Day 151 - Delivered to my door

I love buying the Donna Hay magazine. It is always filled with such delicious looking food and ideas. It is often sold out very quickly, so I have decided to get it delivered to my door with the help of Fly Buys points. I have yet to really cook anything out of it, but I am sure one day I will. I really love the kids edition. It is always filled with such gorgeous ideas. Now I have a reason to use them.

It was delivered today and I started to have a little peruse while cooking dinner. But I find it is best enjoyed with a cup of tea and biscuits.

Day 150 - Scariest Cat Alive!

This is Oscar, he belongs to our friends Mel, Simon and Patrick.

Oscar has become the bane of our visits to their house. For some reason or another, the girls have developed a very big fear of him. As you can see he is a fairly scary cat, often he preferring to find solace somewhere quiet away from the three kids and have a little sleep.

Today when I told Ava that we were going to visit Mel and Patrick, other than being excited two words came out of her mouth, "Cat. Gone." She kept repeating these words over and over again until I told her that I would call Mel and make sure that the cat was indeed gone. So I put an SOS call in and requested that poor Oscar be put out of sight before we got there. Obviously he knew we were coming over as he was up in the back room.

Out of sight and definitely out of mind.

Poor Oscar.

Day 149 - The Very Willing Subject

It was the perfect weather today for cuddling up together and watching a movie.

We were watching a movie while the girls had a sleep today, rugged up on the couch. Ava was the first one to wake. She lay cuddled up with Shane and watched part of our movie with us. Then she came and joined me and had wonderful cuddles.

She is the perfect subject to photograph. She is always willing to smile at anytime she sees the camera, even when it is turned off and sitting on the table.

It doesn't matter to me what the weather is, I am always happy with cuddles from the girls.

Day 148 - Party Day

Today came along with some beautiful weather for a little party with the girls second birthday with their friends.

We had a lovely time playing and chatting with friends. Thanks to Jenny for letting us borrow her jumping castle for the day, Olivia and Ava certainly loved it. Even Nerida got over her phobia of jumping castles for a little jump! We had a delicious crown cake and party food.

Thank you to everyone for coming to celebrate with us and for the lovely presents we received. I can say the girls had a wonderful time.

Day 147 - Keeping up the tradition

Last year on their 1st birthday, both the girls had tonsillitis. I had thought we were breaking this tradition with no obvious illness after taking Olivia to the Doctor on Monday.

However, you may have read in my earlier post that I shared a bed with Olivia again as she was coughing up all night. It hadn't really eased by today so I thought another visit to the Doctor's would be a good idea. (For the record that was the 3rd visit with the girls in 7 days)

Of course we walk away with another diagnosis of tonsillitis around their birthday and start up on the antibiotics and nurofen cycle all over again. Thanks Olivia for keeping this fun tradition up!

Day 146 - Pretty Dresses

At Mathilda's Market last weekend I found these 2 gorgeous dresses for the girls to wear to their little party on Saturday. There were so many pretty dresses but these to just stood out, probably because as Mel pointed out they have pockets and both girls love pockets.

Usually I opt for a pair of jeans, but after seeing how much they loved wearing skirts yesterday, I think the dresses were a great purchase. I can't wait to see how they look on Saturday!

Day 145 - 2 years has gone so quickly.

It is Olivia and Ava's birthday today. I was amazed at how quickly their 1st birthday came around but I am sure that their 2nd birthday has come a lot quicker.

We have lots planned with them today, a visit to Questacon and a dinner with the family along with some delicious cake.

So technically I know that I cheated, but all the photos I have taken of the girls on their 2nd birthday today were either blurry or very dodgy. I can't have one without the other.

Day 144 - Birthday Eve

After a very long day at work it was nice to come home and get things prepared for the girls 2nd birthday. We cooked 2 cakes, wrapped all the presents and even had time to decorate their chalkboard ready for when they woke up in the morning.

We had prepped them both as to whose birthday it was tomorrow and how old they would be turning. I am confident they know both know that they'll be 2 tomorrow. I can't believe they turning 2. Certainly they are no longer my little babies, but now they are my gorgeous little girls.

I take a little comfort that my friend Sarah has to go through the birthday thing before me as her gorgeous little men are 2 today!

Day 143 - Ava

Ava is one who thoroughly enjoys her food and uses all her 5 senses.

Here she has just finished breakfast and she is rather pleased with herself.

She touches the cereal with her fingers and often uses her fingers to eat the cereal. She stirs the milk and Cheerios around clanking her spoon on the bowl. She then picks up Cheerios randomly and checks them out to see what they look like before eating them. Then she uses her nose and mouth at once when she picks up her bowl filled with only milk by this point and drinks it. Well she doesn't use her nose to drink it, but it is obviously a good place to store drops of milk.

Day 142 - There was three in the bed...

There were two in the bed and the little one coughed for so long that we just had to bring her in to share. She is always so peaceful once she is in our bed, I wonder whether it is a ploy of Olivia's to come have extra cuddles.

Secretly I was glad she came in, it gave me a photo op as I hadn't taken one until this point!

Day 141 - You can tell a fun day by...

the mess that has been created in the bedroom and to think I cleaned their bedroom up before they went to sleep at lunch time! Tonight will be a good time to get them to help the cleanup process.

It is funny how oblivious Ava seems to be to the mess just sitting reading her book.

Day 140 - Brown Eyed Girl

Olivia has some of the most gorgeous big brown eyes and long luscious lashes that takes all the strength I can sometimes muster to say no to them. 

Unfortunately she has become harder to photograph. Either she won't sit still long enough or she is channeling her inner Diva and says no to the paparazzi. There once was a time that my brown eyed girl would smile at the camera and say "cheese" very obligingly. 

I am trying to keep my Project 365 photos equal and allowing for both of the girls, but I think Ava has a few more photos because she is more obliging to say "cheese" to me. Maybe I will have to get photos of Olivia more discreetly.

Day 139 - A late night shopping misson

With the girl's birthday sneaking up on us, Mum, Jenny and I decided it was a good time for a late night shopping mission to Kmart Belconnen. I am grateful that it is open 24 hours, even though I doubt i'll ever head there after midnight at any time, it is great to know that when the girls go to bed I can duck over there to pick up a few things without the girls.

Thank you Kmart for giving me the ability to shop peacefully.

Day 138 - Puzzles

There was once a time I hated the girls getting the puzzles out, because it always ended with me having to put them back together. Not that I hate puzzles, but when I am cleaning up what is sometimes the messiest room ever, the little fiddly things are the last thing I want to pick up.

The girls have now got to the stage of finishing the puzzles themselves. So I have found that while I clean up other parts of their room or the house, I can tell them to pack the puzzles up and they do. Now I need to teach them to pack up all their other toys properly.

Day 137 - Slow Cooker Season

Having returned to work and the early onset of Winter weather our slow cooker has made an appearance. Rather than having to come home after a meeting on a Tuesday afternoon, rush to coffee with friends and then home again to cook dinner, I let me slow cooker do all the work for me.

Tonight it was Italian Beef, but I am looking forward to many, many evenings filled with slow cooker cooked meals and casseroles in the months to come.

Day 136 - Blankies on a cool morning

It is only mid May, but boy the mornings are getting cooler already! It is not unusual to see Olivia running around with blue lips even after eating cereal with warm milk. This morning it was nice and chilly. So we bundled ourselves up with some blankies in front of the television and enjoyed Play School together.

I can see us enjoying some hot chocolate very soon.

Day 135 - All Poppy's hard work

Poppy spent a lot of time today sweeping up all the leaves that the gorgeous tree in our backyard drops all over the ground and the car into a nice neat pile under the tree to eventually make some mulch.

All his hard work was ruined by 2 little girls who just thought it was so much fun to go and grab piles of these leaves and throw them up in the air. The giggles and chatter were enough to convince us that it was okay for them to mess Poppy's pile of leaves.

I don't think he was as impressed as the girls were.

Day 134 - The dreaded naughty Itchies.

When we have children, we are given a bag of goodies once they are born. I think they should start including headlice remover.

I thought that we'd have heaps of time before I needed to invest in shares in one of these companies. However I have been proven wrong. The girls have had a case of the dreaded headlice once before from what only I can assume is daycare. I noticed Olivia scratching at her head last night while sleeping so I put it in my memory bank to have a look this morning. What a treat I found! Many little naughty itchies - which is what I am telling the girls to say while encouraging them to sit still while we are tying to comb their hair through. Not an easy feat when Ava already hates having her hair brushed on a good day! We placated her with an apple and television two of her favourite things and it seemed to work.

Needless to say, after a very itchy day, Shane and I also indulged in a little headlice treatment tonight. I guess here starts the beginning of a very long prevention and treatment of headlice in our house.

Now, it is time to buy some shares I think.

Day 133 - Reading the Newspaper

Poppy would be so proud! I caught Ava reading the Racing guide out of the newspaper today. She had snuck up to the table and grabbed the newspaper off.

I don't know if she picked a winner, however it might be a little hard when reading it upside down!

Day 132 - Winter Warmers (Even though it is not Winter!)

After a cold day at work there is nothing like a bowl of delicious soup and crusty bread for dinner. I thank Pastor Matt for this wonderful quick and easy Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup recipe.

Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

Ingredients:
2 packets of Chicken Noodle Soup Mix
1 BBQ chicken - chicken shredded
150g Ham - sliced
2 420g can Creamed Corn
4 shallots - chopped
2 eggs mixed well with a splash of water

Method:

1. Bring 8 cups of water to the boil.
2. Add the soup mix to the water and bring to the boil.
3. Add Creamed Corn, Ham, Chicken and Shallots.
4. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Dribble the egg slowly into the soup while stirring.
6. Serve with delicious crusty bread.

Day 131 - Corn

We have been giving the girls old foods in newer forms of late. We decided to give them some corn on the cob. They loved it! At first they looked at it with a rather puzzled expression, but once they saw how we ate it, they munched and munched away! Watching the girls eat is always a rather fun time in our house. Always messy but with excellent sound effects and facial expressions they keep us entertained.

If only I had my camera a few minutes later as Ava, when asked to hand her plate to me, put her second corn cob in her mouth, held it with her teeth and passed me the plate.
Very clever problem solving!

Day 130 - Words with Friends

I was never very good at scrabble... and yes I know that surprises some people. However lately I have become addicted to the iPhone app 'Words with Friends' I have many games going at once, even 3 games with one person at a time. It is becoming so addictive that I have now put my phone on silent so I do not hear the message tone telling me that it is my move!

Day 129 - Locating old resources

I try to spend part of Monday's while the girls are sleeping getting myself ready for my working week, which now for a few weeks consists of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. So knowing I have to work for the next three days I am trying to get myself organised and prepared for the onslaught.

I have been trying to locate some of my behaviour management and classroom resources on my little hard drive, I did have them sorted neatly in folders once upon a time, obviously it wasn't the most obvious place to save things, and all my hard copies are in boxes in the garage. I really don't want to sort through those just yet! I fear I may have to find some of these hard copies, just to make my life easier.

Day 128 - A leisurely stroll for Mother's Day.

We awoke early this Mother's day for a walk around Lake Burley Griffin along with hundreds of others! It was a very chilly morning so we all layered up with scarfs, jackets and beanies for some. Morgana and Isabel came along and walked with us.

The Mother's Day Classic is a nationwide event which participants walk (or run for those freaks of fitness) 5km or 10km to help raise money for Breast Cancer research. We did our bit by raising $80 and walking 5km around the lake.

Certainly not the best photo of the day, but it is rather challenging to get all 3 of them looking at the camera and be happy at the same time.

Day 127 - Watching the Red and White

Shane and I had an afternoon out at the footy to start out a very sporty weekend for us.

We went to watch my beloved Sydney Swans play the Western Bulldogs. It has been nearly 3 years since we have been to watch any live sport... funny that the girls put a stop to certain things isn't it. Mum and dad looked after Olivia and Ava for us and we had some much needed time together. It is hard once kids come along to find that time to do something just as husband and wife.

We were surrounded by so many interesting people. Our favourite were the Roy and HG wannabe's behind us, they discussed some rather interesting topics and came out with some fabulous one liners. They kept us entertained along with the footy.

It was a great result in the end after the heart attack final quarter with the Swans winning by 8 points.

Day 126 - History Repeats itself

Look at all that yummy chocolate!

Tonight I went out for dinner with some lovely friends. I thank Amelia for offering to share a 'Chocogasm' from La Scala's dessert menu. That chocolate ice cream was to die for. Definitely one of the best I have ever eaten.

We ended an evening filled with lots of chatter and laughter with some home made grappa, some drank theirs, others (myself) couldn't even get past the smell and burning on my lips!

Thank you ladies for a lovely evening. A well deserved night out after a long and tough week for me.

Day 125 - Mother's Day Presents

While at work today the P&C held a Mother's Day stall for the kids to go and buy things for their mum.  They had a very wide variety of things that had both been made and bulk purchased. You could buy things for $1 through to $5. They had I love you mugs filled with chocolates, eye masks, facewashers and shower caps along with many other goodies.There will be some very lucky mum's this Sunday!

When I picked up Olivia and Ava from daycare today I received my first Mother's Day craft made by my girls. I am so very excited but have refrained from opening it until Sunday. It is very pretty looking.  It is the beginning of some excellent handmade Mother's Day presents. Excellent because they'll be made with love.

Day 124 - Retirement

I officially retired my nappy bag today.

I purchased a Stinky Botz to save having taking the big nappy bag out every day. It can wrap up and pop in my hand bag or pram when we are going out. My friend Mel has told me for nearly 2 years that I should get one... it has only taken that long, but I have one. I purchased one for my cousin Jodi when she had Cohen. I can't rate them any higher!

RIP Gorgeous Kate Hill Nappy Bag.

Day 123 - Hide and Seek

One of the girls favourite games is Hide and Seek. I tell them to hide and they run off to find a hiding spot and I come find them. When I do find them they jump out at me and scream 'Boo!'

This afternoon after a long day at work, I came home and played with the girls and told Ava to go and hide. Their favourite place is behind Nanny's bed. I was wondering where she would hide with Nanny's bedroom door closed. I must teach her some new hiding places. This is where I found her, curled with her bottom in the air, face down in her toys! Too cute.

When I told her that I would hide, she followed me all the way to my hiding spot. The official rules of hide and seek are yet to be established in our house.

Day 122 - One Up, One Down

The story of my life some days is One Up, One Down.

It could be one wakes early while the other sleeps in or it could be one is happy and the other is having a miserable day. The One Up, One Down list is endless really. Today it happened to be Ava deciding to put her socks on by herself after she woke up.

A trendsetter in the making obviously!

Day 121 - Pumpkin Festival

Today we took the girls to the Pumpkin Festival in Collector. It was a beautiful Autumn day for it too.

There were pumpkins to buy, food, market stalls, fresh flowers, apples, potatoes among many other stalls to browse at or buy food from. We got some chutney's and jam's. I love buying chutney and jam from the markets. It always tastes better than the store bought ones. We did however not find the pumpkin bread. That is probably because it is hard to push a double pram around such busy places. Lucky there is always next year!

I did think there would be more 'huge' pumpkins on display like the one in the photo. This pumpkin is said to weigh 400kg. Apparently all they did was put manure on it to get it so big! They did have a pumpkin rolling competition as well.

There were so many people, I certainly didn't expect it to be so busy. I'll be interested to know how many people walked through the gates. I think we'll be keeping this date open again next year.