family life

Today started off with this:

So that’s pretty cute in my opinion. I’ll have you know that Jamie’s not always that happy sitting on the floor. Correction: he’s almost never that happy sitting on the floor nowadays. Being eleven months and all, he’s at that stage where he wants to be on his feet and be in the middle of all the action but sadly he can’t stand up by himself yet so needs what I like to call a ‘propper’ – ie. me or Rick or any available grandparent. Unfortunately for Jamie, said parents are usually running around getting milk or taking out the dirty nappies so the poor thing is stuck sitting on the floor a lot. Discontent and screaming, I might add. We still love him big time though.

After lunchtime, the boys went down for their naps and I drove off in our little green Corolla and headed up to Avalon Beach. (At this point, alarm bells are probably ringing in your heads. Relax – my wonderful mother-in-law was back at home with the little ones. If no alarm bells went off, shame on you.)

It’s so bizarre that I’ve lived in Sydney for some twenty-five years now and yet this is the first time that I’ve actually explored the northern beaches. It is seriously a beautiful place here.

Here’s proof:

Anyway, as I drove up Pittwater Road with the ocean on my right, I almost felt like a glamorous movie star cruising around sunny California with oversized 50s sunglasses and a silk bandana protecting my hair from the wind. Only difference being that my Corolla is no convertible and I looked nothing like a glamorous movie star. But still.

Once parked, I contemplated a snooze in the car (and indeed I tweeted about this as I thought everyone should know that I was contemplating #asnoozeinthecar) but after several minutes of discomfort, I decided I wasn’t falling asleep but my tummy was getting hungry.

So I went here:

Awesome, right? I mean, is there anything cooler than a gigantic chalkboard combined with picture perfect handwriting? If we were to ever own a house, I think I would seriously consider painting one entire wall with chalkboard paint. Thank you, Frank. (Funny that, because the barista’s name was Richard.)

Next to Frank’s cafe was the Mark Tuckey Home store. My goodness, it was filled with all sorts of eye candy. In particular, a bright yellow vintage typewriter made me swoon while some vintage-saris-turned-bedspreads almost made me abandon our white colour scheme in the bedroom. With all my willpower, I walked out with only a small notebook o-check notebook (this one in fact) as well as a sweet birthday card for Rick.

When I finally got home, it was time for some outdoor play with all three boys which, yes, involved me propping up the littlest guy. He doesn’t let up, that one. Fast forward through dinner and bathtime (and a lot of tidying and cleaning), I finally got to sit down in the boys’ room for two minutes before the little guys trundled in to be dressed. I look calm in this photo because I knew that there wasn’t long to go…

And once I put Jamie down, there was this…

Peace. Quiet. All I could hear was the distant murmuring of Rick with Angus and Pete as he finished saying goodnight to them.

Yes, my husband is awesome. He does the mornings, and he does the bedtimes. Oh, and he makes me yummy and healthy food to eat:

And that’s why he deserves this:

‘Big Love’ card by Me and Amber; vintage green necklace from Sobrina Blue.

Thus ends my impromptu ‘a day in the life.’ Gosh I had fun writing this! Thanks to Elise for the inspiration.

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Remember this? Today we set up a new cubby house at our new place under our new dining table. The boys loved it. Despite how exhausted I was, I couldn’t stop laughing as I watched them playing together yet each still doing their own thing. Gosh I love them.

Anyway, today is Chinese New Year and I’m missing my parents who are currently in Hong Kong. Part of me wishes I were in Hong Kong with them, celebrating the new lunar year with all our relatives and, of course, amazing food. I probably could’ve initiated some sort of a celebration for us here, but without mum and dad here, it just seemed rather meaningless.

Sometimes it saddens me that I’m not passing on much, if any, of my Chinese heritage onto the boys. It’s so strange, and in a way startling, how different their childhood is compared to mine. I grew up in a Chinese household and family. They’re growing up in an Australia family, with only small hints of their Chinese roots popping up occasionally. Perhaps that’s just the way it’s going to be, and I need to learn to be okay with that. Or perhaps I could make more of an effort to ‘learn’ certain things from my parents, so that I can in turn pass it on to the boys. I have yet to work it out.

In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful start to the lunar new year!

Bring it, dragon.

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Despite everything, we managed to get our tree up just in time for Christmas. All three boys helped out while Pa and Nan watched on (actually, Nan did more than just watch – she was the main reason ornaments actually got hung!). Even though holiday decorations aren’t really my thing, it was heartwarming to see Angus’ excitement, Pete’s curiosity and Jamie’s intrigue. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the very best for the new year! Thank you for reading here, it means the world to me.

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I know Coke isn’t exactly the international health drink, but once summer weather hits, I can’t help but crave it. Plus, Coke Zero can’t be that bad right? (Google disagrees with me, but then, Google thinks everything is bad if you use search terms like “health effects” and “health hazards” and “why does this fizzy drink make me dizzy.”)

During these last few months, I’ve been spending a lot of my Sunday evenings at home with Rick’s parents. They usually arrive in the afternoon and play with the boys then help me feed them, bath them and put them to bed. Did e’er more wonderful in-laws exist? I think not.

But wait – there’s more. Mum (ie. Mary) will always bring dinner. Yes, that’s right. She comes to babysit and she brings us food. Hands down best mother-in-law in the whole wide world (naturally, it goes without saying that she reads my blog too) – definitely one of the many reasons I married Rick.

But back to our Sunday evenings: once the boys are in bed, the three of us will sit in the living room, have dinner together, chat about our week, watch Escape to the Country, and of course wax lyrical about my husband/their son and my children/their grandsons. Throw in several cups of hot tea (not literally), and seriously, it’s close to a perfect evening.

Mary, if you’re reading this (and I know you are), know that I will genuinely miss these Sunday evenings together. Even on the nights when I’ve retreated to the studio “to do some work,” I’ve loved knowing that you and dad were in the lounge, cuddled up and watching The. No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I know that we will find something else to do together next year, but this year has been truly special – to me, it feels like it’s the end of an era.

(These photos were taken last Sunday night, when I was in the studio… “working.” The clover flower was given to me by Angus, who wanted me to keep it in a safe place. Sadly, it started wilting pretty quickly, so that safe place is now the bin.)

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Angus has daycare on Fridays, and while I do miss him, I also cherish the time with just Pete and Jamie. It’s been so interesting watching Pete come into his own as an older brother. He runs into Jamie’s room to chat to him in his cot. He sits down next to Jamie in the living room to watch Play School with him. He brings Jamie toys. He doesn’t take Jamie’s toys away. And he picks up the food that Jamie drops from the high chair and hands it back to him. He is simply the sweetest.

Here’s us having lunch on a Friday. Yup, we’re a Vegemite family. Except for me. My theory is, if you’re not exposed to it by the time you’re six, it’s too late. But I’m glad the boys are Happy Little Vegemites as bright as bright can be. (Had to resist adding rosy cheeks to these photos.)

Happy Friday, everyone! May we all get some sleep…

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Now that we are drawing near to moving once more, I find myself attempting to savour all the nooks and crannies around the home which I have come to love. This particular corner with the yellow lamp is in the family play room, where I spend a lot of my time either watching the boys play with their blocks, cars and other toys or crashed out on the couch asleep. Once in a while, Rick and I might share a cup of tea or a mug of Milo here in the evenings while we snuggle up and chat about nothing and everything. This is also one of Rick’s favourite places to read during his down times.

Moving is always hard. This has been our fourth home since we got married seven years ago, and all four have been special for their own reasons. At Freeman Place, we set up our life together as husband and wife. At Brickfield Street, we got ready for Cameron’s arrival then grieved madly for him when he died. At Little Queen Street, we attempted to rebuild our lives and eventually brought Angus home with us after nine months of anxiety. And here at Morris Avenue, we welcomed Peter and James into our family, and for the first time, we had little boys running around – thus turning this into a true family home. One that I will surely miss and remember for many years to come.

Who knows what the next place will bring, but whatever happens, I’m confident we will turn it into our home just like we have done in the past – hopefully one where we will make new merriment and new memories as a family.

p.s. That is my ‘bits and pieces’ kitchen bench-top tray. Rick thinks it takes up too much unnecessary room but I love how it acts like a holding area for all the stuff that the boys and I use throughout the day. I can’t stand bowls and cups and bottles haphazardly left on the bench-top but if they’re all on the tray, it somehow feels neat and tidy thus allowing me to breathe easy amidst the chaos. (Weird, right?)

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I am in a dire conundrum. One half of my brain desperately wants to increase the size of photos on this blog by about 15%. The other half of my brain knows that this means all of my older posts will have images that do not fill the width of the entire column, and it cannot cope with this visual eyesore. So what do I do, my friends? Invest 20 hours of time (which I do not have) into increasing the size of all my prior images or just leave the size of the photos as they are? (Note there is no ‘middle ground’ option because, alas, I am not a ‘middle ground’ type of gal.)

Thanks to everyone for their lovely comments about Pete. He has fully recovered, and his skin now only bears some small scabs from the original mosquito bites which we suspect caused the allergic response. Poor little guy; at one stage, his left eye was so swollen that he couldn’t actually open it but he took it all in such good stride. He is seriously the most cheerful little boy. Nothing really seems to get him down except when daddy’s leaving for work or if he’s desperate for some milk, and I’m making him wait (gosh I sound cruel).

Last week was hot and humid, so we took the boys to our favourite beach at Balmoral. Pete loved the water. Angus was more hesitant. None of Pete’s clothes stayed dry. Angus didn’t want to get his pants wet. Pete struggled and screamed when Rick tried to extricate him from the water. Angus, having run back to shore, kept shouting out to Rick and Pete to “Come back! Come back!” Meanwhile, Jamie watched on and wished he was five months older so that he could hop out of his pram and walk around like his brothers.

It probably bodes well that the boys like the beach. Because that’s where we’re headed next year: the northern beaches. Yeeha!

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You know it cannot end well when your three year old wakes you up with the words, “There’s wet egg in our bedroom.”

Sure enough, upon arriving at the scene of the crime, Rick and I shockingly discovered that Angus had not only transported a carton of eggs from the kitchen but he’d also managed to crack every single one onto some sort of surface. There was egg on the carpet, on the skirting boards, on the wall, on Pete’s sheets, on Pete’s sleeping bag and… on Pete’s face.

I dare not even try to imagine what they were trying to do. (Who needs to eat a nice cooked meal for dinner when you can gorge yourself on raw egg in the morning?)

Start of the day? Not so good.

End of the day?

Sitting on the floor of our bedroom, admiring the bright red nail polish on my toes.

Life is indeed colourful – in every single way.

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It was quiet in the house today for about two and a half hours while all three boys slept. Those are the hours in the day that allow me to recharge, regroup and refocus. As much as I love the boys, I also love the down times. Jamie, as usual, was the first one to stir. He didn’t want his milk. He didn’t want his rice cereal. So I gave him a water cracker.

That, he liked.

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It’s an hour after normal bedtime, and Rick is desperately trying to get through the bedtime routine with books, songs and prayers.

Angus, however, has other things on his mind:

“Daddy, daddy, daddy… You are wearing a black suit and a red flower. And mummy is wearing a white dress. And you are married. It was your wedding. And you are talking to someone. Pa and Nan took the picture off the coffee table and we looked at it. And then we put it back. And Ben (Rick’s best mate and best man) is behind you in the picture. And he has a black suit too, and a red flower too. Daddy, daddy, daddy… I’m really tired.”

And to think we were once worried he would never speak.

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