Sunday - getting back in the study

I can go weeks without being in the study in the evenings. I have been so tired lately, that I'd stopped going, which means very little scrapbooking. However, I must have found my mojo again, because I'm back in. Actually, the desk was cleaned a week earlier, so this could be the reason! I managed to do most of a mini book - from a trip we did exactly a year ago, to the day - to farewell my Dad in a memorial service in Melbourne. At 36 pages, that's impressive, even if I do say so myself. So this is what it looks like, me surrounded by happy clutter, and Fave, happily keeping himself busy with one project or another next to me, on our shared computer.

Saturday - me day

I left earlyish this morning for a three-and-a-half-hour training morning which is compulsory every three years to renew my teachers registration. It was great to be out without the kids, and I even bumped into Lisa, who I recognised but couldn't place at first. We were at uni five years ago studying to be teachers! She's also at home with two small children.

So, I had two and a half hours to kill before my staff meeting. I decided to go to The Parade in Norwood, our old stomping ground before we got married and moved to the hills to have children. I spent most of the time in a bookshop. My plan had been to go to a coffee shop with my journal but the bookshop was even better. I found books for the children for Christmas (an educational activity book for Tas, a Thomas-the-Tank Engine book for Angus) AND a book to teach me crochet. It took ages to decide...another prettier book had instructions for granny squares in it, but I "maturely" decided it was more important to master the stitches first and not judge a book by its cover! I also found a Dummies book for the latest version of my exact camera model (Canon 500d) which I'm going to look for on Amazon. There were a few others in the art section that caught my eye but we have to stop somewhere...


There's more. After the staff meeting I wasn't ready to go home so I popped round to visit Manda and baby Delilah. I had decided to go to a local cafe to have dinner BY MYSELF! to complete my solo day but Manda and Mike were keen to join me. Fantastic! So we went to a local pub we love and had a wonderful night. I was home by 8.15 in time to watch Spooks with my honey. Who was very good about leaving him alone with the kids all day.

Friday - busy morning to tire the kid out

Another hectic appointment-centred day. That's three this week. I toon Angie out for some painting with his new Crayola brush-pen paints, and for him, they're perfect. They're a cross between a brush pen and a thick texta, but it's just like painting (and washable). Billie was there to help out (see photo at bottom). Angie was soon covered in paint, and see him reaching for his nappy in the photo? Yes, well, let's just say it was straight into the bath after this was taken. He went for his nap at 10.30, was woken at 11.45 to get in the car, we had lunch on arrival and waited an hour to be seen. Sigh.





Ian returned late Friday night after another trip to Sydney, this time for work, for two days.

Thursday - Monti creative

After I'd dropped Tassie off at Monti this morning, the teacher handed me this little cup with Tassie's name on it. She muttered something about salad?? and left. It looks a bit like alfalfa sprouts, but I'm not sure. Very cute though. Tas has been very concerned for her new shoots.

Wednesday morning

The clouds have come over to offer a cool change today. I went outside and saw the handprint Tassie left yesterday morning before we came inside to have lunch and get ready for Monti. She'd been pestering me to play with my paints so I let her have a turn. A couple of minutes was all it took before she turned the brush on herself and made herself a blue tummy and face. Yes. The handprint looks big at first, in the photo. Until you see it again next to my hand. A little bit of sweetness.

Tuesday - always a crazy day

This layout I started at the weekend and even under crazy conditions I felt compelled to finish the journalling, but it's still a work in progress. It's about my pregnancy with Angus. So while I sat at the table outside on the deck, at one point Angus walked right on it with his muddy foot (he likes to climb up on the table) and Tasmin sprayed me and it with water. There was a lot of yelling from me yesterday, which is unusal, but I felt so so frustrated, and anxious, following the day with the Early Intervention woman. Who was very nice, by the way. But it's so much to take in. And there's Tasmin who's always, well, Tasmin.

Monday

This is a little climbing monkey who lives at our place. He can even push the chair over to the gate to get a better view.





Today was a big big day. We had a special visitor, an Early Intervention officer to do some preliminary assessments of Angus's development. After hearing "language disorder", "global developmental delay" and "autism spectrum disorder" it's all my mind has been able to think about. So we'll be doing various assessments over the next days and weeks to find out why Angus is 2 and isn't talking yet. One thing we know for sure: he can hear just fine!

Sunday - outside and painting

It was quite a bit hotter this day but we went outside and did some watercolour painting while I journalled on a scrapbook layout. Gandy was too tired to return! The candles in the last picture were there to repel the mozzies. They didn't. It was another really lovely day, and we went to the airport at 4pm to collect Daddy from his Sydney trip for his brother Andrew's 50th birthday celebration.

Saturday

We all went outside to enjoy the sunshine and it really was a perfect day to do it, not too hot. Gandy came to visit and kept us company late morning through to dinner time, which was wonderful. Manda and Delilah came later in the afternoon. I mananged to squeeze in a bit of creative time, and found it was possible by following the weekday routine, and getting the kids up before 7am, and putting DVDs on in the morning before 9am, before taking them out, so I could get some jobs done. A happy day. On a weekend!

Friday

There was a very late monster scapbooking night that went over into Saturday morning and it was wonderful. I now have a VERY clean study again. Woo hoo. And working on a master list of creative projects for next year. I'm working from my huge pile of post-it notes that's heavy enough to sink a ship.

Meantime, Ian (pictured at back) was in Sydney kicking up his heels and celebrating his brother Andrew's 50th birthday in style.

Thursday

Wednesday - Bagee Wagee

This is one of the great things about Project 365 and taking (at least) one photo a day. It's a way of capturing little stories you want to be remembered. Tassie does this thing called Bagee Wagee. She sticks out her bottom, wiggles it, and says 'Bagee Wagee'. Ian claims he didn't teach her and she just came up with it. It's pretty cute.





I've found a way to get Tassie more involved - she LOVES to help with the washing - without holding me up. The other day, you'll remember, she had her own spray bottle of water and old toothbrush to "remove the stains". Now she has her own little clothesline to hang out her clothes.

Tuesday - hearing assessment day

It was an anxious morning. At least the sun was out, while I got the children's breakfast ready and unloaded the dishwasher. This is what my kitchen looks like on a sunny morning.







I start hearning shrieks and yells, and crying, before I rush out with fruit and cereal. They start the day with a drink of milk, so they're not starving or anything!





I took the two outside for some playtime in the morning and Tassie drew this magnificent face while I started my journal (an idea from the Happiness Project which I'm really really enjoying). A pity she's still drawing on herself and this IKEA pen doesn't seem to wash out of clothes. Sigh.



She went off to Monti and I took Angie for his hearing assessment. It was such a huge relief just to get there. Angie was his usual uncooperative self with the testing, wriggling and screaming most of the time (It was not at all intrusive). However it was plain that his hearing is just fine. Hooray for that. But he is not terribly responsive, is not talking at all, only babbling, and has a very short attention span. A phone call to the Early Intervention lady soon.

Monday

Ian stepped in to take care of things today and give me a break. So he took Tassie off to playschool - on time - and got Angie up from his nap later in the morning to go and see the speech pathologist. He was a little tired but soon warmed up. As Tassie has said before, Angie is "not a talker". The outcome of the meeting today is that we need to help Angus learn language. One of the things is to have a little book of six pictures of one-word syllables, like "Bed" and "shoes". We'll needs lots of patience to get his attention and use repetition. One small step in the right direction.

Sunday

There are no pics for Sunday. I felt very burnt out today, so luckily Ian stepped in to look after the babies while I spent most of the day in the bed, just overtired. Mum came over for dinner later in the day, and Manda and Delilah popped in too, so after the children went to bed, we all had a roast pork dinner together (I can buy pork again now since Coles had finally decided to stock free range). Ian hurt his back in the afternoon but by then I was feeling better so we somehow managed to struggle through the day tag-team style. I wish our weekends could be more relaxing. So grateful that Mum comes most Sundays as she's so great with Tasmin and that takes the pressure off.

Saturday - visit with baby Delilah

My sister brought baby Delilah around for an early morning visit today. She needed to collect something for her husband, so we enjoyed a great visit for a couple of hours taking turns to cuddle the baby. I noticed Angie glancing over in our direction, but not showing much interest. Tassie adores her and loved touching and kissing her. So adorable in her little hat. These pictures of Delilah clearly show how much she looks like her Mummy when she was a baby. It's wonderful to be able to recognise it already.

Friday - another tree bites the dust

We awoke this morning to find an enormous tree from the neighbour's had crashed into our backyard, arching its way over the fence, into the spare space, missing the cubby house, and more importantly our deck! Further proof that God is watching over us. Later, when I was shooting the sunset, the neighbour told me he'd heard and seen it at 10pm the night before. I recalled hearing a very loud gunshot or firecracker noise the night before as I was going to sleep. Fortunately, his landlord had inspected it the same day and was going to arrange someone to remove the tree. Thank goodness! And so glad we'd not gotten very far with our fence plans yet.

Thursday - when Gandy stayed over

It was a bit of a treat to have Gandy stay for a sleepover Wednesday night. I'd needed to borrow her car to get to work, so Ian could use ours. So Gandy stayed and it was so fun for the children to find her still here when they woke the next morning. Gandy sat and watched some ABC for kids shows until Tassie suddenly became concerned, staring at her coffee cup. "That's I for Ian!" Tassie said, "It's Daddy's cup. He wants it." And Gandy had to reassure her that she was sure he wouldn't mind her using it, especially as it was the only clean one in the cupboard! We all had a good laugh about it.

Remembrance Day

It's Remembrance Day. I'm glad we take a minute to remember those who made sacrifices on our behalf. Today I want to remember my grandfather, Frank Middleton Risk. I never met you Frank, but you're so like my Dad. Love from our family xxx

Wednesday - drawing, painting together

An interesting day. In the morning I got out the pencils and my watercolour paints - now their paints - and discovered Angie really likes this activity. He ended up with a lovely painting that went straight on to the fridge for display.









Later in the day, Gandy came over to help out so I could do an early bath and dinner for the children before going to work in her car. Ian was home earlier to take Tassie to the doctor as her ear had been bothering her. To Ian's embarrassed amusement, the doctor found a big blue lump of - gasp! - playdo in her ear!

Gandy's favourite part of the day was when Tassie grabbed a teatowel to help unload the dishwasher, then proceeded to set the table, standing back and saying 'Hmmm. What is missing here?' And seeing Angie now pointing more when he wants something.