In which a new year has begun

An upday for the past two months.
Anya had her dog club christmas break up and won two trophies. Yay! She won the junior development prize for dogs who started in puppies and have moved up to higher levels (she is now in level 3) and also 3rd in the highest class points comp (each night a dog in each class is awarded puppy of the week and each of these gives you a point).

Christmas was awesome. We had Christmas here on the 24th with all of Haydee's extended family then on the 25th Anya and I drove to Ballarat to spend the night with our old neighbours. The we got up early on the 26th to pick up Ingrid and Shaun from the Melbourne airport and drove to Briagalong in Gippsland to Ingrid's parent's house for a week or so. We had a second Christmas there on the 27th which was lots of fun. They had organised a secret santa where you only spend the set amount of money but then you have to wrap the present in a way which represents the person you are giving to and also have to write them a poem. I bought a present for Ingrid's brother David and wrapped his in a papermache R2D2. My present was from Ingrid's sister and was given along side a papermache Twistie. (So I didnt have to smash Twistie to get my pressie). There were so many interesting ideas and the poems were really good. We spent the week taking Anya for swims in the creek which runs through the bottom of their property and doing some sight seeing around Gippsland. Ingrid and I also went for two horse rides. Sadly the holidays were too short and we had to do the long drive home again.

Saturday was Anya's first birthday. We had a birthday tea for her on Friday night complete with party hats and a muffins with a number 1 candle for Anya. Although she didnt mind her party hat she was afraid of the candle and didnt want to blow it out. She did enjoy eating the cake and ripping open her birthday present.