Concert Day!!

Hooray for today!The 2 boys and I were off on an adventure to Nambour to see the Ben 10 concert. I had absolutely no idea on how long it would take us to get there so I organised the 2 boys very early. By the time I'd made breakfast for the 3 of us, dressed all 3 of us, organised food for the 2 boys, and finally got all 3 of us in the car, it was a reasonable time. It took us nearly 1 hour to get to Nambour in the car but the boys were great. A DVD always helps to make travelling in the car so much easier with kids.

Brandon and Bailey were very excited once we arrived into town. There were Ben 10 fans everywhere ie 4 year old boys and their parents. I only saw 2 girls in the concert and I'd be surprised if it was their first choice of destinations. Brandon really enjoyed the concert. Bailey hated it. I thought it could have been done better but then what would I know about kids concerts. The only other one that I have been to was a Playschool concert and I thought that rocked, quite literally. Brandon sat so incredibly patiently throughout the whole concert which was just as well because Bailey went crazy. The concert had his attention for about 20 minutes and then it was all over for him. Our apparently "good" seats weren't so good and everyone in the section was struggling to see the show. At intermission we moved to higher empty seats. The view was great. So much for getting the good seats up the front. At the back was so much better.

Both boys had a photo taken together with Ben 10 and 7 of the aliens. Brandon got a show bag full of even more Ben 10 items. Bailey wanted popcorn so we got some while Brandon rummaged through his show bag. I had planned to go on an adventure around Nambour to check it out with the boys, but we were all a bit tired and it looked like the 2 kids needed to go home. 

The afternoon was spent with Brandon and myself going through all his Ben 10 things while Bailey had a sleep. We stuck stickers everywhere and watched a new Ben 10 DVD. We made up stories and cut out Ben 10 shapes and then I said to Brandon that I needed to do something else for awhile. I was all Ben 10'd out. Once Bailey was awake, the 2 boys and I ventured outside where we jumped on the trampoline. My husband did another huge day at work so he ran in the door at 5pm while I went straight off to work. Like ships passing in the night. I'm glad that Brandon had a great day. He was such a fantastic grown up kid. It was his heaven. I promise Bailey that we will go to the Thomas The Tank Engine Museum soon.

One More Sleep To Go

One more sleep until my crazy Ben 10 obsessed 4 year old gets to go to the Ben 10 concert. I still have to work out exactly how to get to the centre where the concert is but that can be done. Today the 2 boys and I, with Brandon dressed in all his Ben 10 finery, met up with 2 of my girlfriends and their kids. The kids always have a great time with each other. Between the 3 of us girls, we have 6 boys. We all met up at an absolutely fantastic park. Mind you, it felt like I drove to the other side of the world to get there, but once we had arrived, it was worth it. We all played and played and then it rained and rained. We took shelter, the rain cleared and then we played and played. That process continued all day.

By the time we left the park the 2 boys were soaking wet and covered in sand. Luckily I had a spare pair of clothes for both boys, which were actually left over in the car from the strawberry farm yesterday. Strangely enough I hadn't needed the spare clothes yesterday. Anyway, once I had the boys dressed we headed home. The afternoon was spent with everyone wide awake although somewhat quieter. My husband ran in the door really late as I ran to work. Luckily I work from home so I didn't have to run too far. By the time I'd finished work, the 2 boys were feral. They were crazy. In actual fact, I think that they were delirious. There was laughter and wrestling and then more laughter and wrestling and then a very big thump and the crying started. Bed time followed about 2 minutes later. Only 1 more sleep to go. See you tomorrow Ben Tennyson!!

Glorious Strawberries

Delicious! The 2 boys and I finally made it to the strawberry farm today. Yippee! I was so very excited.  We had another great day. Brandon slept until 10am this morning. He had woken briefly at about 5am but had given me a cuddle and then fallen back to sleep. I had tried to wake him up several times later on in the morning because I was hoping to meet up with my husband at a car yard and take a car for a test drive. 9am came and went, and Brandon just would not wake up. I thought that if he was needing to sleep this long then his little body must need it.

When we did eventually depart from home and head to the most joyous place in the world, according to me, the sun was well and truly awake and it was really a very nice day. As we drove up to the strawberry farm, we saw buses and buses and cars and hoards of children in the strawberry farm playground. I keep forgetting it's school holidays. There were bus loads of kids from childcare places there. Fortunately, the farm is huge and everyone moves on pretty quick. That is except us. The 2 boys and I spent most of the day at the farm. We picked 2 kilograms of strawberries and ate copious amounts of chocolate coated strawberries. The 2 boys and I also shared 2 lots of strawberry ice cream while the kids played at the playground. As per usual, Brandon and Bailey found some nice little kids to play with. The boys just kept going and going. They didn't stop. The only thing that made the 2 boys stop playing for a brief moment, was Brandon's realisation that you could also buy pineapples from the farm shop front. So we bought one and then the boys went off and played again. Another 45 minutes later a very dirty Bailey was extremely tired so I pulled the pin and got them in the car.

On the way home Bailey had a sleep. Brandon talked and talked. Before we knew it, my husband was home and we were all heading out to swimming lessons. The 2 boys swam fantastically. Brandon is swimming so well on his own while Bailey has just started swimming independently too. I was so very proud of them. For dinner we continued on from swimming to Red Rooster where we stocked up on chicken and chips. Both boys love the idea of takeaway food, but when it comes to eating it, they just aren't so keen. They did however gobble up/inhale the fresh strawberries. They are my boys. It took both Brandon and Bailey a long time to both go to sleep tonight because all they wanted to do was talk. All I wanted to do was eat strawberries. Our glorious, delicious strawberries.

Hardware Heaven

The 2 boys were in hardware heaven today. The 3 of us ventured into Bunnings Warehouse to attend the art and craft workshops for kids. Normally Bunnings just run the class for under 5 year olds on a Monday morning, but now that it is officially Queensland school holidays, it's open slather. There were kids everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There was at least 50 kids today participating in the workshop when normally there are about 6. The 2 boys are such fantastic kids. They waited for some room to become available on a table, they waited for their little rocket ship to paint, and they were so lovely and polite.

Both boys had such a great time. After the boys painted their rocket ships, we headed over to the playground at Bunnings for the kids to have a run around. The noise was unbelievable. There were kids everywhere, including unbelievably feral kids. I'm pretty tolerant, but when parents are pulling their kids away from the playground to avoid these few kids that didn't appear to have any parents in a nearby or far off vicinity, then I just have to remove my kids too. The 2 boys and I went and looked at a few other things before returning to the playground. That's where we all stayed for the next 1 1 /2hours. The boys had a great time. There were 3 other kids in the playground as well that were lovely kids. Brandon found a little boy who he looked after and Bailey played with a big boy who must have been about 6 years old. The big boy loved Bailey and then when Brandon eventually came and played with them, then Luke loved playing with Brandon too. The kids had a great time.

When I thought that the boys looked like they had had enough, I suggested we head home. Neither of them were in any way keen to depart, but eventually we did. To my surprise no-one slept. I've come to the conclusion that my boys aren't going to sleep anymore during the day. Not that Brandon does, but every so often Bailey might. Our afternoon was a very quiet one. Brandon watched TV while Bailey played with some trains. I cleaned up the trail of destruction left behind from earlier and then joined the boys on the lounge. My husband came home which meant I went off to work.

The evening was spent with the boys playing with their newly painted rocket ships. Tomorrow I plan to take the kids to the strawberry farm to pick our own strawberries, but if I need a back up plan for wet weather, I might go back to Bunnings for another art and craft workshop. If it works stick with it.  Hardware heaven is a favourite. 

Talk, Talk, Talk

Brandon was awake for 13 hours today and he managed to talk for every hour, every, minute, and every single second of those 13 hours. I don't know how he does it. I have to tell him to stop talking for a bit so that someone else can have a turn. He just looks at me and continues talking. He talks in the shower. He talks nonstop when he is on the toilet with the door shut. He talks when he is watching TV. He just talks, talks, and talks.

Eventually this morning when my husband and I had a chance to talk to each other as Brandon ducked up to his bedroom where he continued to talk, we thought we would go to the markets out at the beach. We moved things along well and managed to get everyone into the car and driving away on a Sunday morning by 9:30am. The markets were great. We always have fun when we go. The 2 boys were exceptionally well behaved. We are some of the luckiest parents ever. The boys walked and listened and had a great time. In Brandon's continual stream of commentary, he said that he'd had heaps of fun at the markets. The boys jumped on a Nemo jumping castle and walked along the huge jetty at Redcliffe. We saw fisher folk and the huge whale watching boat that leaves from the pier. Brandon talked to a fisherman about what he was doing, and he also told him that he loves Ben 10. He tells everyone about how he feels about Ben 10. It must be his conversation starter. We ate some cheese and garlic Turkish pizza and ate churros. They are just really long donut sticks covered in about 1 kilogram of sugar. Absolutely delicious.

From here we headed back towards home but first ducked into Kmart. We looked at toys of course and both boys got to choose a toy. Bailey chose a Thomas DVD while surprise surprise, Brandon chose a Ben 10 toy. This one was the alien Swampfire. He already has Ultimate Swampfire but needed this one to complete his Swampfire collection. It kept them both entertained for many hours. We also bought a few other things and then headed home. Neither little boy slept, so upon our arrival home, I made lunch for all while making up a freshly squeezed juice for everyone. We go through so much fruit as we make freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices every day. We love them, especially Bailey.

My husband entertained the boys in the afternoon while I swept and moped the floors before we then swapped and I entertained the boys while my husband watched some football and folded enormous amount of washing. I fed the 2 boys and bathed them while daddy continued to fold washing. Brandon and Bailey were pretty content to go to bed tonight. We didn't get a lot of resistance. It makes up from last night when neither of them would sleep. I think they were both still awake at 10pm and weren't looking like they were going to bed anytime soon. Bailey screamed and screamed last night. It just wasn't good for anyone. Eventually Bailey went to sleep last night with me holding his little hand while stroking his head. Tonight was a breeze compared to last night's performance. Brandon continued to talk while in bed. It gets to the point where you have to tell him to stop talking and go to sleep. He'll be up early tomorrow I am sure full of amazing tales of adventures and questions, and observations. Love you boys. 

Where Did Friday Go?

Last night I had a very big night at an awards night for one of my good friends. Fortunately, while her business did not win, we all had a good time. Some had a better night than others, like myself. So when I stumbled in the door this morning at 3am, writing here just wasn't on my list of priorities. Bed was. The only bad thing that happened  last night was that I lost my purse which meant I had absolutely no money, no phone and no I.D. It was scary. It was at that point that the fun ended. I worked it out though, some what distressed, and managed to get home safely.

Today, to be expected, was very quiet. I rang the function centre where the dinner had been last night to see if anyone had found my purse. Thank goodness they had. Someone had handed it in. I hadn't had any physical cash in it, just 2 of my banking cards which I had cancelled anyway at 3 am this morning. So my day consisted of eating ice blocks as that was all that made me feel less hungover.

Eventually my husband and I got everyone all organised and then we drove out to pick up my purse. Hooray! All that was missing from my purse was makeup which was not surprising since my bag was found in the female toilet. Luckily all my cards and phone were still there.

Anyway, moving on. Tomorrow will be a better day. The sun will be shining, I'll feel human again, and I'll be back jumping on the trampoline.

Environmentally Aware

Another beautiful Queensland winter day. We live in the perfect place for winter. This morning it took the 2 boys and I a very long time to get organised and leave the house. We didn't leave until 11:30am which is the time when sometimes we are usually coming home from the mornings activities. I'm not quite sure what happened or didn't happen but I did manage to co-ordinate the departure of 3 people eventually. The 2 boys and I went and visited Osprey House Environmental Centre. It a great place to visit with small kids. It's an enormous wetland with a big boardwalk amongst the trees and lots and lots of lookouts for birdwatching. I had to sympathise with anyone who may have been attempting to bird watch today with Brandon and Bailey and myself around. Through the peace and tranquility of the surrounds, all anyone would have heard was the complete excitement and glee of 2 small boys at full volume with me running along behind yelling to remind the kids that we all have to stick together. Whatever mummy.

Both boys ran and ran and fell over because they were running so fast so they jumped up and continued to run. Unfortunately I couldn't take a single photo as my newish camera is broken. Yesterday while at the farm with Brandon, he was holding a baby chicken and just as I was about to take a photo, the chick jumped out of his hands. Of course my instinct was to lunge for the baby chick to stop him from falling, and as a result my camera smashed to the ground. Somehow I'll get it fixed. I'm confident that I will. I was very disappointed in that I couldn't take any photos today. The scenery was just beautiful and the kids had a lovely time.

The 2 boys and I spent several hours at the information centre. Inside the huge building, there are so many things for kids to play with and do. The 2 boys and I spent a long time doing all the wildlife jigsaw puzzles. We also drew and played games plus the boys also played with all the animal toys and looked and touched lots of different wildlife creatures. We had a great time. The food I had made at home and bought with us was very quickly devoured. It was starting to get a bit cold so we headed home where the boys played for a bit and I attempted to tidy the house a little. For my sanity it just needed to no longer resemble a bomb site, for at least 5 minutes.

As neither boy slept today I was very keen to get them into bed. I had to work for a little while this afternoon, and then I moved them all along. My husband had done a great job cooking the boys some dinner and bathing them while I worked. Once I had finished work, both boys got extremely attached to me and wouldn't let me go. They also wouldn't let me put the other one to bed. Luckily Bailey was extremely tired so he just drifted off to sleep as I held his hand. Brandon was waiting for me to read him a book and then put him to bed. Both boys were finally asleep. My husband and I ordered Indian home delivery. It was delicious and the food has just hit my stomach so now I am ready for a big sleep, well actually just any sleep will do.

While we didn't see any Ospreys today, we did have heaps of fun and the boys learnt so much. Thanks wildlife.

Visiting The Funny Farm

Brandon and I spent the day at a farm with all his little kindergarten friends. It was a good day. My husband had to have the day off work so that he could look after Bailey. Only kindergarten kids and a parent were allowed at the farm. Bailey and daddy had a very busy day. They went to the Post Office Box and then off to the Paint shop. From there they ventured to a park where they stayed for a very long time. Then they both journeyed to a huge shopping centre and had a look around for awhile. Brandon and I spent the day hanging out with cows, sheep, bulls, chickens, and more cows.

As Brandon and I drove into the farm car park and parked, we got bogged. For some reason I just knew that we would be OK. I presumed that I would be able to deal with it. I thought that by the time we finished at the farm, the ground would have dried up hopefully enough to get the car out. Brandon actually milked a cow today. He was cheeky because he didn't aim for the milk bucket but aimed for the furtherest point in the milking shed. He had the cheeky laugh to go with it. Everyone else thought it was hysterical and Brandon loved the attention.

I got the chance to meet some of Brandon's good friends from Kindy and their mums. Today Brandon and Max and Dominic were the 3 musketeers. They hung out together all day. Brandon and Dominic were the first in everything we all did. They were keen and eager and always on the move. Good on them. We went on a tractor ride which was good. Brandon asked thousands of questions all day. It reiterated to me today just how well Brandon speaks. He is so articulate and such a smart kid. I was so very proud of him again today.

When it came time to leave, everyone left extremely fast so I thought that I better deal with my car situation. Brandon and I found a heap of wood to put behind the offending wheel and we got our car out  Hooray for us! I learnt how to get out of a bogged situation when I was in year 10, which I just realised was 21 years ago. Holy Mosses! That's a long time ago. My how time flies.

Once Brandon and I arrived home we ate chocolate and relaxed a little before daddy and Bailey arrived home from their adventures. One hour later daddy was taking both boys off to the Hairdressers while I went to work. Finally the boys made it to bed. Hooray for sleep. Bring it on! Bye cows and pigs and chickens. Thanks for all the fun.

Bum Jokes Galore

Most of the day revolved around the 2 boys telling bum jokes. Mind you the kids are only 2 and 4 so the jokes consist of the kids yelling at each other and me in the car "Bum. Poo bum!" Then Brandon said "Imagine if I pooed out the car from my bum. It would be covered in poo and you'd have to clean it mummy. I'd have to go to hospital so they could put bandaids on my bottom." " Firstly sweetheart, you'd need more than Transformer bandaids to help you, and secondly I'm not cleaning a car covered in your poo." Then for the rest of the journey to Brandon's kindergarten, both boys continued to yell out "Bum. Bum. Bum. Poo Bum." Brandon also chimed up with all the different scenarios of what he could poo out his bottom. I was pretending that I was grossed out which just fired up the kids even more. Cheap entertainment.

Bailey and I headed off to a dress maker after we had dropped off Brandon at Kindergarten. I needed to get my new dress taken in a bit because it's too big in the boobs. Job done. Apparently I can't pick it up until 4pm on Friday which is making me very nervous because the party starts at 5pm. Should be interesting. Then the 2 of us came home and just played together. We also replanted some plants into new and larger pots and watered our mango and orange trees. The rest of the time, before we picked up Brandon, was spent playing with Lego. It was really nice. Every time I give Bailey a kiss he stops whatever he is doing and gives me a kiss too. I just love it. Eventually he'll start telling me not to give him a sloppy kiss and will wipe it off but in the mean time I'll just keep on kissing.

All the way home from kindergarten, the 2 boys began their toilet humour again and that's how the afternoon and evening went. My husband worked very late so I took both kids to their swimming lessons. They are both so good. Soon they will be putting me to shame regarding the distance they can swim. I better brush up myself. Apparently the swimming school's ultimate aim for the kids is for them to be able to swim 1 kilometre unaided. OMG! That's fantastic.

We had tantrums and laughter and crying and mummy addiction tonight. Neither Bailey nor Brandon were keen to have me out of their site. In fact they both wanted me to put them to bed simultaneously. That would have been OK if I could have cut myself in half. I managed to get them both asleep. Stroking their forehead always moves the getting to sleep process along a lot quicker. It works every time. 

Tomorrow I am sure, that once the 2 boys and I are in the car, the bum jokes will begin again. Fun times. I hope that when the boys are older they remember the great times we all have.  See you tomorrow boys. Bum. Bum. Poo bum!

Cant't Think Of A Headline Tonight

I'm looking forward to bed tonight. It's getting later and I still have to cook something looking and tasting a bit like dinner.This is when I wish I had someone who could cook me whatever I desire. Today I was hoping there would suddenly be 48hours in 1 day and not just 24. I don't know whether I'm the only person in the universe who struggles to achieve anything beyond the scope of children but it's continuous.

After we went to Kindergarten and farewelled Brandon, Bailey and I went to Bunnings for art and craft. Today the kids painted garden pots and planted yellow french beans. Bailey had a great time as usual. Once he finished painting, the 2 of us collected a few items like gardening pots, potting mix, watering crystals, and something else but I've forgotten. We played in the pond at the garden part of Bunnings with the plastic ducks and then we played at the playground. At the playground Bailey just wanted to sit on the ground and eat some food with me. After awhile we ventured back out to the garden centre and kept looking and exploring.

The 2 of us then drove over to visit daddy as he'd left some things at home which he needed at work. We made our delivery, said hello and then goodbye and departed again. Bailey and I went into the local Westfield to do 100's of things. I had a massive To Do list today and I was hoping to achieve some of it, but alas, most of the items on my list still remain on my list. There's always tomorrow. I'm just looking forward to grandparents coming to visit soonish so that I can hang out loads of washing quickly on my own. Imagine what I could achieve. Plus I'm looking forward to seeing my family.

Bailey and I eventually came home for not quite even 5 minutes. Bailey fell asleep as we turned in to our street. As it was so very late in the afternoon, we drove straight back out to Kindergarten and picked up Brandon. He looked tired but it sounded like he'd had a happy time. I'm still just not sure about it all but I'll go with it. Brandon just looked so very lost and lonely this morning. It broke my heart actually. Anyway, I whisked my boys home and daddy came home not even 1 minute after we arrived home. I went to work for many hours while my husband manned the children fort and now we are back into cleaning the kitchen and then off to bed. Farewell.

Jumping Jellybeans (& Only 99 Posts To Go)

I think that somewhere along the DNA line, my 2 boys have inherited jumping genes, unless it's just a kid thing. They could both jump for hours on the trampoline. My husband and I even take shifts with them while they are jumping. Our batteries seem to wear out before Brandon and Bailey's do. Well who would ever have guessed that I would make it to 266 posts. When I began this affair with my writing I promised myself I'd do it for 1 whole year, and I'm nearly there. Then I'm going to work out how to put it all in a book and keep it as a special record for the boys. That's my plan, as Brandon would say.

Finally it was a Sunday and nobody in our house was working. Yippee!! So we all went food shopping. Yippee! It was very busy in the shops and the 2 boys just went crazy. I don't blame them because I hate food shopping too. They were running up and down every aisle, squeezing dog toys and running way too close to glass jars. My husband was beside himself. Finally we finished so we all trooped back to the car to throw it all in the back of the Ute. I had driven my car down to the shops separately so I said goodbye to my 3 men and returned to the shops to do some clothes shopping for myself. I'm attending a formal dinner this coming Friday night so I thought I should dress appropriately. Although I love wearing my jeans, cargo pants and tracksuit pants, I really didn't think they would be appropriate dress, unfortunately. Real shame about that.

I don't have any patience with myself when I shop for clothes and find it extremely frustrating, but today I remained calm and confident that it was going to work. I ended up finding the most beautiful dress on sale for $40.00. It was reduced from $180.00. I was laughing, especially as I had just been looking at dresses at Myer for $200 plus. I bought my $40 dress plus a little black top, a handbag and a pair of the tallest high heels that I have ever bought/worn all for the grand total of $99.00. I was very impressed with myself.

I came home and showed off my purchases to my boys. They appeared to like them.Then we jumped on the trampoline. Whatever mummy. Then our whole afternoon was spent on the trampoline. Up and down. Up and down. We laughed and laughed and laughed. When my jumping shift finished, I did manage to go and clean both the bathrooms and showers. Then I heard the call for my next jumping shift and I was back again. Tonight as I sit here on the bar stool in the kitchen writing, I'm surprised that I'm not jumping as I sit upon my seat. I must not have jumped enough today. On the other hand, my 2 little jumping jellybeans just wouldn't stop jumping. Crazy boys.

Ben 10 Overload

Today I reached my Ben 10 saturation point. It took awhile to get to that point as I'm a pretty tolerant person, but today I just went no more. Brandon has Ben 10 jumpers, undies, shoes, hats, t-shirts, singlets, toys, DVDs, backpack, wristbands, washers, socks, and a watch.While I realise my husband and I have facilitated this obsession, I think I've had enough. I'm out. I'd like girl things.

As I went off to work for the whole day, I said goodbye to my 3 men as Brandon was watching Ben 10 on DVD. Daddy was taking the boys to the toy section of Myer to buy the kids each a little toy. Brandon was going to get the Ben 10 Legacy Omnitrix (a watch with super powers) and Bailey was going to get a train. All my clients were lovely and well behaved today so it made the day go quiet quickly. The day always goes quick when I'm working in 1 hour intervals. While I love my work, it was nice to finish. I gobbled up the fastest honey crumpet before jumping in my car to head over to my lady who is the master of eyebrows and super fantastic for make up artistry. I managed to overlap with my husband's return just before I departed. He sounded happy but a little weary. Bailey was asleep and that's apparently where he stayed for another 2 hours.

I had a great time at Mel's. It's just the most perfect small business. It's professional and feminine, calm and beautiful. I used my enormous gift voucher at Mel's that I'd received from my boys for Mother's day/my birthday a few weeks ago.I had the best facial that I've ever had. I felt great. So when I finally arrived home afterwards, I was calm and inspired, and then bombarded with 2 small children. It sounds like everyone had a great day. Brandon did come home with a huge Omnitrix pretending to ward off all the baddies while Bailey came home with Spencer- A Thomas & friends engine. I rang more clients back to try and book them in. Uneventful afternoon.

As I'm falling asleep here in front of the computer, it gives me the perfect literary chance to say goodbye. It took me 90 minutes to get Bailey to sleep tonight while Brandon, strangely enough, was asleep within 10 minutes. My husband is still asleep in Brandon's room so I'll farewell you in a minute and go and wake him up.Bailey has his train in bed with him while I'm imagining that Brandon has his special Ben 10 watch on. Maybe when he wakes up tomorrow he'll be Four Arms or Canon Bolt, or Diamond Head, or Wild Mutt, Spider Monkey, Humongosaur, or XLR8. I know my Ben 10 aliens!

See Injury, Will Hit

This was Bailey's motto for the day. Brandon had his vaccinations today now that he has turned 4. He didn't get them earlier as he has been so sick. It's a bit rough that now he is better, he has to go and get 2 needles. So this morning the 2 boys and I went to the doctors. I don't know what possessed me to mention it to Brandon last night but when he asked me innocently what he was doing today I told him that he was going to have his vaccinations. Dumb mistake number one. The second mistake was when I told him what vaccinations were. It was at this point that I realised I should have just kept quiet. Now I had a visually distraught child while I was plagued with guilt knowing full well that I didn't want Brandon having a single needle. I felt like I was taking a lamb to the slaughter.

At the doctor's this morning Brandon cried and cried when it was his appointment. I eventually calmed him down once he realise that the doctor wasn't giving him the needle and that there were no needles in the room. He played with toys with Bailey which was great. They were both angels. They were so incredibly great and I was very proud of them both. The doctor weighed Brandon and he came in at 17 kilograms which means that he's in the 50th percentile for his age group. His height was also measured and it came in at 108cm which means that Brandon's in the 90th percentile. In brief- he's tall and skinny. We all went into see the nurse for the needles. She was so great. The little man cried and my heart broke.Unfortunately Brandon needed another needle in his other arm now. He knew what was coming so it wasn't as easy to keep him close to me. He survived. The nurse even gave him a bravery certificate. Of course he didn't like what it represented so he wanted to chuck it in the bin. I secretly stashed it away.

The 2 boys and I gingerly called into the local supermarket and I let the kids choose whatever lollies they wanted. I didn't care. They deserved a treat. $75.00 later and an empty purse we headed back to the car. I drove around a little hoping that someone small would go to sleep but they never succumbed to my deliberate driving Miss Daisy speed (which usually puts at least one of them to sleep). Both boys and I therefore spent the afternoon eating lollies, watching TV, washing, cleaning, etc, etc. The list goes on.

I had told the 2 boys this morning that there was to be no wrestling today as Brandon had sore arms and that we must all be careful. Bailey must have heard me say something completely different. He must have thought I said "Brandon has 2 very sore arms. On your own free will hit him, punch him and do whatever you can possibly think of to hurt your big brother and continue to do it all day, especially when I'm not looking. Cause great harm from every single angle and if you really want to make an impression and hit the mark, do it really fast and don't let Brandon see you coming at him." So with Bailey's excellent hearing, it was an interesting afternoon. There was mass destruction all day. Bailey decided that today he was going to display the terrible 2 symptoms. After all why not. When you're 2 you can do anything naughty and mummy will just roll her eyes and throw her arms in the air.

I had a great afternoon at work. I suddenly have clients coming at me from everywhere which is fantastic for a small business. The 2 boys were so very excited to see me after work that I had to put both of them to bed. Bailey took all of 3 seconds to fall asleep while Brandon took over an hour because he just wouldn't stop talking. Eventually I had to tell him to just stop, put his head on the pillow and go to sleep. He just kept on talking. I can't wait to see later in life whether that personality trait continues. Bailey successfully caused great pain to Brandon today. I know that tomorrow though Brandon will cause great pain to Bailey. The circle just keeps on going. I'm sure that tomorrow wrestling will be back on the agenda. Have fun.

Thinking Outside The Square

It was 8:50am and the 2 boys and I were running late for Karate. How it happens every week I do not know. We managed to get to karate with minutes to spare and then Brandon declared that he wouldn't be doing karate. He was just going to watch. I tried to coax him out from under the chair that he was hiding behind. When he mentioned again that he would just be watching today, I told him that I wasn't sitting in a freezing cold shed just to watch other people do karate, as lovely as those people were. After 15 minutes I packed us all up and left. I'd be better off hitting my head against a brick wall than trying to coax Brandon to do something that he just did not want to do. I give him credit for sticking to his guns.

Our next point of call was to the curtain shop miles away to pick up a new curtain. Funny about that. I'm not a curtain person but I've invested in a humongous one to put up at the front of the house to hopefully muffle some of the noise from the boys when I'm working. I can only but try. We had finished at the curtain shop a lot earlier than I was anticipating so the 2 boys and I went to a fantastic park at Sandgate and played for hours. There is a lake right next to the enclosed park with ducks and turtles galore. There's gazebos and pathways and lots of people appreciating the beauty and convenience to the village right across the road. It's a great place. I had taken a delicious packed lunch for everybody which bought smiles to our faces and food to our tummies. The boys and I played for hours in the park. We played hide and seek together and played on the play equipment. I wrote the boy's names in the sand for them with 2 special sticks that they had both found in the garden. It was great fun. I'm very lucky to be able to do what I do with the kids.

Bailey feel asleep in the car even before I had reversed out of the car park. On our arrival home, Brandon continued to talk while I put Bailey into his bed. Brandon and I hung out and did all sorts of interesting things. It fascinates me how creative the kids are and how great their imagination is. Brandon constantly comes up with the most amazing things which leave me wondering where he's learnt it all from. He is a great problem solver, plus an excellent organiser. Did I mention he is an exceptional talker?

My husband arrived home as the boy's were devouring noodles. I got ready for work about 10 minutes later only to see the boy's now devouring breakfast cereal. I don't know where all their food goes. Work was good. Brandon and Bailey were relatively quiet while I worked and daddy took them outside to play which made my work environment even quieter. Thanks sweetheart. I contemplated going to the shop after work to get some more food but then I decided to put my curtain up instead. It is effective in blocking out noise. The real test will come tomorrow afternoon when I have several clients. The front entrance looks different with a curtain. I think it'll take awhile to get used to. I put Bailey to bed tonight, and like Brandon he just talks and talks. Tonight while in his cot, Bailey had to name every part of his body that he knew. Quite funny to listen to. I'd love a massage right now. It's a shame I can't give one to myself. See you tomorrow.

The Stroller Has Left The Building!

After 4 and a bit years our household no longer owns a stroller. Yippee!! Yahoo!! Time to celebrate!! I have had the double stroller rolling around the back of my car unused for the past 8 months before I brought it inside the house where it stayed for another 6 weeks. At some point this morning I actually saw it shoved in the corner of the Pool room and thought - it's just got to go. So I loaded it back into the boot of my car along with a baby car seat, several garbage bags of nice boys clothes, bike helmets, never used Dora puzzles, picture frames, unopened Christmas paper, and boy's toys. A lot of stuff. The 2 boys and I dropped it all off at the Salvation Army store. It was such a symbolic moment for myself that I even took a photo of the stroller as I said farewell to it. Mind you, after I dumped it (lovingly left it behind) we drove away and never even thought of looking back. Brandon did question why exactly I needed to take a photo of a stroller and a car seat. I am so glad that it's gone. Hooray for kids becoming more independent.

The 2 boys and I then ventured into the local shopping centre. The boys were absolutely fantastic. Neither child ran off anywhere. Mind you it took us a very long time to get our chores done because both boys have to look at everything and touch everything. It's a slow process when you're in a big shop. We finally made our way back to the car when the 3 of us saw a Fire Truck parked almost just outside the front door of the shops. You have to love Firefighters. They put the flashing lights on for the boys and waved and when we eventually waved goodbye to the Firemen to look at some trucks, we saw more Firemen returning to the truck. Both boys were very keen to check the Firemen out. They saw the 2 boys and myself, not hard to miss when we are only 1 metre away from them, and gave the boys stickers galore. They had a chat to us and were very impressed when we mentioned that we were learning all about fire at home. They all jumped back into the truck and rummaged around for more things to give the boys. Thanks guys for making us all very happy. It was really lovely and very sublimely educational.

I knew that neither Brandon nor Bailey would have a sleep today and I was prepared for that. We came home and had some lollies. We'd been to a lolly shop and had bought a few special treats home. I continued to wash and wash and wash. Between copious loads of washing, and contemplating how 4 people can possible generate so much washing, I  made a beautiful gourmet lunch up for the 2 boys and I. Brandon absolutely inhaled his lunch while I ate at a more leisurely pace. Bailey just did his customary nibbling of food, then playing with toys, then nibbling more, playing, asking for some more food, being reminded that there was heaps of food on his plate, and then returning to his plate to eat. He has to go full circle.

Our afternoon was spent eating, playing, talking and washing. Repeat that process about 15 times and that was our afternoon. My husband came home and I went to work. Apparently the boys and daddy did art and craft and had a very productive and happy time. My work was good. Sometimes I just come across some strange people and my first client was no exception. My second client was a breath of fresh air and before I knew it I'd finished work and was rejoining the family and all their chaos. Bailey went off to sleep seamlessly while Brandon talked and talked and talked. It took me over 1 hour to read him his favourite Ben 10 book and answer all his questions. Apparently the average 4 year old asks 437 questions a day. Obviously Brandon is not average because he's asked that many questions before 6am on most mornings. Goodnight boys. Have a great life stroller. 

Blink & You'll Miss It

Tonight I have some other important things that I really have to do so I'll take a break for tonight and be back tomorrow. Enjoy yourselves.

Frog In The Pond

We all celebrated the Queen's Birthday today with a public holiday. My husband still worked but I had the day off. Brandon also had the day off Kindergarten which means that he only goes there once this week. Hooray! This morning I had lots and lots of things to do but once I remembered it was on official holiday today and that nothing would be open, it cut about 3/4 of the things off my to do list. So we went food shopping. I don't know how we had survived for so long without shopping earlier but we had managed.

On the way to shopping, Brandon decided out of the blue to tell me all the animals that he could think of that ate flies. We came up with several- birds, frogs, spiders and Brandon suggested chameleons. What a smart kid. Then he just kept talking and talking.The 2 boys and I went into Best and Less to get them some socks, undies and some slippers. It took us awhile but we got there. Finally we made it to the food shops. I bribed/negotiated with the 2 boys that if I bought them a donut they would have to sit in the trolley while we shopped. I got through several aisles shopping with the kids in absolute complete silence. In the end both boys ended up walking/running and we succeeded in our quest for a replenished fridge.

The afternoon just disappeared and before we knew it daddy was home and then we were all running out the door to go to dinner. We were splurging tonight and all going to dinner at the local tavern. There's a great playground there for the kids and we always get a table in the restaurant right next to the playground. The 2 boys were really great. It does get easier out to dinner with small children the more we do it. The 2 boys both very eagerly ordered their desserts- a frog in a pond. It's green jelly in a bowl with a chocolate frog on the top and a side dish of vanilla ice cream. They were both so excited. Brandon absolutely devoured his. In fact I think that he inhaled it. Bailey chopped his up and squashed it all together. He stirred and chopped and made a huge disgusting mess. Doing what he does best.

Once home we bathed and then dressed the boys before again feeding them a whole heap more food. As if they didn't already eat enough. Anyway, we all had a great time out and about. I must say, their frog in the pond dessert did look pretty good. Maybe I'll try it next time.

Catching That Train.......Just.

We had some special plans organised for the day. I had booked 4 tickets for a leisurely ride on a steam train though the city and its surrounding suburbs. The train was leaving the station in the city at 11:40am this morning and we had to be there 30 minutes before to pick up our tickets. We had great intentions of arriving on time, even early. Half way into our journey to the city in our car I was starting to freak out a bit. It was looking like we may miss the train. I couldn't drive any faster because most of the journey was a 40 kilometre speed limit area around a continual construction site. I got every red light and every traffic jam and it was a Sunday morning. We arrived at the car park at 11:32am and then we ran. My husband had Bailey in his arms while I had Brandon. We ran about 5 kilometres with children in our arms in the city along a very busy road. It would have made for great entertainment if you were sitting in your car watching us. We arrived at Platform 3 at 11:43am and literally ran on to the train. I think the train had waited for us. At least I know that I can run 5 kms in 11 minutes with a child in my arms and my husband and a second child in tow. Not that I ever plan on doing that again!

The train ride was great. As soon as we settled into our seats, the 2 boys asked for food and proceeded to eat for the next 1 hour. Luckily I'd packed a fridge load of food. We saw lovely sites, big old Queenslanders, units almost built on top of the train lines, lots of winding rivers, and a plethora of people who'd stopped for us. We travelled through many a tunnel and passed over numerous bridges. It was spectacular. At the end of our journey we got to go into the front steam train engine. The 2 boys and I saw all the coal and the huge furnace. There was soot everywhere but it was fantastic. We took lots of pictures. From here we walked around the station for awhile checking it all out. The kids loved it and so did my husband and I.

After all our running we had developed quite an appetite. Even though the 2 boys had just eaten for the past 1 hour, they were still hungry. Not surprising. As we left the train station my husband and I laughed because running up the stairs of the station were 2 parents with a small child in each arm, running to catch a train. It felt like we had handed over the baton to them. The 4 of us walked several kilometres back into South Bank to grab some food. By now it was starting to get a little cool but then the sun emerged. Hooray! We gobbled up our food and drink and then headed over to the park. As this week is Queensland week, there were heaps and heaps of celebrations on beside the river. There were jugglers and many a street performer, markets galore and people galore. It was busy. We wound up our adventures for the day by visiting the Lolly shop at South Bank. It's a choose your own lolly collection shop so it feels limitless with the amount you can purchase. After we all gobbled up a good deal of sugar and were artificially re-energised, we headed back to our car. It took us nearly 1 hour to get home which was a long time to only travel 25 kilometres, but Bailey fell asleep and Brandon watched a DVD.

The evening was spent with the 2 boys eating and eating. I cooked them a yummy dinner and the 3 of us consumed what felt like kilos of strawberries. Pure deliciousness. My husband has just bathed both boys because I needed 10 minutes of escape time. We had a great day. Again the 2 boys have gone crazy, but everyone is happy. Hopefully the other family that we saw running for the train today made it on time for their train adventures. I am very glad that we did actually catch that train today, even if it was only just.

We Made It To The Farm!

The 2 boys and I finally made it to the Strawberry Farm today. We had attempted to go about 11 days ago but the farmers had decided that there wasn't enough strawberries ready for the onslaught of expected people who would come and pick their own fruit. My husband was off to the Horse Races with friends today so it was a special event for the 3 of us as we are the biggest fruit lovers in the world. I had everything packed that I could possibly need, especially a spare set of clothes for the kids. I've picked strawberries with the boys before. They know where the mud is. If they can't see it, they find it. They sit in it, run through it, jump all over it, and laugh hysterically as they slide through it. Hence my back up clothes.

When we arrived at the farm, the 2 boys ran straight to the brand new play equipment that the Strawberry Farm have implemented. The farm looks so much better this year. There's an enormous playground, tables to sit at, proper parking and gigantic strawberries. Previously you'd just have to park in the cane fields almost. It looks great now. Unfortunately, although we were told  that we'd be able to pick our own strawberries as of today, when we arrived, there was a big sign now saying that we couldn't pick our own fruit until the 25th June. They are keeping me waiting. We did buy some strawberries that the farmers had picked. In fact, we bought 3 1/2 kilograms of fruit. Why not! The 2 boys and I absolutely love strawberries. I can guarantee that there will not be any left by tomorrow.

Even though we couldn't pick our own fruit just yet, they 2 boys and I walked around the farm, played in the playground, ate some strawberries, froze, and just had a great time. Brandon, Bailey and myself grabbed a punnet of strawberries and a blanket that I'd bought with us to sit on, and we ventured up to the cubby house in the new playground and ate our strawberries. Delicious. 2 young girls who live on the farm played with the boys for awhile before the boys were besotted with a chicken, as can be seen from the photos. One day I'm sure that the boys will read this and be in disbelief that they chose to run after a chicken rather than 2 girls. That's all good with me.

It was absolutely freezing today so eventually I rounded the 2 boys up and after changing their clothes because they were covered in mud, we jumped back into the car and headed for home. I wasn't fussed if the boys didn't sleep today. I knew my husband wouldn't be home to much later so I was enthusiastic to get the kids in bed early tonight. If they had a sleep during the day, my plan for the evening wouldn't work. Bailey spent a large part of the afternoon crying which made me hope that he would sleep. Alas he didn't. I think that he is teething or at least his teeth are growing. Something in his mouth is causing him great angst.

The 2 boys and I ordered gourmet pizza this evening before then jumping in the car to go and pick it up. We also bought some take home ice cream that was just delicious. The boys and I sat down together and ate which was really nice. They astound me in so many ways. At the moment both boys are fascinated with poo. Not doing a poo but trying to gross each other out verbally as much as a 2 and a 4 year old can. They are constantly in fits of laughter together and it's all because of poo. Brandon said to Bailey this evening- "When I eat you, I'll have to go to hospital to poo you out my bum." They both thought it was hysterical. I finally got them bathed, dried and dressed for bed, only to have to feed them more food. I'm looking forward  to my strawberries for breakfast tomorrow.