Wednesday, June 29

Hungry Girls

Seriously?! Can the children not be left alone for two minutes?!

Monday, June 27

Not Just a Hat

I asked Dan to take the children to the store and buy them each a new hat. I said that the hats had to be wide-brimmed. They must not be baseball caps. I wanted something pretty. I wanted something with a ribbon. I wanted a hat that would be appropriate in an Enid Blyton novel. The effect I'm going for is a little girl from 1920s England on holiday at the seaside. Something that would make old ladies stop me on the street and tell my how sweet my children are. Something classic.

Something like this:





But not quite so big:


So Dan loaded the children into the car and went out to buy hats.

This is what he bought:


Yippee ki-yay.

Wait. It gets worse.



Sarah got a conductor's hat. ALL ABOARD!

And this is why I was forced to revoke all of Dan's purchasing privileges.

Saturday, June 25

Before and After

I sent my twinnies to kindergarten. I was very worried. They were so sweet and delicate and tender-hearted. I had spent five years sheltering them from the harsh realities of the Big Bad World, and then I thrusted them into it.

Before:


After a year in kindergarten, they have learned to read and write. They have decided that I am not the smartest person in the whole wide world. I have been usurped by their kindergarten classmates and their teacher. They have learned all the swear words (although I may have played a role in that part of their education...sigh).

And now they are different. More wonderful (if that is possible). And I'm soooo excited to spend the summer with them!

After:

Monday, June 20

For The Love of Dan...

For Mother's Day, the twinnies made me presents at school. The kindergarten teacher was most clever. She gave each child a glass, had them paint it, and ...voila... a vase! I love mine. Every couple of days, we head into our gardens and look for pretty flowers to cut. The twinnies are thrilled with themselves.


Last week, the twinnies came home from school and announced that they were making key chains at school for Father's Day. I thought this was a super idea, and I was excited for both the twinnies and Dan. Key chains are something that are used every day. Imagine the pride the twinnies would feel when they saw their Daddy heading off for work with the key chains that they made. They are more "tokens of love" than they are "key chains"...

Sunday morning, the twinnies were super excited. They grabbed their presents and hauled their father out of bed. He was then presented with his key chains:


Need a closer look?



Yup, that's a stir stick for paint that has been "fancied up". Better still, Dan got two of them!

It's kinda impossible for Dan to walk into work looking "cool" while carrying these. It looks like he stole the bathroom keys from a (very fancy) gas station. How will anyone take him seriously with the painter's sticks handing out of his pocket?

Want to know the worst bit? I think the key chains are super cool and I want them desperately!!!!

Anyway, Dan was thrilled with the key chains.

Then it was time for Sarah and I to give Dan our gifts.

I could have given Dan some shirts, which he would have appreciated. I could have given him a waffle maker, which he didn't particularly want but I was sure that he would like. I could have given him a night out, sans enfants, which he would have loved.

I thought and thought and thought about what Dan would like. And then I gave up because he doesn't really need anything. I, however, have a long list of needs and wants and wishes and whims.

So, Sarah and I got Dan these flower boxes:



In case you are wondering, the flower boxes weren't originally purple. They had to be painted that way (left over paint from the front door). We tend to live our life "in a rainbow of colours" .... Mum says that we're just tacky!

Wednesday, June 8

The Dress

My children love clothes. The love to wear dresses, and to look pretty, and to twirl like princesses. They really love crinoline.

The summer of 2008, the twinnies wore these dresses all the time:




And it's funny because I had a newborn. In comparison, the twinnies seemed so much older, so much more competent, so much more independent.

And then this happened:



The "newborn" now fits into the dress.

I am shocked at how quickly time passes...

Tuesday, June 7

Crayola Bubbles: A Review

This...



...is not worth this:


Friday, June 3

The Little Sister

The other day, it was very hot. I wasn't feeling that great. I thought that it would be great fun for the kids if we got out the little pool and sprinkler. They could play nicely together, and I could just sit on the deck and watch them. Win, win.

All three girls had a blast.

They REALLY loved the sprinkler.
Bethie showed Sarah how to twist the hose so the water stops.

Sarah had a go at it.

But she wasn't very good at stopping the water. Bethie measured the height of the water coming from the sprinkler, and announced that Sarah would have to apply more pressure.

Bethie measured the height of the water again, and said that Sarah had done a wonderful job!

And then Sarah blasted Bethie.
And then Bethie, bless her heart, let Sarah do this to her over and over and over again. Just to make Sarah laugh. And I loved Bethie for it.

I am quite sure that one day, Sarah is going to be blasted in the face by one of the twinnies.


I am also quite sure that she won't be laughing then!