9/52 - the littlest gymnast

Lily

My little entrepreneur decided to hold a 'street stall', attempting to sell her artwork.

I will do a separate post soon with the whole story of how it came to be, how it went, and the aftermath... 

Just had to include one image in her Project 52, as it very much summarised her week!

It almost feels like a rite of childhood... earning those first coins. Mark recalls doing the exact same thing at her age, so it must be in the blood??

Eli

Little Monkey shimmies the rope at gymnastics.

With big sister at school every day, Eli is really coming into his own. Out from the shadow that naturally occurs when the older child leads the interest and activities. He is becoming 'his very own boy'. I am thankful for the opportunity to take him to spend more one on one time with him, take him to his own activities and observe a little more closely what he embraces and enjoys. No longer just tagging along, he is leading the way - with vigour.  He is giving gymnastics everything he's got!! As I watch him bounce, swing and balance, I am amazed at how he's grown.

Thanks to a very thoughtful and generous Christmas gift from the Perth and Brisbane grandparents, he is bouncing around through a term of gymnastics. Such a great place to channel, stretch and embrace all that energy! He is loving the experience, and I love watching him flourish.

Miles

Ahhh, independent playtime. Such a gift to both baby and mother :)

Independent Playtime is something we have introduced with all our children from the time they can sit. You can read more about it with Eli here - the approach being one gathered from the principles of both Babywise and RIE/Janet Lansbury. 

It is such a gift to a child to allow them to develop the skills of playing and exploring independently. The time is also a gift to the mother of a very busy little explorer ;) It's amazing how much Miles loves it. Even if he is a bit fussy that day when crawling around the house and getting into things, he is completely happy when settled into a defined space with a limited amount of toys to explore. They really do embrace/need the security of a 'smaller world' sometimes. 

Right now Miles is happily doing about 40 minutes each morning (and sometimes a shorter session in the late afternoon too). He does this time totally contentedly, and likes to wave me off as I leave the room, haha! I slowly worked up from five minutes initially, and I think he could easily go much longer than 40 minutes even now. Apart from his favourite activity of dropping all the smaller items out of the cot (!!!), he has a fine old time exploring every open-ended toy I leave there with him. Though sometimes when returning it seems he has spent the entire time just fully exploring or mastering one toy, like the blocks or the holes in the puzzle - babies are such little scientists, aren't they! 

It is beautiful to see his independence, focus and dexterity grow. As we avoid TV till closer to two years old, I am so thankful that I found out about IP when Lily was tiny as a way to give Mum a chance to 'get things done' and for baby to learn all these skills in peace. It really is such a blessing to our household!

Mark

A little pre-bed family Lego time.

I think playing Legos with your kids... using the Lego from your own childhood... 

makes for a very happy Daddy :)

Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2013.

More highlights from the week that was....

Sprung!! Caught in the act of dropping things outside the cot.

Hmm, these holes are so fascinating!

Blurry but had to capture that cheeky little hand, tossing toys out of the cot!

Just getting in a little quiet reading time.

My sweet girl kindly offered to 'set the table really nice and fancy' for dinner, trying to be extra helpful because Daddy was working late. She got out a roll of paper towel (umm,we do actually have serviettes available, but who am I to
cramp her style?) and as she was trying to tear off the sheets, I heard her telling herself 'It doesn't matter if it rips a
little bit'. Each 'custom serviette' was also decorated with an initial and a heart. And indeed - who cares about rips
when there is such love and care?

After a month of getting accustomed to their new digs, it was time to let the chickies out for a little free explore of the
backyard. Or a 'play' as the kids said... as they eagerly stalked them ;) The chickens loved it but the kids loved it even more!

Hard to tell who is enjoying this more! Eli loves to push Miles on the swing, like the caring big brother that he is.

'Eat 'dis nice leaf, chickie!!'

They already have a favourite spot - perching on the log and trying to peck leaves from the Japanese maple!

A ring of ringlets

Balance

So much to 'ooh' about in the big and noisy gymnastics hall. Now Miles is the little
brother in tow, watching in wonder at the hijinks of the older sibling. Your time will
come, little man xx

Always with the pointing!

E loves to say hi to his brother!

One excited little girl with a purse full of coins for her very first canteen day. (I didn't get the online ordering/payment system worked out in time). How excited she was! How grown up she felt! Oh, the time we spend at home, pouring over the menu and discussing each option as she tried to choose between the many options (bar a few we struck off!). We decided she can get a canteen lunch once a month, going forward. When I picked her up that day, eager to hear how it went, she beamed as she told me all about it, then casually mentioned she couldn't eat all of her (freshly made) sausage roll... so she just put the rest in her pocket. And yes indeed, there it was. !!!!

'Who me? I'm not combing the house for small items to put in my mouth, promise!! I am the very picture of innocence!'

The train must always stop for a conversation with the Pig.

'I love these legos! This is so fun! I am going to play Legos every day!'We have played lego many times before... but just like the train set, in the last week or so, a switch has flicked and Eli has suddenly gotten really into them, playing with them independently and often. Why do I have the feeling this will be an ongoing interest for many years??