All aboard the Heritage Express

Ella loves trains.  Hence the reason why we took her to a miniature railway on her 2nd birthday and nanny and poppy took her for another miniature train ride a few weeks ago at Galston.  In fact, she still says weeks later "I want to go on Michael's train!" - she still remembers the train drivers name after all that time (he's a friend of poppy).

The other day Tim somehow stumbled upon an ad for the Heritage Express steam train which was running from Central Station to Hurstville and back today.  We asked Ella if she would like to go on a steam train and she couldn't contain her excitement at the thought so we bought tickets straight away.

Despite a very early rise to get everybody ready and there in time for the train's departure, we arrived at Central Station and could see the steam and black soot rising into the air from the distance.  Ella's eyes were so wide when she saw the train and she couldn't wait to get on.

I'll never forget the look on her face when we started to move and the train whistle blew for the first time!  She sat next to the window and waved to everybody on the station as we rolled past and for the whole trip she grinned from ear to ear.  Lucas sat placidly on our laps the whole time with a smile on his face too as he watched Ella. He loves her so much and she always makes him laugh.  I'm so lucky he's such an easy going baby.

After the train ride we walked down to China Town to have lunch.  It was such a beautiful day outside and the city was bustling.  It's been such a long time since I've been in the city.  We saw a sign boasting "Sydney's Best Yum Cha" and couldn't wait to go in.  Unfortunately it didn't really live up to it's promise (nothing will ever beat Sky Phoenix in our books) but it was still nice.

It's been so nice to get out and about and fully enjoy the weekends lately.  It's the long weekend next week so I'm looking forward to more adventures with the kids then.

(Side note:  Ella's hair is finally long enough to tie into piggy tails.  I've been waiting for this for two years!!  I'm just a little bit excited about it.)

Weekend Adventures

Regardless of whether it's the weekend or a weekday, our days always start at around 5.30am when Ella starts singing in her cot and shortly after when she has woken Lucas, he will chime in too with cooing and gurgling noises.  Gone are the days when we would sleep in until 10am on a saturday or sunday.  The times when we have been without the kids, we still wake at the same ungodly hour regardless, we literally can't sleep in any more.

To make the most of the early rising I always try to get us out of the house so that we can go and do something fun as a family before Ella has her afternoon nap.  We usually end up going to the beach but it takes about an hour to get there from our house so it's a bit of a hike so for something different this weekend we decided to go down to our local National Park (Bobbin Head).  We stopped by a local bakery on the way there and got some freshly baked scones and french pastries so that we could have a little picnic breakfast when we got to our destination.

We ate our goodies, played in the park, strolled along the water and got chased by a cheeky bush turkey who seemed to like the look of our breakfast, particularly Ella's (her shrieks could be heard echoing through the bush!).

It wasn't all that exciting but it was a really lovely way to start off the weekend.

Peggy the Pony

The other day Ella told me that she wanted Santa to bring her a pony.  What?!  Is wanting a pony somehow part of every girl's genetic makeup because we've never really talked about ponies so I have no idea where she would have gotten the idea from.  And, Christmas!  We're already talking about Christmas?  That's just scary.

I went to Spotlight a few days ago and stumbled across some scrap material with a western theme and thought I'd give making a hobby horse a try.  I've said before, I'm not a sewer.  I really have no idea what I'm doing but I can fumble my way through the process to make something fairly decent by hand stitching (just don't look at it too closely).  I actually find hand stitching quite therapeutic.

I sat down last night after the kids had gone to bed and set about making Ella's pony.  I basically had all the things I needed to make it at home.  I bought some fringe at Spotlight which was on special and the fabric but the other things I needed including ribbon, buttons, the stuffing and dowel I already had at home so it turned out to be a very cost effective little project.

This morning I put a few finishing touches on the pony and gave it to Ella.  She was so excited, her face was beaming.  I showed her how to ride it and for the next hour or so she played with it in the backyard.  Its name is Peggy and mostly Peggy likes to eat grass and tree branches and drink water - as evidenced by the dirt on her face from Ella dragging her along the ground while she 'eats', her head separating from her body and getting stuck in a tree (a minor adjustment had to be made to affix her head to the stick a little better), and several dunkings in Archie's water bowl.

So far Peggy hasn't fallen apart given her rough treatment so my sewing skills must be getting better, but it's early days yet.  It was so satisfying to make something for Ella from scratch and see her enjoy it so much.

TGIF

TGIF indeed, in fact I could throw another F in there for good measure after this week if you know what I mean.  It's been a long one and a tough one.  Ella started feeling sick on monday morning with a sniffly nose and Lucas had been sneezing for a few days prior to that.  Both babies were clingy and cranky and so most of the week was spent cuddling and trying to console these little people - isn't that a crazy juggling act.  Then to top it off Tim got sick also and had monday and friday off work.

I felt like I had no time to myself, every moment was spent looking after somebody else.  I know that sounds incredibly selfish but I couldn't help feeling that way.  I literally couldn't go to the toilet in peace because somebody was always screaming or trying to climb into my lap.  My patience was tested this week and at times I passed with flying colours and other times I threw bigger tantrums than the kids did.  Each night I flopped into bed exhausted, knowing that my night would not be restful, instead it would be punctuated with cries for mama each and every time I started to drift off to sleep.

Thankfully I didn't have any specific plans this week.  It was cold and windy most of the time so we spent most days indoors which was another kind of hell in itself.  Five days indoors is no joke with sick kids who want to go outside and don't understand that it's not good for them to play outside in the cold. So in between the tantrums and the snuggles we read lots of books, coloured, watched way too much television, cooked, crafted and cruised around in a 'bus' made from a nappy box in the living room - I had to get creative in the entertainment department which thankfully Ella appreciated. 

Both bubs have now recovered and most of the chaos has dissipated to its usual level.  It's the weekend and I plan to enjoy every moment of it.

A positive mantra for pregnancy

Yesterday a friend announced that she is 6 weeks pregnant and although she was extremely excited she was also extremely anxious about it.  She has been undergoing IVF treatment for quite some time and became pregnant a few months back but sadly she lost the baby very early on, hence her feelings of apprehension this time around.

This is her and her partner's last try with IVF and so there is also the added pressure that if it doesn't happen this time, then they will have no more children.  Yes, she has one very healthy little girl already and she's so grateful for that gift, but she doesn't feel like her family is complete yet.

She's such a sensitive soul and at the moment is battling so many emotions and just feels like it's all too good to be true and that something is going to go wrong. I remember having feelings like this during the very early stages of my pregnancies too, when you don't yet 'feel' pregnant and aren't showing, it's hard to believe that there is life growing inside of you and you feel the need for constant reassurance that everything is ok.  I didn't have the added pressures around IVF, nor losing a baby, so I can't imagine what she is going through.  There isn't much you can do in situations like this, it's all out of anybody's control and up to nature.  

Months ago I bought some water colour paints and a sketch book, promising myself that I would start using them.  I have a habit of having good intentions to do things but not actually following through (something I am desperately trying to change).  In my mind I had a million projects I wanted to create immediately, but in reality they sat on my bookshelf collecting dust... until yesterday.  When I got home I pulled them out and started drawing.  I wanted to give my friend something to keep her spirits high and her mind positive.

Unfortunately she wasn't home when I delivered it this morning.  It's currently sitting on her front porch awaiting her return from work.  I do hope that she repeats this mantra often enough to believe it to be true and I'll keep repeating it for her as well until that baby is safe in her arms.

I Heart Sunday

1.  I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the bride and groom I made a wedding cake for.  They are absolutely beautiful.  Spring is definitely in the air.

2.  I took Ella to the Playschool Concert.  Her very first concert!

3.  She danced like a maniac!

4.  We met Tao afterwards

5.  This little guy just wanted to smile and play today

6.  My living room this morning.  I had full intentions to clean it up but I have to say that at 8pm it still looks exactly the same!  Oh well...I'll get to that tomorrow.

7.  Washing, washing, washing.

8.  I tinkered in the garden this afternoon.  Ella and I planted sunflowers a week ago and they have grown so much!  Unfortunately we are a few down though thanks to a pesky snail.

9.  Our strawberry plants are growing nicely too.  We are starting to see fruit!

10.  Meal planning for the week ahead and getting myself organised

11.  Tim cooked Jambalaya for dinner.  Yum!

***

I was never a fan of sunday.  The day was always ruined because I knew I had a long week of work ahead of me and it always made me think of the things that I hadn't done that I had wanted to do the previous week that was now going to carry forward.

Now that I am not working, I do still have a long week ahead, but I am choosing to see it as a clean slate and a day to plan ahead for all the things that I want/need to do and when I start off the week on a positive note like that, the week always seems to go much more smoothly - funny that!

Sunday is usually just a home day for us, but I like that.  We stay in our pyjamas well into the day, beds go unmade and we drink lots of tea or coffee.  Sunday is family time.

The last few weeks have been crazy busy but I am glad that this week I don't really have any appointments or things that absolutely must be done so I can slow down.  I'm looking forward to pottering around the house, cooking and spending lots of time enjoying the weather with the babies.

Here's to a clean slate and a positive week ahead.

My happiness

From the moment he wakes up, Lucas has the cheekiest and goofiest smile on his face.  I love picking him up first thing in the morning, he even makes getting up at 5am a joy.  I unzip him from his sleeping bag and he stretches his little arms out, has a little yawn and then smiles and giggles.

He is definitely a mama's boy, always trying to get my attention with little squeals and cooing noises and I just have to look at him and he grins.  I can't believe how much happiness this little soul has brought into our house.  I'm so lucky.

Reach for the moon

"I'm going to touch the moon mama!" Ella exclaimed as she grabbed the rake so that she could reach further.

Bless you baby girl, I hope you never stop trying to reach for the moon.

xx

A springtime wedding cake

When a good friend of mine got engaged last year, straight away she asked me if I would make her cake.  Knowing that I was going to have a new baby on my hands by that stage I wasn't quite sure if I should say yes or not, but it is such a privilege to make somebody's wedding cake that I couldn't say no, especially to a friend.

I'm completely self taught when it comes to cake decorating and I am always so nervous when making a special cake like this.  There's so many things that can go wrong.  Along the way I have just learned to make sure that I plan well and make the cake with at least a day up my sleeve in case of any unforeseen issues.

For the last week I have been baking cakes (orange and poppyseed, chocolate mud and white chocolate mud cake).  I ganached them all yesterday and covered them in fondant last night and today I constructed the tiers and added the ribbons and pink roses.  I think it looks absolutely beautiful.  Perfect for a springtime wedding and it suits the bride perfectly.

I don't usually get to see the faces of the people I get to make the cakes for on their special days but I am fortunate enough to be attending the wedding on saturday and I can't wait to see the bride's face when she sees the cake for the first time.

Now I just have to get the thing to the reception!  Delivering the cake is by far the thing that I hate most, especially a whopper like this.  I'm not sure how much it weighs in total but there is nearly 3 kilos of chocolate in the ganache and 1.5 kilos of fondant, that's 4.5 kilos alone, not including the weight of the cakes themselves!  I will be nursing that thing in my lap like a precious baby come saturday.  I will be packing on the deodorant because I know that I will be sweating around every corner we take until we get there!

I haven't been to a wedding in a while so I'm really looking forward to it, and a night out with Tim without the kids.  I bought a new dress - a sassy red one (I've never owned anything red in my life!) - and I'm looking forward to getting dressed up since my uniform of late has been pyjamas or tracksuits around the house!

I love springtime and I love weddings...happy days!

Cake, cake and more cake

I haven't decorated any cakes for quite some time but of course, when it rains it pours.  A friend from mother's group asked me to make a cake for her son's 7th birthday and although I was tempted to say no because I am busy enough as it is at the moment, I said yes.

The theme was Skylanders and I had absolutely no idea who or what they were but apparently they are all the rage with boys these days.  I couldn't be very creative with my ideas as they gave me a specific picture of a cake that they wanted so I can't take credit for the look of it really as I just replicated it.    It was fun to get back into decorating though.

A very good friend of mine is also getting married this saturday and she asked me to make her wedding cake (I also made her sisters wedding cake).  So this week, I have been in the kitchen baking, ganaching and dusting coloured roses.  Thankfully mum has been able to come over and entertain the kids while I work in the kitchen.  Ella has quite the wandering hand when it comes to food in the kitchen and I could just imagine her knocking over one of the cakes or something disastrous so thank goodness for mum and her keeping little hands away (although she has done her fair share of supervised licking of the bowl and spoon after I'm done).

I always get nervous when making wedding cakes.  It's such a huge responsibility and they have to be perfect.  So far everything has gone to plan which isn't always the case.  Tomorrow I will put the fondant on and then stack the cakes (it's a three tier cake).  I can't wait to see the finished product.

I may have a bit of the decorating bug again so I'm even thinking of making gift cakes for Christmas presents to make a little bit of extra money, but that may be a little too ambitious at the moment with two little ones.  We'll see...

A coin purse for Ella

I am an absolute sucker for pretty fabric and I can't walk past a Lincraft or Spotlight store without having a quick peek, even though I have absolutely no idea how to sew.  Perhaps I don't give myself enough credit... I can sew on a button or do a basic hem (the button might not actually line up with the hole and the hem might not actually be straight but it does the trick), but that is as far as my expertise goes, however that doesn't stop me from buying said pretty fabrics thinking that just maybe, one day I'll learn or do something crafty with it.

The other day I was surfing the net and remembered the Purl Bee website which I hadn't looked at in a very long time, but recalled that it had some beautiful craft ideas on it.  I spent ages ogling all the beautiful knitted pieces and sewing projects and wished that I could sew or knit.  I came across the cutest little coin purses and remembered some fabric I had tucked away in the cupboard which would be perfect for that purpose.

While shopping today I walked past Lincraft and ducked in to see if they had any of the coin purse clasps.  They did and they were surprisingly cheap so I decided to buy a few thinking that I could make one for Ella.  Now, as I said, I don't know the first thing about sewing but surprisingly I created the little beauty pictured above in about half an hour, all sewed by hand!  I was most impressed with myself.  It's most definitely not the neatest job but I think it's gorgeous and can't wait to make more with my other scraps of fabric.  Ella loves it and I am thinking of making some for her little friends to give at Christmas time.

Maybe it's time to stop saying 'one day' I'll learn to sew, and actually do it.

Tuppetee

Ella's vocabulary is expanding so rapidly these days that sometimes I find myself shaking my head wondering how or when she learned certain phrases.  It wasn't all that long ago that she only used a few words which was frustrating for all of us when she was trying to communicate but now she definitely tells us in no uncertain terms what she is feeling and what she wants.  I love catching her talking to herself when she is playing so that I can get a tiny little glimpse into what's going on in her little head which is so full of big ideas.

Although she is fairly articulate there are times when she just can't get her point across either because she doesn't  know the words, or because we simply can't understand her.  She quickly angers when she is trying to say something that we just don't get.

The other day I was sitting down with her and she said out of the blue "Tuppetee mama".  I had no idea what she was talking about and it was the first time I'd heard her say it.  I asked her to repeat it, "Tuppetee mama!".  I still had no idea and asked her to say it again.  "TUPPETEE MAMA!!", now she was yelling at me but still I didn't know what she meant.  Then there was screaming and tears.

It wasn't until later that day when I put the kettle on and she said it again, did I put two and two together and realised that she was asking for a cup of tea.  When I asked if that's what she meant she didn't need to say any words, I could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking "of course it is you stupid woman!"

She'd never had a cup of tea before but I got out a small egg cup and poured a tiny bit of my tea into it and filled it up with milk.  She sipped on her cup of tea and after each sip made an "ahhh" sound.  Where on earth she got that from I have no idea but she thinks it's hilarious (and I must admit it is very cute and I always laugh when she does it).

The other day I was shopping and saw a cute little tea set and since she'd been a good girl that week I couldn't resist buying it for her as a reward.  Since then we've had countless tea parties with her dollies and toys and tuppetee has become a regular phrase in our house now whenever we sit down for  a cuppa and each sip is always followed by an enthusiastic "ahhhh" of appreciation.

Lucas: 8 weeks

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Dear Lucas

You are eight weeks old already and although that's only a short period of time, I can't actually remember what it was like without you.  We all adore you, especially your big sister who is always hugging and kissing you.  It's funny to watch you squirm as she does this as it seems like such a typical response from a little brother.

You are a very laid back baby and we hardly ever hear a peep out of you these days (during your first few weeks you had reflux which made you very unhappy but thankfully you seem to be growing out of this).  Over the last two weeks you have perfected your cheeky little smile. You are always smiling and it's the sweetest thing to see.  You're such a happy boy.

You are growing like a champion.  No longer do you have gangly little chicken legs (and let me tell you, you had some of the best chicken legs I ever did see on a baby).  Now you have chubby rolly polly thighs and your cheeks are filling out too.

Sweet boy, you're such a joy to be around.  I am savouring every moment with you knowing how quickly the time will fly and you'll no longer be a tiny baby.

We love you so very much.

xx