Summer is here!

Enjoying the pool weather.

Hallowe'en

We did trick or treating in the street on Hallowe'en night - some great costumes! Amelia was fascinated by all the masks.

Camping at Conondale National Park

Went camping in the "bush" with some friends for the weekend. Had to cross two creeks in the car to get there (which Andrew and William thought was great). Weather could've been better - it was a bit cloudy and we had a massive thunderstorm Sunday night where we all seemed to get wet one way or another!
The kids were filthy, but enjoyed swimming in the (freezing) creek and toasting marshmallows on the open fire.

Amelia Turns One

A big day on Friday, not only for the Royal Wedding, but for Amelia's first Birthday. How quickly the first year goes! We had a few friends over for a morning tea party and she enjoyed herself, although she was feeling a bit under the weather (this was to be revealed later). We opened presents and she got bath toys, puzzles, a Weebles treehouse, two dolls, My Little Pony, a little pink car (complete with mummy & baby) and a great assortment of clothes. She did well. She also took a few steps aided by her walker (see video clip). You can still see icing all over her face from the cake she'd eaten too! We all watched "The Wedding" later that evening with a friend and some bubbly. In all, quite a momentous day!

Teeth, Curls and a Day Out with William

This week has seen the arrival of Amelia's first two little bottom teeth, almost simultaneously. This has made her a little bit of a cranky-pants, very much unlike her usual happy self, but we are working through it. She has also developed a lovely little set of curls at the nape of her neck. I am hoping these eventually spread to the rest of her head before she starts to develop a full mullet, John Farnham-style. As Amelia has begun to spend time in daycare on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (preparing for my return to work), William and I had a day to ourselves this Tuesday and we decided to go to the City on the train. We went to the Gallery of Modern Art where there was a kids-type exhibit on (we made Lego towers and walked through a room full of balloons) and we went to the State Library too which was all good fun. We had lunch by the river and were disappointed not to visit the dinasaurs at the museum as they got their feet wet during the flood, so were undergoing some restoration work. It was a tiring trip and William fell asleep on the way home........I just wish I could have too.

First Week at Daycare

It's been an exciting (for Amelia)/anxious (for me) first week at daycare. After a rather sleepless weekend due to the cutting of a first tooth, Amelia was quite curious and happy after her first hours play at daycare. The second day didn't go so well. She was having a great time and even let me put her to sleep there, but after waking (and while I was in the Kindy room with William), was unfortunately bitten on the cheek by one of the other babies. Unlike Amelia, this kid had quite a few teeth! She was a little upset, but seemed to recover quickly (she's a little toughie!) and was soon playing on the floor again. I guess these things happen, but it better not happen again!! She spent a good few hours there again today and had a great day, showing all the other babies how to shove as much food as possible into your mouth all at once! I felt a little lost though and can't wait to start a project which will keep me occupied until I go back to work - likely tiling the kitchen next week. Photo is William and Amelia's latest favourite game - hide and seek under the bean bag!

Australia Day

It was a couple of weeks ago now, but we spent Australia Day at our friends Tiffany & Sam's having a barbeque. After that we came back to play with the neighbours in the street. A slippery slide was created from plastic, washing up liquid and water and the kids had a brilliant time being thrown down it.

And She Crawls...

For the first time last night, real crawling. No more of this bum shuffling, Amelia was determind to cause severe damage to my feet so she was on a mission to get a weapon. With nothing holding her back she raced across the floor to pick up my torch (I'd already taken it away from her once) and start bashing, Good leg action and strength, both knees and arms all going independently.

Dark Damp Days

The sun is shining again in Brisbane after many dark, damp days. The floods have been terrible and there are thousands of volunteers daily helping clean up the muddy streets and houses affected. The Aussies really do rally together when the going gets tough. Check out this link to see which bits of Brisbane got badly hit
http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/qld-floods/beforeafter.htm
Life is slowly returning to normal, although groceries are in short supply. We all went to the beach at Redcliffe (lagoon) on Saturday which was great fun and good to get out into the sunshine.