early starts

this morning started at 530 !!! so we had breakfast and played in the dark all before the sun came up. we had mothers group this morning and one of the families has moved to Mt Martha. we had a great day and all the kids had a great time together. as you can see it was all too much for Hugo and Archie who both fell asleep as soon as we headed for home. Bliss....

Gym

i have been waiting a few months for this new gym to open and finally last thursday it did. as i type this every part of my body is sore !!! i have been most days since it opened and after a cycle class this monring i can feel it !!
its great as there is a creche. the boys had a good time this morning and even got Gold medals.

Mondays

This is how my two boys are different. There was no way Archie was staying inside a moment longer, trying to open the back door by himself!! The minute I opened it he was out.Hugo like Archie loves being outside and I am blessed that they have great imaginations and can spend hours in dirt and sand. Hugo also enjoys sitting and drawing and this was his quiet time today after kinder.
our friendly pet magpie. Hugo can hand feed it if Archie is not around!!

I'm a footy mum

This morning was the final morning of Auskick. It was trophy presentation day and there was a buzz of excitement in the club rooms. It’s the first time I have been into our local footy club rooms but I have a strange feeling that it won’t be the last. Every child that registered got a certificate and trophy. Hugo was very proud and so were we.Well done Hugo. It wasn't the easiest thing he has done but each week we were there he gained new skills and more confidence and knowledge about the game as well as establishing himself more and more in the community

first ever quilt

when i was pregnant with Hugo ( 5 years ago) i sat in front of the television at night time sewing this quilt. it sits on the cot and both Hugo Archie have used it. i love the material as we can tell stories about the town on the quilt at bedtime. it was very simply hand stitched in big squares.

2 days in a row

i worked again today !!! 2 days in a row and i am exhausted. but............ during my lunch break i stumbled upon a FANTASTIC shop called Sylph. it has an extensive range of wooden toys, Steiner inspired toys as well as a stockist for winterwood. it has felts, craft and knitting supplies and books. it is fantastic. i spent ages in there. i bought a great little child sized oven mitt which Archie played with all afternoon when i got home. and i bought a bundle of Lyra - Aquarell pencils for Hugo. we sat down together and he drew and coloured with them and experimented with painting water over them to create a paint affect.

i know where i am going back to when i get paid......

away for the day

today i worked. it is the first time since Archie was born. in my previous life i was a kindergarten/ Pre prep teacher. today i had a day of emergency work. its great; you can go in teach for the day and walk out as well as getting lots of inspiration and ideas from other teachers and centres. when Hugo was at a similar age i went back to work and did a few days here and there of emergency work. its good to keep your hand in and see whats going on. although today i really missed my boys. on one hand i was excited about a day back in the real world but but i really missed the boys. my boys are looked after by mum and dad so the one on one grandparent time is fantastic and there is a special bond because of this.
i guess its mothers guilt. i have not been that great a mum recently with a short fuse, always running around doing household chores or stuff for kinder and never finding the time to just sit and be in the moment and play, and because of this they have been acting up, then i get cross and its such a vicious circle, so leaving them today i felt sad and wanted to hug and hold them all day. they had a great time with grandma and Popeye though. when i got home that had been busy with Lego and duplo all day.
here is Hugo's Lego car.
and this is the boys having dinner.

its raining its pouring

with an active little boy in the house rain doesn't stop him. out Archie went to brave the wet cold elements of the day. and what better way to warm up after being outside? a nice warm hot chocolate.

for Hugo

when i was pregnant with Archie we moved Hugo into a big bed. it was October 06, not only was the shift into a big bed but a new room, downstairs. which was a big move, but we did it gradually over a couple of weeks and he hasn't looked back. when i was decorating his room i found it sooo much more enjoyable than decorating the nursery before he was born:: i new him, his personality and what he liked and that made it all the more enjoyable. i had found a cushion and that was the inspiration for my colour theme :: blue, red and brown. that's where the problems started there was NOTHING for boys in there tones that i liked. and there was NO licenced merchandise going in this room. so i set about making him a patchwork doona. i went and found a selection of materials and sat down cut out squares, pieced them together and sewed. i was so proud of my efforts. and Hugo loved it.

i then got Hugo to do a drawing ( he was 2 years 8 months) and then i traced it onto a cushion and hand stitched over his drawing.

next Hugo created some art to hang above his bed in the chosen room colours.

i love this room, it is fresh, warm and made with love for my little boy that is growing up so quickly. i wish i could stop time and hold on tight to him, but i know there is so much more to do together that i am excited. i only have another few months till he is of in the big wide school yard. excited, and happy for him but oh so sad to loose him and not be able to spend my days with him.

...i love you mum

This morning Hugo ran outside before we left for kinder, after a few moments he came back holding these flowers behind his back. " these are for you mummy. i picked them from the garden. they are for you, because i love you."
i couldn't ask for a better way to start my day.
hope you all have a good day too.

sundays

this morning when we woke up it was snowing, blizzard like snow, too cold to go out. the boys built a cubby between some couches and a heap of blankets. i didn't see them for HOURS.

on the way home it had snowed down to powelltown, which we had never seen before. i took this photo of the tree ferns. they reminded me of mushrooms !!

powder mornings

no matter how many times i go to the snow ( a lot !!!!) the magic and wonder of fresh fallen soft snow is beautiful. when we got up this morning there was a clean blanket of fresh new snow. pure white, no tracks, silent and beautiful.
after a quick breakfast the boys raced outside to explore. everything was covered. the snow was so dry and fluffy that it wouldn't hold together to make a snow ball. we explored and ran and tobogganed and then went skiing. it was a wonderful day.