Wombling On

2010-08-22T22:29:00.001+12:00

We had a week away near the snow in Turangi last week. It got off to a bit of a shaky start, as I was recovering from a nasty bout of the 'flu, but by the end of the week we were up for the mountain, and put the boys on skis as we did last year. The first day was fine, but the second day they just 'clicked' and had an awesome time! We were on the snow from 10am til nearly 4pm and they were little stars, skiing down the beginners slope with us running along to keep up, then back up the chairlift and off again! It was so cool, we are hoping to get back down for a couple more days in a few weeks time to give them another go, and who knows, this time Bruce and I might actually mange to get on some skis too! Here are a couple of pics...

Connor

Little ski dudes cruising down the slopes

Me running along beside Byron

2010-08-21T22:46:00.001+12:00

BYRON'S 4!!

Byron had a 'skeleton party' for his 4th birthday at the beginning of August. Here are a few snaps of them during the setting up - I managed to find the skeleton pyjamas at the very last minute, having waded through a heap of shops and just about resigned to having to try and fashion some myself, I felt like I'd won the lottery when I saw them in the very last shop!!! Would have been much easier a bit closer to halloween I think...

Byron decided that he needed the training wheels off his bike before he was four...

2010-06-07T21:23:00.002+12:00

Yes I know it's been a long time since I updated this, sorry!! I have actually tried, but had the thing time out on me at the last minute and not update, then got fed up with it. We are all really good, no winter ills yet apart from the odd mild cold (fingers crossed!). Connor is loving school and Byron and I are still at playcentre. I have rather a love/hate relationship with playcentre, as it takes up so much of my time, but is fantastic for Byron and we both have lots of great friends there. Only four weeks until the end of the term, I don't know where the time goes! Here are a couple of recent highlights:

At the end of April Bruce and I had a lovely weekend away in Queenstown, while the boys had fun with Nana and Poppa and the family in Auckland. It was the perfect time of year to go, the autumn colours were absolutely stunning and we had a lovely, relaxing time. Here is a photo of us in Arrowtown with those amazing colours behind us. It was overcast, but when the sun came out later it was incredible, like gold leaves shining in the sun.

Connor started playing football this term, and his team are all friends from school. At this age the games/teams are five a side and obviously they play on a much smaller pitch. It's pretty hilarious to watch, like a swarm of bees all chasing after the ball, but they have had a few games now and are improving every week. Connor absolutely loves it, and he and Byron (and Bruce and I sometimes) spend a lot of time kicking a small foam ball up and down our hallway into the 'goals' at either end.

Connor got the 'player of the day' trophy in the second week, for scoring two goals. He was very proud!

2010-06-07T21:20:00.002+12:00

OK so now I'm trying to put some more photos on, but the blogger is not letting me, this thing does drive me quite mad sometimes! Will try again when I can, but my other news is that I am no longer in my thirties (aarrgghhhh!!!). Yes, 40 came upon me last Thursday, but thankfully I didn't wake up and feel any different, so will just pretend I'm still 39 (well I would, if Bruce hadn't given me a card with an enormous glittery number 40 on it, which is sitting on the piano and reminding me every time I walk past!). I decided that rather than have one big celebration I would have a few little ones through the month, and try to catch up with everyone, especially those I haven't had a chance to see or talk to for a long time. That includes my friends overseas who I haven't talked to for ages, so if you are reading this then hopefully we will have a chance to chat very soon!

I had a lovely day on my birthday; Bruce took the day off work and we gave Connor the day off school. Went for morning tea with Dad, Pat and Bob, then off to the climbing wall for a few hours. It was great fun, and a big thanks to Pat and Bob, who came along and did the ropes for Byron and Connor while Bruce and I climbed, it's such great fun! Yesterday I had a really lovely day with all the family. We had arranged to go to a place in the forest where you can climb through ladders and ropes and things in the treetops (hard to describe, but looked really cool!), before going to lunch, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, and it was absolutely bucketing down and windy, so not at all good for doing that. As we had planned on doing something, we decided to have a game of ten pin bowling instead. I'm glad we did, as although it was disappointing not to go to the tree adventures place, and the bowling was not the most salubrious place (he he), it was fun to do something all together, the boys loved it, and we can still go to the tree adventures another time. Had a nice pub lunch afterwards and some lovely prezzies, I've been very spoilt, almost worth turning 40 for!!! :-).

2010-03-03T20:28:00.003+13:00

TRIP TO THE FIRE STATION

On Friday we went for a Playcentre trip to our local firestation. I took Connor out of school for the day, as he had missed out the last two times we went there, and the boys loved it. They had a demonstation of a fireman putting on all his firefighting gear, then a tour around the truck, a sit in the truck. To top it all off, I think I'd be fairly accurate in saying everyone's favourite part was having a turn of the hose!

I got to have a turn of the hose too, which was incredible. I hadn't realised quite how much force there was, as they had the pressure turned down when the children were having a turn, and were holding it with them. They turned the pressure up when I had a go, then slowly let go of the hose until I was holding it on my own, but I had to brace myself to hold it. Trying to walk with it was really tricky!

The following night we went to the annual lantern festival, which happens at a park in the city. It's a lovely night, with lots of amazing lanterns all over the place. My favourites are the ones hanging in the trees, it's really pretty. There's lots of entertainment as well, and the boys were transfixed by a marial arts display (complete with fake axes, swords and a 'don't try this at home' warning!!!).

The boys were very excited when Granddad bought them a lantern each to walk around with (they were really pretty, with a candle inside each).

Just in case anyone was wondering about the black eyes, the boys had been to a pirate themed birthday party that morning!

2010-02-22T10:12:00.002+13:00

CAMPING AT WENDERHOLM

We just had a stunning weekend away camping at Wenderholm, which is about 35 mins north of Auckland. We went with friends who have boys the same age, and had a ball! The weather was absolutely beautiful, clear blue skies and hot. Spent the first day on the beach and Connor had a fantastic time with his friend Oscar, using his boogie board to catch some (rather little) waves and just hanging out in the water.

Byron enjoyed jumping the waves

Connor and Oscar, waiting to jump the next 'wave' (it was nearly flat!)

We built a huge fort with a channel for the sea to come up, but unfortunately were rather out in our calculations of where the tide would come in, and it ended up being a big lemon! The boys all enjoyed it though, as did plenty of other children on the beach the next day.

The second day we went for a bush walk up along the coast. The scenery was fantastic and the boys did really well and walked the whole way. Connor can walk for miles and miles, but we were really impressed with Byron, who managed all the steep climbs, hundreds of steps and slippery gravel without fading. The view was amazing, I had forgotten what incredibly beautiful scenery we have on our doorstep, just over half an hour from home! It felt like being in the Bay of Islands. Can't wait to go back! We are absolutely loving our tent, so thanks to all the family who contributed to our Christmas present, and can't believe how lucky we've been with the weather for all our camping expeditions so far!

2010-02-09T22:27:00.002+13:00

A DAY ON THE BOAT!

On Sunday we had an absolutely fantastic day out on the water with Debs and Dave on their boat. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed ourselves so much, the boys have been playing various different water themed games ever since.

Bruce and Byron enjoying the ride (with Connor behind them, up front next to Captain Dave).

The main purpose of the trip was to catch something for dinner. Although we caught lots of snapper, they were all undersized and had to be thrown back to grow bigger for another day.

Proud Connor with Uncle Dave and a fish he caught, before returning it to the sea

The boys were fascinated by the enormous starfish one of them managed to hook. Thankfully he was unharmed and enjoyed a leisurely float back to the bottom.

One of our favourite parts of the day was going for a 'float' off the back of the boat where we anchored for lunch. If was great jumping off in life jackets and just floating around! Connor was beside himself with excitement, he really loved it.

2010-02-07T21:32:00.005+13:00

PAUANUI JAN 2010

We spent a lovely week at Pat and Bob (Bruce's folks') caravan in Pauanui, on the Coromandel Peninsula. The weather was so kind to us, it was beautiful the whole week until the day we left, which was so lucky! Pauanui is perfect for the boys as it has a surf beach and a calm, tidal estuary to play in. Here are some snaps:

We built a 'boat' for the boys, who had a great time running away from the waves and watching it being destroyed when the tide came in.

The boys loved Bob's canoe, and Connor became very proficient at paddling it. At first he needed a bit of help from Bruce...

... but was soon paddling his little brother around with ease! The estuary is great because even at high tide it is only about a metre deep for miles out, so we could walk along behind the boys while they were playing in the canoe.

We took a day trip to a place called 'Waiau Water Works', which is near Coromandel Town (about an hour twenty from Pauanui). It is a park with lots of different interactive water features for the children (and adults!), plus a fantastic playground. Well worth the drive, we all had a great time.

One of Connor's favourite parts of the playground was the old gas tanks used as 'skittles', that you swing a giant barrel at to try and knock them over. If you aim correctly you're rewarded with lots of banging and crashing as the things go toppling over. Bruce and I got some good exercise standing them back up again each time!

Another favourite was the 'water cannons', three cannons that had a pump action handle at the side and a shield in front, so you could 'fire' at your opponents. Below the boys are enjoying giving Bruce a good soaking.

When Connor first got onto a cannon, there were two older boys giving him a good soaking, so I couldn't resist running over to try and give him a hand. It was such a hot day that it was a relief to cool down!

The boys weren't quite up to the flying fox speeding through the bush, but Bruce and I had a great time on it. It was really fast, and had a couple of nifty breaking devices at the end to slow you down quickly. The start went literally through the trees, felt like Tarzan it was great!

Also couldn't resist the giant hamster wheel

Just as much fun for the adults as kids, Pat and Bob on the up and down and turning see saw.

The boys tried out the new fishing rods Debs and Dave gave them for the first time, and Connor was very proud of his first catch! I did the 'bonking' very reluctantly, but after throwing several back, Connor insisted we keep one. It's still in the freezer, apparently there is a bird lady somewhere around who has some sick penguins, so Connor is convinced that we are going to donate his fish to help them get better!

We chose the perfect night for fish and chips on the beach. This was down on the estuary, which is a couple of minute's walk, just out the back of the campsite.

2010-01-22T19:36:00.005+13:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Sorry it's been so long since an update, this will be a really quick in-between holidays post before we go away again. We had a lovely Christmas, and our main present that we asked our families to contribute to was a family tent, as we have been wanting to take the boys camping for ages. We have a few friends who go away camping, and thought it sounded like a great, cheap way to get out and about and rediscover our beautiful countryside and beaches with the boys. We tried it out for the first time in Dad's garden, and that was successful, so we set off for two separate trips, just for two nights at a time. Both were to regional parks in Auckland district.

The first was Awhitu, on the Manukau heads, and it was lovely. The campsite was a short walk to a lovely big beach, great for walking on and right next to a lovely wetland conservation area. There were really nice walks in and around, and a short drive to some gorgeous quiet sandy beaches. We did a trip up to a lighthouse on the heads, the countryside was fantastic and the views amazing. On the way back we stopped at a remote black sand beach and the boys had a great time chasing the waves. The camping itself was great, the boys were really into it and loved helping to set up the tent and getting things out for meals etc. I love our tent, as my previous experience of camping has been in a tiny thing you have to crawl into, and put up and take down every day. This is a different experience entirely, a lovely big tent you can stand up in and leave up for days at a time while you go exploring, it was fantastic!

We are off again for a week to Pauanui, which is why I thought I had better quickly update this as we'll have lots more photos when we get back!!

The west coast black sand beach, the boys spent ages at one of their favourite pastimes, running away from the waves.

Swimming at the nearby sandy beach

Walking along the beach down from the campsite in the evening after dinner.

Our tent, very relaxing, we all love it!

Our second trip was to Tapapakanga Regional Park, on the East Coast near Kawakawa Bay (about an hour from Auckland). It was beautiful, a short track down to a lovely long beach, that had sand and stones for throwing in the water, as well as an outlet that held water for the boys to play with and build a dam, another of their favourite things to do.

As well as the beach, there were some lovely walks around the headland and surrounding farmland

Not a bad spot!

Inside the tent, it all opens up and is really spacious, even Bruce can stand up in it!

Inbetween camping expeditions we have been doing some day trips and enjoying the gorgeous summer weather (apologies to those readers in the Northern Hemisphere in the snow!!!). I had a go on Paul's windsurfer, which was great fun, but was rather sore for several days afterwards!

This week the boys have had swimming lessons every morning (for 20mins), as they haven't had lessons for months and we wanted to give them a kick start before the term starts. They have both been fantastic and done really well.

Connor doing some great arm strokes

Kicking to the side

Byron kicking along

Byron doing a 'dive'

2009-12-02T19:39:00.003+13:00

Our Playcentre went for a weekend camp last weekend, at Clarkes Beach, about 50 mins from Auckland on the Manukau Harbour. It was an absolutely fantastic spot, with cabins curved around a lovely big grassy area, that slowly sloped down to a very safe, shallow tidal beach. The weather was a bit iffy some of the time, but it didn't matter at all, we all had a brilliant time! The boys were so excited, and counting down the number of sleeps until camp, then beside themselves with excitement when we arrived and their friends started arriving. They were in and out of each other's cabins all weekend, and had the run of the place, it was so cool. We didn't take too many pics as we were too busy having fun, but here are a few:

A photo looking out from our cabin, across the grass and you can see the sea in the background.

One of the highlights was the children's Christmas party, with the best Santa I have ever experienced. He had the children (and adults) in fits of laughter, and was so good that even his children didn't recognise him and were a bit reluctant to get too close!

Another highlight for the boys was a kayak, which one of the families brought down. The beach by the camp was extremely shallow, one that even at high tide you can wade out for a very long way and still be up to your knees. It was perfect for the kayak, and at one point I was pushing nine of them backwards and forwards along the bay. It was pretty cold and windy at that point I must admit, but great fun! Connor is third from the right, and Byron third from the left (in the baseball cap)

Connor (in blue t shirt) attempting to push his friends around. He had such a great time, he just loved being with all his friends for the whole weekend. He gets very excited about things and I don't think I've ever seen him so excited for such a prolonged period of time! He slept in until quarter to nine on Sunday morning, which is completely unheard of, he's usually up at 6:30am no matter how tired he is, so it goes to show how zonked he was!

The kayak was just as popular once it was back on land

2009-11-16T13:29:00.002+13:00

A quick update while I think about it! Connor has settled into school really well, it's been nearly two weeks now and he seems to be loving it. I asked him the other day what he likes about school, and he said singing, writing, drawing and playing with Angus at lunchtime. I was quite pleased there were classroom activities in the list, as I knew he was having a great time during breaks. His best friend Angus had been at school for a couple of months before Connor, and they get together each break time to play. Connor excitedly told me last week that he and Angus had been flushing their bottoms in the toilets at lunchtime, so I am now waiting for some kind of note to come home in his bag or to be summoned to see the teacher!!! Having been at Playcentre for so long and knowing all his friends, I'm still getting used to other children I don't know shouting 'see you Connor!' or yelling out to him to tell him something when I go to pick him up. It all seems quite strange, but great at the same time!

2009-11-04T22:04:00.002+13:00

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!

Today was Connor's first day of school. We had done two visits, and I thought he would be ok, but was still pretty nervous, as I think was he. The great thing was that his great friend Angus has already been there for a few weeks, in a different new entrants class, but they all get together to play at break times. Also, his friend Evan from Playcentre was starting today, in the same class as Connor, which was great. This morning he was up and straight into building the huge Lego police station that we gave him for his birthday. He has suddenly got into Lego in a big way, and spent the entire afternoon yesterday from after lunch until bedtime (with a couple of food breaks etc), following the instructions and building it, without any help. He managed to finish it off before school, which I was very impressed with!

In his uniform ready to go!

He had a great day, seemed to really enjoy it and was very hyper, chatty and excited tonight. Bruce left work early and we all met him after school, then spent an hour at the school playground and huge adventure playground, racing around with Angus and Evan, before going home for a treat of hot chips followed by strawberries for dinner. Tomorrow the class are going on a school trip to Kelly Tarlton's a large underwater aquarium complex, and I'm going as a helper. He's really looking forward to it, as am I!

To top off his big day, his second tooth fell out tonight!

2009-11-04T21:29:00.002+13:00

For Connor's birthday on Sunday we took him to Rainbow's End, a theme park in Auckland that I remember going to when I was a teenager, it's been around for a while! We had a fantastic day, mostly spent in the children's section on the little roller coaster and smaller rides and bouncy castle, but really enjoyed going out to see the big rides, and can't wait til they're big enough to go on them!! We were there for most of the day, and at lunchtime they had an amazing Chinese Acrobatic troupe to entertain us. They were incredible, some of them rivaled the acts we saw at Dralion (Cirque de Soleil), a great unexpected treat, except the boys have been trying to copy some of their moves!

I particularly liked the rides that parents were allowed to accompany them on!

The night before on Halloween Bruce and I went to our friend Rick's 40th birthday party, a huge event which was great fun. The dress code was 'bloody well', so this was how we went.

2009-10-28T20:14:00.004+13:00

It's been a pretty busy time for us the last couple of weeks, with all sorts of preparations for Connor's party, going to school and his graduation from Playcentre. Two of his Playcentre friends turn 5 at the same time as Connor, so this week we have three children graduating to school, which means three of our five sessions this week will be parties. We try to make it really special for each child, and they each get to choose a theme for their graduation. We then decorate the centre in their theme, decorate a special chair, have a leaving poster up and present them with a special leaving book (which each family puts a farewell page into) and a leaving box. We share out the jobs, but with three in a row it's been rather a lot of work, but totally worth it. Connor had his graduation today, the first of the week, and it was brilliant. Thankfully he wanted a pirate theme for this as well as his birthday, which meant we had lots of decorations over from his party to give to those decorating, and they used Bruce's fantastic chair. Here are some photos from the day:

Connor's leaving poster - handprints from all the children. I haven't taken a photo of his leaving book and box yet.

Connor and Byron absolutely love the programme 'wipeout' at the moment, and everything they do seems to relate to it. The obstacle course has been his favourite for weeks now.

A special morning tea and another cake made by me, he is presented with it as we sing 'happy school days' to the tune of happy birthday. The purple 'graduation gown' he's wearing was made for us by a wonderful Fijian lady who is volunteering at our Playcentre at the moment. She decided she would like to make a special gown for the graduating children to wear, and Connor was the first to wear it.

Connor had a brilliant time running around with his friends the whole session, and by the end most of them had stripped down to their undies and were running through a hose, and squirting each other, they had so much fun.

Connor's best friend Angus (to Connor's left) took the day off school to come to Connor's party, then came to our house for the afternoon and dinner afterwards. Connor is going to the same school as Angus, and although they won't be in the same class (because Angus' is now full and they have started a new class), the new entrants classes all get together at playtime and lunchtime and to do group activities, so they will still be able to play together. Connor seems reasonably happy at the propect of going, probably because Angus is there, and another good friend of his from Playcentre is starting with Connor on the same day in his class. We had a visit last week and will be doing another one next week the day before he starts. I can't believe Connor won't be at Playcentre with us anymore after next week, it seems so strange, but at the same time I am so pleased and proud to have been so involved with his preschool education, the time has gone so quickly and is so precious, I'm glad I've been there to enjoy every part of it!

To top off all the excitement of a birthday, graduation and being about to start school, Connor lost his first tooth last week! It has been wobbly for a while, and eventually came out while he was eating his dinner. Unfortunately he swallowed it, but it had broken and a tiny bit remained, which he managed to salvage for the tooth fairy. The tooth next to it is starting to get wobbly now, wow he's growing up so fast!

2009-10-26T20:04:00.004+13:00

CONNOR'S 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

Connor will be 5 on the 1st of November, and we had his party last weekend to celebrate. We seem to be sticking with the pirate theme once again, these guys really love pirates! We had his party at Playcentre and everyone had a fantastic time, as you can see from the photos...

The birthday boy

Bruce preparing Connor's 'pirate captain chair' the day before. We had rather a few late nights preparing chairs, cakes, treasure maps etc leading up to the day.

Connor in his chair

The treasure hunt worked really well. We gave each of the children a photo clue, and they had to find the place in the photo and bring back the envelope they found there. Each envelope contained a piece of a treasure map, which they then took back to Bruce, pieced the map together and went off in search of the 'treasure'.

Putting together the map

Found the treasure!

My pirate ship cake (from two angles as I was quite proud of it :-))

After his party, Granddad and Uncy Paul came back to our place and gave him his present, a radio controlled car which he loves! Three days later we have already replaced the batteries once, this could be rather an expensive present!!!

2009-08-22T21:00:00.003+12:00

We have just got back from a fabulous winter holiday in Turangi, which for those overseas is in the middle of New Zealand, and close to Whakapapa, the North Island's largest ski field. We wanted to take the boys to the snow, and had heard there were plenty of other things to do in Turangi if the weather wasn't up to much, which was so true! We were actually really lucky with the weather, on the first couple of days did some lovely walks in the forest and around lakes and the Tongariro river. We had one day of pouring rain, but it didn't matter at all, as we headed to the climbing wall in town and had an absolutely fantastic day there! We all got to do lots of climbing although Byron preferred 'hanging' from his harness, as he was a bit little for it! Luckily there was an area you could free climb in, which had a large air filled mattress to land on, and he had a great time bouncing on it (we were extremly lucky to be the only ones there a lot of the time!). Some photos of the climbing...

Connor took to it straight away and went straight up!

Bruce particularly enjoyed the tricky parts on the free climbing wall.

I decided to see how high I could get without looking down, and managed to get all the way to the top!

A photo of me looking up the wall I climbed to the top of, for a bit of perspective. I don't actually recommend looking down once you're up there!!!! It was so much fun though, we can't wait to go again as there are a few places close to where we live in Auckland.

Byron hanging around

2009-08-22T20:55:00.000+12:00

Playing by the river - it's amazing how much time little boys can spend throwing stones, poking things with sticks and building dams!

2009-08-22T20:50:00.003+12:00

I think the highlight for everyone was the snow, and especially getting the boys on some skis! We had a day of sledding, but decided later in the week to rent them some skis and see what happened. We were amazed (and very excited) that they loved it, and had a fantastic time practicing around Happy Valley (the beginners area). Byron seemed to have no fear, and I spent most of the time running down next to him or in front of him, either to slow him down or stop him from crashing into people! We were absolutely stoked that they liked it so much, so we went the following day as well and they enjoyed it just as much. The chairlift was also a source of great excitement for them. Might try to squeeze another few days there in a few weeks so that Bruce and I can get on some skis after so long as well. Yay, perhaps the beginning of family ski holidays! It was also great to have some great hot pools near where we were staying, so we could soak in them at the end of the day. It really was such a great week!

Waiting for their boots and skis (I hadn't noticed til we downloaded the photos that they were pretty well colour coordinated in their assortment of ski clothes borrowed from friends, look like quite the little dudes!).

Byron was very relaxed on his skis. I hadn't really expected him to do much, having just turned 3 (actually I wasn't sure they would have boots small enough), but got them to keep him happy as Connor was getting some. Such a great surprise that he enjoyed it so much!

Connor making his way down (he spent most of his time with Bruce and me with Byron, as we got separated while trying to keep track of them!)

I did a lot of running down the slope and catching Byron before he either got away from me or wiped out!

The boys on their way down

2009-08-07T22:00:00.000+12:00

BYRON'S 3RD BIRTHDAY!!!

I know I know, it's been over two months since I last posted an update! My excuse is our camera, which had been slowly on the way out for a while, but became completely useless a few weeks ago, and I'm not very good at putting things on without pictures. So, we have now got a new camera, just in time for Byron's birthday last weekend. Our baby is now three, wow how the time flies! He is certainly growing up quickly, never stops talking and constantly has us in fits of laughter with the things he comes out with. Here are some birthday pics...

The boys are both always keen to help with cooking, especially if it involves cakes. They helped me to mix one of the cakes for Byron's birthday and I took a few snaps. I've always quite admired Byron's particularly enthusiastic 'dive' into the scrapings (I think he's always attempting to actually climb into the bowl).

Haven't quite seen this one before, but managed to get a shot before he realised he wasn't going to get any extra this way!

The look on his face says it all really!

Having baked the cakes, I spent a rather long evening trying to somehow turn them into a 'pirate's treasure chest', for Byron's pirate party the next day. He's such an excitable little guy, with rather a large imagination, so you can imagine how deflated I was after asking if he'd like a treasure chest for his cake, and his eyes widened with excitement and said 'oh yes Mummy, with a pirate standing next to it, and a pirate ship for him, and.....' and so it went on (sigh!). Thankfully he was very excited when he saw the finished cake the next morning!

The big day was rather enormous. While I was decorating the cake the night before, Bruce managed to blow up and hang over 90 balloons (plus assorted streamers etc) for the festivities. It started with the family coming over, followed by the craziness of the extra children. Connor and Byron's rather 'disco' looking pirate outfits were all down to Connor deciding we should make some pirate costumes, rather than try to find some. Having never sewed anything in my life, I was slightly worried (I had just inherited a sewing machine from Bruce's Mum, but hadn't had a chance to attempt to do anything with it yet. My main goal was something basic like turning up trousers, so I was a bit skeptical after Connor's request!). We went to the material shop and the boys chose their own material and we set to work. I was quite pleased for a first attempt and might try to make something from a pattern next time! They looked ok as long as you didn't get too close!

2009-08-07T21:01:00.004+12:00

Another photo of the birthday boy.

The party in full swing.

Nearly a week later the house is still full of balloons. I was loathed to pop them as the boys have so much fun with them! We created a new game of 'surfing' the balloons on the large cushions from the sofa, which is great fun!

The cushions on the balloons also seem to be very popular at the end of the day for a rocking rest
(yes it is the middle of winter, but they just don't feel the cold!!!)

2009-06-01T19:53:00.003+12:00

It's the end of the long Queen's birthday weekend, and the weather for most of it has been lovely, sunny but freezing! It's been very train focused for us and the boys - yesterday we took them to a narrow guage railway, where they had a fantastic time riding on the trains. The highlight was when we got chatting to one of the club members and he let Connor 'drive' one of the trains with us on the back. Connor was so excited, he's been talking about it ever since. Unfortunately we didn't have the camera, so no photos of that. Today we went out to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, where every weekend they run an old steam train that you can ride on up the 6km of remaining track and back again. It was absolutely fantastic, the old steam engine was beautiful and the boys just loved it. Dad and Connor's friend Angus came along and everyone had a great time. Here are a couple of pics.

The boys on the train

Granddad and his boys

A bonus was a couple of vintage pedal cars that were at the playground. You'd still never know Dad was a pensioner!

2009-06-01T19:23:00.000+12:00

I did a puppetry workshop through Playcentre a couple of weeks ago, and it reminded me how much I used to love puppet shows. I felt inspired so built a little 'set' and did a show for the children at one of our Playcentre sessions last week. I was so chuffed that they really enjoyed it, and the best part was afterwards when I let them loose with the puppets, they all wanted to use it and made up their own versions of my story. It was very cool.

2009-04-19T22:29:00.003+12:00

The weekend before Easter, Bruce and I had our first weekend away on our own since having the boys. We flew down to Queenstown on Friday lunchtime and came back Sunday evening. If was absolutely fantastic!! So lovely and relaxing to just wander around, sleep in, go for drives around the beautiful areas surrounding Queenstown, walk by the lake and have lazy brunches and a long and leisurely lunch at a beautiful vineyard. I didn't have to cook, prepare or think about any meals, snacks or drinks for two and a half days, I just sat down and they were put in front of me - absolute bliss! The boys had a brilliant time with their Nana and Poppa, plus some visits with Aunty Debs, Granddad and Uncle Olly, Auntie Margaret, Nan and Aunty Neen along the way. They had their first sleepover at Nana and Poppa's house and loved it, so we are hoping to make it a regular occurance :-)

In the 'couch that folds into a bed' at Nana and Poppa's house. Not looking too stressed at the absence of Mum and Dad!

Recently Connor's pictures have been becoming more recognisable and I really liked this self portrait he did on the whiteboard (bit generous with the hair, as you will see below).

I like Connor's hair a little tousled and not too short, so imagine my horror to find him cutting his hair with his paper scissors! Somehow he managed to get it almost down to the scalp and right at the front, so there was absolutely no disguising it. Unfortunately, there was nothing for it but to match the rest of his head...

...and this is the result. I can't wait for it to grow back, he looks like he's about to be drafted or should be wearing steel capped boots! Thank goodness the dimples are still there...

2009-04-19T22:10:00.002+12:00

At playcentre our terms follow the primary school year, so we are now a week into the two week mid term break. Here are a few pics from the last week of term. The boys are getting so much out of it, and now that Connor goes to four sessions a week (two with me and Byron and two on his own), he loves it, has made lots of new friends and become more confident this year.

Byron 'fishing' with a magnet, but is much more interested in the fact that it sticks to a metal post.

Connor and his friends have been obsessed with ropes this term, and tying up the 'fort' (the climbing playground) in whatever way they can, hoisting things up, tying knots and making swings and 'traps'. It's been fascinating to watch this interest develop, and I've been really impressed at the level of cooperation amd communication between the boys when they are trying to figure out how to do something that requires several of them to achieve (such as hoisting up the tyre below).

2009-03-16T22:53:00.002+13:00

Connor had his first sleepover here with his best friend Angus on Friday night. I've never seen him quite so excited for such a long period of time (nearly a day, with the buildup to it all!). Angus came over in the afternoon, and by 5pm the boys had already changed themselves into their pyjamas and brushed their teeth (just before dinner). Managed to get to sleep about 9pm then up again at 6am. We took Angus, Connor and Byron swimming the next morning, which completely wore them out, and they had an absolute ball! Can't believe how quickly he's growing up, now having sleepovers! Sigh...

2009-03-12T23:00:00.002+13:00

Couldn't resist putting on this picture of Byron at Playcentre. All his own doing, I walked in from outside to find him dressed like this...

Happy 65th birthdays to Dad and Bob, who both had their birthdays last week. Judging by this photo taken of Dad visiting playcentre the day after, I don't think anyone's told him that he's now a pensioner!!

2009-03-12T21:41:00.002+13:00

The nights are drawing in and it's starting to feel cooler, I've been wearing three layers in the evening even though it's still probably relatively warm - we were really spoilt with such a hot summer this year! A couple of days of rain saw us conjuring up some inside activities, some photos below:

The boys made 'robots' out of cardboard boxes, and spent ages painting and decorating them.

A trip to Kelly Tarltons was a highlight recently (for those overseas, it's an underground aquarium where you walk through tunnels surrounded by fish, rays and sharks. They also have an emporer penguin enclosure). Connor has become rather obsessed with penguins, after seeing the animated movie 'Happy Feet'. When we told him we were going to see some real penguins, he was extremely excited, and we spent a lot of time in the little car going round and round the penguin area.

A very successful rainy day activity was making sock puppets, then being chased by them!

Making cupcakes for Lily's mum's birthday. I still look after Lily two days a week, she has become a bit like a little part-time sister to Connor and Byron, they all play really well together.

2009-02-16T21:15:00.002+13:00

We just got back from five days in Pauanui, on the beautiful Coromandel Penninsula. We stayed with Bruce's Mum and Dad in their caravan, which they spend a lot of time in down at the beach, as it is on a permanent site. We had such a great time, not sure why we haven't taken the boys sooner! Had a couple of beautiful hot days, one that was like a flashback to winter in the middle, then another great day. The boys loved the beach and the caravan, and I think we'll be going back again very soon. Bruce and I even got to do some boogie boarding together, it was fantastic! Thanks Pat and Bob! Here are some photos:

Got to the beach a couple of hours before high tide one day, and built a 'fort' for the tide to come into.

It was pretty big!

The playground at the campsite was just over from the caravan. With hardly anyone there as the schools are back, and two trampolines the boys were in heaven (Bruce and I got to have a go too, hoping we could pass for 12 or under when nobody was watching!)

Took a ferry ride over the water to Tairua, just across the estury.

2009-02-16T21:00:00.000+13:00

Waiting for the tide to come in and break down the fort. We actually kept reinforcing it, so the tide came and went and it was still there.

Pat and Bob bought the boys a boogie board each. They're still a bit young to be riding the waves, but loved playing on them, waiting for the water to come in and start floating them.

Of course you can't beat running from the waves for great beach fun!

2009-02-01T21:23:00.002+13:00

The boys have both been full of colds and a bit miserable the last few days (crazy time of year for it in the middle of summer!). We have had a lovely distraction around though, in the form of Holly, a year old West Highland Terrier who lives in the house behind us. We often bump into Holly as she's going for a walk with her owner, and Sintra loves her and spends a lot of time over at her house (it's amazing to see a dog and cat wrestling and enjoying it, Sintra always comes back for more it's quite something to see!). Anyway, our neighbours have been away a bit during the daytime, so we have been taking Holly for a few walks, then having her here to play and keep her company. We have all really enjoyed having her around, and Connor and Byron just love her. I'm hoping we can make it a more regular occurance!

2009-01-25T09:37:00.002+13:00

Some more photos from our walk yesterday.

Bruce and I braved the very cold water for an amazingly invigorating swim

Byron is getting much better at going for longer walks. Connor just wants to run most of the time, and ends up running backwards and forwards between whoever he's up the front with and the person further back with Byron (a bit like taking a dog for a walk!).

Walking along the beach after our picnic dinner

Quick stop at one of the dams on the way home

2009-01-24T23:11:00.002+13:00

We've been making the most of the stunning summer weather, here are a few photos from the last couple of days.

The boys have been having a great time with the easel they got for Christmas. Have been painting everything from garden clippings to shells, all requested by Connor who has been reading a book in which the beautiful colours in the forest were painted by a group of rabbits when nobody could see them.

We have been getting out and exploring the beautiful Waitakere Ranges, just over half an hour's drive from where we live (for those overseas). It's over 16,000 hectares of native rainforest and coastline, and has 250km of walking and hiking tracks to be explored. We started doing some walks there a few months ago, now that Byron will walk for a reasonable amount of time, and have been having a great time. Yesterday's trip was fantastic, on one of the most gorgeous days of the summer so far. We did a forest walk that detoured down to a spectacular swimming hole, then had a picnic dinner on a nearby beach. Here are some photos:

2009-01-19T21:53:00.003+13:00

HAPPY (BELATED) NEW YEAR 2009! My new years resolution of updating the blog more often doesn't seem to have kicked off very well, but I do have good intentions! Bruce was off work for just over two weeks, and we stayed in Auckland for that time. Really enjoyed getting out and about, off to beaches, parks, bush walks and other outdoor activities, and having lots of time in the garden. I mostly forgot to take the camera, hence a lack of photos. I did snap a few though, some are below. The weather was beautiful, so water has featured a lot!

We've been really pleased with the way the garden is coming on. Will take some more photos to put on here, but it's absolutely amazing how things grow in Auckland. The boys and I decided to plant some sunflower seeds that I was given, and a few weeks later they were giants!

The boys loved Dad's inflatable dingy, it's lasted well as it was this one that Paul and I used to have great fun capsizing in the waves all those years ago!

The Auckland Botanical Gardens are not only beautiful, but a great playground for the little ones. They have some great water features that they really enjoyed.

The paddling pool has been well used, the fountain on the front is a big hit.

2008-12-26T20:08:00.005+13:00

We do have a great time at playcentre, and our last day of the term was no exception. With one of our children graduating to school, we had a party, and he chose a jungle theme. I got out the facepaints and Byron asked me to paint him as a green tiger. This matched with a leapord outfit was very cute!

Connor decided to paint his own face...

Then they both decided to paint my face. At playcentre pretty much anything goes, and the play is all very much child led. It can get very messy!

They did a fairly comprehensive job and I decided to postpone my planned trip to the dairy for milk on the way home! I was a bit worried that I might cause an accident if any other drivers glanced over my way. Thank goodness it's only a few minutes drive from where we live!

Byron washing off his tiger face

2008-12-26T19:50:00.003+13:00

I am hoping that now the madness of November/December has finished, that I might have more time to update this more often! About two weeks before Christmas we went and chose our Christmas tree, and the boys loved hanging on the decorations.

The weather has been getting better and better, really hot and perfect for the park and playing in the fountains!

Connor was very proud of a bird feeder he made in carpentry at playcentre, so we brought it home and hung it in the lovely frangipani tree in the garden. It took the birds a while to find the seed, but they seem to be coming more and more.

A big change with the arrival of the boys bunk beds! Byron has been ready for a 'big boy bed' for quite some time, and we've been talking about getting bunks for a while. They took to them straight away, and just love them. The first few days Byron spent most of his spare time when we were home just lounging around in his bed.

2008-11-25T21:30:00.003+13:00

Byron's language and reasoning skills are coming along in leaps and bounds, which I am reminded of every day. My first reminder today was when we were making breakfast. I had asked Byron if he wanted banana on top of his porridge, and he had said yes. When presented with his breakfast, he said he didn't want banana. 'But when I asked you if you wanted banana on top, you said yes' I reminded him. He kept insisting that he hadn't when I said he had, then after a while he turned to me and said, very earnestly and seriously 'Mummy, you are telling a lie'. Luckily I wasn't eating at the time, as it would have ended up all over the walls. It's just not the sort of thing I expect to hear from a just over two year old!!!

2008-11-22T14:58:00.004+13:00

November has been a busy month! After Connor's birthday parties, we had Bruce's Mum and aunt's 65th birthdays, Bruce's parent's 40th wedding anniversary and our wedding anniversary, as well as my Uncle and Aunt (Mike and Lyn) from England visiting. It's been fantastic having so many family get togethers, and so lovely to have Mike and Lyn around, but not nearly for long enough! Come back soon please!

In amongst all the excitement was even more excitement for Connor. Granddad took him to an exhibition they have at our local showgrounds every year. It's called 'Big Boys Toys', and is a lot of cars, motorbikes, games, stunts etc all in one place. They left after lunch and I didn't see them until dinner time, Connor had a fantastic time! Here are a couple of snaps that Dad took while they were there...

First thing next morning, the effect of all this was rather obvious, with Connor performing 'stunts' on the little plastic bike - thanks Dad!!!

2008-11-01T21:24:00.001+13:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONNOR - 4 TODAY!!! (1ST NOV)

Wow, Connor is 4 and had an absolutely fantastic birthday weekend. Saturday morning woke up and opened his presents. His bike was his 'early' birthday present, but we also got him a 'brain box', which is lots of circuitry you can clip together to make bulbs light up, motors work etc, and he absolutely loves it. He's played with it every day since, and particularly enjoys making the radio, which he can do himself now by looking at the diagram.

The lucky birthday boy had two parties - one on Saturday with his friends, and a BBQ on Sunday with all the family, so it was rather a busy weekend! Here are some photos of the Saturday, unfortunately I didn't get many of Sunday, I think we were too busy enjoying the gorgeous sunshine!

Uncy Paul and Granddad came round for morning tea, and bestowed more gifts upon him. This time it was 'trains that go round by themselves', something he has coveted for a long time. He is fairly obsessed with anything battery operated, so we might just be asking for packets of batteries for Christmas at the rate he's going!

The afternoon was party time, with eight little boys and eight parents. Originally it was supposed to be a picnic in the park, but the weather was very dubious and threatening to rain just as we would have arrived, so decided to have it at our place instead. Connor had a great time and loved the house cake I made him (his request, not sure why but has been the same for months so thought I'd better do it!). He also had a number 4 cake next to it, as we were having a party for family the following day. I managed to dish up the 4 cake and rescue the house for some minor repairs to bring it out again on Sunday!

With his best friend Angus

After all that cake there was time for a bit of 'beany throwing'. Our giant beanbag has become quite legendary amongst their friends, and I am often called upon to throw them into beany.

2008-10-27T21:25:00.004+13:00

Yes I know, it's been forever since my last update and I doubt anyone will actually read this as you've probably all given up! It was big day for Connor today, as we took the training wheels of his bike. He had effectively been riding without them for a while, as they had become so bent they weren't touching the ground anymore when he rode. Once they were gone, he pretty much got up on his bike and was off, no problems. Was VERY proud of himself, as he should be!

We spent the morning with Bruce's Nan (the boys' great grandmother) on Saturday, and she very much enjoyed a game of 'build a beetle' with Connor. I think they will now need to adjust their label to read 'for three to ninety five year olds!'

While Connor and Nan were playing the beetle game, Byron was attempting a game of pinball with Sintra

A family photo taken a few weeks ago, when we took a trip through the Waitakere forest on an old narrow guage railway. It was a fantastic ride, going through glowworm caves and lots of beautiful native bush, the boys loved it!

2008-08-03T20:36:00.002+12:00

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY BYRON!!!

Byron's birthday, such a big boy now he's two!! We had a little family party this morning, and he was very spoilt! We're very proud of him as he decided three weeks ago that he wanted to wear big boy undies, so ditched the nappies and he's been clean and dry pretty much ever since! Here are some birthday photos...

'Helping' me to ice the cake (this basically involved grabbing handfuls of icing at any opportunity and stuffing them into his mouth)

Opening presents with the help of Connor

Waiting very patiently to tuck into his train cake!

He is obsessed with trains at the moment, so Granddad and Uncy Paul's present of extra trains and track to go with their existing set was received very excitedly!

2008-07-08T23:06:00.002+12:00

Connor has been quite obsessed with cutting recently, and will spend a long time cutting paper into small pieces, or cutting off bits of string or wool (whatever he can get his hands on really!)

Discovered that if he blows hard enough into the straw, water will spurt up through the little hole in the top of the cup. Yes his hair is tied up with little butterfly clips, but the weather had been awful, we'd been stuck inside and both boys were agreeable!

Connor still loves being thrown and leaping off things. This was Granddad throwing him into the favourite giant beanbag (known by everyone as 'beany').

Just put this in 'coz I love those dimples!

2008-07-08T22:26:00.002+12:00

Byron's first self portrait. I removed the camera from his hands earlier in the day, but hadn't realised he'd had it on and had been taking photos! There were six altogether.

Now I have two such great helpers in the kitchen, both of whom are crazy for home made tomato pasta sauce, it's a wonder any makes it to our dinner plates! If I gave them a spoon they would eat a jar of plain tomato paste in a shot, it's all I can do to keep their hands out of it!

A new winter evening pastime, the 'duvet boat'. The boys sit on Connor's duvet and Bruce races up and down the hallway pulling them along, whilst cleaning the floor at the same time (well it would do if the floor didn't have to be clean to start with so the duvet doesn't get dirty. Might have to rethink that one).

Byron with his 'special bag'. It's amazing how fast he's growing up, he's so aware of everything Connor has and wants to be just like him. When going to Playcentre recently he's been asking for his bag to carry in (as Connor and any of his friends I'm picking up always have their bags handed to them as we get out of the car). I've been feeling bad that he has his lunch and things shoved into the old bag I'm using there to go in with me, so we picked up a new backpack for him. He was absolutely thrilled with it, and wore it on and off for most of the first day he had it. The first morning I came in to get him dressed, and he'd dragged it from his bedroom down to the couch in the lounge to sit next to him. Very sweet!

2008-06-01T22:26:00.002+12:00

We took the boys to a nearby park today, where they run a narrow gauge railway every Sunday. We've never been before, but they had a convention there all this weekend, so thought we'd go along for a look. It was absolutely fantastic, there were so many trains and some of them quite exquisite. We had a few rides and the boys were absolutely captivated just watching the trains go by.

2008-04-28T19:48:00.002+12:00

Introducing Sintra, the newest addition to the family. She is two years old and we adopted her from the SPCA a couple of weeks ago. We had been thinking about getting a cat for a long time, as the boys absolutely love cats and we used to have to go for walks round the neighbourhood just to find them. She's a real sweetie, very friendly and affectionate, but also very playful. Unfortunately she seems to be most playful in the evening, just after the boys have gone to bed, and likes to tear around the house pouncing on things and chasing anything she can find. So much for our quiet evenings!

She is great exercise for Connor, who likes racing round with a piece of string for her to chase, vaulting over the furniture and running around the house like a mad thing.

Connor has a toy guitar that he loves. He often jumps around 'playing' it and singing, but has been talking a lot about having a guitar that plugs in to play rock and roll (I think he saw it on one of their DVDs). We often dance around the house to various types of music, and Bruce decided to put on some heavy rock to show him how it's done (ahem) - yes that is a sink plunger he is playing and using as a microphone...

2008-03-11T22:49:00.003+13:00

Connor had his first morning without me at playcentre a couple of weeks ago, and it went really well. He was very excited, here he is waiting to be picked up by one of the other mums he knows very well. Playcentre has been great for his confidence, as he loves going there and also to his friend's houses to play. In fact, he's usually disappointed when I tell him we're going in our car and he's not being picked up in someone elses!

Byron demonstrating his new ability to swing by his arms

I have just started looking after my goddaughter Lily two days a week while her mum goes to work. She comes to us on Monday and Tuesday, from about 8:15am to 2:30pm, and so far things are good. I have just Lily and Byron on a Monday while Connor is at playcentre, and all three on a Tuesday, but so far we have managed to find lots to do.

Dad read Connor his books while he was round the other night, and decided to add a new twist by 'singing' the story, while Connor strummed away on the guitar. It was quite a sight, especially when Byron wandered in and started dancing to it, they looked like a band of gypsies!

Byron at playcentre

2008-02-17T21:38:00.002+13:00

The other night while Bruce was giving the boys dinner:

Connor: I'm going to build a new Mummy
Bruce: What are you going to use to build the new Mummy?
Connor: I'm going to use two screw drivers and lots of tools and lots of things
Bruce: Why do you want to build a new Mummy?
Connor: Because that Mummy's too old

sometime later after I'd finished hitting Connor with a tea towel...

Nicky: and are you going to build a new Daddy too?
Connor: I don't have enough things to build a new Daddy

Byron just has to be in on all the action, and doesn't want to miss a thing. He copies everything Connor and any other older children do, as the following photo shows. For some reason Connor likes running around at the moment with his underpants on his head, and the other evening as soon as he had them on Byron appeared with a pair on his head too. No idea where he found them...

Quite a few of our neighbours houses are for sale at the moment. I'm hoping it's nothing to do with the weirdo's next door!

A bit of dancing

2008-02-11T20:40:00.000+13:00

The new term started last week, so we were back to Playcentre on Thursday. I don't think I've mentioned it on here before, but we've been going since April last year. It's a parent cooperative that provides early childhood education, but the parents are the educators, so the children go there instead of preschool/kindy etc until school. The parents have to do training to meet government requirements, so it's a big commitment timewise with training, meetings etc, but they can go from birth and Connor and Byron both love it. We all go two mornings a week, and Connor is going to do a third morning this term on his own. He'll be going without me for the first time next week, but he knows lots of the others really well so I don't think it will be a problem.

The boys painting

But body painting seemed far more interesting after a while

It's been so incredibly hot, so the water slide was a great way to cool down!

Couldn't resist putting this photo in. Byron's face is so red as he'd been laughing and giggling his head off at Connor, who had been spitting bath water in his face. Every time he did it he sent Byron into hysterics, it was priceless.

2008-01-31T21:13:00.000+13:00

Today's quote from Connor, after being told to stop doing something he shouldn't be:

'When Mummy was my age, she did naughty things too!'.

After recovering from our unsuccessfully stifled laughter, we were quite amazed at his apparent understanding of me having been his age at some point. Is this anything to do with you Dad???

2008-01-29T20:16:00.000+13:00

This summer has been stunning! With such amazing weather and our garden starting to look good what better time than to buy some outdoor furniture! We've really been enjoying our al fresco dining, the photo below from our first BBQ a few weeks ago with Dad and Paul.

Bruce and Byron at the botanical gardens

Connor trying Bruce's work shoes on for size one morning (no that's not Bruce's work hat!). Byron is not having strange experiments done on him, he just loves wearing the inside of Connor's builder's hardhat on it's own...

Fun in the sun at Long Bay last weekend

2008-01-05T20:56:00.000+13:00

Bruce has been off work for three weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, which has been great. We've had lots of family outings as well as getting some things done around the house and lots done in the garden (although our list seems to be getting longer instead of shorter!). We are off to Pauanui (in the Corommandel) for a few days to stay with Bruce's folks, who have a permanent caravan there. The boys will love it, as we'll be pretty much at the beach the whole time, fingers crossed for good weather! Here are a few photos from the past couple of weeks...

Byron demonstrating his football skills. We are constantly amazed at how well he can kick - he's very accurate and powerful with it. His latest trick is drop kicking the ball everywhere. If there are no balls around he will try to find anything else to kick. Yesterday I found him pulling Christmas cards off the window sill and kicking them around the room, he is rather obsessed!

We've had a lot of use out of the paddling pool. The weather has been spectacular, so hot for the time of year! The boys have had a great time, and are loving the sandpit too. Out next plan for them is to build a playhouse next to the sandpit under the deck.

A friendly visitor up in the park

Running and being chased are still two of Connor's absolute favourite passtimes, followed closely by leaping off things (in this case the arm of the couch)

2007-12-27T20:19:00.000+13:00

CHRISTMAS DAY

Well, Christmas seems to be over again as quickly as it crept up on me this year. We had a lovely day, and as usual the boys were completely spoilt. I guess that's bound to happen as they are the only children in the family! It was very exciting for Connor, who knew all about Santa and what to expect in the morning. He was very happy to see the bags they had left out the night before full of presents when he woke up. I was relieved not to see him before 6am (I had been worried that he'd get up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night and go to investigate). Dad and Paul came round in the morning, then we all went to Bruce's sister and her husband's place for the usual giant feast of turkey, ham, roast veges and plum pudding washed down with plenty of wine. Connor and Byron were absolutely shattered by the end of it all! Here are some photos from the day...

It's hard to overstate just how obsessed with balls and kicking them Byron is. His first present from Santa was a ball, and it took us about twenty minutes to convince him to even look into the bag to investigate any of the other things in there. The next one was a bag of balloons, which he immediately wanted blown up to kick around, and in the end Connor had to open the rest! (by the way, the bag says happy birthday as we had a last minute panic and couldn't find the Santa bags on Christmas Eve!)

Opening presents by the tree (Byron's new blocks in the foreground)

Dad and Paul went with their usual philosophy that size does matter, and bought a hot wheels type car track. It looked very cool in the photo on the box, but on opening it they realised it had rather a large number of very small parts that needed to be assembled to get the thing together.

Connor patiently watched while Dad and Paul began assembling it, and they spent about and hour and a half putting it together before we had to leave for Deb's place. They had to come back on boxing day to finish it off! Needless to say, it is now a permanent feature in the boys room, as there is no way we are disassembling it again!!

Bruce and Connor playing with a cog building toy.

2007-12-27T20:00:00.000+13:00

And the construction continues...

Byron gets sick of waiting and takes a bath with his new bath boy

All hands on deck and it was finally done!!!

2007-12-17T22:21:00.000+13:00

It's Christmas next week, and getting exciting for Connor, who is starting to understand it all, which is very cool. He gets very excited whenever he sees a Christmas tree, and the first few times we visited our local shops after the decorations were up he would run around like a mad thing, jumping up and down and shouting 'Christmas Tree!!!' at each one as he ran up to it pointing. We got our Christmas tree last weekend, and all decorated it together. Every morning he asks me if it's Christmas Day yet and if we can open the presents under the tree. He's remarkably accepting when I tell him it's not yet, and he hasn't tried to inspect any presents (which is more than I can manage!!). I've been really surprised that Byron hasn't tried getting into them either, but I think he's usually too busy kicking a ball or balloon around. He is absolutely obsessed with kicking balls, and is actually surprisingly accurate and powerful as he throws all his weight behind it. He loves swimming as much as Connor now as well, and has just started jumping into the pool from the side, with a huge grin on his face.

Connor's communicating is coming along in leaps and bounds, and he loves playing pretend fantasy games now, especially when we're out or up in the park. He'll take me to a tree and tell me it's his house, show me all the rooms, and explain where everything is etc. His imagination is really starting to show, it's so cool. He also announced to us a few days ago that he doesn't need to wear nappies at night time anymore, so he is growing up!

Some photos from the last week...

Connor loves the new climbing frame at the zoo

Rope walking

Byron finding a decoration for the tree

Decorating the tree

2007-11-06T20:15:00.000+13:00

CONNOR'S 3RD BIRTHDAY

He had a great day on the 1st, then his party on Sunday, in which he was thoroughly spoilt (mostly by his Uncy Paul, who spent the entire party entertaining him and whizzing him around!!!).

He's still very much into Thomas the Tank Engine, so was rapt with his 'Cranky the Crane'

The party cake - I have to admit I was pretty pleased with the result. It made being up all hours the night before the party worthwhile when Connor saw it in the morning. He stared for quite some time before saying 'Wow! Well done mummy, well done for making me a train cake'.

I don't think I've mentioned on here before quite how food focused Byron is. He is always first to the morning tea table, and Connor's party was no exception...

2007-11-06T20:10:00.000+13:00

Hanging out with Uncy Paul

Blowing out the candles

Slide races with Uncy Paul

2007-11-05T22:17:00.000+13:00

For some reason we don't seem to have any photos of Connor at the party when he's not with his Uncy Paul...

...except when he was eating cake. Notice how intently Byron is eyeing up Connor's piece...

... then makes a grab for it while he's not looking!

Byron decided soon after this that the party was indeed over and that no more food would be appearing in front of him. First in, last out of the morning tea table. Slightly worried about our food bills once he's a teenager!!!

2007-10-29T20:26:00.001+13:00

Things are back to normality now (well, as normal as they get around here!). Bruce is feeling 100% and we had a nice relaxing weekend, spending time with the boys and getting out in the garden now the weather is improving. Connor and Byron are getting to the stage where they are starting to play together, and it's so cool to see. The funny thing is that Byron is often the instigator, and will go up to Connor and poke him or try to grab hold of him, so that they can have a game. Connor has started taking Byron by the hand and taking him for walks around the place, which Byron loves.

We had a burst water pipe so were without mains water for a couple of days (of course it happened over the bank holiday weekend!). The boys had to make do with the baby bath, as we used buckets of water from our neighbours and had to boil the kettle to warm it up. They seemed to enjoy themselves!

One of the 'games' the boys have been playing recently. When I first saw it I was going to tell Connor to stop, as it looked like he was pushing Byron over. Well, he was pushing him over gently, but Byron had initiated it and was laughing his head off and coming back for more. Not entirely sure how to tell Connor not to push because it's not nice, when Byron was obviously loving it!

Byron wants to do everything Connor does, including a game of leaping off the couch, which took me by surprise the first time!

2007-10-17T21:46:00.000+13:00

It's been quite a week. Bruce went back to work on Monday feeling pretty good after his nasty flu and bronchitis, only to have a rapid deterioration a few hours into his day and came home looking absolutely terrible, shaking with a high fever. I rushed him back down to the doctor that evening, who sent us straight up to the hospital. Bruce was put on IV antibiotics and diagnosed with pneumonia, so spent the last two nights up in the hospital and came home today. He's feeling much much better apart from a nasty cough, and has been signed off work for the rest of the week. We're hoping that this third lot of antibiotics and the hospital stay will finally set him on the road to recovery!

Apart from that, both our cars failed their WOF (that's MOT in uk speak) and are costing and arm and a leg to fix, Bruce's Dad has been in hospital (for a scheduled operation) and I had to take Byron to the doctor with conjunctivitis after picking Bruce up from the hospital today. Found out a couple of days ago that both boys have been exposed to chicken pox at playcentre over the last week or two, so with the way things have been going I won't be at all surprised if I see spots start appearing!!! Think I'll go and buy a Lotto ticket...

On a far more positive note, Paul came over to visit today, and was his usual entertaining self with the boys. He's very good at finding different ways to use their toys!

After seeing Uncy Paul standing inside the tunnel, Connor decided he needed to get in with him

Of course, Byron didn't want to be left out!

2007-10-11T21:39:00.000+13:00

Poor Bruce has been sick for two weeks (since just before I last updated the blog). He had a nasty bout of the flu, which has been followed by bronchitis. He'd been on antibiotics for five days but it wasn't helping, so back to the doctor today and had chest x-rays, which diagnosed the bronchitis. The doctor had suspected pneumonia, so we were pretty relieved. He's on stronger antibiotics now so hopefully will be better soon. Here are a few recent pics...

A beautiful day at Western Springs, all the tiny baby birds were out

Connor making 'coffee'

Some rainy day baking with my two little helpers

2007-09-29T20:55:00.001+12:00

Bruce spent last weekend building a sandpit under the little deck in the garden. He had a brilliant plan to get the large amount of sand from the trailer into the sandpit, using a chute he made. Bruce and I shovelled sand into the top of the chute over the fence from the neighbour's driveway, and Pat and Bob (Bruce's parents) pushed it down into the sandpit. It saved us hours of pushing the wheelbarrow backwards and forwards round the back of the house and up and down stairs. The boys love it and have already spent hours in there.

The 'chute' in action

Bruce looking justifiably pleased with himself

Photos of the boys taken a couple of days ago

2007-09-13T22:28:00.000+12:00

Yesterday we got back from a week in Arrowtown, near Queenstown. We had such a fantastic time and it was over all too soon! The weather was amazing - clear blue skies and still every day. Very cold and frosty in the mornings, but by once the sun was up it warmed up quite a bit. We stayed at a friend's holiday house, so had lots of room,a big lawn for the boys to run around on and a spa pool which was great! We spent most of our time in Arrowtown or Queenstown, and went to the snow a couple of days (unfortunately didn't get any skiing done, but maybe when the boys are a bit older!). Connor loved the snow, I think Byron found it a bit frustrating as he was so bundled up with gloves, boots and glasses that he couldn't really do a lot. Here are a few photos from the week...

Bruce and Byron on the plane (the boys were both really good and Connor fascinated by the whole thing)

On the Gondola from the top of the mountain. We all went on the luge at the top, which was awesome

One of the boys favourite activites was playing by the river, which was right next to the house we were staying in. They loved throwing stones and playing with sticks, it kept them busy for hours.

Feeding the birds On the edge of Lake Wakatipu, with Queenstown in the background

2007-09-13T10:45:00.000+12:00

It was incredibly bright in the snow, so we bought Byron some little sunnies, he looked hilarious!

Connor loved the snow - jumping in it, throwing it and rolling around he had a great time

We hired a sled one day, which came in useful for pulling the boys

2007-09-03T22:47:00.000+12:00

Just a quick update as busy packing to go away tomorrow. We are going to Arrowtown for a week (near Queenstown in the South Island for those non NZers). Really looking forward to a family holiday and showing the boys the snow! More updates and photos when we get back, but here are a couple of recent photos.

Byron has really taken off now and in the last week has started walking everywhere. He seems rather confident and happy to just wander off on his own, as shown here at a playground last week. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

Playing at the beach recently, it's been a very mild winter.

2007-08-24T21:39:00.000+12:00

When Connor gets frustrated with me (eg if I don't give him what he wants or give in to his demands), he will sometimes say 'go away mummy' very crossly. One such instance happened yesterday as we were driving home after a big morning out, and I said we couldn't go back to the playground. I got 'go away mummy', then after a long pause (as I laughed out loud and he obviously realised I couldn't go away) he came out with 'mummy get out of the car, I'm going to drive home'. I nearly had to stop the car for laughing, and he thought it was pretty hilarious too...

2007-08-19T21:02:00.000+12:00

The boys are both getting very independent these days. Byron often refuses to be fed with a spoon and has to do it himself (he throws little stroppies already, which is quite amusing - Connor never really did that, Byron's quite strong willed). He is actually very good with the spoon though and manages to get pretty much most of it from his bowl into his mouth. I do give him a lot of finger food now though.

Connor now wants to take himself to the toilet and I often get 'stand back mummy'! if I happen to hover too close. I quite often have to be completely out of sight or I get told off! I'm actually very proud of him as he will announce that he needs to go, then take himself off to do it all on his own. They are growing up quickly...

Byron demonstrating his spoon skills

Bruce and Connor today making the most of some much appreciated sunshine!

2007-08-03T20:45:00.000+12:00

ONE TODAY!!!

How can Byron be one already?!! Bruce took the day off work, and as it was raining we spent the morning at a huge indoor playground, which they both really enjoyed. Here are a couple of snaps of the birthday boy...

He wasn't really into opening the presents, so Connor was always on hand to offer some assistance

He got some lovely blocks, clothes and new books...

but when you're one the best part is playing with the wrapping paper!

2007-08-02T22:44:00.000+12:00

BYRON'S FIRST STEPS!!!

Yes, he took his first steps yesterday, and I managed to snap a couple of photos this evening. Obviously he's very pleased with himself, and I'm a very proud mummy! It's his birthday tomorrow, so a big week for my (not such a) baby!

Thought I'd throw this one in too - first experience of (washable) felt tip pens

2007-07-20T13:54:00.000+12:00

Connor and Byron have been interacting more and more, which is really cool to watch. They love racing up and down the hallway, Byron pushing the trolley and Connor with 'toddles'. Connor does about four lengths to Byron's one, but they both seem to really enjoy it!

Playing in the little sandpit at the museum on a rainy day recently.

2007-07-08T21:11:00.000+12:00

Another big week for Connor as I decided it was time to ditch the nappies and he's now in big boy pants. He's done really well on staying dry most of the time (even some nights, which I've been very impressed with!). We're still working on the other side of things, but I think that takes more time and hopefully we'll be there soon. It has been a bit all consuming and we spent a lot of time at home, so looking forward to getting out and about again this week! The weather has also been shocking with lots of rain and thunderstorms.

Byron is getting really good at walking with the trolley, he can manoeuvre it pretty much anywhere now and turn around in very tight spaces. He's absolutely loving walking around, and often chats away with a big grin on his face while he's doing it.

Here are a couple of recent photos. We had a few friends round on Friday and it's great to see them having fun together now they're at the interacting with each other stage. As always, it was absolute chaos by the time everyone left!

The couch became an obstacle course for the boys

Byron is such an easy going little guy - he's quite happy doing his own thing in the middle of the big kids racing around

2007-06-17T22:12:00.001+12:00

A big day for Connor today, with the arrival of his first 'big boy bed'. He's starting off with the bed Bruce had when he was young, which Pat and Bob brought over today. He spent most of the day jumping on it, then we went out and bought a new duvet cover (Thomas the Tank Engine of course!), and he was thrilled! Happily climbed into it tonight and went to sleep - let's hope it lasts!

Byron and Poppa take a rest from unloading the bed. Byron's trying to eat a kiwifruit that he swiped from the fruit bowl. I haven't come across anything he won't eat yet, he loves his food! Tonight I tried him on some leftover salmon and broccoli pasta, which was rather heavy on the garlic but he scoffed it all down quite happily.

2007-06-16T22:05:00.000+12:00

I was treated to a fabulous surprise afternoon tea by my friend Andrea today. It was a belated birthday present and Ange took me to the Langham Hotel, where they serve little sandwiches, scones and cakes on beautiful tiered silver cake stands and you relax in huge armchairs as you decide which of the over twenty different teas and coffees you will choose. It was divine!!! We were very tempted to stay on and start on the wine menu, but thought we'd better get back to the real world!

2007-06-11T21:36:00.001+12:00

Byron is enjoying walking around with Connor's old trolley. He's good at going in a straight line, but hasn't quite managed turning yet

Connor's first photo (a self portrait!) - we had no idea he's taken it until I did a download from the camera

2007-05-29T20:31:00.000+12:00

Apologies for lack of updates (have had complaints!). Will try to do more little and often!

We have had lots of what, where and who questions from Connor for a while, but he asked his first 'why' question the other day. We were overtaken by an ambulance with it's siren blaring and he asked why it was making that noise. He comes out with little gems daily now, such as telling people when they need a haircut (including a man serving in a shop today, although thankfully he told me 'that man needs a haircut' and I don't think the man in question heard!!!).

I'm also trying to explain to him that when I ask him to say bye bye to the man or bye bye to the lady (usually a shopkeeper) he should just say bye bye, and not 'bye bye man' or bye bye lady' (slightly cringeful, but does make sense I guess as he would say bye bye Daddy etc when knowing someone's name!).

Finally a photo of Byron with his teeth (taken a couple of weeks ago). He's got two eye teeth coming through at the moment, which are really causing him pain poor thing. He was sick with a high temp for a few days recently so hasn't had a good week (he's had a little fringe cut since this photo, but strangely enough it wasn't requested by Connor).

2007-05-13T21:32:00.000+12:00

We had a fantastic weekend away last weekend, with our friends Andrea and Richard at their bach at Omaha beach. The weather was gorgeous and Bruce and I had our first taste of jet skiing, which was absolutely fantastic fun, we both loved it!!

Byron and Lily made such a cute pair and seemed to enjoy their baths together. You wouldn't think by looking at them that Lily is nearly five months older than Byron, they're about the same size!

Not a very good picture but the closest one I have of either of us on the jet ski (this is me).

Connor couldn't believe his luck recently when our local cafe ran out of 'fluffy' cups and he got a full sized one (a fluffy is a kiddy 'coffee', basically warm milk with froth and chocolate sprinkled on top - usually served in an espresso sized cup).

2007-04-29T21:24:00.000+12:00

A couple of photos from today. We had Nan round for a belated 94th birthday morning tea

Byron has discovered he can walk around by pushing an upturned box.

2007-04-25T19:41:00.000+12:00

We took Connor to MOTAT today (Museum of Transport and Technology), which is full of old trains, fire engines and trams as well as lots of other interesting exhibits. He absolutely loved it as he's totally into trains at the moment (he adores Thomas the Tank Engine). Here are a few pics from the day:

Spent ages watching the miniature railway

Stopped for lunch and a crawl around for Byron, who is loving his new mobility. He gets faster every day and I'd forgotten how much trouble a crawling baby can get into, which is why a big mat on the grass was great!

His latest trick is pulling himself up to stand, then letting go with one hand. I found him standing up in his cot for the first time this morning.

It's such a great museum as you can climb on a lot of the old trains and vehicles. Connor thought this old engine was like Henry (from Thomas) and was pretending to be his driver

Connor taking Byron for a drive in an old fine engine

We're at the everything goes in the mouth stage - autumn leaves seem to be a favourite

2007-04-17T21:54:00.000+12:00

It's been quite a day for Byron today - he started crawling forwards and cut his first tooth (I was wondering when the tooth was coming, as he's nearly eight and a half months old and seems to have had all the teething symptoms for ages!). The cool thing was he did his first forwards crawl at Bruce's work, as we caught the train in to visit, so Bruce got to witness it too.

Had a great day seeing trains and all manner of diggers, trucks, rollers etc which Connor absolutely adores! It might be a pain for most people that the main street in the centre of Auckland is being dug up for refurbishment, but to a two year old boy all those machines are a dream come true!! Here are a couple of recent pics...

Byron loves his food - that new tooth will definitely be put to good use!

Hammering plastic nails and screws into playdough, much better than in the furniture!

No comment, except that Bruce was responsible for this...

2007-04-10T22:32:00.000+12:00

Poor Byron is getting himself into all sorts of corners by only being able to crawl backwards. He's now going from his tummy back up to sitting again and starting to pull himself up onto his knees, but still hasn't found forward gear yet...

He's just as ticklish as Connor too

Connor's first Easter Egg was a very serious business - pausing to look at the camera would have been a waste of valuable eating time! He never has sweets, and chocolate is an occasional special treat, so I don't think he could believe his luck!

2007-04-01T21:00:00.000+12:00

Yes we are still here!! We lost out internet connection for about a week, then after it was fixed I couldn't log in to the blog (something to do with cookies, but that doesn't mean a lot to me!). Anyway, hopefully we're back online now for a while! Not a lot to report - the boys have both had nasty colds and poor Byron is still trying to cut his first tooth. He's drooling constantly and has had all the signs of teething for months now, but still no teeth! Despite that and having some nasty infected insect bites he never stops smiling, he's such a ridiculously happy baby! He's desperately trying to get moving, up rocking on his hands and knees all the time and managing to cover quite a lot of ground by pushing up on his hands and sliding backwards. He made his way out of the lounge and halfway down the hallway earlier today and I don't think it will be long before he finds forward gear...

Connor's talking is coming along every day and he does keep us amused with some of the things he comes out with. The other day he commented that Mummy's shoes were cool, but Daddy's shoes were not cool (much to my amusement and Bruce's indignation!). He's quite particular about things eg he won't let anyone far inside the house without making them take their shoes off, and gets very worried if the car is started before everyone has their seat belts done up.

We have a zoo pass that enables us to go along whenever we want. I'm not a fan of zoos generally as I don't like seeing animals in cages, but Auckland zoo has really lovely enclosures and is a beautiful park, very relaxing to wander around. Got very close to the tiger last week as you can see below - there is very thick glass between them!!

2007-03-11T21:22:00.000+13:00

We just had a week away at a friend's bach at Omaha, about an hour North of Auckland. The weather was great, very hot and we spent a lot of time at the beach. Connor's comment on the second day was 'Connor likes it here, not go home' so it was definitely a hit! He had a great time at the beach digging holes and running around on the sand. Dad came for a few days which was great, and gave Bruce and I a chance to go to the movies one night. For some reason we didn't seem to take many photos, but here are a few...

It suddenly became apparent on the first morning who Byron got his crazy hair from!

There was a sandpit, treehouse and a big swing in the back garden - what more could a two year old want?

With Granddad on the beach. It was a massive beach and we had it all to ourselves most of the time

Running away from the waves

2007-02-23T13:29:00.000+13:00

CONGRATULATIONS DEBS AND DAVE!!!!!!

Friday 23rd February 2007, Bruce's sister Debbie married Dave at Cassells in the Waitakere Ranges. It was a beautiful day, amazing location, wonderful weather and the bride looked absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations to you both and welcome to the family Dave!

The days leading up to the wedding were rather eventful for us. Connor and Byron both had streaming colds, I was rather worse for wear the day before the wedding after getting home after 2am from the hen night and poor Bruce came down with food poisoning two days before the wedding (Bruce was MC and Connor pageboy, so it was pretty bad timing!!!). Thankfully Bruce managed to get through the day and did a great job, and I was very proud of Connor, who managed to get the rings to the best man without being chased! Here are a few pics from the day (sorry there are none of the mother and father of the bride, we didn't seem to have many photos on our camera so will hopefully get some from others later).

Connor on his way down the aisle holding the ring box

Paul filmed the wedding, and Connor was fascinated to see some of the footage played back to him part way through

Byron with his Great Uncle Leo (Bruce's uncle), who came all the way from Toronto for the occasion

Not a very good family photo, but the only one we had on our camera from the day

After a few wines Dad decided to have a go at some of the dancefloor moves of Jack, the thirteen year old son of one of Dave's friends (yes that's Dad on his knees!)

2007-02-18T21:03:00.000+13:00

We have had some glorious weather recently. Yesterday we took Nan (Bruce's grandmother, Connor's great grandmother) up to the park for the afternoon. She is such an amazing lady, so sprightly for someone who will be 94 next month!!

2007-02-09T20:55:00.000+13:00

Poor Connor has been sick for the last three days, with a high temperature and generally not very well. It's horrible weather to have a fever, as it's been almost unbearably hot and humid this week. We made a trip to the supermarket today mostly so I could hang around in the chilled food section to cool down! Here are a few recent photos...

I'm always amazed when I find Byron on his tummy, as Connor used to hate 'tummy time' and would roll straight onto his back. Byron is the opposite, and seems to really enjoy it - he rolls onto his tummy pretty much as soon as I put him down now.

I put this one in to try and show Byron's hair. I am always getting comments from strangers and people even stop me in the street to comment on it! It's completely natural of course, it's just the way it is but so many people ask me whether I style it - he's six months old for goodness sake, they only need to look at his mother's and brother's hair to see the answer!!! I guess he's just naturally cool...

2007-02-03T21:27:00.000+13:00

We went to 'Sculpture on the Gulf' on Waiheke Island today with our friends who live on the island. The Sculpture is a biennial exhibition of outdoor sculpture that is displayed along one of the headland walks, and we had a fabulous time. Connor is exhausted after nearly two hours of walking in the heat, followed by jumping around in the pool afterwards.

The setting for the sculpture was beautiful. One of the early pieces asked us to put on orange hats and pink scarves and become part of the exhibition as we walked around.

Byron managed a power nap along the way

Connor did really well and managed to walk a lot of the track

2007-01-20T14:03:00.000+13:00

We've had a great week with our friends Kirsten and Peter, who live in Brisbane and have been staying with us for a few days. It's been fabulous catching up as we haven't seen them since I was pregnant with Connor in the uk. Bruce had a few days off and we've been hanging out, going for walks and staying up far too late drinking far too much wine for people who have to wake up at children's hour in the morning!

Some recent photos from a rainy afternoon...

I set up an obstacle course in the hallway. Connor had to climb over the chairs then dive into the giant beanbag at the end.

Byron having 'tummy time'

Jumping off the bed into the beanbag kept Connor amused for hours!

2007-01-09T21:25:00.000+13:00

It's been great having Bruce around for the past two weeks. We've enjoyed hanging out with the boys as well as getting a lot of bits and pieces done around the house. Dad and Paul have been fantastic and taken Connor out a lot so we could get things like painting etc done. They had him for the whole day last Thursday and Connor had a brilliant time. I think he's going to be rather disappointed once Paul is working non stop again! Just as well Dad is 'semi-retired'.

I took Byron for his five month Plunket check today and he's doing really well. He's loving his food so I need to keep on with that. You wouldn't think from looking at his cheeks that he's only in the bottom 25 percent for weight! I think he's going to be long and lean like Connor.

Byron and Hippo (Hippo's the one with the yellow ring around his middle)

The garden's starting to take off with the humid damp weather, we're really pleased with the red Canna lillies

2007-01-03T21:49:00.000+13:00

A belated happy new year! We didn't quite make it til midnight, just had a quiet evening watching some old family movies with Dad and Paul. It was great as we hadn't seen them for ages, quite weird seeing Paul and I as babies and toddlers, and even stranger watching film of mum and dad when they were eighteen! It's so incredible to have that footage, and Bruce and I are definitely going to buy a camcorder to keep such priceless moments of our little ones.
Bruce has got a couple of weeks off work, so we decided we'd try and get some things around the house and garden sorted and it's going pretty well. Today got lots done thanks to Dad and Paul looking after Connor, and tomorrow Connor is spending the whole day with them.

Byron has started having solids (he's five months old today!). He was waking up quite a lot and didn't seem satisfied, so I tried him on some baby rice and pear a few days ago, and he hoovered it down, so definitely seems ready. Here are a couple of pics from today...

Bruce taking it in turns to 'eat' Connor and Byron's noses

Connor thought he'd use me to vault over while I was talking to Byron, and Byron decided my hair looked like something fun to grab hold of and yank while I was trying to see what Connor was doing!

2006-12-28T21:19:00.000+13:00

It rained all day yesterday, so an afternoon bath outside seemed to keep Connor amused for a while!

2006-12-26T21:05:00.000+13:00

Another Christmas over already! It was a great success, Connor absolutely loved his present of a train set and hasn't stopped playing with it. Bruce and I gave him the track, and coordinated with the rest of the family to give trains and accessories etc. It was actually for Connor and Byron (to avoid arguements later!) but Byron was more excited with his new chewable soft toy for now...

A very lucky little boy opening more trains to go on the track

Byron with Granddad

Connor with Uncy Paul and yet more trains

The family photo (minus Debs, who was behind the camera and Byron, who was asleep). We had Christmas day at our place, and a combined effort with the dinner with everyone bringing one part of the meal.

2006-12-24T09:50:00.000+13:00

We visited Santa yesterday, and while Byron was quite happy to sit with him, Connor seems to be gradually getting further away every year. The first year he was a baby so didn't have much choice when plonked in his lap, but last year I had to sit on Santa's knee with him. Standing on the step in front with me was about as close as he was prepared to get this year!

2006-12-21T21:33:00.000+13:00

Bruce's work had their children's christmas party yesterday...

Helping Dad with a few enquiries (not a bad view Bruce has from his desk!!)

The first time Connor's had his face painted, and he took the whole thing very seriously - he hardly moved a muscle, which is not like him at all!!

The end result was a fine looking tiger

2006-12-19T21:19:00.000+13:00

A few recent photos...

I thought I'd take some snaps at Connor's last swimming class for the term. He absolutely loves the water, especially jumping in off the side!

Byron with Bruce's Canadian cousin Emma, who is studying in NZ at the moment. We had a family dinner to see her off back to Canada for Christmas. Hope you had a good flight Emma!

Another pool shot

Byron and Poppa

2006-12-15T21:34:00.000+13:00

Things on the sleep front have improved immensely in the last few weeks and Connor is back to his old happy self again. It's amazing what a difference a good night's sleep makes, his personality was completely different when we were going through the rough patch. Don't want to speak too soon but he's been sleeping with only the occasional short wake up for a good couple of weeks now, and things had gradually been getting better before that. Let's hope it stays that way!

Connor having a snooze after playgroup this morning, but Byron was up and rearing to go

Byron seemed to really enjoy his first experience on the jolly jumper

As always Connor was keen to help

2006-12-13T21:29:00.000+13:00

We borrowed this 'exersaucer' from the toy library and Byron seems to be enjoying a different perspective.

2006-12-12T20:37:00.000+13:00

We go to Mainly Music at our local church hall every Tuesday, where the lovely ladies do singing and dancing with the littlies. Today was the last one for the year, so everyone had to dress in Christmas attire and we sang songs in the library across the road. I felt quite pleased with my shepherd attempt, as twenty minutes before we left I had no idea what he was going to be!

2006-12-07T20:40:00.000+13:00

Can't believe it's less than three weeks until Christmas! It usually sneaks up on me, but even more so this year, the days seem to fly by at the moment. The boys are really good, Connor's sleeping still a bit up and down, but we have been having some very good nights and the bad ones are nothing like they were, so that's good! Last night didn't hear a peep from him after he went down until nearly 7am so hoping to have a few more of those.

We've been seeing quite a bit of Dad and Paul recently as they have been a bit quieter on the work front. Dad has been a great Mr fixit on some of the annoying little jobs around the house, so thank you very much Dad we really appreciate it! He had two little helpers last week...

We had Andrea and Nick (who's four) visiting one afternoon while Dad was around. Dad tried to
fix the dishwasher without the boys noticing, but I think they sensed the toolbox was
coming out!

Making Christmas cards

Poor Byron - I popped him on the bouncinette and didn't bother strapping him in as I was only going to be a couple of minutes, but came back to find him on the floor!

2006-11-28T21:54:00.000+13:00

Poor Byron had an unusually manky afternoon today, very grizzly which is completely the opposite of his normal happy self. He's been drooling like mad for ages and chewing desperately on his fist, so I'm wondering whether he's going to get his teeth as early as Connor did (just before he turned four months, which would be in the next couple of days)!!.

The boys with Granddad and Uncy Paul yesterday

2006-11-23T21:35:00.000+13:00

Throwing the ball in the park yesterday

Looks like Byron might share Connor's love of books!

2006-11-19T21:18:00.000+13:00

We've had some lovely summery days recently and the garden is growing like mad - will take some photos to post soon. For the first time ever we get quite excited when rain is forecast, just want the garden to grow as fast as possible! We've had a few up and down days with sleeping, as just when we thought Connor was almost back to his old self we had a terrible night of being up for half of it, and Byron still seems to be having his midnight feasts which is getting quite draining! However had a good night last night and they both slept til nearly 7:30am. If someone had told me a couple of years ago that I'd consider 7:30am on a Sunday morning a sleep in I would have been horrified!!!

Connor loves helping me in the kitchen, I've been encouraging him to get as involved as he can with cooking.

We had some extra observers when making lunch the other day. Have had some very violent winds recently and poor Connor was a bit traumatised not long after this photo was taken when the wind blew the window open and his teddies went flying into the garden!!

Had Connor's family birthday celebrations finally last week after he was sick before our first attempt. He managed to blow out both the candles in one breath.

Had to put one in of Byron!

2006-11-08T21:15:00.000+13:00

There hasn't been much going on the blog the last few days, as poor Connor has been unwell. He had a stomach virus and was vomiting for 24 hours, so was very grotty and lethargic poor little guy! He's gradually been getting better, but still not quite himself. We had to postpone his family birthday get together and will have it this weekend instead. I've been trying to work my way through the large chocolate cake I'd made (well someone had to - I did give some away as well!). Will make a fresh one this weekend.

Sleep update - Byron did a two week stint of sleeping 12 hours a night when he was 11 weeks old, which was amazing! He seems to be having a growth spurt at the moment so has been waking once a night again, but I'm hoping he'll go back to his all night sleeping soon, I got rather used to it! Things are much better with Connor (apart from when he was ill and we were taking turns sleeping on the floor next to his cot). The last two nights he's gone to sleep on his own with his door open and us popping in to check on him, so we're much happier about things and hoping it will continue! Still waking very early but apparently lots of the little ones are as it's so light in the mornings now. Here's a recent photo of my gorgeous Byron...