Day 1

Up at the crack of dawn


All ready to go after a delicious Bircher muesli breakfast - Tristan had his uniform on too


Mum I'm sooooo excited. And it will be ok cause there will be so many boys to make friends with who like me.
Ahhh glass half full it's going to be a good day.

He will have made it thru lunchtime now only 1 hour to go til I go pick up at school assembly. I'm looking forward to hearing how the rest of it went.

I wrote this somewhere

2dummies

-written from here

Thanks grandma and grandad

Finally the day the boys have been waiting for all holidays rolled around


The illusionists 2.0. Their very first magic show. Their first trip to the theatre. Excitement was high. Tristan was not invited.


There were 3d glasses and live 3d streaming (which wasn't that clear).


And this. The stuff nightmares are made of. We were handed an envelope as we walked in that was to be opened at a given point during the performance. I broke into a cold sweat, audience participation. Oh no. I had thought this might happen but wasn't prepared, one of the children would have to be a sacrificial lamb.
The hypnotist had met with an unfortunate accident the week prior so I knew I wasn't going to be hypnotised, but there was still the envelope in question. I thought I had booked seats far enough away from the action, but I should have booked the upstairs balcony just to be sure. Damn it. I told the children that if I got dragged up on stage they were to volunteer I my stead katniss everdeen style. There were tears and protests from them, something about them being afraid, that's enough children I said, I brought you here at your own peril, you will take this bullet for me.

Two people were taken up on stage for a ventriloquist act, harmless enough, then 3 people one had a bag of wheat he had to hold that was slashed by a blindfolded warrior, the other held a board that was split my silver nunchucks by the same blind folded warrior and the last lady had a pineapple placed a top her head slashed in two but none other than the blind folded warrior. Eeek!
Cause for concern?
I'm sure he was a highly trained professional and he was wearing clothes from genghiskhan.com still there was no way the boys and I were getting up on that stage. His final trick was to take a lady's wedding ring put it inside an apple core, put the apple on a plate, the plate on her head and shoot a narrow whilst spinning on a lazy Susan thru the apple atop her head skewer the ring with the arrow and hit the bullseye of a target.
Phew big sigh of relief when that was over.
The boys had a marvellous time and covered their eyes and hid at points but could not get enough.
They want to go back next week.
Oh and the white envelope. It was a clever trick of cards that required no one to go up on stage double phew!

- I wrote this somewhere

Some of mr T

Look mum puppies


Sleepy, face hasn't changed since he was born


Eating paint - first time painting don't worry folks it's not toxic!


All matching blue blue blue blue Tristan's wearing blue today


-written from here

Sebs still life

Goma

I love the goma. It is spectacularly well air conditioned. As well as being super fun, and having excellent exhibitions and great kids stuff and being on the river. It's all good. Plus we only paid for the adult tickets making it a cheap afternoon out.
This exhibit is interesting to say the least!



Here are 99 wolves leaping in he air only to hit a glass wall and run back to the start to do it again. Elliot was freaked out by the wolves but got up quite close. Tristan thought they were all puppy dogs. They were pain staking ly constructed out of resin fur and styrofoam so no animals were injured in the making of this exhibit. It was commisioned by the Deutsche bank to commemorate the falling of the Berlin Wall.


The other main part of exhibition. Was this room again 99 animals all around a waterhole drinking every single one looking at the water not each other. A utopian paradise. Unearthly. Heaven bound.


A polar bear for Mel


Some great photo oops


The room in its entirety. In the centre of the pool the was one large drip every so often that broke the silence and the water tension
written from here. We were all captivated by the enormity and the presence of the animals.
We then walked all the way along the river in the shade to swim at south bank with a billion other brisbanites.

A budding ar-tist

Since our fabulous holiday with the gillies- Elliot has been obsessed with drawing and writing. Yay! It finally happened. I was getting worried that he'd find school tough with a lot of focus on table top activities and colouring in. But he has been drawn in like a big to a flame! (Pun intended). We went to the art gallery yesterday afternoon and there was an amazing exhibit. Which I will show you soon. The goma is awesome at kids stuff and just generally getting people into art and drawing and enjoying creating. So Elliot picked up a pencil and set about his work.



Here is the finished product. It was a massive gum tree entirely uprooted and fitted into a gallery space. Art? Impressive- yes, drawable? Yes. Fun? Yes!





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A howler

Late one night last week, we were standing on the deck, I was hanging out washing as you do at late o'clock. When there was a rushing of wings and what should land on our totem tennis pole other than a tawny frog mouth owl. Amazing. It sat there for a few minutes while we were in awe of the size and majesty of the wild creature, it swooped down grabbed something from the grass and was off, just like that. I hope it got a mouse or a rat to really make it's visit worthwhile.


- I wrote this somewhere

If I could turn back time...

Terrible terrible use of naval artillery.
This is much more appropriate. Naval cadets coffs.









- I wrote this somewhere

The pool

Oh the giddy heights of having a pool in your back yard! Not only a pool but a. Huge pool. By the end of the week Elliot could swim up and back without stopping, eat that expensive swimming lessons, in one week he did better with a pool in his house than 2 terms of lessons.









Someone having a 3 pm coffee by the ...pool


Someone else loving the. Pool


Even underwater.
Such a great confidence booster.
Did I mention we loved this pool. (Seb particularly liked the hot outside shower - so that when he was chilled to the bone - 5 min after hopping in he could warm right back up. )


- I wrote this somewhere

More holidays

The family shot


Feeling the love, or not


Tristan in his happy place. Oh the tantrums when he had to get out of the shower bath. Two of his most favourite things ever.


The downstairs gym/pool/BBQ area


Just more places to lounge by the pool.
I can't recommend this place highly enough, so so safe for little kids, everything has been thought of, there is a portacot and a high chair(no belt tho mind you- so I had to be in arms reach of the climber. It truly had me appreciate my high chair belt at home that I can click him in and know he is safe while I... Fill in the blanks)
There was a playground and sandpit, cubby house, ping pong table darts, 3 tvs and a pool, did I mention the pool?

I wrote this somewhere

Last days

We had a great time away with dear friends, no illness or trips to the medical centre this time which was novel, I had actually found out before hand where they were envisioning a necessary trip there mid holiday.
Our holiday was simple, swimming, playing, reading eating sleeping and more of the same. Perfect.
Our holidays will be interesting as these boys grow up, 5 boys in the house. Boy do we mums feel out numbered and I'm sure one day dwarfed but the giant boys in the house.






Look at that lovely kitchen


Atop mutton bird island. At sunset


Sunset


-what a beautiful place.

I wrote this somewhere

Glorious

I was worried when we went away on holidays that I would miss the flowering of the sunflowers I have been tending for 2 months now, that would be right wouldn't it , the moment I look away. But look, they waited for me. So so glad. Look at those sagging heavy heads, watch out, next year I might plant out the whole garden to have a Sea of happy nodding yellow heads at my door step


- I wrote this somewhere

Everyone asleep

In the long drive home.
I hate car travelling with kids, I loathe it, in the 7 years we have lived interstate we have never driven back. The trip was only 5 hours, and I think my thoughts about how terrible it was going to be helped to make reality actually not that bad, it was NO where near as bad as I thought it was going to be. Packing went smoothly, we didn't get stuck in any of the notorious hot spots, the kids all slept for a considerable time and I even read a book which usually makes me want to throw up, we got home only having to stop once for 15 min, everyone especially Tristan was glad to see the backyard and the swings and the dog when we opened the doors.


The bags are still not unpacked but at least the washing is done

I wrote this somewhere

Sleep walking

Seb got out of bed, walked to the lounge room plonked himself down on the lounge next to me, mumbled something incoherent about his plantar wart then fell back to sleep. He has no recollection today about it at all.


- I wrote this somewhere

Hello

Doesn't that just make you smile?
Dinner tonight at the local hotel with kids playground. It was a bit average, not as good as I had remembered. But the kids had a great time, until Elliot hit his head. It was a celebration of holidays, a long put off meal from end of soccer seasons, and bravery acknowledgement for a young someone who had a plantar wart frozen off this morning.


- I wrote this somewhere

The bag is packed

Elliot lost his temper with us the other day and thought he would get us by planning to leave home. He is never going to do that as sometimes he won't even let me go to the toilet without complaining he will miss me. And when we talk about how he needs to move out if home when he is older he gets all upset and makes sure seb is going to move in with him. So he packed a bag. In it went his new hat from Steph and jimmy monkey. The important things. He didn't even get off the deck before he came running back inside balling his eyes out saying he would never leave home cause he would miss us too much.




His temper has dissipated. He came back to his heart. He asked for forgiveness. It was given in abundance.

written from here

Summer time

Nothing says summer like the sound of cricket. And the cricket is ON at our place. Come on over for a game of test match. Seb told me about six times how excited he was that we got it. (Thanks Aunty Rob and Uncle John for the gift voucher)


I have also realised that often I'm the only one in the house wearing a shirt.
written from here

LooSe tooTh

He's five and they're falling out baby!



He couldn't be more excited.


written from here

Tristan had a good time too

On Christmas Day



With the blower


On the swings


And eating tinned spaghetti and red wine - oh no wait that was the photographer.

The red wine that is not the tinned spaghetti .

written from here

Christmas Day 2013

We had a guy from church come. Elliot's helping him open his present


Seb concentrated on learning to rollerblade


Elliot inspecting the new socks


The boys all enjoying the wii


Merry Christmas everyone!


-written from here