Documenting Delight: Day one hundred and five {party time @ Kids Pantry}

Today Finn headed off to a party for one of his Playgroup friends, Audrey. Finn was taken aback when we hopped in the car without Daddy, and without Harper. As we drove into the party venue driveway  Finn caught my eye in the rear vision mirror, “Mummy, are we having some Finn and Mummy time?” “Yes we are my lovely one”. Party + one on one time with Mummy = one excited little guy.

The party was held at the Kids Pantry. This place provides a party with a twist. The cake, party games, music are all there but the main event is a structured cooking class, where the party guests cook some of their party food. Genius idea.

{Cutting up the pizza pinwheels}

The kids were gently guided through three recipes; pizza pin-wheels, ants on a log (sultanas, cream cheese on a celery stick) and decorated cupcakes. I can *just* handle cooking with my two kids, so I watched in awe as three instructors kept 15 four year olds engaged and on task, and the mess under control. I felt like high fiving the instructors afterwards. Finn was in the zone; full of concentration and bombarding the instructors with questions....and lots of follow up questions.

{Instructor: "Would you like some chocolate with your strawberries?"
Finn: "Oh yes, I think I would"}

For Finn, a foodie in the making, this party made his weekend.

Documenting Delight: Day one hundred and four {my babywearing babe}

{two years old, 13 kilos and still very much at home in the Ergo}

Documenting Delight: Day one hundred and three

Moments before this photo was taken your sister was sitting next to you, singing along to the songs on Playschool. She then rubbed her eyes and asked to be taken to bed. When I returned I watched you in this pose, captivated and quiet, and for a moment I contemplated suggesting that you turn the TV off so we could have some one on one time. This is something that rarely features in your life. Your larger than life sister is almost your constant companion. She is either playing with you (or trying to play with you, as you try politely to tell her you want to play alone), eating with you, reading with you, side by side in the car with you, squabbling over toys with you or chatting with you. Being 20 months apart and both at home almost full time with me, you have spent a lot of hours together. Not all of them harmonious hours but hours where you are forming a life long relationship and working hard to share, compromise, listen to each other and hopefully love each other. Your temperament would have perfectly suited being an only child, but that’s not what this family structure has become. I promise you my beautiful boy that you will gain strong qualities from your time with your sister and you will find ways to make connections with people who respond and think differently to you through playing and learning alongside your sister.  It’s not always going to be easy (for either of you) but your Dad and I will be here to guide you.

Documenting Delight: Day one hundred and two

Today Harper attended her second funeral as Lachie’s family came together to celebrate the vast and incredible life of his Nana and Finn and Harper’s Great Nana. Harper and her Great Nana share the same middle name, May. Nana was a strong, funny, wise, kind and independent woman, all qualities that we can see emerging in our Harper May. Outside of the sadness that marked today, all around me I could see what a powerful legacy one lady, one mother, has left behind. Three generations have been positively influenced by her love, care and support. It has even crept down to one little two year old girl. We hope to keep pushing that influence along as the years go by, to see little bits of Nana in our baby girl.

You will be missed Nana. x

Documenting Delight: Day one hundred and one {all is quiet at bathtime}

Documenting Delight: Day one hundred

Me : What are you dressed up as Harper?

H: A baby.

Documenting Delight: Day ninety nine {easter sunday}

A simple Easter Sunday with my little family. Call us mean (oh, go on!) but Lachie and I made the decision to ease back on the chocolate this year. Not so much Finn, but sugar makes our little wild child, a bit more wild. So this year we gave them a new cup each, with three little eggs in them. They seemed chuffed with this, although Finn was utterly confused by his cup that read ‘early bird’. We reassured him it was apt.

{Early bird? Who me? }

{Our little snow bunny}

{Just chillin' with my hot cross bun and banana}