Woodland Antics

I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting to see today's creative picture.   Wait no longer my friends. I'm sure it's self-explanatory but just in case...  Ryan is on the left holding my crown.  I'm on the right dressed to impress in a yellow gown. Okay, as much as I wish I could take credit for this one.  I can not tell a lie. I had nothing to do with it.   It was all Fiona.  She lives life in her own little fairytale where Ryan's the king and I'm the queen. {Gotta love that about her}                                                                             ...

When we moved  I had to give up all of my little storage containers.  Since the move I've become obsessed with glass jars.  I can put anything in them and they are oh so pretty sitting on our shelves.  I've picked a few up here and there at thrift stores. Even better I've been washing used jars and upcycling them.  Everything goes neatly into a jar: thread, hair accessories, pencils, puzzles, yarn...even the monkeys. Reed begged for a messy one. Who am I to deny a boy of a mess? Loving his smooshed nose! In case you're wondering... I'm challenging myself to take one creative photo a day for a week.  I tell the kids my idea-they get jazzed-we take a couple of pictures-I work some magic on the computer and voila!  In total it's a 20 minute gig that leads to a days worth of laughs. {time well spent right?} They ask over and over to see the picture throughout the day.  Then they tell a story about the picture. This is my favorite part. T...

I imagine this inscribed in a card or whispered to her one day when she really needs to hear it.    B eing barely 17months apart they only remember a world with the other by their side.  This is the greatest gift we could ever give them, an in-house best friend.   Best friends traveling the world together... via balloons .   Onward & Upward,         Trudy

Reed really pushed my buttons today. He was so naughty all day. I didn't want to do it It hurt me more than it hurt him I was left with no choice but to unleash the BEAST   The only problem was he LOVED it. I kid. We don't really have a dinosaur. Do you know how expensive the permits for those things are? Reed had a great day today. He thoroughly enjoyed his dino discipline. Along the same lines- The worst part about disciplining Reed is Fiona.  She cries more than he does.  As he sits in time-out she ask questions like, what if he has to pee?  He loves Fireman Sam, does he have to miss it? xoxo~ Trudy

S ome things are better together . . . cheese & crackers Rum & coke kisses & hugs Pizza & beer yin & yang coffee & company Reed & Fiona Peanut butter & jelly Ryan had a conversation with folks at work about PB&J sandwiches.   As it turns they think it is the oddest of combinations and "prefer to keep their peanut butter and jam separate" I don't know if I feel more disappointment or pity for Aussies. They have no idea what they're missing out on.

The secret to                       having it all...                                         Is knowing you already do. can you tell we didn't skimp on the sunscreen?  This ballerina keeps me on my toes....and always keeps a smile on my face. Me: Reed lets get going Reed:  I think I'm going to relax here for awhile...

is this life and I'm gonna celebrate being alive 2 playgrounds + 2 beaches + 1 bush walk = 1 very fun filled day. Our overnight trip turned into two nights. I was grateful.  It was so nice to retreat back to the cabin rather than make the 4 hour trip home. Wishing you a wonderful night. xoxo

Some of my favorite days are built on spontaneity.  They always seem to lead down a road to great places...like The Great Ocean Road. Last minute we decided to head to Barwon Heads Beach to meet some friends. I felt well prepared with a picnic lunch, extra sets of clothes, sunscreen and jackets.  Fiona asked about bathing suits.  I told her it was still a little too chilly for swimming. We arrived, looked out onto the beach.   Immediately the Sesame Street tune "one of the things doesn't belong here" played in my head.   We were out of place and we hadn't spoken a word yet.   There we were, fully dressed looking at a beach filled with bathing suits.  Spring, you pulled a fast one on us! But I'm glad you're here. After a picnic and play we hopped back into the car.  We were feeling adventurous and decided we weren't ready to end our day.  We quickly  grabbed 2 more sets of clothes at a thrift store and hit the Great Ocean ...

We're all on the cusp of feeling better. By cusp I mean: we're not going through as many tissues but we're all a little grumpy. Hopefully a good nights sleep and we'll be back to normal. We hit up the library today to get out of our funk and I just have to say I heart all the books in English.   I'm so glad we had that year in the heart of Quebec so we can appreciate the little things. and that's all I have to say about that

We all woke up with a touch of a cold here. sigh. It's been a quiet day with lots of snuggling. As we ate lunch our conversation once again went to our family rules.  (they're not original I saw a similar sign on Etsy a few weeks back) Later I whispered to them how much I love them and they both congratulated me for  following the rules.   It was a beautiful day! * Pictures of the kids are from other beautiful days whilst in Quebec.. (do you like how I slipped in some Australian English there?)

O ur weekend was a restful one. Ryan & I had a tea date while the kids had a play date. Is it just me or do kids with an Aussie accent sound more intelligent?  S unday we visited our local park. Like I said it was a restful weekend i.e.; a lazy one. Therefore here's a lazy post; but what's new? a little girl with her first love you can take the tutu off the ballerina but you can never take the ballerina out of the girl a little boy and his "mean" face. a daddy who knows how to make his family laugh my favorite picture of the day my favorite smile of any day two goofy guys