Dad rode the alps of France today...........

This time he didn't have to imagine it though.............

Cameron left last Saturday for his overseas adventure.... and while he is off riding his bike through the picturesque countryside of France, Mum has kindly come to stay with me to help with the house and little'ns...and relieving some of the stress that may have been. 

I didn't really want my final three weeks before starting work to be the most stressful of all and wouldn't really be the best way to return to work.....frazzled, emotional and tired. So....thank you mum for being here. We are both really enjoying the quality time with each other and I am probably the most relaxed I have ever been during my maternity  leave.... as the house is clean, the dishes are always done, the garden is looking the best it ever has and the little'ns are behaving themselves most of the time(Ivy.......you are always an angel, so Oskar that note is for you), and going to bed at 6pm every night! However, Ivy is becoming a little more fussy with the nighttime routine now when she wakes she sits and stands up now and needs extra cuddles to soothe her back down......however usually by 7pm both mum and I can relax with a glass of wine and dinner. 

So while mum has been here some big events have taken place. 

Ivy started day care. She was perfect, I was emotional, however no tears this time as I knew Oskar was there if she did get upset. She has started for 2 days for now to get her used to it before I start work...........and on day 2 she had already caught a cold and has opened a snot factory. 

What felt like a new experience for me was being able to sit on the beach with a relaxing morning breakfast and coffee and I could even lie down and close my eyes  if I wanted to!!!!....I was even able to start and finish a conversation with out being interrupted or distracted. Amazing.

While Ivy was in care, I managed to get a few things ticked off my long list.....listed items on ebay, got through mountains of paperwork and filed, mum sewed me some cushions and finally made Ivy a blanket I meant to do a year ago, cleaned the house, started clearing the garage, went to the tip, gardened and actually read without interruptions!.....it was only a magazine...... but it was reading all the same!!! These may seem mundane however I felt such a sense of acheivement at the end of the 2 days and just so much more relaxed knowing that these things that had been bugging me for so long were done!

Oskar started learning guitar....and when I say learning I mean pretending to play it to his favourite song in the whole world. He can't get enough of an instrumental version of  Coldplay's 'Paradise', done in a  'Lion King'- esque way with strings, piano and tribal chanting...He insists we listen to it on repeat in the car....beats TheWiggles!

And last but not least......Ivy has grown her 3rd tooth and has started crawling and pulling herself up to stand. 

Weekends in a Winter Wonderland

We have had a very mild winter on the Gold Coast this year, and we are very lucky to have enjoyed some beautiful warm, sunny weekends together.

 
When we are not in the garden, we head to the beach. There is sometimes a battle to get everyone in the car calmly, and even a tantrum here and there, but in between all that....there is this.....and it is'this' that makes it all worth while.

In between the sun......we had some rain. Oskar is learning some card games now and although I would love to play some board games with him....he is not quite there yet. 'Guess Who' became 'Look who I've got!! Hmmmm didn't quite grasp it!...However he is the master of 'Go Fish'!

Then the sun came out again.................so Oskar hit the water while we looked on.

1947.....a good year.

 This July, mum also turned 66, and we were very happy to be able to celebrate together.

We had a pre-birthday morning tea on the deck.

I painted this.... and couldn't wait to give it to her. I owe mum some handcrafted gifts after all the wonderful things she has made me over the years. 

On the day we went out for lunch at Burleigh.......unfortunately the rain came too.

  ...and during their stay, they did this......as well as helping me through my long list of chores, however I wont bore you with photos of mum hanging washing, mending and dad washing our windows and sanding furniture!!!

 Thank you for a wonderful visit Grandma and Grandpa!

...and Happy Birthday to a very special lady in our lives. We love you. x

We Hunted Taipans in China Today.........

Oskar and I flew to China (the front yard) to look for Taipans (dead palm fronds)..... we have hunted lions in Africa and pretended to be tigers in Asia............This weekend we had to escape from baddie pirates who were trying to capture us with their pew pews. (guns)

I can't wait to see where your imagination takes you next my darling.

Eight Months & Milestones.

Well it has been a whole month since my last update, and before I get into what we've been up to ....let me just update you on what our new little bird has been up to and what she has accomplished....Get ready for a love fest!!!!!!

Firstly...as a mum I just need to say (because it is my right!), that she has been getting cuter and cuter every day!

Ivy now has 2 teeth!, and with them, she is eating lumpy solids and feeding herself small pieces of food. Strawberries are the favourite!

She plays and laughs along with games and songs and wears perhaps too many stripes at once!

Ivy is getting closer and closer to crawling, although still prefers to stand.

She has moved on to the bottle after many failed attempts and now still wakes at 2am...still working on that. After the first 5 months of sleeping all night long....... I know she has it in her!

Life has been pretty cruisy with little Ivy, and although I'm always busy, with not enough hours in the day to get through things, I am certainly feeling like I am far more relaxed emotionally. Things are much easier the second time round. Maybe it's me...maybe it's her...maybe it's because we are reacting to each other.

Something I've come to realise from friends who said that having 2 is so much harder than having 1 is this..................it's not harder because of the new baby....oh no ...........the challenges come from the first born....yes that's you Oskar! There was definitely some adjusting our little 4 year year old had to do, and sometimes struggled with the shared attention. I am glad to say now that things have settled down and a '10 sticker and prize reward board' has seen a huge improvement in behaviour.

I also know this...Oskar loves Ivy very very much.

Challenges, tiredness, discipline, sleepless nights, no social life, messy house...did i mention tiredness?......................laughter, hugs, kisses, surprises, amazement, innocence, LOVE..............we wouldn't have it any other way.

xx

Park life

We discovered a fantastic new park tucked away in Mudgeeraba. It is amazing how relaxing it is to sit on a picnic rug and enjoy the outdoors with your family in a park that is not filled with people. No nearby traffic to worry about or fights over the swings.....only the sounds of birds and distant cows in the paddock. It is a very different experience to the parks at the beach, which are usually very busy and you have to always be on guard while watching he doesn't get lost in the crowd. 

Our new local........