#highlightsreel // home help + school again

January ended and in rolled February - and with it, the new school year.

Life being what it is lately, it caught me by surprise. Lily entered Year One. No longer the 'baby' of the school, a confident, eager student, she was counting down the days till school started back! I am so excited to see her flourish this year. She adores her new teacher and frankly, so do I! This school start was so different from all our fuss and emotion last year. The day before school we were digging out uniforms and wondering if the library bag was still around somewhere. Ha - times change ;)

And Eli. Starting Preschool. My little dude - a huge step for him, and me too! This is the one that shocked me. In Canberra we are very blessed to have government funded preschool (2 days one week, 3 days the next - I know not everywhere gets preschool like this). His little class is in the 'Junior' area of Lily's school, so she loves to wave over the fence at playtime :) This new stage for him just crept up on me. It is funny how the first child starting school is a huge adjustment for you both, but the second child just happily trots off, already so comfortable with the environment and the process, which makes it easier for Mama too! Even though this kid has energy ++++, I do miss his sunny little face around the house. But he is absolutely loving preschool which makes me so happy. He seemed visibly taller on the first day of school pick up, just ever so proud of himself to be a big Preschooler at long last. He takes it all very seriously, including having perfected his own 'putting on his backpack' technique which involves putting it on the ground behind him, putting his wrists through the straps and then quickly lurching it onto his back :) Love this kid. He has made a good little buddy there ('Oliver but it's not Oliver Twist, Mummy'!), and it just melts me to see him so happy and at home, soaking up the beautiful play-based environment. One of the other school mums said to me at pick-up time, after the third day of seeing him bound out to me full of smiles and excitement 'Is he ever not smiling?? I want to be like him when I grow up, he is such a happy boy!' :) 

And then... suddenly all these quiet days hanging out with my littlest! What a change! It's so quiet! The house stays so clean!! Ha! The days pass by so quickly. I am just loving having one on one time with my baby boy, especially as he is a glorious two year old, full of chatter and fun. I was reflecting that I have never been at home with just a two year old before, as by this stage for Lily, Eli was here and then of course Miles came along before Lily started school. So it is very different and frankly, delightful :) Miles is absolutely LOVING the attention and quality time together and so am I. Poor third child often gets lost in the mix, so it feels extra sweet for him to have this time in the sun. We chit chat and sing songs, he climbs on top of things at every opportunity, he 'helps' me do chores, etc. We just chill together. My beautiful boy, I love watching him blossom (and climb  things... always with the climbing?!).

Here are a few images from our first week or two back at school...

You know the soup is a hit when it requires drinking from the bowl. Three bowls in fact. Zucchini and Mushroom Bisque - a sentimental family favourite. 

My gloriously grown up Year One girl. Rocking a (wrinkled!) skort like nobody's
business, heehee! It's her first day outfit of choice :)

Love that face. Mwah xxxxx

Dump out all the Jenga blocks. Pick them back up. Rinse, repeat.

A big first day of school requires whipping up a berry banana smoothie afterwards for refreshment.

Oh brother, what a face!

All packed up and raring to go off to Preschool...

Eager and excited, he could not be more ready!

My darling boy xx The sweetest.

The first time ever he insisted on standing and getting his own photo.
He wanted to hold the sign like the other kids. #nailedit

Huh?

The laundry cycle is now pretty much complete - they have been sorting, folding and putting away for ages, now they can also hang washing and take it off the line too! (well, fairly haphazard but it's good enough for me!). Eli loves to put it in the machine and press the buttons to turn it on... so soon I will try to help him be confident to do that solo and then they will be able to handle a whole laundry cycle on their own!?! At which point, I get to hang up my hat and take a nap for a couple years, right!!?? ;) 

#boylife

My beautiful kids. Our family has been under a burden of late, some difficult news that I haven't been ready to share on this blog and to honest I'm not sure if or when I will. Suffice to say, the housework has been hit and miss (mostly miss) as other things require my time and energy. One day I walked out to find L&E enthusiastically mopping the floor as a 'surprise' for me. Water slopping everywhere, happy smiles and giggles as they worked. Such a glorious mess, such a heartfelt gesture of helpfulness from my children, it kinda broke my heart and healed it all at once.

My little treasures at work. Oh yeah - that cover-less carseat in the background
is because Miles vomited all over it. Mmm, good times ;)

A trip to the hairdressers for a much needed trim... and this little lady decided to get herself a fringe! It changed her face so much we could barely recognise her... had to keep taking a second look. She looks so much older?!? 

The sign of a very big first week of Preschool - falling asleep in the late afternoon, in really awkward positions.

You can never pick what toys your child will really attach to...or at least, I never try. And so somehow amidst the zillions of stuffed toys we own (that I swear multiply in the night!), Miles has appointed these two as his Most Beloved. 'Teddy' happens to be Marks from when he was a little boy (awww!) and 'Mih-mee' (Miffy) was actually a gift to Lily when she was a newborn, from her Auntie Helen C. He loves his little cot buddies to pieces :) This image makes me smile.

Thank you, thank you to all who read here. Thank you for sharing in my little snippets of blessings, these treasured times. This blog is my happy place, a #highlightsreel of those golden moments dug out from amidst the everyday. I feel grateful for all of you who take the time to read along with me xx