So once again despite good intentions I have been a lazy blogger. Once again life has been busy. Most of it has been pretty mundane but just the sort of stuff that catches you up in itself.

One of the biggest events contributing to this is that some months ago we'd been refered on as some of Laurent's behaviour is frequently very over the top. It was determined that he has a sensory integration disorder. Pretty overwhelming stuff although it's been very positive as we've gotten him onto an OT who has come up with scads of therapies which give him longer periods of being able to calmly focus himself and keep his nervous system from feeling quite so out of control. The other good thing is that unlike many kids with this disorder, he has a very healthy self esteem and is very outgoing which they have attributed to the way we've parented him. After having been hammered by so many people about how he'd behave if we just disciplined him a little more (harsher/differently) even though we knew we firmly disagreed, it's been a refreshing thing to hear! There's more to go into on this but I'll do it later.

Our little guest Charlie Brown has now returned to his mum some weeks back at the same herding day where Hopie got her HIC certificate! (Yay Hope!) Unfortunately La is not much amused with this turn of events and a few weeks on I am still being told he feels very sad, misses him and is worried something will happen like what happened to Cami and because he's not there Charlie will pass away too. We hadn't realized until now that he'd made an association with our having left her at the vets and his absence being the key factor in her not making it.

We also have a new addition as he'd won his bid to have a guinea pig after some months of wanting on. Inky, as he's been dubbed, is the apple of La's eye.

Inky is a pretty awesome guinea pig I have to admit, he is the most relaxed little guy you'd imagine and submits to kisses (even on the lips), cuddles, snuggling inside La's jacket, having songs sung to him and all manner of little boy secrets being whispered to him. Chiefly - because 4 year olds can't whisper half as well as they think they can - those secrets involve adventures they will have finding good things to eat and how wonderful he is.
Although this has spawned it's own issues - "Mum, you know how Inky is MY pet? Well I think I should have TWO pets. I think I should have a puppy like Charlie Brown. And THREE pets. Coz I want a pony. A pony would be fun to feed apples to." He's a subtle one, my child!

The buns are doing good - Cinnamon has discovered she loves banana in a random surprise drive-by fruit-napping where I suddenly found myself with Cinna on my chest, nabbing my banana and making a mad dash for cover! Romeo is his usual adorably grumpy self...

The bunnah, he disapproves! This is Romeo's best disapproving bunny face! Pretty good hey!

Last Sunday we went to Hastings classes/demos at the Hastings RSPCA Million Paws Walk day. Si had it too easy and impressed everyone with her responsiveness. She really is a diamond of a dog! Hopie meanwhile had her second go on Flyball and she is DEFINITELY going to be a fly-doggie! She was blasting down the lane to get the ball and back again, even impressing me for her second try! The instructor said she had perfect timing going over the jumps too. :) I haven't been feeling great lately - depression is taking back over from Verity and Meniere's is flaring up making me woozy at times. Not fun stuff. When we got home we did some fencing and I snapped pictures of the dogs ruckusing around...

Shaddy in the garden bed I'm trying to de-weed and turn over... "Whadya mean I'm a LGD and not a Scarecrow?!?" He is such a cute boy but so naughty as a LGD unfortunately.






"I said it's MY TENNIS BALL!!!"


"Hey mum, look what I found down there! It's my Kong!" (This is actually a fairly high jump... below the two wood boards it drops off deep enough that she'd be hidden if she were standing on it.)