Penguins

Little D was so proud of his drawing this morning he asked me to take a photo of it and instructed me on just how to do so. I have to hold it and you have to get The Person Who Drew It in the photo so we know it was me. He checked each photo I took until he was satisfied it was perfectly composed, that he was smiling just so and that the drawing wasn't too obstructed by his fingers.

It's penguins on icebergs by the way. There's a whole story that goes with it which we wrote on the back. I'll spare you the details but I did want to share the fact he was most annoyed at himself for the large purple and blue butterfly, the first thing he drew before the penguin/iceberg scene emerged. Butterflies don't belong somewhere so cold and he regretted ever drawing it and could we just pretend that it wasn't in the picture please thankyou very much.

D had a wonderful day with his beloved cousin today. They built this Thing. It's a machine that among other things manufactures fabric. (Yes please, I wish!!).

After it's completion we took a walk to the warehouse. Little H and I enjoyed strolling along behind these two - who where whispering and giggling and completely lost in a world of their own cousinly goodness.

Teeny tiny bit of sewing

It's pretty cool what one can achieve with just a few minutes at the sewing machine. Voila, a gift all ready to go for the price of a few fabric scraps and 10 minutes of my time. I took some old t.shirts of the boys and jazzed them up (i.e covered the stains) with some applique. One of our baristas is about to become a father and they're expecting a boy. Strangely, all the children of our employees are boys. What's with that? Seriously, has anyone done a study on how coffee consumption in males influences the sex of their children?

Today we made some fresh play dough, which we were in serious need of. If you saw how disgusting the old lot was you'd agree. This time we deviated from the problematic recipe on the container of cream of tartar that we've thus far always followed. Instead we followed Amber Carvan's recipe in Everyday Craft and it was way better. (Amber is the editor of kidscraftweekly, a really cool craft website that a mate sent me the link to a few weeks ago). Requiring much less elbow grease and taking about a quarter of the time, the result is beautiful smooth play dough. Using Daddy's special extra fine pasta flour may have helped too. We always add a few drops of essential oil to our play dough so it keeps better and smells nice. The orange is orange scented of course, and the yellow is patchouli. (See I deliberately made compatible colours? Because I know they're going to be mixed together at some point and it's a much more aesthetically pleasing mix than the green and red we made last time)!

We just sat down to a whole family session. It's still warm. Is there anything better than play dough so fresh it still has warmth in it? Little D made that duck all by himself, isn't it great? He and Will made matching monsters. For Little H it was all about the sticks, pushing them into and pulling them out of globs of dough.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. How is it Sunday evening already?

Plenty of action this week

Plenty of action this week and by the looks of my photos it seems to have all taken place at work. But that's not entirely representative of what we got up. Just didn't get the camera out much.

We made it out of bed in time to watch the new counters being delivered to Campos via a crane and the upstairs balcony on Monday at 5am. ALL my boys thought it was extremely exciting, and I very much felt like the only female in the family! I was proud of myself for following through with our plans even though it meant getting up at an ungodly hour and going out into pouring rain and freezing temperatures. (Freezing may be an exaggeration, we're in Sydney after all. But it was chilly).

On Tuesday informal plans were made for Little D to begin flute lessons, hopefully starting in the coming weeks. It's a very slow and gentle process to begin with and will likely be some time before he actually picks up a flute and blows a note. I'll be sure to mention it when it does happen though.

We honoured our new tradition of a car free day on Wednesday by enjoying a quiet day spent in pj's without once leaving the house.

Attended our regular Thursday play group at the park and the sun actually came out for it! It's been another wet and grey week so we really enjoyed getting outdoors.

And we enjoyed a long lunch with cousins on Friday. Cousins who have a trampoline AND a swing set in their backyard. Smiles all round.

We also visited Will many times at work this week for the very important job of taste testing the new pastries that we are now baking on the premises to supply our espresso bar in Newtown. The biggest thumbs up from the boys went to the quince polenta cakes, mmm mmm. The pain au chocolats aren't too bad either, but the children did not sample those - a strictly mummy and daddy job only!

The boys love the cool gear that our wonderful pastry chef uses - including an industrial mixing bowl big enough for H to fit inside, as tall as me. In fact there's so much to impress, entertain and engage these children at the warehouse I don't know how we don't spend more time there. Fork lifts, pallet jacks, oversized whirring fans, lots of shiny pipes/funnels and chimney's, things that beep and tick, a (food grade) cement mixer, whooshing after burners and industrial scales. Not to mention the gigantic glossy black coffee roasters standing side by side resembling a couple of steam engines.

The most popular thing by far though - the staff lockers. We measure H's growth by how well he fits inside these. Without a doubt every single visit to the warehouse involves a little locker peek-a-booing, knock-knocking, jumping out of saying Rah! Too much fun. Is it any wonder they often don't want to leave when it's time to get on with our day?

While there this week we also admired our newest piece of equipment which will shortly be installed into the store to satisfy all our dedicated coffee nerds! A Yama cold drip filter coffee maker. It's a unique system of extracting coffee without heat. Icy water very slowly trickles through ground coffee and a ceramic filter, taking hours to fill the jug at the bottom. I got my first taste this morning and it's pretty cool....literally. (I know, groan. Couldn't help myself).

His first Concert Hall experience

Little D and I attended the Suzuki 40th Anniversary Concert at the Opera House yesterday. This was his first experience of a proper classical music performance and his first time in the Concert Hall. He was very taken by the grandeur of it all. His jaw dropped when the organ started up for the opening Prelude - it's a pretty impressive site/sound. (You can see the pipe organ below on the right, it's basically the entire back wall). Highlights included spotting his teacher (from classes he attended as part of the Suzuki Early Childhood program) on stage performing with her flute students, the piano duets played by kids not much older than he and his recognition of many of the pieces from his Suzuki CD which we've listened to since he was a baby.

D and H have been doing the Suzuki Early Childhood Music program basically all their lives, H started in utero! But this was the first time we've made it along to a concert performed by students of this unique method of teaching music. Now that D has graduated from the early childhood program we're approaching the next step - private lessons on an instrument of D's choice. Hopefully these will begin later this year. D is excited. I'm excited. Now we just have to make a choice about which instrument he'll learn...

I dug out some old photos of Little H and I enjoying our music class, which he still attends, taken when he was about 9 months old by the teachers. Time flies - where did my baby go?! I'm so pleased that the kids and I have been able to experience this gentle, high quality music program.

10 things

I was inspired by soulemama's post to make a little list today. Ten things, right now, that are making me smile.
1. These boys and their daily ritual of jumping on this metal plate (which is a trap door to the cellar below the pub). It's outside Campos so we see it/jump on it every day. It's loud. They like it.

2. He says mm-mmm when he drinks water, like it's the tastiest thing he's ever had.
3. The hand written note from my nephew and the little drawing by my niece we received in the post yesterday.
4. The plans we have to join Will at the store at 5am on Monday to watch a new counter being moved into the upstairs using a crane. (A crane people! Moving a very large and heavy counter into a building via the balcony - the boys can barely sleep in anticipation).

5. The Gruffalo 'movie' which aired on telly the other day and which we recorded and have watched every day since. 30 minutes of gorgeous animation, orchestral music and completely true to the book dialogue.

6. My new skirt. I sewed something for me! (Using fabric I intended to use for the boys, heh heh).

7. Seeing this kid at his craft table. This weeks creations include an insect trap, a lap top, a story about space travel, a kiwi fruit person, the beginnings of an instruction manual called - How To Get To The Forest, several toilet paper roll puppets, several paper aeroplanes and a gantry tower for a huge (yet to be made) rocket modelled on Apollo 11.

8. Witnessing the results of letting go of any semblance of our bedtime 'routine' on Thursday night - which included the boys in the backyard 'shopping for pegs' by torch light in freezing temperatures at 10pm.
9. The prospect of a prawn curry which my Will, resident chef, is cooking for dinner. Yep, he's been at the fish markets again this morning. Poor poor me, having to live with a guy obsessed by gourmet cooking. Truly awful.

10. Our farmers markets flower loot today, lined up along the bench top awaiting placements throughout the house.

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Just an ordinary day

I really like ordinary days. Nothing proper planned. Just plod along happily following what feels like the thing to do. Today was an ordinary Wednesday. Traditionally a quiet day as it follows Little D's 2 days at preschool.

We decided to go car free. Something we just don't do often enough these days. And shame on us really living in the thick of things like we do and not making better use of our legs/bikes/buses/trains. I have plenty of excuses as to why we tend to use the car each day and it can be really tough doing without it with 2 little kids and the massive amount of stuff we require to leave the house. But really, we could try harder. The kids and I decided to have a go at aiming for a car free day each week. Wednesdays. So starting today, that's what we're going to do.

A special achievement for D today, he rode ALL the way from home to Campos. By himself, no help/hand on his back. No rests. He just kept on going. Even Little H impressed me with his stamina, he made it half way before requesting he hop into the ergo. It's a loooong way for little people! For the first time in, quite possibly forever, Little D finished every last drop of his iced chocolate. Even drank the ice once it melted. We discussed our options for the return trip and he decided a bus ride would suit as he could 'barely move' his legs after all that up-hill cycling. So to the bus stop. (Yep, been playing around on picnik again). And a nice little bonus to our car free day - we experienced moments of kindness that we'd otherwise have missed. By the time the bus arrived H had fallen asleep in the ergo, on my front - essentially forcing me to lean so far back to counter his weight it was near impossible to bend and pick up both bikes without face planting it onto King Street. Not a problem - strangers at both ends of our trip offered a helping hand with moving the bikes for me. There is good in the world.

The rest of our day unfolded without much ado.

Lego. At the Big Table so as not to be disturbed by little brother. And on a baking tray so as to prevent a cascade of little pieces raining onto the floor - a habit they seem to have on smooth surfaces.

Remember the reading area? The boys have been making regular use of it but today Little H took his books to he lounge. Marvin made himself comfortable though. See that guilty look in his eye? He knows he's not s'possed to be there. Hmmmm. (I'm caving to this kind of thing lately - he's getting old you know. Poor thing started out in our lives as the centre of our world, seriously top dog. Nowadays he only out-ranks the cat!)

About a week ago D made another robot. This time I helped him and we're quite proud of the results! This is Tiny's mum according to D. She has been seeing some action, coming along with us for coffee, visiting friends, even sharing D's dinner as you can see. When not out and about she spends her time among the other very precious creations that D has made over these past couple of months. (Otherwise known as the contents of the recycling tub). The other day Little D made a bed on the floor of his bedroom for Tiny and Tiny's mum. I saw it and commented "Oh, this is where your robots sleep" "No, robots don't sleep mum. You switch them off. This is just where they go when you turn them off for the night." Duh. Silly me. They eat, they visit mates, they have a BED - I just figured they slept too!

Another bushwalk

Sunday afternoon. And we found ourselves headed for another little bush walk. This time with Will who missed last week's as he was away in Melbourne for work. It's really nice to go altogether. It's so lovely to see the enjoyment the boys get out of the great outdoors. And it helps to quell any misgivings I occasionally have about raising these kids in an urban environment (so different from my own rural childhood).

We walked past the families enjoying picnics by the river. Most of whom were packing up for the day as the temperature was dropping drastically as the sun dipped behind the hillside.

We didn't let that deter us though and headed up a track where Little H spotted a kookaburra

which he couldn't take his eyes off.

Even when he followed his big brother to a tiny cave that couldn't have been more attractive to a 4 year old Little H kept his eyes on that kookaburra.

Little D kept saying we are having such a great adventure aren't we mum? Aren't we daddy? We don't have a map, which you are supposed to have for an adventure, but it's still pretty good isn't it?

When we turned a corner on the track and it suddenly opened up to a waterfall cascading down to the river below us (lush and full of moss and tiny ferns and mushrooms) Little D, in a whisper, gasped and said 'this is my special place. Can we take a closer look?' He was so taken by it but also somewhat frightened as he reached for my hand and needed the reassurance that we could indeed get up close to this pretty little creek/waterfall and nothing was going to jump out and claim the space as their own. Still whispering, eyes wide he asked me to read the letters and numbers scratched into the rocks, wondering aloud what they meant. The whole while repeating that this spot would now be his Special Place and stating that we would have to return often.

Will and D decided to clamber all the way to the end of these oyster encrusted rocks protruding into the river.

Little H wasn't too pleased about it and kept crying out to them to come back while we watched from the banks. My shoes were a bit slippery and I didn't feel quite steady enough on my feet to carry/help H clamber across the sharp rocks. The effort left Little D feeling....

Pooped. After he climbed back up to the track on all fours and walked a little further up the track into the scrub away from the river he sat down and announced that we had made a mistake. With all the gravity of someone who has suddenly realised they've endangered theirs or someone else's life. SO dramatic was his tone.

Our adventure, map free and lead most of the time by him, had gone on too long. And now we had to turn around and do the journey in reverse. HOW would we ever find our way back to the car? He was just TOO tired to walk back. What were we to DO? We had only walked about 900 meters mind you and after a drink of water and a promise of snacks back at the car and a short piggy back ride from me he perked up and walked just fine the rest of the way.

Upon our return to the picnic area, all the families were gone save a couple of guys fishing and a young girl attempting to feed the cockatoos. This scene captivated D, he stood frozen to the spot, totally mesmorised by the birds, whom were obviously pretty used to people and allowed Little D to get seriously close, close enough to see that they are huge creatures, standing as tall as D's midthigh!

BYE BYE Mum!

My little guy went off to the fish markets with daddy once again this morning. I snapped a photo of him turning to shout one last bye bye to me. The monkey and duck are going everywhere with Little D at the moment. And he also insists on wearing Will's Dark and Stormy Bermudian cap. Lately, I just want to press the pause button on Little H for a while, enjoy some more of his just barely 2 years old goodness, because he is growing up WAY too fast for my liking. (The alcoholic beverage reference on his cap probably doesn't help).

Our own mini Critical Mass

A late afternoon bike ride. We needed a few things for dinner and what better way to ensure a smooth bedtime than to wear out these little boys by riding to the shops and back.

We had ourselves a little Bike Lift on the way home. Which took me back to my Critical Mass days. Not sure if it still happens this way but back when I was doing them regularly at some point during the ride we would come to a standstill and raise our bikes in the air for a bike lift - the most memorable for me was the ride we did over the Harbour Bridge (in 2001 or 2002?). You can imagine that got a lot of attention, hundreds of cyclists converging on the Bridge in peak hour traffic on a Friday evening. It was awesome, like a massive Mexican wave, but with bikes raised instead of arms, from Milsons Point back towards the CBD. Anyway, it made me smile to see the guys doing their little bike lift, even if they had no idea of the symbolism of it for me.

Little H made lots of loud grunting urghs and ahhs, in a deep voice, to show me how heavy his bike was! Which it really isn't, being made out of hollow plastic. Poor Little D had more difficulty, his bike weighing about the same as himself and all!

Little H LOVES those sunnies at the moment even though they are too big and keep falling off. How stinking cute are they?!

I can hardly wait until we can go for proper rides together. As in me on a bike too instead of walking along beside them steering the little one away from the busy road - he is actually riding backwards in the above shot - and shouting at the big one to stop at driveways/roads.

Winter flowers

A little bush walk today. We saw flowers. I know some plants flower in winter but it was still surprising. The sun even peeped through a couple of times.