Beach joy

Alex has come along way since last summer when the sight of waves on the beach would cast fear into his little heart.




This year - during a Christmas holiday in Coffs Harbour with the family we took a little walk along the beach. It was pretty choppy but that didn't stop Alex running into the water giggling and shouting waves! With ever growing excitement. We had to virtually drag out the soggy little one from the water to dry off.







P.s now I have the benefit of time and a shiny new laptop for Christmas I promise to update the blog again. Alex has done all sorts of growing up recently that I've not been blogging about. Bad mummy blogger!


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On Sunday we went to a mini-kid-festival-jamboree-extravoganza.  The sweet smell of candy floss,  sausage sizzles  and animal turds assaulted our nostrils in a strange yet bold combination.  This is the second mini-kid-festival-jamboree-extravoganza we've been to in as many months. Completely free music, kid presenters, face-painting,  entertainment and food/drinks. Best of all there has always been a petting zoo tucked away in some corner (see photos), where Alex can finally meet all the species he comes across in such abundance in his books.
Basically, what we're gradually learning is that  Leichhardt Municipal Council is a dab hand when it comes to putting on the ole' mini-kid-festival-jamboree-extravoganza...

Alex poolside

Alex is practicing his leap, though not a complete '10'  he does manage to go under water and emerge again without the coughing and spluttering that marred previous attempts.

Look more numbers

Alex has a new obsession - and it's not Dora (although she still holds a big place in his heart) its not dinosaurs, cupcakes or even little girls. It's numbers. He LOVES numbers and gets ultra excited whenever and wherever he sees them. And I can safely say that numbers are EVERYWHERE!

An equal level of excitement is generate by house numbers, speed limit signs, license plates, oven dials, remote control buttons, letter boxes...

Location:Dobroyd Parade,Haberfield,Australia

Daddy daycare

We know it's not ideal having Alex at two different day care centres. Even though both are very good and he enjoys the people at both, it must be unsettling for him. At first it was a result of not getting into a place locally due to the crazy long waiting lists, now it's more about enabling Haydn and I to share the load dropping and collecting wise.

We've now decided to try and get him into one place, Garfield Street so he gets a bit more consistency.

So all going well this is the last fathers day where Alex will bring home two different crafty father's day cards and presents. But for now Haydn is basking in the glory of 3 fathers day cards from one son (including one home crafted version - that's the big silver one!)



He also got 2 sleep-ins this weekend, roast lamb for dinner and a papa's baked ricotta cheesecake for dessert... Mmm when's mothers day again?


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Location:Grove Ln,Lilyfield,Australia

grrrr

The AB Tour

Here's the first look at our new house and area with tour guide Alex Butler.

Walking the laneway with some Brit pop attitude...

Lounging in some inappropriate footwear...

Posing by the stairs (with a bit of the kitchen and
Alex's play area in the background...)

Crafting in his play area...

Road testing a local playground...

More local and new house adventures coming soon...

Motherland

Over the past few weeks things have been a touch crazy, not necessarily bad crazy, or good crazy just 'wow there's quite a lot going on isnt there? - crazy'.
In the space of a week we bought a house, I flew to Melbourne, back to Sydney and then to London for 6 days for work.
The pro's and con's list of this very last minute London trip was fraught and competitive...
PROs
Free flights/accommodation
Catchup with much-missed old friends
The shopping
Interesting worky-type experience
See London again at a fun Jubilee/Olympics time
CON's
Being away from H & Alex for 6 WHOLE DAYS!!!!
The most I'd every managed before was 2 nights and that was once in the previous 2+ years.


But we survived, helped by the power of regular Skypes and H and Grandpa doing a wonderful job looking after the little man.

For me the whole London experience was surreal. The only way I could subconsciously explain why I was in London again, without Alex or H and seeing my old UK friends was that I must have travelled back
in time, to a time before babies, before early nights in and the constant rush of work and family life.



To be honest I kind of enjoyed it... for a bit anyway... That being said once the work was over and I was heading home I was desperate to see my little man and throw myself back into the wonderful chaos of my old/new life.




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Ode to a poor neglected blog

Alex has composed a little song, including guitar accompaniment by way of recompense for the blatant lack of blogging over the past few weeks... months even?

There is much to report on including a random trip to the UK (Van) and Hamilton Island (Haydn) family visits (Nanna B & Grandpa), house moves (mortgage eek!), horrible colds (sniff) and happy daycare times (at last) but for now I leave you with this performance and the confirmation that Alex definitely gets his musical ability from the Butler side of the family...

p.s special prize to anyone who can figure out what he's actually singing...

Flashing at little girls

The weekend before last while Dad was working away all with the kids at Nickelodeon - Alex and I and a few friends went to the Royal National Park, about an hour or so south of where we live.




I'd never been before and discovered a combination of beauty (lagoon, waterfall, secluded beach) with a good dose of practical (toilets, BBQ facilities, picnic areas) thrown in for good measure.

After a super delicious BBQ lunch we wondered down to the beach.




I interrupt this blog post to mention the fact that it's mid Autumn - almost winter and we can all not just have a picnic but also go to the beach and actually swim without earning some sort of 'surviving extreme conditions' badge. This has to be why moved back to Australia.




In an (increasingly frequent) organisational oversight, I failed to bring swimmers for myself or Alex. So I resorted to splashing about in my dress and Alex went nudie (because he's only 2 so can get away with such things). He actually attracted the attention of a little girl who seemed in equal parts fascinated and horrified at his blatant disregard for the conventions of polite society. He responded by splashing in the water with his bum in the air.








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Location:Royal National Park

When I grow up I want to be a...

Rockstar?
Classical Musician?
Electronics store sales person?

Location:Dick smiths store somewhere in western Sydney

He marched them up to the top of the hill...

Catching up on some of our NZ holiday adventures. We bought a backpack for Alex to travel in and christened it with a walk up the beautiful mount maunganui. I'll admit Dad did the heavy lifting in on this one, I'm not sure I'd make it up with the not so little Alex on my back.

Step one 1 heading up





Step 2 picking up the pace





Step 3 the top!





Step 4 heading down





Step 5 look sheep!





Step 6 return to ground level triumphant




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Back in New Zealand

I can hardly believe that it's been over a year since we were living happily in New Zealand - there we were for three long lounging months of summer; going to the beach; walking up the mount and generally having a lovely time with Nanna B with not a care in the world and our Sydney adventures still to come.

So now we return for a couple of well earned weeks rest after lots of work and more tummy bugs, coughs and snotty noses than you can count on one hand, which is perpetually clutching a tissue.

A windy beach walk with Aunty Jan & Nanna B

It's amazing how quickly you can switch off from all the work worries and slip back into doing very little. Alex recognised Nanna at the airport and was immediately very comfortable at her house which makes me thinks he remembers it, even just a little bit. He's spending his time climbing up and down the stairs, chasing the pussy cat every chance he gets and hanging out with his (2nd) cousins Ruby and Jackson. He's becoming very good at saying 'Jaxshon' although 'Boobie' he still struggles with.

The backpack, up and safe from slobbery dogs

We also bought a backpack for him to travel in when we go for walks which he loves. Haydn and I walked up Mount Maunganui with him in it, admittedly I had the easy ride as I didn't have a 12kg+ toddler on by back. Well, I say that he 'loves it' there was one moment where he was strapped into the backpack but dad hadn't picked him up yet and a very friendly dog came up and gave Alex a big lick across the face, he wasn't such a fan of the backpack at that moment....


We've been having daily walks on the beach with Nanna B and Aunty Jan and the weather, which keeps promising storms and rain has been lovely and sunny the whole time we've been here.

Alex's 2nd birthday party stays afloat - just

The pirate ship cake complete Agrrr!

The weekend before we left for New Zealand we had a little birthday party for Alex. Technically speaking it was his 2nd birthday on the 31st but we were flying that morning and didn't fancy squeezing in a birthday celebration to the 30 mins we had before checking at the Airport. So we decided to subtly shift his birthday to the weekend before "he's 2, he doesn't even know what a birthday is so he'll never know" - we said to ourselves. That is until he learns to read and discovers this blog post. Hmm...

So anyway, the all important cake baking started the day before and at about 1.50pm, a whole 10 mins before the guests were due to arrive the cake was done. Due to a um... (rare?)... moment of disorganisation I forgot to book the BBQ area that I'd sent everyone to and had to hastily change plans and have the gathering in our apartment.

Grandpa was a surprise visitor and we had lots of other friends, little and large come by and Alex was very spoilt with some lovely gifts including funky PJs, beautiful books (we love books at the moment), two fantastic toy cars, bubbles, an Elmo balloon (still love Elmo) and lots more.

Alex made sure to run to the door every time the buzzer went to greet his next visitor and was remarkably happy despite all the fuss, noise and people wanting to play with his toys (now is not the age for sharing). There was a tense moment with an altercation between two little people over the little tykes car which ended in tears and a few scratches. More on that here: http://bubbymakesthree.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/party-pooper.html

Harper, just before the incident with little Elliot

Alex loved the kitchen he got from mum and dad

But in the end the party sailed on happily with the Pirate Ship cake going down a treat with grown ups and little people alike. And most importantly Alex had fun!

Birthday song video and candle blowing didn't quite work out...

Boats and birds and booties...

Ok, been meaning to catchup on some recent adventures, where Alex has met Kookaburra's, boats, practiced lots and of steps, lost a shoe in the mangroves and mud, had aforementioned shoe rescued by his heroic mamma and probably other things I can't remember because it's been a while and I really should have done this blog post a few weeks ago.

Anyway, it's really all about the photos isn't it?

Stair master!

 

Alex meets the locals - who get increasingly daring over the weekend, at one stage stealing a sausage straight from the BBQ.

Being swallowed by his life jacket.

It's kind of like the bath... Just much bigger

Special thanks goes to Captain Ian and First Officer Sandra for organisng such a fantastic long weekend and keeping us afloat! We had a ball, even if we didn't catch any fish.

Location:Hawksbury River, NSW

There comes a time...

There comes a time in every parent's life when they realise their little one is not so little anymore. That it's time for them to find their independence, their freedom to go out into the world and seek adventure... At this time you realise your not so little man is ready for his own set of wheels.

For us, that time came just before Alex's 2nd birthday.

Location:The Promenade,Chiswick,Australia

Weeeeeee!

For once this post isn't about bodily fluid. It's actually about a bike seat we bought for Alex called a 'wee ride'. As you'll see from the photos it's like a normal toddler bike seat but goes in the front rather than the back so you can have conversations, check out the view together and more importantly ensure that your little person hasn't fallen off or lost a shoe or an arm behind you and you just didn't notice!

Needless to say Alex loved riding around with his dad - Grandpa and Mum also came along for the ride around the neighbourhood and nobody laughed at their funny folding bicycles.

I'm pretty sure Alex spend most of the journey saying 'weeeeeeee!!!!'








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Location:Drummoyne, NSW

making it better

I've had a very busy time at work lately - it's tricky enough juggling a full time job and looking after a little person and attempting to keep your house in a vaguely habitable if not exactly 'clean and tidy' state. But when full time work turns into working late into the night and going in on a weekend and things still going wrong then it's downright depressing.

I had one of those 'I've had enough' moments a few nights ago, feeling sorry for myself while slumped on the living room floor with my rushed dinner lying unappealing and uneaten on the plate next to me, and Alex on the other side - I said to Alex. "Mum's not feeling so good, can you give mum a kiss to make her feel better?"

I interrupt this story to provide some context. Haydn and I have been hugging and smooching Alex on a regular basis pretty much since he emerged from the womb, so these days he just about tolerates it or waves a vague disinterested hand in our general direction when ever we go in for another hug.

So there I am, not expecting much from my request and what does Alex do?

He turns from whatever he's doing - probably playing with the iPad or re-programming the cordless phone, gives me a big kiss on the cheek, acompanied by a loud 'mwah!' sound then turns back to what he was doing.

It was one of the loveliest moments of my life.

Access all areas

Because we see him, dress him, carry him around every day - it's easy to not notice that Alex is getting bigger, taller, heavier all the time. What we do notice is his ability to reach things - the buttons outside the lift, the emergency bell button inside the lift (hmm...) and the handles of all the doors in our apartment.

What this means is now Alex has access to any room in the house when ever he wants it. This is a slight problem if you happen to be trying to get some work done or having a nap in the bedroom or you're a house guest attempting to use the bathroom and Alex chooses that time to storm into the room.

So while we appreciate his persistence and enthusiasm we now have to work on his timing.

Location:Sydney