A family photo

It's taken 5 months but here it is a new family photo


All looking a bit spiffy at an engagement party 2 weeks ago
And it's already framed

Some for later

I was putting Tristan's hair into an envelope to keep and Elliot asked me why I kept it- I suppose it is a bizarre thing to do


- now I have to find Elliot's first haircut and show him, maybe that's why you keep it?

Shorn

Before


-after



No more sweaty spewy hair at the back and sides how handsome

Samesies

Same person?

The work together shirt

I saw a picture of this on the interweb a while ago and have been threatening the boys if they are mean to one another or can't cooperate they will be put in the work together shirt.




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It did work sort of.. the hilarity of being put in the same shirt kind of offset the angriness towards each other and ended in a happy wrestle. not sure its a great technique. but funny!
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Shadow puppets

Does that lady have a second head and legs?



- Tristan hanging around in the Bjorn. At the park


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The best

There is something in us that we all want the best for our kids. That gets dressed up in our own selfishness cleverly disguised as sacrificial on their part. I have been struggling with this of late, knowing how and where the boundaries exist, how to want the best thing but not be demanding like a small child myself. How to be grateful for all the amazing riches we have and instill that into boys who's natural tendency is towards greed and self satisfaction.


So far it looks like limiting after school activities so that we can just chill and hang out as a family. It might look like accepting the class that Seb has been put into this year with grace and trying to work hard with him on his character and resilience at home. I'm just getting the sense that life is not all about having the best or the most but being grateful to God who give us all things and in him we find the best. It's not perfect and I haven't got it worked out - its a struggle that will raise its head daily, weekly, yearly and people might think I'm a bad parent for denying my children opportunities so here goes that journey...

You have my heart

I don't like valentines day. Maybe because I made a fool of myself when I was younger, or maybe because I don't like being told when I need to be romantic.
Elliot made this for me at preschool and it was for valentines day but I think it's just pretty.


He told me I was beautiful ... Then the next morning he told me I was ugly so there you go.
Probably a bit of both, I certainly behaved in an ugly way that morning. But I don't think he was commenting on my parenting fail. My heart is torn four ways by four of the best boys.

Big

Last night I was walking down the hall and caught a glimpse of this.


A little window into the future of big feet hanging off the end of a bed. 6 years ago they were tiny little kissable, raspberry blowing on feet. Now they are big and stinky with dirt under the nails. How I love the boy who is growing out of those feet

Time for a haircut

It just gets crazier every day


-there is enough for pigtails.


Might be time...

Tablecloth trouble

Last years day off was an unmitigated disaster. It was a terrible day to have off, which meAnt often it didn't end up being a day off. We are trying a new day this year. And yesterday was the first. Elliot is a kindy but we have the afternoon free not rushing off to karate and meetings so we can actually do something. I am really looking forward to just us hanging out with Mr T. It was lovely. We went to the breakfast creek hotel for lunch which I was a bit worried about as the Brisbane river was in flood but this time the BCH was high and dry. Derek was after a steak dinner- not one of my strong suits either buying or cooking steak so we left it up to the professionals. While we were waiting we found this.



A history of the 30 years of table cloths at the hotel.
My question is... Is that a history worth remembering? Clearly some of the from the 80s should be best left well alone.
And interestingly they no longer use table cloths at all so why celebrate the past 30 years of what they clearly have decided can be done away with?
They do know their steaks tho, and I could feel my haemoglobin levels rising with every mouthwatering moment if melt in your mouth red meat goodness. Mmmmm mmmmm