Bathtime!

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Ginger Rose is home from school today, so we had a photographer for bath time.

The Little Prince has not once been allowed in the tummy tub but is eternally hopeful. Lest anybody think I'm a total killjoy, I'll point out that I've never objected to him bathing in the tummy tub ... just not WITH the baby!

This is the Last Baby making a rolling break for freedom! He can only roll from back to front so far, but gets a good wriggle up with it and can move his bare bottom away from his playmat in no time at all! As The Little Prince is currently toilet training, my carpet cleaning routine is almost perfected.

Four months old

Today we found some leggings from Grandma L and tried them on straight away! They fit with just one cuff roll, so are a perfect size to get through winter.

We baked orange and leftover easter egg muffins. I think we might have somebody keen to start solids sooner rather than later. The Little Prince is not wearing any clothes because he didn't want to. At least in that photo he's wearing a nappy...

And guess who learned to roll from back to front? Unfortunately he's forgotten how to roll from front to back!

Breakfast

I couldn't fit my favourite breakfast photos on the last post:


The Little Prince has discovered a new taste - croissant with butter and jam. Yum.

Ginger Rose and The Little Prince were first to the table and last to leave!

The Last Baby didn't make it through breakfast.

Mother's Day

Nothing like a sleep in then being woken with cuddles and chai!

And presents - did I mention presents?

Including a brand new super dooper even smaller camera from my gorgeous husband :) .

And so many beautiful gifts from the girls - even a box to keep them in!


Ah the bliss!


Breakfast with an Oprah theme - Possum duct taped choccies under my chair and apologised for not having a car to go with them.

Dog Training

Suki was a little bemused at being tied up and "taught" to shake hands. Which seems to involve her letting Ginger Rose pick up a paw and wave it around. But so long as there was food involved, she was happy.

It got seriously cute when Ginger Rose started teaching The Little Prince the fine art of dog training. This involves holding onto the dog treats not spreading them over the ground.

Suki didn't mind at all. And has now been trained to sit and eat from the children's hands.

Crochet

With the colder days, it's time to play with craft again! Briar Rose crocheted and decorated this cute "doll" for The Last Baby.

It's very soft and he clearly enjoys playing with it.

Tonight she started work on a crocheted bag.

And I started work on a crocheted blankie for The Last Baby :).

Rescuing the lamb

How cute is this? Ginger Rose has just learnt how to climb this tree and has just loved playing out a variety of scenarios that require her to "rescue" the lamb (out on a limb to the right).

This scenario ended with her climbing down and knocking the lamb out of the tree with a broom.

Autumn Earthbox

After a hiatus while Lachie was growing and newborn, I'm ready to start growing food again! I've planted up the Earthbox with some winter seedlings - broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts.

There are still some potatoes, onions and spring onions left from last season.

We are intending to landscape the garden extensively, so I'm concentrating on container gardening. Hence chives in a slightly too small pot.

Chocolate Aubergine Cake

FIL has been growing aubergine. We've been using them in bolognaise sauce, but couldn't resist trying this fantastic cake recipe from the drooling vegetable:

Chocolate Heartache Cake
Ingredients
400g aubergines
300 dark chocolate
50g cocoa powder
60g ground almonds
3 eggs
200g runny honey
2tsp baking pwoder
1/2 tsp salt
Cook the aubgerines in a covered bowl in the microwave for 8 mins. Drain and skin them and puree the squishy stuff. Add the chocolate to the warm aubergine and drool while it melts. Whisk everything else up in a different bowl. Add the chocolate-and-aubergine mixture to this and mix well.
Pour it all into a 23cm diameter cake tin (ideally loose-bottomed) and bake in the oven (180c / 350f / gas mark 4) for 30 minutes. Let it cool in the tin for 15 mins and then stick it on a cake rack. Eat.

It was divine! A little undercooked in the middle - next time I'll use a slower oven for longer - but still delicious.

Pictured above with the standard Thermomix mud cake that only the Ginger Ninja really enjoys. I bake a large one every so often and freeze it for school lunch boxes.

And the dough tasted as good as the cake.

Renovation red back!

The renovations are coming along well - there's plenty of dust and mess and the inconvenience of sleeping in the dining room but we're making progress and can see the final product emerging ahead of our anticipated schedule.

What I hadn't anticipated was the quantity of insects being disturbed and swarming into the house through screenless doors and windows. Briar Rose was not impressed with this speciman which she found under her hot water bottle (on the floor next to her bed).

She was very grateful to the Ginger Ninja for taking care of it. He needed the practice as he found one in his own bedroom later that night...

Brothers

My big boys bivouaced over the weekend. Fortunately in different units because otherwise their teasing each other may have had them court martialled. It was hilarious listening to them debriefing each other on the way home - I gather military discipline still leaves room for plenty of pranking!

My little boys are starting to interact with each other. The Last Baby was 11 weeks old yesterday and is turning into a real little chatterbox.

When the extensions are finished they'll be sharing a room. I predict a few too many late nights talking after lights out...

Six weeks old...

The tummy tub is still a huge success! I love that it uses so little water that I can carry it around the house easily, then water the lemon tree afterwards!

Ginger Rose adores holding the Last Baby - sometimes sneaking in a hold when she's not allowed!

As you can see, the Last Baby is thriving and is a large chap for 6 weeks!

A gratuitous sleeping baby shot!

Thermomix Rice Milk

I made my first rice milk today, and am pleased with the results. I used the recipe from here but modified it a little:

1. Place in dry TMX bowl and grind:
- 50g rice
- 30g raw almonds

2. Add, and cook at 60 degrees, 5 mins, speed 4:
- 1 litre water
- 1 T apricot kernel oil
- squeeze of honey
- pinch of salt

3. Puree on speed 9 for 1 minute then strain into jug.

I used the leftover thick bits in a leftover rice pancake batter I made up next.

Valentine's Day

I think this might be our first smile on camera! I took this on the way out for a Valentine's Breakfast with Dh that included a surprise babysitter! Dh had organised for our lovely receptionist to meet us at breakfast for a coffee then take the Baby while we had a leisurely meal and a little shop afterwards!

It's raining!

We haven't had that much rain lately, so it was a great novelty for the Little Prince. Not so much fun when we had to head out and collect Ginger Rose from school though!

As you can see, the gutters overflowed nicely, making lots of lovely rivers for splashing around in.

Despite the thunderous noise of rain pelting on the roof the New Baby slept happily. Once he gets to sleep he's very happy to sleep through all sorts of noises - which is fortunate as our renovations started on Monday.