Do you wanna see something funny?

The other weekend I did a women's duathalon - nearly killed me! Bax went over the finish line. The pix have a bit of writing on them because I borrowed them from the photographer

Biker boy

Bax can ride his little two-wheeler (with trainer wheels still on) pretty well now. And he loves it. Yesterday was Anzac Day so I was home and we had three little rides around the streets. He is speedy! Up the hills I tie the dog lead on and pull him up but often he over takes me anyway! The brake doesn't work so he uses his feet.

But here's a sad bit of the story. How over-the-road-neighbours J and R have bought a brand new huge camper van (they've evn built a huge new garage for it). They've been waiting for the camper to be finished so they can pick it up and Bax has been waiting too. Every day for about three weeks he's asked "Is the camper here yet?" . Before Easter we answered "It's coming after Easter" and then after Easter he asked "Is it after Easter now, is the camper van here yet"

Then yesterday it arrived! And we all went over the have a look. J showed us around and Bax looked into every cupboard and ummed and ahhhhed and nodded as J explained the specifications to him.

Then when it was time to go Bax just ran off back to our place without saying a word. Izzie said Thanks you and Bye bye but Bax just zoomed off. R laughed and said "Well I've seen your camper and now I'm off to the next thing". We followed Bax and saw him getting his bike out through the gate. It was nearly dinner so G said "No Bax come inside it's dinner time" Bax just lost it! screaming and crying and carrying on and that got G a bit cross and there was yelling.

I couldn't understand how it had all gone so pear shaped so fast.

Later that night when I was tucking him in Bax whispered "I wanted to show them my bike Mummy" And I suddenly realised: Bax had loved seeing the camper so much that he wanted to show them something cool and special in return so he'd run home to get his bike and we hadn't understood that he wanted us to stay at J and R's and wait for him to get his bike. Hence the performance when we all marched home and got mad with him and didn't give him the opportunity to show how well he could ride. I felt so sad for him. I promised that we would go right over today and show R and J Bax' bike.

I just spoke to him on the phone and he was so chuffed because he and G and Iz were just getting ready to go over and show R and J how well he could ride his little bike as a fair exchange for them showing us their cool new camper van.

How 'bout this for a funny thing?

Bax came down to breakfast last morning (he says "last day " and "last morning" instead of yesterday...) carrying two little suitcases (dolly sized - one has dolls clothes in it, the other is full of finger puppets (we have quite a collection)). Anyway....he comes down with the two suitcases and he says that he and Izzie are going to the airport. I say alrighty then.

We eat our breakfast and every now and then he looks over at the suitcases and says things like "Those are the feijoas" "They're the apples" and I think Well that's a bit of a stretch but hey he does have a vivid imagination. "These are the pears" "That's the bananas" he says. Then after breakfast he takes one suitcase and Izzie takes the other and he says "We're going to the airport now Mummy, we have to take our FRUITCASES".

All that time he thought they were called fruitcases not suitcases - hence all the feijoa apple pear talk.

Isn't that funny?!

One inch of skin

My boy has had a growth spurt. He's shot up an inch and half in the last three weeks. All his clothes reveal an extra inch of skin at each wrist and ankle. He's skinnier and more handsome.

And when he went to a show at the Opera House with Daddy, all dressed up in his now too small superhero costume, I took Izzie to the hairdressers and the woman there trimmed her fringe and SHE LOVED IT. Giggled at the comb and smiled at herself in the mirror.

One round smiley cuddle pie and one very serious tall slim jim - what a pair!

Wrapping not required

As a mother of small children I can honestly say that the very best presents do not come wrapped and ribboned. When I had just had Bax my mate Becky took me away for a night in a chintzy b&b and some adult conversation because that is what I really needed. And when I just had Izzie my other very good mate H took me away for a girly weekend with a pile of friends and we had a spa and stayed in a trashy-cool motel. Those were good presents.

And last night when I got home and Gran had cleaned the WHOLE HOUSE including vacuuming under all the beds, putting away washing and tidying toys AND WASHING NAPPIES. Plus she'd made paua friters and apple crumble with custard. That was a very good present.

And today I got out of a very grown-up serious meeting about very important things and all my work mates told me that G had been in with the kids, and weren't my children beautiful: Izzie in her bumble bee dressing gown and Bax in his fireman's raincoat - aren't they cute, so chatty, very lovely, just beautiful - that was a great present too.

And then my Mum's email saying how the Easter photo was so sweet and captured it, and what happened next in the on-going Izzie Sleeping Saga. That kind of invested, honest interest, is a priceless precious present.

See, unwrapped, deribboned and the very best on the market.

Had a lovely Easter thanks very much for asking

We've got our Gran staying with us which is LOVELY. We had a super-terrific Easter Egg hunt. We made little clues on bits of paper and hid them all over the garden and the kids had to go from one to the other finding the little treats next to the clues. It was pint-sized and very do-able for our littlies.

Do you recall how long it took us to convince Izzie to stay in her big-girl's cot...?

It's taken her two months to work out how to break out...

And so we asked Baxter if she could sleep in his bed as she had broken hers. He replied:

"I will not allow Baby Sisters in my bed!"

(She literally did break out: G put her to bed at noon, at 3.15 she was still fast asleep and at 3.50 she met him on the stairs - she had broken out, left her room AND closed the door behind her to conceal the evidence)

Chatterbox and the singing Marshmellow

Izzie dressed in pink and white, all rosy cheeks and curls and giggles, sings all the time. Hums loudly and on and on. Knows snippets of Twinkle Twinkle and Happy to You.

Bax chats and asks Why why why. he says "Mummy don't hug me so hard, just hug me softly" and, when asked to help carry in the groceries while clutching a half eaten apple in one hand and a plastic tiger in the other "Mummy I only have two hands not three hands".

They were obviously just brought to this place to entertain me.