Floatin' on the Doughnut

We're up and at 'em at 7:15am today.

I opened the laundry to let the cats out and found two mounds of cat vomit, and a big fur ball in the middle of one - yuck! How do you get a cat to get rid of its fur balls??


Today I am taking SamSam out on a special excursion - just him and me down to the village shops - and Daddy will be spending some time with JJ. I've noticed over the last few weeks that SamSam is playing up a bit more than normal. He is going through the two year old stage where tantrums are pretty common, but I think he's needing more one on one time to know that he's loved.

We go to the op shop to find the rest of the My Book series that we bought yesterday, but someone has beaten me to it, and has snaffled ALL the remaining alphabets that I wanted. They were too quick! Siggh. However, SamSam has a fantastic find - a little Emily train - and we take it with us for 50cents.

We go to the Rock Bookshop and Cafe for some coffee and orange cake (yumm). SamSam pushes Emily around the salt and pepper shakers, and discovers that he doesn't like the taste of the salt. I have to admit I've been distracted all morning by shopping for the missing books, and now by the awesome books at this fabulous little bookshop, and then I remember that I am meant to be spending quality time with SamSam! Yikes!!

I look at him and I realise how beautiful he is! I tell him and he's still playing with his train. He repeats after me - "I am bee-u-tee-full" in his little SamSam voice.

I ask him, "Who loves you?"
"JJ".
"Who else loves you?"
"Daddy:
"Who else loves you?"
"Mummy"
"and Jesus loves you too!"
:)

We head back to the van, and pick up Daddy and JJ along the way who are coming back from a walk. While we've been out, Daddy has been reading with JJ, jumping on the trampoline with him and finished with the walk.

SamSam falls asleep on the way home so he has a little rest in bed when we get back.

In the meantime JJ and I play Uno, and then he does some dot-to-dot drawing. When SamSam emerges from the room, we play Thomas snakes and ladders that they got for Christmas. They are getting fidgety so I suggest we do some dancing, and they happily agree.

I bought them a Colin Buchanan CD for Christmas. I've been looking around for some good Christian music for kids and when this was recommended to me by a good friend I quickly went out and got it. The one I bought is "10, 9, 8, God is Great" and it is really, really good. I'm talkin' 10 out of 10! (And I'm really picky when it comes to music).

The songs are really catchy with great rhythms to move to. The fantastic lyrics hang around in your head and I'm walking around the house still singing verses from Lamentations, like it's the coolest rock pop tune ever. I like how he uses Bible verses within the songs, it's really great stuff!

Colin Buchanan who wrote the songs and sings them, was apparently a presenter on Play School once upon a time. His concerts are sold out where ever he goes! I want to go too!

We dance around the living room, boogeying and a groovin' and it's a great time. Kids are so cute when they dance!

Lunch is leftover seafood paella that Daddy made last night.

During their nap time I take the opportunity to duck back to the bookshop and have a good scout around. When I come back they are still fast asleep. But not for long, as the mercury must be around 40C and it's time to cool down at the river.

Daddy builds another dam, so that we have a cascading-two-waterfall effect with three separate pools to swim in! Bliss! I've brought along an inflatable doughnut ring, and the boys and I have fun floating down the river - me with my bum wedged through the hole and legs hanging off one end, JJ sitting on one edge, and SamSam sitting on my tummy.

We manage to float around without capsizing - amazing and so enjoyable! JJ squeals with delight as we move along with the current and SamSam grins from ear to ear. What can be better than sitting on Mummy's tummy and floating down a river on an oversized doughnut?

What a lovely afternoon :)

Boats, Shoes, Books and a Cake

Every morning since we've been in Bright, SamSam is the first to wake up and get out of bed. He is so excited to go into the living room to play with a huge duplo train set we've found in our friend's cupboard!

I've never seen Duplo train tracks before, but this one absolutely rockksss. It's way better than the IKEA tracks or the Thomas tracks. The tracks can be stuck on Lego, which means that you can make the tracks go up onto different heights. Awesome! All the Duplo cars can fit on them, yess!

After eggs and toast, we're off to the shops to find some toy boats to sail down at our favourite river spot. While we're there I take the boys into the camping store, and we pick up some good 'river shoes' that are grippy and they can wear in the water. The river has lots of slippery pebbles and sometimes sharp rocks, so I feel much better knowing that their feet are protected.

Hurrah, we find some $2 boats at the discount shop! The boys cradle their boats as they walk around, and we check out a couple of Op shops before we head to the stream.

The temperature is oven hot by the time we get down to the water. However the water is almost icy cold, and my feet are almost aching to walk in it! But it doesn't worry the boys, they are having oodles of fun sailing their boats down the current of the river.

We have to block up the holes in our man-made waterfall as the boats sometimes escape between cracks and we watch Daddy madly chase them down the stream.

The boys have fun putting pebbles on the boat, then sticks, then sail them into the 'harbour'. They also play with our plastic drinking cups and bottles filling them with leaves, pebbles and water. This is such great explorative play for them. After a few hours it's time to take the boys back for their afternoon nap, and I feel sad to leave!

After their nap we have a cake for Daddy as it's his birthday today :) We sing Happy Birthday and the boys help to blow out the candles. They want extra serves of the chocolate cake, but we hold firm!

I give the boys some books that I bought at the Op shop this morning. They turn out to be really good ones (only 50 cents!). SamSam's is 'My S Book', and JJ's is called 'My K Book' - both by Jane Belk Moncure.

SamSam sits on the rug to look at his, while JJ sits next to me at the table and I get him to read it out loud. He learns some new words - Kaleidoscope, Koala (I can't believe I have somehow not taught him what a koala is!), Keg and Kid (as in a young goat).

These books are at the perfect reading level for JJ, and I want to go back and get the rest of the alphabet! They have such gorgeous illustrations too!

Afterwards they play outside blowing bubbles, and with a bucket of water and some cups. It's so hot that JJ is soon sitting in the bucket of water! They eventually take off all their clothes and are having a great time splashing water and playing with the garden stones and some old toy trucks and cars.

Before I know it, it's dinner time, then bath, and then books before bed. We read 'My K Book' once again, and then a section about water in 'Richard Scarry's Best Bumper Book Ever' - such a great book.

Today's devotion is about practice. The boys learn that they need to practice if they want to learn to do things, and that God can help them when they try.