Bus then a train to Southbank

Bronte has been requesting a bus and a train trip to Southbank for several months now. So - we did it! Easy, and fun, and coupled with a visit to the State Library, a nice family day.

Pool play

The $15 pool is getting a lot of use on the deck. Minimal water required, maximum fun extracted.

Secret hideaway

The clean out of the cupboard = the perfect hiding spot. Zach crawled into the cupboard to jon Bronte, and they shut the adults out.

First artwork

Although his mother was more interested in the activity than Zach, he did produce a rather nice painting. Which was promptly destroyed. Lucky for photographic evidence!


The brush of choice


A clean-up in the pool

Balancing act

Every since Tadhg rode it, Bronte has been a lot more interested in practicing on the balance bike she got for her 2nd birthday. They are supposed to help ease the transistion to the "real" thing.

Scooter!

Aunty Catriona has a new border collie puppy - Scooter. She is very cute, very soft, and very friendly. And tolerates vigorous patting by 8 month olds.

Raiding the cupboard

Zach has already worked out the sliding doors, the stereo knobs, and how to raid things out of baskets. We are heading towards some mischevious months.

Dad's birthday

The celebrations will happen throughout the year, but on his actual birthday, Dad got a birthday breakfast, and visits by lots of family.

Could it be any better?

The weather was glorious, and Rainbow beach had a natural lagoon formed perfect for kids. Bronte bravely jumped several waves, while Zach loved playing in the water.

Family shot

After the rain

After a very heavy storm and some hail, the sun just managed to peek through before setting

Down at the farm

We finally went down to the farm. This was Zach's first visit, and he loved Arthur - though after getting a few wacks on the nose, Arthur wasn't too sure of him. As always, it was so relaxing, and we need to make sure we make the trip more often. Thank you so much to Meg for the photos.


Zach loves waving hello, goodbye, yo - over here.


Those annoying teeth was the only thing stopping Zach from smiling non stop.

8 months

In a massive month, Zach has become mobile, progressing from a commando crawl to a staccato all-fours motion, to standing. His latest interest is escaping out the front door. Teeth are pushing their painful way through: the bottom two are all the way, and the top two are interested in arriving. In perfect timing for the queen's arrival, he has perfected his royal wave, as well as clapping. Food is relished - any food - particularly if he can pick it up and feed himself, and competes with his sister in terms of the quantities that go down. He is VERY tricky to change, needing to flip over and crawl away. Photo by Meg.

3 years, 5 months

This month saw an acceleration of her cooking skills, learning things such as peeling carrots, and cracking an egg. She loves helping out at domestic chores, and her favourite thing to do at school is always playing with the babies. As you can tell, she also enjoys taking photos, though this one is courtesy of Zoe.

creepy crawlers

Just like his sister, Zach has been loving going to the crawlers play gym at the PCYC. And, like his sister, he has conquered the red tunnel! However, what he likes most is the interaction with the other kids.

Looking out at the garden

The deck is a favourite place to hang out for the day.

Standing!

Zach can now pull himself up to standing, and perhaps more importantly, lower himself gently back down again - one hand off, twist around, fall down! His crawl reflect his desire to stand - with only one knee on the ground (the other foot pushes off the ground). Strange looking but effective.

Neve is back

After 3 months in Bangladesh, Neve has returned sitting, waving, eating - but still very stunning.


Zach does his stare bear look

Shots by Bronte

The new beautiful shoes. The old ones had holes all through them, so we went on a special beautiful shoe shop.

Climbing frame

Dad is a perfect object to climb over, or as a prop to stand up.

Up dale and down dale

The golf course provides a perfect place for a late afternoon run-around, this time with Tadhg and Molly

Boys and buckets

Zach and Finn both love water play. It is going to be a fun summer.

At least the cot gets some use

Though Zach certainly does sleep in it a lot more than his sister ever did!

Double cuddles!

Getting in the practice early

Bronte keeps her eyes on the ball and has perfected the one-armed swing. She always connects, though with a hockey style more than the traditional golf swing.

Look - spoon!

Zach continues to be a great eater - particularly loving meat (any type - fish, lamb, chicken, whatever) - and custard. Today, with the grandparents over, he turned on the charm big time, playing peek-a-boo with Grandma, and demanding attention if it was not 100% on him.

A quick update on zach

Interrupted nights and busy days = tricky to update blog. But this week has seen two teeth, the start of proper crawling, and waving! Also, the worst nights sleep ever (we will blame the teeth). Photos to come...