busy bees

Here are some instagrams, almost all of which are my husband's doing (thanks @wilbirdy) documenting some of what the kids are into at the moment, which includes:

 - Driving to the scrap yard a couple of suburbs away to see if the material handler is in action;
 - Painting (mainly in pink, it would seem);
 - Hosing rain water into the dirt pit where the grass won't grow and getting very very muddy;
 - Baking playdough pies and making playdough emergency vehicles;
 - Cutting paper into tiny little pieces and using it as garbage in their toy garbage trucks;
 - Drawing and drawing and drawing and drawing... I'm still in awe of this fantastic cross section of a mulching truck that Ollie drew a few days ago.  The detail!

And then, last weekend and for reasons unknown to me, Ollie and Max were very insistent that we should make bee suits for them to wear.

We obliged.

two!

And that was the weekend that Max turned two and we had every ingredient for a fantastic stripey birthday celebration in our garden.  Superb.

the year in review

I went back to work after giving birth to my littlest boy and to my surprise, loved it, I joined a gym and kept it up, we had visitors from England, we broke a fridge, we bought a new camera and took a million photographs, we edited our photos and backed them up responsibly, we realised we need a holiday but didn't have the time to take one, we escaped the floods but friends weren't so lucky, I baked a cheesecake and made a pavlova, both for the first time, we lost a baby and cried and cried, we learned our son is crazy for puzzles and our other son is a cheeky little devil with a naughty streak that is adorable, we watched movies, so many movies, I watched my husband become an actual architect, I used my KitchenAid way more than I thought I would, I Skyped my parents every week, sometimes twice, I missed them terribly, we didn't always try a new recipe every week but we always ate good food, I loved watching the royal wedding, missed England and her countryside, visited the GoMA at least twice, we still haven't managed to get out to dinner but we had an awesome party for Will's birthday, we decorated our garden with 800 fairy lights, we said goodbye to Sue, but hello to Emma and Clasein, I had the most awesome birthday week EVER and ate at my favourite restaurant with my favourite person, we visited a zoo, our house was a zoo, I discovered patience, then lost it again, I became a little more like my mum, we ate McDonalds for the first time in years and regretted it, I got to know my sister as my friend and lamented the years we spent apart but realised it's better late than never, our boys' birthday parties were awesome and it didn't rain, we didn't send Christmas cards this year, but I've been good at keeping in touch with those I love, we became really good at doing the kids' packed lunches in about 10 minutes, and kept on top of keeping house, I worried about how I'm doing at work but found out they think I'm ok, I playdoughed, painted, tidied, read to my sons, our boys started sharing a room together, we only broke a few baubles this year, I wished I had read more books and had more haircuts, we had Christmas at our house with my friend Kate, I learned the names of lots of vehicles, we repaired our lawn and now our garden looks fabulous, I got cross with my boys more often than I would have liked but always ended the day with kiss and a cuddle, I started and ended the year very tired.  But so happy.

Come on 2012.   I know you are going to be great.

sandpit

Here, we have our new sand pit - now almost three weeks old.  Built by pa using a kit from Bunnings.  I fashioned a tarp cover for it (the one it came with wasn't so great) and it is very popular with our boys, who seem most comfortable when their socks are full of sand.  I bought a couple of cheap, plastic shovels, but really, all they really need (and want) is trucks, garden tools and cups.  And that's not just when they're in the sand pit.

Summer time is nearly here.

it's nice!

We have been tracking the progress of our strawberry plant with Ollie for the last few weeks.  The little white blossoms, which turned into little green berries, then white have slowly been turning pink and then red and then finally, a couple of days ago, it was time to eat our first strawberry.

Ollie took a tiny nibble, thought about it for a moment, then looked up and proclaimed 'it's nice!' and then gave his mama, his papa and his little brother a teensy bite too.  And it was nice.

I love to see things grow with Ollie, he really gets into the process and although it doesn't always feel that way, he does seem to listen to what we are saying and teaching him.  The difference is amazing when it's something he's interested in.  I will write again about all things Ollie related, especially after my last post, but at the moment, we are feeling positive, and I think he's responding to that positivity in a very good way.

days like these

 

It wasn’t a weekend I thought I’d have anything to say about, but the more I think about it, the more I reflect on what’s truly worth documenting, and the more I’d say this weekend was as memorable as any other I’ve had in a long while.

After the chaos of last weekend’s birthday party and a week of more emotional ups and downs than I care to experience again for a long while, it was somewhat of a relief to approach the weekend with no plans and enough prior organisation to be able to actually relax, rather than running around trying to get things done and be places.

Saturday morning saw the return of Ollie’s swimming lesson, which we’ve missed for three weekends now due to snotty noses, the Noosa triathlon (which I never did write about) and Ollie’s birthday party.  It was a well timed break, as Ollie’s been less than enthusiastic about his swimming lately, not so much about being in the pool, but about having to be told what to do (nothing new there, then).   We’ve even ended lessons early, letting him tell us when he’s had enough, instead of making him go through the nursery rhymes and monkey-monkeying when he’d rather not.  But he seemed to enjoy swimming on Saturday, and after his lesson he had a splash in the mushroom pool, a little wading pool with mushrooms that spray icy cold water, pretty good fun for what ended up being a hot, sunny morning. 

And then we came home and hung out in the garden.  Ollie helped pot one of the many houseplants that need repotting (he really did help) and seemed to love it.  Max watched from his shady spot under our sweet jacaranda and I took a few photographs, lamenting the coming end of spring and the glorious green and floral display that is our garden.  

An impromptu visit from his Great Aunty Anne, possibly Ollie’s favourite person pretty much sealed the Saturday deal, especially when Will’s cousin Ben came with her, giving Ollie the perfect opportunity to show off his toys, practice giving ‘respect’ and shaking Ben by the hand. 

Sunday was almost as good, but we didn’t sleep well, as Max has an ulcer in his mouth that is preventing him from enjoying his food and so he’s hungry, all the time, drinking only milk.  Poor little guy seems so forlorn, but I guess we have to accept that it will take time for him to feel better and it’s not so bad now that we know what’s wrong.  Ollie handled a trip to the bakery, a visit to the doctor with his brother and the dull task of grocery shopping in his stride and even seemed to enjoy his meals.  And I can't quite believe that the boys both slept for over two hours and lunch time, and even more unbelievable is that I took a nap too.  

So, none of this seems terribly exciting, important or noteworthy, but it all happened without a tantrum, without tears and with the kind of enthusiasm and sweetness that I crave with my boys.  Maybe it's because we didn't let the expectation of a tantrum ruin what we wanted to do, or maybe Ollie's just realising it's actually a lot of fun when he tries to communicate with us.  Or maybe it was just a one off great weekend.  Either way, it’s days like these that make it.

jacaranda

Before they disappear, here are some photographs of the blooms on our jacaranda tree, which we planted just after we moved into this home four years ago this month.  It's the first time the tree has blossomed; we've waited and waited and finally, it has added some beautiful colour to our garden, giving us that final nod that summer is well and truly on its way.

I will miss the jacarandas when we leave Brisbane.  But I won't miss the summer.

out came the sun

The recent rain has left our garden looking the healthiest it has ever been.  It's easy to get fed up with day after day of rain, but after the last few summers of drought and my penchant for grey days (and cups of tea), I have loved the downpours and resultant explosion of spring in our garden.

Before the boys were born, Will and I would spend most weekends in the garden, planting, weeding, mowing lawns, enjoying the green space of our home.  I loved those days, getting up early before the sun was too hot and then having to stick to the shade by 10am because of the bright sun, working away until it was too dark and then finishing the day with a cold beer and home made pizza.

We're a long way from those days but this morning, a particularly lovely, sunny morning, we had an early breakfast and all (except Max, who was napping) went down into the garden to prune and tidy up here and there, and take in the incredible, buttery scent of our gardenia and jasmine, which has grown into the most amazing wild curtain over our fence and looks beautiful.  Beautiful!  Ollie pottered about, mildly fascinated by what we were doing but more interested in playing in and around the car that I managed to clean for the first time in months.  Such a sweet little guy, enraptured in his own world and thoughts.  A far cry from the short tempered, frustrated little boy that has lately been proving to be a challenge for my patience.  Lola and Deeks appreciated the company in what is pretty much their domain and Max joined us once he was awake and quite happily watched butterflies fluttering about, branches swaying and his family hard at work.  It sounds too perfect, but it pretty much was.  

 

I really miss the old days sometimes but today, we discovered a new feeling of being a family in our green, lush garden.  Bliss.

spring

Living in Brisbane brings with it the blessing of good weather (most of the time), blue skies and warmth. But I miss seasons.  I miss seeing things turn green in spring, the days growing longer, the treat of an English summer's day that is sandwiched by a chilly start and end, bright, frosty winter mornings and the chance of snowfall.

April should be about spring time, daffodils, tulips and green things growing, but in Brisbane, it's getting chillier; the heat that I complain so much about in summer is disappearing and the winter sun is taking its place.

Our new addition to the family is just over a week old.  Winter might be coming but for the first time in years, it truly feels like spring.