338 + 234 Weeks

We have had a very quiet and stress-free Christmas.  It has been really lovely.  Jeffrey had a few days off work, and we spent a lot of time together at home with the kids.  We didn't go anywhere for Christmas, due to Arley's diet restrictions.  I baked the kids yet another cake that they didn't like.  On the Saturday before Christmas we had dinner in Mollymook park with my parents.  Christmas Eve afternoon was spent at our good friend Mark's house.  Before we left, Jeff told the kids they should get dressed up.  So, Arley took him literally, and put on his Captain America mask and cape, and wore his outfit the whole time we were there, even through his dinner.  We had a good time at Mark's, and we got home in time to get the kids to bed at a decent hour, which was completely pointless because Carmie couldn't sleep and finally passed out at 11pm!

The next morning the kids were up at 5:50, too excited to sleep any longer.  To give them credit though, they checked out the tree, and then ran back to their bedrooms to check out their stockings.  And then they actually let us sleep until 7!  They loved their presents, and were so happy.  After the big unwrapping, Lolo and Dida came over for morning tea.  In the afternoon I took the kids to the neighbbourhood park for a play.  It was a totally mellow day!

Since then we have kind of been laying low, as the town is so full of people.  We did take the kids to the carnival that is at the civic centre.  It is a pretty small carnival, and it is ridiculously expensive, but the kids loved it.  It was Arley's first time at a carnival, and he was so excited.  He went on those rides like a champ, which I wouldn't have thought possible before, with his SPD and vertigo/spinning issues.  But he loved it, as did Carmie.  Other than that, we have mostly been staying home.  I think this is the busiest time of year, and after New Year's it will settle down a bit.  The kids have been playing on their new climbing frame (thanks Pop!), and Arley has been playing a lot with little Jemma.  Today I took the kids to the pool for a swim.  Arley's behaviour has been up and down, and today has been a really good day, so I'm thankful for that.  This morning we wrote down on a large sheet of paper all of our house rules, to be displayed on the wall.  Essentially no hitting, no shouting, no running inside, be helpful etc.  Every time someone breaks a rule, the victim gets to tell the offender a chore or task to do.  If the offender doesn't do it, they lose iPad time.  This morning Arley had to make Carmie's bed, and tidy up the couch (twice), but that was it.  Fingers crossed it works!  It could potentially cause more problems, but today was good, and I'm taking one day at a time!

Carmie got the first three Pippi Longstocking books for Christmas, and she read all three in two days.  And Arley's reading is unbelievable too - he is catching on so fast it's crazy.  He is on the same reading trajectory as Carmie, but he has done it in only two months.  These kids boggle my mind sometimes!

Dinner at the park.

 Just a little light lunchtime reading.

 Captain Arley on Christmas Eve.

 Not much fun to assemble, but they love it!

 Arley and Jemma

 Happy smiles at the carnival

337 + 233 Weeks

Well, what a week we have had.  Arley had a huge regression this week, and I think it is because of something he ate.  Two days running he had some apple sauce, and it turns out there was citric acid in it.  For the next six days, he was so angry, and buzzing with energy, screaming at us, crying so much over the smallest things, really aggressive.  It was pretty terrible.  There was nothing we could do, and it was so disheartening.  I was wracking my brains trying to think what went wrong, and how to help him, but it turns out we just had to wait it out.  When he woke up yesterday, he was so much better, and then today, he was just brilliant.  He and Carmie played together, he bugged her but stopped when she asked, he coloured in for SO long, he was so calm again.  So, now I know what brand of applesauce not to buy, as I am fairly certain that was the problem.

While all of that was going on, we were pretty busy.  Carmie, Arley and I all had our hair cut.  We got a good deal cut off Carmie's, and it is so much easier to manage.  She brushes it herself every morning, and she can wear it out all day.  We also took the kids to Funland as we had promised them a trip there a while back and we wanted to get in before the school holidays started.  We also went to a pool party at the kids' friends' house, and Carmie and Arley were great at not straying from their diets.  Carmie has put herself on a no-sugar diet (she read about how sugar is a poison in one of her science magazines!), and she has stuck with it for almost two weeks now.  We had plays at Mollymook park, we took the kids and Bella to the beach, and we had the kids' friends Finn and Willow over for a play.  They also did tons of bike riding (Carmie has finally moved on to her bike that she got for her birthday), and Arley did lots of playing with Jemma.  And Carmie has been super helpful around the house lately, which is so nice to see.  She sets the table every night, and helps me out with whatever task I ask her...but somehow she still can't manage to keep her bedroom even remotely clean!

The kids are super excited for Christmas, and have been counting down the days.  Arley tells me at least 25 times a day how long until Christmas Eve.  We are having a quiet one at home this year.  We were supposed to go up to Newcastle to see the kids' Oma and Opa, but Jeff was unable to get enough time off work.  It's for the best anyway, as we are really strict on Arley's diet, and it would have put him under a lot of stress I think.  And having a quiet one at home certainly makes Christmas less stressful for me!

Here are some videos of Arley reading jokes from Carmie's joke book to us at breakfast, and one of him just chatting.  I need to get some Carmie videos shot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kQm6H4CVQ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQsEHVU3MN8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rge6qNrNA5U

New hair cut :)

 Tekken masters

 Carmie riding while Arley colours in his tyres with chalk.

He spent most of the day dressed like this.  He doesn't realise how cute he is! 

Happy faces at dinner tonight.

 Arley has learned to wink.  Kind of!

 One of four Christmas cards he coloured today!  So proud of himself!

336 + 232 Weeks

 We have had such a busy week this week.  I feel a little flustered because I haven't been home much to do any baking for Arley or to spend time doing this science experiment that Carmie is desperate to do, but we have done so many other activities, sometimes things just have to give.  On Saturday I was in the gallery, so Jeffrey took the kids to the duck park at Burrill for some scooter riding.  That night we went to Mollymook park for dinner, and Carmie met up with her old friend Cassie there, and was so happy to play with her again.  The next day, the kids were so chill after all of that outside play.  We decided to do our Christmas decorating, so Jeff and Carmie went to buy a tree, and Arley and I went to town to buy some more decorations.  While we were there, he asked to buy himself and Carmie each a pair of love heart sunglasses.  Of course he chose pink.  He was cracking everyone up in the line, because he was wearing them, and he said, "Mummy, I bought these because I love you" (they are love hearts).  And then a minute later he said, "Mummy, I don't love you anymore", and he was wearing them upside down.  Such a goofball.  The kids were so funny decorating the tree.  At first Arley was just hanging all of the baubles off the light strings, and after ten minutes we realised the kids were hanging them all in one square foot area of tree.  But  we got it sorted, and our tree this year is much better than our haphazard lopsided tree of last year.

On Monday I took the kids to the Mogo zoo while Jeffrey was at work.  It was such a great time to go to the zoo.  The school kids are still at school until the end of this week, so we almost had the place all to ourselves.  The kids got to feed the giraffes, which was great!  They loved it.  When we went to the lion enclosure, we saw the feeding, and then the zoo keeper brought the male lion over to the fence so we could see it up close, and he was such a beautiful creature.  It was amazing.  The kids were pooped out after that, so we ate lunch in front of the little monkeys, and then made our way home.

On Tuesday we had a meet up with our homeschool buddies at Mollymook park.  The kids had such a great play.  The new park is the best, there is so much for them to do and places for them to hide.  They love it.  We met my sister there, and we had lunch with her and the kids' cousin Baz.  We won't be seeing much family this Christmas, so I'm glad we got to catch up.

On Wednesday Jeffrey and I took the kids to get their Santa photo taken.  Arley loved it, and told Santa that he thought he was 150 years old.  Carmie told Jeff that it's just some guy dressed up to look like Santa.  Carmie barely smiled for the photo, while Arley grinned himself silly the whole time.  But then when we left he said to me, "It was stinky in Santa's town because I tooted."  Classic Arley.

After the Santa photo, I had to see Julie, Arley's psychologist, so I took the kids with me, and afterwards we went to Merry Beach, because it was the most beautiful beach day ever.  The water was just so warm, and the beach was empty.  It was such a lovely afternoon, and we had a big breakthrough with Arley - we got him playing in the sand and water without shoes or socks on.  This is a really big deal, and hopefully he will keep it up for the rest of summer.

Today we had a crazy heatwave to deal with, so we stayed inside to keep cool.  We had the kids' friends Loki and Klio over for a play in the morning.  It was such a mellow play, and the kids all got along so well, until Arley started to meltdown towards the end because Klio was playing with his toy.  He then hit Klio, and then he hit Carmie, and then Carmie had a meltdown, and then it seemed like all hell broke loose.  So, it was mostly a good play date, but it ended in so much drama.  Arley was hitting and pushing all day afterwards, and being quite ornery.  I have a few ideas of what's going on, which is good because that means that I have a few ideas of how to resolve what's going on.  Time will tell.

Arley has really taken to colouring in lately, as well as tracing letters.  He spends a lot more time keeping himself occupied, which makes life so much easier.  Carmie is still a reading fiend, so much so that we are trying to stop her from reading so that she does something else.  She spends a lot of time with her dad in the evening playing a game that they love together, and it is really sweet to see their relationship blooming.

 At Mollymook park for our Saturday evening dinner.

 Tree decorating.

 At Burrill with Jeffrey.

 Best day at the zoo.

 Carmie using her geoboard.

 Fat 150 year old Santa sitting in stinky town.

 At Merry Beach.

 Love this shot of Carmie.

 X-box time.