A bit of this and that…..

I have been a little slack when it comes to blogging of late.  I have lots of little bits to catch you up on.  Oh also I have not picked up my Nikon since discovering Instagram.  I will have to dust the cobwebs off the Nikon this week….. promise.

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1.  We are seriously excited about having family move closer.  Andrew’s brother and his family are now only an hour away.  Ben can’t contain his excitement about being closer to Tom and Maggie.  We had a bit of a party afternoon tea when we went to visit.  Don’t they look pretty spiffy in their school uniforms!!

2.  Andrew and I went to see Mary Poppins at the theatre…….. It was Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!!!!  I loved it – REALLY loved it.  Andrew thought it was ok.  I loved it so much that I came home and booked tickets to go again.  Mum and I are going  and we have the best seats …… two rows from the front.  I can’t wait  eeeeee!!!!!!

3.  We have had heaps of rain.  It seems to be raining most days in the afternoons.  It is really difficult not to have a nanna nap!!  It would be (and is) so easy to curl up on the couch!  I am trying to break the habit!

4.  We have been teaching Ben to play Uno.  He loves it.   He is particularly found of draw four and draw two cards.  He loves to use them and laughs when you have to pick up.  He is pretty switched on and can  beat me.  He loves that as well. I have to get my game face on now!

5.  Oh my……. can you believe Ben has a Barbie and Ken.  Barbie is a police woman and Ken is a fireman.  I think they look more like strippers.   I’m not a huge fan!

6.  Check out our Bonnie.  I went to pick her up from her haircut and nearly died.  They shaved her.  It must have been a new person clipping her.   I hardly recognized her.  She is still pretty adorable and looks so tiny.

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7.  Ben has the greatest marble run ever.  If you don’t have one…..you need one.  It’s called Quadrilla.  Ben got it for Christmas from his Gamma and Grandad.  If you are thinking of buying one the marble catching trays are a must.  We don’t have them and are forever picking up   marbles from the front door to the back door.  I really need to order the trays.

8.  This is Ben’s creation – a spider.  Ben has never been into making craft.   It seemed the more I tried to encourage it the more Ben pushed it away.  But recently a miracle has happened.  His got his creative mojo happening……. it’s fabulous!  This week at Kindy he made another spider and so did his whole class.  It is super to see him take ownership over his play at school.

9.  It might look like just some bits of Lego on a board to you.  But it is a very serious Lego game.  Do you like the dice made from Lego men legs.  Ben sits with us playing his games (totally made up, with rules that change continually) forever.  His imagination is so interesting and fresh.  He always surprises me (and he always wins!).

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10.  This is Ben’s new favourite.  He calls it a ‘fluffle pillow’  instead of a ‘whoopee cushion’ which I find hilarious.   He was given it as a prize at Charlotte’s 9th birthday party.  I have never heard him laugh so hard.  I suppose this is the beginning of the toilet humor that I don’t think boys ever get over.

11.  This is my new favourite breakfast….. for a treat – Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake.  I’m pretty sure I have mentioned it before.  You really need to make it.  So yum!!!

12.  I am so so so excited to finally have a Tom Tom GPS.  Those who know me know I have absolutely no sense of direction.  Andrew has an inbuilt GPS.  He very rarely gets lost.  But unfortunately he can’t be my full time chauffeur.

13.  We have been visiting our cousins on the coast.  We caught up with Hugo, Evie and Aunty Claire…… always a pleasure (well  when the boys aren’t killing each other – we will have some stories for them when they are older xo).

14.  Ipswich Art Gallery had a pretty spectacular Children’s Gallery this school holiday – Built for Speed.   You could design, build and race your Lego hot rod, dragster or supercar down ramps and slick tracks.  It was busy and loud but so fun!

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15.  Finally Andrew is home – tired, smelly but refreshed from a week skiing in Japan with his mates Tapio and Ben.  Check out Tapio’s video of the posse carving up the mountain!  We are happy to have him home with no broken bones (hehehe).    Missed you heaps honey!! I am sure he will update you on his fab adventures soon.

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A Little Trip Away

We had a little trip to Melbourne – ten days.  It was so lovely to escape for a little while.   We caught up with relatives, ate way tooooo much baklava and visited some places that refreshed my spirit.  In other words we had a FABULOUS trip.

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Ben was seriously excited about the plane trip!!  Oh and of course we had to take Lego!!! I am sure Ben thinks Lego is more important than oxygen!   It was a short flight (2.5 hours).  He was pretty good.  He did knock the seat in front of him a couple of times.  The lady sitting there was a bit of a dragon.

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Our first few days were spent with family.  It was so lovely to see everyone.   My Mum and Dad also came for the first few days.  It was a bit of a family union…… lots of hugs, laughs, food and great conversation.  Some of us took a trip to the Melbourne Zoo.  OH MY it was HOT!!!  Other than the incredible sticky heat and the animals hiding to get out of the heat we had a great time. Ben loved spending time with his cousins Jordon and Madison.

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After a few days with family Andrew, Ben and I ventured off on a little adventure.  The weather had changed and it was now freezing.  It was a nice change to put winter clothes on.  Ben gave us lots of snuggles to keep warm.  Our first stop was Phillip Island to see the penguin parade.  The Little Penguins did not disappoint. At sunset, wild little penguins emerge for the sea and waddle across the beach up to their sand dune burrows where their babies are waiting.  Phillip Island is the home of one of the largest little penguin colonies in the world……. totally awesome!! Sunset was not until after 9pm and it was windy and raining but that did not deter us.  It was pretty cool.  As you can see from the pictures Ben was totally knocked out from it.  He slept the next day away.

From here we made our way to Victoria’s famous ‘Great Ocean Road‘.  I was a little nervous about the signs regarding how to drive in Australia…… shouldn’t people already know that?!!  Andrew found them amusing.  Our first stop Bells Beach.  This place was magical.  It was my favorite stop of the entire trip.  We were pretty much the only people there…… I just soaked it in.  I could have stayed their forever but we had a schedule.

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Oh yeah, we also went to Panny’s Chocolate Factory at Phillip Island.  Ben loved it!!  It’s great for kids.  You could write your name in chocolate, make your own chocolate bar, and play ‘side show alley’ like games to win chocolate.  I just have to say that I won Ben two chocolates and Andrew won zero.  I’m not competitive though (heheheh).  We also stopped there for lunch.  The food was a little so so but the hot chocolate….. to die for!!!  The best hot chocolate I have EVER had…. yummo!

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And….. I also forgot to to mention that we took the ferry from Sorrento to Geelong.  I loved Sorrento.  A beach side town full of interesting little shops and cafes.  I must return there one day.  The ferry ride was a little choppy.  But it was pretty great to watch the dolphins swim next to the ferry.  Andrew and Ben missed the dolphins.  I had a great view as my head was hanging over the side.  I wasn’t feeling the best!

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We stopped at many of the little beaches on our way to the Twelve Apostles.  Each beach took my breath away.  The cliffs…. amazing.  (NOTE – The sand was very grainy.  Not the beautiful white sand we have in Queensland heheh).  Ben was not impressed with the Twelve Apostles as you can see.  We had to wake him up.  His not good waking up much like his mother!  He did warm up though.

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At one stage of our journey the GPS had a slight hiccup and took us on country roads.  The roads were narrow, windey and hilly….. perfect for motorbikes.  Andrew thought he was a rally car driver and I was holding on for dear life.  Andrew enjoyed it.  The scenery was pretty though.  We also took a detour to see a lighthouse somewhere (I can’t remember where).  We never did see the lighthouse but we saw more koala’s in the wild than we have ever seen before.  There were hundred’s.  We kept stopping and watching them.  We just couldn’t believe it.  I love the picture above of the mum cuddling her bub.  At Lorne we also had Cockatoo’s visit.  There was five sitting on the verandah rail at one stage.  Such a treat.

Picnik collageAfter the Great Ocean Road we made our way to Melbourne city.  I was seriously excited.  It was time to SHOP!  But unfortunately this wasn’t to be…. by this stage Ben had had just about enough and needed some time out.  But Ben and I did find this amazing wooden tram in a quirky shop in Little Bourke Street and  I fell in love with La Belle Miette in Hardware Lane.  The caramel macaroon is the stuff dreams are made from……. MMMMmmmmmmMMMMM!    Andrew found his ideal shopping street.  A whole entire street full of ski and outdoor shops.  We had to buy another suit case to bring his booty home.   And of course we spent time in cafes taking in the scenery while Ben played Lego.  He nearly exploded with excitement  when he saw the new Super Hero Lego!

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From the city we headed to stay with my cousin and her family.  What a hoot – thanks xo!  I can’t believe we did so much in such a short space of time – Shopping, shopping and more shopping (do you like the shoes Ben picked for me?!), cake shopping in St Kilda, visiting the Melbourne Aquarium, eating seriously amazing Vietnamese noodle salad, and kite flying (Andrew bought a couple of kites).  Andrew likes two string kites.  They are a little tricky to fly.  He is pretty great at it and to my surprise I was pretty darn good too (bit proud of myself!!).

It was unfortunate that the holiday had to end.  We could have stayed another ten days!  We won’t leave it so long before we return xoxo

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Another First Day…..

I seriously can’t believe it.

What a different boy!!!

Today was Ben’s (2nd) first day of Kindy.  Andrew and I decided to keep Ben in Kindergarten another year.  We had the choice to move on to Prep but it just didn’t feel right.   I think it  is the teacher in me that really wanted him to have another year.  I want to see his confidence grow a little more before he enters formal schooling.  This morning Ben showed me we had made the right decision. If only you knew how many times I walked out of Kindy last year with tears in my eyes watching my little man upset or struggle.  But not today…… he  stood tall, proud and confident.

He was asking children their names – Last year he was clinging on to me not saying a word.

He engaged in an activity without any encouragement – Last year he showed little interest.

He told me I could go home – Last year he was crying and my heart was heavy.

I have walked out of Kindy this morning knowing my little man is happy and in the best hands.  A great start to what will be a fabulous year!!

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New Years Eve 2011

I have got far to used to snoozing in the day (with Andrew being on holidays).  I think I started my New Years Eve with a nanny nap after breakfast!!!  (New Years resolution #72 Stop Nanny Napping!)

Our afternoon and evening was  more eventful.  We spent it with good friends at home – a bbq dinner, great conversation, listening to the kids play on the slip and slide, riding motor bikes, pavlova, bike riding, chocolate, champagne,  gyro caring, rum balls, scooters, glow sticks and sparklers.

(Oh and I took some tragic photos…… but good memories)

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As our little family head into 2012 with a some uncertainty of what the year will bring.  We are certain it will be full with family, friendships and much belly laughing xo.

Happy 2012!!!

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