Off on Hols Today!

I know I've just returned to the blog but it will be another week or so before I am able to post again. T, the kids, and I are off to Exmouth on the Ningaloo Reef for a week of sun, sand, and whale sharks! If you've never seen or heard of a whale shark, here's a photo I took from a website. Sure I hope I don't look like krill!

It's a long drive, but the car is packed with lots of games and goodies (and the portable DVD player) so I think we'll survive.

Will be sure to tell you all about out it when we return! Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

Keeping It Going

Over the past few months, I've struggled with whether or not to keep up the blog. My posts stopped at the end of November simply because the holiday season gets SO CRAZY and I just didn't have the time. Then, we spent 5 weeks in the US over Christmas and that got me totally out of the blogging routine.

So, now that the new year has begun, what do I do? Honestly, there is occasionally some time in the evenings, but with our new schedule around here, I fear I have been far too tired at the end of the day to write anything even remotely clever or entertaining. I worry I might bore you to death.

But, today was a really nice day around here. So, I'm going to try to keep the blog going because life is really good and I think you like it when I share.

Here's me today, blogging and looking happy about it.

Why was today a really nice day, you ask? Well, it was nothing super fantastic. C was up early because he's been toying with the idea of toilet training and has been staying dry all night- but that means at 5:45 am he calls for me from his bed with a VERY full bladder, "WEEE WEEEE! WEEE WEEEE!" So the day began.

D was an a lovely mood this morning and drop off at school went beautifully as usual with my girl doing drawings of Easter eggs and C doing all the puzzles.

Then a stop at Star-Mites which is the little kid version of Western Australia gymnastics. D has been begging to join (again) for months, and now that she's wrapping up her first full term of full time school, I told her she could give it a go. (I hesitated because she is knackered after clocking all those hours at school each week. She really only gave up her afternoon nap in November.)

I am also enrolling C this term because that boy needs to channel some energy in a positive way! So, we stopped at the gym to enroll. Paperwork done, payment made, then an offer to join in for a free class today. Well, why not!?

C and I spent an hour running, kicking, climbing, swinging, jumping, falling, chasing, hanging, sweating, and ... smiling! It's just the thing for him. I'll take photos at our next class with the term starts mid-April.

We had errands to run afterward, and C should have been pretty beat, but once the jobs were done it was time for a well-deserved mother/son lunch date. C and I do sushi together.

He's working on the chopsticks. In fact, his daycare often serves stir-fry and they have them working on it too! Life skills!

While I'm logged in and typing, I better include a big "first" for D. Last weekend was her first school disco. Awwwwwwwwww. She made this 'ribbon' especially for the event. It is taped to a Popsicle stick and added quite the drama to her dance moves.

I really didn't think it would be any big deal and wondered if any of her little 4 and 5-year-old friends were even going. I was terribly wrong. It was a big deal! They did The Limbo.

The Hokey-Pokey!

They knew every word to the BEP's!

And here was D's first slow dance (not sure whether to laugh or cry).

Her classmate, Sam, was very cooperative, yet not particularly joyful about the dance lesson.

And C was included too. Here he is, avoiding an invitation to dance, Uncle Nick style.

Don't be fooled, little Caitlyn. The boy can dance, and he really does like you.

Hot Rodders for Jesus!

Last weekend D decided it was time to unpack her Nativity Set. She and C have been busy playing with it all week long. They have even added other toys to it- like some extra lambs, a donkey, and a calf. This morning, some tourists in hot rods showed up.

We're going to have to add concession stands and public toilets. Not to mention security!

Excellent Tour at Fremantle Prison

I'm a few weeks late in blogging about this but had to share a really cool activity that T and I did with friends a few weeks ago.

Grant and Brenda were smart to bring their camera for a few pics, even if we couldn't have them the whole time. Here we all are in front of the prison.

T had done the Doing Time tour with Aunt Pat and Uncle Hank in August.

Fremantle Prison was built in the 1850's to house convicts sent over from England. As the colony grew, they had an extremely difficult time finding enough clean water. The population was decreasing because settlers were moving east for better living/farming conditions.

Then, they discovered a huge supply of water underground, 20 meters below the prison. So, with all the free labor provided by the prison, they began to dig tunnels to collect the water. It was horrible work- chipping away at limestone in the dark, soaking wet, for 12 hours a day. And with no drills or machines. They did it all with axes and picks, hauling the bits of limestone away in buckets. And the tunnels go on and on.

They were able to pump huge amounts of clean water and help the colony survive and made Fremantle Harbor a popular spot for ships sailing on the Indian Ocean.

The prison was finally closed in 1991, after nearly 140 years of housing male, female, and juvenile convicts. From debtors to maximum security inmates.

You can read more information about Fremantle Prison at the link below:
http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/History/Pages/default.aspx

Now, the prison offers a variety of tours. The 4 of us took the Tunnels Tour which was an adventure! We were suited up in all kinds of safety gear. (The small photos are from the website as cameras were not allowed in the tunnels)

I wish there was a photo of our breath tests. To insure that no one is intoxicated before taking the tour, we all had to be breathalized!

Helmets with lamps, paper jumpsuits, rubber boots, safety harnesses, and life preservers. We were taught how to use our harnesses that are attached to the ladders that brought us down 20 meters.

Then we walked, sometimes bent over, through the dry tunnels, checking out all kinds of cool artifacts.The last part of the tour was in little row boats. Prison guards would have used something similar to navigate the wet tunnels, but prisoners would have just spend their entire shift cold and soaking wet.

There were several times that the guide would order the lights turned off so we could understand just how dark and creepy it was down there. We even rowed ourselves out of the last 20 or so meters in the pitch black. What an experience!

No night out in Fremantle would be complete with a trip to the Little Creatures Brewery. Pizza, chilli mussels, nachos, and a lager. Yum!

All Better

C is really starting to do more pretend play. He has been very into his cars, trucks, and tractors for a while now and they drive all over the sofa and shelves as he makes all kinds of sound effects.

Today he pulled out the doctor kit for the first time. D often uses it to be a veterinarian and C thought that was a pretty cool idea too.

All better.

I'll try and talk him into wearing the surgical mask next time.

Ha! As I was typing someone showed up as a new character. Can we fix it? Yes we can!

Photos I am Unlikely to Order

We've just been to our family photographer. He does an amazing job and for one fee, gives us 30 minutes in the studio and all of the images on a DVD. It's perfect for us because it allows us to do whatever we like with the photos. Print, email, post online, etc. The kids play, dance, and sing for Sean, the photographer. Occasionally, he'll pose them, but most of the time they are just having fun. It makes for great photos!

I love all those perfect poses that are cropped and edited, making them just right. But it's also lots of fun to see the shots that are not exactly frame-worthy. This time, Sean took 304 photos. A few of them were bound to make me laugh!

Cirque du Soleil, here we come!

C is getting good at playing "monster."

Grrrrrr!

The photo that was snapped after this one was actually a kiss, not a bite.

I am hilarious!

Whoa!!

Give me my lolly and take me home!

All those lovely cropped and edit photographs of smiling faces will make their way into frames and make lovely Christmas cards and gifts! Until then...a sneak peek.

Lately

I've been a terrible blogger lately. Really, I haven't been a blogger at all! Sorry! We've been staying busy- especially D. She has gotten VERY crafty. Even with no scissors (due to another haircut she gave herself a couple of weeks ago) our girl is spending lots of her time creating various projects. C got this very cool farm for his birthday and both kids really love playing with it. While C slept one afternoon last week, D thought she could improve on it. The set came with animals, little bales of straw, fences. But one thing was missing...electric blankets for each of the animals.Below is the farm set. In front of the white barn is a moose, wearing his electric blanket.
My favorite project, that is weeks in the making and rather large, is the Barbie castle. This began to come together just after C's birthday when there were lots of boxes lying around after the gift opening. D has spent hours and LOTS of tape and stickers making it just right for all of her Barbies to sleep in.

And today, I was given this fantastic bug bracelet. It will go with so much of my wardrobe!We've also been busy with lots of swimming. The pool we go to for lessons couldn't get the kids in on the same morning this term- so we go on Mondays and Tuesdays. And, sometimes T takes the kids on the weekend. So, we are in the pool a lot lately. Below, the kids out of the pool.

Had lots of fun at the Taskers' new house over the weekend. C has too much fun on the boys' drum set. I would say he has the beginnings of amazing musical talent but I think it's more likely that he just likes to make a lot of noise.