49/52 - trimming the tree

Lily

She is a creator. A determined, visionary little spirit.

I love that she comes home from a long hard day of school and unwinds by creating an 'Air Dog' (I really couldn't describe this masterpiece with any justice). Once she has her vision, she is utterly compelled to carry it out, busily and happily working away to bring her idea to fruition. In the zone. Ever since she was tiny, this has been her joy, whipping up these original 3D creations. 

It is a beautiful thing to witness, and a passion we love to nurture - even if it means the craft room is a constant jumble of cardboard, paper, glue and markers. I guess a creative genius can't also be expected to be a tidy one, right? ;)

Eli

He is a 'noticer'.

Nothing escapes his attention (nor holds him for very long). He notices what other people are doing and feeling, he notices things both big (the cloud formations) and small (every ant and Daddy Long Legs that veers into his eyeline). He remembers and reflects and takes pleasure in memories and shared stories. He is so thoughtful and aware, quick to help and assist, and quick to show compassion. His busy little mind and heart are in a thousand places at once, it seems.

He notices the water spilled from the tap, meandering down the paved courtyard. He takes pleasure in quietly observing its gravity-motivated journey along the paver edges. I take pleasure in watching him enjoy the small things. My son, I delight in you.

Miles

He is not just a baby any more. I need to keep reminding myself of that... 

On December 1st we decorated the Christmas tree, and at first we expected Miles to only watch or otherwise attempt to dismantle the tree. What did we know? When given the chance, he eagerly and oh-so-seriously picked up the ornaments, carefully separated the string and hung them from the tree branches with care. So keen to participate in the family activities and keen to show us he is not merely the baby of the family but a very big and capable boy! He took utmost care and no Christmas ornaments were harmed in the creation of this sweet scene ;)

Yes, sweet son, you are a fully fledged family member now, able to participate in all our little traditions. I'm so thankful xx

Mark

See that smiling face? 

That is the face of a proud father, taking pleasure in even the smallest of achievements of his children. He delights in his children and nurtures and supports them through whatever they do - just for being themselves - it's a beautiful thing to witness.

He watches, engages and talks with his youngest son while he is hanging the ornaments on the tree, cheering Miles on through every precious baby step. 

Project 52: A portrait of my family once a week, every week, in 2014.

More highlights from the week that was...

Sometimes waking up is hard to do...

Dear friends from Sydney came to stay, and Miles was pleased to have his sweet new buddy Ava to share in his hijinks. They perched themselves on the couch together, expectantly waiting for Playschool. 

Our Christmas Book Advent, ready for another year. I have been loving seeing this movement take momentum, with so many wrapped book collections being shared on my Facebook page. Christmas and books are a winning combination, huh? The kids are loving unwrapping both new and old favourites this year, already taking pleasure in a familiar tradition (only three years in!) 

They love decorating the tree, we love watching them. They comb through the piles of ornaments so carefully, decorating the tree with their own haphazard flare. I'm happy to just enjoy it and this year didn't even tweak the tree after they went to bed, lol. 

Master Ornament Holder

Every ornament holds a special memory or story. This silver heart was brought to us from Nana on her trip to Italy a few years ago. 

Not all family scenes are so idyllic - most are far from it!! - but this one - trimming the tree - is a treasured moment every year. Just everyone working together happily on this fun little activity, it's one of my favourite memories :)

A job well done, time to break open the first book of our Christmas advent. Books are always better by the light of the Christmas tree, dont you think?

Two new friends...

It's been two weeks of wicked thunderstorms and light shows every afternoon...

Making spinach tortillas...

We took a big box of peg boards home to clean from the playschool. Eli was playing with them and Miles wanted in. Twenty very serious minutes were thus spent filling and unfilling three different boards!! 

Beloved, pudgy, dexterous little fingers :)

A decade of marriage. We celebrated this week. Ten years of wedded adventure, a humble, happy life together and rather a tribe to show for it! I am so thankful for those vows we made a decade ago to walk through life together. I love him dearly, and more each day xx

{GIVEAWAY!} LaQ Review.... a rival for our beloved Lego!?

We discovered LaQ by chance over three years ago. Wandering through an outlet mall when Lily was about three, we looked through a 'pop up shop' filled with Japanese toys. They had a kids table set up with a bunch of tiny plastic shapes scattered about, that seemed to click together. Lily sat down and was instantly entranced, connecting up all kinds of shapes with her teeny little fingers. We are certainly not the type of parents to just buy kids toys on a whim, but I loved the fine motor aspect and how engaged she was, so we ended up buying a small kit. I know, I know, how spontaneous ;)

So what is LaQ exactly? Well, you can click this link to go to the Japanese site which has a bunch more info. In a nutshell, it's a series of seven small plastic shapes (triangles, squares and joiner pieces) that click together to create pretty much whatever you like, whether 2D or 3D. The pieces click together in the most satisfying little 'snap' and then are easily separated by bending till they 'crack' and come apart. I think this is part of the pleasure of building - the sensory satisfaction! They are really fun to build and create with... and just engage children in a really beautiful way, unleashing all sorts of creativity. Lily and Eli just love squirreling themselves away to make their LaQ creations as I have recorded many times on this little blog, such as here.

Our three engineers gather to do a little post-dinner car building with their new LaQ kit :) This Hamacron kit can make five different vehicles, the kids wanted to try the race car first.

 



Yes, they are sort of like Lego. Now, I would dare not say they are better than Lego (quelle horreur!!), but I would dare to say they are on par! Like Lego, you can build kits or just build freely, wherever your imagination takes you. The plastic is top quality, you can imagine passing it on to your grandkids like you can do with Lego :) With Lego you generally build 3D tower/vertical shapes, but with LaQ you can be creative with 2D images or fully 3D curved and angular shapes. And they are so fun to snap and click together and apart - unlike the agony of prising apart two Lego blocks with your fingernails, haha ;) We are huge Lego fans in this household and always will be, but we REALLY love LaQ too. They are similar but different enough that it's fun to build with both. One bonus is it doesn't hurt to step on LaQ ;)

Concentration Face!

Father and Son, working together on their race car :)

The kids have made do with our tiny little 2D kit for a few years but often ran out of pieces when building. This Christmas I wanted to expand their set to include the 'cornered' pieces so they could build in 3D. I hunted and hunted for a stockist in Australia - they are not easy to find here though they are huge in Japan - and finally stumbled across this absolutely gorgeous (online and real life) store called Crayons. I was pretty impressed - their site is full of creative, quality, exploratory children's toys, including a wide LaQ range. Yippeee!

While making my order I had to make some inquiries about the stock, and lo and behold, the Crayons folk kindly offered to send a couple extra kits - a 3D kit for us to try, and a basic building kit which I decided to give away to share the LaQ love :) So - if you love a good giveaway, this is your lucky day! :) Enter below and you could introduce your children to the joys of LaQ! I honestly believe you will be impressed - kids who visit our home just LOVE playing with it and friends who have purchased it for their kids have become big time fans too.

The finished product - a speedy little race car. They quickly disappeared into their room to make their own LaQ designs right after finishing :)

Lily made a sleigh - very Christmassey ;)

Fire Truck!

A perfect gift for under the Christmas tree, just enter below and your child may be the lucky recipient!

To win, just enter through the Rafflecopter form and answer this simple question: Who would you gift this LaQ kit to, and why?

(Sign in to the Rafflecopter form below and tick the boxes for the entries you want to make. Write your blog comment entry in the regular blog comment box at the end of post (not in the app!). Please let me know if you have any troubles with entering!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Terms and Conditions:
Giveaway is for one LaQ Basic kit (185 pieces) , including delivery within Australia
Australian Entries only. 
Must leave a name and email address if using "anonymous" or a profile not linked to a way to contact you if you've won.
Winner will be deemed most creative/interesting response as chosen by me. This is a game of skill, not chance.
Entries close Tuesday 16th December, 12.59pm 2014. 
Judges decision is final. Winner must respond within 48 hours or prize will be awarded to the runner up. Good luck!!!

**The LaQ Hamacron Kit  (for us to try) and Basic LaQ kit (which we decided to giveaway) were gifted to us by Crayons, but all opinions are very much my own. We are LaQ fans from way back! :) **

48/52 - sleeping in doorways + hiding in wardrobes

Lily

I remember doing this very thing as a child. So desperate to keep one foot in the happenings of the household post-bedtime that I would make my little bed in the doorway. I guess such an idea must be genetic as I have been discovering this little scene rather frequently of late. Oh, funny, sweet girl.

She thinks she is ready to be a grown up, but really, she is exhausted. This huge first year of full time schooling is taking its toll, leaving us with one very tired, emotional girl who has seen and done and absorbed so much this year. She is also in the midst of a fortnight of intensive daily swim school to boot - yozwers. She is working so hard at it all, with a smile most of the time, and tears when it all gets too much, bless her dear heart. We are all looking forward to a refreshing summer holiday, that's for sure!

Eli

It's just hit me recently that this kid is going to be in Preschool next year. My little man!!! 

For us fortunate Canberra folk, that means two school days one week, and three days the next. I know he is going to love it but it is still hard for this Mama to comprehend that this kiddo is reaching school age. I mean, it feels like decades between when your first kid is born and they head to school, but the subsequent children seem to get there in a blink of an eye!?

My little whirlwind has matured in so many ways of late, heartfelt in his efforts to help and learn and do what's right. I am looking forward to getting to know my son, the big preschooler :) But, sentimental soul that I am, kinda already missing my little dude too!

Miles

Lately he is doing 'table time' for about 15-20 minutes a day... usually while Mama is trying to get dinner together ;) This wild little explorer benefits from a little containment at times, haha.

He does simple little explorations such as playing with magnets on a baking tray. He took this particular one very seriously, furrowed brow as he picked up each transport-themed magnet, made the sound of every vehicle and later enjoyed placing them in and out of a basket, over and over. His focus always amazes me!

A baby's work is never done, you know ;)

Mark

The yard work - it never ends....

PS And yes... sometimes I forget to take my weekly portrait of my hubby and need to quickly snap one  from the back door at the last minute!! Let this sub-par piccie in no way reflect the depth of my love and devotion to this fella, ok!!!?? :)

Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2014.

More highlights from the week that was...

On Friday night Lily wanted to make dinner. And thus, over about an hour and a half she prepared, step by step, a most elaborate meal of wraps for the family. I couldn't decide what charmed me most, the delicate squirts of sauce on the 'fancy' plate, decorated 'just so' with fresh mint leaves, OR the charming circles of finely cut avocado??!! She kills me.

Assembling our little Christmas book collection for this year's Christmas Book Advent... so excited to wrap them up and then see the kids unwrap in a flurry each night of December :)

Two sweet fairies, the very dearest of friends, out at the park to celebrate Harper's 5th birthday.

Sarah, Harper and Lily... three happy little fairy friends :)

The delightful spread created by the talented Miss Amber! The theme chosen by Harper was 'Pearlie Fairy'; (a book series).
It was all soooooo sweet, and I think I got won over by the simple relaxed charm (and space!) of a park party!

Painting fairy wands 

Miles was centre of attention, with my dear friend Jess' son Finn taking it upon himself to 'babysit' by wheeling Miles merrily around in the pram for quite some time. Of course, the other kids had to come join in for a while too. Miles took it all in stride :)

There is rather a lot of this going on these days. The best bit is a big sister who can sit and read with him... trying to satiate his demands for books - along with his demands for potty time!!

The storystones have been rediscovered lately. The funny thing is some of the 'herb garden' ones I wrote for markers were with them, so parsley, kale and chives suddenly played a significant role in their creative story lines!! ;)

The boys latest favourite spot is the botton of Daddy's wardrobe. Usually Miles sits in their with his feet poking out but he was too quick for me to capture him. He loves his funny games, this boy :) Yes, peekaboo, I see you!!!

Can he see me??

Rarrrrr!!!!!

I must be invisible?!!

Here I am!!!!