Diggers and Daisies

Some of Sydney's Last Moments

2009-11-30T22:33:00.003+11:00

If there's one thing we'll all miss about Sydney, it's buying and eating mangoes by the tray.

Lily's Little Tricks

2009-11-09T22:01:00.002+11:00

So Lily is walking like crazy these days. If something is more than a few seconds crawl away, she'll walk. But she's still kinda delighted in the act of walking. She gets a buzz out of just wandering around the room, and then wandering back again. Lovely.

Though blurry, here she is with two of her favourite accoutrements: Oliver (her teddy), and the blanky teddy.

Just in the last couple of days we've noticed that Lily loves, and is extremely good at, drawing. She holds the crayon really well, she loves changing colours, and she manages pretty careful control of the crayon, too.

(By the way, that's her I like my picture being taken, but I don't like the flash smile).

Creations

2009-11-09T21:53:00.002+11:00

I'm continually astounded by the way Noah's little mind works. Just speechless at times. He loves recognising patterns, matching colours even across different shades, he's learned to use the word 'similar'...

Here's a little creation he made when Kate left him to play by himself with Lego. Tetris power!

For obvious reasons, the shape of a cross is something Noah's learned to recognise all over the place. But next time your kid runs from the kitchen with a packet of fettucine in hand, you'll know what you're going to be facing.

At other times, he just plays it cool wearing mum's sunnies.

Horsing Around Together

2009-11-09T21:14:00.002+11:00

The kids still love knocking around together. In fact, increasingly, Noah speaks of himself and Lily as an 'us'. Phrases like, 'Show us what you're doing!', 'Can we have some?' They're joining forces :)

Increasingly, Lily is able to manage a bowl on her own (rather than just an item or two on her tray). But Noah still loves being 'the feeder' for those times she's not allowed a whole bowl. He sits next to Lil' at the table, and whenever she's out of supplies, he hands her some more.

Lily eats three Weet Bix for breakfast. She'd eat more, but we've gotta stop somewhere.

Walking, and its Hazards

2009-10-28T21:20:00.003+11:00

Lily has been in walk-training.

So far she's up to 26 steps; it's her record. Increasingly, walking is the way to get from A-to-B. Crawling is falling out of favour.

But she also likes climbing.

Don't worry, she knows how to get down.

Sometimes Lil' likes to walk to her favourite brother.

Lily is One!

2009-10-18T08:48:00.003+11:00

Lily's first birthday!

Celebrations were spread over several events. First was early morning present-opening.

Thankfully big brother was on hand to help out whenever her enthusiasm waned. But Lily got the hang of it pretty quickly.

Afternoon tea saw Lily make her first foray into chocolate cake eating. It was as if she'd discovered a whole new way of looking at the world. Curiously, she ate the cake with her index finger, digging into it--icing first--like a little excavator!

But on the weekend was Lily's party. And that means there was more cake...
-
more presents...

and more mess :)

Happy birthday Lily!

Fun happenings

2009-10-03T15:12:00.004+10:00

Eating lip gloss fun.
Lily had her first play in mummy's girl-stuff. Noah had loosened the lid earlier, so it was all too tempting I think. Lip gloss all over hands and face, and not much left for mum to use!

Climbing in box fun.
Lily is somewhat obsessed with climbing in boxes. Despite this one in their bedroom usually being full of books, she always manages to fit in there!

Beanie fun.
There hasn't been much cold weather in Sydney, but there was opportunity quite recently for dad and the kids to wear their stripy beanies - good preparation for Hobart! (Thanks to Na-na and Pa-pa for Noah and Lily's!)

Animal fun.
College held it's annual Spring festival a week ago. The farm animals were very popular - it's so lovely that all the kids could experience goats, rabbits, sheep, chickens and ducks even in busy Newtown.

Cafe fun.
This day we shared some brekkie in the college holidays. Some people have asked how we can handle having kids at cafes - surely it's just too hard? But if you train them from birth, they'll learn to love it to :)

Sandpit fun.
There is so much to do in sandpits... making cakes, digging holes, and Lily no longer eats it but enjoys burying her feet and hands instead.

Climbing fun.
Noah has really progressed in his adventuring skills - this day he amazed us with conquering all climbing equipment in sight. That's what comes with being 3 I guess. Or as he'd say 'yeah, because I'm a big boy'.

Slide fun.
It was a strangely slow slide, which is probably why it was such a hit with Lil - and also because Noah and Lily were playing 'chasings' at the time.

Couch fun.
Noah and Lily love to sit together on their little couch. This was after both kids had had a sleep when Noah was watching some tellie, and Noah put his arm around Lily while she sat with a drink. I love watching them together - so cute!

Balance

2009-09-14T21:54:00.003+10:00

Lily's balance is getting seriously good. She can stand for quite a while, unsupported, now. Sometimes, as she stands, she gradually collapses into a squatting position - still upright, though.

But balance is handy for horsey rides, too.

These two are doing heaps together now :)

Loving Swimming

2009-09-14T21:29:00.004+10:00

The kids loved our recent trip to the pool. Noah loves the strong current in the whirlpool-y bit of the kids pool. He's not a fan of the big fountains that spray water into the air, though.

Lily rather enjoyed the little jets of water that bubble up out of the paddling pool. In fact, she liked them enough to crawl straight through one - she emerged a little startled and with a very wet head.

While Nana was in town we ducked over to the zoo again. Noah, like his dad, loves the big cats; but, as always, they were lying very still. Lily likes the mere cats; they were up to their usual antics.

Lil's got a few new threads recently, too.

Before long she'll be needing a whole new wardrobe of warm jumpers. Brrrr. But not just yet.

New Do, Test-Driven

2009-09-03T20:17:00.004+10:00

Noah had his hair cut today.

So far, we've discovered that his new haircut goes quite well with happy faces...

...and with angry faces, too.

Ok, so his hair is actually a bit out of control in these photos. But that's totally normal. The thing is it's heaps shorter now, which is nice :)

Three

2009-08-19T21:30:00.003+10:00

Last week was Noah's third birthday party, in the park. He had a blast. Heaps of pals. Lots of fun games. Piles of presents. Mountains of party food. A lovely day. Thanks so much for everyone who made it to celebrate with us.

Heaps of Noah's pals were there to celebrate with him and play games. The hit was definitely the egg-and-spoon race. Ridiculously funny.

The cake, in fact the theme for the party, was a race car.

Decorating it was the usual ordeal. But it was seriously yummy for a kids birthday cake. The recipe was Bill's, the icing was a white chocolate number--delicious, but comparatively tricky to work with.

The day of Noah's actual birthday, however, was celebrated with pancakes.

Ever since, he's been donning his Superman suit as often as possible. It's kinda nice having a super hero around.

Lily, of course, doesn't have a very acute a sense of ownership, so new toys are new toys for her. She particularly likes Noah's Duplo.

Her new jammies are very cute, too. Don't you think?

Standing Room Only

2009-08-19T20:51:00.002+10:00

As I've mentioned, one of Lily's fave things to do is stand up and look around. She's getting rather good at it, too.

Noah's still great at knocking back babycinos.

A Little Team

2009-08-14T20:02:00.002+10:00

It's nice when Lily is being cute... such as when she covers herself in food (she eats lots too!)

And it's nice when Noah behaves like a big boy (which now includes stuff like dressing himself!).

But most of all it's nice when my little buttons take delight in one another. Here they are in the pyjamas one morning, having fun as a little team.

And here's Lily trying to wake her bro from a kip on the couch. She needed a little help, though, as he's a pretty good sleeper.

Costumes, Tricks, and Stunts

2009-08-09T20:49:00.004+10:00

Pretending to be a fireman or a builder (or a solider!) are some of Noah's fave games. But recently he's been diversifying. Spacemen, Farmers (pictured), Race Cars, you name it.

(I think this was a farmer, anyway, but I can't explain the cape... Super-Farmer, maybe?!)

Last weekend, we tried a different stunt altogether. While Noah serviced his bike...

...Daddy fitted a kid seat to one of his bikes! It was definitely fun. Noah didn't like the bumps. But I think it was a real buzz for him to go on such an adventure.

Over the last few months or more, we've noticed Noah has developed seriously powerful burst of energy. Sometimes he just goes a bit bonkers with laughing and running and crashing. At other times he likes to make stunts for himself. Here's one.

The idea is that you start on the far side of the chair, launch yourself over, and land/crash down along the kiddie-couch. Anyone game for a try?

Birds are Best

2009-08-09T20:35:00.003+10:00

Lily has a favourite game: Chasing birdies.

Here she is in Leichhardt, when Uncle Tim was in town. Pigeons are quite popular.

This morning, at church, a magpie kept her entertained for about five full minutes as it wandered and hopped its way around the school yard. Lily kicked with enthusiasm and chattered away as we strolled along after it.

And here she is again, this time in Newtown. Once more, it's pigeons. (Noah also loves chasing birds, but since he's much faster the birds just fly off; with Lily, on the other hand, they seem to enjoy the chase a bit more.)

But Lily also likes time on the swings with her Mum and bro.

Crash, the Game.

2009-07-24T21:03:00.005+10:00

So Noah has invented a new game: Crash. It's a game best played with Daddy (Noah never asks Mummy to play). Basically, it's wrestling. He's got some good moves, too.

Noah loves it when Lily plays, too. As you can imagine, Crash is the kind of game that Lily enjoys right up until the point where she inadvertently bumps heads with Noah, or takes a foot to the face. That's wrestling, folks.

Backtracking a bit, the remainder of the Tassie holiday was a blast for the kids. Having an every-night slumber party with the boys probably took its toll on Noah a bit, though!

Lily is getting increasingly persistent with standing (while holding something), and she's very confident - perhaps bordering on reckless! Lily loves to let-go with one hand, twist around and just look about, regardless of whether or not she's in a very stable position. An adventurous little soul, I guess.

Crawling, however, she has mastered. She's fast, she can sit-up after crawling, she can negotiate little obstacles. Lily even successfully found her brother in a round of hide-and-seek! (I said, Where's Noah? Lily made a dash for him; Noah loved it.)

The Mountain and the Park

2009-07-07T23:21:00.004+10:00

We took a trip up Mt Wellington this morning, hoping to get some snow-time.

It was not to be. The gates were closed at the springs, so we settled for the snow-less lookout.

Then we hit Hill St for some fun in the park. Lily enjoyed the train.

As did Noah.

Lily's little teeth are again visible here. She's getting very good at standing.

But more interestingly, Lily has figured out how to crawl forwards. Her technique is a little haphazard, but she's getting it!

Layering. That's the trick to doing Tasmania well. Here, Lily is in four layers on top and three on the bottom.

After a spot of lunch, I took Lily home for a nap. But the boys kicked-on for a while.

Holiday with the Boys

2009-07-02T20:56:00.004+10:00

We're all bunked-in at Boy HQ while on holiday in Tassie this week. The boys are having a blast together through the days... and the nights!

Noah is very happy with the sleeping arrangements.

Bathtimes are quite a hoot, too.

Even for Lily! (If you zoom-in, you can just see her bottom-right tooth. The bottom-left isn't quite visible in this photo, but it's there!)

I think Noah is going to miss these guys when we have to go back to our little, quiet bath.

Lily's had an ear infection, but seems to be nearly mended now.

Wriggles.

2009-06-16T06:50:00.002+10:00

Lily is making quite a concerted effort these days to crawl. Unfortunately she's not there yet. When lying on her tummy, sometimes she manages to get her legs up underneath her (ready to crawl). Other times she ends up wriggling backwards, pushing her further from the toys she's trying to reach. Very frustrating.

In case you weren't quite sure, Lightning McQueen still rocks like nobody's business.

Cuties.

Playing Together

2009-06-04T21:45:00.003+10:00

Here are a few pics of the little ones playing together.

Little clapping hands! I guess a still can't really capture it, but Lily is great at clapping now. It's one of her ways to express excitement (along with roaring, and squawking). Delightful.

Learning to Thank God for the Little Things

2009-05-27T19:32:00.003+10:00

This evening, just as we were praying before sleep-time, Noah interrupted me to add this to our prayer.

Dear God, thankyou for apples. And thankyou for cheese. And thankyou for vegemite [pronounced: 'begemite']. And thankyou for peanut butter. Amen.

After tucking the little bloke in for sleep, I went downstairs for a consultation with Doctor Lil'.

Her ears are so little it's very tricky to balance the glasses properly. Adorable ears.

Da Boyz Hit the City: In Pictures

2009-05-26T20:35:00.005+10:00

Last weekend Kate and Lily were at Equip, which meant we boys had the day together. We took the opportunity to head into the city.

Like any manly outing, it began with a detailed list of the tasks involved.

We trained it in. Trackwork impeded our progress a little.

But eventually we were on our way, and into the city we went.

Our first stop was a café, of course, Mecca Espresso in this case.

We picked up a treat and some gifts for mummy and the other ladies at Haigh's. The man gave us some 'samples'. Noah was stoked (as was I).

We read some stories in Kinokuniya. Books about monsters, dragons, foxes.

Finally, and after buying a new backpack to replace daddy's decrepit old number, we jumped on a train back to the car. (Trackwork never sleeps!)

It was a pretty big journey, all told.

After a snooze, we capped off our day with salad sandwiches.

Happy times for da boyz.

Learning is for Chocolate, Treats, and Games

2009-05-22T20:56:00.005+10:00

Noah is fascinating us at the moment with some of the little things he does.

He's recently (re-)discovered where the cooking chocolate lives. He acts like it's a new discovery every time: 'Hey, what's this hiding in here?'. The other day he raided the stash, emptying a packet of choc-buds into a monstrous mixing bowl and adding some more from another packet. He proceeded to sit down in the lounge room to enjoy his meal. Thereafter, his strategy was twofold: (a) act casual when caught, and (b) call it a 'picnic'.
Longer sentences. Perhaps my favourite recently was, 'You're supposed to be getting me a treat'. He was quite right; I was on my way :)
Noah's imaginative play is getting pretty powerful. Here's a game he invented. Notice that there's one puzzle piece per coloured square. You have to tread on each one, and when you do your foot goes in the water... or were they lily-pads? I can't remember.

On the sickness-front, Lily has nearly shaken her cold. (I've been sick with the same thing this week.)

Two Sick Buttons

2009-05-17T20:46:00.004+10:00

A yucky cough has been haunting out family for the last week or so. It began with Noah coughing like mad late one night, more than a week ago. A couple of days later I feared I'd caught the plague, too. It hasn't yet come to anything.

But dear little Lily has succumbed to it. It's the kind of cough that makes you sound older than you are, and takes your voice away a bit. So its effects sound especially pathetic in the cries of our little girl.

(Noah's better now, and the doctor is confident it'll just clear up of its own accord with Lily)

Sickness doesn't interrupt the tellie.

King Noah for a Day

2009-05-17T20:37:00.002+10:00

Birthday parties happen pretty frequently around our place, since there are so many college families around us, each with a horde of kiddies.

But they aren't all dress-up parties, no sir. Not all rise to the dizzying costume heights of Josh's party this weekend, just gone.

Kate constructed a King Solomon costume for our little man. Here he is getting into it.

And here's his majesty in all his regal glory.

Count Lil'ula

2009-05-10T21:47:00.003+10:00

A vampire. That's what we think we might be dealing with here. Cute, yes. Innocent-looking, sure. And it's not just the pale skin and the aversion to garlic that's got us thinking - ok, we haven't actually tried garlic. Two things have our alarm bells ringing.

First, Lily has just become a Lily-four-teeth (but they're not visible in this picture, sorry). She has the two regular ol' ones at the bottom. But, notably, the new teeth - the top two - are not the middle incisors, but the neighbouring ones! Fangs, I tell you!

Second, Lily regularly lunges at Mummy's neck and face with mouth agape... and bites! Thankfully, Daddy has prickles to deter such strikes.

Soldiers and Sitting

2009-05-10T21:12:00.003+10:00

Noah is has recently entered a whole new world of play, dragging us into a whole new world of parenting. Pretending to be soldiers is all the rage among his mates at the moment. As you can imagine, soldiers don't just bounce on trampolines. They carry swords, chop things, put people in jail... and, memorably, it was soldiers who hurt Jesus and killed him. Complicated times.

Lily is now sufficiently stable to sit in the bath, unassisted, without much trouble. Noah tried to help her swim in the bath today, however, which didn't go terribly well :)

They really do get on like a house on fire. Noah gets smiles at least as readily as I do - perhaps more so! But he also elicits some pretty distressed sounds when, for example, cuddling Lily around her neck or driving toy cars around on her head.

Nick and Bron baby-sat Noah and Lily recently while Kate and I had a dinner thing on in Newtown. Both kids had a ball. Thanks Nick and Bron :)

Beach Holiday

2009-04-24T20:01:00.005+10:00

House-sitting at Bondi afforded us a bunch of visits to the beach.

Lily was rather happy with her time on the sand.

Noah's the one on the left.

We also took the lovely walk, south, along the coast.

Fun times. I think the ocean air was good for us.

Partners in Play-Dough Crime

2009-04-17T06:51:00.001+10:00

Lily's sitting-up skills are coming along rather well.

Noah and the Cross: the Easter Weekend

2009-04-17T06:35:00.002+10:00

Easter was great fun. We explained the whole 'cross' thing to Noah. We drew pictures. We read Bibles.

Kate's hot cross buns were the best we had over the course of the weekend; and we had quite a few.

Sunday morning was pretty fun. Noah's bunny was hidden in the herb garden, of course!

In retrospect, his bunny was probably a bit too big for the little guy.

But he soon got the measure of it :)

Noah's take on our Family

2009-04-08T18:22:00.003+10:00

This afternoon Noah created this little masterpiece.

It's a drawing of our family, in crayon and texta. I've labeled the relevant bits, just in case it wasn't already clear who-is-who.

Our family.

Little Smilers

2009-04-07T21:30:00.006+10:00

Very few photos manage better than two out of three smilers.

When Noah says he wants lunch (often pronounced 'yunch'), he generally means sandwiches (toasted or otherwise). But if there are noodles going, he'll have them. Stick in some peas, corn, soy sauce. Yum.

Often, however, he'll get to the end and then ask for yunch, meaning sandwiches. Yunch has a certain comfort value. And our little bear is a bit of a creature of habit.

More time with Dad for Lil'.

When Katie was a bubby, this was one of her little ponchos. Lovely.

Lily is learning to sit for longer and longer. She needs to learn that, at all costs, her nose should never be the first thing to hit the ground. Sometimes her arms don't help quickly enough :(

Noah may not be able to read words, but he can memorise a nursery rhyme like nobody's business and then tell it to his sister.

Hats Off!

2009-04-06T22:16:00.002+10:00

Just 'cause.

Little Lily the Lovely

2009-03-23T21:34:00.004+11:00

I guess it's one thing to say that Lily is becoming more expressive. It's another thing to show it.

And... *drumroll* another tooth!

More reasons why Lily is lovely:

Those teeth aren't costing us in the happiness department. Lil' seems to be able to cut teeth without flinching.
She's figured out sleeping through the night! Ahhhhhh.

Presents and Parties

2009-03-19T20:59:00.002+11:00

Just recently, Noah received another mysterious package in the mail. He calls them 'parcels'. I guess there's a certain expectation as to what they'll contain... Carrots!

This parcel didn't disappoint. Noah wasted no time in sampling the Tasmanian goodness. Thanks Granny and Grandpa :)

Speaking of goodness, these little birthday (cup)cakes were rolled out at Noah's pal, Esther's, birthday party this week, along with fairy bread, cocktail savs (aka frankfurts, little boys, or 'cheerios' in New Zealand, I gather...), party pies, strawberry milk - it was a real party, none of that healthy stuff in sight :)

Remarkably, Noah actually went to sleep just fine when we got home.

Here's Lil' chewing on one of her favourite toys. (Sorry for the grainy-ness!)

I think she looks rather a lot like her big bro.

Technophilic Little Buttons

2009-03-13T07:31:00.004+11:00

Photo Booth is a marvelous thing.

Here's Lil helping me blog. (She pressed the button on this first one herself - her first photo, I guess).

Noah's pretty keen on taking pics, too. His favourite effect is 'Comic Book'.

Some of the others are a bit freaky, though. So we keep to what's safe: plain photos with smiles :)

A Tooth!

2009-03-12T19:36:00.005+11:00

So Lil's got some news. She managed to sneak a tooth out without even flinching! Tough little mite.

I don't actually think you can see tooth in this picture. But it's on the bottom gum on the left.

Since she's such a big girl now, we've moved the kiddies in together. Now we have a 'Kid's Room'. Very exciting. (It also means we have a 'Parent's Room' again!) I think Noah's making a great roomie.

It seems Noah's going through a growth spurt. Clothes look smaller. Shoes don't fit... and he's now taken to wandering outside to talk with his friends on the phone. Here he is talking to Jos.

In other news, up at Merroo (where we had our church camp) there were a bunch of animals. It was mostly sheep in the paddock near our room.

Noah had to endure the camp food along with us. I think he coped better than either Katie or me.

Check out Lily's wanna-be rolling skills. She's nearly there :)

Dotty Dresses and Dresses and Dresses

2009-02-27T20:33:00.005+11:00

Lily continues to grow and grow and grow! For Katie, that means new outfits to dress up her little beauty in :)

Polka dots. Lily's become very good at sleeping, really, and if things aren't going her way, then her favourite pacifier is always at hand... er, it's her left hand. She loves gobbling on it. If she can get her hand, she's happy; if her hands are lost, she's devastated.

Yellow frills. Lion-rattle-crazy-toys are also pretty good. You might remember this one from Noah's younger days. We dubbed him, Duke Lion.

Pink, with flowers. We went to a nearby (ish) park last weekend to feed the ducks (and swans, and eels, and massive fish, and the turtle!) Lily watched patiently while Noah threw the bread in.

Purple corduroy. These kids are crazy about each other. The admiration and interest in Lily's eyes as she watches he big bro is just adorable. It's nice that Noah has other friends to play with when Lily's asleep, otherwise Lily might find herself an infant insomniac.

Note the hand-holding!

Mmmmm. Vegemite sandwiches.

Family Time Away

2009-02-12T20:52:00.002+11:00

Thanks to some close friends we had a family holiday to Mona Vale on the Northern Beaches (as mentioned here). I think it was just what the doctor ordered for a pleasant conclusion to our last Summer holidays here in Sydney... for the Bible College years, anyway. (Yes, we're still planning on coming home at the end of the year. So close now!)

Noah loved playing on the rocks and in the sand. Digging holes, building and then squashing sand castles, watching crabs, collecting shells, hiding things in the sand... you name it. He's still a bit freaked out by waves, but loves water-play, so this place was perfect.

And while we spent almost every available moment at the beach, there were other things to enjoy, too. Like this play ground.

Then back to the beach :)

But the boys love cricket. So we tore ourselves off the sand and spent some good time in front of the box.

I'll get some photos of Lily on holiday up here really soon.

Happy little Vegemites

2009-01-23T21:54:00.002+11:00

This is just before bedtime. Stories have been read, and (cool) baths had; it's almost time for sleep. But first, it's time for brother and sister to say goodnight. If anything, Noah is a little too enthusiastic. A cuddle becomes a squeeze, one kiss becomes three, and sleep drops right off his agenda: he just wants to go and hand out with Lily some more.

Giggling is cool. But I still like smiles, too.

And here she is, fresh from the bath :)

Two quick things about Noah:

He's basically fully toilet trained now, which is spectacularly good.
He likes a good conversation. The other day Noah asked Katie to sit with him on the back step, and - when they'd both sat down - then said this: "Mum, let's talk about God". He then proceeded to say stuff like, "God... and Jesus... and Jesus Rocks the World!!" (a Colin Buchanan reference). He's suggested God as a topic for conversation several times since: once around the dinner table, once at his play table over coffee. Classic.

Reading and Costumes

2009-01-23T21:34:00.004+11:00

Lily's neck is now strong enough for reading while lying on her tummy.

Obviously she came across a rather interesting bit here...

Lily has also started giggling, which is just beautiful. And for the first time, today I discovered that she'd squirmed around so much in her cot that she was bumping her head against the side. She's growing up!

This guy, in other news, loves pretending. Here we're being Jack and Jill.

And here's Noah in Mr Potatohead's glasses. He loves putting them on, and he loves putting them on his parents, too!

Today we discovered that Noah's tonsillitis has resurfaced (he had it while we were in Tassie). But it's pretty mild at the moment. Hopefully it'll clear up soon.

Lily the Sleeper

2009-01-23T20:42:00.002+11:00

As you might expect, Lily 's pastimes remain few. Sleeping is one that she's doing pretty well at these days.

Lily is still sleeping well at night, thankfully! Noise often wakes her from her day-sleeps. (And no, I don't mean just Noah-noise!). But generally she'll settle again with her favourite settling CD (sounds like a vacuum cleaner).

Dreaming about reindeer, maybe? Actually this is a classic wake-up stretch. She has quite a repertoire.

What about the heat? (It's been in the thirties for much of this week, and stays hot at night). Fine. Sleeping like a baby :)

The Zoo and Inklings of Christmas

2008-12-08T21:41:00.004+11:00

Uncle Tim accompanied us to the zoo last week. It was, of course, Lily's first time to Taronga. She did very well. Lily is generally pretty easy to transport, so long as you don't expect her to sleep.

We took the ferry, this time, which Noah rather enjoyed.

And it provided ample opportunity for touristy shots.

We visited the Australian animals and the new(ish) Southern Ocean exhibit, including the seal show. But you can't really go to the zoo without visiting the tigers - at least that's what Noah and I reckon. Tigers are our power-animal.

Lily has very good neck-control, really, though you wouldn't know it from these photos.

Noah has made great progress on his toilet-training chart. In fact, he has a second chart now! Today he even asked for the toilet when we were away from home (twice!). Well done, Noah.

In other Noah news: The question 'Why?' has entered his conversational arsenal. He used it twice on me today. I laughed the first time; it sounded like someone else's child! I guess this signals new times ahead in our parenting :)

The other day we enjoyed Christmas with the Sydney-Hansards at Unca Bruce's. It was great to see those guys again. It's been a while, I think. Bruce cooked up a storm as usual. And it was the first wave of the Christmas tide of present-unwrapping for Noah. He found it hard to stop at one ;)

Events, Great and Small

2008-11-26T19:53:00.006+11:00

Noah loves a package in the mail. From the post-man's (*very* loud) knocking, to the excitement of the parcel's contents, the arrival of a parcel from Tassie is always a special event.

This one was broad beans from Granny and Grandpa's.

It's been a good time for fresh produce. Our own beans are yielding enough for dinner every few nights. Noah loves picking beans... or just munching on them straight from the stalk!

The end of college meant the end-of-year lunch. And that means ice-creams! Compare this picture (from August last year)...

...with this one!

So now for several new things in Noah's life.

First, sunnies. Thankfully Noah tolerates, even enjoys, being sun-safe most of the time. Hats, sunnies, sun screen, he even asks for them sometimes!

Second, this little chart. The photo is a few days old; it's now thick with stars. I won't go into detail, but he's really taken to the whole project... good-going Noah!

Third, performing on stage at the Christmas concert. Noah's dressed as a king (one of the three wise men); here he's next to his pal, Ollie. Unfortunately Noah was pretty spaced-out for the whole thing - he'd just woken up from his nap. Oh well, he stood in the right place :)

But, of course, it's not all about new things with Noah. Lily creates some of her own little events.

We're still working at getting good photos of this little princess's smiles, but here's an early attempt.

Lily has a lovely little smile. She smiles for Mum and Dad... she smiles at almost anything actually!

More smile pictures coming soon!

Sleeping, sometimes.

2008-11-12T19:57:00.002+11:00

Lily is beginning to assert her wakefulness across our (well, Kate's) day. Thankfully, she's largely leaving the nights be (she really is good at night, which is great!). Lily often stays awake between morning feeds, but the other days she really only had one good sleep all day (a few cat naps here and there, but a whole lot of crying).

Oh yeah, this is Noah's new dog, Wilhelm. He likes sniffing around and drinking Noah's milk.

I can't remember if this was a tickle, or not. Notice the hand-holding, though. Noah loves to hold Lily's hand. He's quite gentle and loves to show his affection for his little sis. I think he's shaping up to be a great big-brother :)

In other news, Noah's counting is now into the teens! 'Sixteen' sometimes comes into play a little prematurely, but he's getting there. He's also got a few songs in his singing repertoire, too.

New Family Dynamics

2008-11-02T19:58:00.003+11:00

We're slowly working out the 'shape' of life for our little family. Noah's ever-generous spirit extends to story-telling. In this case We're Going on a Bear Hunt is the book for story time, which he's recently decided/discovered is a little 'scary'.

But it's not all smooth sailing for big brother. He copped his first shiner the other day after a slip in the bath. I keep telling people that Noah and I were in a bar fight together, old western movie style... I'd like to think we'd make a good team ;)

Noah's constantly learning new stunts. Recently he's been practicing walking backwards (very cute). He's good at jumping. He's even got a version of standing on one leg. And we were singing a song together just earlier this evening (Hey, Diddle Diddle).

Lily is sleeping pretty well at night, praise God. Especially as exams approach please pray that she keeps it up.

Kaylene has been here to help these last few days. She's been doing a great job of taking the load off Katie, especially.

Obviously Lily spends her time between feeding, wake-time, and sleeping at the present. So in that respect there's not much action. But there's lots of good stuff going on. She's gaining weight, neck control, cry-volume, facial expression...

Please thank God for Kaylene's visit and for all the help she's given us. Also pray for Lily's continuing good health and general development. For Noah, well, he's doing a great job of adjusting; may that continue, please :)

Ten Days on the Planet :)

2008-10-18T14:16:00.002+11:00

All in all we've had a great week this last week. Praise God, we've had some pretty good sleep. Although Lily (obviously) has to feed through the night, she mostly sleeps otherwise. There's only been once or twice when she's preferred crying to sleep :)

These two kids are getting on like you wouldn't believe. If Lily's crying, it's "There, there, Lily". If she's got a dirty nappy, Noah's all-hands-on-deck to help. He seems to be coping well with the changes. Sometimes he pushes boundaries a bit further than normal, though. Maybe it's just us, but if anything he is more full-of-beans now than before Lily's arrival!

Noah and I grabbed a quiet coffee together earlier this week. It gave Kate and bit of a break, and it was fun for us boys.

But every good babycino comes to an end sometime!

Noah's pronunciation and vocabulary continue to rocket along. His newest party-trick is counting to ten, unaided! Well done, Noah :) Also, he's great at imaginative stuff, like pretending a bottle is a rocket, or make-believe eating. Mmmm.

Sleeping and feeding have been the names of the game for Lily, mostly. Oh yeah, and looking gorgeous. Oh, and being handed around for cuddles every time our friends come to visit (which has been often, but not overwhelming at all).

So my self-imposed week-off has come to an end now. I think looking after two is going to be tough for Katie, but I think she's up to it. At least student-life is flexible, so I can be called-in if need be!

Stuff to pray for? Continuing good sleep and rest for all. Perseverance for Katie as I head back to college this week. That Noah can keep learning to be a great big brother (and that we help him to do so!).

Early Days with Big Bro

2008-10-12T20:49:00.003+11:00

Noah's always been quite a huggy kinda boy. Just now, cuddling Lily has become one of his favourite new pass-times.

Lily's usually pretty compliant, or just asleep.

Noah's also a very enthusiastic sharer, which is a wonderful trait. Unfortunately, Lily isn't quite up to playing the xylophone, or playing with farm animals, or playing with Noah's trains, though he's tried to encourage her. One day, Noah, one day.

Thankfully Lily has been sleeping a bit better the last couple of nights, so thank God for that. Please pray that the trend continues, especially for Katie (since I can't really take her place as Lily's food supply!)

She's a little angel.

Lily's Arrival

2008-10-09T11:28:00.004+11:00

So Lily was born at the RPA Birth Centre. And here we all are, getting to know one another.

By and by, Noah came along to complete our little family gathering. He was thoroughly taken by his little sister. We had practiced saying her name, in advance, which Noah mastered quickly.

Then Noah was into the hugs. He's a great cuddler. Very gentle. Patient, when she cries.

Lily did some good sleeping, too. She's not the most sleepy kid you've ever seen. But she's got the hang of it.

Since we were all feeling good (and the threat of sharing a room was looming), we all bundled into the car and made our way home. Less than twelve hours in the hospital! Well done girls :)

Home is going well. The first night was pretty good, really. Praise God for Lily and her safe arrival. Keep praying for us all as we adjust to being a family of four, please.

Welcome Lily Grace

2008-10-08T20:47:00.003+11:00

This morning God blessed our little family with the safe arrival of Lily Grace.

At 8:59am she arrived, weighing in at 3.69kg (8lb, 2oz) and measuring 52cm in length. A gorgeous little cherub, more magnificent than Solomon in all his splendour ;)

Mum and bubs are both doing well. In fact, we're all back home. Praise the Lord.

(And yes, we'll post more photos soon!)