Three minus One

Matthew is having his first ever solo visit with his grandparents. My Mum decided a little while ago that Matthew was probably old enough to have an unaccompanied visit (and also that she could cope with an unaccompanied visit). So after I thought about it for a while, I decided he could go.

Nathan thinks the timing is rather fortuitous because Matthew has his first school camp coming up this term and had that been his first ever time away from home combined with the closer proximity to home, I may have been tempted to go out to the camp and "visit". (And the school have already declined my offer of assistance as parent helper with the excuse I already do more than enough around the school!) So Nathan feels that by the time the camps comes around I will be experienced at having had a child of mine leave me and won't be inclined to rush out to camp and embarrass him! I suppose Nath and I should be patting each other on our backs to congratulate us for raising such independent, happy kids but it hurts that he doesn't need me as much anymore! By all accounts he is having a ball without me!

When we started planning the trip my brother offered to fly Ryan up as well, as there are 4 adults living in my Mum's house and no other children. They were all concerned that Matthew, who is exceptionally close with his brothers, would miss them. However I knew that Matthew is one of those kids who secretly wish to be an only child so I knew he would rejoice in the solitude and adoration of all 4 adults! And he has! He doesn't want to come home and I am fairly certain my Mum doesn't want him to go home! The only bump in the road may be when he flies home on Monday. Matthew is rather nervous about flying by himself for the first time. I have prepared him by breaking down the journey for him. I have told him that his grandparents will walk him to the gate where the air hostess will take over and take him to his seat where he can play his DS until take off where he needs to turn if off but only until the seat belt sign goes off when he can turn it back on and play until landing time when the hostie will then help him off the plane and I will be waiting at the gate (probably in tears!) and he will be home. Easy!

So what has this little trip meant for the other two left at home? Well it is a very different dynamic, with very different game played. I have watched them play beautifully together until one has had enough and them they go off to their separate activities without a cross word. They play together very cooperatively, unlike when the bossy oldest one is there and they have to play his game with his rule and no negotiation! For the first four days they have been gorgeous together but I am guessing Ben is missing the rougher, rowdier play that he gets from Matthew because he has was rotten yesterday! He has tried to roughen Rye up which hasn't gone down too well with Rye!

The other interesting aspect of Matthew's trip has been Ryan's jealousy! Whilst Matthew wants to be a singleton, Ryan and Ben completely believe they are a part of a package deal! Poor Ryan really couldn't understand why Matthew could go and he couldn't. He tried sucking up to Nanna Bev in the hope that she would then let him go. He has even told her he would prefer to go to her house instead of going to Fiji next year! He has tried to bargain his own trip next holidays (but we are all going at Christmas time!) so we have told him when he is nearly nine it will be his turn too. But for poor Ryan who is eternally chasing down Matthew to no avail, nearly nine is such a long time away!

Poor, poor Ryan

But it really wasn't our fault because all children were supposed to have two art works displayed at the art show. When we were showing Uncle Brenty through the Art show he found one we had missed Ryan's third!

I would have been so upset to miss this one! It is an awesome Viking boat. Especially seeing how Poppy, Nanna and Aunty Teesh have just visited Viking country. Poppy has the hat to match this boat!

Another Mummy brag!

I'm not sure if Ben is a genius, I'm full of it or he is just the youngest brother of three very close together but Ben blows me away at times with his school work!

The other interesting things about the work I am about to show you is how much his hearing difficulties are starting to affect him. The subtle sound differences that you and I take for granted are really starting to make a difference for him.

I will type his story with his spelling and then interpret after!

 

The Thry Billy Goats Gruff.

Thry billy goats sat lonly no green grarss they ceept on rgyueinge about hue got the moast green grarss. Then they stoobd rgyueinge they dsidde we are going on a advencher down the lonly hill  ucross the narsty chroal briege "please due not mack me go ucros first said the litle billy goat"

 If you couldn't read the above bit (and we don't blame you!) it says

 

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Three billy goats sat lonely, no green grass. They kept on arguing about who the got the most green grass. Then they stopped arguing. They decided, we are going on an adventure down the lonely hill across the nasty troll bridge. "Please don't make me go across first" said the little billy goat.

Firstly, he is having trouble hearing the difference between  'b' and 'p' in stopped as well as 't' and 'ch' troll! Secondly I am betting Ben learnt about quotation marks this week at school seeing how he has chucked a few in! I am fairly certain I wasn't using quotation marks in my writing when I was in kindy!

The kids also prepared a puppet show to go with their stories and they performed them infront of the class using the new smart board attachment projector thingys that the school recently purchased!

Just for Mum

Look Mum there is water in Lake George! This was taken on our trip home from Brisbane in July but you can definately see water where there was once sheep grazing land!

Birthday Catch Up!

This year it was Ben's turn to have a party for his birthday and while he wanted to have a party at Tunzafun, Lets play, Kid city and bowling! I helped him settle on a bowling party.

 Which he was quite pleased with!

 He had lego blocks as his cake.

 His wife Alyssa came. Her Mum told me she was a pain getting dressed because she insisted on preening herself and looking her best just for Ben!

 His oldest friend Harry was there!

 He did really well at the bowling and apparently no matter the score you always get to be the winner when it is your party!

 I loved the card Alyssa gave him. She is the pink mate, he is the blue one!

 

 

The lolly tray was quite the attraction!

 On his actual birthday he got a powerwing scooter. Ryan and Matthew got these for Christmas. We didn't think Ben would be coordinated enough to use one but we were wrong and it has been a long 8 month wait from Christmas to his birthday so he could have one too! Thankfully we no longer have fights over the powerwings, now they are only over the razor scooter, of which there is only one!

 My boys are growing up!

 But before even Ben's birthday it was Cleon's birthday. She was in Brisbane for her actual birthday but she was lucky enough to still get a cake. we must really lover her or something! I made her an extra special rainbow cake. Which she love to pieces and insisted on taking the left overs to work the next day. She also took Michelle's left overs too!

 

 We had Cleon's cake a few days before they left on 4 1/2 month around the world trip so the boys had to give the girl enough cuddles to last them for that length of time!

And seeing how the rainbow cakes were such a hit I made rainbow cupcake for Ben class at school. His teacher thanked me sincerely for all the excess food colouring in the cakes. It really made her day!

Miles Franklin Art Show

Miles Franklin Primary puts on an art show every second year. This year is the first time we have actually been here to see it. And I'm impressed! The hall has been transformed into the best art gallery i have ever seen! Every child has two pieces on display, every class has a display and there is one whole school piece.

 Matthew chose to display this piece. It is a 3D shading piece.

To celebrate the national year of reading every class made a book.

 

 Ben's class' book is called 'School of fish'

 Matthew's is the Clever Chooks

 And Ryan can't remember what his class book is called!

 Matthew's second piece is a tribute to Sidney Nolan and is a Ned Kelly piece.

 Ben is a huge fan of Picasso and you should hear him spout Pablo Picasso facts and jokes. Ben loves to tell you that he loves Pablo Picasso to bits and bits! Get it!!

 Ryan and Matthew's were displayed together!

 Ryan did some newspaper art.

 These totem poles were made by the whole school.

 Ben's duckling pond

Ryan's string painting.

 

My children have thoroughly enjoyed the Art unit this term so much so that Ben wants to be an artist when he grows up!

A computer geek in the making...

The day after they pulled they washing machine apart I found Ryan in the backyard with the circuit board and a screwdriver in his lap. He was so engrossed in it! I have no doubt that he was trying to figure out how it all worked. That kid is going to be a geeky, science/computer nerd and he is going to love every minute of it!