Liam Spelt A Word!

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!

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!

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

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!

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!

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.....

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?

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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......

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

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

Ewan's Evil Eyes

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!

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.