James' 10th Birthday

Today we continued the celebration of James' 10th birthday.  He began the day with presents then pancakes with strawberries and cream prepared by Adam. We then visited Toys r Us where he purchased his scooter and helmet (and used the voucher from the Brighton Reids- thankyou!). We then had morning tea at the Chocolate Cafe. James tried the chocolate shot with popping candy and the strawberry passionfruit ice drink. This was followed by a shopping trip with Pa where he aquired another Nerf gun, ammunition and a football card album. We ended the day with a party at home with family and friends. We can't believe we have a 10 year old! Adam is already talking about James' car park for his Hilux at the side of our house (only eight years away!).

James with his new scooter (photographed by Sophie).

Darkzone aftermath...

Following the excitement of James' Darkzone party last night, James opened his gifts... The two boys.

James trying out his new sunglasses, cap and nerf gun. The boys (young and old) had a great time at Darkzone and emerged from each game drenched in sweat! Unfortunately, Patrick was unable to attend the party due to his Grade 2 sleepover at school.

Our weekend!

We have just recovered from a full weekend of fun filled activities! It all started with James attending his basketball end of season party at Darkzone on Friday night (while Adam stayed home and planted the 40th conifer tree along the front of our property!!) ,Cooper's 4th birthday party on Saturday morning, Sophie's ballet class, the school fete (1pm til 8pm where Adam cooked sausages and I sold coffees whilst keeping an eye on the boys), Adam packing up at the school until 11pm followed by beers with the other dads, a visit from mum, football Sunday morning, James attending a friend's party Sunday afternoon, then we finished with afternoon tea at our place with Big Pa, Ben, Ula, Paul and  baby William on Sunday afternoon. Adam and I are now catching up on home duties while the children are at school. We are looking forward to our movie night tonight!

At 11 months, William is already taking a few steps.

                      Patrick and Sophie playing after the fete. Pat as 'caveman' and Soph playing dead.

James' blog

James' first blog entry:

This is me ready for football. I can't wait because we're playing our first game against Warrandyte on Sunday. I'm playing for the under 10s this year and there is tackling. My whole team will be wearing helmets to protect our heads from being damaged. I chose a black and red one because it is the Essendon colours.

Sophie harvesting tomatoes

On the long weekend, Sophie and I decided to harvest our tomatoes and make a tomato sauce for our pizza and pasta. She was also very helpful kneading the pizza dough and then everyone helped eat our pizzas for dinner that night. James requested his favourite, tomato, ham and cheese, Patrick requested potato and rosemary, and Sophie, garlic and cheese.

Our first egg!

Just before dinner tonight, Adam discovered our first chicken egg! We all rushed outside (with ipods) to see the little egg and it was photographed by all. After dinner, we fried the egg and tasted it. It was the freshest egg we have ever eaten. Hopefully, there will be more in the morning.

The egg with the double yolk.

Our new pets

It was a sad day yesterday when Patrick discovered that his guinea pigs, Homer and Marg, were no longer in their enclosure. We are not sure what caused their disappearance, but Patrick was consoled by the option of getting another guinea pig. After some modifications to 'Guinea Pig Mountain' (removal of mountain) it has been renamed by Adam as 'Guinea Pig Paddock'. The paddock will be used a play area and the new pets will be housed in the metal cage at other times.

This afternoon, Adam and the boys returned with two young guinea pigs purchased from a breeder nearby. Patrick decided that he wanted a long haired guinea pig because he wants to 'style' its hair on a weekly basis. Its name is 'Diesel'. James has named his black and brown guinea pig 'Turbo'. They have already spent some time exploring the paddock.

The long weekend...

Our long weekend began with two visitors for a sleepover Friday night, Tyson and Cooper, who are friends of James and Patrick. The four boys were fairly self sufficient, entertaining themselves outside and watching 'Back to the Future' before bed. We just had to ensure there was a good supply of food and that they showered at the end of the day.

The next morning, Ian arrived to collect the three males for the long awaited, much anticipated, journey to 'Craig's Hut'. In the photos you can see them loading the truck, which was packed to the brim. I just hope Adam didn't forget anything important this time. He packed Rosie's dog mat last time, thinking it was his sleeping bag (same colour!). It was very funny. Luckily, I pointed this out to him before he left. We look forward to hearing about their adventures.

Later on, Sophie and I met her friend Scarlett at the playground which was followed by their weekly ballet class. We then baked scones for my nan and spent the afternoon at her place. Nan loved the scones. They are her favourite sweet treat.

On Saturday night, Sophie and I had a 'picnic' in the rumpus room before watching a movie. We also enjoyed nan's homemade passionfruit trifle. An impressive effort for a 90 year old!

Sophie enjoying her 'big girl chino' at breakfast.