Racal is 4!

 Last weekend my middle boy turned 4! Such a big boy now and really looking forward to Kindy next year.

 He started the day with birthday candles and presents over breakfast and then we had a small party in the afternoon with a few friends and family.

Firemans are still a favourite so that was the them for the day. Free printable cake toppers, water bottle labels and party bag labels were all found here.

This moment - advent tea

Thanks Jennifer - I'm loving my tea advent!

Wordless Wednesday - Rock climbing

Hello ...

Sorry I have been away for so long. A little monkey has stolen my camera download cable so I haven't been able to upload photos. Hope to be back again soon.

Wordless Wednesday - puggles very late birthday present!

Maybe it will end up being a Christmas present? Wish me luck!

Puggle is 2!

My baby boy is 2! How can that be - I don't know where the last year has gone but he has grown and changed so much. Being the cheeky little character that he is he even managed to spread the celebrations over several days and spent all week singing " Happy birthday to me!". So sweet.

 To celebrate the actual day we had  - as requested - pizza for dinner and then ...

 An improvised ice-cream cake which was eaten in ice-cream cones with extra sprinkles.

Then on the weekend we had a small family birthday party with a Thomas Number 2 cake. He loves blowing out candles and being the centre of attention. His big brother loved it too! Happy birthday my sweet Puggle. xxxx

Craft vandal

I haven't written any posts on art and craft activities for soooo long. 

The main reason is that a simple invitation to draw or colour usually ends in this .....

... half eaten craft supplies!

Yes despite being almost 2 my little puggle is still obsessed with having a little chew on everything he gets his hands on! So frustrating for his older brothers but I guess we will just have to wait a little longer to get back to those family art projects! Hope your week is going well and you are having more success with your arts and crafts.

See-Saw Smile

Puggle loves to move - he runs, he jumps, he swings and he just loves the see-saw at our local park.

Look at that smile -he is such a happy boy!

Pterodactyl Nest

Recently while we were doing some raking in the garden my boys created a pterodactyl nest from some sticks and some large pebbles. 

 Each time I walk past it it makes me smile. I love the idea of children making land art.

Even Jack Dog is curious to see if those 'eggs' are ever going to hatch!

The breakfast apron

Like all my boys, Puggle has preferred to feed himself pretty much right from the start. For a long time he has also resisted any attempt on my part to get him to wear a bib. I do love his independents but I'm not quite so keen on all the mess.

I struggle to find good breakfast options for my youngest boys who are usually far too busy to sit still for more than a minute or two in the mornings. So I'm very happy that Puggle has become a fan of my breakfast porridge with blueberries.

However, it usually mean that a complete change of clothes is  needed after he has had his breakfast. 

 Last week, after having to change his clothes pretty much after every meal, I decided that perhaps an apron was in order. It is a bit harder to pull straight off than a bib and has the extra length which is needed to collect the little pile that gathers in his lap.

There is still plenty of cleaning up to do but hopefully a little less washing in the pile! Perhaps I need to make a few more of these little aprons.

Wordless Wednesday - On the mend

My boys have been unwell but I think they are finally on the mend. Hope you are enjoying your week!

6

Last month Junior turned 6! Where did those years go? I can't believe how fast it has gone or how long it has taken me to actually publish this post! (The last few weeks have really got away from me). Anyway we started the day with candles and the birthday song over breakfast and then prepared for the party.

 Junior requested a Nijago themed party and has been asking for this for some time. My suggestion of putting some of his Lego figures on the cake didn't go down well so in the end I found a lego figure ice cube mould online and made chocolate lego men to decorate the cake. I even set some in little disks of chocolate in an attempt at making Ninjago spinners!

 The lego men also decorated the cupcakes and I printed up some Ninjago eyes to decorate the Jelly cups and take home bags.

 I found some free printables for the water bottles and got the boys busy making Lego brick containers to hold straws, napkins etc. Aussie Dad even built me a Lego cake stand. Lots of fun.

We kept the party guests entertained with a spinner hunt, musical spinners and a spoon and lego brick race. Lots of fun and giggles for the birthday boy, his friends and family. Happy Birthday my big boy!

42!

 42! According to Douglas Adams it is "The Answer to Life the Universe and Everything".

 I'm still waiting for some enlightenment but in the mean time I enjoyed my birthday all the same. Afternoon tea and cake with my three boys and then dinner out with Aussie Dad. A lovely birthday.

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all mums out there! Hope you are having a lovely day.

 My mothers day started early this year. We all went out for breakfast on Saturday morning to beat the crowds on Sunday. A lovely meal at the Naked Fig in Swanbourne followed by a walk along the beach.

 This morning I had a lie-in (the best present ever) and then was presented with some lovely flowers ...

 ... and breakfast on the patio. 

The weather was gorgeous so we opted for a walk and play at the river. Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Autumn leaf crowns

It is starting to feel very autumn like now in Perth so the boys and I have been doing a bit of autumn craft. 

We gathered a bowl full of gorgeous autumn leaves and with a few strips of cardboard and a stapler we made a some Autumn crowns.

Puggles turned out like bunny ears...

.. and even Jack Dog has a new crown!

Belated weekending

Sorry for my absence - I have been trying to locate a camera cable which a certain three year old had taken off my desk and hidden! Eventually he showed me where it was so I have finally been able to download some photos from last weekend. It started with a quick trip to our local famers market to stock up on fruit and veg (and some sweet daffodils which Rascal couldn't resist).

Then I had to try these gorgeous French Breakfast Puffs which I saw recently at Salt and Chocolate.

 

 They were a delicious start to the weekend - though Rascal just seemed to like the cinnamon sugar on top!

The the boys helped Aussie Dad build a wall around a garden bed out the back (we may even get lawn back in here one day!).

And on Sunday there was a little bit  of Autumn crafting for my little boys. Hope you had a nice weekend and week!

Wordless Wednesday - kite flying

Tape resist art.

I have been meaning to try this tape resist art project with my boys for a while and when I saw these mini canvas boards at the Educational Art Supplies shop last week I knew what I would use them for straight away.

I taped the first letter of the boys names onto each board using some masking tape and then let them paint whatever they wanted.

At first they painted over the masking tape but with a little encouragement they soon took to the whole board with enthusiasm.

I particularly liked Rascals approach where he painted over the board with a brush and then started drawing patterns in the paint with his fingers.

The paint bled a little under some of the tape so I might outline the letters with a felt marker (Sharpie) but I think the results are very pretty and will make a nice addition to the boys bedrooms. Puggle was asleep when the boys painted these so I have painted over his board with a pale green and I will let him loose with some marker pens which will be a little easier for his little hands to tackle (and I hope a little bit less messy)!