A Toy Story

Today I have been wistful, thinking of unfulfilled dreams of the past... the things I always wanted but never managed to capture. Like a beautiful rainbow in the sky, or a bird on high - you just can't get your bleedin' hands on them. What am I on about?

The wide array of toys that I desperately wanted as a child and was not given! Either through fate or sheer bad luck, I couldn't possess these coveted items.

Seriously though, I did all right as a kid. I got lots of cool stuff. I wanted everything I saw, just like most kids, but I didn't get everything I wanted. I believe this built character in me. When I did get a new doll, toy or book, I was often so excited that I was almost sick. Literally. How many of today's kids would be able to truthfully claim the same in future? I remember how complete my life felt when I got my grubby little hands on the She-ra and Beau figurines; when I unwrapped my beloved Cabbage Patch kid in the Christmas of 1985; when I got the Punky Brewster showbag, complete with her style of hair ties and ankle scarf (gotta have an ankle scarf); and when I got that book about some girl named Debbie doing ballet classes for one of my birthdays. It was pure magic. Buying a book from the school's book club was unbelievably exciting. Even when the book was a bit dull.

Still - there were plenty of bright, shiny playthings that I lusted over as only a little girl in the 80s can!

There were elusive Rainbow Brite dolls, the 'My Little Pony' collection, Care Bears, the Alf stuffed toy, the Punky Brewster doll (although even then I thought it looked a bit crap), Jem dolls (ditto, they looked a bit crap too) Barbie campervans, dream houses and the like; the ET stuffed toy, the Popple... the dolls my friend so kindly Googled for me today because I couldn't recall the name of them - Rigadoon puppet dolls!

Phew, there were heaps, and obviously I haven't forgotten about them! I was definitely not hard done by. I had a 'My Child' doll, a 'Snugglebumm' (only in the 80s), a Viewfinder and a toy broom for sweeping pesky kids from my cubby house... I couldn't complain. On top of that, I had access to some cool toys traditionally set aside for boys, due to my three brothers' existence - the He Man gang, 'matchie' cars, army men - all great stuff!

I still can't complain, because now I have two daughters of my own. Living vicariously is delectable. I bought my 3.5 year old an old school My Little Pony from a collectibles shop (so much cuter than the modern, puncy looking ones who curl their hair). We read my old 'Jem and the Holograms' story book now and then, building up to her 'need' for some Jem dolls. My latest scheme is to buy a Rigadoon puppet doll or two - for the girls, of course! I've only just begun... as long as I can continue to steer my eldest away from those hideous Horror High School dolls, we might get somewhere.

My unfulfilled dreams of the past are not so unfulfilled after all... and I have the bonus of falling in love with new toys and shiny doo-dads that my daughters introduce me to, namely (at this stage), the Disney princesses (including their movies, soundtracks and merchandise). I'm just an oversized kid, really. The things I always wanted but never managed to capture are getting closer now - like a beautiful rainbow in my hands, and a bird caught in my trap!

So tell me... which toys did you always yearn for and never have?

Chalk and Cheese

The phrase 'chalk and cheese' gets bandied about a fair bit, but it's an apt description when referring to our daughters. I would say that one takes two steps forward, while the other takes two steps back, and that they come together 'cause opposites attract, but that would be stealing from Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat.

I love the contrast between our babies. Sienna has fair skin, blue eyes and light brown hair, whereas Ashy has fair-to-middling skin, brown eyes and blonde hair. Sienna is small and petite, whereas Ashley is already sporting the outfits Sienna only grew out of a few months back. Their physical traits, however, are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the degree of difference between the two beauties.

Sienna is a delicate little flower, who eats like a lady (when she's not too hyper), loves dolls and reading, sings like an angel, produces dozens of excellent masterpieces each day, and enjoys watching movies from beginning to end. She covers her ears and runs from the room screaming whenever the TV comes on too loud.

Ashley is the instigator - she throws her food all over the floor, goes surfing on her ride-on car and rocking horse, splashes the whole room when in the bath (thus encouraging her older sister to follow suit), and pretty much ignores the TV in favour of playing with the audio equipment, set-top box and DVD player. If we tell her off, she grins with relish. She firmly believes that any publicity is good publicity, I reckon.

Sisters - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!

Ashley's only 15 months old, so of course she'll become a little more refined in her actions over the years, but I think it's pretty safe to say, she's the social animal - the little rebel!

Our visit to the Ballarat show on Sunday really illustrated their differing personalities well. Sienna was too scared to go on any rides. She played a couple of games, where she went fishing for duckies or netting for fish, but just looking at the clowns freaked her out (of course, she wouldn't be the first person to fear the dreaded clowns). She hated the noise. She covered her ears and looked quite distressed after being in the loud area for a while. We had to move to the pavilion, where it was nice and civilised, and a lot more quiet. She also enjoyed hearing the band play the Mary Poppins soundtrack while about a dozen other (grown up) people watched on in appreciation.

Ashley... well, none of it phased her one bit! I think she would've climbed into the clowns' mouths, given half a chance!

I'm forever picturing what our darlings will be like in the future. After telling friends and family these adorable stories, I vowed to keep a record of these predictions so that I can look back and check their accuracy in years to come!

So here goes, let me look in to my imaginary crystal ball: Hmmm. I'm seeing them at the show. They're in their teen years now (Boo hoo). Ash is on the wild, sick-making rides with her wild, sick-making friends. Meanwhile, Sienna strolls along over in the civilised pavilion, judging the cakes with her slightly more senior  friends from the CWA. She's wearing a lovely rose pink, feminine dress, kind  of like the one she wore to the show as a little girl.

Of course, afterwards they'll meet up in the show bag arena to stock up and share stories, because they might be different, but they're the best of friends as well as sisters. Awww. Watch this space to see if it comes true!

I've been saying for a while that I can envision a typical Saturday night at our house. I reckon Sienna will be quite content to watch a movie with her old Mum and Dad, but Ash - she'll probably be gearing up to sneak out of her room later that night, despite being grounded, in order to attend some kick-ass party that she just can't afford to miss. Of course, we will follow her there and bring her straight home, and she'll be remorseful! She might just be less excited about staying home with us is all...

They compliment each other, and bring out the best and worst in each other. Like most sisters, they love and adore one another, while also infuriating each other no end.  I'm so glad they have each other, that we have them, and they have us. One says 'tomato' and the other says... well she kinda just says, 'beleurgher ger heh' (because she hasn't got a hold on the English language yet) and that's part of why they (now) get along so well (most of the time).

Whatever the future holds, we're happy to cherish these innocent golden years for as long as we can. It's just fascinating to see their personalities unfold, to witness them flourishing, becoming the people they will more or less, always be. Every quirk, every cheeky moment, every endearingly crazy move they make  thrills us just as often as it exasperates us. It's so exciting to have the privilege of getting to know these precious creatures God has blessed us with to care for and love.

I just look forward to tasting the cakes Sienna makes with the CWA and hearing about how exciting it was for Ashley to go on rides that I've always been too wimpy to even contemplate.