359/365

Saying goodbye to the gorgeous little Lauren after an afternoon of playing mermaids and reading Charlie and Lola. She launched herself at me for a monster squeeze.

348/365

My friend's sweet little 3 year old searching my flat, then coming to me, putting his hands on my knees and asking earnestly: Where do you keep all your toys? Aw.

340/365

"Sim sala bim!" I have no idea which exotic childhood story this is from, but doesn't it sound cool? I imagine it's in the same category as "Open Sesame!" and "Bippity Boppity Boo".

302/365

Catching up with the Bakers. I knew them when they were only two, and now they are 5, and doing a great job of it. Special love to little Lauren, who seems to have adopted me as an unofficial auntie.

296/365

Little Chloe presenting me with a picture of a butterfly as thanks for rowing her down the river. What a gorgeous kid. She didn't even seem to mind that I couldn't go straight and had to get Anny to take over for the landing.

283/365

Getting a squeeze and a big kiss through the van door from little Marty.

206/365

Enjoying a pancake breakfast at my friend's house, and having their neighbour pop his comically serious little face over the fence to offer us his cherry tomatoes (extending them silently and beseechingly until one of us noticed him). Funny little dude.

175/365

Being followed part-way home by one of my friend's twins (age 5, broken arm, feeling a little sorry for himself) at his insistence, then watching as he reached the outer extreme of his comfort zone and turned tail for home.

153/365

Making it to the other side of the lake, tugging little Arwen by one hand.

143/365

Trying not to laugh while telling the boys off for not turning out their lights and going to sleep. They were that cute..."But I thought it was only 8.45, not 9.45!", "But he pretended he was in pain, he MADE me go over there!"

140/365

Lopping artichokes from the tip-top of plants one and a half times bigger than me, while Sean (age 8) and Riley (age 10) scramble to find them in the underbrush.

139/365

Introducing Riley (age 10) to the strategic mathematical mind-boggling goodness that is Paddocks.

For those of you who don't remember - draw a square as big as your patience on graph paper, mark all the corner 'dots', take it in turns to draw a line between adjoining dots, and when your line closes a square, mark it with your initial. Most initials wins. Suitable for ages 6 and up.

122/365

Helping a jumpy little girl to overcome her fear of animals by sitting and talking with her until she felt ready to stroke the quietest little black bunny in my arms.

116/365

Inventing the "bum race" with my cousins two little boys, where you race down the hotel stairs on your bum annoying the hotel staff and generally creating a ruckus.

111/365

Little Millyca hugging my leg as if it were a tree, beaming up at me in her winning 2-year-old way.

110/365

Little Tya telling her mum that she wants my apple pie for her birthday cake next year, her big brown eyes wide with earnest. Adorbs.

77/365

Getting more than I bargained for while hugging Ryan, my school friend's cheeky, tactile little 3 year old. Boy likes boobs!

Not exactly a Happy Moment as such - that would be weird - but it did make me laugh.