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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