Birthday Boy

Yay, we now have a 3 year old in the house! Cal got a big boy bike for his birthday and we have had a race track up and down the hall all morning so far!



This is our boy as he sat in our bed and opened a couple of presents at 7am.



This is the cake I made to take to playgroup so we could cellebrate with Cal's friends on Friday.

Time Off!

Finally I am back blogging after a long break! I think I needed some time to get back on track with life and also winter always makes me lazy.

So much has happened in the interim, but here are a couple of pictures as a quick update.

Callum turned two at the end of September and we had a cellebration at playgroup and also a party on the day of his birthday, when we were in Perth, with BOTH sets of grandparents and Aunty Pam and the kids. The pic below is from playgroup.

We had a trip to Perth which was intended as a little holiday, but turned into Callum having his tonsills out and adenoids reduced in size, so it has been a slightly stressful time here. Poor boy had his op 2 days before his second birthday, so he was feeling slightly under the weather for his special day! All better now though.



Miss Caitlin is growing up so fast. School has changed her, for the better mostly I think.



This is a pic of Cal and Daddy. The kids had been playing in a big cardboard box and having heaps of fun.


Callum has moved into a "big boy" bed. Caitlin was just as excited as Cal was. This picture was taken on the new bed, after the kids had been jumping and playing and messing up all of the new bedding!


I will aim to update regularly again and I would love to put up much more of my craft things too.

Quick update

Just an update:

Caitlin's wrap is GONE! We managed to lose it on a trip to the "stupormarket" on monday the 9th of February. We had been talking heaps about her not having it any more and that big school girls don't have a wrap, so when it came to the crunch she was really fine about it! About 4 weeks later we found it wedged at the back of her car seat. She was thrilled and sucked and snuggled away for all she was worth! It was pretty funny really! As we were going away the next day, we told her that she could have it that night but she wasn't allowed to take it away with her. Since then she has only asked for it a couple of times and when we have said no she has let it alone and gone about her business again. Last week I washed Koala Lou (small pink teady) and Caitlin told me that Koala Lou is now her wrap, and she has slept with her every night since! I think that is really cute.

Callum took two steps by himself on the 15th of March and on the 18th he took 4 steps by himself! YAY - finally we are getting somewhere! Today Craig and I noticed that he often lets go as he is walking around things and takes a few steps unaided. He is getting really steady on his feet and he can walk along when he is holding onto only one of our hands. He can also walk when he is holding onto Caitlin (which is not as stable as if he were holding onto one of our hands). We also noticed that he doesn't often fall over now but lowers himself gently to the floor! Now that he is 18 months he is on a time line! Pushy parents aren't we!

Happy birthday to Neil for last week and Michael, Clare and Craig for this week. I know Craig had a great day and I also hope the remainder had a good time too.

Turning 4!

We got back last night from a week in Perth. It was a bit of a mamoth trip. We were a bit disorganised in the morning, so didn't get packed up and ready to go until after 11am. Then we had to drop Mitchi's car back, call in to the Naked Butcher for some yummy nitrate free bacon and because it was late, we stopped for lunch in Mundaring. By the time we got home it was nearly 11pm! Needless to say, the kids weren't up until 8.30am.

We had a great time and got out and kept busy because we had a car to get around in. Craig's work colleague, Mitchi, is away at the moment, so the kids and I used his work car. One of the fun things we did was to go to the museum. Caitlin had requested a trip to see some dinosaurs, so off we trecked and had a look. The museum has been renovated since I was there last and it is fantastic - there is even a kids interactive zone! I would highly recommend it if you are passing through Perth.

I also bought myself a new wok. I was fed up with the old one (well, not really that old) and decided that instead of buying mid range pans and having them last 1-2 years, I was going to get a really good one with a guarantee of long life, which would in the end be cheaper. So, I saw a scan pan wok on sale (over $100 off) and got that. It came with a free lid and steamer basket, both of which I will use) so I feel as though I have gotten a great deal. Tonight we are having stirfry for tea!

Caitlin enjoyed her birthday with Nan and Pop Slater in Perth. Some friends and their children also joined us to help make Caitlins day special. We went bowling and then out for pizza and had such a fun time. Caitlin had put in this request weeks ago, so it was great to follow-through so that she felt special. Now my little girl is 4! I must say the cake was probably the worst I have ever made! I didn't have enough butter to make butter creme icing, then didn't have enough icing sugar to make enough icing to decorate it properly, then Caitlin got stuck into the smarties and I ended up with enough to go only 2/3 of the way around the cake, and with the help of a 4 year old to decorate it, the cake ended up looking rather unique! It tasted good though and a cake with candles makes a birthday complete.



Just to catch up on a few pictures, I have added some random ones here.

Caitlin and Callum love the swing set. Callum is enjoying going down the slide now with some assistance.



Callum has started doing what Caitlin used to do - hop into the dishwasher! I am surprised he hasn't broken the door because he is a heavy little thing!



Here is a pic of my gorgeous girl on her first day of school. She is loving school and can't wait to get back there each school day. She has a uniform of bright yellow t-shirt and black skort, which is far too big for her, but better than getting her day clothes stained.



Here is Caitlin in action putting on her name badge in class. Now that they have been going a few weeks, they no longer need them because the teacher has learned all their names.



I have far more photos and will update again soon!

Beach Life

We are having such a great time staying with my parents at the moment. They live across the road from the beach and is such a lovely location. Caitlin and Callum have been having great fun playing in the dirt where Mum and Dad and landscaping. Caitlin has had to have a wash in the laundry tub a few times because she gets covered from head to toe!





Callum has always been a real outdoors boy, but he has finally discovered dirt! He has a little spade and he tries to dig and scoop out the dirt like Caitlin does. A couple of days ago I went to check on him and all up his legs and half of his body was covered with what he had dug out! Looked very precious.

Yesterday was Dad's birthday and most of the family was here for lunch - I think 30 or so. Haylee hired a beach peddle buggy for the kids. Caitlin and Cal were on the front and Justice and Chloe peddled. Cal was just cracking himself up over it. Caitlin, the little dare devil was loving it when they went around corners a little too fast. Will and Zane hired a trailer for it and attached it to the back, so there was a train peddle buggy. OMG it was so funny.

Today we are off to Hobart until Thursday to stay with Steve and Kay and Erin and Riley. Caitlin is really looking forward to having other little kids to play with and I am looking forward to spending some time with great friends that I miss so much while I am away.

Craig has had 2 weekends at home by himself now and I think he is trying to keep himself extra busy because he is missing us heaps. Well, guess what... we all miss him heaps too.

Cal's First Birthday

We celebrated Callum's first birthday last saturday. I can't believe that he is a year old already! We had a cake at playgroup on friday the 26th and had friends over for tea on his actual birthday, which was the 27th.

I made him a catepillar cake and I am so happy with how it came out. I am not a fancy cake maker, but given that I am very impressed. Callum (and Caitlin!) thought it was pretty good too.



Here is a picture of the birthday boy enjoying some of his cake. He went back for more, so I take it he likes chocolate catepillar cake!


He got some great boy toys for his birthday, like cars, trucks and tractors. This truck is one that he has had for a while, but he just loves it. He leart to broooooom his trucks at about 10 months and he is doing it flat out now! He interacts really nicely with his toys now that he has some more age appropriate toys. I am going to have a huge clean out of the "baby" toys this week and get rid of a heap now that he has some big boy toys.

Wow, he's one! We had a great day!