Homesick!

Yikes, I can't believe how homesick I am feeling at the moment! Once a year I'll usually miss home, family, sunshine beautiful Australia in general. But gosh I have never missed it this much before. I'm sure it's got a lot to do with the rainy miserable Seattle weather, christmas with no family, Oprah doing a week long show all over Aus. Not to mention the schooling/Medicals and the kids growing up, spending more time away from family.

Last week on the way to school Harry asked me, rather told me "Mommy, I want to live in Australia!" why Harry? "because it's always sunny and that makes me happy! I just want to live there!" wow, just what I need when I'm homesick! But can you blame him?

It's kinda funny to think that my boys have not yet lived in Aus. They have yet to really see what Australian culture is, what it's like to go play a game of backyard cricket at their cousins house or spend the afternoon at the beach when they get home from school.

While at the zoo yesterday, Harry came across this map.....


"Look mom, I'm in Australia!" Almost made me cry! I love living here and feel lucky for the opportunity, but Australia will always be home!


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Point defiance zoo & aquarium!

Big day at the zoo with the boys! Lots of fun and hundreds of pics. Here is a few pics, I'm tired from a big day and am off to bed. Will update tomorrow!


Where are we going? What did we see next? Will post more pics soon :)


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A boy obsessed with Kirby!

What exactly is a Kirby? I have no clue!


But Harry sure knows...."Mom, a Kirby is like a ball that's all colors, he cooks and battles on super smash brothers"
Harry, why do you like Kirby so much?
"Cause he is very cool, he can do all kinds of cool things, like do freezing tricks and battle the bad guys".
Our house is now inundated with Kirby talk, Kirby drawings, Kirby games, Kirby! Kirby! Kirby! It seems, when Harry likes something he REALLY likes it! I've got say I love the passion and attention he shows his interests.


A family of Kirby's!

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Blogging!

Since getting my new phone last year, blogging has definitely become easier to do. I can do it anytime and anywhere! The only problem with this convenience, is that it's become a quick little catch up of a blog. And I have to say I am missing the writing part. My blogs have become a little to factual and to the point. I am missing writing about the depth and stories that go with the pics, all those precious little moments that are behind the scenes that are not seen in the photo.
I love writing, I love telling a story and sharing memories. I love taking a moment and sharing the sounds, the smells, the feelings, the emotions that a quick little memo and a pic just can not convey.
Is quantity really better than quality? I think I will start to focus more on the substance and a little less on the, wanting to write a post everyday. (ok, I still want to post everyday, but I'll do some pic posts instead)

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Broccoli-fest!

I might have gone a little over board on the broccoli the other day. But it's not often at 60c a pound...amazing! Five huge heads later, now what to do?
A broccoli cook off! Starting with a cheesy broccoli bake, creamy broccoli and sweet potato soup, tempura veggie's and some yummy sweet potato fries, I even tried turning the broc stems into shoestring fries, yum!



Now if only I could get my boys to eat any of it and not scrunch their noses up at the sight of it.
Even smothered in cheese and bribed with jelly and they still wouldn't touch it. One day!



What's not to love about a bake? Except when no one else eats it and you go for seconds. My scales don't love that!
Talking about cooking. I am excited to try my hand at some cooking classes this year. Maybe some exotics and middle-eastern styles. I'm loving cooking new things, especially when they work out. It's also been a great way of getting the kids to try new foods too. So fingers crossed they will try and love broccoli one day!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Today's project!

Build a tower using all the duplo!


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How to get your kids to eat cauliflower!

Cover it in Cheese!
Hope you're sitting down, Thomas ate cauliflower...And he liked it! Seriously, the worlds fussiest eater ate cauliflower!

Wow, that was a moment tonight. I love when he tries new foods, even though the lead up is painstaking. The fussing, the refusing, the gross sounds and faces. Only for him to finally give in and take a bite, chew chew chew..."mmm, I love cauliflower!" really, was it that hard? Oh Thomas!

Cauliflower bake
• 1 cauliflower head separated
• 1 1/2 heavy whipping cream
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 cup of grated cheese
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
• salt/pepper to taste

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil or butter. Boil cauliflower head in salted water. Once soft place in baking dish with onion and garlic. Stir. Cover with cheese, poor over cream, cover with breadcrumbs and season.
Place in oven for 15mins on 350, finishing with a high broil for 5 mins.

Enjoy! I served it up with a steak and steamed green beans...yum! Even a 5yr old will eat it!!

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What's going to work? Team work!

It's sometimes as simple as something we say to our kids. But why is talking finances one of those difficult topics we avoid as married couples? Is it the realization of reality, the thought of the other finding out what we really spend or the discovery of an overdue bill. Either way it's a bumpy topic, that for me is usually best avoided! (or at least tackled with a glass of wine)
Tonight Dave and I decided it was time for a budget meeting, check the accounts and see where we are at. Usually this is met with a quick (and subtle) check to see if we are both in good moods. It's not the type of thing I am good at when, well you know, pms'ie or if I've had a rough day with the kids. Likewise for Dave, if he is tired, then let's not even go there! The mood check is always the first step into these murky waters.
Well long story short, it was a breakthrough, 10yrs married and this was without a doubt the best coming together of the financial minds yet. Very exciting, lots discussed, problems solved and lots of discussion how to make a difference together with our finances and make them work for our family! I love when we work so well as a team, thanks honey!


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Weekend of friends!

What a crazy social weekend! Loved it! Dave had a great time bar hoping and hanging with the guys on Friday night. I headed out to yoga with my friends while the boys got to play with their friends in the kidsclub.



Saturday Dave got to hang with his mustang friends down at the Dyno, playing the "my car is faster than your car" game. While the boys had their friend over and played video games, mainly smash brothers and guitar hero. Notice Thomas' mad guitar skills here....



Then it was my turn to play later that night! Celebrating two of my best friends birthdays. All the girls here for pre-party drinks, yummy food, x-rated cake and more drinks! Then it was off for a night of dancing and memorable moments at club snow! (by the way, girls I need more pics, this was the only one I had on my phone and its blurry, but still cute!)



All this fun while the boys visited with their friends (in particular Harry's girlfriend) for movie and popcorn and beers for the dads. Followed by a lush, I mean girls slumber party here with some very interesting, unseeable movies, laughing and more drinking! Then birthday cake for breakfast. More friends stop by later and the kids get to play with another sweet friend!



I am so grateful for my American family, the love and fun times shared with my friends is what makes life here great!!!! Love weekends like this!


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Relaxation yoga!

Agh! So tonight I discovered a few things about myself...
1, I'm not flexible!
2, I'm really not flexible!
3, Downward dog is easier than half pidgin/flying eagle
4, Relaxation yoga is really relaxing, is it bad I wanted to nap
5, I need a pedicure
6, My joints like to crack!
7, I'm getting old!!!!



While it was a relaxation yoga class, man do my leg muscles hurt! They ache from all the stretching, bending and balancing.
It was wonderful to have some down time, focusing on nothing but balance and breathing. To empty the mind and to focus on bringing balance back to life.
But I'll be honest, it was hard, the balancing and the cirque de solei moves were a challenge. But hey, I didn't fall over!
I went with two of my girlfriends, Brooke had to leave early due to bub not liking the kids club to much. Jill stayed which was great, I was so glad to have her there for my first time.
As I sit here and type this, my legs really are aching. It's very surprising to feel this hours later, it's not like I ran a mile, but man it feels like it!
While the body aches the mind feels rested and fresh. I am looking forward to continuing and getting better at this!


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Harrys latest art!

At the moment Harry is writing and illustrating books for his friends in his class. He loves designing and stapling these together and he has made quite a few now. I love how much care he shows in finding out what his friends interests are and then draws about that. He told me he wants the books to be interesting for his friends to read "it has to be about the cool stuff they like" he said. This book is for his friend Hector who also happens to love rockets and spaceships just as much as Harry.


I love this rocket he drew. It's the main reason for the pics and the blog post. Not to mention he was beaming with pride when he showed me, that i just had to take a proud mommy pic! He did such a great job of drawing the shape of the rocket, it really looks like something, someone much older would have drawn. I was very impressed!



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Afternoons with Thomas!

A half day at school is really not much of a "half day" at all! Thomas is home by 11:30am, which is fine with me. While I love that he is now in kindergarten, he is still my little babe and it's hard to let go!
So we are making the most if this final year, where we will have just Thomas and mommy time.
One of our favorite things to do on a Seattle rainy day together is play lego and boardgames.


Today we are playing Zingo and he is up 4 games to 1. We've built a lego tower for his cars and are now on to some Spongebob and snuggles. He comes home, like all other days, hungry for lunch. His favorite is Nutela and Peanut butter with no crusts and always cut into triangles. A yummo chocolate milk with bubbles and a side of pretzels or fruit...very healthy! The energy of the food kicks in and its go, go, GO! for the next few hours. Some of his other favorite things to do is, draw with crayons, copy everything I say (yeah, slightly annoying...lol!) play with his hotwheels cars, read books and play the wii. If its nice out, we will try and hit the park, meet up with some friends, visit the shops or he rides his scooter out the front. Its so special to have some real quality one on one time with him, no distractions, no chores, no one else, I love it! I really do treasure my afternoons with this sweet little guy. I know these are the memories I will look back on when he is off at school!





 
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Pizza night!

Friday night tradition...homemade pizza and movie night! Has easily become one of our favorite nights of the week!


Boys making pizza. Harry usually goes for a cheese and pepperoni (although just as much goes into the mouth as the making) while Thomas is more of a simplest and loves a plain cheese pizza, maybe a triple cheese with the amount he throws on top!



They will knead the dough for about 15mins the shape it in to a ball, I really do think the playing with dough is the part they love best. Thomas even wanted to get out his playdough tools for it!


Yummo...enjoying the final product!


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Harry the Photographer!

Again the creative juices were flowing for Harry. Today it was through the lens of a camera. He is so creative and really thinks outside of the box. He loves expressing himself with art, usually drawing, but who doesnt like to try something new and different!
Today's new creative technique, was to take a used papertowel roll, stick it over the end of the camera lens, point and shoot! Here are some of the fun shots he captured....

Such cool effects!

My smile ROCKS!

Need I say more.....

Let there be light!

I don't know how many times I have bumped my head on that bloody chandelier! Probably double that number for Dave. Not to mention a number of guests and contractors all having their fairshare of bumps too.
Well enough is enough! Toady, Dave and I, together (and mostly civil) removed the "head-banger" that hung in the middle of, well, where we walk in the kitchen! So convenient!
We pulled it down (that was the easy part) cleaned it up and fitted it with a converter kit, so we can install it over the island. This great little kit enables us to install your standard, wired light, using an existing recessed ceiling light socket, Very handy.
It took a while, a little bit of trial and error and viola, a newly installed light. And our first day of no head injuries...lol!


We are so pleased with how it turned out and even more pleased and proud, that we did it!!!

My little bookworm!

From the time he was old enough to point, thomas has been passionate about his letters. He loved his flash cards as a babe and would have no problem pointing out the letter that was asked.
Once he started talking, it was again this love of letters that he showed. Constantly singing his ABC's, babbling the sounds they made and even started recognizing what letter sounds started certain names.
Once the language really came along, he started showing interest in reading. He started out with simple words, which then lead to simple sentences.
Now in Kindergarten he is reading more and more everyday, he is now reading 2nd grade readers!

Last week at school, he was awarded the "super reader" award, the only one in his class. So, so proud of you little man! Today he is starting a 20 day reading competition and he's so excited!!!


Here he is reading a lego comic strip. laughing at the funny parts and telling me all about the mummies in Egypt. He even read the word archeologist!!


He is constantly amazing us with the words he reads. From words like construction and revolution!
Gosh i am loving his passion and love for reading!!!

And yes, he even read out loud this post :)

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Missed it by this much!

Boo! I have missed my first day of posting for the year :(
I guess that's what I get for telling a friend today, that I hadn't missed a day yet...oh the irony!


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Flashback...Thomas got to the cake!

Oh my, is there anything quite as cute!! I think Thomas was about two here, or very close too. Thank god for video's and capturing this little gem of a moment....

The finished island!

It felt like Christmas toady! Only instead of santa bringing gifts in his slay, it was the precision countertop guys in a van. The granite countertop finally arrived for its install today. The last piece of the kitchen island puzzle! I could not be more thrilled with how it looks and the extra counter space it provides!!! Makes me want to sing and dance!


The granite we chose is called "Wine river" it's a limestone/sandstone mix of color, with veins of grey, hints of golds and olive greens and spatters of brown/purple...it's beautiful!


It feels so good having my kitchen back. Although, I am a little scared to use it, silly I know. I'm sure I'll get over that though, it's time to get cooking and entertaining!


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Snowflakes!

Harry came home from school today, so excited about the possibility of snow! He rushed up stairs to prepare all of his snow gear. Not sure if in preps for school or his hoping for a snow day? But either way he was determined to play in it.
Bedtime came and still no snow. His little face was one of discouragement :(
With books read and jammies on, he could not sleep. Too busy checking out the window for any sign of snow.
Later that evening, just when we thought the silence up stairs meant the kids were asleep. Down comes an excited Harry, "it's snowing! It's snowing!" sure enough, the flakes had stated to fall. Such a special snuggle was shared as we watched the snowflakes flurry. Its the little things, like an eight year olds excitement to see snow!


Later that night Dave braved the cold to get the mail (secretly, I think he was just as excited as Harry to play in it). He returned with a huge block of fresh snow. "Just in case it melts before Harry gets to play in it!" what a sweet daddy!
And what a sweet husband.....





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Bubble bath!

There is only one rule I have at bath time and that is NO splashing! But then again, it's these priceless little moments of giggling fun that make life beautiful!

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Little blue bird

While hanging out with Harry playing lego this afternoon, we heard a huge thump hit a window downstairs. Harry just had to check it out! It turned out to be a sweet little babybird. It must of flown straight into the window, it was so dazed and confused!
Harry was beyond concerned for this sweet little guy and wanted to care for it right away. He found a box so he could keep it protected and warm, it was close to freezing outside!
While trying to help the bird it regained consciousness and quickly ran under a bush. To Harrys relief, he was so happy to see the bird move, he knew it was going to be ok. It then flew off to be with it's family who were waiting for it up in the tree.
I was a little worried Harry would've been upset as did not have a chance to look after it in the box. I asked him if he was ok? I saw the look of sadness come to his face. He said, in a big boy voice and attitude, "Mommy, I'm just glad the bird was ok and got to be with his family again!" ohhh, that's my boy!
He wanted to remember his sweet little bird so he decided to do a painting of it....








Such an artist! He wanted to show it happy and back in its nest. Great job with the bird today Harry :)

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Kitchen update!

Conditioning, Sanding and staining done! Sticky mess and spills cleaned! Arguing and frustrations resolved!
Man, renovating your house yourself really is hard work. Especially on your spouses unconditional love for you...lol! Love you babe, thanks for putting up with my "extra picky" quality control :)


Second coat of staining and Dave in his sexy mask, the sanding was so messy and fine. A layer of wood dust covered everything!


Really happy with the outcome! Overall we did make a great team, once we passed the bumps. Dave conditioned and I followed with stain. Thanks honey for discovering why the stain wasn't as dark as we thought, will remember to stir it first next time so I don't have to redo it all...oops!



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Pancakes!

Today the boys woke up starving! I guess the 4 pieces of pizza Harry had the night before for dinner wasn't enough to get him through till breakfast, my goodness!
While Dave was out getting milk, Thomas and I whipped up a huge batch of yummy pancakes....


Enough batter to make10 huge ones, a dozen babies and a cool looking StarTrek one...


Love Sunday morning breaky with the fam...happy moments :)

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