Another wet weekend......

And we are starting to wonder if this cubby house will ever be finished. Nige is either too busy with other events on the weekends of when we are home it has just poured all day. The past 2 Sundays have been like this and we just can't get out there to finish. Only 4 weeks till Christmas and it does not look like it will be finished.... too many things on the next few weekends.

Have not been able to get photos (too wet) and Nige has half the roof on, and thats pretty much it since l last reported in. A very slow progress.

But soemthing exciting is the kids are doing a Christmas Concert on at church, as part of kids church. They started pracitising this week and have another practice next week. It shall be very cute to see them up there singing. And rather amusing, kids can just do the funniest things most of the time. Will def have to have my camera with me that day.

Also love this time of year as it means the local farms have fresh cherries and strawberries on offer. And they are so good, beat the supermarket fruit anytime. So fresh and juicy. I think if we eat anymore we will start to look like a cherry or strawberry.

Also the boys have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen this afternoon. Yorkshire pud's to go with our roast beef and now Nige's famous Mince Pies.... oh l can smell them a cooking now. So everyone out of the kitchen when the boys are in there cooking.

The December Photo Challenge

A few other bloggers (esp from EB) are doing a challenge in December where taking a photo a day. I thought l would join the challenge as l love photography and tho l do not think l am that good at it l can always learn from the photos l take.

So December will get a lot of posts and photos. Not sure if that is a good thing or not. But stay tuned.

Happy 3rd birthday Baby Bear

Dear Baby bear

From this to

I can't really call you a baby no more. You are a little girl, well more like a tom boy. You love trucks, snails and bugs, dirt, cars, and being loud and running around. But l would not have you any other way. well Maybe a little less on the squealing and yelling. My ears are not the same.

Where have the last 3 years gone. I still remember the day were a nervous mummy and daddy, dropped your brother off at grandmas and then headed to the hosptial for the c/section. We could not wait to meet you. You were a surprise, as we did not find out the gender, we liked the surprise.

I still think it funny as daddy was the first to see you and thought you were a boy, but they soon proved him wrong. We had our little girl.

It's been a delight watching you grow up over the past 3 years. Watching you do your firsts, walk, talk, run. You are a def mum's girl and love to be with mum and help mum. You are shy and hate crowded rooms, prefering to stay close to mum. But within 5mins you have gotten over that fear and are running around and playing with other kids.

You are like you brother and never stop, l am not sure where you both get all that energy from. The only time you stop and sit still is to watch the wiggles or playschool. You are often known to be talking like Dorothy and giggling like her, you do love Dorothy.

You are very cheeky and always up to something. You love to draw but no, not on paper but walls, your bed esp after daddy had just finished building and painting it. I am always cleaning something up from you.

You love animals and always have a cuddle for Oliver, even tho he may not be keen you are not happy till you have given him a cuddle. I even remember one day, all had gone quiet and that means trouble. I find you outside next to the cat with his bowl and sharing out his biscuits with him.... I am not sure why you like the taste of cat biscuits.

I feel you may have a future as a runner. You seem to run everywhere, the more space the further you run. Very hard when you are in a shopping centre and you are dodging your way around people and trollies.

Or maybe you will have a future with animals, and bugs... You have no fear as you sit out in the garden picking up bees buzzing around, or worms out of the garden, even the odd snail. we can often find your pockets full of all sorts of interesting things.

One thing l love about you is your cuddles. You give the BEST cuddles ever! Don't ever stop.

Well my little baby bear, l just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday, we all love you so much and adore your cheeky smile.

Happy 3rd birthday

To this...

Love Mummy and Daddy.

Christmas Card Shoot Time

Its that time of the year again. Where we go out and try to get some decent photos of the kids for our Christmas cards/postcards. Don't they say not to work with animals or kids. We were in for a warm day, about 35 or so. Thought it would be best to head out nice and early, if you call 9am early on a Saturday morning.

Headed down the road (or is that up) to Silvan dam to start off with the first shoot. They have a lovely area at the dam that has a walkway and stairs made out of stone paving heading up to a covered walkway surrounded by vines. A lot of wedding photos are taken from this area.

Trying to get the kids to stand still or even to do as you ask is hard. You have to be quick with taking the photos before they move or are bored and want to move onto the next thing. I am sure they have ants in their pants most of the time (when they are awake anyhow.


Anyhow enjoy some of our favourite photos we got from this morning.

The beautiful Tahlia.



Cheeky Nathan.

Headed to our next spot in the Dandenongs called Alfred Nicolas Gardens. Got there and had a little detour. As we got out of the car 2 beautiful dogs came running across the main road and towards us. They were a King Charles Puppy (about 4 months old) and an older Lab.

There was no owner around, and since we were in the National Park and by a main road and no homes around (also a very hot day) we thought it was best to take them to the nearest vet who would be able to find who they belonged to. Both had collars on but that was all. Renee was very very tempted to take both home, as we have always wanted to KCC pup. But doing the right thing was the best and off we went to the local vet.

Got back to the gardens and off for the 2nd round of the photo shoot.

Renee and the kids at one of the ponds.

Came to the main pond and their was a family of ducks there. Mother and Father duck and 10 little babies. They were so cute to watch, swimming around and was amazing to watch the mother look out for them all, even swimming back to collect the one who had wandered away.

Mother and Baby.

The family.

Summer is here

Well the weather has been warming up in Melbourne (about time). It felt like winter was slow and would never end. Tho we do need plenty more rain.

But to us it means, BBQs, ice-ream, picnics at the lake/beach, evening walks (more to get the kids outdoors as it is too hot during the day for them to play outside), Christmas - but before that Tahlia's birthday, Day outings, 4x4 driving and camping, oh and how could we forget swimming. Tahlia has been asking more and more to wear her "beach clothes". (bathers)

Tahlia enjoying her ice-cream.

Nathan walking along Lilydale Lake as the sun sets.

Tahlia walking at the lake.

On Saturday down at the lake they were holding a Safety Expo and had fire engines, police, SES, and other rescue crews down there. The kid had a ball climbing into fire engines, plice cars and bikes, they even got to hold a fire hoses and shoot water into the lake, they got to watch the "jaws of life' at work.

Jaws of life at work.

St Tahlia on her way to work.

Jnr fire fighter Nate.

Jnr fire fighter Tahlia.

Cup Weekend down to the Prom.

Finally! Some time away, camping at our favourite place Wilson's Promontory.

Wilson's Prom is both a marine and national park, in Victoria 49,000 ha in size. It is also known as the "Prom" to us and other Victorians. It is 234km southeast of Melbourne (about a 3 hour drive). It's a magnificent park, with granite mountains,rocky coastline, beautiful untouched sandy beaches (nice to see a beach without the pollution and rubbish), and the water is so clear and blue on a sunny day. The park is teeming with wildlife of all sorts, and plenty of things to do such as walks, swimming, canoing down Tidal River, scuba diving or just relaxing.

We were able to spend 5 wonderful days relaxing and exploring this beautiful park. Left Friday morning after a stop in Leongatha for some lunch and so the kids could play in the park. It had been threatening rain most of the morning, and in the distance the sky was very dark, and you could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. We just hoped it was not raining down at the Prom. Nothing worse then having to set up/pack up camp in the rain, espically when you have young children (learnt from experience).

Tahlia finally fell asleep after leaving Leongatha, and Nate was full of questions such as "whats the name of this place" (every 5mins), "whats the smell?" as we passed a farm with cows on it, "whats that tractor doing?", and the most known and asked question "are we there yet". Once we got to the main gate (which is about 40km from Tidal river where the camping ground is), Nate was excited and began to tell us what all the icons on the gate meant, camping allowed (well thats good for us then), picnic tables allowed (he then asked if we had our picnic table) and people were allowed in there (reading the icon to say their are toilets there). It got funnier when he looked at the icons of items that were not allowed in the park such as the one for no pets he said they were "no kangaroos or wobblies (wallabies)" (bit hard when they are already living in the park). And he was not sure what the shotgun icon meant.

Got our pass and headed into the park. Was a rather nosiy drive as the termites had just come out and were flying into the car, was amazing at the number of them. Nate thought it was amusing at the "thumping" noises they made when they hit the windscreen.

Once over Dargo Saddle Nate was excited as he finally was able to see the ocean. At this time Tahlia woke up and was all groggy and Nate got too excited and kept showing Tahlia the ocean.

It was overcast when we got down there but rather muggy. So at least it was not cold nor raining. We got a very short shower once the tent was up, but it was over even before it really started.

Now our "camp" is set up, the place we call home for the next few days. The kids had a ball helping set up (more like telling us where everything was to go). We soon discovered a family of skinks sitting on a log just behind our tent catching termites that were landing on the log. The termites were still flying around, dozens of them and as they landed on the tent it sounded like raindrops. Tahlia was soon watching the skinks and trying to 'help' them catch their food, but catching the termites and placing them on the log for the skinks, however she could not understand why the skinks kept running off everytime she got close to them.

Once camp was set-up the kids wanted to go and explore (both young and old), Tahlia was only about 4 months old last time we were here so would not remember it. Nate did remember the place, espically when we got down to Tidal River and Whale Rock. So after a quick look around, it was close to tea time so headed back to camp and ate dinner. The park was getting busier as more and more people were arriving. Was not too impressed with the people next to us who started to come around midnight to set up, the last of their group arrived at 2am and banged pegs and talked as they set up camp. Just as well the kids slept thru it all.



Whale Rock.


How could we forget our rude little visitor who came to visit sometime in the early evening. We think it must have been when Renee was showering the kids and Nige went for a short ride after washing the dishes. They certainly left a mess and left their presence known. Not that we discovered it till it was time to go to bed. Now there are signs all over warning you to keep your food in your car/trailer and not in your tent as you may get a wombat coming into your tent for a free feed. Our food was in the trailer, but yet one cheeky wombat came into our tent (lucklily it was our room and not the kids), but ripped a HUGE hole in the tent, left dirt all over our bed (and a lovely wombat smell) and then even thought it would try a bite on the flyscreen door in our room. But must have decided to head back out the way it came in when he found there was no food to eat.

Is this the wombat who made a mess of our tent?

Did not get much sleep, thanks to the late comers next door. But woke to a wonderfully sunny morning and went to watch the sun rise. Nothing better then rising early when camping and watching the sun rise, with a walk on the beach. It seems we were in for a lovely day with not a cloud in the sky.

Views of Norman Bay at Sunrise.

Reflections on Tidal River.



Sunrise on Whale Rock.


After a morning stroll it was time to go back and have pancakes for breakfast and then get ready to head down to the beach before it got too hot. Spent most of the morning at the beach and then headed back just before lunch as the kids had, had enough and it was getting too warm.

As it was hot it was a good excuse for a relaxing afternoon around the campsite. Nige caught up on some reading, while Nate played outside and road his bike around the camp. Tahlia went for 'quiet time' in the tent (her idea of pulling all her clothes out of her bag and spreading them around her room), and Renee caught up on some sleep after only 3 hours the night before.

We went for another short walk for some ice cream and headed back to camp, as it was just too hot in the sun. It wasn't really that warm but after having so many cold days it does take some time getting used to the heat again once it begins. And typcial Melbourne where it can be 28 one day and then 15 the next and cold.

A much better sleep that night, even for the kids. Woke up to a cooler and overcast day. Hang around the campsite that morning after a yummy breakfast of bacon, eggs and tomatoes... Yum. Nathan and Tahlia wanted to play with some bubbles, so while they did that Nige and Renee got stuck into some books (the bookworms that we are).

We thought we would head down into Foster to their market which is very popular and also to pick up some chicken (as Renee had forgotten to bring it down) and it was Tahlia's favourite meal (chicken and rice).

Australia Grass Trees. This area was all burnt out on the fires that started on Black Saturday in Feb this year.



Regrowth.


After a picnic in Foster we headed back to the Prom and stopped at Squeaky Beach. The kids thought it was funny that when you walked on the beach the sand made a squeaky noise. We spent our time there exploring the rocks and climbing over them and thru them (if we could fit).

Granite Boulders at Squeaky Beach.

Tahlia walking on the beach.

Decided for a short hike (1-2hours) the next morning as it was overcast and perfect for hiking. Headed to Pillar Point and Squeaky beach. Nate was a little trooper and walked all the way and talked for most of it. Tahlia was in the backpack for the start as it was mostly uphill. She likes to slowly walk along and stop to look at ants, bugs or even worms and is always filling her pockets with goodies ( i thought that was a boy thing).

Came across a beautiful Gang Gang pair.

Family Shot.

Walked down to Pillar Point and admired the view. Was able to see people on the beach at Norman Bay and even 2 scuba divers who were using canoe's to dive off. Had a quick snack and then headed down to Squeaky beach (tahlia walking at this stage). she was funny and was walking along and singing songs from Kids church, her favourite is "king of kings"....

He is the king of kings

he is the Lord of Lords

His name is Jesus, Jesus Jesus

ohhhhhhhhhh he is the king.

She was even singing it during shower time one evening. I am sure she was entertaining everyone in the shower block.

had some lunch at Squeaky beach and then headed back to camp to relax and read some books. Turned out to be a warm evening. Kids were finally tired so off to bed for them (after an afternoon at the river).

The Beach Block Bandit.

We were in for a lightning show around midnight, and Neither Nige or Renee were tired so we stayed up to watch the show. It was amazing. Nige wipped out the camera and managed to get this shot.