It's Christmas soon and someone is coming...

No, it's not Santa (well, it is, but that's not who I mean). It's Shaun.

He's been here:




London Town. Brrrrr. Yes, I know, I know. Madness to go at this time of year.

So he - like thousands of other poor, crazy people - has been thinking a lot about scenarios like this:



And thinking this may be his fate:



Instead, he is one of the lucky few who managed to get on their flights, pretty much as scheduled and he is currently here:



He'll be back tomorrow morning, after spending all of December away, and there's a five-year-old boy who Just Cannot Wait.

Today E said to me: "Mummy, will Dad give me the biggest hug ever?"

Oh, you betcha, kid...

Sunday night performance...

After dinner and a bath the boy was feeling a little musical. This is his ode to his sister. Funny kid!

She's off!

Our little gal hasn't shown much interest in walking. But today she just up and did this for my mum, which pretty much blew us all away...

Baby steps

Yesterday my 15-month-old decided that this business of being upright is actually alright. She's been cruising the furniture for ages but yesterday she actually let go - only for a second, but she stood on her own two feet nonetheless.

Encouraged by this, I walked her around by her hand a little more than I have been. At one point I let go of her hand and she did take a teeny step before falling into my arms.

It wasn't a 'proper' first step, just the start of something exciting.

I tried to capture her attempts on camera but pretty much failed...





Today we picked up E's new school uniform and he insisted on wearing it all day - even the black lace-up school shoes he has.

Dude doesn't realise there's 13 years of hating that darned thing ahead of him...



In another exciting (well, for me anyway!) first I picked up a delicious piece of Pyrex at my locals Salvos. It is a lemon-lozenge yellow Pyrex Agee bowl - made in Australia and possibly (going only a quick Google here) from the 1950s.



Of course I completely forgot to photograph it until about 5 minutes ago, so I've only an appalling pic to show. I've long admired Thrifted Treasure's beautiful Pyrex collection, so I was chuffed to discover this piece. Uh-oh, I sense the beginning of a Pyrex addiction...!

My boy

... makes me burst with pride daily, but some days - like today - wow, he blows me away.

I've been a little under the weather in the past few weeks, just a sore throat and cold. Yesterday T picked up my germs and woke from her nap with a raging 40-degree temperature.

She was up all night, and so was I, playing Panadol Nurse.

So today while T had a justifiably long nap I told E I was going to lay down a while. He said "OK Mum" and left me to do just that.

About 20 minutes later I hopped up, to be greeted by this sight:



A small boy carrying a tray with a plate of chopped up strawberries, a glass with a flower (dandelion!) in it and a card he'd made all by himself.





I adore the empathy and sensitivity of this child.

What a beautiful boy, what love.

What's that under the Christmas tree?...

... oh, it's Trouble!!






(T was sitting quietly on the floor this morning so I took the opportunity to shoot off a quick email. When I turned back around her eyes were closing; she was about to drift off!! Sitting up! I have never seen a child fall asleep sitting up on their own. Where was my video camera [flat, no doubt] when I needed it? Could have made a fortune on Australia's Funniest Home Videos...)

A special place

Tonight Shaun gets back on the plane after a short stop in Hong Kong, to head for the snowy climes of Ol' Blighty (brrrrrr!).

He'll be staying in a Sussex cottage that we stayed in last time and, I think it's fair to say, fell in love with.

Oh the loveliness of it. Here it is:




Last time, we had a certain 2yo boy with us. We discovered the joy of hiring a house when you travel with a young family. Quite the revelation! Brekkie? Easy. You want sausages for dinner? Can do. It was a smart move.

It's amazing to look back at the photos of that trip and see how little the Little Guy was back then (and also how spookily like his sister he looked then).

Shaun took him to this bluebell wood for a squirrel hunt...



He got to choose his first bag of mixed lollies from Ye Olde Lolly Shoppe or whatever it was called...



Freezing winds be damned, the boy got to eat icecream in a pub beer garden *with play equipment*. Loving that...



Ah, he was so little back then...

Flying solo

It's December and that means the beginning of my month of solo parenting.

Yes, today Shaun flew away on a giant silver bird, to return on Dec 23. He has gone overseas with his mother.

So, yup, me and the bubbas are hanging out on our own.

Wish me an extra serve of resilience and patience, won't you? For I may need it.




Wish me good health so I can actually attend my work...



But most of all, wish him a safe return.