself when it's not going how she wants it and just wants to get it, well, perfect!

That's just not surfing either that is all things in her life, I say with a big sigh... It gets complicated explaining how we live in a messy and not so perfect world. That we all just have to do the best we can with what we've got and try not to worry so much when things in life aren't how we want or how we expected them to be.

It wont matter though, I can talk about being "Not" perfect till the cows come home but she will still want things to be "just so" and how she wants them to be. Which is fair enough because we all want that, don't we! I guess it's the pressure that she puts on herself that I want her to be free of and the intense disappointment.

The biggest thing of all is she doesn't want to disappoint her Dad or anyone else for that matter. It's an OCD thing and a PDD thing! All this gorgeous girl wants is her daddy's attention like any little girl. Jaimee tries her hardest to please him all the time, ( and everyone else ) which must be exhausting for her.

Adam is great, being a blokey bloke he sometimes needs a little help understanding the teenage girl thing. Although, he does all right and will give her the right advice and attention she needs.

The pressure is off though and it's all about having fun, being happy and carefree down at the beach. That's why we love it so much.






On this day there were many different types of beautiful butterflies playing around us, it was awesome. I have a thing for butterflies and this one made me chase it up and down the beach while I crazily tried to get photo's. 


 
Madison doing her art work in the sand, she did the love hearts and wrote her name. She will always write her whole name not just Madison, too cute!
 



 
 
Treasure
 

My Favourite photo, just perfect!



Madison found a little rock pool to explore & play in, she was there for ages.





Talking about the surf, perfect Dad & daughter moment! xx


Treasures at the beach. A few of my favourite things shells & driftwood. There was a lot of pumice stone washed up on the shore too.





This was a perfect morning at the beach. We were down there for about two and a half hours and it was a gorgeous day. The sunshine was so nice on our skin and there was only a slight breeze in the air, just enough so it wasn't to hot and it had that awesome smell of the salty ocean.

No sooking, No wingy whiny peoples and best of all No meltdowns. We didn't even have to fight about bring anyone else's dogs home with us, yes it was an awesome day. Madison was happy to get dressed after her 10 minute warning and the count down. Jaimee was surfed out and Ad & I were just so amazed and ecstatic at how the morning went, we were whoohooing all the way home.

Love the beach!


Steph
x

Monday 20 May 2013

Our Little Mermaids ...

 
I love these photo's of our little mermaids.
 
 
Madison is so much more comfortable under the water then above it.
 
Happy so Happy!
 
 




Madison seems so natural and peaceful under the water, maybe she was meant to be a Mermaid. Adam chose her name. It was out of the movie Splash, back in 1984 if anyone remembers, with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. She was also born under water, as I had a water birth with this beautiful little mermaid.
 








Jaimee has always loved the water too!

Jaimee told me today that Madison probably likes it so much because it blocks out all the noise. Madison has been having lots of issues lately with noise. Always has had problems with certain noises and sounds but it seems to be getting more and more intense for her as she is getting older. 

That Jaimee, she is a bit clever!!












 
 
I think Jaimee was in one of her mischievous comical moods and playing up for the camera, Haha!! She doesn't seem to have that look of serenity happening!
 
We have a friend who has this amazing swimming pool with a glass panel in the side wall, so cool!! The girls thought it was awesome, me too!
 
A swimming pool has always been on our wish list. One day, not sure I could handle the consequences that go with it, as in the meltdowns that would occur, the kid would want to be in it 24/7.
 
Love my water babies.
 
Steph
x