Happy 2nd Birthday C!!

C had a marvelous birthday weekend. He turned 2 on Saturday and woke to a very excited sister and a stack of gifts just right for a 2-year-old boy. The house is finally starting to look like a boy lives here. We have heaps of princess, dolly, Barbie, doll house, mermaid, little pony, and pet shop toys. Now, you'll find a decent selection of trucks, pirates, and Lightning McQueen!

After a gift-opening frenzy and some Skype with family, T took the kids to the playground while I did some baking and prep work for the Sunday birthday party. But most of the day was spent with all 4 of us together, C and D enjoying the fun new toys.

Birthday banana cake!

This year, we had a shared birthday party with C's good friend Ollie, who just turned 3. The boys shared very nicely- it was a fantastic day!

We gathered loads of friends at Castledare Miniature Railway (I blogged about this place a month or so ago). There were probably 5 other birthday parties there that day but Ollie's parents, our good friends Kelly and Gareth, secured the best spot at the place and we set up tables, chairs and picnic blankets.

Guests arrived and everyone rode the trains.

While the party goers played a round of "Pass the Parcel"...

C was making a new birthday rule... the birthday boy gets to eat as much chips and salsa as he'd like. And double dip.

T and Tim cooked the sausages and onions. They were excellent!

Ollie's dad, Gareth, is the cake man. These cakes were amazing! Since we were at a railway, there needed to be a train cake. But, Ollie wanted a car cake. So what did we have? A homemade Thomas the Tank Engine Cake AND a Lightning McQueen cake!

Waiting so patiently for cake.

Homemade goodies to take home. It's a train-shaped cookie. The party was scheduled from 11-1. We finally filed out with the last guests shortly before 3! What a party! C was covered in food and dirt. I stripped him down, changed his diaper and he fell asleep in the car mere minutes after we pulled away. Happy, dirty, sleepy birthday boy.

Swimming with the Sea Lions - Jurien Bay, WA

A week ago was a long weekend in Australia to celebrate the Queen's birthday. We thought it was time we got out of town. We booked 3 nights at a villa in Jurien Bay, about 25o kilometers north of Perth. It was a great little place to stay. Just a short walk from the beach, restaurants, and shops.

Jurien Bay is no fancy tourist spot but it was just right for our weekend away. T booked a SCUBA outing for Saturday morning and a few hours later the kids and I joined him on the boat for the sea lion snorkeling tour. This was so cool! We boated out to an area near some tiny islands where a colony of sea lions lives. C fell asleep in my arms (can you imagine?) on the way out so I passed him to T and struggled into my wet suit. I had not worn a wet suit before. When I snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef, the water was warmer and I wore just a stinger suit. Wet suits are not easy to get into!

The tour company did not have wetsuits for kids so we hadn't planned on D getting in the water. But, the kind skipper showed us to a floating ring with a clear plastic bottom that she could sit in. Once I was suited up and D was in her suit, she and I got into the water. We began to paddle around. Soon, T appeared beside us. Very surprised and wondering where our son was, I looked back to the boat. There was C, sound asleep in the boat captain's arms. Actually, Ian, the kindly captain had laid him across a pillow, on the bbq, on the back of the boat, and was standing with his arms still around our sleepy, little boy. It was hilarious!

So the sea lions swam up to us, around us, under us. They were friendly and fun and playful. The water was chilly, and D was just in her bathing suit, but she was having too much fun to notice the cold, little waves that consistently splashed over her. What an experience!

Those lumps on the sand are not rocks- they are lazy sea lions!
I had been in the water for about 30 minutes when I heard C waking up. He had fallen asleep in my arms, and woken up in the arms of a strange, bearded man- so he wasn't happy. I left D with T and returned to the boat. Snapped this after C had calmed down. C couldn't stay mad with all those funny sea lions swimming around.

The ride back was lots of fun for the kids. C had become good buds with Ian and hit him up for a turn at the wheel. And then D had to have her turn. Hard to photograph but these were dolphins playing in the water on our way back to the boat harbor.

Sunday was a drive out to The Pinnacles. These are limestone rock formations that are left behind after the sand that once surrounded them blew away. They cover a large area inside a national park.

The warm afternoon was spent at the beach. Ahhh! This was fantastic.

D let us bury her in the sand for the first time. I had to pay her 50 cents. But she loved it and laughed her head off.

Monday brought rain, so we packed up and headed back to Perth early. We stopped in Swan Valley for lunch and made it home with enough daylight for D to ride her new bike for a bit and for T and I to unpack and do laundry. Wish we could get away every weekend!

Potchouwat

Pronounced- Pot-shoe-ot

Definition: D's mysterious ingredient in many of her bathtub recipes. She says it's a type of bean.

Origin: Who knows!?

One day, and this could have been a year ago, I can't remember, D was in the tub mixing up one of her recipes. The plastic cups that appeared to be full of bath water, I was told, were actually parsley, cinnamon, and potchouwat.

"What's potchouwat?" I asked.

"One of my ingredients," D replied. I didn't ask anymore questions at the time.

But some time later, we were having pizza for dinner and D picked a piece of red onion off of her plate. She held it up and asked what it was with her nose wrinkled.

Now, I'm always trying to find ways to prevent or resolve conflicts without a power struggle with the kids. Sometimes a little humor works. I said the first thing that popped into my head and that was "Potchouwat!" She didn't believe me but I persisted, insisting that I had gotten some fresh potchouwat from the grocery store that day. D ate it that night, totally confused about how I actually found and bought this ingredient.

Tonight we had pizza again. We put red onion on it. D picked up a piece of red onion and laid it on the table. But before she said anything I exclaimed, "Oh yum! Potchouwat!"

She then informed me that potchouwat is a bean.

So, I'm searching for this mysterious bean.

Kindy Sports Carnival

Oh the fun things I get to experience as the mother of a 4-year-old! Recently, I attended my first Junior Sports Carnival. I think we have events like this in the USA. Something like Field Day perhaps?

Well D had her first Sports Carnival a couple of weeks ago.

Kindies, watching the bigger kids compete.

Ready for the Box Car Race.

Vroooom!

There was also an Egg and Spoon Race but I was chatting with another mother and missed it. Oops! Don't tell D!

Proud owner of a new white ribbon!

First Ballet Recital

What a fun evening! I have to admit, I was excited for D to participate in her first dance performance but I was also kind of dreading the work part of it all. Does anyone know what I mean? Getting all dolled up and worrying that the hair would get messed, spilling something on the (all white) costume, getting out the door on time, finding parking, getting the toddler to behave himself during the show, etc. And though there was some uncertainty with this being our first time doing all this- the thing went off without a hitch!

We were 30 minutes early (how weird?), parking at the venue was abundant, D took very good care of her hair and costume, and C was mesmerized by the ballerinas!

D is in the preps ballet class with other 4 and 5 year old girls. There were 3 large groups of them and D's group of girls were cygnets (baby swans), all in white.

Her first ballerina bun!

Costume with wings.

There was no photography or video allowed during the performance but nobody said I couldn't take some snaps during dress rehearsal!

The ballerinas were kept busy coloring and chatting backstage while they waited for their turn and then for the final bow.

Here is D with her friend India. They've become great ballet friends.

One group did an Elmo dance with these big Elmos strapped to their backs. Felt weird snapping a photo of someone else's child but had to share.

D was happy as a clam. Her group was the opening act and then they got to come out at the end and take a bow with all the big ballerinas. She didn't know she'd get to do that, and since T and I were sitting front row, it gave her plenty of time to smile and wave at us.

The show was down in Fremantle which is a good 30 minute drive for us so we kept C happy with snacks during the show and then all went out to Wagamama's (Mmmm-mmm-mm) for dinner afterward.

It was a great evening and we are oh so proud of our girl!

Father's Day in Oz

Yes, Australia's Father's Day is on a different date than the US Father's Day. This year, we celebrated on September 6th.

D's school hosted a Father's Day breakfast at school on Friday. T was able to attend and they enjoyed a breakfast of a sausage on a slice of bread and some fresh fruit. Not quite what dad and daughter were expecting but very nice anyway.Then, with some time to kill before we could deposit D with her kindy teachers, D walked her dad around the playground making attempts to introduce him to everyone she knew. She was pleased as punch! "Come over here dad! This way!"

On Sunday, Father's Day, we met up with friends Lisa, Tim, and Caleb at Castledare Miniature Railway in Wilson, WA. What a fun place! We had a bit of rain to deal with but stayed dry for most of the time. Over the past couple of weeks, I've mentioned this place to a few friends and no one seems to have heard of it. But it's great! It's a little train station with tiny steam and diesel trains that chug along through the bush, over bridges and ponds, past ducks and parks. We all loved it!

Waiting in line with the dads.

Wave to mom!

Beside the station are picnic tables and a grassy area and the place provides bbqs. We brought lunch and had an awesome time. The kids played some catch while the sausages sizzled.Now mommy and mummy get turns!

Castledare Miniature Railway is open on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. We're excited to go again!

We Have No Toys

My poor son. It's a sad, sad story. We have no toys for him to play with and so he must find his own playthings. There are no blocks, no balls, no bikes. He has to make do with a bag of potatoes. The only way in the whole house to entertain himself.

First, empty the bag onto the rug.

Then, roll around on the potatoes.

Next, lay on your back and try to hold one with your feet.

Later, I found one stuffed into each of those little food storage containers. Leftovers I guess!