Royal visit

So the Queen is apparently in Canberra! Now I am fairly certain I'm a Republican but I am also a sucker for an old lady! So when Nathan called me to come and pick him up around the same time as the Queens cruise around the lake we decided to drop in. Nathan wanted to see the boat or "barge" apparently and I wanted to check out what the old duck was wearing!

We have to say we were a little disappointed in her choice of boat.

Because we know for a fact that you have a much greater experience when you travel on this boat the HMAS Jenny. Click here to read all about our Royal cruise!

Remember when you were young....

And there was always something you really wanted that your parents never gave you. For my sister it was a pony. For me it was not letting me run away to Hollywood to become a very famous actress! For my boys it will be that we never had.....

 A backyard tennis court!

Thank goodness they have their father's engineering genes and they have been able to build their own!

Share a Coke with....

Recently I gave up Coke. those who know me well knew how much I love it. I even received a case of coke as a birthday present one year. Anyway I gave it up. The profits of coke must have gone down and they knew how to market to their best customer.....

I need very little encouragement to have a coke! And I could not resist this!
Nor could I resist Matt, Ryan and Ben. They, however got drunk and the photos of the empty bottle's just make me look really addicted!

Kiddy Heroin

I often talk about my gorgeous neighbours Cleon and Michelle. We love them dearly and couldn't live without them. Well some time we could live with out Cleon! Look at what she fed Ben!

In her defense she has never had kids and she loves meringue! It just doesn't have the same effect on her as it has on my kids. Add in all of that blue colouring! It was classic though when our other neighbour came over, saw what she had done and then Said "Cleon if you ever give my kids that kiddy heroin you will be dead!" The look on Cleon's face was priceless!

Floriade

Nathan and I both loved this years Floriade theme!

They captured our favourite things!

 We visited twice this years. Less than usual but it rained a lot through Floriade this year.

 A typical visit goes like this... I promise the boys a ride on the Ferris wheel if they let me take in the flowers for a bit.....

 We have a quick ride in the Ferris wheel.

 Which as you can see they hate!

 I snap some photos. I'm too scared to let them have a go because that could result in a camera overboard!

 This is a cake decorates with spots.....

 You can really see the wine bottles on this one.

 This one is a watermelon and a farmers market.

 This ranucula is in one the the spots on the cake. I love the layers of ranuculas.

 As much as i love ranuculas, I love tulips more! These stripy ones are gorgeous! This bed formed part of the farmers market.

 Aren't the colours here beautiful!

 These are the daffodils I was telling my Mum about. Aren't they unusual!

 So after I have dragged the boys around ohhing and ahhing about the flowers we head down to the kids area!

 This year they had a reptile display....

 They were suitable impressed!

Finally they got to make a fruit sculpture. Ben's just resembled a pile of fruit on a plate. I believe in the art would it would be called abstract art!

Matthew's 8th Birthday

So Matthew had the best birthday ever!

 It started early and with many "Mum is it 7.30 yet?" (The kid has his own bedside alarm AND wrist watch! But I think he was relying on the if I bother them enough they will wake up theory!) He loved the Prank Patrol Book his brothers got him.

 He had to wait for Cleon and Michelle to get up so he could get his helmet......

 That goes with his new bike!

 After a quick ride it was off to do all the things that Matthew loves to do. We started at Questacon. Nathan is showing the boys what a feather looks like in the new exhibit.

 Then it was a picnic lunch at Stage 88. They were holding a concert for Canberra's Family and Community Public Holiday. The ANU band was playing family friendly music. The very first song they played was The road to Gundagai. My family knows this song well as it was one of Granddad's favourites!

Then we tiptoed through the tulips at Floriade. Matthew loves that Floriade falls around his birthday.

When we finally got home i had many friends and neighbours calling to find out what time afternoon tea was. Our usual birthday routine is I make a cake and everyone comes over for arvo tea. Well I only became aware it was our usual routine when everyone was horrified that i hadn't prepared it! Thank goodness Eva, across the road realised we weren't going to be home in time to make a cake so she made one! So we had our afternoon tea where Matthew collected more presents and then the phone calls started! He spoke to all of his extended family and then we put him into bed exhausted!

Eight is......

Amazing. At eight Matthew is a walking, talking, reading, writing and critical thinking machine! He has a funny sense of humour, at this point in time focusing on farting and burping. He gets being humorous and succeeds at being funny. He is very responsible and enjoys being responsible. He wants to take care of his brothers and his chest puffs out when Daddy asks him to look after Mummy when he is away.
He loves school! Not just the social side of school either. He loves learning. He has a keen and enthusiastic mind and loves to be challenged. He reads above his age level and whilst he wouldn't pick reading as his favourite past time but he is happy to read when asked. Books before bed is still a special time of day. It is amazing that in just eight years it has gone from us reading to him to him reading to us! However he still loves to curl up and be read to. Currently we are doing all the Roald Dahl classics.
Socially Matthew is a very popular kid. All the kids know him and like him. He is often found playing football with the year 5/6 boys. He is a blokey bloke! He greets his mates with a handshake and a back slap already! He struts throughout the school jumping up to touch door jams! He loves sport. Doesn't matter what it is, he watches it or wants to play it. When he grows up he wants to be an Olympian (just like Uncle Brenty) but unlike Brenty he is going to do swimming, athletics and Tae kwon do! The first man ever to participate in three sports! And do you know what? He has the drive, determination and commitment to get there!
He is still a sensitive soul. We still don't watch the nightly news because he finds it upsetting to see bad stuff that happens. He is over the whining and whinging stage and is "man-ing up". This means he is no longer as free with his kisses and cuddles but he is sensitive enough to know that mummy still needs them. So she gets them but just in the privacy of his own house! He idolises his father and mimics him often!

It has been amazing to see the growth in this child over the last eight years. We are very proud of him.  Eight years feels so short yet so long at the same time! We love him more than words can say. Happy birthday Matthew!