The makings of the birthday signage....

So, i'm on my mission to get stuff ready for Blake's birthday party....

Kinda running shorter on time this year we're away this weekend - I need to have it all done before I go....or as much done as possible... Rob has to go and print out the A2 poster on Monday and get it laminated - but we've got that down to a fine art these days... :) (he knows how to instruct the people at Harvey Norman... else they can't figure it out....)

Don't stress that some of the letters aren't perfectly straight - this is just me laying it out to make sure I'm happy to do it this way.... but I'm happy with that - so that's how I'm working with it... will get it all glued up tonight....

(my kitchen floor is so handy for these things!!!! - - - I just hope where I'm planning on sticking this up that there's enough room.... will worry about that later... I can always set it out differently... :) )

Happy 4th Birthday Ethan.....

Off to the Kubby House again for Ethan's birthday this year.... always a good venue... :)

Poor Peter getting hammered by balls....

Blake's all about the bikes....! (surprised??)

Not overly keen on the jumping castle though... (not when there are bikes to ride!)

Gemma....

and we're back on the bike....

Brrrmmmmm!

Jade's first boyfriend Oliver....

(she's since moved on to the Preschool boys... Olly was the boyfriend of 2007... he's old news now...)

She's still happy to play with him though :)

Tried to get Blake interested in the car.... (not interested!)

Ethan blowing out his candle....

Xander at the top of the climbing maze...

and on his way back down!

Blake enjoyed the ball pit... whilst there were no other kids around...

Lots of Balls!

Was a great party.... I was absolutely buggered by the time we left, I'd been running around with Blake and chasing Jade, Olly and Ethan around the place.... got my exercise for the day - I can assure you of that!

Anyway, nearly 10pm... so I'm going to head to bed.. happy that I'm now back up to date with my blogging!

More Vids....

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Blake shaking his head... he does this a fair bit - I'm thinking it's his idea of "dancing" for now... ehehe

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Jade's getting Blake all prepared for when he's old enough to go on all the "sick-making" rides at the show!!! - - by the looks of things - he'll be all for it!

Saturday afternoon at Gran's....

After leaving Spinnaker we decided to drop in on Mom and Dad on the way home....

Blake likes his little trike... (This is the one that Frank bought Jade for her 1st birthday)

He especially likes his bicycle (this is one that we bought for Jade for Christmas when she was 14mths.... Dad's taken the pedals off and has put in a pipe with "footpegs" on it that Blake stands on... he loves it! -- to the point that he gets upset if you take him off the bike....)

Total Fire Ban... we think it may have been kids involved.... (appeared to be the vacant block on fire - so hopefully only some grass was burnt....)

That one bit of fire made everything look smokey....

and now for some videos.....

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Blake being pushed around on the Bicycle...

((Video))

Jade and Blake playing in the new sandpit that Gran and Grandpa built... (old one rotted)

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And this is what happens when Jade is on the bike - and not Blake! (disaster!!!)

Spinnaker Park with Kate and the boys.....

I'm nearly up to date with my blogging now....

Yesterday we went to Spinnaker Park with Kate and the boys.... (Rob was there too - but the only pic I have of him is playing on his phone - and we all know what that looks like - so I didn't post it)....

Anyway, we were supposed to go to Barney Point Beach - but there was a party on there - so we changed venues... that's the joy of living in Gladstone I guess.. you can change venues to the other side of town - and still meet up at practically the same time you were supposed to!

Gotta love the fact that Jade's shirt just proves that she's "like father like daughter..." - - - I was looking at the photo and thinking how she needs a new hat because this one is now covered in two lots of paint - one from school and one from painting at our place..... and then realised the "my Dad is Mr Messy" shirt kinda blames it all on Rob :)

My other little grub...

The boys had their scooters... just wish I'd thought about it - I would have brought Jade's down...but she happily ran around behind them.... (no shoes - as per usual)

Blake decided to go off to investigate....

and made it all the way to the giant sandpit!

Jade went off to play soccer with Lachlan... and was all happy - while she had the ball....

Happy little Mitch...

Puggle still exploring...

Lachlan... (he's not big on posing for a photo! or wasn't yesterday!)

it was running and carrying the ball..... no kicking happening....

still no kicking...

Not sure what Jade's problem was at this point.....

Hair Washing..... 23rd October.....

I was washing the kids hair on Friday - and Jade wanted pics taken of Blake's "cockatoo" hair.....

Blake enjoyed Jade's soapy hair much more than his own.....

Bathtime Puggle.....

Blake's all about baths... just as Jade was... it's the gentle wind-down before bed I guess.... These pics are from 17th October... I've been trying to get up the energy to blog - but with Rob away and having been working full time - I just haven't had the energy... but now the pics are just building up too quickly in the camera.....

Oh yeah, and now that we've mastered the art of standing and taking steps - now we're trying out these skills in the bath.... "look - no hands!!!"

Tooth #7!!!!!!!

Blake finally has tooth #7...... we got excited about this 3 weeks ago when it first cut - but it covered over again... and then cut a week after that - but covered again.... this time it's well and truly cut!!!!

Yay Blake!!!!!!!! (mind you, cutting at 3:30am didn't really impress me!!!)

Blake's walking..... here's hoping he keeps it up this time....

Blake took his first steps nearly two weeks ago, but after that - he hasn't really done anymore walking... he obviously realised that he could get around quicker by crawling....

Well, today he thought that taking steps was the funniest thing in the history of funny things.... so here's hoping that he really takes off now... :)

((Video))

Blake walking between Mom and I

((Video))

Blake letting go of the Bench to walk to me.....

Just another Saturday......

I've been really slack with taking photos lately.... so I thought i'd get out the camera and get some new happy snaps.....

Jade was setting up to watch Peter Pan - and brought her Dora couch into the lounge and set her toys up to watch with her... it was so cute :)

Meanwhile, the puggle was out on the verandah - investigating.....

he let go of the cat climbing centre and just stood there for about 10 seconds without grabbing anything....

Blake's first "Kids Meal"....

By Wednesday - Rob had been away for nearly two weeks, i'd been working pretty much full time at work for those entire two weeks... I was exhausted... so on the drive home from picking up the kids from Mom and Dad's place - I detoured via Hungry Jacks... to get the kids dinner...

I figure - two weeks with no takeaway - it wouldn't do them any harm to have the fast-food variety.... (we generally try to avoid places like maccas, hungry jacks and red rooster these days and simply get fish and chips where we know there aren't the masses of preservatives)...

So, this was Blake's first ever "kids meal"... he seemed to enjoy it... although it appears that neither of my kids seem to be "dinnertime" kids... they just pick at food at dinner time - and eat more at lunch... so that's ok....

Jade has discovered Thick Shakes - and she does like them..

Blake also discovered the thick shake.... and he's a fan now too....

At this point, it didn't look like Rob was going to be home for another 2.5 weeks due to the amount of work he's got on... but plans change... and he got home Friday afternoon... Yay!!! but he leaves again tomorrow morning for two weeks (but there's a chance he'll be home over the weekend....)

(and - it's just started raining again..... here's hoping it doesn't cool things down too much - because Jade wants to go for a swim at Mom and Dad's once Blake is awake....)

Like Sister Like Brother......

When Jade was about Blake's age... maybe a little older... she was screaming in the cot one night... she was probably teething - so I went in to check on her - and I picked her up...

well... I attempted to... she wouldn't come up - she was stuck... being dark in her room - I couldn't work out why she wouldn't come up so I tried to pick her up again... no luck.... then I realised that she had her leg out the cot - and then back into the cot... ie. out between two slats and had her foot hooked back in between another two slats.....

Well, last night I had the same thing with Blake... luckily now, I'm a lot smarter!!! or - more cautious... :)

His leg was slightly harder to get back in - because he'd done this on the head of the cot - that is up against a wall.... I have no idea how these kids do it.... but they do..... :)

(Still not walking... even though we got excited last week after his first few steps..... he's pushing his trolley around... riding his bicycle (pushed by Grandpa) - but he's not walking unaided yet.... wont be long though!)

Monday....

I meant to blog these pics from Monday - but I've been really busy with Rob away and working full time this week.... but here you go... :)

Blake practising his walking skills behind his trolley....

this is blake ACTUALLY walking - he took his 4-5 steps -a nd did stop in between them briefly as he walked to frank....

then he was pushing his trolley again - until Jade kept it going further than he wanted to go - so he was trying to balance a bit before his bum hit the ground...

play time on the floor....