Halloween 2011

A friendly witch.

A ninja baby.

The book parade dinosaur making another appearance.

The little dinosaur got more than his fair share of goodies.

And a huge thanks to the mum who organised a Halloween get-together at the playground - plenty of happy children there for the night!

Family Time

We said good bye to Mike's grandmother recently and it was great to see the cousins catching up with each other after not seeing each other for years.

And look at that littlest cousin looking not so little anymore!

The creek was as peaceful as ever.

Earlier in Book Week...

The 3yo preschoolers had book parade earlier this week. Here is a dinosaur from How Do Dinosaurs Go To School.

Book Week 2011

Featuring Little Red Riding Hood, the Woodcutter, the Guitar Fairy and Tom Sawyer.

Breakfast

The littlest boys are always first for breakfast on the weekend.

Andy refuses to wear pyjamas to bed so breakfasts in his dressing gown. Isabelle brought him back his cap from Chicago and he wears it at every opportunity.

Lachie is determined to feed himself and does a pretty good job with a boiled egg for a 16 month old! I usually pop some egg on a spoon for him to pick up, but if I'm not quick enough he'll give it a go.

Mother's Day 2011

Sadly, the father was away and one son had to serve Mother's Day breakfasts to other mothers, but I was treated to a fantabulous morning with an impromptu trip to Uriarra Crossing.

 Organising a fire was the first priority.

 Andy was pretty excited but wasn't old enough to help collect wood.

 Jessie carried her stash from the very far end of the picnic grounds.

 I insisted on morning tea before marshmallows. How boring.

 Isabelle used her scout training to set the fire.

 Tom took Jessie and Andy for a walk down to the river while the fire was being set and we all took turns waiting for the baby to wake up.

 Mmmmm a marshmallow fire!

 Lachie joined the party late after a long sleep in the car.

I think he liked his first taste of campfire marshmallow.

Sprained ankle day!

Jessie sprained her ankle riding home from school a couple of days ago, and was exhausted after a day of hopping at school. It was decided that a quiet day at home was called for. So we went to the park.

The swans, ducks and moor hens were pleased to see us and were very friendly ... except one swan who took exception to her almost-fully-grown cygnet getting too close to the baby and growled at us!

A trip to the playground isn't complete without a good swing.

Two shades of red

Sixth babies don't get enough photos taken! I think his hair is going to be paler than his sister's. I love that they are all old enough to enjoy each other's company now.

Even if the speed taken down the hill at the other side of the garden path makes my heart skip a beat.

Off to school

This is a big brother. We're not allowed to show you his face.

This is a little sister. She's happy to smile at the camera anytime, anyplace!

I love that they walk to school together... and some days he doesn't even ask for coffee money in return for escort duties.

Hedge day!

As part of the landscaping I've had vegetable gardens built in the front garden, which is very exciting ... but vegetables need sun, and the hedge needed trimming sooner or later.

It's grown to truly epic proportions ... My big boys are 6 foot plus now so the hedge must be 12 feet high at least, and more than 6 feet wide!
I was really pleased to see them using some serious scaffolding this year - previous years have relied on more innovative constructions, such as planks on the back of borrowed utes!





The little guys were pretty keen to break out and help.

It really is a long stretch of hedge, with more on the other side of the driveway!
I do so love our hedge. I like to sit in the house and pretend there's a whole other world beyond the hedge. With the autumn leaves peeking over the top it's spectacular!

When you're three years old...

The world looks like this...

Big sister is collecting the autumn leaves.

When you're six, the camera's still your best friend - even if it's being pointed by a three year old!

The sky's a lot further away from down here.

Self portrait.

Baby brother gardening. All is well.

First trip away from home

My 6yo is old enough to go away without another sibling OR even a parent! How did that happen?

She's heading up to the farm with Grandad Doug and staying until she wants to come home. I thought she'd be back yesterday and wasn't concerned that she appeared to have packed for the month...

But the two phone calls we've had so far show no inclination to return. I think the horseriding may be a bit of a drawcard!
Ready to hit the road - lucky there's room in the back for some serious luggage!!!