My Boys

Yesterday Baby Joel started to interact with his big brother for the first time!

I was holding Baby-Joel and Elijah was blowing a dandelion! Every time Liji blew the dandelion Baby-Joel cracked up laughing! When the dandelion was all finished, Liji started talking to Baby-J and making him laugh! It went on for about 10 minutes! SOOOO CUTE!!!! He has never laughed without physical contact before (tickling!!)

Kate, Whip-lash is an online craft competition, each month there is a different *task*. This month you had to make a *cozy*. Check it out, it is lots of fun. Whipup. (or click on the Whiplash button!)

My first ever Whip-lash entry!

Dummy (Binky) and Diper Cozy.
Dummy Cozy, hooks on to your key chain. Measures 8cm x 7cm when closed. Just big enough for a dummy (or a few coins, or whatever else is filling your pockets!)
The nappy cozy measures 16cm x 20cm. Just big enough for a folded disposable and a small pack of wipes!

The last ice-cream of summer?!

The kid's enjoyed an ice-cream this afternoon as they watched *Kevinthelawnmowerman* mow our lawns.
Last night i sat up until after 11.00, in a desperate attempt to finish Roo's quilt. I DID IT!

Here are the pics, just for you Dad!!! (I picked up the pink and gold cushion cover for $2 at The Sali Army!)

I have been encouraged by the studio/office pics going round at the moment, tonight I have been changing my dining room/entrance way/lounge all around! I have set my sewing machine up permanently! Yay! Where is Karen when i need her!!!

I will be posting photos as i go!

Nature Journals and Teetering towers!

I made the most exciting discovery yesterday! I was at my Mum and Dad's house and i was telling my Daddy about Charlotte Mason and her nature journals. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with Charlotte Mason, she was an educator in the late 1800's. She wrote many books and manuals talking about home education as is still considered a *must read* for those wanting to home school today!)

Anyways, I was telling Dad about the nature journals and he jumped up, ran up the hall and came back down carrying two books.

The first one, printed in 1885,has the delightful title of, BOTANY Designed to cultivate the observing powers, (The first book of Botany.) It is a teaching book for young children, with beautiful pen drawings.

i found this wonderful quote in the front...

.....Not that more is taught at an early age, but less; that time is taken; that the wall is not run up in haste; that the bricks are set on carefully, and the mortar allowed time to dry.
LORD STANLEY.

The second little book, simply titled, Plant Life, was presented to my great-grandmother in 1908, at Sunday School in Leeds, England. It has flowers pressed by my great-nan nan still between the pages and the most wonderful chapter titles.

How plants eat
How plants drink
How plants marry (?!)
various marriage customs (??!!)
More marriage customs(???!!!)
What plants do for their young (????!!!!)

Tonight we have our first fire of the season! It wasn't quite cold enough, but it is so nice to have a fire burning and to sit under Roo's quilt hand stitching the borders!

I walked into to Roo's room tonight to tuck her in and discovered a teetering tower of toys beside her!! you can see her new Giraffe (chosen by Roo and Nana on a special birthday date) and her giant pink hippo (from Uncle Jake!)

My Little RooRoo is THREE!!!

Happy birthday to my beautiful little girl, Ruby!

Ruby came into the world in a hurry, think, 25 minutes from the very first pain to her being born!!! She has changed our lives in so many weird and wonderful ways! She has the cheekiest sense of humor, loves to pull funny faces, is so compassionate, is a natural little Mummy! She says the funniest, cutest things. She loves her baby doll (but only if it has no clothes on), she loves cold spaghetti, she is SOOOO imaginative!So far in her life she has been, Cruella Daville (101 Dalmatians), Robin Hood and at the moment she is Jessie the Cowgirl-monkey(????!!!!) When i say she is these names i mean she IS! If she sees a photo of herself she says, oooh look, there is Jessie-the-cowgirl-monkey, if someone asks what her name is she says, Jessie-thecowgirl-monkey!!!When Daddy is sick she asks if she can pray for him.

Please God, be wif Daddy, give him the peas of your Holy Spirit, help him to come to know you one day. Amen!

When she says grace

Sank you for the Israelites and Gideon. Amen!

She is so YUMMY!!!

She is a very *precious* little girl. Likes her routine, has times when all she wants is a Nug-Nug (snuggles) would still have a bottle and Dummy if we let her!

Ruby-Anne, you are such a special part of our family. We love you so much, we love your joyful spirit, your drama-queen nature! Have a very happy birthday, Love.
All my love and hugs and kisses,

Love Mama

Thursdays...

I have been asked what kind of things K and I do when we get together each Thursday.

Originally we planned to spend the WHOLE day together, right up to cooking our dinner together. With all our pre-schoolers, this hasn't quite worked!

One week we meet at my house, the next at K's house. By the time we get our selves organized it is usually 9.30-10ish before we arrive!

The kids all play together. We bring some toys in to the lounge, if it is fine they might play outside. At my house the kids often play in the bedrooms, at Karen's they often play on the covered deck.

Some weeks we do lots of odd jobs, we hang and fold washing together, we have sorted cupboards together, tidied book cases, de-cluttered lounges among other things! Other weeks we just sit, knit and chat!!!

We generally just *do life* together. We know what the other person expects of their kids. The kids are getting to know the *house rules* at each place.

A huge benefit we have found is that the kids are *used* to the other house. Between us we have three little clingers (kids who like to be around Mummy). The kids are now happy to spend time at each house even if their Mummy has to pop out for a while. If we have to go out to an appointment it means we have that freedom.

Our families friendship has deepened so much since we have started doing this. This past Saturday Javi went and helped J. paint their bedroom,, while K came over with the kids and helped me re-arrange and sort my kid's rooms!! (Thanks, Karen!!!)

Karen and I can talk honestly about our lives, our ups and downs, joys and sorrows.

Please, if you have friend you could do this with, try it!!! It has been SUCH A BLESSING!!!

Visit this site to read the article that inspired us!

A very creative day...

Lauz, you asked the question, *what is a ripple blanket?* Well, it is a crocheted blanket in a squiggly design!! I started this one for Liji's bed (when he gets in to a bed!) 3 weeks ago. The first photo is at Whanga, the second is taken tonight! I generally try to do one or two rows a day!On Thursday mornings K and I meet up (we visit each other's houses week about). The kids love playing together. And it is nice to have company and another set of hands! I got given a big bowl of organic apples yesterday! so i spent the morning peeling, chopping and stewing and chatting to K! I recommend finding a friend to do this with! Being a Mum is a BIG job, it is so neat to have someone to talk to who is also dealing with the same kind of issues!

I decided at lunch time today that i wanted to make a quilt for Roo's 3rd birthday. Her birthday is next Friday!!!! I went up to Spotlight and found the coolest shabby chic fabrics! I managed to get it cut out tonight, so, the next few nights will be full of the rumble of the sewing machine!!!!

Whanga *week one*!

Our first week at Whanga was cool! We went with some of our best friends ... and their 4 kids aged 5 and under! We stayed in Jarrod's Uncle's bach. A tiny 3 bedroom bach (very modernized!). So in total we had... 4 adults, one 5 year old, one 4 year old, three 2 year olds, one 1 year old and two babies!!!a trip to the beach took an hour to prepare for! (sunscreen, togs, snacks, nappies...) and only lasted about an hour! The kids had a ball, they spent ages making sand castles, running from waves, eating sand, crying, finding *treasures*! The kids spent the rest of the time riding their bikes, scooters and go-carts up and down the foot path! The day before we left we got Zoe a new two wheeler bike! As you can see, it is VERY PINK ! She loves it and has picked it up very well!

K and I spent the week crafting (i was working on my ripple blanket!) shopping at the op shop and eating WAY to much chocolate! Jarrod and J spent the week fishing, playing golf and also eating WAY to much chocolate! Mm mm! Check out K's view on our holiday here!

I'm FINALLY home!

So, I know most of you didn't even know i was going to be away, that is because i was only going for a week, and what with Liji being sick, Joely being grumpy and packing, i was too slack to post before i went.

Our *week* away suddenly turned into two when our car broke down on the way there... AND the way home!!!

I will be sharing my holiday over the next few days, (think sun, beach, fish, op shops, hundreds of kids, torrential rain!)

But a quick catch up...

My Joely is now seven months and has just cut his first tooth!!! He is so YUMMY! He has actually been pretty unwell the last two weeks. He has a chest infection and is very sad. :(