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The Taskers
Welcome to our family's blog! We've been around the world and back again, so once again I rename our blog and am taking it back to where it started. We hope you enjoy reading.
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Monday, April 27, 2009

Why we do bathtime after dinner

John is all about feeding himself these days. He used to be my super-eater, but now not so much. He really isn't into the taste and texture of meats, but one thing he does like, and devours with gusto, is spaghetti. So I've taken to making him his own sauce, with about five different hidden, pureed, veggies, and when I'm in doubt if he'll eat what I'm cooking that night, out comes the "John Sauce" and noodles.


These photos are actually in the wrong order, so pretend you're looking at them from bottom to top. Above is the "final" result of his eating fest. As you'll see below, likes the combination of hand and spoon - if he can't get it in with the spoon, he'll just use his hand. I don't think you can tell from the bib, but I actually strip off his shirt and let him eat semi-nude. I also drape a tea towel across his lap and tuck it into his shorts to help protect his clothes and the chair from spaghetti stains. 


I run the bath during dinner, and he gets stripped down to nothing right on his chair and carried (held very far away from my body) straight to the bathtub. On spaghetti nights he gets his own bath to begin with, then we let out most of the water and refill - not exactly "environmentally friendly" but it beats getting spaghetti noodles in the kid's hair when I wash them! As you can tell, we've got Spaghetti night down to a fine science.


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Brother & Sisterly Love

Brother & Sisterly Love
I took this photo of the kids at the airport whilst Rich was checking himself and John into their flight to the US. They were both in a silly mood and having a good time saying "goodbye" to one another. I just love this shot.

John the Brave

John the Brave
We were walking through a shopping center one day and there was an Australian reptile display; John was fascinated. The next thing I know he's got this yellow snake around his shoulder - he loved it. Its not that great a picture as I was using my iPhone and shaking in fear. (And yes, he's wearing a sock on his hand for some reason).

Joy

Joy
I just love the look of joy and happiness on Sydney's face as she's riding her bike (too bad my white balance is off so I could have really captured the moment).

John's First Bike

John's First Bike
A few weeks after Christmas John hopped onto Sydney's bike and pedaled away - he had suddenly "figured out" how to ride a bike. So he used some of his Christmas money to buy his own bike, which he rides around in circles, chasing after Sydney, in the backyard.

Mommy's Half Birthday

Mommy's Half Birthday
On Jan 5 I mentioned in passing to the kids that it was my half birthday. They decided we needed to celebrate - so they made me a Happy Half Birthday card and a Duplo cake.

Who's the Monkey?

Who's the Monkey?

Craft Time with Uncle James

Craft Time with Uncle James
Sydney was given a great mosaic jewelry box for Christmas. Uncle James spent a big chunk of time helping Sydney decorate it on Christmas Day - the concentration levels from both of them were very high.

Our Herb Garden (that is no longer)

Our Herb Garden (that is no longer)
During our early days of being back in the house Sydney and I planted a herb (and one veggie) garden in a planter we bought in the US. She thought it was great digging in the plants, squeezing them loose from their pots and helping me water them each day. Unfortunately we didn't have a great place to put the planter so its been in full sun and at time of writing, only the oregano and chives have survived.

Bye Bye Nigh-Nigh

Bye Bye Nigh-Nigh
In Mid-October it was time to say goodbye to John's Nigh-Nighs. We went down to the bin room at the apartment, gave him a few minutes for last sucks and then he threw them all in the big bins. He was very, very proud of himself and we had relatively little fallout at night.

Ka-Chow, Ka-Pow

Ka-Chow, Ka-Pow
The highlight of our Disney trip was meeting LIghtening McQueen. We weren't going to go to Hollywood Studios, but we found out that's where Lightening McQueen & Mater were, so we had to go for John. He was sooooo excited. Yeah, so were Rich and I.

Painted John

Painted John
At one point when planning our repatriation to Australia we were informed we couldn't take any kid's paints with us (this later was proved false). So there was a week or two when the kids had a MAJOR paint fest every day. John decided most days it wasn't staying on the paper. One day he painted himself, hair and all, pink. The next day he took the dot art paints to his hands and face. Note: these were NOT washable paints and his nose was green for two days.

Cheery Sydney

Cheery Sydney
Just hanging out waiting for our table at Salt Lick - enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade, coloring a picture or two and enjoying the family.

What's he up to?

What's he up to?
I just love this photo - taken on a whim whilst waiting to get a table at Salt Lick BBQ in Austin. It just catches the innocence of childhood.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - BLAST OFF

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - BLAST OFF
We took a family trip to the Houston Space Center in June. It was really fascinating (for the adults, little kids not-so-much. We did the NASA facility tour and got to see where the Astronauts train, as well as some of the previously used missiles and rockets. Can you spot the family at the base?

Now I know my ABCs

Now I know my ABCs
This photo is from April 2010 and Sydney was so proud of herself for writing out all her ABCs whilst being the "teacher" when playing school. If you look carefully, you can actually see ALL the letters.

Hee-Haw Sheets

Hee-Haw Sheets
John needed a new pair of sheets for his big-boy bed, so when we found these at Kohl's, we thought they would be perfect for our little cowboy. He loves sleeping on his "cowboy hee haw" sheets.

Dessert with Daddy

Dessert with Daddy
Sydney and Rich attended her school's Dessert with Daddy in March. They got to dress up fancy on a Friday night and have a "date". She was so excited for this special "Daddy-Sydney" time and to introduce him to all her friends.

Praying Hard

Praying Hard
Each morning we drop Sydney off at school, there is an all-school and parent announcement and Devotional time. John has become quite the little prayer - and when we wiggle our fingers and put our hands in our laps, he clenches his eyes tight and gets very, very quiet.

Who'd like us to come visit?

Who'd like us to come visit?
What's more fun for two little ones than some child-sized suitcases and a box? They were playing "going on a trip"; the box was their ae-ro-plane (as Sydney says) and the suitcases were full with their val-u-a-bles. I put the bows on their head - two packages ready to be sent to awaiting arms.

Sydney's Preschool Thanksgiving

Sydney's Preschool Thanksgiving
Sydney, in her preschool class, celebrating Thanksgiving. The parents were invited to attend the Feast with the class.

Our Harvest

Our Harvest
One of my "bright" ideas for the summer was to plant some herbs and a few veggies in pots in the backyard. We did pretty well with the basil and sage, but the oregano wasn't very happy. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of space for carrots, so I never expected anything great. The kids were excited to pull out this bunch, and we even managed to clean them off and get a few bites.

Sydney the Chook

Sydney the Chook
At the farm they had all these cut outs of animals you could stick your head in. This was the only decent photo we got - isn't that just the cutest chicken you've every seen?

Pizza Pizza

Pizza Pizza
Both of the kids loving helping out in the kitchen. Here they are mushing dough to make into pizza. It's a great recipe for them to help with - except when they decide that making nose prints in the dough is a lot of fun (that happened about 2 minutes after this was taken). Now if I could only get the eat what they cook...

John's Latest Words

  • Waffle
  • Brekkie
  • Up, Down, Out & Open
  • Elmo
  • Apple & Banana (Nana)
  • Poopy (POOP-eeeeee)
  • Ball
  • Please and Thank You
  • "Oh No"

Our Carved Pumpkins

Our Carved Pumpkins
Oooh - Scary! Here is the finished product of our efforts. I chose the old-fashioned freehand method (on the left) whilst Rich decided to use a stencil pattern and fancy tools. I think they look equally swell. We don't really have a place in the front yard to display them where people could actually see them (there is high hedging and trees all in front of the house), so we've decided to keep them inside, light them, and enjoy them ourselves.

Stay within the lines, the lines are your friends...

Stay within the lines, the lines are your friends...
Sydney is becoming (in my humble opinion) much more adept and precise with her colouring these days. We pass many hours together colouring - trying to use unusual colours on various things (orange bears, purple skies). She was sitting next to me colouring the other day whilst I paid some bills, and I was so impressed with how well she's doing I had to take a photo and then brag about it. This Heffalump ended up being yellow, brown, pink and grey with orange ears - and he's proudly displayed on our fridge.

Daddy Pluto

Daddy Pluto
You can never have too many photos of Pluto! Rich and Sydney had a father/daughter day at Disneyland two weeks ago (John woke up with a temp so we didn't go). Pluto is definitely Sydney's favourite character, but as soon as she's up close to him she freaks out.

don't let these crazy animals out

don't let these crazy animals out
John and I got stuck in the cage car on the Casey Junior Train at Disneyland the other day - do you think they were trying to tell us something?

My New Hobby - Couponing!

My New Hobby - Couponing!
Getting into the spirit of cheap deals and consumerism in America (and the fact that I have one friend here) I have taken up the hobby of couponing. Yes, daggy, I know. This was my loot from the first week of shopping - get this, I spent a total of $15.72 for all this stuff! Crazy, I know. Addictive, yes. Do I need to get a life? Definitely.

Learning to Get Our Own Breakfast

Learning to Get Our Own Breakfast
I've decided to follow the advice from a Montessori book I once read that talks about teaching kids and allowing them to get their own snacks, breakfast, etc. So we started the other day with Cheerios. Did I forgot to mention that the first thing the book says is to put the food in an easily-pourable container before letting the child serve themselves - oops!

Five Things we Love About California (besides Disneyland)

  • Temperate Weather All Year Round
  • Real "Sales" on Clothing, Toys and Household Items
  • The Beach House in Ventura
  • Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade
  • Trader Joe's Grocery Store

Pyjama Party in the morning

Pyjama Party in the morning
One of my favourite times of day has to be the morning when we first get up (after three cups of coffee, mind you). Unless we have to be somewhere, which these days is never, we play around in our pyjamas for a good hour or two before we get ready for the day. Here are our bundles of joy chilling out yesterday morning. Sydney is teaching John how to put the shapes in the sorter.

I'm not so sure about this stuff!

I'm not so sure about this stuff!
I put John in the sand at the park for the first time the other day. He sat just like this - frozen in time - for about the first 5 minutes. He really didn't know what to make of the sand, especially when Sydney started burying his toes. He then got into it and played around with it using his hands and feet. And by the end of the park he was eating the sand like a pro. Yum.

Sydney's Pumas

Sydney's Pumas
This picture is for you, Lori! Here are Sydney's first pair of Pumas (with Lori as her aunt, they are surely not to be her last). She thinks she looks pretty cool.

What the?

What the?
I had to include this - Lori and I came across these signs in a parking garage in Santa Monica. The one in the foreground says "No left turn" and the haning says "No right turn". As you can see - you can't drive straight! Hmmmm....

Rolling Over

Rolling Over
John rolled from tummy to back for the first time on March 20 when we were in California. This picture is taken back in Perth, but as you can see, he likes to take a rest when he's half-way over: Rolling is HARD work, you know!

SunSmart Puppy

SunSmart Puppy
Sydney was very concerned the other day that Teddy was outside in the sun without a hat - so she gave him her's.

Ah - life is good

Ah - life is good
John is VERY relaxed in his bath and I love giving them to him. He is already kicking the water around and will often push himself off the side. He's taken to moving his head back and forth, dunking each ear in turn.

Cooking with Mommy

Cooking with Mommy
One of our favourite activities is cooking. Zucchini bread is a big winner - and it makes me feel good as she's getting some veggie in her tummy. Sydney has discovered the joy of licking the spoon clean and often starts doing that long before we're finished mixing!

Swimming on New Years

Swimming on New Years
We went to the water park again this New Year's day with some of Sydney's little friends. We had a slight break in the weather (it was only about 80 degrees) and it was beautiful. Sydney loved walked in the river that ran around the entire park. She stopped for two quick seconds to take this photo.

My little man

My little man
A bunch of my girlfriends with a daughter and a son have told me that boys are really cuddly things. This is certainly true with John - he doesn't like to be any place better than in someone's arms (especially Mommy's).

My First Turkey

My First Turkey
I had to show this off - this is the first turkey I've ever cooked myself (we usually buy it cooked for us) - I was so proud. The oven in our new house is so efficient that it was finished 45 minutes early. No doubt Dad (my dad) and Aunt Jane would have had a HUGE fight over the crispy skin.

35 Weeks

35 Weeks
Poor Number 2 - I think this is the third picture we've taken of this pregnancy (compared to the 300 with Sydney) and I'm wearing my finest "lounge" clothes. 35 weeks when this was taken, only about 22 more days or so to go when this photo was taken.

Family Night Out

Family Night Out
We don't get many good family shots - and I love this one! We were down at Hillarys Boat Harbour two weeks ago celebrating with some friends. It was a gorgeous evening, perfect weather, great company and good food (plus no dishes for Mommy!).

Learning my ABCs

Learning my ABCs
Sydney's favourite computer game is the ABC zoo on the Fisher Price website. We didn't really think she knew what the letters were until about a month ago when I decided to 'quiz' her and she got 22 right out of 26. Hmmmm....

30 weeks!

30 weeks!
It might not capture the whole belly, but you get the idea!

Bigger than the bear

Bigger than the bear
This bear was given to us when she was born. We took a picture of her sitting on the bears lap the first day we were home and she didn't even reach the armpits! Now's she's the bigger one.

Flying High

Flying High
A favourite game with Daddy - being tossed into the air. He hasn't dropped her yet, thank goodness!

Yum Yum!

Yum Yum!
Sydney is enjoying licking the lid to my hot chocolate - lucky girl!

Sydney's Latest Words - Aug 2008

  • Tunnel
  • No, No, Sydney
  • Bite, Please
  • Sip, Please
  • All Gone
  • All Done
  • Ma-Ma (Grandma)
  • Kay (O-Kay)
  • Ock-pus (Octopus)
  • Av-ca-do (Avacado)

Swim, Swim, Swim

Swim, Swim, Swim
Aunty Lori did Sydney's swimming lesson with her one day - they had a good time kicking, splashing and going under the water.

Feeding the Ducks

Feeding the Ducks
Our local park has lots and lots of ducks which are just great fun to feed. Sydney was very excited to give them all the bread.

Silly Sydney

Silly Sydney
Yes, those are my underwear on her head. She took them off the laundry line and put them on her head. She cried when I tried to take them away. And yes, they are clean.

Daddy's Glasses

Daddy's Glasses
Sydney has the idea that glasses go somewhere near the head - but she hasn't quite figured out how to put them on her eyes.

Who's Bed is This?

Who's Bed is This?
We just bought Teddy a new bed, but Sydney quickly discovered how comfortable it is.

Sydney's Latest Words

  • Cheese
  • Cracker
  • Dude
  • Horse
  • Outside
  • Pool
  • Sand
  • Sydney

Learning to use a spoon

Learning to use a spoon
Miss Independent insists on feeding herself now - usually not a very orderly situation

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Me and my doggy

Me and my doggy
A few minutes later Sydney would take a piece of wood, put it on Teddy's head and say "Hat"

I love my new yard

I love my new yard
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