mooloolabah long weekend with aunties

he

 

 me

easter

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we

it's been a while...

we

I've been a bit tired since... well, since the start of this gorgeous year. Going to bed when he does. Not having energy/time for anything more than each day's 'must do' list. Mostly neglecting the 'nice-to-do list' (e.g. blogging, baking, sewing, ukulele...). But it's okay. There is a good reason for the tiredness; she'll be born in October (if she's following the same calendar that we are). I'll rustle up some motivation and try to catch up - a bit -  on the past month-and-a-half.

making easter gifts

he

 He helped make the chocolates, and did the loveliest job with the painting. He also delivered them to the next-door and downstairs neighbours.

me

I also worked on the chocolates (flavours this year were: almond centres, berry centres, white choc lemon coconut, peanut butter choc, milo - and also some sugar-free date/carob ones for the little guy) and put them all together in beautiful bags!

good friday picnic

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He was very brave. And he was very pleased to have a good 3 hours to potter around an awesome playground!

me

Our traditional Good Friday Picnic was, this year, back at Roma Street Parklands - a perfect choice!

toowoomba

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A few weeks ago, we were out the front of our house, waving 'goodbye' to some friends who had popped in. As they drove away, he declared, "I'm going to put some pants on, and I'm going to Toowoomba," and began marching up the street (clearly, the 'pants on' wasn't as crucial as the 'going'). 

The following weekend, he had invitations to THREE different birthday parties! What fun! BUT when he woke up on the Saturday, he was far too snotty to take along to the pirate-themed gathering of one-year-olds that morning. We asked him what he'd like to do instead, and he announced, "I'm going to Toowoomba!" So he called his Nanma on the phone to ask her. It was the loveliest day trip! Sitting in the car, chatting and singing songs, isn't a bad way to spend a few hours when you're snotty. He had lovely playtime and reading-time with his grandparents (pictured chatting with Nanma in the back yard).

And the next day he was sufficiently de-snotted to attend the other 2 parties!

me

I was allowed to stop at ONE Toowoomba op shop on the way through town. It was a good one! It was also across the road from a construction site with numerous excavators and other wonderful things to watch, and near a playground. Perfect.

sitting still

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 The April activity at Southbank's Thursday Kids' Club is Music (February and March were Circus and Rugby). There are plenty of percussion instruments for him to play with, so he loves it - and happily stays seated and engaged for the whole 45 mins (and again for another round a few minutes later)!

me

 Saturday was the first day of school holidays and I got to spend part of the day sitting at a cafe with my teacher-friend. We shared the 2 meals pictured. The Chocolate French Toast (yes!) erupted with chocolate when we cut into it. Oh my goodness!

gig

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 Perfect gig timing: post-nap and pre-dinner! He spent the first set sitting on my lap, staring at the band, sometimes mouthing 'boom boom boom' along with the drum-beat. The next set he spent at the retro arcade game table, with some other kids, having a ball. The photo shows his special, hearty laugh which he generally reserves for interactions with other kids. He has certainly found his inner-crazy lately!

me

We saw my friend play with her band at the bowls club on Saturday afternoon!

watch

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 Fascinated by Auntie's watch! Stared and stared (then asked to put it on).

me

A little while back, I found another show to watch, which makes me laugh. We're quickly making our way through the seasons.

cheesecake

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me

You know you've got true friends when they bake you a birthday cheesecake! And, it turns out, I have TWO cheesecake-baking friends! One friend brought homemade baked cheesecake in the afternoon, and another brought white chocolate cheesecake in the evening. Both incredible! Another two friends brought me cheese, another two brought different, incredible cakes. Gosh I felt special. What a divinely cheesy and cakey day! Of course the following days were also awesome, as we had a fridge full of delectable delights to devour.

Distracted by cheesecakey radiance, I forgot to take pictures of the goods (thankfully my afternoon-cheesecake-friend snapped the one above, entitled "Eyes on the Prize")!

rainy thursday

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me

rainy wednesday

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He and his dad discussed how to spend their rainy day, and unanimously decided on the museum. On the way to the museum they stumbled upon a huge toddler festival - an event at QPAC for "Worlds Biggest Playgroup Day 2014". Performers, music, crafts, showbags, freebies... They didn't make it to the museum.

me

I watched the rain through the floor-to-ceiling 4th floor windows of the John Oxley Reading Room at the State Library. It is undoubtedly the quietest room in all of Brisbane - which was novel, briefly, as I first sat down, but the roar of rain was welcome company. The rain drops danced heavily on the river surface, far below. So pretty. So distracting. So welcome!

taking a break

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He said to me, while walking to daycare, "I will carry my backpack. And I will have a little rest." I said that I thought it was a great plan, so I handed him his bag, helped him put it on, then watched as he immediately sat down on the footpath. And yawned!

me

Early Sunday morning, the boys went out to a field to fly the plane. I put on my running clothes, did my stretches, and headed outside for a jog. Unfortunately, that's as far as I got. I twisted my ankle and collapsed onto the dodgy, uneven, ankle-wrecking ground. I ended up staying there for quite a while, as I knew it wasn't broken or too badly sprained, the grass was cool and soft(ish), and I was going to be sore no matter where I was. It wasn't sooo bad, being forced to lie still on grass for a while on a Sunday morning. This is a picture of my view, while I 'took a break'.