Day 58 - Saturday - baby swims

When Angus is in the water, he kicks his little legs like a frog, shunting himself along and making big splashes. He LOVES the water, just like his sister. And Mummy.

day 57 - friday

One of those days, no mojo. But in the evening relief: DVD, chinese take-away, time with husband. Aaaah.

Day 56 - Thursday - baby walks

All I had to do was get the camera and call him...

Angie...Angus

And here he comes. Walking at last at 16 months. He looks so pleased with himself.

Just for fun today...

Heart shaped sandwich!

Day 55 - Wednesday - progress

Last night Ian and I had another look at the concept plans for our extensions. We haven't looked at them since November. Our trip to Melbourne got in the way, then Christmas, then... well everything. So, over candlelight, in the quiet evening with the babies sleeping, we decided to go ahead with the great upstairs-parent-retreat. To celebrate, I finished reading the Lovely Bones, first book in one year!

Day 54 - Tuesday - Himanji Gardens

Today was our first "excursion", one of many I have planned over the next 12 months. Seven years in Adelaide and have never really explored the place so once a fortnight we're going to visit some cool places. This is the Himanji Gardens, a place of great beauty and peace

Giant, happy goldfish

Many coloured flowers

One of the gardeners explained the bees were drinking from this water feature on hot days, but no visitors had been stung, to his knowledge.

Sand, raked to look like the sea

Tasmin, the collector.

Day 53 - Monday - evidence

Monday 22 February 2010

It's astonishing that babies nibble, and chew and actually EAT books. Do we keep it? repair it? Give it away? Throw it away? Tasmin used to do it and Angus continues the tradition.

Day 52 - Sunday - my 38th birthday

Ian had a modest sleep in then watched the babies all day for me so i could have time to read my new birthday book - The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold - and think, and organise and create undisturbed in the study. Have kept the 365-project up to date, save some colour and ephemera on the journalling cards. Go me!

Day 51 - quiet reflection

This is the first time in a month I decided not to take a photo. I had a bit to think about today. Plus I thought it would be a good way to sneak an extra pic from the week into my 365 project.

Three things I'm grateful for:
1. I have happened across an incredibly inspiring website. I plan to spend many happy hours exploring there. It belongs to the talented karenika and oh, so worth a visit! It's nice to know there are actually people out there in the big wide world who are just. like. me.
2. My husband. He's always there for me. I've been a a bit troubled with some external conflicts lately and he understands people more deeply than anyone else I know. And he's so funny!
3. Lately I've been offering support as he transitions into a new job and I'm so grateful to be able to do that. I'm in such a happy place now. Life had been such a struggle after the birth of Tassie and for the first time in two and a half years I feel I'm doing a good job as a Mum. I like it!

Work in progress:
I remember reading a quote somewhere and the author said he was grateful for realising there were exactly the right amount of hours in the day that he needed (must find who said that). I can't accept that's true for me, but I'm working on it.

Day 50 - it's always been family

With my adorable babies. Love you two xxx

Tassie in milkshake heaven - banana mocktail

Daddy and Angus

Manda and Mike, 20 weeks pregnant

Today was a mixed sort of day. Decided to say goodbye to one part of my life I've been grappling with and spent all day looking forward to spending the evening with my fave people - Ian, the world's best and most incredible husband, sister Manda, brother-in-law Mike, Mum and my fave little people. Life's too short. Spend time with people who make you happy. For me, it's always been family. My sister and I share the same birthday, but I am the eldest by three years. Most people mistake me for the youngest, which is nice. I'm less bossy!

Day 49 Thursday - Angus walks at last

Angus loves when the camera comes out, but won't walk for a picture yet!

At last he gets to join his sister for outside play, with his own little shoes on.

Butterfly shirt, made by Mummy!

Little man, gazing at the flowers. He's so like his Mummy :-)

Day 48 Wednesday - baby clothes

One of my fave summer sights - washing hanging on the line. Love it.

Day 47 Tuesday - What I See

Mornings are different. I used to hate this time of day, 12 months ago (remember: severe sleep deprivation). Now it's the best part. I love watching the babies nibble their fruit while Sesame Street's on.

Day 46 Monday - washing day

Tassie finds it a real novelty some days to follow me around and help with housework. Today she decided to "clean" the new washing machine with an old toothbrush while I unloaded the clothes. Also lovin' the new front loader which uses so little water and detergent.

Monday 15th February 2010

Day 45 Sunday Valentines Day

Tasmin at the Paper Fair - didn't notice me coming and going at all.

Day 45 - Sunday - Valentine's Day

My sweetheart surprised me with these little cupcakes. The "L" and "O" are missing; they were eaten a day early ;-) We became an item exactly 8 years ago today...so it's also an anniversary!

Day 44 - Saturday - The Bill night in

We love our cozy Saturday night tradition of spaghetti bolognaise, Ian's glass of red wine and The Bill, at 8.30pm.

Day 43 Friday - Church cafe

When Angus saw me get up and turn my back, this is how he reacted. When he saw me turn around and pull out the camera, he was all smiles again. Tasmin is behind me trying to run back inside to the play area.

Day 42 shopping for milk - to last a week!

Breakfast time

Thursday 11 February 2010

It's true - a week's worth, for four of us! We also found room in the trolley for food, then dropped over to Manda's for lunch, borrowed a DVD player to replace our broken-by-angus one, scrapbooked while babies slept, went out again to get tyre repaired, (the guy said "You didn't drive it while it was flat, did you?") dropped in Ian's film for developing (police-uniform-shots) and...came home in time for another nappy change! Shopping to put away, washing to be done... Ah, happy times!

Day 41 little swimmers

We're happy again today, off for another swimming lesson.

Day 40 Terrible twos

Tassie was really out of sorts today, misbehaving and being generally difficult all day. Was it the weather - too hot to go outside, 38 degrees celcius? Her behaviour affected Angus too, who cried a lot and got overtired. Thankfully Daddy got home early at 5.30pm ;-)

Day 39 emerging artist

she will happily paint for an hour or more - see if I can get some scrapbooking done at the table!

Day 38 quiet Sunday

Ian loves making a childhood favourite of his, Tuna Mornay. He's always happy to make it, the sweetheart. I was tired and sore all day so this was perfect. Even got the babies to bed by 7pm.

Day 37 Ian's birthday party

Saturday 6th Feb 2010

So, i dropped ian and angus off at swimming and tassie and i went on to the cake shop about 15 minutes drive away. Only as I arrived, i realised my purse was at home - in the camera bag i swapped it into the day before. Grrrrr! So, an hour later we got home with the paid-for cake after to-ing and fro-ing all morning, leaving me an hour to get ready for ian's birthday party. His parents, Mum, and Manda all came, staying til about 4pm.

Then after a mountain of dishes I had to go out again, to meet up with my old teacher buddies I hadn't seen in two years. It was a really really fun night, seeing Kate's bachelorette apartment, having dinner in Glenelg, then even going out "clubbing" for a bit to a bar. Now, I was sober all night, while my friends had a bit to drink. Luckily I left at about 11pm. The next day Sunday - wow, I was tired and hurtin'! It must have been the dancing. But I got pictures to prove it!

Day 36 cupcakes

Mothers group was at our place today. The biggest bonus of this each time is the house gets a big tidy and clean before 10am. The downside is that by 12 there are toys and crumbs everywhere. Perfect for a lovely colourful photo! Then beautiful silence for a few minutes while Tassie naps and Angus is yet to wake. What to do.....???

Can't understand people doing the 365project who complain that there are some days where they run out of ideas of what to photograph!!!! Love my camera mwah xxx

Day 35 soothing joys of milkshake

Oh we all felt better after a soothing milkshake. Needed badly following crazy shopping morning - late start - tired after 6 night-wakeups - food shopping - back to car, swap trolley for pram - nappie shopping - angus hat shopping - hard-to-find-present-for-ian shopping. Phew!

Day 34 A blast from the past - DINKs

After a busy day taking Tassie to swimming, and collecting Mum's second sewing machine from manda's (the original machine is unwell again and waiting for Heinz to return from leave to see what's wrong) there was an interesting part two and three to the day. Manda came to babysit so I could leave at 5.30 to start my NEW JOB - tutoring for REM tuition, Year 12 English Communications. It was wonderful to be back at work and I am so excited to be helping a student with year 12.

Then I met Ian in our old stomping ground of Norwood for dinner (Schnitzel and Tandoori chicken) and a movie: The Road. What an amazing evening. The film is right up there with one of the best stories ever told, a must see. I really recommend reading the wonderful book first, as the film relies totally on the novel.

Day 33 Feeding the ducks at Wittunga

A few minutes after feeding the ducks, we moved to the grass to sit and have a drink and biscuit. A woman stopped to ask me if I'd dropped a hat and when I looked back, Tassie had disappeared behind some tall bushes. It's a big park and it took a few heart racing minutes to find her.

Day 32 Gandy visits

Monday 1st Feb 2010

It's great when Mum comes to visit, and I only wish she would come more often. I surprised her when she arrived as she didn't notice me standing at the top of the path with my camera.

When she stepped inside Tassie immediately went to hide, waiting for Gandy to find her. She loves the game of counting to five, then 'ready or not'. Mum swears she heard Angus counting to five with her during one game! Manda also came for lunch that day.

We three played trains. Tassie and I would set up the train tracks, then Angus would pull it apart and throw the pieces off the table. I often call him the "wrecker" or "trasher". Ian says, "he's trashing the joint!"