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........

  

 

Eleventeenth Anniversary!

Cam and I  celebrated our 11 year anniversary this month.............after reminding him on the day.

 Arnside, 2002- Really?...has it been that long?!

Perhaps it is confusing having both a wedding anniversary and a 'day we became a couple' anniversary, but I can't ignore the 10 years before our wedding day. I also believe the time we fell in love is more important than the day we chose to celebrate our 'love' with our family and friends.(sorry Cam, but you are going to have to remember 2 dates)

Happy Eleventeenth (as Oskar would say) Anniversary Cam!

Still trying to teach Oskar that Eleventeen is not actually a number and also working on his camera skills! 

1947

Two amazing women we know were born in 1947. The first to celebrate their birthday this year was this wonderful woman.

We shared a lovely wintery day on the deck indulging in old wine, cheese and amazing olives, and a warming Osso Bucco made with love by Cameron...and it was goooooooood. So good, it was devoured before I got a chance to take a photo. (Note to self : leave Cameron alone in the kitchen more often)

The rain finally made us shelter inside, however we quickly lit the fire and were cosy and warm just in time for Ivy  to wake up and be showered with cuddles. 

We hope you had a lovely Birthday Mary, and we hope your celebrations continue on your holiday. Bon Voyage!

6 months topped with raspberries!

As we were celebrating Oskar turning 4 recently....Ivy turned 6 months old in the very same week!

A little 6 month update for the family.

Ivy is eating solids, playing peekaboo, wanting to stand and see every little thing going on around her. She is commando crawling across the floor to get to her toys and laughing a lot (especially at Oskar)......

                                     

She was making lots of sounds and talking in her own language for a while there, however lately that has been replaced with this.......

(Note- need to turn head 90 degrees to watch! whoopsy! I'll figure out how to fix this eventually!)

Raspberries are her favourite thing at 6 months old.

xo

....and then they were four!

Oskar and his best buddy Asha turned four last week! Yes Four!.......Some people ask if it has gone quickly, and I can honestly say it has not. It feels like Oskar has been a part of our lives for much more than four years. We have done oh so much together, grown as parents and a family,  that it is hard to think about the time before Oskar{BO}... However, I do recall it being somewhat more relaxing, however certainly not as rewarding.

Thank you to our family and friends for the cards and presents that you sent, they certainly made his day! x

To celebrate this year, Elisha and I decided to throw a little joint birthday party for their friends at Kindy who they have grown with over the last 4 years, and may be saying goodbye to soon before starting school. 

It went a little bit like this..........  

  Animal Safari Cake made with love .....Check!

After an anxious night of howling winds and rain, we thankfully woke to sunny skies and the day was glorious! 

 Food for the kids.....check! (which seemed to be a waste of time as all they wanted to eat were lollipops!)

 Food for the parents....check!

Jumping Castle....check!

Lots of fun had on Jumping Castle!......Check Check Check!

13 friends to celebrate with .....check!

..and then there was the pinata that would not burst!.....in the end Terry (a dad) had to bash it and tear it open with his hands! 

There were some crazy dance moves!

A crazy lady who thought it would be a good idea to make balloon animals and flowers!...what was she thinking?!

Birthday Wishes!

...and 2 happy families and even happier 4 year olds!.....check!

Even though it was a huge success ...we do know that a party like this this will not be happening again for a long time....although if I want a way to entertain Oskar for 7 hours straight, then I may just hire one of these again. 

Goodbye Super Amazing Jumping Castle!

 Happy Birthday Oskar and Asha! 

...and thanks to Elisha, Jay and Cam for your help.. what a team!

  I hope you like your new bike Oskar!

Happy Birthday

We look forward to the ride ahead!

xo

Run & Relaxing Mother's Day

Instead of breakfast in bed for Mother's Day this year, there was a good reason to get out of bed early this Sunday..................... Too many of us know family or friends that have been affected by Cancer in some way, and the Mother's Day Classic is a fantastic national fundraising event in 74 locations to help raise much needed funds to assist in research and ultimately finding a cure. This year the event raised over $4million dollars!

It felt overwhelming running in a sea of pink with 850 other people who were all running for the same reason...not to win a trophy, not to achieve a PB but just to run for the cause. (correction...some did look like they were in it to win it, but most were just out to have fun for the cause...which I was reminded of when a guy overtook me wearing a bright pink polar fleece dressing gown!)

I  have not participated in a mass run like that since the city to surf in Sydney 6 years ago, so my heart seemed to be racing before I'd even started. It was also the first time since Ivy was born that I have left her at home, which felt very strange, and in turn also the first time I have been able to run without a pram strapped to my hand. Perhaps it was the culmination of all these things that made me 'well up' as I started to run.

Cam stayed home with our babes as Oskar was very sick the previous day and night and we hated to wake him early and bundle him out in to the chilly morning. There is always next year...and the next.

Even though it was not a 'race' for me...I did push myself and kept up with my stroller group coach and her 7 year old son!!!! and achieved my goal of completing the 4kms in 20 minutes.

I think the real winners of the day though were all the women that have been diagnosed with breast cancer, told it very politely to go shove itself and beaten it.... and of course all the amazing people out there supporting the charity to find a cure.

Guess who I ran in to volunteering at the water stand?.... Hello Mary!

After racing home to feed Ivy, Cam took Oskar out to give me some quiet chill time, so Little Ivy bird and I relaxed on the couch reading some mags!

Well...... I read, while she screwed them up.

I received a lovely book....which I am hoping to find time to read over the next 5 years!

We finished the day with cheese and wine on the deck with some neighbours and then Oskar made me a cheese and crackers cake! mmm yummy!

The following morning at the Kindy Mother's Day Brunch,Oskar was asked to draw him with his mum........ I was replaced with a leopard!

I know Mother's day is just a commercial money making scam for retailers out there....(which Cameron likes to remind me) but there is nothing wrong with a day just for us mum's....and after being one for the last 4 years...i don't think one day a year is actually enough!( kidding of course). ..........and there is nothing wrong with one more excuse to celebrate how great your mum is and to tell her how much you love her is there?

This is something all the kids did for thier mums....actually, the teachers did, but Oskar answered the questions for them....and I have since discovered that he doesn't know me at all. ..but I will forgive him.