Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas

As xmas eve was an exciting and late night (see previous blog entry) we had to wake Ella up at 7.30am in order to open a few santa presents before getting ready to go to the Hogg house for xmas lunch. Katy on the other hand was ready to go!

Andy and Pippa braved the wet weather for an early morning run so that he could fit in xmas lunch.


Very exciting and a little overwhelming opening all those presents - Makhaya was into the full swing of christmas, while Ella and Luca were getting the hang of it and little Katy was more interested in the bubble wrap!


Xmas lunch - too much good food - what more can I say!



Twas the Night Before Christmas..

so we held our traditional xmas eve drinks inviting those who weren't traveling somewhere or had other family commitments over. This year it seemed that the pre-requiste was to have a 2yr old child and a baby or be pregnant! I think there were 6 toddlers, 3 babies and 3 pregnant ladies! Anyway we had 20 or so people over from 5pm with the last guest leaving around 11pm. As it was hot, we filled the paddling pool with water and placed the end of the slide in the water for some fun. All the children had a great time playing! It was a lovely evening and a great way to start the festivities of Christmas!



Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Well there was lots of stirrings in our house. I should add they weren't in anticipation of Santa's arrival as was the case at Cathy's house (Andy's younger sister). Her 3yr old boy, Makhaya, woke around 1am worrying about how Santa and his reindeers would go in the wind and where they were going to park the sleigh! Anyway back in our house Katy became unsettled around 10pm only going back to sleep at 12.30pm in our bed! While Ella woke up (not sure why) just as we hopped in bed - typical!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Back to Work

As childcare is now closed for Christmas and Andy was on daddy day care, it was off to work for me :) I really enjoy going back to work even when the morning goes a little pear shaped like today (we were over 1 hour late at one point). This is mainly due to not having the extra stress related to expressing milk! Katy is still on 4 feeds a day (3 formula and 1 breastfeed). She loves her solids - adding to the growing list of food is yoghurt, spinach, peas, mango, blueberries and sweetcorn. I think it will be time soon to change her carseat to face forwards. Exciting times ahead.


Monday, December 21, 2009

Santa Photo

While we were in Perth, I took the girls to have their photo taken with Santa. Ella decided that she didn't want to sit near this weird guy in red (a fairly normal reaction for toddlers apparently). So it was just Katy and Santa.

Here's a flashback of Ella's first santa photo with Katy's santa photo on the right!


Sunday, December 20, 2009

You Know Christmas is Almost Here When..

The cherry man is selling his cherries on Belconnen Way

and

You go to the mall to buy a christmas tree, it's jammed packed with people and there are no christmas tree left (except for the white and purple ones?!) I did find this small (30cm) one for $3.50 which will do for this year. Will have to be more organised next year. On the plus side parking was a dream. Since we've been away, the multi storery carparks have been fitted out with new parking sensors. Hence on entering the signs inform you of how many parks are left on each level. Then above each carpark spot on the roof is a red/green light which indicates whether the spot is free (green) or not (red). Very cool!



So we have had two christmases since arriving home. The first was with Andy's family as his older sister Susie together with husband Patrick and children Joshua and Mia are having a white Christmas skiing in Switzerland. They are meeting up with Patricks dad, his brother and family. I think they should almost be there now having survived the long flight.

Anyway we all gathered at Nanna and Grandpa's house bringing food to share for dinner. Susie, Patrick, Josh and Mia as well as the kids opened their presents. A lovely but late night (which didn't matter for us as we were still on Perth time!)



Today it was the McSWASH Christmas Brunch. McSWASH stands for McCrae, Searle, Walter, Allison, Smith and Hogg families - 8 adults and 4 little girls. The morning began with presents for the girls followed by our secret santa for the adults. Then the feast began - homemade Stacey Searle bircher muesli (impressive and yummy), beautifully prepared fruit salad with yoghurt and some free range eggs from BA and essential bacon and bread from Em. Barista Andy made coffee. Thomas cooked the bacon and eggs on the BBQ being closely supervised the BBQ master Dave. After devouring all the food it was playing for the girls and relaxing on the deck for the adults.







Goodbye Perth

Our time in Perth quickly came to an end! We're now in Canberra getting back into the timezone, swing of life, work and christmas. It was lovely staying and playing with Nanna and Grandpa. Even though our visit was longer than usual we still didn't manage to see everyone :( If only we could stay longer then not only could we managed a see more friends but also enjoy the masses of not-yet-ripe passionfruit growing in the backyard! The vine provided an abundance of shade for girls to shelter from the sun while splashing around in the shell pool. At time Ella was a little too enthusiastic about pouring water over Katy's head!


During our last week there we had family christmas where both Ella and Katy were spoilt resulting in us buying a new suitcase to fit in all the presents just for the journey home.



I'll even go as far as saying the flight home was even enjoyable too! Has taken a few days for all of us to get back into Canberra timezone but i think we're there! Now bring on Christmas...


Friday, December 18, 2009

Mission Accomplished!

Yep we managed to get 32 playground in 32 days! The last one was Vic Park Rec Centre playground where we played with one of my old school friends daughter after going with her to dance class. While Sheree and I thought it would be nice to catch up (after many years), our daughters thought otherwise...a few tantrums, no much sharing and some biffo!

Anyway if anyone is ever in Perth for holidays with kids we can inform you on the best playgrounds.

Biggest playground - Apple Funpark in Donnybrook
Playgrounds with coffee shops - Pt Walter, Sicky Beaks, Deep Water Point, Vat, Heathcote
Coolest designed - Heathcote
Worst playground - Vic Park Rec Centre

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Look at Me!


Katy can now sit for short periods of time by herself. Here she is at Dalyellup Beach watching the others swimming.


32 Playgrounds in 32 Days Update

Nearly there which also means our holiday has nearly finished. Day 30.

1. Morris Buzzacott playground
2. Kings Park - Sticky Beaks
3. Kings Park - Synergy Park
4. Fremantle Town Hall playgrond
5. Tomato Lake playground
6. South Beach playground
7. Heathcote playground
8. Lilla Park playground
9. Apple Funpark, Donnybrook
10. Denmark playground
11. Nornalup playground
12. Walpole playground
13. Manjimup playground
14. The Perth Zoo playground
15. Len Shearer playground
16. Piney Lakes Sensory playground
17. Winthrop Oval playground
18. Pt Walter playground
19. Kardinya Primary School playground
20. Deep Water Point playground
21. Tomato Lake playground (far end)
22. Nedlands Foreshore playground
23. Shelley Bridge playground
24. Bibra Lake playground
25. Dinosaur Park playground (Palmyra)
26. Vat Cafe playground (Bunbury)
27. Kapinara Primary School playground
28. Beecroft Park playground (City Beach)
29. Wireless Hill playground
30. Hillarys Boat Harbour playground
31. Three Bears playground

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Fish'n'Chips

According to popular opinion in our household, Canberra is a Fish'n'Chip desert, while Perth is an oasis of gourmet takeaway delights. This means that a holiday in Perth mandates numerous trips to a variety of Fish'n'Chip shops (not quite as numerous as playground visits, but it's not far off). Right now we've had greasy takeaway 2 nights out of the last 3 and I think I'll be happy if I don't see another dim sim until we next return to Perth in 2011.

Anyway, the photos show highlights of these two occasions. Photo #1 shows Aoife & Ella riding the double slide after their dinner at the playground next to "The Groper & His Wife". Photo #2 shows us all waiting patiently for Uncle Cuz to bring us our Fish'n'Chips at Hilary's Boat Harbour.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

32 Playgrounds in 32 Days Update

Day 27 - Progress on the playgrounds

1. Morris Buzzacott playground
2. Kings Park - Sticky Beaks
3. Kings Park - Synergy Park
4. Fremantle Town Hall playgrond
5. Tomato Lake playground
6. South Beach playground
7. Heathcote playground
8. Lilla Park playground
9. Apple Funpark, Donnybrook
10. Denmark playground
11. Nornalup playground
12. Walpole playground
13. Manjimup playground
14. The Perth Zoo playground
15. Len Shearer playground
16. Piney Lakes Sensory playground
17. Winthrop Oval playground
18. Pt Walter playground
19. Kardinya Primary School playground
20. Deep Water Point playground
21. Tomato Lake playground (far end)
22. Nedlands Foreshore playground
23. Shelley Bridge playground
24. Bibra Lake playground
25. Dinosaur Park playground (Palmyra)
26. Vat Cafe playground (Bunbury)
27. Kapinara Primary School playground
28. Beecroft Park playground (City Beach)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Tomato Lake SS

Summer Series at Tomato Lake was HOT! Fortunately the sea breeze arrived providing some relief for those running (not me as I have injured my calf again...) We decided to have a picnic dinner with Cath, Aoife and Eoin. Lovely evening. Apparently Aoife and Ella decided the playground wasn't good enough for climbing and improvised as seen in the photo below! Aoife and Ella were definitely having fun - not sure about Cath though...


32 Playgrounds in 32 Days Update

Day 25 - Progress on the playgrounds

1. Morris Buzzacott playground
2. Kings Park - Sticky Beaks
3. Kings Park - Synergy Park
4. Fremantle Town Hall playgrond
5. Tomato Lake playground
6. South Beach playground
7. Heathcote playground
8. Lilla Park playground
9. Apple Funpark, Donnybrook
10. Denmark playground
11. Nornalup playground
12. Walpole playground
13. Manjimup playground
14. The Perth Zoo playground
15. Len Shearer playground
16. Piney Lakes Sensory playground
17. Winthrop Oval playground
18. Pt Walter playground
19. Kardinya Primary School playground
20. Deep Water Point playground
21. Tomato Lake playground (far end)
22. Nedlands Foreshore playground
23. Shelley Bridge playground
24. Bibra Lake playground

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Strawberry Grandpa?

Grandpa Smith has a pot full of strawberry plants. Each day Ella goes out to check on the strawberries. Yesterday while I hung up the washing, Ella wandered off returning with a strawberry. "Look mummy a strawberry. Yummy." Ella says. I glance down to see the strawberry she picked was mostly white!! It seems that Ella has inherited Grandpa Hogg's strawberry picking talent. The story goes that Grandpa Hogg is colour blind and although he says he can tell the difference between ripe and unripe strawberries, apparently he always comes back with a 50/50 mixture of red and green ones!

Anyway I tried to explain to Ella that Grandpa Smith wouldn't be happy that she was picking all the strawberries especially before they were ripe. She kinda nodded and wandered off happily munching on the white strawberry. When Grandpa Smith returned from work, he headed down to his bedroom to get changed and discovered what he thought was a tiny flower on his pillow. This tiny flower turned out to be the top of Ella's white strawberry! Perhaps this was her attempt at sharing?!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

32 Playgrounds in 32 Days Update

Day 21 - Progress on the playgrounds

1. Morris Buzzacott playground
2. Kings Park - Sticky Beaks
3. Kings Park - Synergy Park
4. Fremantle Town Hall playgrond
5. Tomato Lake playground
6. South Beach playground
7. Heathcote playground
8. Lilla Park playground
9. Apple Funpark, Donnybrook
10. Denmark playground
11. Nornalup playground
12. Walpole playground
13. Manjimup playground
14. The Perth Zoo playground
15. Len Shearer playground
16. Piney Lakes Sensory playground
17. Winthrop Oval playground
18. Pt Walter playground
19. Kardinya Primary School playground
20. Deep Water Point playground
21. Tomato Lake playground (far end)

Walters River Cafe

A great spot! On the banks of the Swan River overlooking the Perth skyline, Point Walter is a fantastic place to take kids. Even better is the fact there is a nice cafe there. We took Nanna and Grandpa out for breakfast (as a belated Father's Day present) on the weekend. Yummy eggs and bacon and good coffee. Ella actually sat down and ate an egg, a bit of bacon and enjoyed some of my mango smoothie (first time for everything hey!) Afterwards Andy and Ella played/swam in the river while the rest of us watched.



Bubble Blowing


Ella is soaking up the opportunity to spend as much time with Nanna and Grandpa. Yesterday after helping Grandpa load and unload his trolley with wood, Ella blew lots of bubbles with Nanna. Her bubble blowing technique has greatly improved since last time we played with bubbles.


Perth Zoo

Grandpa works at the Perth Zoo which is very handy when we visit - especially going through the side door! Last Friday the girls and I took Nanna and Great Nan with us. Even though it was a hot morning we had a great time. Firstly we literally bumped into Trisha, the elephant who was on her morning stroll around the zoo!


We passed by the tiger enclosure hoping to catch a glimpse of one. However when we got there all 3 tigers were active - pacing around their home coming up close to the window and eating a frozen treat.

Next were the sun bears. These 2 cute bears wandered around, climbed into their hammock and swam in the pond which kept Ella entertained and still allowing Great Nan and Nanna to sit for a breather on the bench. The otters were disappointing (perhaps they were sleeping in) so we headed for the orangutans.



One of the female orangutans was right up next to the glass looking at the everyone - amazing! No luck at seeing the newest baby orangutan though. Then it was through the lesser primate area before replenishing our energy at the cafe.



Needed a change so we visited the play area on the main lawn. Then it was off to the new crocodile enclosure, through the australian wetlands onto the fairy penguins who weren't doing that much swimming unfortunately. By now it was nearly 1pm and hot. A short look in at the shop before heading home.



Saturday, December 5, 2009

Yum Yum


Katy is well and truly enjoying 'eating'. Her taste buds have experienced the following various flavours: rice cereal, pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, pear and avocado. Her other end hasn't enjoyed the experience that much and as a result we added a little prune juice to the rice cereal. She is also down to 4 drinks a day - 2 formula feeds and 2 breast feeds. As Katy is starting childcare in early Jan I plan to finish breast feeding by xmas.


32 Playgrounds in 32 Days

Progress on the playgrounds:

1. Morris Buzzacott playground
2. Kings Park - Sticky Beaks
3. Kings Park - Synergy Park
4. Fremantle Town Hall playgrond
5. Tomato Lake playground
6. South Beach playground
7. Heathcote playground
8. Lilla Park playground
9. Apple Funpark, Donnybrook
10. Denmark playground
11. Nornalup playground
12. Walpole playground
13. Manjimup playground
14. The Perth Zoo playground
15. Len Shearer playground
16. Piney Lakes Sensory playground

Last Day at Nornalup

Andy and Adrian started the day off with an early morning paddle up the tranquil waters of the Franklin River. Ella, Katy and I headed into Walpole for a short play. Managed to pack the car and get going by 9.30am for the long drive back to Perth. Thanks to Heather and Adrian for letting us disturb their usual quiet, peaceful and relaxing time in Nornalup :)

We were intending stopping at Bunbury to catch up with friends however they were all sick with a gastro bug so bypassed them! Instead we stopped at Manjimup as Katy was hungry so Ella got to explore another playground.


Shortly after that we spent nearly 2 hours at the Apple Playground in Donnybrook meeting up with Annwen, James, Ashley and Nathan. With all that playing it was a very quiet 2 hr drive home!