238 + 134 Weeks

My blog post this week is a little late, as I have been a sleep-deprived zombie.  Arley was in a 5 day (or should I say night?) sleep regression.  He finally slept last night, and we are so relieved.  I was starting to really worry about him, so hopefully he is back to his old self.  We were putting him to bed at 7:30, and he was falling asleep around 10:30.  Then he was waking up for a good hour in the middle of the night, then he was up again by 5am.  The night before last, he was up for the day at 3am, and then he didn't even nap at school.  So last night we were really worried, but thankfully he zonked out and slept for 11 hours.  He has been lying on his back to sleep, and refusing to move.  No rolling around, no lying on his side, not even turning his head, just looking straight up to the ceiling, holding his toys on his chest.  Kind of freaked me out.  But hopefully it's all over!

We had a busy week.  We had a trip to the farm to visit Lolo and Dida.  Carmie and Arley also started playing out in the cul-de-sac  in front of our house, Carmie riding her bike, and Arley playing in the storm drain :/  Carmie is desperate to take the training wheels off her bike, and I know it is time, but I just can't bring myself to do it.  She's a little accident prone, so I think it could be a disaster.  We might wait until winter when she will be wearing more layers.

There was a full moon party down at the harbour on Sunday night, so we took the kids down for some fun.  The circus crew was there, and they let the kids play with the equipment, and Carmie thought she was very clever, despite hitting herself in the face about a hundred times.  We stayed there for a while, as it was really fun.  They had a drumming group, and a fire twirler.  Hopefully we can take the kids every month, although that night was the beginning of Arley's sleep deprivation :(

I took the kids to the library, and they felt very grown up borrowing books and using their new library bags.  We came home with about 20 books, they just couldn't get enough :) 

Australia Day was on Tuesday, but it rained, so we had Carmie's friend Hannah over, with her parents and her little brother Alasdair.  The kids had a blast.  Hannah stayed for most of the day, and now Carmie can't wait for a playdate at Hannah's house.

 At the full moon party.

 A visit to the library.

 Storm water drain fun :/

 Arley and Ally

 Carmie and Hannah

237 + 133 Weeks

We had lots of outside time this week, before the rains came, and before the kids' preschool started back up again.  We took the kids to the duck park for a play and to ride their Eurotrikes around (they made all of the other kids jealous!), and the kids went to a friend's birthday party.  Arley thought he was very cool wearing his undecorated princess cone hat.  And we also got out the kids' big Christmas present, a giant blow up water slide - but we used it without the water.  The kids LOVE it.  We might just have the most spoiled kids south of Sydney.

Carmie and Arley both started back at school on Tuesday.  I was really sad for them to go back.  It's funny, at the beginning of the holidays, I didn't know how I was going to survive four and a half weeks without a break from the two munchkins, as they can be such hard work.  But by the end, we had fallen into such a nice rhythm, and they were fairly chill with no major ups or downs, and it was so nice to have them around.  I was actually quite teary their first morning back!  I don't know how I'm going to be when they leave for college!!

Arley is talking so well now, it is amazing.  He is so cute, still obsessed with his trains, still refusing to potty train, and absolutely refusing to give up his wubbies (dummies/pacifiers).  Carmie paints and draws just about every chance she can get, and she is coming up with very creative pictures, of whales and red back spiders, and of course rainbows and butterflies.  We have four days off in a row starting tomorrow, as it is Australia Day on Tuesday, so I'm going to enjoy the kids as much as I can  :)

236 + 132 Weeks

This week has been fairly smooth sailing.  Arley has been much easier to be around.  Don't get me wrong, he is still a handful, but he is not ruling the household any more. He is talking a lot, and he is easier to calm down, and seems in a much better mood.  He can be a really sweet little guy.  I think being on school holidays has done him the world of good, and that perhaps four days a week at school is too much for him.  Carmie is getting a little four year old's attitude, but she is still a sweetie and fun to be around.  I will really miss the kids when they go back to school next week.  It has been really nice.

This week we had lots of family time - trips to our neighbourhood park to play soccer and fly paper airplanes, a visit with Lolo and Dida at the Golf Club, two trips to the swimming pool,  lots of drawing and playing games at home.  Arley has really taken to our dog Bella and spends lots of time tormenting her.  Carmie has been playing lots of Guess Who with her dad, and her reading is outstanding - last night she read a 50 page Peter and Jane book.  She is not looking forward to going back to school at all, as she says she will miss me too much :)

Here are some videos of the kids singing some songs.  They are pretty cute :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxCD-ABkNU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJHX0Ll7wOk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cTolpnRtTU

At the club with Lolo and Dida

Carmie's new princess cone hat that we made.  Jeff's face in the background cracks me up :)

235 + 131 Weeks

This week we had our dear friends Beef (Clare) and Ben and their son Connor come down for a visit, from Monday through Thursday.  The original plan was that we would spend our days at the beaches and parks, having fun in the sun and letting the kids have a good play.  But it rained.  It started raining on Monday morning, just in time for their arrival, and it stopped raining on Thursday afternoon, about two hours after they left.  Literally.  We had to make the most of being inside with a four year old and two 2 years olds squabbling over toys.  But we survived the kids, and had a good time doing it.  We briefly got out to a very crowded Milton on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday we took the kids to the play cafe in town, then on to the Golf Club for a drink.  We also got my parents to babysit the kids on Wednesday night so we got to go out for a real grown up meal (woo hoo!), and Beef and I beat the boys in a game of 2001 Trivial Pursuit (I knew we would!).  We made the most of our time, and had fun with our friends, but talk about a rained out holiday!  It was very sweet to get the kids together, (that is when Arley wasn't being a grump), and it will be nice to see them continue to be friends as they get older.  And of course now the sun has come out and we have blue skies and great weather.  

Bella's new hideout, in my wardrobe.

 At play cafe with Connor

 Aunty Clare

 Night out!

Happy boy, reunited with his trains :)