Childhood Musings

My dear Oscar, almost 20 months old

Empty, thankfully. A victim of the wind.

My clay creations, while attending a children's workshop.

The babies shelf

My view while breastfeeding

I love the way the third baby is just so at home in whatever space he occupies. He just seems so comfortable. At home, at friends houses, at the shops. He climbs up in to laps for cuddles. Chooses the most comfortable seats. Sits himself in his bed and sucks his thumb to admire his books. Last week he fell asleep sitting in a shopping trolley - arms folded, head on arms - to the delight of several older ladies! He is just as comfortable and fearless at playgrounds. Following in his sister's footsteps as if he were equal to her three years in age. I think pure joy is the look that radiates from his face as he slides down a slippery slide all by himself.

Next month Emerson turns four and she will no longer be my toddler. Instead, Oscar will well and truly assume that title when he turns two in May. Until then, he is still my 'baby'. It only hit me last week as we drove to the library that this is my last year with Emerson at home. (She's not going to kindy, just as Cohen didn't.) Next year she starts big school. Just last month it was still two years away, suddenly it's just one year away! And just as she is nearly four, all too soon she will be turning five. Oh how true the phrase - 'the days are long but the years are short'. She really is the middle child, I find myself thinking of her as one of 'the big two', when she is with her older brother, and one of 'the little two', when she is with the baby. Her moods and communication skills swing between their skill levels. One moment kind and articulate, the next frustrated and loud. With a little space though she is sweet, imaginative and loving with a slight obsession for pink and dolls.

My sweet seven year old can't wait to get back to school. He pours over his school pack as though it were a gift from Santa, and treats his first calculator like a Gameboy. He adores school. He loves being surrounded by children, playing at lunch time and all the new and interesting things each day. He has learnt so very much these holidays though - spending time in nature, exploring galleries, museums and aquariums, and reading, reading, reading. He won't leave the house without a book. Sometimes it's his favourite book about snakes, other times it's extreme weather. His seven year old obsessions are Pokemon and Lego Star Wars, and he has encyclopedias for both, which he carries with him everywhere. The names and details he can recall amazes me. 

My sweet children. I hope one day they read these little sketches about their lives and it brings back memories for them, or at least gives them a glimpse of how very much I love and adore them.

Weekending

How busy the days are in December! The most hectic month in a jewellers calendar, and a Mothers too I would argue. Between an influx of orders, school craft days, a looming seventh birthday, preparations for Christmas, and a holiday by the beach, it's a time for breathing deep when the to-do list threatens to overwhelm, A time to ensure there are scheduled time outs to enjoy life as a family and not get lost in the hustle and bustle of break up parties, school assemblies and swimming lesson blocks. And so was our adventure last weekend, as we explored the GOMA markets, APT and the museum. Amidst the visual feast. we were all taken by the carpet of flame tree flowers between the galleries, and they way their colours popped against the green of the grass.

I hope you are enjoying the season of celebrations, and finding time to explore and discover as well too! xx

Rainy Day Mushroom Prints

Cohen's prints

My prints

Emerson's prints

Serious business

A nature walk after days of rain revealed quite a few mushrooms, and the children collected them eagerly. They may have been edible for all that I know? But unskilled as I am in these areas, we consigned them to art and not dinner, just to be safe. Together we painted them, or pressed them in to an ink pad, and stamped them on to our paper. The effect was interesting, and my big and middle children were engrossed in the activity. Emerson could not be discouraged from sitting upon the table to complete her masterpiece.

What fun it is to play, experiment and encourage my children to look at the world and create with the things they find around them.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - SouleMama 

Thistledown Country Cottage

In the days after Christmas it feels like the real holiday begins. The pace leading up to Christmas slackens and is followed by quiet days with simple plans. Dave joins us at home and the children all climb into bed for cuddles in the mornings. Our two year old notes with new surprise each morning that Dada isn't leaving for work. Later nights. Afternoon naps. Day trips and adventures to celebrate with family and friends. Bliss.

Yesterday we traveled to Mount Barney, in Queensland's Scenic Rim, to visit Dave's Mother for her birthday. She is staying at the lovely Thistledown Country Retreat. We enjoyed lunch with her (prawns and watermelon make such a wonderful combination), we wandered the grounds, fed the sheep, explored the kitchen garden and rose garden. We took in the beautiful old home, with it's chandeliered dining room and charming country kitchen. The rain came in gently and the first mist turned into a drizzle. The mountains were hung with clouds, obscuring their peaks. The birds sat dripping among the tree branches and wallabys' bounded picturesquely across lush green hills.

As we drove home and the children napped in the car, I felt the joy and happiness of the season in great measure. Wishing you days of beauty and connection with your loved ones as the year nears it's end.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

Decorating wrapping paper

A robot, a rocket, two suns and a moon. Perfect!

Baking with the children.

Our much loved tree.

My hand print from when I was four.

Cohen's hand print when he was four and this year's ornament. Each year the children's great Aunt buys them their very own ornament. Such a lovely tradition.

Emerson's hand print as a baby.

Cohen's Christmas cards - Santa in his sleigh, Oscar, Cohen and Emerson build a snowman, and Santa leaving presents under a Christmas tree.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Last Days of School

My two little ones are asleep and I am savoring a cup of tea after running errands and grocery shopping, before hanging out the third load of laundry. There's three more days left of Prep and I am feeling a little sentimental. Only three more days, and my big boy has finished his first year of school. His first year away from me, given that he never attended childcare. On top of which, he turns six this week. Oh my. 

Time seems to speed up when you have children, because they are like yardsticks for time. How quickly they grow. How different he seems from the little boy who first put on that brand new uniform, to child dressed in the paint and play marked uniform he wears now.

I'm so proud of my boy. He has always been confident and social, and so accepting of anyone who is 'different'. 

And his Mona Lisa is pretty awesome too.

33!

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend with some of my favourite people and favourite things. Having already had an early birthday present farm stay didn't stop my sweet family from making the weekend all about me. Dave took the children to visit the big dinosaurs so that I may wander through the wonderful Bristyle markets in the Whale Mall, we all explored the children's art room at GOMA, and then I left them busily making their own Magic Lands (and you can too) while I visited the Future Beauty exhibition, luxuriously alone. 

It's such a shame photography wasn't permitted, as words alone can not do justice to the experience. The space, the designs, the elegance and the outrageousness. If you are a lover of design, fashion or art, there is something in this collection for everyone - except possibly children. We meandered back to the car through the museum and gazed at dinosaur bones, pinned beetles and a formaldehyde shark. I stumbled upon a crystal and mineral collection tucked away on a landing in a stair well and drooled over the contents until my husband dragged me away. (I shall share pictures with you tomorrow.)

Yesterday there was flowers, wine, a lovely lunch and even a delightful nap.

Happy birthday to me and my beautiful twin sister! xx