Happy Birthday, Jordy

My big boy is 4!!

I was hoping to be able to have a party for him with a bunch of kids, because apart from Jordy’s 1st birthday party neither of the kids have really had a party (yeah, i am a totally slack mum! i know) but a couple of their friends were out of town, and then both boys got sick… and it just was not going to happen.

He spent the days leading up to his birthday asking about what kind of cake he was having and who he wanted at his party…. ok, tell the truth, he’s spent the MONTHS leading up to his birthday asking how much longer he had to wait! LOL! So finally the day arrived and he got presents!!! and balloons!!! and he had Nanny lined up with the cake.

Darcy was too sick to get involved, which was a shame, so he mostly dozed through the present opening ceremony. And Darcy and i did not get to make it to Jordy’s party at the golf club but Tim said Jordy had a great time with a whole pack of kids and i’ll upload those photos when i get them.

And the bloody trumpet (thanks Mum and Dad) was not the best toy with a sick bubba in the house so i had to tell Jordy to go outside and play for the cows (which he did for about an hour!).

I am now going to have to make sure that Darcy has a REAL party when he turns 3.

 

writing

Jordy was talking to his Dad on the phone while i put Darcy to bed and he was helping him to make a list (i think it may have been a list of people he wanted to invite to his birthday). And he wanted to write his cousin Hayley’s name… so Tim told him which letters he needed.

And this is the result- The letter in the middle is Jordy drawing a fork, cos that was how Tim described the letter Y when Jordy asked what a Y looks like cos he forgot! And the L is back-to-front… and the H does not look too much like a H…. but i reckon it’s pretty impressive for a not-quite-4yr old.

 

our Winter Shelf

We are on the ball this season…. it took me a month into Autumn to get the Autumn shelf up, but i’m only eight days late this season.

I’ll get the kids to colour in some oranges and things later to stick up there seeing as all the citrus in our yard is now falling of the trees… and maybe do some of that tissue paper crumbling thing and make some cold ocean scenes or something… not sure. But the poems are nice and they like the little wooden peg men in their winter cloaks.

Actually, thinking about our citrus trees, me showing the kids how to choose a nice ripe mandarin and to pick their own might not have been a great idea- they seem to like them, and three mandarins each in the space of an hour is not so great later on.

 

songs

the boys lay in bed this morning and sang me some songs-

Jordy sang a song about going fishing in a boat with his Dad and building a sand castle and row row rowing his boat.

Darcy sang a song about having a biscuit in the loungeroom in front of the tv with spiders in the mirror.

I wish i could have video’ed them without ruining the moment.

 

puppet show

the boys presented a puppet show yesterday…. i am not actually sure what the storyline was- but there was lots of animal noises and hugs.

And yes, they are both naked. It is freezing cold and i think i was still wearing my flannie jammies at that point but the kids had both stripped off and were refusing all offers of clothing.

 

we have facial features!

Jordy has never really been all that into drawing, but the last couple of weeks he has started drawing robots and people… it started just with the regular squiggly dots for eyes and long fingers etc… but within a week he started putting on eyebrows and the hands etc stayed in the right spot instead of him starting with a hand and then the lines getting so big and spirally that it was all out of proportion.

(oh, and his cousin helped with all the letters so don’t think that was him)

The other day he even asked me to sit really still so he could draw a portrait of me! hehehe. That picture turned out looking like a heap of circles and lines that bore little resemblance to me (or any person) but i think it was really cute that he even thought to have a go.

 

some homeschool days

The homeschool group went to the local museum the other day, and although i knew Jordy would enjoy it i was worried about calling it a ‘museum’ because he has been to some pretty amazing museums (Darwin, Brisbane, Adelaide and a heap of other great centres in Alice Springs etc) and our little museum does not have any dinosaurs! so i was worried about him getting a little too excited about it.

But despite the lack of dinosaurs both boys had a great time. They loved looking at the old ‘everyday’ things like the laundry and kitchen set ups and old clothes and walking though the mock up of the old bedrooms. I was actually amazed by how much Jordy really soaked it all in and seemed to be fascinated by how people used to live (the old bath and water heater had him asking all sorts of questions). Was good having the guided tour and all the other kids who asked lots of questions and got everyone thinking about history from their point of view.

He keeps asking to go back now so we’ll have to go for another look through over winter.

And then on the way to the park for a group picnic and a play we ran into a little pony

We also had a pecan picking day, which was fun for something totally different. And when they got sick of waiting for me to crack the nuts for them they decided to do it themselves. So we spent as much time sitting in the grass spitting out nut shells as we did collecting them.

 

some photos from my phone

i need an iPhone. seriously. if anyone has a spare one laying around the place please send it my way!!!

In the mean time here are some photos that i have only just copied over to my computer.
They had a petting zoo in at Settlement during the school holidays which was cool. The animals did not seem at all bothered to be there (though i imagine they might all need to go on a diet afterwards from the amount of food that was being offered to them by excited toddlers.)

Jordy loved the ducks, probably because he has never had the chance to pat one before. But Darcy just liked the big soft goats. They had guinea pigs in there too and i don’t think the boys have ever held one before but because there were so many kids in the little enclosure the guinea pigs were safely tucked away in their own little space. I’ll have to keep my eye out next school holidays and see if they can hold one.

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And here are a couple of photos of Jordy feeding the calves at the dairy where we get our milk. There were two potty calves that were taken out of the pen cos they were a bit sick and needed more attention, and then once they were better they could not be convinced to go back into the yard… so they just roam around the place. They were really friendly but still a bit timid around the boys but Jordy managed to coax one of them up to him to give him a pat and a nuzzle. Which totally made his day.

They also have three puppies up there at the moment (as well as the rest of the dogs) and they are adorable and jumpy and playful and run around the kids like crazy animals, which makes Darcy cack himself laughing.

And some other random photos….
Here is Darcy in the back yard. A perfect balance of sunny days with evening showers means the grass just grows and grows…. the pumpkin vines came up to his thighs in some places

 

storytime

we go to storytime at the library each week with another friend of mine and her son. The boys both LOVE it! They sing songs, listen to a heap of stories (often interactive type stories), and then have craft time, and then afterwards we often go to a park somewhere for an extra play.

Darcy loves anything with scissors. Jordy just brings home book after book on space, dinosaurs, and volcanos.

These are just a heap of photos from my mobile phone from over the last couple of months…

In the photo of everyone sitting and listening the boys are pretty much right in the middle of the photo sitting all over Jo. It’s rather adorable.

 

i know! i’m sorry!

stop hassleing me for blog updates or you will get an update about nothing! LOL!
This cold has made me rather un-motivated.

 

Canberra

ok, after much delay…… here is a massive catchup for the blog.
I probably can’t remember what we have been up to.

But, CANBERRA!! Took the boys to Canberra essentially to visit friends but with the added bonus of knowing that there were some cool things there for the kids to do. I would have loved to have taken Jordy to the space research centre thingy down there but i suppose that will be better when he is a little older and just gives me a little bit of extra motivation to get down there again soon.

We went to Questacon, which was just amazing. Great huge moving dinosaurs and really interactive play areas and science exploration station thingys…. you could spend a couple of days there i think.

And the boys both had so much fun staying with Kyla and Carter (who happen to be almost the exact same age) so they just loved having full time playmates for a few days, and i got to enjoy some adult conversation for a change

We also checked out the War Memorial, and i was really surprised by how well it was set up for young kids. I suppose cos they both LOVE aeroplanes and helicopters and things like that so they were in awe of the rooms just FULL of huge planes. But there was also a section where kids could sit inside a helicopter with a movie on a large screen in front of it and all the lights and noise…. and then a section of a submarine where they saw the beds and bathroom and computers and periscope…. and then a section of war bunkers (that they found scary, actually) and all sorts of things to discover. I’d like to go back with Tim or my Dad or someone that knows more about all things war related. And when Jordy is not coming down with a cold cos he loved it but i then had to carry him in the sling all the way out and back to the carpark and he is getting faaaaaaaaar too heavy for that.

 

Penrith

I had not realised how long it had been since i had been to Nardia’s house but it was when Jordy was just not long toddling so he would have been about 15months old i suppose, which makes it over 18months!! eek! Rather slack…..

The boys had a wonderful time being spoilt to death by their Aunty Lala. We checked out the Fire Museum, which had a lot of cool things in there to see but we had trouble getting them out of the play section with the fire truck they could climb inside and the puzzles and buttons to push!

In a massive effort at short notice Fiona and Zoe were able to drive out to Penrith and we all went out to dinner at the Italian restaurant at Panthers. The kids were given little plates of pizza dough to play with and i have never seen three kids so entranced in an activity before. They sat there and rolled and squished and made biscuits and put them in the oven (under the table)… .was fun to watch.

 

crafty bits

here’s a few shots of the kids and various craft projects.

My first ever attempt at a sock puppet went down pretty well. Jordy talks to it and the sock loves to colour in apparently.

And I’m thinking i’ll frame Darcy with his glitter worm and hang him on the wall.

 

swimming lessons

Mum cam along to swimming lessons so i was able to get a video of the kids. But Dad interrupted the beginning of the class where Darcy was kicking around on his noodle all by himself so i missed that! hhhhmmmmm..

I love that Jordy can now float on his own. I think if he got into trouble in the water he would be too freaked to remember that he can float….. but it’s a big step. And he happily swims with eyes in, takes a breath, and then goes again towards the wall. His biggest problem is he spends too much time talking! He’ll head out with his instructor for his lap across the pool and back and rather than practice eyes in and big arms etc he is la-la-la-la-la chatter chatter the whole way.

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And Darcy is funny. For a kid who is such a thug and so rough with things he is really cautious in the pool. He won’t just jump in or go down the slide unless i am right there waiting for him. But he will happily climb the back fence and jump one metre to the ground on his own. ?? Good thing, i suppose.

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easter photos

I have no idea who is was that decided that Easter Sunday was a good day to dick around with setting the clocks back… but anyway. Cos of that Jordy was awake at 5:45 and all ready to go. He actually woke up about a half hour before that and lay in bed whinging that his “belly was hungry and he wanted a drink and had easter bunny been, and it takes a loooong time for the easter bunny”. And i lay there grumbling “just close your eyes for 5min!, shhhh before you wake Darcy, it’s still dark and the bunny has not been yet, Jordy will you just be quiet!”

But i guess he really was hungry cos he went straight into the kitchen for breakfast and while he was sidetracked i dashed outside and hid eggs around the garden super speedily paranoid he would catch me.

Darcy on the other hand woke up (grumbling like usual) but spotted the eggs in the loungeroom before he had hardly stopped rubbing his eyes. He had the foil off and and was walking around with his wide-eyed surprise face on for ages before he took a bite. I am not sure if the surprise face was due to the wonder of the easter bunny or the fact that i was letting him eat chocolate!

They then had a fun hunt in the yard looking for eggs. Jordy held the basket and he was in charge! He either collected them himself or pointed them to Darcy who then ran off to get them. But even when Jordy picked them up he handed it to Darcy so that Darcy could be the one to put it in the basket. It was kinda cute to watch.

It only took about 15min for Darcy’s egg to cause a massive sugar overload and he spent the next coupe of hours totally psycho. Was crazy to watch. He’ll be on rations for the rest of Easter because he seriously turned into a nutter. Took forever to get him dressed and not throwing things so we could get in the car to head to Tim’s.

Darcy squealed (happily) for half the trip and was then silent. Asleep! bizarre. Jordy nattered away about road signs.

More eggs at Dad’s house and time for birthday pressies for Darcy! I had not bothered with birthday things at home cos i think Easter itself was enough for him. So we gave him his presents (which i think Jordy might end up taking over anyway) and then headed to Nanny and Poppa’s place for lunch.

More kids! and more eggs! and more presents! And birthday cupcakes, and birthday fire!

I was not sure if Darcy’s understood that it was his birthday but later that night he sat on the toilet and sang Happy Birthday to himself so i think he knew.

 

excuse me, mum, but could i please have another easter egg?

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oh, rats!

i found a dead rat in Bundy’s water bucket (yay!! one down!) and did not want the kids to see it so much cos it was dead and gross. So i discretely tipped it into the compost pile and buried it while the kids were busy playing. Then i was rinsing out the bucket when Jordy came over and asked,
“what did you do with the rat, Mum?” Busted!
“Did you see it in there, did you?”
“Yeah. I put it in there.”
“ooookay! Where did you find it?”
“I’ll show you………..” wandered up to the top chicken gate, “just here. It was just laying here a bit dead with ants all over it. And so we squished it in the sand to make it a bit more deader. And then i carried it by the tail and put it in Bundy’s water.” (the sand is out on the driveway and the water bucket is down the back of the house.)
“okay….. did you wash your hands?”
Jordy looks at his hands for a bit and then said ever so innocently “No. They’re not dirty.”

 

HS day at the beach

We were happily painting this morning and Jordy was mixing colours and the swirly pattern made me think of tie-dying, and tie-dying made me think of the upcoming Art and Tie-Dye Homeschool day, and that triggered a memory that wasn’t there something on the calendar for today….????

Ran in and checked the emails… oops!! Beach Safety and Sand Sculpture day at the beach. We were supposed to be there at 10:30 and it was already 10:20…. aaarrrrggghhhhhh!!!!!

“Kids! don’t worry about the paint! Run in and go to the toilet and get your swimmers on!!! We’re going to the beach!” I have never made sandwiches and thrown things in the car so speedily before. We were out the door in 20min. Seriously! It was a miracle.

The boys had a ball digging in the sand and splashing in the shallows. Lunch was a belly full of hot chips. They even had a turn on a bagpipe whistle thing and danced to some bagpipe music! (as you do at the beach! LOL!).

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planets

had a cool spacey craft day yesterday. Jordy loves everything to do with space and likes watching online videos of space shuttle launches and the images sent back from space probes and the CGI things that look like you are flying past the planets. And he was forever going on about our spiral galaxy (thanks to Wow Wow Wubbzy) and just loves to chatter about each of the planets in our solar system and what they are made of etc.

So we’ve spent several different days learning about the planets and how some are cold and some are hot and some have moons and some have sprouting geysers of steamy water (not really water! but hard to explain nitrogen to a 3yr old and i don’t think it matters- and he does particularly like the idea of the big bubbly spurting planets!).

Anyway, yesterday i printed out some planets and cut out space shapes and he coloured in his own planets and made himself a galaxy and spent hours through the day crashing comets and rockets and having spinning planets smash into each other and then being a rotating planet himself and lining up the planets in a big circle and naming the planets and talking about what else is in space and what else MIGHT be in space.

Lots of fun. Oh, and Darcy liked to drive his tractor over the hot sun and put his giraffes in space to watch the comets go past.

If anyone is looking for great space videos (for kids or adults) then check these out. Incredible.
Space Rip

 

attack of the pumpkins

i think i already mentioned ages ago about how i planted bunch of pumpkins seeds, and zucchini, and watermelon seeds…. and how after a couple of months i discovered that they were all somehow pumpkins. And i ended up with NO watermelon!!! only two zucchini and about a gazzillion pumpkin vines- anyway, they grew and grew and grew and grew until now they have taken over half of the backyard, grown all through the paths in the back vegie patch, crawled through and over the passionfruit vine and lilly pilly hedges until the other plants were all drapped in pumpkin leaves.

The chook yard is the same. I only have half as much lawn to mow cos the rest is pumpkin! The chooks love it. THe leaves are just the right height off the ground that they can walk underneath them and have a little chicken-wilderness with shade and bugs under there. Plus every now and again a pumpkin will get big enough that they can just help themselves to dinner straight off the vine.

I’m tempted to pull out half of them but for some reason i kinda like the way it looks and i am getting heaps of jap, queensland blue, butternut, and flat yellow squash shaped pumpkins all over the place. I have been swapping them for milk and tomatoes and cucumbers, and even sold a few at the local servo.