Our little performer Elena.

I know I'm her mother. I know I'm being completely bias. I know I'm bragging. I know I'm kinda living my own dream of dancing through her... but seriously, this girl is a little star dancer in the making...

I wish you could've of all seen her confidence, her great stage presence, her enthusiasm and her fantastic rhythm and timing in her latest Christmas dance performance. I'm so lucky I get an encore performance at home all the time. This girl loves to dance!

                                        

Young hearts run free.

Oh, to be young and free again. To have your every need taken care of for you. To just play, have fun and be a kid, and for the hardest decision you have to make during the day is to wether have plastic cheese or a slice of the tasty block cheese in your sandwich. Or wether to watch Tangled (again) or Shrek 2 (again). Yep, sounds good to me.

I took the kids out Saturday afternoon to the park to get out of Joe's way while he renovated. It was a hot muggy day (urgh!) from the rain that had fallen earlier. As I was driving to our usual park, I thought about how messy it might get if I take them there. After all, wet sand+ wet grass+ muggy weather+ kids = big dirty mess. Feeling the way I was, I wanted to do as little as possible.

So I did a U-turn to another park where there is no sand, it's undercover, the playground area is covered in a foamy mat type surface and there's a nice shady bench for me to sit on...yep, I'm a thinker! But no matter how clever (I think) I am, or how hard I try, the kids seem to always be one step ahead of me.

And it doesn't help to forgot about all the wet, muddy and flooded grass that surrounds the entire park...

So I did what I'm sure any hot, bothered, exhausted, sore, over-it-all, 33 week+ pregnant mother would do...

I surrendered defeat and let them run in it, stomp in it, jump in it, roll in it, dive in it, lay in it, and throw it all over the place while siting in it! 

Yes, the muddy stains are still present on Noah's shirt, and yes I had to take El home in just a pair of undies and Noah in nothing but a hand towel, and no I didn't get to sit back and just relax on the shady park bench. But just look at how much fun they had! How could I not let them go for gold in the mud and just be kids. And maybe when they see this post in the future, they will see and appreciate that they sometimes had a carefree and fun mum, rather than just a tired and cranky one.

A "wee" little update

Ok, so I kept my promise and it's been a while since I've posted anything about poos and wees, so I thought now would be a good time to do a little update on Noah's potty training.

Noah has been doing so well. We've had days where there are NO accidents and then others when there is just one (two the most). He is also now using the big toilet with a cushion seat, and doesn't mind using public toilets so much anymore. In fact, Joe got him ready for church two weeks ago and just put him in a pair of undies... no pull ups! I had no idea until we got to church and realised his bottom looked a little less cushioned than usual. When I realised he was just in undies, I panicked! I had no spare clothes for him and I knew he wasn't a fan of public toilets. But Joe (calm as anything) told me to trust him, and sure enough Noah let us know both times he needed to "wee wee" and there were no accidents. Since then, I've taken him out a few times "commando style" and survived the nervousness.
 Lately, Joe has even taught him how to stand and aim (I'm staying away from that) and has done a super job that Joe is so proud of. I am so amazed at how quickly he has picked it all up.

BUT (don't you hate the 'but') lately we've had a little set back in the poo department. I have no idea what went wrong or why all of a sudden he much prefers to do it ANYWHERE but in the potty. He tells us he needs to go, but then just sits there for a little while, and when nothing happens he gets off. He does this a couple of times and then we find a "little surprise" a little later .Why? Why or why?! He was doing so well and it was the whole reason I started to potty train him in the first place- because he had the poos in the potty part down pat! I'm really hoping that he hasn't seen and copying our dog Paisley (he does like to pretend to be a puppy sometimes or a lot!), because he seems to say "wow wow" (what he calls the dog- as in 'woof, woof') after every time, to which I remind him that yes, that's what "wow wow" does but NOT little boys!  I've also noticed that he has gone from doing one daily poo, to maybe one every two sometimes 3 days. Which makes me believe he is trying to avoid it. Please, oh please, let this be just a short and minor little setback. Baby no. 3 will be here soon and it would be lovely to have this little problem sorted out by then. I have faith in you Noah!

Meanwhile, check out the little wedgies I get to look at all day...

While I'm on the topic of poos, and though this is random and terribly gross, I also thought it was terribly funny, as El always manages to somehow make an odd situation (like the one I'm about to tell you) amusing. Like only she can. 

So on my birthday the kids were playing in the kitchen while I was doing something  terribly important on the computer... fine, I'll admit it, I was checking my Facebook messages. Anyway, El came to stand next to me to see what I was doing and then all of a sudden she says "OH MY GOSH! I just pooped in my pants!" She checked her undies, and sure enough she had done just that. Knowing El, she was probably just trying to do a loud pop-off (which she is famous for around here) but instead, got a little more than that. 

Her horrific and disgusted expression was followed by her dramatic response to the situation, she said "This is the most DISGUSTING day of my life!!!" as she runs off to the bathroom. I just had to laugh. But was was even funnier was what she told me the next day "Mum, remember when I did a little poo in my pants on your birthday?" 'That wasn't your present mum, my dance (a little dance she had performed for me later that day) was your present." Thanks for clearing that up for me El. :)

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

We put our christmas tree up yesterday! We were trying to hold out until the 25th of November, but we figured the sooner we put it up, the sooner christmas will come.
Ok, so the real reason (for me) is that every time I take the kids to do shopping, they stop every time to look and touch and almost pull apart the christmas trees they have set up. So I figured if we put ours up, the excitement of the shopping centre trees will dwindle a little and I will only have to stand there and say "don't touch!" for only 5 mins rather than 10. They love them! They also love looking at the lovely nativity scene they have set up- which reminds me, I really want to have one in our home as the kids love to see baby Jesus in the manger.

Anyway, we had a lovely time putting up the tree, and there were NO fights! Elly even suggested all on her own that Noah put the star up this year because she had a turn last year. It was so sweet and generous of her, and just confirmed to me that miracles do happen :) The kids (with our help) did an awesome job! Even Noah got into it and placed the decorations on so gently and nicely and rubbed his hands together after each one as to say "done...next!" It was so cute.

Tonight before bed, the kids and I sat in the living room, snuggled together with Noah's 'Bob Bob' blanket, and just looked at the tree as I sang them some christmas carols- I really need to find our Christmas cd, It's much better than my singing. The tree is lighting up my living room beautifully and reminding me each time I see it how much I love the christmas season!

   

29

I'm not a big fan of birthdays (my own). I must admit the last couple I've had have been great (thanks to Joe and the kids). But before that, my birthday always seemed to land during exam blocks and assignments, so I was always either studying for an exam, doing an exam or recovering from some horrible flu due to late nights of study and assignments. So I always kinda dreaded it. Now that my study days are over (phew!) I dread it for another reason. The aging reason.

So I've been 29 for two days now. I don't feel any different, nor do I look any different, from 2 days ago, so why the heck was I freaking out about it so much? Thank goodness Joe is older than me, because when I kept feeling down about it, I would just tell my-self "well at least your not turning 31 like Joe!"
Trust me, it is not a vanity thing cos quite frankly I think I could pass for a 21 year old, right???? Ok, maybe not while I'm plodding along with two toddlers or a baby bump, but if you minus all that, and add a little make-up to disguise the sleep derivation, I reckon I could pass... just.

To be honest, I have no idea why I'm so against getting close to 30. There's just something about it. "30" aaah, I don't even like saying it. I think I feel sad and anxious that my 20's are nearly gone and I find myself asking "Where did they go?!" Sometimes I feel like I haven't done enough, or seen enough or lived enough! But then the more I think about it (a lot the last couple of days), the more I realise "heck, I've done plenty!"

Sure, I haven't travelled the world (real pitty), spend tons of money on myself and on what ever I wanted (though Joe would differ), partied all night and woken up at midday just because I can (I promise, not even in my youth could I do this), gone to fancy restaurants, and I mean those real fancy ones (not Sizzlers), nor have I been  a sucessful career woman ( I would probably only do it for the classy fashion and shoes anyway). But I have done a lot more other stuff, that I'm really proud of and should therefore be positive about. So that's what I'm trying to focus on, the good, positive, worth while, little-bit mushy stuff, I've achieved in my 20's.

Firstly, I got married (surely that's huge!). Not to mention we've lasted 7 years, and that's pretty good these days. I completed a 4 year university degree (surely that must mean I'm smart!). I got a teaching degree and achieved the highest rating possible (yeah see, I must be smart ;). I taught for two years and loved it, I've learnt to cook and clean and wash (which is quite the achievement, trust me). But the biggie is I've given birth twice and I'm even going to squeeze in a third time! That is when I'm pretty sure... no definite, that my 20's have just flown from then on. My babies have been a huge part of my 20's. HUGE! So clearly, I haven't just sat around, in fact I've been quite busy. I have not wasted them.

So please, feel free to remind me next year when I'm freaking out about turning 30, that I have not wasted my 20's, but on the contrary, I've been busy and time flies when you're having fun. But I definitely want to savour every year, every moment from now on with my family. Babies don't stay babies for ever and I don't want to miss a minute of it while I worry about turning 30.
Besides, I will have plenty of time later (i'm talking much, much later) to travel the world and spend all of Joe's hard earned money and the kids inheritance ;) Ha! I say that now, but after watching a segment on '60 minutes' on Sunday night about empty nesters and the difference between the ones that were loving their new found freedom, and those that were struggling with the emptiness (of children no longer at home), guess who was balling their eyes out when feeling like they would totally relate to couple number two? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't Joe.

So I'm going to suck it up, embrace 29, live in the moment and enjoy what I have- a beautiful family and a great new pair of shoes for my birthday...