Tuesday 31 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day thirty one



The little sweet smile and knowing eyes . It usually means you are thinking up your next question, or as it usually is, a set of questions. Your Dad and I often joke that you don’t actually talk much, as in any sort of conversation, more that your dialogue with us is a thoughtful question and then many, many follow up questions. You press on until you have been given sufficient answers.

“Mum, why do firefighters wear  jackets? “
“Well that’s to protect them in case they get near a fire”
“What happens if they don’t wear one?”
“They may get burnt and that would hurt a lot”
“Where do they keep their jackets when they’re not fighting fires?”
“At the fire station”
“What is the jacket made out of?” .......And so it goes until I distract you “Hey look Finn! A concrete mixer!” or you get frustrated with my answers, “Can you ask the computer Mum?”


Your interest in your world is always growing. It’s as if you wake up each morning and set yourself a quota of how many topics you will dissect within the day. I do love watching the look you give when you are composing your next question. I can tell that your brain is going crazy trying to decide which angle you will take on your current topic. It does hurt my brain as we head towards the close of each day and my mouth is constantly dry from talking but please don’t stop asking questions, learning and figuring things out Finn. It can only be a good skill to hold onto as you move through your years.

Monday 30 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day thirty


{ I like to dance, to a dance-y beat. Dance, me and both my feet. I love it. I love it. I really, really do. I like to dance! }

Sunday 29 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twenty nine



Everyday seems to end up like this, Harper May. Wild hair and with limited clothes on. Today, at least your pants remained on. All of those dainty dresses in your wardrobe are really going to waste aren’t they?

Saturday 28 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twenty eight


Re-enacting yesterday’s pizza making with playdough. Love that you found the oven mittens to add to your imaginative play Finn.

Friday 27 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twenty seven



Lachie made the sensational decision to take today off, making himself a tidy little four day weekend. When moments got tough at home over the past fortnight my mantra was “Four day weekend coming up. Four day weekend coming up.” I love weekends even more now that I am a stay at home mum. Much more.

A little side note: My dear friend Kate shared with me this wonderful article. I have been thinking about it a lot and feel that it really does sum up my thoughts on motherhood/being a stay at home mum. Within any day I can experience dreaded lows (Finn and Harper fighting over toys, tantrums- oh boy the tantrums, messy toileting accidents etc, etc), but then out of nowhere there are these shining light moments. Moments that stop me in my tracks, make me smile and remind me how lucky I am to be a mother to these two beautiful little people. I have never found being at home full time with the kids easy; sometimes it can be manageable and other times I certainly struggle. But I always want to be here. Like the article points out, I don’t seize every day but I sure do cherish the little moments that make me happy and thankful that I am a mother.

So, it’s on these weekends that the pressure is taken down a notch, the highs and lows even out a little, a time where we can have fun as a family and give each other a bit of time out here and there. If you read this blog regularly you are going to hear me talk again and again about how supportive Lachie is and what an amazing father he is. It just has to be said, over and over. He has been a hands on Dad from day one and Finn and Harper just adore him. Today was just anonther example of why I love this man.

Sunday night is usually pizza night. Having a few extra weekend days up our sleeve we moved things around a little. Lachie takes full control of this night. He makes the dough, creates his own pizza sauce and selects delicious toppings to boot. He also gets Finn and Harper involved. Today I am surprised that any of these photos are in focus as I was laughing so much as I was taking them. As Lachie was kneading the dough he was pressing it over the kids’ hands and they thought it was hysterical ! They were captivated and fully engaged in the cooking experience. Lachie has that effect on the kids. He makes things physical, tailors activities to their level and always, always brings the fun factor. Afternoons can be a little hairy in our house, but this afternoon ran smoothly and was such a pleasure. Oh and the pizzas were delicious.
a few outtakes from today.....
{Harper bouncing up and down as her Dad pounded the dough}

{the finished product. delicious.}

{carefully pulling off the stringy cheese}


Thursday 26 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twenty six

Australia Day.

I am conflicted about this day. I love where I live and the many, many opportunities it has granted our family but I find it hard to shy away from the fact that today over 200 years ago marked an incredible turning point for Indigenous Australians.

This is far from a political blog. I just need to get that out there. I am all too aware that it may seem hypocritical of me that I took my family along to a Australia Day event in Canberra but I do know that today I  acknowledged  the sadness that this day marks for Indigenous Australians. I am only one person but I am sorry for what the “discovery” of this beautiful country meant for the First Australians.

So here are my beautiful Australians:
{Harper loves her Daddy. And I love that Daddy had the day off. }
{Harper by Lake Burley Griffin}
{Um, yes? What is it you would like? }
{Fighter jet display over the lake.}
{Finn counting the jets that flew over }
{watching the soldiers march}

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twenty four



We’ve had a big fortnight of back to back playdates. It has been wonderful to reconnect with my Mummy friends and Finn and Harper’s little buddies after the Christmas period. This morning though no catch-ups were locked in so we were free to do what we wanted. On these days I don’t like to plan out what we will do, more let the day unfold. Kids are calm and playing co-operatively? We stay on the homefront. Things getting a little tense and wild? We pile into the car or go for walk.

This morning things in the playroom were getting a bit heated so we headed out. I had an errand to run in town but I thought I would buffer this boring task with milkshakes and a trip to the park.
Now I am a thrifty mum and usually make Finn and Harper share a milkshake on outings. I guess I take sharing to the extreme sometimes and today I got a little relaxed on the whole issue. This morning Finn was gobsmacked when the waitress bought out two milkshakes!  Finn had chocolate. Harper had strawberry. After a few sips Finn called out “Swapsies!”  and they switched glasses. My heart almost burst. I love that they have these moments together that are completely independent of me. No refereeing, no encouraging on my front, just my two kids being siblings and friends.

I also love that when Harper is enjoying something she is eating or drinking she almost always closes her eyes.

Monday 23 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twenty three



Today was a playdate day at a friend’s house. I love watching you interact with your friends and seeing your confidence build. You were kind and patient today Finn.  Loving and gentle with Harper too. You’re going to be a great man one day. I can already see it.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twenty two

Three for today because it is Sunday, and Sunday’s relaxed state means I can make up my own rules ;)

I know, I know I have already captured Harper on the swing this month but it had to be done again because baby girl loves to swing.  From the moment she is buckled into the seat until we “negotiate” when she hops off her smile is big and wide.
Not a fan of heights Finn has gradually warmed to the swings. Today Finn was giggling and throwing his head back as he was pushed. This is happiness.

Harper’s hair.
I wash it, brush it, tie it back, clip it. It doesn’t matter what I do by 10am each day it looks like this; unkept, with a bit of a surfer dude look to it. Seriously I do try.

Saturday 21 January 2012

documenting delight: Day twenty one



Finn and Harper,
      This morning you were my little helpers as I made a zucchini slice. And when I say “helpers”,  I mean that you helped yourselves to all the food that was laid out on the bench. This photo was taken at 8am, merely one hour after you had a substantial breakfast. This is indicative of most days, eating non-stop until about mid afternoon. I feel like I am on constant food prep duty in a busy restaurant, frantically trying to keep up with my busy customers!  I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining though as I am so thankful that you are both adventurous eaters and that mealtimes are a happy event in our home.

Friday 20 January 2012

Thursday 19 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day nineteen



Harper you are in love big time with your collection of ‘Little People’. You position them in a long line on the train table and I listen to voices and conversations you give them, “Do you want to go to a party?” (in a high pitched voice) “Oh yes I like parties” (responding in a lower tone). The way you play with these little plastic figures very much mimics who you are, social and engaging. Lately you have been drawing me into your Little People play sessions, coming up to me, looking me in the eye and saying, no demanding “YOU and ME in the playroom. We play with Little People.” You giggle when I say yes, then you take my hand and lead me to the room. Thanks for being my playmate today Harper. It was fun.

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day eighteen


Finn, I think you noticed that today was a difficult day. I was a little stressed out wasn’t I buddy? After lunch today you looked at me with worried eyes and said “Are you tired Mummy?” I just nodded, unable to talk. I knew if I opened my mouth, tears would closely follow. Your little sister is walking a road that you have already travelled, the emotional rollercoaster of being a two year old. Sometimes you ignore her tantrums, other times you sit quietly and watch. I wonder what you are thinking when you see your sister in such a distressed state? You also occasionally give me a little heaps up, “Mum, I think she’s gonna vomit!” (Yes, Harper is a vomitting tantrum-er.) There were tantrums a plenty today. A day where finding delight was tricky but like all days it’s there if I look hard enough. Like all days, I find it in my children. Today I found a little pocket of delight in you my sweet boy. You came to me with two ropes and asked me to tie them around your waist. I did and then you walked off to the playroom and come back with two of your wooden tools. My handy man needed a tool belt so that’s exactly what you made. I love how resourceful you are Finn, you can take random household items and turn it into an hour’s worth of play. Thank you for making me smile today sweet boy.
P.S. I know you loathe going to the hairdresser but I think it's on the cards buddy :)

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day seventeen



Harper, your creativity and imagination is really shining at the moment. This morning I found you on the kitchen floor (wearing a pj top, no pants and crocs no less) gently tapping your Jemima doll’s head with an assortment of paddle pop sticks you had found.

“What are you doing Harper?”

“I’m snipping?”

"Snipping Jemima? "

“Jemima needs a hair cut. I am snipping”


So the paddle pops stick were scissors. How did I not guess that?

Monday 16 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day sixteen



I have been squirreling away your birthday and Christmas presents, trying to hide a few so our playroom doesn’t become overwhelmed. Ever the bold child, today you opened the playroom cupboard and started rummaging through my stash.  We had a talk about asking Mummy first but really the goodies had been discovered so there was no turning back. I took out a packet of dot markers and quickly pushed the rest of the toys back in the cupboard. You love drawing and colouring in and these new art implements took that love to a whole new level. You bounced around with the markers vigorously stamping your book, smearing and making no attempt to keep the running ink on your page. I held back on giving any guidance, reminding myself that its all about the process rather than the product right? I listened as you described what you were doing, “Look the man’s head is all dotty!”, still amazed that you are now talking in full sentences. Then laughed when you placed your marker down and proclaimed “There. All finished”, your little catch phrase for anything you complete.


The label said "washable" but by the look of the beyond bright ink I highly doubt it.
16.1.2012 outtake

Sunday 15 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day fifteen


Finn you do like a spot of TV. Wait who am I kidding? If I let you have free range of it you would sit in front of it all day. However nothing tops your viewing list like watching your Daddy trim the hedges with his electric trimmer. Today you sat perfectly sit, only moving to point to spots your Dad had missed. You even requested that your lunch be bought out to this exact spot while you took in the gardening scenes.

Saturday 14 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day fourteen



Baby girl likes to rough-house. She likes to be loud and wrestle on the ground with her Dad. She likes to be thrown in the air and then draped over her Daddy’s back. She tackles her brother and she has been known to give him a forceful shove when things don’t go her way. She plays with trucks and can name the features of a backhoe digger. She is smashing all gender stereo types and I love it.

Friday 13 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day thirteen


My no-day sleeper has returned to being a daysleeper. Maybe the busy holiday season brought it on or maybe Harper is going through a growth spurt. Whatever it is, I like it.

Thursday 12 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day twelve



It was a Thursday that started with a tantrum and many more preceded it. I needed something to add a positive spin to the day. Whenever a diversion is needed I usually turn to cooking. It gets the kids involved and has the alluring end result of food. Something both Finn & Harper cannot resist. So instead of the usual sandwich we made English muffin pizzas for lunch. Harper opted to eat her toppings before they made their way to her pizza, and in true Finn style he brought razor sharp concentration to the task. The sibling differences strike again.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day eleven



A road trip to catch up with your cousins on a windy day. Baby girl you are always drawn to the swings and today was no exception. Yesterday we hit our local park and I tried, unsuccessfully, to get a good photo of you mid swing. I wanted to capture your beaming-I’m-swinging-so-high face. It didn’t happen then but today it did. Just look at that smile.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day ten



Head resting just above the water. This is how you like to do bath time my baby girl. You also like to flip your body over, dunk your head under, flap your arms about then lift yourself up and proclaim "Look, I swimming!" Such a water baby.

Monday 9 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day nine



Two for today.
Harper May eating (no, demolishing) cherries. Again. She looks like a cherry loving Joker in this shot. Adore that Finn was in hysterics watching his sister drip cherry juice all over the table cloth.


Finn’s love of garbage tracks goes way back. The sound of our Monday morning garbage truck rattling up our street can quite easily become the highlight of Finn’s day. I love that about him, he delights in the simple movements of our life.

Sunday 8 January 2012

DIY Reading Corner

{Harper's new book corner}
Let’s be straight, neither Lachie or I are the renovating types so when I saw numerous gorgeous book corner popping up in blogs & pinterest I knew that if we pulled it off it would be a huge achievement. Anything bigger than this little project and we would be calling the professionals in. So it is done and we are happy with it.
I had grand plans of building our own shelves, but I knew that the idea to turn $2.49 IKEA spice racks into forward facing bookshelves would suit our style (ability?) better.
{Forward facing bookshelves - nice and low for little hands.}


Purchased and painted white to match Harper’s furniture we mounted them on the wall with a bit more difficulty than anticipated. A few trips back and forth to Bunnings though and we were away.

{I picked up these capital letters at Typo for $2 each.}

My original thought was to buy a beanbag to go on the floor but I thought it may crowd the area so I bought two cute Target cushions for $15 each.

Harper & Finn are enjoying the new little reading spot and for $48 I am clocking this up as a win for us budget conscious home improvement novices.

Documenting Delight: Day eight (right now)

I’m taking a bit of inspiration (heck all of my inspiration) from Georgia’s recent ‘Documenting Delight’ post, to capture a portrait style photograph of my kids and write a quick summary of their current likes & dislikes. You can find her gorgeous pictures & words  here. Lachie & I brainstormed these together and laughed away at all the quirky and cute things that make up our children’s worlds. So these are my children right now.....

{Harper -25 months}


[LIKES ]
Dancing, giving cuddles, singing nursery rhymes, wrestling on the grass with Daddy, ‘Playschool’ (particularly Humpty and presenter Tao), giggling, swimming, breastfeeding and choosing her own outfits.
 

[DISLIKES]
Being asked to pack up her toys, elephants and songs about elephants (running away and hiding at the opening chords of ‘One grey elephant’ – go figure?), wearing hair clips, being buckled into her carseat and being away from Mummy.
{Finn - 3.5}


[LIKES]
Construction vehicles, asking questions, reading, playing independently, catching public transport, eating summer fruits and singing and making up songs with Daddy.


[DISLIKES]
Lack of order, getting wet or dirty, going to the toilet, hair being shampooed, dogs and meals not being prepared on time.

Saturday 7 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day seven



Finn,
 Your baby sister came into your life when you were still a baby yourself. You addressed this change to our family with neither the standard “new baby in the family”  aggression nor affection. I really don’t think you noticed her until she started crawling. Since then you have been learning to love Harper. It has been hard for you sometimes mate, I understand that. Harper is so different to you. When you’re a toddler it’s difficult to see that our differences make us special. I get that. You like order, Harper prefers creative chaos. You like to play by yourself, Harper likes to be part of a group. You like to be clean and tidy, Harper likes to be covered in dirt. She may not always do things the way you prefer but I know you love her. I see it and sometimes I am even lucky enough to capture these little moments of love. Harper is so lucky to have you as her big brother and I think you know that she loves you.


Today's outtakes that I just couldn't part with.

Friday 6 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day six



You gobble up books Finn. You look through your favourites like they are treasured friends and re-tell the stories using the pictures as your guide. I finished a new book corner for Harper’s room today. You watched as I placed two new cushions in the corner and fiddled with the books in the shelves. You asked politely “Can I read one of my books in there?” Of coarse you can my love.

Thursday 5 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day five


Finn, you have always noticed letters, words & symbols around you. You went through a heavy phase when you were two where you would ask when passing a road sign “What’s that say?” Every sign you saw you needed to know what it said & what it meant. Apart from surrounding you with a love of words and books, we have never directed you towards “learning” anything. It has been surprising and wonderful to watch you make connections this year. Pointing out letters “Thomas has a T!”, finding similarities in the way letters looks “Mummy! If you turn this letter around (‘u’) it is an ‘n’!" and then piecing the letters in your own name together. You have been equally amazed by these discoveries as we have been to witness them.

Today the learning went a little something like this:

With quite a bit of distress in your voice
“Where is the other ‘n’?”
“Honey, there is only one ‘n’ in this pack”
“But I can’t make my name”
“Here’s another ‘n’ for you”
“There it is!”
Looking at your name with a puzzled look. Few seconds pass by, you look to me and I help you re-arrange them.


I love that you notice things around you and that this part of you has added an extra dimension to your love of books and reading. I hope that you continue to be amazed by words, to notice what is in your environment and of coarse, that you keep sharing these little light bulb moments with me.

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day four




Baby girl, you hopped out of the pool and set about your usual commands: “Clothes off”. Done. “I’m hungry. Food.” Done. You grabbed a handful of cherries and before I realised that I hadn’t chopped them up you masterfully chomped around the seed and discarded it. Again I see something that I didn’t know you were able to do. With cherry juice smeared over your face and your milk belly proudly on display you looked like the most content kid at the pool.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day three



Baby girl,

You don’t like sleeping much, but boy do you look delightful and peaceful when your body stops wriggling and your eyes finally close. Tonight was one of those nights that I laid next to you and repeated again and again in my head “Please, please sleep, Harper May”. I got frustrated with you. You got frustrated with me. I don’t like nights like this. I needed to stay with you after you fell asleep and look at the baby girl features you have and remind myself that it won’t always be this way. One day you won’t need me to get to sleep. One day I will look at this photo and know that this time was perfect, even if it came with challenges.


I love you baby girl. x

Monday 2 January 2012

Documenting Delight: Day two



"See, saw, Marjorie Daw,
Finny shall have a new master.
He shall have but a penny a day,
because he can't work any faster."


Before the predicted 35 degree temperature hit Canberra, we dashed off to the park to burn some energy. Finn, my cautious one likes to select park features that are closest to the ground. Slides, climbing frames are usually given a wide berth. See-saws are the safer option in his eyes. Lachie was on the other end of the see-saw today. Finn’s face captures how happy he was to be having fun while his dad is in serious holiday mode. I love holiday mode Lachie too.

Sunday 1 January 2012

Documenting Delight : The beginning


This is it, the first day of ‘Documenting Delight’ (or Project 366). The first day of finding and photographing all the delights in my life, each day for the entire year. I have completed Project 365 for the past two years. The project has been hard but it has helped me grow as a mother and as a hobby photographer. This year I want to nail it though. I want to aim big, set high standards for my photographs and really examine the areas of my family life that make it so rich and full. And for the first time I am blogging about it too. I am nervous about opening my world to others but I need some accountability that will come from making this commitment & a way to journal alongside my photographs. Often the stories behind the photos are more significant than the picture itself, and I don’t want to miss out on documenting these moments.


I took a cue from another blogger ( & my inspiration for starting ‘Documenting Delight’, Georgia’s blog can be found here) to aim to capture your photo for the day in the first 3-4 hours. Here’s Harper eating her morning tea, our Sunday ritual of soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers made by Daddy. Each photograph I captured this morning was with her eyes closed as she was concentrating so intently on digging out the yolk, or as her Daddy calls it “the egg-y goodness”.