Liam and Ewan's World

Liam Thinks He Can Fly.....

2008-04-04T16:57:00.001+10:00

He says if he stretches his arms out he can fly - especially well if he jumps off something first.

He also says that stretching his hands and fingers out as far as they can go, helps him fly better.

Hmmm not sure if his confidence in flying is such a good thing..... luckily for us he can't climb onto the roof yet!

Who would have thought a trip to the ER would be so much fun....

2008-04-04T16:41:00.005+10:00

Ewan and I were at the hospital last night and it was such a funny night.

He was in for asthma and although he had improved once we arrived there (always the way!), he still had to have a boost of ventolin and some prednisone. For anyone who doesn't know ventolin - it makes your heart rate go up and can make you hyper - Ewan had 3 doses over 30 mins and was bouncing off the walls by the end of that. We had to stay in for 2 hours afterwards for observation and Ewan was hilarious! He was giggling uncontrollably, squealing and jumping around on the bed. I was talking to him about different things to pass the time - we talked about what it would be like if the hospital was made of Lego - he said he would make it with all red Lego. Funniest though was when I asked him what we should do today. He replied that he wanted to "Just hang around....... naked". I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to do and he said "No, just hang around naked, with no clothes on" - just in case I didn't get it the first time! So funny - especially because he is not really into being naked so I don't know why he came up with that.

Being so giggly and happy he got lots of attention from the nurses trying to make him laugh more. They loved it and I think he quite enjoyed it too.

What about Ewan???

2008-03-26T13:24:00.004+10:00

With all this talk of Liam and bilbies, you may be wondering what's happened to Ewan!

Well he's still here, albeit a little quieter than Liam - but that's not hard! Ewan, while quiet, has a strong character and won't back down if there's something he wants to do or say. That's only at home though - when we're out he's very shy and likes to stay close to me or Ben. People often remark, "Oh so he can talk!", suprised when they actually hear him speak!

He is very loving and affectionate - always wanting cuddles and kisses. He is still very much our "baby" and not because we want him to be but because he insists on it! He loves just cuddling up and making babyish cooing noises. And he has "that" look - you know that one where they smile and look at you with big eyes that just melt your heart. Totally irresistible! He hooks everyone in - not just us! Even young girls around the 6-8 yr old mark will take him under their wing and follow him around catering to his every whim. He is certainly a charmer!

And like Liam he is switched on - he just does it without as much talk! His "thing" is bugs and insects. He's always been drawn to little things so bugs/insects are very exciting for him. Liam bought him a bug catcher for Christmas and he adores catching creatures to put in it. Evidently we are looking at upgrading his bug catcher because there is never enough room for everything he finds! He's had spiders, beetles, huge caterpillars, grasshoppers, and countless ladybugs (one of his favourite things!). Sadly they end up dying in his catcher because he never wants to release them and the catcher is too small for them to set up home in.

Ewan and I admiring caterpillars in the bug catcher!

So that's Ewan in a nutshell - though we wouldn't use a nutshell really for him - he's allergic to cashew nuts!

Our Quest To Save the Bilbies Continues!

2008-03-26T12:34:00.003+10:00

I wrote to Frank Manthey, from the Save The Bilby Fund, to thank him and let him know that he has inspired us. Frank replied asking us to

"get all your friends to fill in the form in the link below and tell Woolworths how much you would prefer an Easter Bilby colouring-in competition at Easter, instead of the rabbit one that they use each year. As you know, the rabbit was brought from Europe about 150 years ago and has cost Australia trillions of dollars in trying to get rid of it. I have tried for the past five years to encourage Woolworths to change this, but they are not listening. If many people start saying the same thing, though, I think that we can make a difference. If you would like to help, please can you ask your friends to do the same?
http://www.woolworths.com.au/contactus/index.asp "

We made this our Easter mission - we emailed everyone we know, posted in online forums, and spread the word among all the groups we're a part of. Liam has taken it very seriously - he is not going to let this go! He is still telling everyone he comes across - young and old!

On Monday (Easter Monday), he was talking to our 4 year old neighbour, Kyle, over the fence. Kyle's dad started calling out to him to come as they were going out. Before he did though, Liam made sure he got his message across!

Liam - "I just need to tell you something Kyle. The bilbies are dying. Rabbits are taking over and killing our bilbies. They are in danger. You have to get all your friends to write to Woolworths and tell them that they should have a bilby colouring in competition."

Kyle wasn't paying attention and asked him what he was talking about, so Liam launched into it again! Kyle's dad was ready to go by this stage so Liam got down off the fence and came back inside. I could hear Kyle and his dad talking as they got in the car. Kyle was saying "Dad the bilbies are dying. The rabbits are killing the bilbies".

And so I had one of the proudest Mum moments ever! Liam never ceases to amaze me with his understanding of the world and his persistence to make a difference. It is really hard at times to let go of my adult pessimism that creeps in.... as if one person can make a difference..... that type of thing. But hearing him go off on his own and initiate a conversation like that, with no prompting or promise of personal reward, makes me so proud and thankful that he's my son.

If you haven't contacted Woolworth's it's not too late! Go and do it now - it only takes a few minutes!

Save The Bilbies!

2008-03-14T12:09:00.003+10:00

Last week, at Learning 4 Life, (our home schooling group), we had Frank from the Save The Bilby Fund come to talk to us about bilbies and the work they do with them. He was a great speaker and very inspirational. With a voice that commanded the children's attention, he spoke about bilbies and taking responsibility for their survival. Queensland bilbies are the most threatened and Frank and his team have worked hard to build a fence at Currawinya National Park to keep predators out and re-establish a wild breeding population of bilbies. Frank asked us who we thought owned the Currawinya National Park. Most people respond that the Government does - he is very quick to correct everyone that it's not the Government that owns it - it's us. He told the kids that their parents pay money to the government and that the government acts on our behalf. And unless we start speaking up and letting them know what's important to us, nothing will be done about issues like saving the bilby from extinction. The children ranged in age from 1 up and there were a lot of young ones around 3 - 8 sitting, listening, and paying attention to him. He really captivated them and it made us think a lot about our role in society.

Liam is a real thinker and on the way home started talking about bilbies and what Frank had said. He wanted to know why rabbits were a threat to bilbies and why it was important to buy chocolate bilbies at Easter. The Save the Bilby Fund works hard trying to get support from major supermarkets and confectionary suppliers to adopt the Bilby cause.

Liam's train of thought then went to what we can do to get rid of rabbits. And his brilliant solution..... "We should write to the leader of the Government and tell him that when the soldiers come home they should be sent out to shoot all the rabbits. Do you think there would be enough soldiers, mum?" I love it - great job for the armed forces if you ask me!

He then started asking if one person can make this happen. So we talked about one person starting it and getting the idea out there but that the Government would listen if he had the support of lots of people because they represent our whole country. I explained that a government has to do what the majority of it's people want.

Liam is still thinking about his idea and I am going to help him to write to Kevin Rudd. And we'll let Frank know too - I think he'll be proud to have got his message out and to know that he had an impact on us.

If you're interested in finding out more information visit The Save The Bilby Fund website. And if you're planning on buying chocolate bilbies for Easter make sure you get the Darrell Lea ones - they are the only chocolate manufacturer that contributes money to the Save the Bilby Fund though the sale of chocolate bilbies.

Sleep is For the Weak!

2008-03-13T08:48:00.002+10:00

The boys slept in this morning till almost 6:15am! Ben was ready to go to work and went to say goodbye to them. The boys were still asleep so we stood at the door and watched them for a bit. Ewan stirred first so Ben gave him some cuddles until Liam woke up. He went to Liam and the first thing Liam said was "I'm hungry". Ben said that he must have been dreaming about breakfast.

Liam, in a disgusted tone, said "I wasn't even asleep. I couldn't get to sleep all night!"

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face and poor Liam was very upset that I didn't believe him. Still laying in bed, he rolled over to face the wall, with a "Hmph!"

He is always saying that he doesn't sleep. Not sure why but it does sound a bit like he feels he'd be admitting defeat if he told us the truth. Not sure why because Ben and I certainly love our sleep!!

We're Back!

2008-03-13T08:34:00.004+10:00

We apologise for the break in programming. We will return to normal programming as soon as possible.

We are back from a long hiatus, Liam and Ewan's World is still alive and well, so sit back and enjoy a few tales on us.

Chugga Chugga Chugga

2007-08-02T08:38:00.000+10:00

Dress Ups

2007-07-09T15:53:00.000+10:00

The boys have been loving dressing up lately - here are a few pics of their costumes -

Ewan's 3!

2007-07-09T14:46:00.000+10:00

Wow! My baby is 3! My baby is not a baby at all!!

Ewan turned 3 on Friday, the 7th of July. He took it all in his stride and was Mr Cool the whole day. He's such a little character - I know he enjoyed it - but I'm pretty sure Liam showed more excitement than Ewan about it!! Liam made sure we were all up early, waking us with a call of "Ewan, it's your birthday!!!! Ewan you're 3 now!!" over and over again! Presents were unwrapped, breakfast had and we headed out for the day to a wildlife park down the coast.

The boys had a ball seeing all the native animals - koalas, emus, kangaroos, snakes were among the favourites. There was also a miniture steam train that we rode on to take us around the park which was a highlight for Ewan - he kept wanting to stay on when it was time to get off! We ended the day with birthday cake for dinner - a chocolate cake in the shape of a reindeer (well kind of.... I gave it my best shot!!) - Ewan's special request.

Ewan is such a sweet boy with so much charm and character. He never fails to make me smile and he warms my heart with his cuddles. Even when he's being cheeky, he's cute and it is so hard to be upset with him. He is definately going to be one of those people that everyone likes - he already is!! It's amazing how different he and Liam are and it's great watching them grow up together and and I'm looking forward to seeing Ewan develop into his own self - rather than copying everything Liam does!!

Happy Birthday gorgeous boy and may the years ahead be magical and full of adventures!

Trampoline Fun!

2007-07-09T14:39:00.000+10:00

We are the proud owners of a trampoline now!! Thanks to all who helped out with donations and birthday money - it will certainly be put to good use!!

This clip is of the boys on it shortly after assembly was complete..... Ben's only comment on that - "We'd better not be moving for a long time!".

Ewan Quits the Thumb!

2007-06-09T07:41:00.000+10:00

Well, I think it's safe to post this now! It's been four nights since Ewan last sucked his thumb and I'm pretty sure he's stopped for good!

I was putting him to bed on Tuesday night and noticed that he didn't suck his thumb while he went off to sleep. Same thing for the next three nights and I don't think he's been sucking it during the day either - unless he's got a secret hideout especially for that - though it's unlikely because he is rarely far from me!!

So that's it. My baby is a big(ish!) boy - no nappies, no breastfeeding, no thumb sucking - Ewan has really had some huge changes over the past year. I'm amazed though at how easy it has been for him to move on from things like breastfeeding and thumb sucking, that he had such a huge obsession with.

This is probably the last photo I have of the thumb in the mouth! Just after he fell asleep at mum's - thumb in mouth, glowstick in hand!

Quad Bike Rides with Dida!

2007-05-29T08:36:00.000+10:00

Another highlight of going to the farm, is being able to ride on the quad bikes. Dida loves taking the boys out on them and they have a ball!

More Farm Photos!

2007-05-29T08:27:00.000+10:00

The River

Mum's Pond

Beautiful Tree

Pivot Irrigation Line on an Oat Crop

A Trip To The Farm

2007-05-27T19:42:00.000+10:00

We went on a last minute trip to the farm last week. I happened to be talking to my dad last Saturday and we organised for my brother and his girlfriend to give us a lift out to the farm. We stayed from Sunday to Friday and then my mum drove us home.

Mum and dad weren't expecting us to visit so they didn't have a lot of time to spend with us. It didn't really matter though. It was so nice for me to spend some time with the boys doing different things and not having any other committments to interrupt us. We went for walks down to the river, explored the river bank, climbed trees and hid in mud caves. We saw wallabies, horses, dogs, chickens and cats. The boys had a huge fear of the dogs and cat at the farm though which limited them a little as they were both petrified about going outside. I found it really hard to cope with - especially seeing as the dog and cat really didn't show any interest in the boys! The dog could be 50 meters away and Liam would start screaming, which in turn would set Ewan off!

Mum's garden is lovely and there are so many places to play and explore. The "Cubby House", as Liam calls it, is one of their favourites. It's a big old tree that is great for climbing and hiding in. Our river walks were great too. We would walk down together in the morning, checking out rocks and trees along the way. Bob, the dog, would run ahead looking for wallabies to chase. One morning we were walking along when we heard Bob barking. Next thing we knew, there was a wallaby bounding straight for us. The boys and I stood still, both of them clinging tightly to my legs while the wallaby went around us. It was great - very exciting! The walk leads down to the river crossing. At Christmas, when we were there last, the river was flowing quite strongly. Now though it's very shallow and there is only a small trickle. We made a bridge out of logs and crossed over to explore the other side of the river bank. The bank on the other side has eroded up the top (from floods mostly) so there are big caves in the mud. We played hide and seek there with mum one day and the boys were hiding in these little caves - Liam even crawled through a tunnel under ground! Freaked me out a bit when I started to think about the possibility of all that dirt collapsing on him! He loved it though!

We also got to see my cousins and their children while we were out there. Their kids are the same ages as the boys so it was great to catch up with them.

In my typical style, I took HEAPS of photos! While the boys were busy exploring, I was clicking away and got some great shots. I had a great time experimenting with the camera.

Caramel Biscuits!

2007-05-19T16:53:00.000+10:00

Well they're actually "Caramel Cookies" according to the recipe but we don't do "cookies" in this house - biscuits all the way!

I'm making my second batch of these as I type (waiting for the caramel to cool), they are deliciously simple and were a big hit with the 3 boys!

So here's the recipe....

Caramel Cookies

Serves: 36
Quick and easy to make and kids love them.

Ingredients
125 g butter
125 g sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250 g self-raising flour

Method
Melt butter in a saucepan.
Add sugar, golden syrup, milk and vanilla essence.
Boil gently for five minutes.
Cool, then add to flour.
(If you are doing this with the kids, discreetly have them leave the kitchen while you lick the saucepan clean - the caramel is divine!!)
Roll into walnut-sized balls (best to do all the mixture at once as it is hard to roll once it dries out). P
lace on greased baking tray and flatten with a fork.
Bake in moderate oven for 10-12 minutes.
From www.bestrecipes.com.au

Rules of Communication (according to Liam and Ewan)

2007-05-19T16:15:00.000+10:00

So the boys are big talkers (at least at home - they get a bit shy when they're out!) - no one is ever without anything to say and they both want to be in the limelight with all the attention on them when they are talking.

They have 5 Golden Rules (and probably a 100 other minor ones!) :

Rule No. 1 - If they are talking, we must listen!

Rule No. 2 - We must listen until they want to stop talking.

Rule No. 3 - Everything that they say should be classed as URGENT and deserves immediate attention.

Rule No. 4 - If each statement is not acknowledged, they will repeat it 10 times just to make sure that we are listening.

Rule No. 5 - If we do not agree or their requests are not granted they will repeat it 100 times before they give up.

Ewan is getting quite good with getting across what he wants to say, though we still get stuck sometimes. We will keep taking guesses, while he says angrily and frustrated, "NO not that!". Then when we get it he'll exclaim in a matter of fact voice,

"That what me talkin' 'bout"

Very funny - especially the tone of voice!

Liam is understood easily enough, but the problem with him is that he just wants to talk and talk all day - and no, not hold a conversation with me - but for HIM to do the talking and me to do the listening and no one ever to interrupt. He gets very stroppy if he's interrupted, though it's ok for him to do it. As soon as he says "Excuse Me mum", I must stop whatever conversation I am having to listen to him. If I don't, he tells me "It's really important!". So I stop and listen, and Liam usually has something to say along these lines.... "So, in Star Wars, why did Obi-Wan......." - very important to an almost 5 year old, who loves Star Wars!!

Liam is also very authoritative - I overheard him and Ewan in the bath the other night, Liam was saying "Ewan, look up at the roof. Put your head back so I can pour water on your head" - and yes, there was Ewan, looking at the ceiling obidiently!!

Happy Mother's Day..... for last week!!

2007-05-19T07:55:00.000+10:00

To all the wonderful mother's out there - I hope that you had a great day surrounded by those that love you!

To the world you might be just one person, But to just one person you might be the world!

We had a quiet morning at home with the boys cooking me breakfast and then playing together so that I could have a break. Afterwards we went out for a lovely lunch with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, brother, my mum and dad, and my mum's cousin from Italy, Laura. It rained too - first good rain fall for ages - so a lovely thing to wake up to.

My Three Boys!

2007-05-19T07:52:00.000+10:00

Aren't they gorgeous!

A Morning At The Park

2007-05-06T07:44:00.000+10:00

We went to the park a few weeks ago. The boys had a ball on their bikes and playing together.

Anyway - the pictures pretty much speak for themselves so I won't write too much!

Our Family Portrait By Liam

2007-04-27T07:42:00.000+10:00

Liam's description of it:

Daddy is the fat one

I am the one with the catterpillar body.

And Daddy added:

Ewan is the potato

What do I think?

At least Ben has ears, a mouth and a belly button! I am lacking in those departments - but I am the only one with feet so that's a bonus!

I'll Time You!

2007-04-27T07:27:00.000+10:00

Last night Liam, with Nonna's help, Liam took the custard apple seeds and washed them so that he could use them for craft. While he was drying them they all spilled out onto the floor.

So Liam called out to Nonna and asked her to pick them up. She said that she was busy and asked him to do it.

Clever Liam replied with "You can do it Nonna. I'll time you! Let's see how fast you can go!", with just the right level of excitement in his voice to make her think that him timing her would make it fun.... as we do to him!!

A Few Of Our Favourite Things....

2007-04-24T16:26:00.000+10:00

Liam:

Ewan:

Ewan's Special Language

2007-04-24T15:13:00.000+10:00

Ewan has been making up his own special little language. He says it in this little, high pitched voice - it's very cute and he knows it too!!

Here's a rundown of his words so far:

Yeppy Yeppy - Yes

Nopey Nopey - No

Loopy Loopy - Ewan

Reddy Reddy - Mummy

Doody - Daddy

Not exactly a complete language but he is always using the words he's thought up so far!

Gingerbread Biscuits!

2007-04-19T15:19:00.000+10:00

We made gingerbread biscuits today and the boys decorated them!

Easter

2007-04-09T15:25:00.000+10:00

For Easter we all went out to Pop's house. The boys had a wonderful time - and Heather's grandchildren were there too so they were lucky to have playmates there.

The boys got to explore the bush block, shovel horse poo, help feed the horses, have wheelbarrow rides, and best of all, hunt for Easter Eggs!

Ewan Can Draw Too!

2007-04-05T07:33:00.000+10:00

Well he's always been able to draw - I just never knew what it was until now!!

I think Liam's drawing bug is spreading - Ewan drew his first picture last night - a spider with a happy face!

Liam Spelt A Word!

2007-04-02T16:54:00.000+10:00

Liam spelt his first word today!

We were sitting at the table together finishing breakfast when Liam started saying "Leo". Then he said "Llll-leo. Leo starts with L".

Wow! I was suprised! So I asked him what comes next and started sounding out the word Leo. And he got it!

I know it's a simple word but I am one proud Mother!

Catch Up!

2007-04-01T14:38:00.000+10:00

Well a long break but I'm here again! I have had a killer of a sore back for a couple of weeks - spent one whole week laying in bed, unable to sit or stand for more than 5 minutes. Talk about a drastic cure for my internet addiction!! My back is still on the mend too so have made a slow come back.

The boys are doing marvilously well. Liam seems to have grown up in the blink of an eye and Ewan is not far behind him. Thought I'd do a little timeline as a catch up and record of what's been going on:

9 March, 2007...

Ben and I spent our first night away from the boys! It was bliss having some time alone together. We went to a wedding up the coast, spent the night there, had a late breakfast out and a swim at the beach - heaven! The boys stayed with my mum for the night and had a ball despite her migrain! While we were away Ewan obviously had no breastmilk and then when we returned weaned quickly.

So after 2 years and 9 months of breastfeeding, Ewan is officially weaned! I fed Liam for 18 months, had a 5 month break, and then started feeding Ewan, which makes a total of 3.5 years of breastfeeding for me. Got to be proud of that!

12 March, 2007...

Mum stayed with us for the weekend and part of the following week after the wedding. The boys love having her around and it has been great having her stay more frequently with us this year. We have new neighbours next door and mum had them over to do some ear candling. They have 3 children aged 10, 7 and 3 - 2 boys and a girl. They are from Cape Town, South Africa, and very friendly. We've really enjoyed getting to know them and the boys are loving having kids to play with. There are also 2 children at the end of the street from El Salvador, and most afternoons they all gather in the cul de sac to play together.

Ewan is having a bit of an energy burst! He's on the go all the time and is really into climbing and jumping at the moment. He'd never really done much of both before but now he's fearless and climbing up everything with great skill, and then the rest of the time he's jumping around the house like a little rabbitt!

17th March, 2007...

I had had a sore back for a few weeks and after a trip to the dentist it all gave way. It went in to spasms and was inflamed and really painful. It all started on a Saturday too so just had to grin and bear it till I could see someone on the Monday. I spent the whole week resting in bed. Ben took the Monday off but after that it was just the boys and I. I was still in a fair bit of pain and couldn't stand or sit for more than 5-10 minutes - I was in tears as Ben drove off to work on the Tuesday. Just the thought of having to cope with the boys all by myself was scary! It all went beautifully though and the boys were fantastic. I was so proud of them - they barely argued, weren't demanding, and were so helpful. After that week in bed I was much better - and wouldn't you know it the boys were back to their old selves - at least I know how great they can be if it's needed.

My back is much better now - though still a bit sore at times with too much sitting so still not on here a lot. Have a couple of things to post so will be back soon though!

Liam's First Drawing!

2007-03-05T15:26:00.000+10:00

I asked Liam if he wanted to draw a picture for Pop today. So he sat down with a red crayon and this is what he came up with - a spaceship with fire coming out of the bottom and a man in the top. His first drawing that isn't scribbles - very proud!

Beach Fun

2007-02-26T19:16:00.000+10:00

We have been to the beach a few times this year and the boys have been loving it. We found the best spot to go to with kids - it's up the north coast and has a lake coming off from the ocean. So on one side you have a large, calm, shallow lake to paddle and float around (very relaxing!) and on the other side a patrolled beach. It's great!

Ewan is a bit scared of the waves but loves running around the lake. He's ok with sitting on the sand and letting the waves break on him too. Check out this pic of him and Ben being swept under a wave!!

Liam loves the waves! He has absolutely no fear and just keeps walking further and further out into the water! He gets knocked over and dumped by the waves but stills has a huge smile on his face.

Such a great day out and something that we all enjoy.

Garden Success!

2007-02-26T19:01:00.000+10:00

We have finally had some success with our garden! We got a bumper harvest (well compared to last year where we didn't get anything!!) of tomatoes a couple of weeks ago. They were great - used them up in our pasta sauces, casseroles, and even made a tomato sauce with them to dip corn fritters in - Yum! We have heaps of mint grown, plus basil, and rosemary. Our paw paw tree is taller than Liam now - he's quite impressed by that! And we have heaps of paw paw seedlings growing for companions for it - you need a male and a female paw paw tree for them to fruit. We've had two rockmelons - one was lost to fruit flies but the other was eaten in under 24 hours! It was super sweet and just delicious! Very proud of that!!

We've got one tomato plant still going well at the moment, more rockmelons and also some pumpkins growing. Oh and I think I have a couple of capsicum plants too but not sure - they just sprouted from our kitchen scraps so we'll have to wait and see what they are!

Dancing Boy!

2007-02-25T12:51:00.000+10:00

Liam has always had an aversion to dancing, that is until I made him some new pants.........

I wanted to take a photo of Liam in his new pants, we had Cuban music playing in the background, and Liam was suddenly transformed into a dancing boy! Luckily, he wasn't shy and was more than happy for me to take some video clips - and lots of them!!

P.S. Sorry about the shaky videoing! Ewan was on my lap and wriggling around!!

When I grow up.....

2007-02-23T14:49:00.000+10:00

Liam has always said that he doesn't want to grow up. That he wants to stay at home with us forever and play with his toys!

Last week though all this changed. Pop and Heather asked him if he wanted to go to school. He said that he wanted to go to Uni when he is an adult. He wants to learn how to build robots at Uni.

Amazing thing is that I could so picture him doing this! Not like my crazy dreams as a young girl - I used to think that I could be an Olympic swimmer and a runner at the Olympics!!

It's weird thinking of all the possibilities that the future holds. I often wonder what life will be like when the boys are adults and what type of men they will be. It used to be absolutely, unimaginable that the boys would one day grow to be men. Now that Liam is getting older though it's becoming easier to see. Still can't get used to the fact that they will one day have facial hair though!!

Best Brother?

2007-02-10T16:44:00.000+10:00

Ewan is sprawled out on the couch sleeping with his head resting on Ben. The boys had a late night last night with their Nonna and Dida here, and then a busy day today.

I was looking at Ewan and stroking his leg - his skin is so soft! And I said to Liam, "Is Ewan the best brother you've ever had?".

Liam replies with, "Hmmm, not really."

Ha Ha Ha!

Mummy's Tummy

2007-02-06T22:26:00.000+10:00

So part of my New Years Resolutions was to excersise and lose weight.

It's been 5 weeks now and I am definately getting toned up. The boys have been doing regular checks of me and my tummy. The first couple of weeks, I'd come home from running in the morning and Liam would take a look at my tummy. He'd say "It's still big mum".

Tonight he asked to see my tummy after dinner. I lifted my top and Liam exclaimed with suprise, "Wow it's tiny now. You can stop excersising!".

Aww thanks Liam - I think the light was playing tricks on your eyes though and now I won't stop excersising - I'm liking it too much!

Liam's Life as A Big Brother and his Cuddly Little Brother

2007-01-16T22:12:00.000+10:00

Liam is a laugh. Today over at Annie's house Liam came out with some funny things. We were sitting around the kitchen table - eating and drinking tea, while Ewan amused himself by plopping grapes into his glass of water before eating them or spitting them whole out of his mouth. Liam, in his usual way, with his serious face says,

"I'm only a little bit cheeky.
Ewan is much more cheeky than me.
Sometimes he says he wants to play with me,
I go and play with him and he just walks away.
He annoys me sometimes and talks too much so
I have to go to my room to have a break."

Ewan meanwhile worked his charm and sweetness over Annie and Matt. He'd already won them over long ago but today probably took 1st Prize. Ewan gives the best cuddles - he wraps his little arms all the way around your neck and squeezes, pushing his cheek against you. It is such an amazing feeling and you just feel so much love. So Annie had a special cuddle and then asked if he would give Matt one. He said yes and she took him over to Matt. Ewan just wrapped his arms around Matt's neck and rested his head against his chest. The look on Matt's face was priceless and you could see how happy it made him. It was such a special moment.

Sleeping Arrangements

2007-01-15T22:42:00.000+10:00

We've been having a bit of musical beds around here. Ewan still likes to sleep with me and Liam is now wanting to sleep with someone again too.

We have had a bit of success with Liam and Ewan sleeping in a double bed together - they have actually both slept through the night a couple of times together which has been great! Trouble is getting them to sleep together because Liam wants Ben beside him and Ewan wants me - the four of us squished in a double bed doesn't really work!!

Sometimes we start off with Ewan in his own bed and then he comes to me (or usually I go and get him) during the night. The other night he was pretty tired and when he woke in the middle of the night was in a bit of a funny mood. So I took him to the toilet and then said that he could come to my bed - it is pretty uncomfortable sleeping in the single bed with him. He sat down in the doorway to my room and said "No mummy, me no sleep with mummy. No sleep with mummy" again and again. During this he laid down on the floor, and after a moment there was silence. I look down and he's dead to the world, fast asleep on the floor.

Drought

2007-01-12T13:23:00.000+10:00

It looks so green at the farm in all those pictures I posted!

It's actually not really that lush there. They are in a drought - just that they irrigate lucerne crops. Mum also keeps her garden quite green - without it their house would be choking with all the dust. Not to mention how much hotter it is without the trees and plants surrounding the house.

Farm Visit - Part Two!

2007-01-12T08:06:00.000+10:00

Here are some pics of our water fight! The BIG boys are Uncle Peter and Uncle Andrew. The little boys are Liam (in the red hat) and his cousins, Alastair and Joseph - Ewan slept through the whole thing! Even my mum and I got soaked!

Farm Visit - Part One!

2007-01-11T16:28:00.000+10:00

We had a great time out at my parent's farm between Christmas and New Year. My brother and sister-in-law were visiting with their three kids as well so the boys had a ball together. They have two boys the same age as Liam and Ewan and also a daughter who is 7 months old.

We went down to the river a few times - the boys loved throwing rocks in. We threw in bark "boats" for them to bomb with the rocks which was a big hit!

They fed a couple of lambs that mum put in a special yard for the kids to see. Picked all of my mum's strawberries and ate them straight out of the garden. She also has a good climbing tree that they spent ages in.

We had a big BBQ brunch one morning too and had a bunch of my cousins and aunt and uncle plus a huge tribe of my second cousins. Was great catching up with everyone and we ended the visit with a huge water fight! It was so much fun - especially considering that we are on very tight water restrictions where we live so water play is non-existent! My brothers were the main instigators and the kids were happy to play along!

Liam and Ewan had such a good time that they didn't want to leave! We will have to go out more often this year - though being 4 hours away it does get hard to fit in with all the others things that we have going on.

I have more photos to put up so will do another post for them!

A New Year - 2007 is Here!

2007-01-07T21:05:00.000+10:00

Happy New Year!

We started the new year off with colds and being over tired from our trip out to my parent's farm. Not a great way to start it but not much you can do about it. We have a tradition where we go for a picnic breakfast each New Year's Day - we usually go early and are the only ones in the park. I take photos of everyone and we play together. We tried to do it this year but with all of us a bit grumpy and sick it wasn't quite as fun as usual! Still we did have a nice time once we got over the tears and arguments! We went to a park near the river and had fruit salad and yogurt. Then spent the rest of the day at home relaxing and trying to get over our colds!

Ben went back to work on the 2nd and life returned to normal for us. Ben had 3 weeks off for Christmas. It was lovely and we all had a great time but were so busy with everything that we really needed to settle back into our usual routine. The boys and I have had a great first week and I'm hoping that my motivation, patience and energy will see me through the new year.

I have a few things I want to do this year and I'm on track so far but it is early days!

** To get into more of a routine with the boys and be more organised so that we have activities planned and materials at hand.

** To spend more time looking after myself and doing things for me - i.e. lose weight and excersise more!

** To go exploring as a family - bushwalking, camping, day trips to new towns etc

I am going to start doing a weekly post recording our activities for the week. I think it will be good to look back on and a nice record of our year. Might also help to keep me motivated! Fingers Crossed!!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-26T20:48:00.000+10:00

Merry Christmas for Yesterday!

We had a great day - how could you not with two energetic, excited boys and lots of new toys and things to play with???

Liam bounded out of bed as soon as his eyes opened. I was already up, when he ran out of his room yelling, "It's Christmas!". So much joy and excitement in his voice and I'm sure the whole neighbourhood heard him - Liam wasn't born with a volume control unfortunately! Poor Ewan was jumped on until he woke from his deep sleep - once the word "presents" was mentioned it didn't take him long to run out to the tree.

The boys scored well and were very happy with everything they got. There were watering cans, books, an ant farm, water pistols, an art easle and paints, a rocket launcher, and cuddly horse cushions among other things.

The morning was spent trying out new toys. Then we headed to my grandparents house for an Italian style feast. With lasagne, glazed ham and salads no one went hungry - especially once we'd had dessert and then afternoon tea! We stayed there the whole afternoon and by the time we left for home the boys were exhausted! They fell asleep in the car on the way home and didn't wake till this morning! Ben and I enjoyed a nice quiet night for a change.

Today we've been shopping at the sales. Ben needed new work clothes. Liam has been full of questions about Santa. How did he get in our house? Is he real? Is he a real man? I told him that Santa is real if he believes he's real. He kept asking again and again. I finally said to him - Do you want to know the truth? How will you feel if he's not real? Liam's reply - But he IS real mum! Needless to say I didn't come out with it! Ewan, meanwhile, started taunting Liam saying - Santa's not real! Over and over again! Cheeky monkey! Liam just kept yelling back at him - He is real!! Funny boys!

Twas the night before Christmas......

2006-12-24T19:30:00.000+10:00

The boys are tucked into their beds fast asleep and probably dreaming delicious dreams about Santa and all things Christmas!

They are so excited about Christmas this year! Liam has been talking about it for weeks. Today they were playing and singing together (see the video below) - their song went like this -
"Christmas Time, Christmas Time, Open presents from Santa and Mummy and Daddy, Christmas Time, Christmas Time"

They were singing it over and over again at the top of their voices! I couldn't help but smile, thinking of how great it was to have so much excitement and joy in the house - you just don't feel it on such a grand scale when you don't have little children in your life. Not sure if the neighbours appreciated it though!!!

We've had a busy couple of days but it has been great. We got to catch up with Aunty Nadia and Uncle Anthony yesterday. The boys had a ball seeing them. We went to the fireworks with Anthony and his girlfriend Jess last night. The boys had been out most of the day yesterday, had no sleeps (despite their late night the night before) but were still full of energy at the fireworks - running around with their glow sticks, jumping on Jess, and wrestling with Anthony. It was great seeing them play together! Liam began Star Wars education for Jess while she was here too - he brought out his book about it and took Jess through the whole story. She's never seen Star Wars (neither has he but he knows all about it!!) so Liam felt it was his duty to introduce her to it!! Was so funny listening to him preaching to her. Ewan was just content to cuddle and smile and run around getting them to chase him - always the little charmer - he knows that a cute smile goes a long way!!

Well our Christmas presents are all wrapped, gingerbread, carrots and a drink have been left out for Santa, and the stockings are filled (Santa is very efficient this year!!) so I am off to bed - I think it will be an early start tomorrow morning!

Sleep tight and will have lots of news tomorrow evening I'm sure!

Christmas Song

2006-12-24T16:53:00.000+10:00

Liam and Ewan made up a Christmas song today - here they are singing it for you!

Ewan's Evil Eyes

2006-12-10T08:21:00.000+10:00

Ewan has this face he pulls at odd moments followed by lots of giggles! He usually does it while we're eating dinner. Taking a mouthfull of food, then going quiet, he looks over at me and makes eye, then the Evil Eyes come out.

I tried to catch it with the camera the other day. This is pretty close to how it looks - so funny! At the rate we're going, Ewan will be the entertainer/performer and Liam will be the crazy inventor - Definately makes for some interesting times at our place!!

Christmas Tree!

2006-12-03T12:17:00.000+10:00

We put our Christmas Tree up today. The boys are so excited about Christmas! It's so much fun with them and being able to experience Christmas through the eyes of a child again is so precious.

Fire Station Visit

2006-11-29T11:41:00.000+10:00

Our homeschooling playgroup went to a fire station yesterday. It was fantastic! Very interesting and we even got to see a real call-out! About 5 minutes into our tour the alarm went off - just a digital beeping noise, not a huge clanging bell! So we all had to move out of the way and off they went, sirens blaring. We thought the tour was over then and started making plans. We'd just decided to head to a local park, when the fire truck pulled back in to the station. It was a false alarm so we got to check out the truck a bit more and everyone got to get in too. The kids were crawling all through the cabin and sitting up on the drivers seat playing with the steering wheel. I even jumped in with Ewan - it was great - very comfortable!

Afterwards we all went to the park for lunch and the boys (we have about 6 boys aged between 2 and 4 that come!) were all excited and going crazy! They had a great time though once they settled down!

Liam The Creator

2006-11-29T08:08:00.000+10:00

Liam is always busy creating things. Give him a roll of sticky tape, some toilet rolls, old boxes, any bits of rubbish really - and he's in heaven! He wakes at around 4:30/5am every morning and gets straight into it. He's been making some interesting things lately.

Here's his space helmet:

And his oxygen tank:

Afternoon Entertainment: Cardboard Boxes and A Hill

2006-11-29T07:37:00.000+10:00

This is the boys' favourite afternoon entertainment! It's just out the front of our house - we have an extremely steep front yard - perfect for sliding down! Certainly puts all our packing boxes to good use!

Ewan's Vehicle of Choice:

Crash!

Liam Rolling Down:

Visit to Pop's House

2006-11-25T08:37:00.000+10:00

We went up to see Pop and Heather's new house. It's not finished yet but they have certainly come a long way - it's looking great and we all loved it!

Heather's grandchildren, Candice and Memphis, were visiting too so the kids had a great time playing and exploring together. They also got to help decorate the Christmas Tree!

Sleeping Buddies

2006-11-24T08:28:00.000+10:00

Ben was out last night so I put the boys to sleep in my bed. I lay in between them until they went to sleep. Later when we went to go to bed the boys were all snuggled up together.

Chef Liam

2006-11-17T19:52:00.000+10:00

We had lunch at Nonna Lucy's house today. Chef Liam decided to create his own recipe. He was very proud of it and we all had to have a taste. He told Nonna Lucy that now she knew how to make it, she could cook it for dinner!

Here's the recipe -

Bread Pasta

Ingredients:
Cooked Pasta
Bread Rolls

Method:

1. Pull bread roll apart making lots of bread crumbs.

2. Mix bread crumbs through pasta.

3. Enjoy!

My Big Boy is Growing Up

2006-11-09T21:57:00.000+10:00

This is Liam's 2nd night away from us. He went home with Nonna and Dida on Wednesday afternoon to stay with them for a few days on the farm. He was very excited and couldn't wait to go. I was nervous and didn't want to let go.

On Tuesday night, we had a bit of a talk - had some making up to do after a few angry episodes from both of us.

I said to Liam - "I'm going to miss you so much when you go to Nonna's." (I started crying)

Liam, very matter of fact - "I'll call you mum. You'll get to talk to me on the phone you know."

Me - Sobbing and laughing at the same time

He just sounded so grown up. Something you think of a teenager saying - not your 4 year old!

So Wednesday came and we spent most of the day together. It was really nice. Ewan conveniently went to sleep early, so Liam and I had some special time together doing craft and having morning tea. I made sure I talked to him and really listened to him. My heart was so full of love. Sometimes you forget how much you love them when they get older and so much more assertive. You have to look harder for the warm wonderful side when there have been days of being grumpy and both of us wanting different things. Liam and I are very much alike - both stubborn and like things a particular way - certainly makes life interesting! But he is also wonderfully warm and caring. Creative and funny. Clever and innovative - the things he can make out of a toilet roll and a cereal box amaze me!!

Saying goodbye was hard. I tried to hold back the tears but I couldn't. I told him how much I loved him and said goodbye. He said "I love you mummy" in his sweet, sincere little voice.

The house is so quiet without Liam. I knew that he talks a lot but it's only now without his constant questions that I realise just how much! Ewan asks about Liam a lot and has been saying things like "Here's a balloon for Lee (that's how he says Liam!)" forgetting that he's not here. He is enjoying it though and is getting in as much talk as he can while he has the chance! Ewan's been running around and loving the freedom to do what he wants instead of what Liam wants.

We've talked to Liam and he is having a great time too. Keeping busy with all the action of the farm work - lots of tractors and driving in trucks - all things he loves. I'm sure we'll be hearing about it for weeks afterwards!

We are going to pick him up tomorrow night. I can't wait to see him!

Melbourne Cup Luncheon!

2006-11-07T17:49:00.000+10:00

We have our Homeschool Playgroup every fortnight and today was a playgroup day. So to celebrate the Melbourne Cup we had our own luncheon complete with hat making and our very own stick horse race!

It was a great day and everyone had a ball.

How 'Bout Nonna!

2006-11-05T07:09:00.000+10:00

How 'bout Nonna - has become a common phrase around here thanks to Ewan.

Goes something like this........

Me: Who's bed do you want to sleep in?

Ewan: Nonna's bed. Me like sleeping with Nonna.

Me: What about Mummy?

Ewan: How 'bout Nonna.

or

Me: Guess who loves you? (meaning me!)

Ewan: Nonna!

Me: What about Mummy?

Ewan: How 'bout Nonna.

He knows how funny I think it is now so he says it all the time. Cheeky monkey!

Don't Lose Weight Mum!

2006-11-02T07:32:00.000+10:00

Liam was up before 5am again this morning. I played with him for a little bit while Ben slept. Just after 5:30 though I decided to go for a walk.

I woke up Ben and asked him to get up so I could go. He was a bit eager with his yes and I jokingly said "Oh so you think I need to lose weight!".

Liam heard this and said "Don't lose weight mum! You'll be too short if you lose weight".

A New House

2006-11-01T21:16:00.000+10:00

Well here we are in our new house and with life back to normal.

We found a house in a nearby suburb - not exactly where we wanted to be - but we didn't have much choice! We only found this place a week or so before we needed to move out of the old place!

It is working out great though and must have been meant to be! It's a great place with 4 bedrooms, seperate lounge and dining, all on one level, and with a nice size yard. We've already started our garden and have lots of herbs and a few tomato plants in - with more to come! The boys are loving it and it really feels like home.

The move went well though with being sick in the weeks leading up - first with gastro and then head colds - it was pretty full on. We got there though as always and have been here for almost a month now! Time flies - especially at this time of year! Can't believe it's getting close to Christmas already!!

5th Wedding Anniversay

2006-09-29T22:10:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow is mine and Ben's 5th Wedding Anniversary! Can't believe how quickly 5 years have flown by and how much our lives have changed since that day - the arrival of two little boys certainly helped with that!!

We were telling Liam about it today. I asked him what we should do to celebrate (we don't have anything planned!). Liam said that we should have chocolate cake with cream and strawberries. He thinks the cake should be in the shape of a rocket - just like the one he had for his 3rd birthday - but without a number 3.

We didn't get the house we applied for - the owner has decided not to rent it out anymore. So I told Liam that we could have cake tomorrow but will have to go look at some houses as well. The look on his face was priceless - so dissappointed and sad - as he said "Oh no not tomorrow, I don't want to do that tomorrow - not on our anniversary!".

Unwanted Guest

2006-09-28T20:38:00.000+10:00

We had an unwanted guest stay with us last week. He goes by the name of Gastro. He over stayed his welcome - a full week - and we are still getting back into the swing of things now. Left us all feeling washed out and tired. Don't know who invited him here because I sure didn't!!

Our search for a new house to live in continues. We found the perfect place yesterday and put in an application. Trying not to get my hopes up too much just in case we don't get it. At the same time I'm hoping madly that we do get it - I really want to have a date set for our move and an end in sight. It feels like our whole life is on hold at the moment waiting to move and wondering when it will be. So keep your fingers crossed for us! Hopefully I will have some good news soon!

A Night Out!

2006-09-10T22:03:00.000+10:00

Last night I had my 10 year school reunion - in Toowoomba. So I was very brave and left Ewan for the first night ever!

We all survived and thrived! It was great! 24 hours alone! I did have a bit of a cry saying goodbye and driving there (big sook!) but after that had a great night.

Ben looked after the boys and they had a great time. Ewan got a bit upset during the night but only for about 10 mins and then resettled.

I came home this afternoon after brunch and browsing garden shops with Aunty Margaret and a friend of hers. The boys were happy to see me when I got home but not too concerned that I had actually been away. I asked them if they had a good time and they both said they had and then Liam said I could go away again! Hmmm the next reunion is 10 years away so I had better find another excuse while the offer is there! It was soooooo nice to have a break!

What was Ben's secret to success?? Movies to watch, popcorn, juice, biscuits, Star Wars games, and cubby house building - kept busy with special treats and full bellies!

Moving House Again!

2006-09-06T21:28:00.000+10:00

I have been putting off writing this post as I've been a bit pissed off about it all.

We got a letter from our Real Estate agent last week informing us that our lease ends on October 15. The owners are selling the house and we need to move by the end of the lease. We knew from the start that they wanted to sell the house but I had hoped we could stay while they were selling the house - and back in January, October seemed soooo far away!

I am so not ready to leave yet! I really like this house and have been wallowing in a bit of self pity! Am pulling myself together though and we have a few rentals to look at this week so will keep my fingers crossed!

Liam and Ewan are taking it ok. We were telling them about it last week and Ewan said "Me move Nonna house"! Meanwhile Liam suggested that we get Nonna to buy us a house! Liam keeps asking me why other people don't have to move - like when we were at my grandparents house he asked if they were moving house and why not! Guess it must seem a bit strange for him that we move all the time when everyone else stays put!

A Busy Weekend!

2006-09-03T22:06:00.000+10:00

We have had a huge weekend!

We went on trip to the coast to visit Pop and Heather on Saturday. Uncle Damien and Hazel were up from Tasmania too so we got to spend some time with them as well. Liam and Ewan loved seeing them all again! They tend to get VERY excited when Uncle Damien is around so there was lots of screaming, laughter, and running around! Heather has just had surgery to replace discs in her back so she was still very fragile. Liam was fascinated by the details of her op but also very sweet - he kept stopping to go over and give her cuddles - so lovely! They were staying in a hotel across from the beach while Heather recovered before her 1 week checkup. We went over for a walk to the beach and it was great! The boys had a ball building castle in the sand and I always love to walk along the beach - so relaxing! We'll have to do it more often! To top it off the boys both fell asleep in the car on the way home - at around 4:30pm and didn't wake till 6:30am the next morning!!! Ben and I were shocked! Was lovely having a peaceful night after such a big day though.

Today is Father's Day! Liam has been hanging out for today - we got Ben a clone trooper and a Yoda toy (from Star Wars) so Liam has been itching to play with them! Ben also had a special breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, sausages and baked beans this morning - was great for a change! The boys had a great time with the new Star Wars toys but sadly Yoda has dissappeared! We have no idea where he is and have searched the whole house for him. Ewan was the last to have him so God only knows where he is! Probably with the piglet and white tiger toys he got for his birthday!!

We also went to a 4th birthday party for one of Liam's friends today. It was at a miniture train track so we all had plenty of rides on the little steam trains - it was great. After the party we made our way home for a rest before Uncle Damien arrived. The boys were in heaven with Uncle Damien and Hazel here - they had the best time and everyone was worn out by the end of it!! Damien and Hazel shouted dinner for Ben and I while they babysat. We arrived home just after the boys had fallen asleep and Damien was flaked on the couch saying to us that he didn't know how we did it!

A very busy weekend but a great one too - so good to catch up with family and to have time together. I always love it when the boys are with their Uncles/Aunts - they always enjoy it so much - we are very lucky to have such a great family!

Happy Birthday Alastair - 4 Today!!!

2006-08-29T06:09:00.000+10:00

Hope you have a fantastic birthday Alastair! Have lots of fun, laughter, and hope you enjoy being 4!

Happy Birthday Uncle Damien!

2006-08-29T06:05:00.000+10:00

Have a great day Uncle Damien! Hope you have fun and we will have to have some cake with you when you visit! See you soon!

Ewan and His "Boo-ees"

2006-08-28T22:17:00.000+10:00

Seems Ewan has an addiction. He's always been very attatched to my breastmilk but lately it's become quite serious. He has his hand down my top for a good part of the day - pretty much the whole time we're together. Drives me insane but he goes even more insane if he's refused access. I'm starting to wonder if there are breast patches you can get for weaning - to help him out with the cravings - kind of like nicotine patches but a much sweeter variety?????

This evening, Ewan was laying on my chest, one thumb in his mouth, the other hand on my breast. I wanted to have a shower but he wouldn't budge. Two year olds are pretty sure about what they want and when they want it - ie NOW. The only way I could get away was by telling him that I needed to wash my boo-ees (as he calls them!) so that he could have nice clean ones. He had a little think and decided that it was a good idea, "Mumma wash boo-ees", he told me as he got up to play until I was done. Yes Master, Ruler of the Boo-ees............

Not sure how much longer we will last but I am a little scared of the fight that will be put up if I try to gradually retire the boo-ees. Gosh - you've got to wonder how a two year old can weild so much power! Got to love him!

Lunching with The Ladies

2006-08-28T20:58:00.000+10:00

Ewan was lucky enough to accompany me and my friend, Annie, to lunch on Saturday.

He loved the extra attention and lapped it up. He was treated like royalty at the cafe - lounging on the couch, being entertained, and adored by his fans (all two of us!).

Liam's First Ride on a Ferris Wheel!

2006-08-26T08:11:00.000+10:00

Sleeping Beauty

2006-08-25T23:15:00.000+10:00

Just thought I'd share a few photos I took today of my sleeping beauty - Ewan.

He rolled over as I was taking the photos, but didn't wake.

Funny Things They Say

2006-08-25T22:36:00.000+10:00

Dida is rubbing off on Liam..... since we saw Dida last Liam has been saying "Boukela" all the time! No idea what it means, but dad has always said it - called us that as a way of saying we were being silly. So funny hearing Liam saying it! He's also started calling people "Donkey" too - as in "You big donkey"........ don't think I can blame that on Dida though as it is something I've been know to say quite a bit......... Funny thing was Liam talking to Dida on the phone after his birthday. Liam still thought it was his birthday (the day after), Dida must have disagreed, so Liam says "It is my birthday, Donkey!". And then after spending the day with Dida saying "I've been talking to you all day Dida, I don't want to talk to you anymore." They always tell it like it is, that's for sure!

Ewan has started pretending - pretending to be a dog and mostly pretending (though it's more real than pretend!!) to be a baby! I ask Ewan if he's a big boy, and he says "NO, me baby" and then proceeds to do his baby cry - because babies can't talk! He's also convinced his name is Bubba. The other night we asked him what his name is, he told us "Me Bubba". "Who's Ewan?" we asked, he says "Bubba". "Where's Ewan?" "In Bubba" of course! He must think we are complete idiots! We always call him Bubba, yet we still don't know what his name is!!!

My Cuddly Boys

2006-08-25T22:32:00.000+10:00

As I write, the boys are both sound asleep in my bed together. Ben went out to a friend's place tonight and the boys were a bit upset about it. So we all hopped into the Queen bed together and snuggled up. Ewan had his "milk in bed" and Liam cuddled up to my back.

So nice to be able to do this with them still! I love my cuddly, snuggly boys!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2006-08-13T22:52:00.000+10:00

Happy 30th Birthday to the best Dad there is!

You make our days brighter, you warm our hearts, you are awesome at building with Lego and make up the best Buzz and Woody stories!

Love you lots and hope you enjoyed your day!

Liam is 4!

2006-08-10T09:11:00.001+10:00

I think the highlight of Liam's day was opening Pop and Heather's present! They gave him a Woody toy (from Toy Story) and it's barely left his side since!

After taking Ben to work, we went to see Nonna and Dida, at Peter's house. Liam got to watch Playschool - bit of a treat as we don't watch TV at home! The boys stood glued to the screen for the whole half hour - they loved it! Then it was off to look at all the animals getting ready for the local show. Ewan and I went to do some shopping and had lunch together. When I asked Liam what he saw he said "Cows and horses. And chickens and ducks". Nonna and Dida said he was more interested in playing with Woody! He made a house for Woody out of some empty drink crates there which he was very proud of!

We had Sausages for dinner - just sausages as requested - and afterwards his cake.

The four of us had our own party with party hats and pass the parcel. There were parachute men and giant balloons between each layer which were a big hit. Liam had told me that he needed more parachute men last week as all his had broken.

Liam also got some Knights Kingdom lego, a dinosaur craft set to make magnets, two Toy Story activity books, a Duplo Jet refueling truck and an animal activity book. He was very happy with his stash to say the least but it has been a challenge to keep Bubba from getting in to it all. Ewan was also a bit upset that he wasn't allowed to take Woody to bed with him!

We made special tie dyed shirts to wear too - Liam's with a number 4 on it and one for Ewan with a number 2.

Happy Birthday Liam!

2006-08-09T13:55:00.000+10:00

Happy 4th Birthday Liam!

This time 4 years ago, you were just entering our world! I'm blown away by how quickly you have grown up.

You are an amazing little boy, full of life and bursting with energy, you know what you want, are never afraid to speak your mind, and have a great sense of humour! You make me laugh, and sometimes cry, because you are so stubborn!

I have definately learnt a lot about parenting and myself from you. You've taught me to listen, that though you may be small - that doesn't mean you don't have feelings, and even though you tell me how big and grown up you are, you still need my love, cuddles and lots of patience.

I'm learning more and more each day and I am looking forward to watching you grow and learn over the coming year. Life with you around is never boring and I love having you around. I can't imagine life without you - your smile lights up the room, your cuddles melt my heart, and as frustrating as it can be sometimes, your energy, sensitive nature, endless questions, all make life interesting and keep us on our toes. Those times when we've clashed and butted heads have ended up being some of the most special moments once we've calmed down and talked things over. You are an amazing boy and I'm so proud of you!

Swingin Good Time!

2006-07-22T21:30:00.000+10:00

Thanks to one very generous Uncle Damien and with a bit of help from Nonna and Dida, the boys are now the proud owners of a swingset!

They are loving it and Ewan especially, would stay on the swing all day - just so longer as he had his personal assistant to push him!! He sits on there calling out "Push Me Mumma/Dadda".

You Got My Kiss?!!

2006-07-21T09:45:00.000+10:00

Liam is big on goodbyes at the moment and quite obsessive about how it's done.

When Ben goes to work in the morning, Liam rushes over to the front verandah to wave goodbye and blow kisses. Ben MUST have the window open to receive the kisses. Liam checks that he's got them by yelling in his loudest, deepest, most serious voice, "YOU GOT MY KISS, DAD???!!!". With each kiss, Liam yells this and Ben MUST acknowledge that he has them by nodding, or preferably yelling "Yes".

It is the funniest routine. And even more funny is the look on people's faces when they hear it!! We live opposite a park and near a high school so there are always people walking past in the mornings. It is so funny - although I think Ben does get a bit tired of the 10 minute + routine every morning!!!

Mummy Smells of Wee Wee

2006-07-20T09:38:00.000+10:00

We had to see a Dr yesterday about a study that we're taking part in about asthma spacers.

We decided to catch a bus there and then Ben picked us up afterwards on his way home from work. The appointment was at 4:30pm and Ewan hadn't had a sleep all day. I knew he would fall asleep on the bus so I put him in the sling to make it easier to hold him.

He's in undies full time during the day now. I tried to get him to do a wee a before we left but he wouldn't.

So we're sitting on the bus, Ewan is sleeping peacefully, when I start to feel a wet, warmth spread across my lap. I quickly fumbled with the nappy bag to get something to soak it up but it really didn't help much. Ewan just kept weeing and letting it all out as he slept!

I was so embarrassed - walking around with a HUGE wet patch on my skirt and with a strong smell of urine wafting up. Meanwhile Ewan kept sleeping! Everyone was very nice about it but I'm sure had a good laugh afterwards!

Ewan's Latest Phrase!

2006-07-18T19:48:00.001+10:00

Ewan is following in the path of his big brother, who always asks "What you doing?" when he talks to people.

Ewan has started following me around saying, "What do mumma?"

No More Nappies to Wash!!

2006-07-16T22:43:00.000+10:00

Ewan has been out of nappies during the day for a week now!

He is doing splendidly - getting himself to the toilet on time and has even mastered the art of weeing standing up and aiming things in the right direction!

We are all so proud of him - Liam too as we told him that he had helped to teach Ewan. Liam is taking this role very seriously still and when they're weeing at the toilet together, Liam makes sure he helps Ewan hold his shirt up - what a great brother!

Liam's Date with Mum

2006-07-13T11:51:00.000+10:00

Liam and I went on a date last night! Thought it would be nice for the two of us to spend some time together alone without my little monkey (aka Ewan) attatched to me!

We went to a local lookout, on top of a neaby mountain. Was great - we could see all the city lights sparkling and Liam got to have a go of the telescopes there. He loved it and we are planning of taking Ewan and Daddy there some time to show them.

Liam couldn't resist the ice cream shop so we stopped for an ice cream before hitting the toy shop! It was late night shopping so we went to have a look around a couple of toy shops. I finally managed to drag Liam away from there so that we could have a baby cino and a biscuit.

It was lovely having a chat with my little man! Though he did tell me that when he turns 4 (next month) he is going to be huge. And soon he'll be able to drive, and he and Bubba will go for a drive in a Ute (like they have at the farm), and take us all up to the lookout! I'm hoping that it won't be as soon as he's thinking!!

Locked Out!

2006-07-11T22:32:00.000+10:00

Liam and I that is!!

We arrived home from a long day out this afternoon at about 3pm. I parked the car, unlocked our front door and (stupidly) turned the button on the door know to make it easier to lock the front door when we got inside. I also put the car keys inside.

I unbuckled Ewan and let him run inside. I was getting Liam out of the car when I heard the door slam!

Ewan had locked us out!!!

I ran over to the door and started talking to Ewan, trying to get him to turn the button, to unlock the door. This is the one door he doesn't know how to unlock - it goes straight on to the street so I don't encourage it!!

Ewan finally got tired of standing around at the front door and, knowing that he had free run of the house, decided to go upstairs and surf the web.

I was running around trying to figure out how to get in when I realised there was one door he could unlock.

The challenge now was getting him away from the computer!

I called out offering biscuits and telling him that Daddy was home. The highschool kids on their way home, walking past our house must have been wondering what this crazy woman was doing calling out to seemingly no one!

Finally I had a brainwave and called out, "Ewan! Nonna's here! Nonna's here Ewan!".

That did it! I heard his feet trotting along to see his beloved Nonna. I called him over telling him that he had to open the door so he could come out and see Nonna. He was so excited! Poor pumpkin was a bit dissappointed when he realised she wasn't here (and he could have kept checking our emails for a little bit longer!!).

So lesson leart and it has certainly been a great story to tell!

Liam the Parachute Man!

2006-07-10T22:05:00.000+10:00

Liam is fascinated by parachutes and "parachute men" as he calls them.

Today he decided to try out his own parachuting skills - minus the parachute!

He strategically lined up the bean bag at the bottom of his bunk bed and then took great joy in jumping down into it!

I was vacuuming - always a great thing to do stunts while your mum is busy - when Liam came running down, with the biggest smile on his face, to tell me what he was doing!

Stupid me didn't have a serious talk with him and just said "Ok but don't do it again".

So what do they do - run up and do it again of course!! Ewan had a go this time.

I had a bit of a *feeling* and knew I had to check things out.

I went in to their room to see Ewan doing the silent scream that comes before the big cry. Poor bubba had hit his nose somehow trying to copy Liam.

So we have now had that *serious talk* and I'm hoping that Liam won't be doing anymore parachuting for quite a while!!

Ewan's Birthday Breakfast!

2006-07-07T09:18:00.000+10:00

Ewan (and Liam of course!!) got to have a practise run blowing out candles during breakfast yesterday.

Ewan's 2nd Birthday!

2006-07-06T20:21:00.000+10:00

Happy Birthday Ewan!!

Ewan had a fantastic day today! He got to open his presents as soon as he woke up. He was very particular and gentle opening them - Liam wanted to rip into them all but we got him to hold off and let Ewan do it (much to Liam's frustration!!). Ewan got a bunch of animals - mostly farm animals with one white tiger! Liam gave him a piglet and the white tiger, while Pop and Heather gave him the cow and calf, rooster and chicken, goat and it's kid. Ewan loves them! His favourties are the pig, rooster, and chicken (he calls it a chickie). He's been carrying them around all day and is fast asleep now with the baby goat in his hand still! He took the chicken, pig and kid to bed - they even had to have some boobie milk before they all went to sleep together! He got a couple of books too, some homemade fisherman's pants (gorgeous!) and a magnetic fishing game.

We had a party in the park this morning. It was a joint party with one of his friends who was born on the same day. Angus was born at 7am and Ewan at 7pm. They loved all the attention - it was so nice seeing their big smiles! We left it pretty casual - no games or anything - the park was enough to keep them all entertained! I made a special fish shaped cake last night for Ewan. The kids were all impressed by the fish and, as usual, loved the smarties that I used to decorate it!

Happy Birthday my darling boy! Love you to bits and am so blessed to have you in my life!

My Baby is Almost 2!

2006-07-05T22:27:00.000+10:00

Ewan turns 2 tomorrow! I can't believe how fast the past 2 years have gone. It feels like Ewan has always been with us though and it is hard to imagine life before him. He has brought so much happiness and joy into our lives. There is never a dull moment with Ewan around - especially when he teams up with Liam!!

I thought I'd post Ewan's birth story tonight, as the 5th of July is when it all started.

Monday 5th of July, 2004

At 41 weeks I was feeling great aside from a head cold and a nasty cough. With everything ready and tired of waiting, I organised to meet up with a friend in the park. Liam had fun playing with the kids while I tried my best to get comfortable sitting on the ground. My friend was amazed that I was still going strong – especially with such a huge belly! I realised that morning that even my longest shirts no longer covered my belly! At the park we talked about going into labour and my plan for the week ahead. I told her that I would try some acupuncture on Thursday to induce the baby if it hadn’t arrived by then. Little did I know that 24 hours later I would start getting my first contractions.

That afternoon I went for my weekly check up with one of my midwives, Rosemary, at the Birth Centre. I was a little nervous as I had a feeling that she may want to do an internal examination. I still remembered how much it had hurt when I had them before Liam was born. Ben and Liam came with me for a bit of moral support. We listened to the baby’s heartbeat and, lying on my back, Rosemary marvelled at my huge, mountainous belly. Seeing as I was 41 weeks, and now officially overdue, she suggested that she do an internal to see how things were looking and maybe even get things started. Despite my nervousness, I agreed. As it turned out, the internal didn’t hurt a bit. I was already 4cm dilated and was very stretchy. Rosemary had a huge smile on her face and said she thought we’d definitely have our baby tonight. If not tonight, definitely within the next 24 to 48 hours. I had to have a CTG trace done to see how the baby was doing. Laying there it all started to sink in. My heart was racing and caught between fear and excitement; I checked and double-checked to make sure Rosemary was serious. As I left she said she’d see me the next morning holding my baby and she wasn’t far off with her prediction.

Rosemary had also suggested that we try some things to help labour get started – hot curry and hot sex! So when we got home we made a call to order some curry but put the sex on hold. Our minds were racing with things we needed to get done, people we had to call and, of course, whether or not tonight was the night. I was so nervous. We had a restless night. I woke a lot with loose bowels and had a few mucousy shows.

Tuesday 6th of July, 2004

I woke feeling strange and somehow I knew that today was the day. I was crampy and having lots of tightenings. I had talked to mum the night before and thought I had better give her an update. I called and let her know that I thought our baby would be soon. With Liam busy watching Playschool, Ben and I took the opportunity to take care of the “hot sex” that Rosemary had suggested. It was anything but “hot”. It did the job though, and soon after I started having irregular contractions. We were almost certain that the baby would arrive today so we started to make plans. Ben’s dad came to spend the day and took care of Liam. My mum got ready to leave so she could be here too.

I tried timing my contractions at around 1:30pm but couldn’t concentrate enough. They were just starting to get a bit niggly but weren’t really painful. Ben took over the timing at 2pm. We timed them for half an hour and the contractions were now coming every 2-3 minutes and were lasting 30-40 seconds. Seeing as they were coming so close we thought we’d better check in with my midwife on duty, Anne. Considering that my first labour with Liam was only 4.5 hours, we decided that I should go into the Birth Centre so that she could see how things were progressing. We left home at 3pm and I was quite teary saying goodbye to Liam knowing that everything would be different when I saw him again.

We arrived at the hospital and, after an internal examination, found out that I was 6 cm dilated. We settled in to our room and once the contractions started getting stronger, I got into the shower. I stayed in the shower for ages, squatting and leaning over a chair during contractions. The water was wonderful and Ben was a great support getting me to concentrate on my breathing to get me through the pain. After about 2 hours in the shower I hit transition. I didn’t know what I wanted or where I wanted to be. I was sick of the pain and just wanted my baby! I ended up on the floor kneeling over a bean bag. I was resting on the bean bag, almost sleeping, between contractions. I was like this for around an hour when Anne told us she had to leave the room for a moment and to call her if anything happened. While she was gone I decided to investigate what was causing the intense pressure down below. I reached down and could feel my waters tight and bulging. I gave a push and my waters exploded giving Ben a bit of a surprise! It was such a relief for me and Ben flew out the door looking for Anne. Anne came back and shortly after I started to push.

According to Anne it was only 5 minutes of pushing – for me though it felt a lot longer. It took all my strength and energy to push Ewan out. It was all very calm and precise though. I listened to Anne and only pushed with my contractions. Once his head was out and he was suctioned, his shoulders and body slid out quickly. I felt every curve and bump as came out. It was the most amazing feeling. He was very alert with apgars of 9 and then 10. Anne and Marion, who had come in at the last minute, helped me turn over. I leaned back on the bean bag and was handed my big boy. He was just gorgeous and we just gazed into each other’s eyes. Exhausted and aching, he felt incredibly heavy though. My arms were sore from holding myself up for the last 4 hours and I was glad when they decided to weigh him. We all took guesses and everyone though he’d definitely cracked the 10 pound mark. We were all shocked to see the scales at 5.1kg or 11 pounds 4 ounces! No wonder I had trouble holding him at first!

Ewan’s birth was extremely empowering and everything I’d dreamed of during my pregnancy. I did it drug free and felt so much more in control and aware of everything. With Liam’s birth I had gas and pethidine and felt like I wasn’t really there. During Ewan’s birth I was able to cope with the pain so much better and was so much calmer during the whole process. I feel so proud and lucky to have been able to have such an amazing birth.

Toilet Talk - Update

2006-07-02T18:59:00.000+10:00

Ewan has done all his poos in the potty since yesterday morning and most of his wees!

Once he's finished his wee, he stands up and says, "Me do wee wee" over and over again in the cutest little voice.

We've only had two accidents - once when he did a wee on me and another time on the spare bed. Oh and we've had a few spills 'cause he's also started picking up the potty and carrying it to show us if we don't come quick enough!! Will have to work on that with him!!

I'm so proud of my little boy! He is growing up so fast now and just amazes me with all the stuff he's doing at the moment. It's his birthday this week - he turns 2. I can't believe we're there already! We organised all the party things today and I finally found a cake to make - can't wait - he's going to love it!

Toilet Talk!

2006-07-01T07:34:00.000+10:00

Big News here.......

Ewan did his first wee on the potty last night!!!

So this morning when we woke up I asked him if he needed to do a wee, he said yes and sat on the potty. Took him a while but he finally got up and when he did we saw he'd done a POO! Yay Ewan!! He was so proud of himself - he got up and ran in to us saying "Come look Poo. Bubba did Poo. Look!" Our bathroom light is broken so we had to get out the torch to investigate! We spent the next 5 minutes standing, looking at the poo - Ewan was very proud of it and didn't want to leave. Seemed only fitting that we get a photo of the occasion!!

Rain, Rain, Rain!

2006-06-30T10:21:00.000+10:00

Well after so long without it and all the plants and grass starting to die off (if they weren't already dead!), we have finally had some rain!

It rained a lot of last week and we've had a few showers here and there this week. It's amazing how fast things have sprung back to life - the grass is green again!

Liam dug out a poncho from somewhere and had a ball wandering around in the rain.

Ewan after a Big Night In

2006-06-30T10:13:00.000+10:00

Ben and I were lucky enough to score tickets to the preview session of Superman. Luckily everything fell into place at short notice and mum happened to be in town to look after the boys.

They had a ball playing with their Nonna. With a game of musical chairs, books to read, dinner, ice cream from the Home Ice Cream truck, dishes to help with, more playing and stories, the boys were worn out by the end of the night.

Liam struggled to stay awake in bed till we got home - and only after hearing all about Superman would he go to sleep! Mum slipped out of Ewan's bed and told me how he'd wanted to sleep with his green balloon. Typical of me I couldn't resist a photo!

Vital Stats

2006-06-19T20:22:00.000+10:00

Liam:
Height - 103.5cm
Weight - 19kg

Ewan:
Height - 85.5cm
Weight - 12.2kg

Liam and His Grandma in Heaven

2006-06-12T16:22:00.000+10:00

We went to a funeral last week.

My friend's grandmother passed away.

Liam, Ewan and I went to the funeral. The boys were great for most of it and sat listening to everyone speak, eating vegemite and cheese sandwhiches. We had talked about how important it was for Dom, my friend, to say goodbye to her grandmother.

Liam started to get a bit restless towards the end so we had a little chat. There was music playing and I pointed out the coffin, and told him that Dom's grandma was probably up in heaven with Daddy's mummy.

Liam sat for a while thinking and said "Daddy's mummy is my grandma."

I said, yes she is.

His face was so sad looking and his lips started to quiver and he said "Me didn't get to meet my grandma. Me didn't get to say goodbye."

I had tears streaming down my face and all I could say was, "I know".

He talked about his grandma a lot that afternoon driving home and then again before bed.

Liam just cried and cried about how sad he was that he didn't get to see his grandma walking and talking. How he really wanted to play with her. And that he wanted to say goodbye to her.

It was heartbreaking listening to him and nothing would comfort him. He asked us if his grandma wanted to die and I told him no, she didn't. Then he would start crying again saying that he didn't want her to die either.

We talked about how some people believe in heaven. That we don't know if it's a real place but that it's nice to think that all the people we've loved are up there together - maybe somewhere near the stars. I told Liam that sometimes I talk to my Dida (grandfather) and that I don't know if he can hear me but it feels good to talk to him. And that he can talk to his grandma too if he wants. He didn't know what to think about that. But he did think it would be good to draw some pictures and write a letter to put inside a balloon to send to his grandma. So we're going to do it sometime this week so that Liam can say a hello, and a goodbye to his grandma that he never met but still loves so much.

So look out for our balloons Carolyn, you may be gone but you are certainly not forgotten.

Liam on Sophie Monk.......

2006-06-05T17:27:00.000+10:00

Liam showed Daddy the picture of Sophie Monk in her bikini when he got home.

Ben asked him "Why do you like that picture?"

Liam "Because it looks funny. She has no shirt on. Why her have a shirt on?"

Ben "Because she's going swimming."

Liam "Why don't her have swimming shirt on?"

Ben "It's called a bikini. It's what some girls wear swimming. Do you like it?"

Liam "Yeahhhh", in a mumbled voice with an embarressed grin on his face.

Liam Likes the Girl with No Clothes On......

2006-06-05T14:45:00.000+10:00

For some reason we had a copy of the paper delivered to us today - we don't have a subscription so they must have made a mistake with the deliveries.

I was reading it while we ate our lunch. I got to the Entertainment pages and there was a big picture of Sophie Monk, with a tiny bikini on and a seductive gaze.

Liam looked over and said "I like that girl with no clothes on."

"That's nice." I say, lost for words and trying to hide my amusement.

After lunch, I had a quick look on the net. I came back downstairs to find Liam carrying a page from the newspaper - the one with Sophie Monk's picture!! He'd gone and pulled it out to look at again!

"I want you to know what the words say", he says.

So we sit down and Liam listens while I read about Sophie Monk, and how in her latest interview with Ralph magazine, says that she prefers Aussie men to American men. But all the gossip columnist wants to know is whether she and Jude Law are together. I don't think Liam had any idea what I was talking about and he lost interest after that.

Will be interesting to see whether he lets me throw the page out or if we have to keep Sophie Monk for his bedroom wall..........

And Another Magical Moment......

2006-05-29T16:21:00.000+10:00

I was online checking out my emails and stuff when Liam came in asking for some nuts.

I told him to wait a minute.

He asked me again for some nuts.

I said that he could have some but that I wanted to finish looking at something.

Liam said,

"Thanks mum. Thanks. You most awesome mum in whole world!"

I didn't quite understand him but got the "in whole world" bit so I figured it was something nice. And the big smile on his face kind of gave it away too.

So I told him to come over for a cuddle and he said it again,

"You're awesome."

Thanks Liam!! I'm grinning from ear to ear!! What a little charmer!

A Magical Mother's Moment

2006-05-29T16:00:00.000+10:00

Liam was sitting on the couch when he notice the rainbows being thrown about the room by one of our crystals.

He told me that they were moving and asked me why.

I said that they were moving because the crystal was moving. Maybe the wind was making the crystal move.

Liam looked at the crystal and, with a big grin on his face, said,

"You were right mum - It is moving! You know lots of things. You're a good mummy."

Awww how nice is that!

New Bed!

2006-05-29T13:46:00.000+10:00

I just bought the boys new preloved bunk beds on eBay!

Liam is very excited about having a ladder to climb into bed!

Hope it's in good condition when we pick it up - Here's a picture courtesy of eBay.

A Weekend Without Daddy!

2006-05-28T18:11:00.000+10:00

Ben went away for most of the weekend for a Bucks party.

I wasn't really looking forward to the weekend - after being home with the boys all week I like to have a bit of a break on the weekend!

It turned out great though and the boys and I had a great time (minus the screaming from being overtired and wanting a shower *just* after I'd run the bath!!!). We had to go to a fundraiser for the Birth Centre - The Baby Goods Sale - like a huge garage sale! I was at the front door collecting the entry fee for a few hours. Liam had a ball! There wasn't a lot to do there but there were heaps of toys for sale....... so I just kept sending him to look for good toys. He'd come back with things, we'd check them out and talk about the quality and whether we needed it, then he'd either take it back or put it in our stash. He was in toy heaven! And he absolutely loved it - he had such a good time. I'd have never of thought to take him to a Baby Goods Sale for entertainment but will keep it in mind next time!

Ewan wasn't too thrilled though and stayed close to me. He gets a bit scared in big crowds so I held him in the sling for most of it. Very snuggly and cuddly but I was definately feeling the strain by the end of it!

We got home at around 1pm, had lunch and rests, Liam played with all his new toys, cooked dinner, went to the park and all that. Despite being very tired, the boys perked up after dinner and ran around crazy for a bit. Then we all hopped into bed together. I asked Liam if he wanted to sleep in bed with Ewan and I. The look on Liam's face was priceless - he was so happy that I asked him! He loved it - and slept really well too! It was lovely actually to be able to cuddle up between the two boys for the night. We might have to do it again sometimes before they get too big!

We had pancakes for breakfast when we woke up. Liam was a real gentleman saying "Thank you for making pancakes mum. They are really good. Thanks mum." Awwww what a sweetie!

On Friday night I went to a fundraising night to watch a video of Steve Biddulp speaking about his book "Raising Boys". He said in it that sometimes we drift apart from our children, that they change so much and it can be hard for us to always be on the same wavelength. Liam and I have been through this a number of times and it is always so nice when we come back to each other again. We definately connected this weekend and it has been so precious.

Climbing Boys!

2006-05-19T21:07:00.000+10:00

The boys are into climbing at the moment and are loving the big retaining wall in our backyard.

Friday Night at the Movies

2006-05-19T21:04:00.000+10:00

Here are the boys all ready to watch Chicken Little!

Making New Friends......

2006-05-18T19:35:00.000+10:00

It's amazing the way that kids can meet someone and instantly become friends!

Liam and Ewan made two new friends today - Jasmine and Amber. We have met them before but only briefly about a year ago. As soon as Liam met Jasmine, he was smitten! He started doing his crazy boy thing (he always does it when he meets girls he likes!) - running and throwing himself into things and much to his delight Jasmine thought he was funny!

Ewan, being the copy cat he is, loved Jasmine too and followed her and Liam around with Jasmine's sister Amber, playing hide and seek.

They were all so carefree and happy, hiding together behind palm trees, surrounded by bushes, giggling away when I couldn't find them.

A gorgeous day at the park and so lovely to see them enjoying themselves so much. Liam told Daddy all about it and he can't stop grinning whenever he talks about Jasmine. So sweet!