Kylie

2009-09-30T18:55:00.001+10:00

It's bath time for Emily. She loved it too.

Oh boy, does she look like Oliver! It is quite scary just how much a like the two of them are.

Ooooh, look at these two cuties. Oliver was so excited about his new sister and wanted to hold her - for all of about 5 seconds!! LOL. Look at that big smile on his face. Bless him.

She is here!

2009-09-30T16:14:00.001+10:00

Emily Rose Swain made her appearance at 8:07am weighing 7lb 50z or 3.315kg and measuring 51cm long.

Emily was in a bit of a hurry to come out after her eviction notice, so 30 minutes after breaking my water, she was here!

Here are the 3 of us afterwards. Unfortunatley, Rob missed the birth! He arrived about 5 minutes too late.

Time For A Swim

2009-01-20T07:07:00.005+11:00

My two boys love to swim - can you tell???? LOL

Oliver has to wear his goggles now but when he was at swimming lessons, we couldn't get him to wear them at all! How times have changed.

Breath Rob!

With his goggles on, he can see underwater - that is what we have been telling him for so long and now he gets it! LOL. Bless him.

Look at me Mummy.

Pregnant

2009-01-13T00:00:00.003+11:00

Well, it certainly seems to be a big week in the Swain's lives!!

Oliver starts pre-school
Move house
Fall pregnant!

How about that! I first thought the test was negative and put it aside in a plastic bag. Naturally, I was disappointed. Later on I went back into the bathroom and thought, I'll just check once more and to my surprise, there were two lines! Woo hoo. I think I will do another test tomorrow and if it is still positive, then I'll tell my parents.

Moving

2009-01-09T23:51:00.002+11:00

Today we moved into our own place. No more staying with my parents. Not that it was bad but when you've been living away from your family for soooo long, it is hard to live with them again.

First Day at Pre-School

2009-01-06T23:16:00.008+11:00

Hold onto your hats, as this is Oliver's first day at pre-school!!!! Where has the past 4 years gone? He is so excited about going but I'm sure that will change soon enough.

Here's my big boy with his bag on his back - it is nearly the size of Oliver! LOL.

I thought we might struggle with getting him to wear a hat but he seems pretty happy with it on.

A proud mum with her boy!

A proud dad with his boy!

And here he is at school. Can you tell he likes having his photo taken? LOL. His teacher's are Miss Amanda and Miss Brooke.

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T09:37:00.015+11:00

Here we are opening up our present on Christmas Morning. Michael and Laura stayed overnight to watch Oliver as this was our first Christmas together. Well, all of us in the same country as the same time! LOL. You can see the mass of discarded paper on the floor and Oliver went around handing out everyone's present to them - he also helped open the presents!

Dad got a golf putting thingy and so Oliver and Dad were playing golf. Don't ask me why Oliver had no trousers on - I cannot remember!

They're at it again. I'm not sure how Oliver managed to get dad's club and dad, Oliver's club?! They were having loads of fun anyway. LOL.

Oliver with another present - this one is his! It is a track for his Thomas set mum started for him. With this set, the trains run on batteries so Oliver will sit there and play telling everyone he is the fat controller! LOL

Here I am opening up a present - a DVD, got a few of those this year. Rob and I tend to focus on Oliver and give each other a couple of gifts each. It is so much fun seeing Oliver's face light up when he opens his gifts.

Speaking of him opening up a gift.

Now, there is a story behind this dinner. Are you ready for it..... Mum was up half the night being ill (she usually cooks Christmas lunch, with us helping), but she came down stairs to open up the gifts and then had to go back to bed (I think we told her to go), so seeing as Rob is the next best cook, he put Christmas lunch together. Obviously, we helped out where he wanted us to but he did a great job. Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you, the oven died only a few hours earlier!! Oh yes, we thought Christmas lunch was completely off the menu! Michael managed to fix the wiring and all was good - phew! By the time lunch went on the table, mum was feeling much better (we think she was faking it! LOL) so she joined us and managed to eat too.

Here is Oliver eating and his 'yorkshire puddings' which he cannot go without when having a roast. He just loves them.......and tomato sauce.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas wherever you are.

Photo with Santa

2008-12-20T08:49:00.002+11:00

Oliver was so excited to be having his photo with Santa this year.

We went to Narellan Town Centre with Karen and her two kids, Hannah & Kaitlyn as they were having photos too.

I think if Oliver was allowed to jump the queue, he would have but I kept having to tell him he had to wait his turn like everybody else.

This 'Santa' was brilliant. He was very friendly and has such a great smile. He was chatting to Oliver and all the other kids before the photo was taken and Oliver just loved it. This is Oliver at his best with a whopping great big smile to match! Love it!

Hunter Valley - Highlights

2008-12-08T07:22:00.001+11:00

Hunter Valley Escape - Day 1

2008-12-04T21:12:00.001+11:00

Very last minute we decided to go to the Hunter Valley for 4 days as a mini holiday!

We stayed at the Eaglereach Wilderness Resort in Vacy. We arrived very late in the afternoon around 5pm so we unpacked and then went to get some dinner.

This is our cabin. A mini home away from home! It has 2 bedrooms on the ground floor and 2 more on the top floor. 2 toilets a bath room and mini laundry plus a kitchen and dinning area.

Here is the kitchen - small and basic but just what you need.

It had a flat screen TV, DVD and stereo to keep you amused so here is Oliver watching Kung Fu Panda.

Rob said he had to take this picture of me to prove I do housework! How rude! The floor as pretty dusty so I swept daily as the dust was coming in from under the doors.

This is the view of the Barrington Tops from our balcony out the back! Pretty spectacular!

I would recommend this place to anyone wanting a weekend or week away with no phone (mobile coverage isn't great), or just to relax and unwind.

Oliver's 4th Birthday

2008-12-02T04:26:00.003+11:00

Here is the birthday boy! Happy 4th Birthday my baby.

Opening up his presents was so much fun. There was paper everywhere.

As you can see, there are more Thomas The Tank Engine sets! Somehow, I don't think he will outgrow these - there will always be that little place in his heart for them no matter how old he is!

Here I am helping him or am I playing trains with him?! LOL

He is so proud of his trains and loves them. Look at that smile on his face he is so excited he got new sets to play with.

Wow, another new set to play with. Oh, his t-shirt says - Innocent Until Proven Guilty!

It was a treat for lunch - McDonald's! He had to bring along Busy Bee James to play with while he was eating, then it was onto the play area with some other children that happened to be there.

Time for a juice first.

Oliver's 4th Birthday Party

2008-12-01T08:36:00.000+11:00

This year we went to Lollipop Playland & Cafe for Oliver's party. Too much hassle and clearing up to have it at home!

They have a dedicated room for eating the party food and cake and once you are done, the kids get to go back and play.

Here is the birthday boy sitting on his throne! LOL He didn't like sitting there so he ended up moving and sitting next to Hannah.

Here comes the food! There was plenty of it too so you know who helped themselves to the left overs!

Some of the parents enjoying themselves - can you see where my Dad is standing, he is leaning on the food cart!! LOL My brother has the video camera capturing all the going's on of the day.

Mmmmm, cake time! Believe it or not, I made this cake! Oh yes I did!!! LOL

We bought Oliver 2 new pieces for his Thomas The Tank Engine set and they are on the cake - the Fat Controller in his car and the brand new train called Stanley. He was so excited.
Food time is over, now it is time to play and play they kids did - for hours!!

Funny thing is, we were lucky to be here at all today. Oliver woke up and was not well. He managed to go back to sleep for an hour or two and then with the click of your finger he was back to his normal self. I have no idea what is was but we ended up changing the party time from 11am to 2pm so all we well in the end. Thank goodness.

Liz & Mark's Wedding

2008-11-27T10:58:00.007+11:00

Sasha and Katie are two of the people I used to live with when I moved to the UK back in 2000. It was great to catch up with them again.

How spectacular is that view (not of me!). It was a little overcast and according to the photographer, the best kind of day to take photos. The red dress I bought especially for the wedding and it is a size 10! Woo hoo.

I had to borrow the wrap as it was a little chilly outside. I didn't have anything appropriate to wear as it was in our container.

One of the rare occasions Rob and I have a photo together. It was a little strange not to have Oliver with us as where ever we go, he goes! LOL. Nanny and Poppy were in charge of getting Oliver to sleep tonight.

Liz and her Dad walking towards the groom (Mark). I also lived with Liz and Mark in the UK. We had such a great time together.

The happy couple saying their vows.

Congratulations Lix & Mark. I'm so happy I was apart of your special day! xxx

Light Up Camden

2008-11-21T09:23:00.000+11:00

Have a look at Oliver - chatting the girl up! LOL. He cannot just sit there and enjoy the ride, he has to talk to whoever is near.

One of his favourites things to be on is the jumpy castle or dinosaur in this case. He just runs from side to side with the other kids, laughing away.

We managed to eat at the pub restaurant. I have no idea what Oliver is doing here! LOL

On the tea cups, sharing his cup with 2 girls!

Pre-School for Oliver

2008-11-06T03:47:00.003+11:00

OMG - how does time fly like it does??

We took Oliver to a pre-school today to have a look around as he will be going next year and then big school (kindergarten) the year after. I must tell you that this has come around far toooo quickly for my liking! LOL Anyway, we already know good things about this pre-school as our friends twins go there but we wanted to have a look around and ask any questions we had.

Naturally, Oliver helped himself to they toys and was playing while we were chatting away. Then, when it was time to leave, Oliver didn't want to. LOL He was upset and wanted to go back again tomorrow! He wasn't impressed that we said it was next year.

Halloween

2008-11-02T07:44:00.003+11:00

I decided to have a halloween party the week after we arrived so Oliver could meet and play with my friends kids and also so Rob and I could get together with them. Kind of an all in one go thing. Much easier than having to do something every week plus as we are staying at mum & dad's house, it is a little different.

I made these halloween cards for the kids from Oliver. I think they were a hit.

This was such fun (and hard work) to make. I bought some colouring from the supermarket so I really was limited in what colour everything was going to be. I borrowed a cake book from Karen and went to work.

Everyone loved my spider cake and it was the very first time I have ever made a cake like this. As Oliver is older now, I think I will do something each year for his birthday - that is until he starts telling me "he is too old for 'kids' cakes mum". Please let that be a few years away!! *sob*

Australia

2008-10-22T15:40:00.003+11:00

Sorry, no photos of us landing in Sydney. We actually thought that we went back to the UK because is it sooooo freezing cold. Either that or we bought the English weather with us. Apparently, it is the coldest October day in 60-odd years. Oh great, thanks for the welcome Sydney. LOL

We got in early and my parents were no where to be seen! They thought we would be a while coming through customs and getting our baggage but we sailed through nicely. We waited for them to arrive outside and froze to death. It was really windy so that made it feel colder.

We are glad to be back on Australian soil again but we hope the weather is better tomorrow! LOL.

Bye, Bye UK

2008-10-21T09:11:00.002+11:00

Oh yes, we are on our way to Sydney, Australia!! Woo hoo!

This is Oliver watching some television on the plane. He had a pretty good flight over with the television keeping him occupied for quite a bit of the journey. Thanks goodness! LOL

Speak to you on the other side!

Moving - Day 3

2008-10-19T08:59:00.001+11:00

We are spending the next few days clearing and cleaning up the remainder of the house. We are leaving the shelves and couch so whoever uses our house can either use them or put them in the garage for storage.

We needed to keep Oliver occupied so we bought our laptop and a few of his DVDs with us. he parked himself on the couch and made himself comfortable.

This is our hotel room. The hotel has a pool and spa so Rob and Oliver enjoyed a couple of swims.

Bath time for Oliver. He certainly loves his time in the bath - especially the bubbles.

Oh, it was all too much for him! LOL

Moving - Day 2

2008-10-18T08:09:00.001+11:00

On day 2, all our boxes were taken outside to make more room inside for the rest of our stuff to be packed.

The container was delivered early so the driver slept in his cab until we were ready to load everything inside. This is a 20' container, one of the smaller ones.

Oliver loved watching everything going on. So naturally, he was only too happy to stand in front of the container and have his photo taken. You can see it is half full.

Here it is full (well almost). Those boxes you can see are empty but they put them together so our stuff wouldn't move about during the journey.

See you on the other side.

Moving - Day 1

2008-10-17T04:35:00.000+11:00

The start of our move! This is (or was) our living room! The movers have done a great job of packing up the house and have done quite a lot. I just kept feeding them coffee and they were happy!

These boxes are in front of our lounge room window. You can just see light coming through.

This was the only way to feed Oliver his tomato soup! Otherwise it would have been very messy indeed! LOL

We have moved to a hotel because our bed is packed away and there isn't a great deal of room to move about.

Our Last Curry!

2008-10-16T08:26:00.000+11:00

We went out for dinner tonight with Neill, Kath and baby Ollie to our local curry house. This will be our last curry before we move (boo hoo). They guys there love Oliver and and look forward to seeing him each time. He is spoilt whenever we go. LOL

The movers are coming tomorrow......yippeeee!

Lunch

2008-09-29T14:17:00.000+10:00

Helena took me out for lunch today with a couple of other ladies who help out at her classes. We went to Chapter One in Orpington and it was lovely.

I got on the scales tonight and it was not good! LOL I blame the lunch! *wink*

Moving Quote

2008-09-27T04:09:00.000+10:00

Today we had a quote from a moving company. Our original movers may not be able to do it so I need a back up in case.

Bourne's rep was really nice and friendly and we were both happy with what he was telling us. He is also saying that it is no problem at all to move us with short notice. Phew!

Normandie, France - Day 4

2008-09-14T06:18:00.001+10:00

Our last day in Brehal and we went to the beach. Not exactly swimming weather but the sun was shining so off we went.

Oliver loved playing in the water and even fell over on his bottom! His bottom was wet but he kept on playing. LOL

He ate most of this ice cream and his face was covered in it. LOL. See the bruise on his forehead? This is what happens when your son has two left feet!!

There was a supermarket just down the road and they had trolley's for kids. Every time we went there, he had to take a trolley around the shop. LOL

Our journey back to England was much better then the one over. The ferry was smoother so I wasn't ill and we made it in pretty good time.

I would highly recommend Brehal to anyone wanting to visit France.

Normandie, France - Day 3

2008-09-13T07:29:00.001+10:00

Today we went to Mont Saint-Michele.

Here is a view from the monastery. It was fabulous but it was also very windy and rained for a bit. By the time we climbed the stairs to get to this point we were hot and took our coats off to cool down.

Normadie, France - Day 2

2008-09-12T02:39:00.001+10:00

It was a miserable morning with rain but we decided to still go out to Champrepus Zoo. I wasn't sure what to expect but I must say, I was thoroughly surprised. They had 2 parts to the zoo which was separated by the main road!! One side was a kiddy part where the little ones could pat the animals. As you can see with this photo, they had a fake cow which you could milk. Oliver went straight up to it and pulled on a teat!! LOL I think he has done this before! *wink*

As you can see it is still raining but only ever so slightly now. This bridge takes you to and from the main entrance and this is us leaving the kiddy part to go to the main part of the zoo.

The zoo also had a play area for the kids with a great big ball pit. Here Oliver is jumping in by himself but later on daddy and grandad threw him in too!! He loved it.

The slide was wet, but Oliver didn't care! He slid down and had a wet bottom and proudly showed it to us with a little wiggle.

There were two jumpy castles but this one was covered so we said he could play on it. He basically had the whole place to himself - there were no other kids about. I guess it helped that it was a Thursday so school was in.

Normadie, France - Day 2......continued

2008-09-12T02:32:00.002+10:00

So, as we went to the zoo, I'd better show you some of the animals we saw!! LOL

Mr Tiger.

Mr Chimpanzee.

Mr Lemur.

Mr & Mrs Giraffe - actually, I don't know if they are both boys or one of each! LOL I didn't take that close a look!
And Mr Lion.

Normadie, France - Day 1

2008-09-11T07:54:00.006+10:00

This was our ferry ride across from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, France. I have only ever been sick once on the water but for whatever reason today, I was not well. I have a funny feeling it was to do with the croissant I ate (as we didn't have breakfast) after boarding the ferry. Their was a plain one and a chocolate one - I stupidly ate the chocolate one as well and I knew after the first mouthful, that I shouldn't.

We arrived in Brehal just after lunch time after getting up at 5am, UK time to catch our ferry across. It was a lovely day and even better in the sunshine. We took Oliver bike with us as we knew there would be plenty of room for him to ride it. He is very good with his helmet too and always asks to put it on when he knows he is going out on his bike.

What a cheeky grin! He is actually saying 'cheese' !! LOL This was after his bike ride and had a well deserved drink of water.

This is the cottage we stayed at.

Here is Dennis trying to read Oliver his bed time story!! I say 'try'. The lounge room was directly below out bedroom so you could hear everything that was going on!! LOL I think it took Dennis twice as long to read this book than normal!!

I ended up lying down with Oliver and promptly fell asleep with him. It was only early but I certainly needed an early night.

Brother's Birthday

2008-09-08T23:22:00.002+10:00

My little brother, well he is not so little anymore, is having a birthday today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO !

I went with the same stamp set as yesterday's father's day card and as there are 6 stamps in the set, I just used a different tree.

Father's Day

2008-09-07T22:54:00.004+10:00

Happy Father's Day dad!!

This is the card I gave to dad this year.

Cornwall - part 4

2008-09-02T03:45:00.001+10:00

This is our last day here in Cornwall with Tricia and Paul.

Just a few more photos of the inside of their house. Clearly this is their lounge room. Ignore the white cushions - Tricia spilt red wine on the one she was sitting on so it went in the wash. Then she thought she better wash the rest of them so they all looked the same. LOL

This is the other side of the lounge room where Paul plays his piano.

Here he is keeping quiet watching television.

Cornwall - part 3

2008-09-01T03:45:00.001+10:00

This was our trip to Boscastle. Right where Tricia and Oliver are standing was under water when the floods hit a couple of years ago. You can see the digger in the background still doing some work.

The two boys together. If you are wondering where I am - behind the camera of course!

Have a look at this face! He usually smiles when the camera comes out and on a couple of occasions he has asked me to take a photo of him! Oh bless him!!

The gang on the bridge, a brand new bridge.

Cornwall - part 3...continued

2008-09-01T03:40:00.002+10:00

Here is Tricia in her lovely HUGE kitchen area. I so did not want to leave their house. I always love visiting them.

Tricia is reading Oliver a story and after this one it was time for bed so she went up and read to him another story. She tried missing some pages to finish quicker but Oliver was onto her. He kept saying "No, no, no, you missed a page". He doesn't miss a trick! LOL

I just had to show this photo - obviously a funny moment!!

Cornwall - part 2

2008-08-31T03:45:00.003+10:00

Seeing as Oliver didn't get a bath last night, he had one this morning! He laid down in the bubbles and when he sat up, this is what he looked like! LOL

This is Tricia and Paul's lovely house. We are staying in the room with the window open.

Their house is just gorgeous and Paul helped to build it. They aren't 100% finished and the front needs landscaping but the have done so much since we were last here.

Dinner time for Oliver and boy was he a grump today. He woke up early considering he didn't get to bed until very, very late so that naturally means grumpiness!!

We are all sitting down to a lovely meal while Oliver is running about - LOL. I'm not sure from the photo you can see just how big this table is. All I could think of was 'what a great craft table'!!
Paul loves to play his piano and Oliver wanted to join in too. Oliver is a two finger player and he did pretty well too.

Cornwall Weekend

2008-08-30T08:45:00.003+10:00

We arrived at Tricia and Paul's around 9:30pm. We knew this would be a late night for Oliver and I think it was after 11pm before he fell asleep!! Not good. We went to check on him as Tricia thought he was soooo cute asleep so she laid down next to him - Oliver didn't move!

Here they are together. Oh bless!

Tricia is Oliver's godmother.

Passport Is Back

2008-08-29T07:11:00.005+10:00

Yes, Rob's passport has safely arrived back in the Swain household. I must say that the visa stamp isn't impressive - actually it is quite boring. It cost enough though! LOL

We are off to Cornwall tomorrow afternoon for a long weekend as tomorrow is Rob's last day at work so we will come home on Monday. We are visiting Oliver's godmother, Tricia and her husband, Paul. They built the most gorgeous house in Tintagel, Cornwall which is located in the south west of England. From their house you can see the ocean as they are so close to it. It really is beautiful as the sun is setting sitting in their front garden having a drink! This may be the last time we see them before we leave but they plan on visiting us next year (I think).

We met Tricia and Paul at our 'marriage preparation day' in the UK back in 2003. We hit it off instantly and became friends. Our first get-together resulted in Tricia pouring red wine over her white skirt, yes I said 'white' skirt but she was more worried about our table cloth!! LOL. I must ask her what happened to that skirt! Anyway, they thought they would never hear from us again! 5 years on, we are still friends and still have a great time together. Tricia was so pleased to be Oliver's godmother (my brother is his godfather).

Party Time

2008-08-17T05:24:00.000+10:00

After my mix up with dates (I thought we were supposed to be away this weekend visiting friends), we were able to attend Kyran's 3rd birthday bash.

Here is Kyran (with his face painted) and his two cousins sitting behind him. He had a MR Men party as that is what he is into at the moment. LOL

Oliver was having a ball running around the obstacle course. I think if we had a room at home like this, he would spend all day in it. That would wear him out!! LOL

Lunch time and while he didn't eat a lot, he did eat a cheese sandwich and some cake (of course!).

Ruth, Henry and their two kids, Fred (pictured here with Oliver) and Daisy drove 2 hours to be here today. Kyran, Fred & Oliver were swimming buddies. Oliver was so pleased to see Fred and they get along so well together they gave each other a hug when Fred arrived. LOL They were then joined at the hip for the rest of the party.

So here are all the boys sitting on the parachute while the adults and the girls walked in a circle turning the parachute. You can see Fred waving at me while taking this photo.

As Ruth & Henry had driven so far, and they had only been at the party for 1 1/2 hours, we decided to go to the shopping centre to grab some lunch for us adults and sit and catch up with them. We went to Nando's and had a great time. Ruth is pregnant again and baby #3 is due in February so I cannot wait to hear the good news and find out if baby is a boy or a girl.

I almost forgot, here is Daisy!!

I cannot believe it has almost been 1 year since we saw each other at Disneyland Paris!! Daisy was crawling, now she is confidently running around and she also eats better than Oliver!!

K.

Pond Swimming

2008-08-15T05:12:00.001+10:00

.....and so it begins.......I think the time has come to say "Like Father, Like Son".

While Oliver was at his grandparents house today, he went for a little swim in the pond - by accident!! My FIL has Koi fish and Oliver normally helps feed them bread or if Dennis digs in the garden, worms! So today was the same routine feeding the fish except that Oliver went into the pond along with the bread! OMG! Now, when I say pond, I don't mean a small shallow one, but one that is shoulder height deep and 3m squared. Dennis was just about to jump in after him when Oliver resurfaced (those swimming lessons paid off!). He wasn't frightened at all - just cold.
When Rob arrived home with Oliver, he told Oliver to tell me what he had done today - I saw that he was in different clothing so I jokingly said "have you been for a swim in the pond!". I then caught sight of Rob face and his expression told me yes. LOL

So as my first line says "Like Father, Like Son" - Rob did the same thing when he was young.

K.

Visa Approved!

2008-08-13T06:51:00.000+10:00

Yes, finally!! Actually, it didn't take that long to process. After being told it could take up to 5 months on our initial conversations with Australian Immigration, we decided to go through a visa agency. That was back in April! You could say it has taken us 4 months from start to finish but in the end our application was only lodged only a few weeks ago and today it was approved! Woohoo!
Now comes the move!

Godstone Farm

2008-08-05T06:35:00.000+10:00

These photos are from our day out to Godstone Farm. Vicky was taking Kyran and also the boys she is a nanny to here and wanted to know if we would like to go too.

So the first thing we saw were these gorgeous little chicks. The kids were allowed to sit and hold one. Here Oliver is stroking the sleeping chick. Truly, it slept the whole time he had it. Oliver wouldn't look into the camera for this shot.

Here is Oliver and Kyran standing in front of some goats!

Don't ask me what Oliver is doing with his hands!! LOL
Turkey anyone?!

This is where Oliver spent most of the afternoon. He absolutely love this enormous sand pit. He was literally kicking and screaming when I said we had to go home. I even walked off saying goodbye to him and he didn't look back for me. He was just happy to stay no matter what!

In the middle was a wooden play area. All the buckets and spades were provided so you didn't have to take a thing.

K .

Happy Birthday

2008-08-04T00:55:00.005+10:00

I just wanted to post some birthday cards I made for my parents.

They are non-SU! products and I have decided to not to post any to my stamping blog Blossom Designs but keep them here.

So here is the one I made for my dad. I used the stamp set Father Knows Best from Papertrey Ink (USA). This is the set that I inspired Nichole to create.

I must admit, I'm not the best at watercolouring but for this project I did really well. I followed a colouring tutorial from another stamper.

Here is the card I made for my mum.

Again it is a Papertrey Ink set (Spiral Bouquet). If you cannot already tell, PTI is my second favourite stamp company!!

The photo isn't the best (sorry).

Eat Cake

2008-08-03T00:20:00.001+10:00

I thought it might be nice to make some chocolate chip muffins with Oliver (for Oliver!).

He tipped the packet mix into the bowl as well as the milk while I cracked the egg and mixed it with the hand mixer.

Oliver couldn't wait for me to finish mixing!! Gee, I wonder why?! Here he is licking the chocolate off.

Next came putting the mixture into the cases which I thought best I did that!! LOL No sooner had I finished using the spatula, it was gone and this is the result!! He licked and licked and licked ........

...... 'till there was hardly any chocolate left. LOL

He did have a ball and I put the timer on so he would know when the muffins were ready! He stood watching the timer for a few minutes even though we said he might as well play with his trains as the muffins wouldn't be ready for 20 minutes. LOL So off he'd go playing and every so often come back and check the timer until it went off and he shouted that the muffins were ready!

I set them on the tray to cool and put one in a bowl for him to eat (forgot to take a photo of that!).

Oliver Made Pizza

2008-07-31T08:26:00.001+10:00

Yes, this is the dinner Oliver made himself tonight. Actually it is french bread cut up with a pizza base sauce and some cheese but he helped daddy make it so he ate it!!

What a clever boy!

Close your mouth Oliver!! He does have some food in his mouth but luckily it was nearly all gone so I don't think you can see it (thankfully!). I wonder where he gets it from?? LOL

Visa Processing

2008-07-30T01:49:00.003+10:00

Well, finally Rob's visa is in the queue at Australia House for processing. While speaking to Lauren at the agency, she said her colleague had sent off a spousal visa application and it was approved in 3 weeks!! OMG. Could this really happen to us?! Here's hoping it does. It won't mean that we will leave in 3 weeks but it does mean that we will be leaving sooner rather than later. We had been told it was going to take over 3 months to process due to staff taking their summer holidays (which would cause a backlog) but I am feeling optimistic that ours will take weeks rather than months. Keep your finger crossed for us!

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How Shall I Sleep Tonight?

2008-07-18T06:38:00.000+10:00

How about this pose? LOL

After I got home from my exercise class tonight, this is how I found Oliver. Dribble on his pillow and his legs hanging over the side!! Hilarious.

I can see some of these photos being used for his 21st collage, can't you?!

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Potty Time

2008-07-16T20:28:00.003+10:00

I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I had to take this photo of Oliver. Without taking his eyes off the television, he moved his potty up against the couch (he has to place it in the same spot every time!). He also has to hold his shirt up around his armpits - why, I have no idea! I think he sat here for 5 minutes and when he got up, he had a red ring around his bottom from the seat!! ROFLOL. Like father like son!

Here he is watching the television!

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Boy In A Bucket!

2008-07-14T23:13:00.001+10:00

I thought I would get a head start on cleaning our garden furniture as we are having visitors this Saturday and we are hoping to have a BBQ!!!

Someone had to help me (he started fully clothed!), and this is how he ended up - in the bucket of clean water I used to wash the soap suds off. Can you see the green and red thing behind Oliver, well that is his slide which should be gleaming after he spent an hour washing it. LOL

Here is a close up of the boy! Enjoying the sun.

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For Poppy

2008-07-10T20:46:00.000+10:00

Dad has had to go back into hospital again as he has had some more 'turns' and his Dr wants to put more stents in to stop these 'turns' from happening again and causing a major heart attack. I didn't know until afterwards, but he had 6 stents put in and even had a bit of a turn while on the table!!

Oliver wanted to do some painting so I said why not make one for Poppy. This is what he came up with. The eyes and mouth in the top right corner is an octopus!! LOL.

Where Am I?

2008-07-09T20:03:00.001+10:00

Can anyone see where Oliver has gone?!?!

You can also see his train track going under the couch. He puts the track together and for some reason always goes underneath and then comes out the side of the couch.

And this is the mess he made!! LOL Now that I have moved my crafting table up stairs into the spare room (I have my own studio now!), it makes the lounge room much bigger and Oliver is able to spread out more and not get under our feet - well under Rob's chair and the computer!!

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And Again!

2008-07-07T06:21:00.002+10:00

Why did we bother buying him a bed I ask you! LOL

He says his bed is "rocky"!? I think he is talking about his mattress which is not the one I wanted to buy but because the 'other' boy in our family hates shopping at IKEA and the mattress I did want was out of reach, Oliver got stuck with the one we bought. It is fine but it is not a spring mattress which is what I think is the problem. It is not like our mattress!!

So, I guess we just keep picking him up and putting him back in his bed! It is funny thought when you go up stairs to check on him as you never know where you will find him!

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Where Is My Bed?

2008-07-05T08:06:00.004+10:00

Look at where Oliver fell asleep tonight - on the floor!!

I don't know if you can see but he has his 'blanket' with him (look between his hands). Poor Piglet and Rabbit are left out in the cold - not with Oliver nor on his bed! LOL

He had just fallen asleep when I took this photo so I left him on the floor for a while so he was well and truly asleep before moving him back to his bed.

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Baby Ollie

2008-07-02T02:17:00.000+10:00

No, not my Oliver but Bartholomew (Ollie).

This is little Ollie at only a few weeks old. Ollie and mummy Kath came over today for a visit but I forgot to take a photo. I will do next time. He is much bigger now and practically slept the whole time they were here (except for a feed!). As I am so used to Oliver's weight, little Ollie is so light but Kath can notice the difference in him. I remember carrying Oliver around and then not being able to carry him for too long because he was getting fat!! It was a beautiful 'fat' though!

This was the 'nappy cake' I made for them when we went to see Ollie for the first time (the photo above). I got this idea from a talented stamper in the USA.

This was the matching card I made to give to Neill & Kath.

BTW - Neill was our best man at our wedding.

Neill is on the left.

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Lipstick NOT Chapstick!

2008-06-30T07:19:00.003+10:00

So here is Oliver today after finding my lipstick (somewhere) and putting it on like it was his chapstick !! LOL Isn't he beautiful ?!?!

Give him a few years and if he did this again, he won't want his photo taken - used as evidence against him at his 21st !! HA HA HA. Rob wanted to put him in a tutu, just for that reason! Cruel, but funny.

He is supposed to be in bed, but found a mirror and was talking to himself. That pile of clothes at his feet - I DID NOT PUT THEM THERE!!!!!! Guess what I will be folding up tomorrow.

As I like to post the date we do things and not as I go along, check back for older photos of Oliver I just haven't got around to posting (you will need to scroll back down to see them as these two are today's picture's).

An Eventful Night

2008-06-29T07:26:00.002+10:00

So, after doing some "business" jobs yesterday (newsletter, placing order's) and cleaning the house, I was planning on sitting down and stamping. We had eaten our dinner and Oliver was in bed, but not asleep. You usually hear him wondering about his room and after a few 'get into bed' from us, he lays on his bed talking to his soft toys.

So last night was no different than any other. I heard something he was playing with fall on the floor so I went up to see what it was. To my absolute shock and horror, I found Oliver sitting on the window ledge!!!

This window has a mind of it's own. You can only open it 1-2" otherwise it just opens right up (like the photo). Oliver's room gets quite warm so we leave the window open very slightly to cool it off.

This intelligent boy of ours somehow climbed up to the ledge and was sitting on his knees when I got there. He was retreating backwards behind the curtain (probably because he knew he was in trouble). All I could think of was - "don't frighten him or he might fall out the window". I ran into his room and grabbed him, hugged him and sat on his bed. I had to sit down or otherwise I would have fallen down as my legs were shaking. My heart was pounding! By this time I had yelled out and Rob came running up the stairs to see what was going on. I told him where I found Oliver sitting. I was still hugging Oliver (I didn't want to let go) and Rob was telling him how dangerous that was and what would have happened if he had fallen out (below was concrete!). We told him there would be no more Oliver! Naturally, Oliver then got upset and was crying hysterically. I kept holding him until he settled down.

For the rest of the night, I had images in my head of him falling out the window and I just couldn't shake them. Needless to say, I wasn't going to stamp! Even though we locked the window shut, I had to go and check on him constantly. I even laid down with him (he was still awake) and 5 minutes later, he was sound asleep. I didn't have any dreams about it (thank goodness).

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Watering The Plants

2008-06-15T01:45:00.000+10:00

On Sunday (Father's Day in the UK) while I was on the phone to my parents, Rob took Oliver around to his parents house (they are on holiday) to water the plants that Dennis has been growing for the carnival which happens every 2 years. The last carnival, Oliver was part of a group (his Thursday play group) and they went as the 101 Dalmations.

It was quite a long walk around and as Oliver was only very young, he went around in Grandma's buggy.

Anyway, back to watering the plants! Apparently right after this photo was taken, Oliver turned the hose on Rob and soaked him!! ROFLOL (rolling on the floor, laughing out loud!).

As you can probably tell too, daddy dressed Oliver in whatever clothes were the nearest.

Fete

2008-06-08T01:17:00.001+10:00

How about this bouncy castle in your garden?!?! You would never get Oliver off it that's for sure.

We went to a local fete today - it is actually where Rob is working at the moment at a school.

He decided to get off, only to get back on again because he wasn't finished jumping! This lady is one of the teachers.

Oliver just relaxing!

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Thomas Bed

2008-05-27T05:43:00.002+10:00

Oliver went to bed with his new Thomas sheets.

Daddy (not quite fitting in the bed) reads him a story. Oliver knows practically every word in his books now so if Rob stops at any point, Oliver continues! It is really funny to hear as it looks like he is actually reading it. We will have to buy some new books when he starts to read so then I know he is just memorising the words but reading for himself!

Had to throw this picture in too. Do you like his yeti slippers?? They are from Disney World Florida when we went there last year. He remembered he had them and has been wearing them all afternoon.

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New Bed

2008-05-27T01:35:00.003+10:00

Sorry for not blogging much lately, we really haven't been doing anything worth taking photos of. I am pleased to say that Oliver's eating is going well. He is definitely growing as his clothes are getting short on him so all that goodness from his vegetables is working! LOL

No more news on the visa front. A couple of things to get before the process can officially start. Once it is under way, it should be 8-10 weeks before it is approved.

A trip to IKEA was in order today to buy a new bed for Oliver. His bedroom furniture is white so I really wanted to keep everything white but alas, this particular bed only comes in blue and pink! So, BLUE it was! Oliver started to help us put the bed together but got distracted by his toys (which was a good thing!) so this is where we were up to when he payed us another visit.

This is no trousers Oliver! Yes, while out today in the pouring rain, between the car and the entry doors to IKEA, Oliver found every puddle possible and jumped in it. His trousers were soaked! But first he had to walk around and around and around the shop before we decided on which bed to get.

After buying the bed, we then needed to buy Oliver his very own dooner as his quilt is too small (for the bed). We also bought some covers but they are in the wash as I type so I will post again later when the bed is complete.

Can anyone guess what is on his covers?? I bet you can!

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Funny Photo

2008-05-18T06:41:00.004+10:00

Do you like Oliver's new house?? LOL I don't know where the idea came from but he loves to make his house (from a blanket) when he has a sleep. Can you see his little legs sticking out the bottom!

Here he is! Aaawwww! Isn't he cute! And quiet and peaceful.......!

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Thomas Land

2008-05-10T05:29:00.004+10:00

Oh yes, there is a Thomas Land!! It is very new and only opened in March. It is part of Drayton Manor Theme Park.

Oliver just loves Thomas so naturally, there had to be a photo with him. We even went on the Thomas train tide with Annie and Clarabel the coaches which Thomas pulls.

This is Knapford station where Thomas pulls in to pick up his passengers. You truly felt you were at a real station.

Oh my!!! THIS is Oliver's first ever roller coaster ride. This one is with the Troublesome Trucks. We all went on it the first time and he didn't seem too keen on going again but just look at him in this photo - he LOVED it! LOL. In the end both Rob and Oliver went on it 4 times.

This ride is Cranky the Crane. That little blop on the right is Oliver! LOL You can hardly see him and he just made the height restrictions. I sooooo did not think he would like this one (this is my kind of ride). I actually took some video footage so if I can, I will upload it so you can see it.

The ride goes up and down and you feel like you will lose your lunch but Oliver was giggling and squealing the whole time. They went on this 3 times in a row. The first time I watched and laughed at Oliver laughing, then the next time I took these shots and the third time I took the video.

Oliver got to shake hands with the Fat Controller (Sir Topam Hat). His wife was also wondering around too.

This is Toby and one of the trains gets out to play with at home.

This train is Mavis. I think Oliver now says her name correctly but he used to pronounce it Mabis. He just couldn't get his tongue around "v's".

This boat is 'Bullstrode'. This ride and the Troublesome Trucks were to two he kept asking to go on later on in the day.

This is Jeremy! Another ride he liked.

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Play Time

2008-05-07T23:59:00.000+10:00

It was such a lovely day today that we took Oliver to the park just around the corner from our house.

How grown up does he look on his bike! He LOVES to ride his bike.

Here he is riding in the play ground (we were the only one's there so it was a good opportunity for him to ride his bike). At one point, Rob was chasing after him and Oliver was trying to pedal faster but couldn't because he was laughing so much.

You can see where he parked his bike - he didn't even take off his helmet to play on the play centre.

Here he is getting a push from daddy! He kept saying to Rob 'higher daddy!'

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Where's Oliver?

2008-05-05T23:48:00.003+10:00

It is my MIL's birthday tomorrow and it is very difficult to buy something for someone who has everything. We ended up getting a photo frame and putting one of these pictures in it. That is why Oliver has bubbles all over him - plus he loves it! Just look at that face!

If I didn't know any better, I would think that Oliver likes having his photo taken! LOL.

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Cooking Time

2008-05-04T23:20:00.003+10:00

It was baking day today! Oliver and I made some some chocolate cup cakes at the beginning of the week (forgot to photograph them) so it was daddy's turn to cook.

As Oliver loves to watch Tom & Jerry, we thought he would like to bake them too! LOL They are strawberry flavoured with, you guessed it - strawberry icing! Talk about OD'ing on strawberry.

Here is Tom up close. It is rice paper with the pictures printed on it.
Here is Jerry! Rob got a bit carried away with the icing and instead of adding tsp of water, he added Tbsp so luckily I had some icing sugar in the cupboard and added that to thicken. It is still too runny (as you can see by how the icing went on) but Oliver didn't care!

This is also what they cooked. They are cheesy bread animals. L-R: turtle, dinosaur & pig. Apparently there was also a car and a smiley face. They ate the smiley face (because they could!) but the car was rubbish so Rob ate that before I could take a photo.

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Good News

2008-04-30T23:39:00.002+10:00

For those of you that know my dad, will also know that he has had his business up for sale. He OFFICIALLY sold it a couple of weeks ago! That is a welcomed relief for both my dad and my mum. He will stay on for another 12 months but this time he is the employee and not the employer. Mum will retire so she should be able to put her feet up a bit more.

Dad has a pretty sweet deal with the new owner in terms of his working hours. After his heart attack last year (it is almost 1 year ago!), he needed to slow down and take care of himself.

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Oliver's Spending Money

2008-04-28T23:52:00.001+10:00

I completely forgot that Oliver got some money for his birthday and Christmas. I had put it away in my other bag for safe keeping!! LOL

Anyway, we went out today and he finally got his 'Thomas Bridge' and there was enough money left over to buy 3 trains. I don't think that there are too many trains he hasn't got.

Here he is with his cheeky grin! Yes, he just had to be in the photo too!

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Howletts Zoo

2008-04-20T04:30:00.002+10:00

It was an overcast day but as our friends from Germany are visiting, we wanted to do something together. We were going to go to Legoland but left buying the tickets online too late. It was waaaay too expensive to buy tickets at the gate so we went to Howletts instead. The kids love animals.

The photo doesn't really show just how BIG this elephant really is! They are beautiful animals.

Here are the Black Rhino's. There are actually 3 of them with one just to the right - out of view.

We actually went at the right time because is was 'feeding time at the zoo!' Here is one of the tigers with his/her (I cannot tell!) bag of goodies but the one on the right that is jumping up was the one to get stuck into the other bag.

I didn't get to take photos of the gorilla's. They were funny when their food was dropped from the top of their massive cage. Some had climbed to the top to be the first to get the carrots and lettuce but the other ran around on the ground picking up the food and hoarding them in their arms. They would then go and find a quiet place to sit and munch away.

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Artist In Training

2008-04-15T23:19:00.002+10:00

Today was painting day! I bought Oliver these new tubes of paint (so much easier than using a brush!) and after priming them ready for him to use, off he went!

Do you like how he is sitting on his chair? He carries this chair all over the house - especially in the kitchen so he can see what I am doing!

This is his second painting and he clearly likes the colour red! I managed to get the purple in his hand but he is distracted by the television in the shot. He does love to paint.

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Do It Yourself Icing

2008-04-12T03:00:00.002+10:00

Our local super market sell these un-iced ginger bread man cookies and while walking up and down the isles the other week, I cam across these little tubes of icing already to go! I thought it would be a good idea (and funny!) to get Oliver to ice his own cookie.

He loved it! He needed a little help in squeezing the tubes though!

You may notice he is in different clothing! - I took him up to have a bath!

He thoroughly enjoyed his self-iced cookie! I think these ones are just the right size for him to eat too. The other ones we get are bigger and only a few times has he not been able to finish it.

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Snow Time - 1st Post

2008-04-06T23:26:00.003+10:00

This is what we woke up to this morning - SNOW! And lots of it too.

Here is Oliver getting ready to go for a walk in the snow and throw snow balls at daddy !! LOL

This will show you just how much snow we had in one night !! OMG. This doesn't happen very often, especially in the London area and especially in APRIL !!!

He is throwing snow at the garage door. Bless him !! He couldn't really throw properly so it was funny to watch.

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Snow Time - 2nd Post

2008-04-06T23:25:00.005+10:00

We decided to walk down to the shops to get food for dinner.

Rob was shaking the trees as Oliver walked under them but this one got Rob more than Oliver ! LOL

Another shot of Oliver in the snow.

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Party Boy

2008-04-06T05:09:00.000+10:00

Doesn't he look smart !!

One of the boys Oliver used tos wim with is having a party today with a bouncy castle. The past few days have been lovely weather but today is going to be cold with snow predicted over night.

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I've got a Mouse !

2008-04-05T00:18:00.000+11:00

Rob got a new mouse for Oliver to use while playing his games. It is the perfect size for his hands.

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Computer Game

2008-04-03T03:29:00.001+11:00

Rob bought Oliver some computer games (his first ones) as he likes to sit on Rob's lap and watch Rob play his game (Lord of the Rings).

It is called "Piglet's BIG Game" and Oliver loves it. Rob showed him how to use the mouse and that the arrow needed to be white before he could click on the item......he picked that up in no time !! Our mouse is a little too big for his hand so we are going to look for a smaller one just for Oliver to use.

Ok, so the game is really good for kids. You travel with Piglet through the Hundred Acre Wood collecting items Rabbit needs to make his Very Large Soup, visiting all the other characters along the way as they each have something to add to the soup.

Here he is concentrating !! LOL Isn't he cute !!

Rob bought 3 games in total but the other ones wouldn't load on the pc so we are trying to sort those out.

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Breakfast Time

2008-03-29T22:10:00.003+11:00

It is scrambled eggs !! Another new thing he is eating. We had tried him on eggs before but he refused to eat them. Now that he has his spiderman stamp for his toast (it is a plastic stamp which you press down on the fresh bread and then toast it) he is always asking for toast !!

Oliver is now willing to try new things now. Before he just refused. Whoo hoo !!

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English Oliver

2008-03-29T04:45:00.000+11:00

I just had to post this photo of Oliver. This is first thing in the morning and it is a little on the brrrrr side and I didn't want Oliver to get cold feet so I asked him to put some socks on. This is what he did. What makes it look even funnier is that he has summer pj's on with his socks pulled up - very 'English'.

Look At This

2008-03-26T04:12:00.000+11:00

Here is the proof. Can you tell by my posts that I am excited and happy that Oliver is finally eating properly.

We told him that Brocolli will give him muscles and make him strong. Carrots are good for his eyes but he is not really wanting to eat the corn (only a mouthful, maybe two) AND can you see the chicken dippers cut up on his plate ?? Yes, he loves to eat them too now.

In action shot.

"Yay, I finished my dinner and look at what I get to eat now!! "

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Another Small Victory

2008-03-25T05:54:00.004+11:00

I don't have any photos of Oliver eating today but this morning he ate scrambles eggs on toast and while the other night he didn't want to try the chicken nuggets, he ate two of them for dinner tonight. There has to be tomato sauce on his plate but who cares, as long as he is trying new things - we are happy. Whoo Hoo !!!!!

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Fun Fair

2008-03-25T04:05:00.003+11:00

I wanted to show you what Oliver and his dad put together. This is what Oliver got for Christmas.

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Coffee Please

2008-03-24T09:24:00.003+11:00

Rob (or should I say Oliver!) bought me a coffee machine for Christmas even though I drink more tea than coffee. Oliver likes to make our coffee for us. He sits on the bench and puts the milk in the machine and then pushes the lever across to fill the cup. He then takes out the milk and replaces it with the coffee and does the same thing. It is so funny to watch him do it. I should video it and let you see him in action. LOL

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Unofficially - I've done it !

2008-03-21T19:17:00.002+11:00

Yes, I went to another of my exercise classes last night and got on the scales to see my progress and since Monday's weigh in, I've 2 1/2 pounds !! That means, I've now lost just over 2 stone in total !! YIPPPPEEEEE !!!
Unfortunately, because Easter Monday is a public holiday, there is no exercise class or weigh in so I will have to wait another week before I get my 2 stone certificate. Boo hoo.

Little Steps.......

2008-03-21T07:50:00.003+11:00

OMG!!! Olive is eating vegetables. Yes, we have decided to take drastic actions - not really but we are taking a different approach to get Oliver to eat like a 3 year old should eat.

So far so good. Even though Rob is putting the food in his mouth, he is eating it and not saying 'no'.

We spoke to our health visitor about his eating as he is not getting enough vitamins and goodness in what he is eating. She suggested the different approach and that she would like to weigh him to see where he is on the scale of things. If he was underweight, she would refer us to a nutritionist. He is not under-weight by any means so I am not concerned there. But it would be nice to go out and order something from the menu for Oliver instead of hoping he might eat chips or garlic bread. We went our for a curry a few weeks back and Oliver loved eating poppadoms, but that is all he ate. He refused to try anything and I think we gave in too easily. We have always not given him anything else to eat if he doesn't eat his food but there was always milk for him to fill up on !! Now he is not having milk at night but he is filling up on flavoured milk during the day !! Oh, what to do !! LOL He has been to bed 3 nights without eating his dinner so he has been very hungry when he wakes up in the morning. After 3 days, the picture above is what happened. Little steps.

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Look at me Mummy !

2008-03-19T08:07:00.003+11:00

This is Oliver's inventive way of taking his track out of his box, piece by piece. That is until he got bored of it !! LOL You can see the track he has already put together and his trains. How he loves his Thomas The Tank Engine set.

Here he is in action (sorry it is blurry). You can just make out the track between his toes - yes, it is between his toes !! LOL

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Scalextric Boys !

2008-03-13T00:12:00.003+11:00

I tried to post this on Sunday but an error kept coming up so I thought I'd wait a couple of days and try again.

So here we are. Oliver is looking on while Rob is putting the track together. Rob bought this track (for Oliver!!) when I was pregnant and before we even knew that we were having a boy !! He used to have a set when he was young so I think he is re-living his childhood. LOL He had to test it out as soon as we bought it and then our friend's bought a set so with the two sets combined it made for a mighty track which the two boys (um, men) had a ball with.

Now that Oliver is old enough, this is the first time that the two of them have played together and Oliver got the hang of it really quickly.

Oliver wanted to pose for the camera so while Rob was finishing off putting the accessories on the track, Oliver sat in the middle - "strike a pose".
Here is Oliver in action. He loves his 'yellow' BMW Mini. There is a red Mini too but he only wants to use the yellow one.

He actually has the control upside down with the lever on top and he is using his thumb to make the car go.

He gets all excited and starts shouting 'Look at my car go'.

I think we have a winner here!! LOL

Sore Eyebrows !

2008-03-09T22:41:00.003+11:00

Oliver woke up saying his throat was sore this morning - oh no !! Tonsillitis ??

He is already taking antibiotics (got them on Friday) so they should help him get better.

He decided to lay on the couch with his blanket and water by his side, so we put on some cartoons for him.

I also gave him some nurofen for his temperature. Poor thing !!

Chocolate Crackles

2008-03-04T02:55:00.003+11:00

I have had the ingredients for chocolate crackles for weeks and just haven't been able to make them.

It was going to involve Oliver as a treat for him. He loves eating chocolate and Rice Bubbles for breakfast so I know he will like the two of them together.

Here he is mixing the two ingredients together. After a couple of minutes, he had had enough of mixing !!

I thin he liked licking the bowl, well actually the spoon and I am surprised he didn't lick the bowl.
I saw the chocolate all over his face and just had to take a photo. I'm sure this kid had ants in his pants as he just cannot stank or sit still. BTW - I didn't teach him or even tell him to do that with his thumb. That was his own idea !! LOL

He even has chocolate on his nose !

K.

DIY Oliver

2008-03-03T02:41:00.002+11:00

Here is DIY Oliver !! LOL

The handle on our toilet kept slipping so Rob went out today and bought a new one. As we live in a 3 storey townhouse, our bedrooms and bathroom are on the top floor so for some reason when I go upstairs, Oliver has to follow me. This is what he did with Rob so he helped Rob change the handle as well.

He was so proud of himself.

K.

Oliver and his Bike !

2008-02-17T02:38:00.008+11:00

This clip is 13 minutes long so go grab a cuppa or just stop when you have had enough !! LOL P.S. - There is a crash towards the end.

I thought it might be good to post a clip of Oliver learning to ride his new bike. This was taken at my in-laws house as their driveway is level where as our street isn't. I must warn you that he wasn't very happy and needed a sleep plus, he likes to do things himself !!

I am sorry about the quality of the video - Rob is trying to fix it. Probably doesn't help that it is not the original. It is just funny listening to Oliver speak and when he get's excited, his voice goes up a notch and pitch !! Plus he doesn't stop talking.

I Can Do It !!

2008-02-12T04:13:00.000+11:00

This is Oliver's present for eating or at least trying his dinner Saturday night - A BIKE !!!

He absolutely loves it. He needs help going up our road - it has a small incline so it is a little hard for him to pedal by himself. He picked his helmet out (Thomas the Tank Engine - of course!!).

Here is an action shot. We took him around the block a couple of times. It didn't take him long to pick it up or pick up speed !! "Look at me, I going fast" he would say while either Rob or myself were holding onto his jacket holding him back. We did have to run a couple of times to keep up with him. LOL

A Good Night

2008-02-10T08:22:00.000+11:00

Rob cooked his famous Roast Dinner tonight and guess who ate some - OLIVER !!!!

Yes, he actually ate some vegetables and pork. I told him it was turkey because I know he ate turkey sandwich at nursery yesterday. There was no problem getting him to eat yorkshire puddings though. We did have to bribe him. It looks like a trip to Toys R Us tomorrow !! LOL That's good because I want to go to IKEA to buy another storage unit for Oliver's room.......and if I can, my craft table. If you click on the link, have a closer look at it. The table has a glass top which site a few inches above the wooden table top. I can store my paper trimmer and other bits and pieces which I would use everyday for easy access instead of cluttering up my table.

K.

Papertrey Ink Apprentice

2008-02-05T21:11:00.000+11:00

As most of you know, I started another blog purely for all my crafting called Krafty Kylie. I'm not very imaginative when it comes to picking names !! LOL

Anyway, there is a company called Papertrey Ink (I have bought a number of their stamps) and on the 15th of each month they release brand new stamp sets. The three ladies behind PTI are Nichole, Julie & Jane. Nichole Heady has her own blog and they had a contest (you need to scroll down to "Papertrey Apprentice Contest!"). If you don't want to here is what Nichole wrote:

The winner will get to assist me in designing a stamp set which will be released during our April 15th, 2008 debut. We will have a concept meeting via phone or email, to discuss what types of things you would like included in the set, the theme of the images, or even any fonts you would like to see used.

---> I will then design the set according to your specifications. You will be the FIRST to see the rough drafts & final copies! You will be involved in every step of the process!

--->Your name will be included in the promotion & packaging of the stamp set!

--->You will receive the first copy of the set, hot off the presses, before anyone else!

Guess what ???...........I WON !!! See Nichole's Post HERE !! I am so excited and nervous at the same time. Another thing, when the stamp set is released it will be just days before my birthday so what a brilliant birthday present.

I cannot thank Nichole, Julie & Jane enough for this opportunity. I'm not entirely sure what in is store for me but I look forward to it as it can only make me a better crafter.

K.

My Eyebrow Hurts, Mummy !!

2008-02-05T09:13:00.000+11:00

Poor Oliver woke up just after 2am this morning saying his 'eyebrows hurt' - meaning he has a headache. He sat with us in our bed and we gave him some calpol and he wanted me to rub his eyebrow. He wouldn't settle and when we turned our bedside light on, his right eye was stuck together. OMG !!! I grabbed some wet cotton balls and wiped his eye so he could open it. He was quite happy that he could see again and ended up sleeping with us all night. Not something I like him doing - only because I wake up with a sore neck and a headache all day long !!

Anyway, I got him into see a doctor and he had conjuctivitis. He now has cream which I have to put in his eye (he doesn't like this at all!!). He is not allowed to go to nursery tomorrow so I said we can make some chocolate crackles (Rice Bubbles or Rice Krispies covered in chocolate). That will cheer him up.

K.

Oliver at work and play !

2008-02-03T00:35:00.000+11:00

You know how some people have a feature wall (we do) well we also had a feature ceiling !! LOL. Our bathroom had a very slow leak (which we didn't know about) until one day I looked up and the ceiling in our lounge room to discover a crack. We didn't think much of it but the crack got bigger and bigger. Anyway, our neighbour is a plasterer so he came and fixed it for us. We also thought we fixed the leak - NOT !!!! The new plaster was getting wet so we didn't bother painting the ceiling until we knew for sure the problem was fixed. To cut the story short, the IDIOT!!! who put the shower unit in and tiled (can you tell I am mad?) didn't adhere the tiles to plaster but to wood (the space had previously been where the boiler sat). Therefore the grouting was coming loose and the water was leaking through the gaps. I did mention the grouting problem to Rob and his Dad but was knocked down in flames - what would I know !!! Well guess what ???? IT WAS THE GROUTING that was causing the leak. After Dennis (rob's dad) re-tiled the bottom half of the shower and re-grouted - the leak was NO MORE. Yay. So today Rob decided to finally paint the ceiling white again. Oliver wanted to have a go so here he is on Rob's shoulder's - he only just reached.

The boys got the Thomas The Tank Engine set out this morning to play with. Rob put it together for Oliver. The two bigger pieces Oliver got for Christmas.

The one that Oliver is holding onto is called the Mining Co. and Christmas day, this is all he played with. He loves it. It makes noises when you push the trains around in certain spots.

K.

Day Out

2008-01-31T07:24:00.000+11:00

I took Oliver into Central London today as I wanted to renew my NSW driver's license before our move back to NSW, Australia.

To cut a long story short, I forgot my passport so it was a wasted trip except that Oliver had fun on the train and chatted the WHOLE journey to and from !!! Seriously, he didn't stop. LOL.

Here he is in Trafalgar Square wanting to touch the water in the fountain.

There was this bloke wandering around letting this bird fly about, nothing unusual there as there are lots of pigeons - I saw the glove on his hand and thought, you only need those gloves for certain birds don't you ??? OMG - look what it is !!!

Oliver spent a good 10 minutes chasing the pigeons. It started off as walking up and down the stairs then he saw the pigeons and couldn't help himself. LOL.

He wanted to pose for this photo while on the train at Charing Cross Station waiting for our train to depart.
Yes, Oliver is pulling a face here. Now you see what I have to put up with day in and day out. LOL

K.

An Artist In The Making.....?

2008-01-27T10:36:00.000+11:00

I bought this easel yesterday while out craft shopping with my friend Sally. While wondering around Hobby Craft, I came across this easel and canvas (sold together). I wanted the easel to display my cards when I take photos of them and thought, well Oliver can paint the canvas - he will love that.

And he did love it !!! After painting the canvas, he painted on copy paper until he got bored and wanting to play with his toys.

So, what do you think.....an artist in the making ???? LOL Ah, bless him.

Well, he finally did it tonight. He had a really good sleep this afternoon (so did I), so he stayed up a little longer tonight but only by 30 minutes. Rob took him up stairs to read him a story then they play hide and seek which is quite funny because Oliver usually stands in his room with his hands over his eyes. Anyway, back to tonight's story.....he was in his bed happily talking to himself then shouted out to me which I couldn't quite hear but it was something to do with his foot. I went up stairs and he had taken his nappy of again but had an little accident of the poop variety. Nothing major but he didn't like it being on his foot (I think he stood in it). He was spoken to about taking his nappy off (only the second time he has done this), cleaned up, bed clothes changed and put back to bed. You have to laugh at these things.

K.

AUSTRALIA DAY !!!

2008-01-27T10:22:00.000+11:00

Happy Australia Day to all Australian's wherever you may be.

Nothing planned at our house this year - just wait until next year when we will be living in Sydney. I can then celebrate with my fellow Australian's and family.

K.

Oh no, No NAPPY !!

2008-01-25T07:46:00.000+11:00

I have just come home from helping Helena out at two of her exercise classes tonight to find Oliver in bed (it is past his bed time) and he was asleep. However, I did also find a nappy on the floor !!! I called out to Rob to ask why it was there and he said he didn't know. I lifted the blanket to find NO NAPPY on Oliver. OMG !!! I think he had only just fallen asleep so he opened his eyes and I got a new nappy on him quick. He had obviously taken his pj trousers off to and put them in the drawer.

K.

Another Sheep........

2008-01-24T04:14:00.000+11:00

........bites the dust !!

Yes, Oliver ate his gingerbread sheep. If ever a biscuit goes missing, all you would have to do is look at Oliver's face to find where it went !! LOL

He does enjoy eating gingerbread cookies but he only has one if he has eaten his dinner. He isn't the best eater so we have to bribe him sometimes. He always has to eat his fruit sachet first before the cookie.

Mr Cool

2008-01-23T04:06:00.000+11:00

Oliver found my old sun glasses and wanted to wear them around the house.

He actually puts them on upside down and wonders why they keep falling off !! LOL

He even asked me to take this photo of him !!

Egg Head Update

2008-01-22T03:59:00.000+11:00

Here is how Oliver's bruise is progressing. It is fading now !!

He went to nursery last Friday and they were calling him 'Mr Bump'.

He has been pretty good with it and hasn't really complained about it being sore (only the day he hit his head - naturally).