Getting ready to party

Flowers



School holidays are here - YAY!!!
That means that srping is well and truly here. When I walked to my car yesterday afternoon I could smell wattle in the air. In our backyard you can smell the jasmine that is growing like a weed over next doors shed. I have finished marking for a few weeks and can start focusing on my uni assignment - an article review on social skills and inclusion in preschools - interesting stuff. It is a long weekend here so the twins will have their papa home on Monday which I know they will love. The only real drawback that I can see is that daylight savings hasn't kicked in yet so it gets light here early which means no chance of the kids sleeping in for a while.

Work is well under way for the brats' garden party (now isn't that a fancy way of saying backyard do?). We painted our egg cartons and put pipecleaner feelers on our caterpillars, we made a couple of flowers as seen with their creators in the pics above, we have planted a few 'bloomers' in the empty spots - the twins have a poppy each - they are keen to see what colour the flowers will be - and some marigolds. The veges are all looking good - especially the tomatoes and the lettuces. I have just about bought all their gifts as well as some bubbles to go in the lolly bags. Invitations are mostly out - a few still to deliver. We need to make a giant butterfly for the front of the house to go with our caterpillars and balloons - on track - it should be a fun afternoon for everyone.

The twins have also been practising their afternoon tea skills. Hannah is learning to 'cut':

Still here

Ball
Yup. Still here. Life has been pretty hectic - with major assignments needing to be marked BEFORE the end of term and a uni assignment due soon plus a party to organise. I ahve been visiting blogs but in a few snatched moments so I haven't commented on many I'm afraid. Still I was pretty excited to see Michelle's bump - looking good!!


Here are some pics as despite being so busy I still do manage to play witht he brats and they are growing and learning and being their usual gorgeous terrible selves.

P had his joint 40th dinner - with a guy he has been close friends with since they were about 5 I think - he is godfather to the twins. We had a house swap with the inlaws - they stayed at our house with the 5 grandkids and we stayed at their house with none! What a bargain. It was a really nice night as we got to catch up with some friends we havent' seen in a while. Then just this weekend passed the grandparents stepped up yet again - this time the twins stayed the night at their house so P and I could go to Hannah's EI trivia night fundraiser - P is treasurer so we were there quite late - it raised (we think) almost 24 000 - that is nealry twice as much as last year!! Whoo Hoo!!!
Yes Hannah likes to dress herself ...
and Kit's still playing guitar ...
(the orange pliars are meant to be his capo).

Ladies - help please!

Bugger!!! JUST DELETED A WHOLE POST - ESSENCE OF WHICH WAS - HELP!!!
Twins birthday party fast approaching ... Blah, Blah, Blah ... particularly - it is likely to be outside in our small garden - with patch of lawn and two paved areas. What can I do to amuse children - up to 18 aged 10 - 4 months but mostly 3 year olds? I have one little fellow who like Hannah may find too much stuff overwhelming yet I really want him if he can come to have fun - and for his parents to be able to relax. And yes it will be our first untested mix of special needs kids, family and friend feral kids and children from childcare.

I am thinking of filling the brats' shell with sand. I think I can manage a wheelbarrow race or two (good therapy for a few attendees) - what prizes? There are heaps of balls including a couple of larger bouncing balls. Any other ideas of low supervision activities that I can have available - I don't want to hire any clowns, facepainters etc as yet - I think the brats are too young. I want homegrown free play.

Also the cake - should I persuade Kit to go for the number 3 (Hannah just wants 'cake') or should I let him have a second cake - I sort of prefer leaving separate cakes until they are a year or so older and the gender as well as other differences between them are more apparent - what do other twin mums do?

Food should be ok and a minor concern is invitations - something simple will do I think. And take home party bags - what goes in them?

Any ideas - absolutely welcome!! Thanks.

Thank you APEC

or OPEC as George Bush referred to it ... we really enjoyed our long weekend - and didn't mind at all that our governemnt did everything it could to dissuade us form using our cbd and harbour as we usually would do.Here is the result of a bathroom set I bought the brats to try and extend Hannah's play sequences beyong putting baby to bed - she fed her fairies, toileted and bathed the and then put them to bed. Then we played 'Ten in the bed' with whatever little figures we could find and then - as you see there were just the Wiggles in bed and she and Kit are reading the a bedtime story.

Water Wars

Peek-a-BOO!

more ammo
MUD
Hannah, Kit and I made these freddo cupcakes - Kit saw me setting the dining table for afternoon tea and wanted to set up one of his own for his friends or the other kids that were coming
The clean up before our friends arrivedand so the water wars continued on an even grander scale ... thank goodness we are allowed to water the gardens on Sunday.

Georgia's Smile II

I don't know Georgia but I do know that smile he's singing about ...
Georgia’s Smile
Watching your brother, watching your sister
running down the hill, legs move faster
Sound of laughter, you’re all three sheets to the wind
and I look across at your mother she is all lit up like a child
there is nothing here more beautiful, Georgia when you smile

You fell into the hard world with all your charm
I forgot to notice you
All my hopes and expectations vanished from my view
and I stumbled to get your measure but you captured me in style
there is nothing here more beautiful than Georgia when you smile

Well you think you’ve got this so worked out
till something knocks you off your feet
You find yourself all adrift when these two currents meet
And you think that you’ve been cursed and you ask the big questions why??
I think I’ve been blessed Georgia when you smile

By Phil Davidson