s is for stilts

emi made can-stilts at kindy this week. she's really enjoying some big movement stuff at the moment. she's discovered long rope skipping and hula hooping too.

h is for (by) himself

he collected the eggs, cooked them and set up a picnic. with only just a little bit of help from me.

m is for moments

my boy has been sick. we had a day together with quite a few moments of me sitting on the couch, with his head on my lap, and my knitting needles clicking.

g is for green grass

we made a farm today. plenty of green grass for the animals. shame it isn't quite so easy for the local farms with another big flood hitting our area.

s is for (maybe) spring

just when i think august might drag on, these start popping up in the garden. made my day.

l is for labels

thanks to my girl i now know that we have peaches, mince, and lamb leftovers in our fridge. she is awesome.

f is for fix

for this boy, there's not much that can't be fixed with sunshine, an outside bath and some earmuffs close to hand.

s is for sweden

she is so stoked to have her best mate back from sweden.

b is for birthday

we celebrated granny's birthday. lamb shanks and chocolate cake. granny's favourites. i love how the kids get so excited about celebrating others.

b is for basket hat

she called out 'mum, take a photo of this!'. i had a flashback to one of my most favourite childhood books. i haven't thought of this book for years. was so delighted to see it's available still/again. i hope my mum still has it.

a is for afternoon tea

sometimes i worry there's no food in the house. but there always is. this is a pretty good afternoon tea for 'no food in the house'.

t is for teamwork

emi did the turning and finn did the catching. another good rainy afternoon thing to do. shame i didn't think of it till 4pm.

r is for rainy afternoon

a rainy afternoon. we did treasure hunts and ate pineapple lumps.

w is for wet

it's raining. we have so much laundry that needs doing. and i really should have worn my gumboots everywhere today.

u is for ukelele

my boy and i got the ukelele out this morning. i think music is his bliss. he liked studying the chord charts and saying "let's play this one mama".

s is for sand dollar

nana picked him up from preschool and they walked home the long way. along the beach. nana is the best treasure hunter. it's not often we find a full sand dollar.

t is for tent

yet another reason papa is awesome. he makes a tent and suggests a picnic dinner when you're tired and don't feel like sitting up at the table.

s is for sheep!

the sheep are getting brave. the kids enjoyed hand feeding them. they've surprised us with lambs in july this year too!

s is for saturday

a saturday morning bike ride in town, then to our favourite cafe. nice.

p is for playing

another day, another playground.

p is for progress

a dull, rainy, grey day. but i'm lightened by the feeling of progress.

b is for birds

the waxeyes and finches have found their winter food. they've become very bold.

m is for malt biscuits

rooibos tea and malt biscuits is my current morning tea of choice. mum brought the orchids in from the garden. stunning.

t is for treasure

she's constantly treasure hunting where ever we go.

s is for sharing

blissful sharing at plimmerton. they were making rock pool soup together.

c is for climbing

my boys climbed and climbed. i stood back and let it happen. it was awesome.

g is for growing

her confidence everywhere is growing. she is growing. mind, body and soul.

l is for logic

e: "where are we going mum?"

j: "i'm just following my nose"

e: "i'm following the footpath"

m is for mates

i love that they really are good mates.

g is for (my) girl

sometimes i feel like i know this girl as she's a piece of me. but then she so often takes me by surprise like i don't know her at all.

w is for wondering

whenever i make time for myself i wonder what i'm missing while we're apart.

c is for change

the wisest thing i did today was take him outside. though we were all in need of the change of scenery and perspective.

s is for shortbread

today i baked. my nana love's shortbread recipe. i wonder how many batches of this shortbread this table has seen.

o is for outside in winter

preparing for winter outside-ness:: gumboots, raincoats, overalls, woolly hats, all at the ready.

i is for inside in winter

organising for the winter inside-ness:: blankets for huts, reading nooks, games & puzzles, play oven, art supplies, new playdough, library books and story cds...

b is for busy

preschool, baking, visiting, library, friends for afternoon tea, baths, leftovers for dinner, story reading, and now sleeping. was a good day.

m is for mid-winter

today we mid-winter feasted. thankful for good food and warmth. rejoicing in the slowly-growing-longer days.

k is for knots

he ties knots whereever and whenever he can. e wanted one of his ropes this morning. but he wasn't keen to share. "i know! for my five birthday you could give me a rope!"

s is for superhero

for dress up day at kindy she was a super-hero. a pyjama wearing, undies on top, little-red-riding-hood, super hero. i was so full of pride.

l is for letter

this arrived in the mail. so very sweet. and what wonderful kindy teachers she has.

b is for book club

book club tonight. my first. excited but nervous. what to share?

d is for date

we had a date. kids at granny and grandpa's. we drunk wine left over from our wedding. so nice.

s is for shoes

just showing off new shoes really.

c is for canvas

the boys were out doing jobs. i followed emi's whims. painting on canvas. i encouraged her to paint what she could see out the window. amazing stuff.

g is for gallery

this evening we went to an opening at the art gallery. it was exciting to be going out at night. they wished upon stars on the way home.

w is for warm

outside:: rain, cold, puddles, greyness.
inside:: warm, fire, soup, lots of books, spiced apple cake, blankets.
welcome winter.

f is for fuzzy

i am feeling distant and self absorbed. sunday-itis. hope the sunday roast and time with my love helps.

b is for blankets

piling the blankets, lighting the fire, filling the hotties, chasing the sun, finding the warmth. it's winter.

b is for books

i love reading, i love books, i love seeing my girl read. she's reading one of my favourite picture books. the girl in the story reminds me very much of her.

w is for walking

first day of pre-school for f. i walked away slowly with knots in my stomach. he was brave and he came home full of talk.