What Are We Up To?

Just a quick add on post...we have sold our house...yeeha!

We are currently exploring an opportunity to work at a Christian Camp in the Waikato which we are very excited about.

I am trying to pack...but we don't have a lot of unused stuff so I have packed the bookcase and the pictures on the walls...most other stuff is in daily use...and even then I have left out lots of books cos the kids read about a million-trillion every day.

So apologies for not posting much...

And I leave you with lots of pics of my beautiful kiddos...

O5 enjoying his new puzzle books from Gran'ma

O5 LURVES Tintin

A2, mummy and C2 (don'tcha reckon C2 has an Anthony Kiedis thing goin' on?)

A2 cooking with the playdough

E11months just looking super spunky as always

Eco consumers

I have been thinking alot about ecology, peak oil, carbon footprints...cos y'know green is the new black.

Anyway...I was reading this months issue of Next...the eco issue...has Petra Bagust on the cover talking about her eco choices...home birthin', cloth nappying,composting, natural cosmetics and so forth. I got thinking about the eco friendly products that are popping up everywhere...and the buy a carbon credit schemes for those who need a salve on their conscience...and I thought it all seemed a bit eco-consumery...not in the positive sense either.

Let me explain... I use cloth nappies...fantastic things...and so super cute...but it is so tempting to buy them for the looks much as one would buy an extra sweater or pair of jeans even when the stash I have is more than enough for E11months, A2 and C2. Just cos they are much better for the environment than disposables...if I purchase more than I need, I am still consuming resources unnecessarily.

In the same way, I enjoy shopping at the local Salvation Army Thrift store...however I have to discipline myself to only buy what we need or might reasonably need in the near future...not just because it is a bargain and not exploiting slave labour in China

I am pleased that there is alot of media exposure for environmental issuescurrently...however I am a bit wary of one type of consumer driven society being replaced by another. A real change needs to be made at a deeper philosophical level if the world is going to avoid a major climactic, economic and social catastrophe in the near future.

I am trying to make small steps in our family to

Economise
Do we need it? Can we share with somebody else? Can we fix it? Can we do without it?
Localise
Where was it made? grown? Shipped from? We are aiming to buy only local produce (except for bananas...just can't give them up with four small kiddies), source New Zeland made goods wherever possible and minimise overseas purchases, buying wisely when we do (Amazon does call often...but I resist more frequently these days!)
Produce
We have a vege patch, I sew and knit, we try and mend rather than buy. One of our aims when we move from the big smoke in a couple of months is to produce more...I really must read The Permaculture Home Garden.

Very Uncharacteristic Foody Post

Now I am not a foody in any sense of the word. Our usual family fare is very simple, regular and quite frankly boring. We eat healthy food that doesn't cost much...end of story.

However I have just been introduced to the wonderful world of the Chai latte....Oh my...I have been missing out. Divine...now how do I go about making my own? The chai tea I can buy or concoct...but that frothy, aerated, soft and warm milk...how do I capture that at home?...must do some research.

Life here is going to be mad, mad I tell you over the next five weeks as we pack up our worldly belongings, find somewhere to live, find someone to give us the money to pay our bills and unpack at the other end of a two hour drive...I'll pop in and keep ya posted...in between trying to source the perfect chai latte.

Big Changes

We have been soooooo busy over the last week or so...

Firstly cleaning and decluttering the house to take pics to list it privately (no paying $12000 to a Real Estate agent-yeeha!).

Fielding a huge number of calls and viewers...we have had over 750 hits to our ad and a dozen people through since Monday and it is looking like it will be sold by next week...can't say too much!

Looking at houses down the line (we like this one in Te Aroha) and tossing up whether to buy a small business or keep on working for "The Man"...self-employment is winning the battle.

Finding out that J's work is going to be making major changes which confirms his decision to resign.

And of course...lotsa crafting...I'm hoping to put up some stuff in an etsy store later sometime in the next couple of weeks...and I am pondering setting up a wee e-commerce site of my own...
or maybe not...I don't do well with selling stuff...I prefer to gift...however I would love to have my own boutique of sorts...watch this space.

A Reasonable Life

I am reading an inspiring and challenging book at the moment...may I whet your appetite and tell you all about it when I have had time to complete reading it and mulling over all it contains?

Here is an excerpt...

We condemn our children to conformity the moment they leave the womb. And we do so not from unkindness, but because we have thoughtlessly built ourselves a media-propelled society that for the last forty years has bludgeoned us every minute, telling us to forget that we are humans who need to laugh and cry, care and be cared for, love and be loved. It tells us instead that our needs can be fulfilled with storebought goods; that having video games is as good as having friends, that the comfort of your car can replace the comfort of your lover, that caring for a yacht is like caring for your mother, and that new shoes can substitute for a shoulder to cry on.

So we created a scoiety that bloomed economically the farther it pushed us apart, because the lonelier we got the more we shopped to forget our loneliness; a society that reached its apex once it convinced us that bells and whistles, car phones and nintendos can make up for the loss of a passionate human life.

This of course should come as no surprise, since we are a society named not after something noble or humane, but an abstract vulgarity called Capital. We have become conditoned to ignore the growth of the human spirit, or human joy, or at least to practice them in our spare time, and concentrate our efforts on the growth of money. It is somehow thought (if it is thought at all) that happiness, fulfillment, love and laughter will burst upon us as soon as we are adequately awash in a sea of greenbacks.

Mate, Ference (1997) A Reasonable Life pg 142-143
Albatross publishing House

Getting Cosy

I have all but broken a former Trade Me trawling addiction but I just couldn't resist an auction for two hand knitted tea cosies, plus some extra bits and pieces...I bought the lot for $2 just to get this...

Super cool fairisle cosy in my colours...orange, brown, turqoise and a hint of burgundy.

Now I just need to get a wee little teapot to put inside it... tea anyone?

My Gorgy Boy

Just had to share some more pics of my oh so delicius baby E... he is such a spunky litttle guy.

Mother's Day

So yesterday was Mother's Day.

I have a bit of an issue with market-driven, spendy-spendy, pseudo holidays and celebrations but when you get treated like a Queen princiles tend to get put aside...for just a moment.

After feeding Baby E at his usual 5am I was instructed to stay in bed, no matter what noises emanated from the other end of the house...so being a very dutiful and submissive wife I did just that.

J bought in the morning paper which I read in almost all of its entirety rather than snatching tidbits here and there and then wiping porridge spills from the lifestyle section later in the day.

J also bought me in some waffles with banana, maple syrup and icecream...mmmmm....waffles!

The kids were suspiciously quiet, but then they all bounded in holding lovingly drawn pictures. O5 drew a picture of the family watching Berenstains Bears and Daddy fixing the TV cord (What the????). C2 had an amzing Pollockesque picture of some animals and A2's masterpiece was untitled. O also gave me a wonderful gifty from everyone...Little House on the Prairie to add to my collection and Little Women.

I believe that my career as a Mother is so much more valuable and important than anything else I could do. I was really encouraged a couple of weeks agao when a dear inspiring woman shared about her complete assurance that her primary purpose, ministry and mission was to raise her children. Me too! It was so exciting to hear somebody else confidently articulate that, unashamedly in today's society when Motherhood is denigrated and seen as a temporary endurance until you "get your life back"

I love being a Mother...most of the time... and on my "bad Mummy" days I am invaribly encouraged by my fantastic hubby that our children are in the best place being home with me, learning through life and love, joy and sorrow, triumphs and failings.

I am exhausted much of the time, I have huge self-doubt and worry about how well I am doing, I raise my voice too often and I am guilty of feeding everybody baked beans on toast reasonably frequently. Yet, I love my children with a passion, I am learning from my mistakes and I daily I am rewarded with new victories and growth in my own life and those of the fabulous foursome.

I am thankful for small things...some lavender treats from my lovely second mum...given to let me know that she believes in me and the job I am doing with my family or a timely phonecall from my sister who calmly and gently reminds and encourages me that one day I will realise that noone has peed on the floor for a week or two.

Right now my Baby is napping, O5 is reading Tintin out loud and with amazing expression(skiting, proud mummy here...Did I mention O is not yet five and a half?), and A and C are playing quietly and peacefullywith the toy cars...ahhhh...I take hold of this scene and commit it to memory for the next time that it all turns pearshaped.

Maaaarrrrvellous

I am having a maaarrrvellous weekend...beginning on Friday where the kids and I had a fantastic scream-free (and that was just me!), thoroughly fun day together. We made collages for Daddy, played schools on the trampoline, read lots of books and generally enjoyed each other.

To top it all off O5 wrote me a message on the sketcher.
It reads "Mummy, I love you, a rose, you are 33"
Warm fuzzies!

My folks were due to come for dinner but had to postpone so Jand I took the opportunity to rent "The Prestige" and eat Peanut M&M's and Big-Uns (kinda like Cheese curls..but much nicer!) What a fantastic movie...you must all rent it...TONIGHT!

J thinks he might add it to his DVD collection which has grown by a few more today as he spent ALL of his birthday money on the complete set of Fawlty Towers (plus a copy of Reservoir Dogs which he'll be having to watch all by himself!)

Today I fed my babe at the usual unearthly hour of 5am...then promptly drifted back to sleep. J took the other kiddos to soccer and I fed E again and then lay in bed to read the paper. When the hordes returned I went for a long walk to do my weekly weigh in...and I lost 1.4 kg...yee-ha...have finally hit the post baby goal weight.

On the way home I just *had* to detour past the local Salvation Army Op Shop and I scored some cool little bargains...

Kids knitting patterns for 5c each.

Some cute little bag handles...and they had many more there but fortunately for J I only had a small amount of cash and had left my plastic at home.

A gorgeous green scarf that I have yet to decide what to do with. I will refashion it into something for either myself or Miss A.

When I got home the trusty postie delivered to me a package from Greenbeans, containing some scrummy BKT for nappies, a pair of little Addi turbo circulars to complete my collection and a surprise pressie for a friend...shhhh.

But wait, there is more...My Nativity Knit book arrived...Yes I AM going to knit our family a Nativity scene for next Christmas...watch out you scoffers and titterers...If I get really keen I might just have to kit up extra sets to send your way.

All in all...Bliss. My wonderful man gave me almost the whole day off today as he disappeared with the kiddos again after lunch, Baby E had a 3 hour sleep and I knitted while watching "Shakespeare in Love".

Days like these refresh the soul and rejuvenate the mind and body.

Quotable

Being a mother is worth fighting for,

Worth calling a career

And worth the dignity of the hard work that it requires

Edith Schaeffer

Hush-A-Bye

Awww. Isn't he just gorgeous?

I was busily cooking dinner one evening a few weeks back and Bubba E was having an absolute ball jumping in the Jolly Jumper (whoever invented that thing deserves a medal from mothers everywhere). I noticed the springing, churckling and occasional thump had stopped so I had a wee look and found one very fast asleep, and uber-cute baby.

I must say that I am so thankful every day that J was able to be convinced to go there again after the terrible twosome...although at 3am I am not quite so ecstatic about having a wee one!

We are really enjoying E. With O we were typical first time parents...overanxious, overzealous and quite a few more "overs". We had just got our heads around this parenting lark when lo and behold we heard the words, "And just how many babies are in there?" at our twenty week ultrasound and just like that we were joining the ranks of parents of multiples.

I had purposed to be a lot more responsive and flexible when we planned no 2...I even thought I *might* use a sling...now and then...but the reality of two and three arriving within three minutes of one another made our lives chaotic, exhausting and quite frankly hellish for a number of months. I grieved a bit for the lost opportunity to really nurture a baby, as with A and C we were in pure survival mode.

We decided that since we had three why not add a fourth baby to our family... and so along came our precious boy E. He has been the most contented and relaxed baby, happy and calm, jubbly and spunky. The older children all adore him, even A who is mummy's princess will usually willingly share my lap with Bubba. I carry E most places... not in a sling, but an ergo...gotta love it. He is my only baby still breastfed at 9 months old, we don't stress out if he doesn't want to nap at "the right time" during the day and we all look after him together.

This is all a bit of a rambly mess...I am typing as I shovel veges into E's mouth.

Kindred Spirits

I am blessed to have a fantastic friend in Jess from Oh My. We get togther most weeks and are building a close relationship between ourselves and our whole families. Jess' is in many ways my opposite...she is bubbly and extroverted, a little bit messy and hugely fun. Despite being a mummy of four under four...and being exhausted most of the time Jess has a happy, joyful spirit.

Last week on Anzac Day our wonderful hubbies took most of our kids to the zoo for the day and Jess and I hung out watching Sense and Sensibility and The Office (Whaddaya mean? Of course they go together!!!), talking, eating and crafting. Our baby boys, three weeks apart in age, rumbled, laughed and generally looked incredibly cute.

Here is Jess busy on the sewing machine trialling a bootie pattern that she has since realised was flawed fom the outset and needs a major Jess revamp.

The coffee table...usually clear of clutter when the kids are all around.

A cutesy elephant T that I appliqued...I loves it...and I am soooo not a pink girl!

Our beautiful babies...E and J

The Penelope Tree

I just have to share an amazing, beautiful and heartwrenching blog with you...
I have met Rebecca once a long time ago...when her babies were just that and the world of Autism was barely a shadow on the horizon.

http://jpsagemama.blogspot.com/

Reasons to Have Kids #1 and #2

Free Labour...then again if it wasn't for the kids there wouldn't be food, playdoh, crayon and more smeared all over everything.


To read stories to the younger siblings so mummy can update the blog.

Holland

We once were travellers...back when we were recently married, had two incomes and no kiddos in tow. Now I have to live vicariously through my memories and my future dreams to once again roam.

We were fortunate to be able to travel through Holland with my parents as part of a large overseas trip. This as very special to me as I had always wanted to experience some of my Dutch Heritage.

I have chosen just a few photos to show you how beautiful it was in Holland in the winter.

Amsterdam at night...we LOVED Amsterdam..despite what you hear about the drugs and the Red Light district it really is a very picturesque city and we felt completely safe walking at night to get an icecream or some pancakes or just to wander around the vibrant streets. That is J and I walking ahead of the photographer (Thanks JEB!)

The view from the window of our hotel...I do love canal houses...charming and crooked, narrow because the buildings were taxed on their frontage...with the hooks and pulleys to haul furniture into the higher storeys.

Wherever I go I HAVE to visit art Galleries...much to J's horror. And when you have the chance to see Rembrandts Nightwatch in all its glory at the Rijksmuseum you don't pass it up! We traveled up to Friesland to stay with relatives and awoke the next morning to an amazing snowy scene. Breathtaking!

One of my dreams is to one day take our children to see where their Opa was born and to travel by bicycle and canal boat through Northern Holland...lotto ticket anyone?

Expressionism

You Are Expressionism

Moody, emotional, and even a bit angsty... you certainly know how to express your emotions. At times, you tend to lack perspective on your life, probably as a result of looking inward too much. This introspection does give you a flair for the dramatic. And it's even maybe made you cultivate some artistic talents! You have a true artist's temperament... which is a blessing and a curse.

What Art Movement Are You?

I love quizzes...I did the muppet quiz and found out I was Scooter and then I went and wasted some time and found this one...and it is me to a T...I even got an A in Expressionism in Stage 2 Uni Art History!

I now pronounce my Postarama over...and I will endeavour to post at least twice a week from now on!

Baby Shower

Now I love Babies...I love making Baby gifts...but I really DON'T like making gender neutral stuff...anyway...I am off to a Baby Shower tomorrow so spent most of this evening (in between my postarama!) making this gifty for the new baby...

All packaged prettily in one of my many gift boxes I have kept to re-use. Somebody once told me I was cheap for doing that...but I reckon it is a) environmentally friendly and good stewardship and b) means I can spend more on the gift!

I had this fabulous idea of using old books which were beyond mending for cards...so here is a pic from an Enid Blyton book that I coloured with my kids trusty colouring pencils...and glued to a metallic purple card.

I already had some wipes made up in my gift-stash (I always have wipes ready...they are so handy for a quick and useful Baby pressie...don'tcha think? ) and I thought the little green giraffe was super cute so I copied him and made a wee apliqued and embroidered T which I hope is okay for a girl or boy.

The giraffe is a piece of terryfleece, hand embroidered with red,gold and aqua spots and appliqued it onto the T. I then added aqua antlers, tail and a fringey mane...now my only question is...Do giraffes have manes?

P.S. Did you like how I tied in the card with the whole theme of the gift? Now I only hope the recipient likes it...you never can tell. When you have put your heart into creating something it is of more consequence whether they like it...well it is to people-pleasing-everyone has to be happywith me-me

Welcome to our Mobile Library

So what do three young'uns do while mummy and daddy clean out the shed? Why, turn the dashboard of the car into a display for some of their favourites books of course!

We have a stash of books in the car all of the time...all of the children love to read in the car.

O5 usually picks Tintin...and we often hear exclamations such as "Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles" eminating from the rear of the van.
C2 has moved on from his well-loved and very tatty Richard Scarry's 'Cars, Trucks and Things that Go' to 'Curious George'.
A2 often chooses 'Treasure Hunt' or 'The Baby's Catcalogue' by Allan Ahlberg...she also has a penchant for "meowmeow book" otherwise known as 'Slinki Malinki'.
E8 months has to be satisfied with a rattly toy and the occasional glance at a page thrust into his face by a sibling eager to share his/her favourite story with Bubba.

The Grand Masters at Work

My little lovelies A2 and C2 have FINALLY got past chewing on everything and now can be trusted to actually draw with coloured pencils rather than create an interesting salad meal with them! The two of them just adore O5 and clambered up to the table as soon as O got out his Narnia activities.O loves Mazes, Wordsearches and Dot to Dots. He is super quick at completing all of these things...he has a real gift for anything that involves spatial skills or patterning.

C and A were very excited when mummy showed them how to draw around their hands on the paper...and mummy was ecstatic when they both recognised their own names written onto the paper. It satisfies the ex-schoolteacher in me when we all sit up at the table and "do work" together...the cool thing is that my children don't distinguish between learning and playing as many kids at school do from an early age.

In our house reading, drawing, learning to count and add and subtract, doing puzzles and writing letters to friends is all as much fun as jumping on the trampoline, going to the park or making a construction site in the sandpit...learning is fun and playing is learning.

I AM a Nana!

Who would ever think I would be excited enough to take pictures of knitting, sewing and worst of all an old tablecloth I picked up at a secondhand store? I admit it...I am a craftaholic...I spend far too much time poring over craftblogs and I have to stop myself buying more wool and fabric everytime I go out!


I have almost finished these longies for E8months...I LOVE the wool...it is Tekapo variegated in lovely muted autumn colours...perfect for my redheaded baby boy.



I have to show off a wonderful gifty I got from a friend...we have only met IRL once, but she knows what I like so well...Look at the gorgeous wee bag ...fully lined...the sparklies are knitting stitch markers and they go in the bag...and the wool is my absolute most favourite wool ever and I put it next to the gifties to show you how perfectly Sharon has chosen the colours I love.

I once started a country quilt...each square was a basket...needless to say I have moved on from the early nineties and no longer have folkart stuff around everywhere...so what to do with the blocks I had completed...aha...perfect pincushions...complete with flowerheaded pins.

I have made four and have about 6 more blocks left to do...can you see I lost the urge to make the quilt pretty quickly?.

I don't think I have shared my fabulous felted kntting bag...there is a Martha pattern somewhere...but I can't find it on the web anymore...anyway...basically I semifelted a big old man's sweater, cut it up, sewed it into a bag shape and then felted the heck out of it...and now it holds a small portion of my wool stash in a little spot on my bookshelf next to the chair where I *would* knit if the downlight wasn't broken.

I was inspired to make this after Rach made about a million trillion bags. See her collection here.

And my old tablecloth...I got it for $5 and it is a huge circular tablecloth with only a few teensy stains..it is destined to make a summer dress for my A2 and with the scraps I plan to Beebeemod some T's shirts for gifties.

Postarama

I have so many pics to post...but am not feeling the blog love very often at the moment...typical! I tend to get really excited about things and start with a hiss and a roar, then something else catches my eye!

I have a trillion ideas for projects running around in my head, plus a desire to continue to dejunkify our eating even more, a craving to look for "the perfect house" on the online real estate sites and other random things...oh yeah, and I have four little children who want lots of mummy cuddles and stories, puzzles and games.

And don't even get me started on all of the housework I am neglecting. I DID read that this generation of children are in danger of being immunocompromised because we over sterilise their environment...so I am doing my bit to ensure my children's future health by not vacuuming the crumbs of the floor more than once a week (okay maybe twice...but I used to do it EVERY day at least)..waiting until the clothes are really grubby before throwing them in the wash (see I'm saving the environment too by not wasting electricty and water!)...and leaving the dust on the furniture to avoid everyone breathing in all of the dustmites that get disturbed when I try to dust. I have forgottne what my mop looks like...in fact I am not sure where it is even.

So while I am in the mood I am going to post all of the things I have been meaning to for the last week...

So keep your ears on Enis...new posts coming throughout the day!

High Ideals and Sanity

As I sit down to write this three of my children are snuggled on the couch watching Curious George on DVD. it is almost 3pm and we have already been to visit a sick friend, stopped in for lunch at our bestest buddies, played in the backyard, had a tea party in the pop up tent house and read Bible Stories on the couch for half an hour... not to mention hung the washing, made all of the beds, countelss trips to and almost to the toilet and scraping porridge off all manner of surfaces after breakfats...but yet I feel guilty for taking some time for me, especially on the computer!

Mama is all kiddoed out and so on goes the mindless distraction. I have this continual struggle between my high ideals and my sanity. I have read the research and seen the effects of too much media on kids young minds and I endeavour to limit how much screen time my kids have and we are definitely discriminating in the content of what they watch...but sometimes it just is easier...and I am trying to get my head around that it is ok!

In an ideal world when mama needs her quiet time the children would all sit quietly involved in their own pursuits, reading, playing snakes and ladders, drawing ...and they do do all of that, but a 5 year old and 2x 2 year olds plus a super crawling 8 month old need a lot of supervision to avoid the tears,screams and random wall drawings.

I wonder what did mothers of preschoolers and only just turned five year olds do to remain sane in the "olden days"? Are we just too used to having an easy option in media, fancy toys, car travel to friends/parks/museums/zoos? How did Carolyn Ingalls keep her sweet demeanour in that tiny little prairie home (I know ...rose coloured glasses and tv dramatisation!). Am I just being self-indulgent and not sacrificial enough or should I be thankful that I have the option of technology and modern amusement to use wisely?

All I know is that when Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy...and if it means a DVD three or four days a week to help me remain functional the rest of the time, maybe it is a trade off I am willing to make at this stage of our lives.

So... tell me, what are the must haves for our children's DVD collection?
Our favourites at the moment include:
Curious George
Cars
Clifford
The Railway Children
Monsters Inc
Little House
Anne of Green Gables
Jungle Book
The Wind in the Willows
Babe
Hairy Maclary
The Berenstain Bears (or Berkenstain Bears according to O5)

Easter

Over the last four days we have done the obligatory thing and eaten a LOT of chocolate and Daddy has been home from work for the long weekend.

We have also indulged in the good old Kiwi tradition of DIY on Holiday weekends. Our bedroom is now stopped, sanded and painted, rearranged and de-cluttered...and hopefully it will remain that way for, oh at least a day or two before the odds and ends start sneaking their way back into every available corner.

As a family we have begun to focus more on what the Easter holiday means to us. We have read the Easter story in the week leading up to Good Friday and then again during the weekend, munching on Hot Cross Buns and reminding each other of the significance of the cross. I had planned on making Easter resurrection cookies on Saturday night to eat on Sunday morning...perhaps next year, when J and I aren't sleeping on the lounge floor and everyone is sleeping through the night (we averaged about a dozen night wakenings, equally spread between our youngest three kiddos, ever night over the long weekend...phew!!!!).

O5 has shown his understanding of the significance of Jesus death on the cross in his comment about sin..."Mummy, Jesus died on the cross so we don't have to be in trouble for our sins eh?""Yes, O." "OK, sin is when I don't listen to you and do what you say, eh Mummy?"...

Ah, from the mouth of babes...I'm glad that my little guy has such a simple concept of sin...albeit true, and doesn't know the evil that pervades around this earth...my prayer is that as he grows and sees the good, the bad and the ugly of life that he would remember that there is victory...that sin and death were defeated and that Jesus rose from the dead and intercedes for us at the right hand of God.

One last thought...should I be a teensy bit creeped out that O was playing at being Jesus while supposedly reading sories on the couch and organising his little siblings, A2 and C2, to be the robbers? Fortunately he didn't have his hammer and nails handy!

More Beach Pics

O5 and his good friend Z4
Beautiful Princess A2 and her Daddy
Boys on the Beach
Lovin' the Harbourside
Trees were made for climbing.

And there ends our holiday at the beach...we hope to make it an annual event and to share the memories of the kids all growing up together, enjoying the creation and each other in a special corner of the world.

Banana Slide

Isn't this just the most fantastic artwork???? I LOVE it soo much. Mike came and visited me during the blog party and I have fallen in love with his blog. he sells his original images...and for us over the other side of the world you can buy the jpeg file rather than have to wait for a hard copy...too cool.

Wouldn't this make such a groovy little T for a kiddo?

Beach Pics

More beach pics...now that my broadband is back up to speed!
Hanging out with everybody at the Estuary...such a great spot for the kids to wade and splash.

Even at the beach you just sometimes need to craft...right? Bubba E had an absolute ball crawling around and looking cute...in fact he got blisters on his feet from crawling so much on the wooden floors.I LOVE this pic so much, C had so much fun with his Friend E...don't they look gorgeous? If you can't tell, they are running off down to the beach holding hands.
A and C learnt to share the big car and found out that working together is great fun.