Mummy's birthday

My 40th birthday was 11 August, but we decided to postpone for a few days to allow Boronia to recover from her tiredness and get used to being home after spending time in the city with me at my Negotiation seminar. It was a lovely birthday and well worth the wait.

Nana's birthday

You would not think it but Nana turned 92 today! Happy Birthday!!!

And guess who has Nana wrapped around her charming little finger? :)

Mulga turns 5

Happy fifth birthday to our darling Mulga!  First came the very serious business of present opening!

Lots of reading - he received a big pile of books about superheroes.

Then off to soccer for a match game.

Boronia watching her big brother play (we dropped Yeti and Waratah off for a game at a different field).

Then home for party and cake :)

Day trip to the beach

We had an Ebay purchase to pick up on the north side, so a trip to Dee Why Beach was added into the journey.

Boronia seemed to like her first touch of sand and seaweed.

Mulga had a fantastic time playing sandcastles.

Meanwhile, Yeti and Waratah went for a long walk... if we looked very carefully, we could just see them enjoying themselves in the distance.

Boronia's birthday

Our little girl turns one.

The boys helped make heart shaped scones and peach cupcakes for her.

She greatly enjoyed her birthday treat...

and her new toys :)

Mother's Day

My annual Mother's Day photo with the kids...

This year, I tried to get a photo of them with Nana, too. However, she is notoriously camera shy, and with three kids all eager to be off on their own agendas, and the late afternoon sun shining on their favourite swing seat, I had to be satisfied with this one overexposed happy snap. By the time I had adjusted the camera to compensate, they were all going, going, gone!

Easter

Our early morning Easter egg hunt started with the boys finding an Easter Rex holding their treat buckets. Instead of the maps we had last year, this year the boys discovered a chart describing the different treats they were to seek and listing how many of each. The boys took their charts and a crayon each out with them, and in the midst of their excitement, managed to tick off each find as it was added to their bucket. Boronia came along, riding on my back in the baby carrier, and watching the proceedings with great interest. 

After Church, we stopped for a play in the garden of the Civic Centre. 

Waratah demonstrated his usual joy and appreciation for God's creation. 

He is a very enthusiastic nature lover!

I didn't get any photos of Mulga, as he was determinedly playing hide and seek in the bushes.

Boronia's favourite place was the ornamental stone bridge, 

which was just the right size to support her.

Waratah turns 7

Happy Birthday!

Waratah made and decorated the cake almost entirely by himself and he also made dinosaur brownies for the family and chocolate cupcakes for his soccer team.

Waratah playing soccer on his birthday.

(Photos to be added when I find them!)

Baptism Day

Today was Boronia's baptism day. 

The proud big brothers chose their own outfits for the big day.

We celebrated in Sydney's most beautiful - and oldest - Catholic church, St Patricks.

It was a gorgeous service and a perfect day!

Afterwards, we celebrated with a picnic at the Quay, and then took the kids for their first ferry ride.  Waratah even spotted a "city rainbow." A day filled with all kinds of learning experiences!

Christmas Picnic

Catching up with my sister and her family at Carss Bush Park. We had a good play and a nice swim, although the girls weren't so keen on the squishy mud. Burrowing down with my toes, I found some decent sized live cockle shells for the boys to examine, and later, looking for shells amongst the oysters on the water's edge, we found some very interesting hermit crabs.

Greenfields Beach

A long drive through Kangaroo Valley, then a fun afternoon playing at the beach with my brother: learning to use a surfmat, finding crabs amongst the rocks and building a sandcastle.

The trip home was not as uneventful as we might have wished. A broken throttle cable component resulted in a three hour wait in the dark for a tow truck and an exciting drive home. An unexpected late night adventure which we did our best to enjoy.