Long productive weekend

Some of the things we managed to get done over the four day weekend:

- Finger painting on glass! I got this idea from a recent Childhood 101 post and thought, finally! Something a glass table is good for. Lil had a ball. (More pics on flickr.)

- Dad and Pam (aka Pa and Nanna Pam) came to visit and brought with them Lil’s Christmas present – a play kitchen! Five hours later, it was put together and ready to play with. Thank you!

- We all went out to dinner at Eurobar cafe, a place we go to often for coffee and lunch but never before for dinner. Lil was impressed by the candle on the table. We arrived just as the southerly change and rain blew in giving relief from the 40+ degree day.

- On Sunday Dave and Pam paint paint painted the front of the house. (Dad came to Lil’s swimming lesson with me and finished putting the kitchen together.) Can you see the new colour in this photo?

- Monday Dave painted some more before it got too hot and we had Len and Lynda round for bbq chicken burritos (recipe ala Beck.)

- On Australia Day we spent the morning at the pool and then came home and all had a nice long nap followed by a walk to the park and naan bread. Lovely.

- In other productive news I have now crocheted 16 granny squares and have just ordered some more yarn so I can keep on going. It’s addictive!

What have we been doing?

Madeline:

- taking a photo a day.

- battling a cold followed by a sinus infection, therefore sleeping a lot.

- teaching myself how to crochet a granny square. Richard gave me the Meet Me at Mike’s book for Christmas. The granny square instructions are in there and I started trying on Friday night. Much crocheting and ripping out later I gave up and went to bed. The next day I discovered that Pip had started putting how-to videos on her blog and that made everything click into place. They are still a bit wonky but not too bad.

Dave:

- scraping and sanding, sanding and scraping.

- making tzatziki with cucumbers grown by Poppa and Nonna.

- swimming at the beach with Lil.

Lillian:

- Drawing people!

- Swimming at the beach and baths and swimming lessons.

- Painting herself.

What have you been doing?

2.5 years old

I haven’t done a Lil update for a while. So, let’s see…

- Dave took Lil for a walk this morning and she pointed at a sign and said, “Does that sign say ‘stop’?” It said One Stop Car Shop. I am so impressed. When Dave first told me the story I assumed she’d pointed to a stop sign and just recognised the shape and colour, but no, she actually picked the word out.

- Favourite toys of the moment: the train set lent to us by friends, the new doll’s house from Dad and Pam, these magnetic people from Nonna and Poppa that are the perfect size for the doll house.

- Favourite books: Madeline in London which was a Christmas present from Richard in London. Lil calls it Mummy in London. Dave read it at least 10 times yesterday. I got away with twice. Beatrix Potter books – especially Peter Rabbit. Pamela Allen books – The Pear in the Pear Tree and Herbert and Harry. Richard Scarry books – Hilda Needs Help and The Best Babysitter Ever.

- Favourite colour – green! She loves pointing green things out and saying ‘that’s my favourite colour’. She thinks my favourite colour is black because I wear a lot of it.

- Favourite places – Eurobar cafe. (We went yesterday and they only gave her one marshmallow with her babycino. She was looking all around the cup for the second one and the waitress asked what she was looking for. It was a new waitress and she went and told the others and they said, “She comes in every Monday, she can have two!” and they brought her a plate with two more marshmallows on it.) The beach. The park. Nonna and Poppa’s house.

- Favourite foods – marshmallows (ha), creamed corn (santa even left a tin in her stocking), homemade ice blocks, pasta (usually penne), scrambled eggs, cheese and vegemite sandwiches, cheese and tomato sauce toasties.

- Sleep – naps pretty easily most days. Goes to bed fairly easily most nights. Sleeps through to 6.30am-ish most nights. Basically better than it has ever been and I hope I haven’t just jinxed things. She’s going to have to move to a bed eventually but I am reluctant to mess with a good thing.

(some of my) Goals for 2010

- write on blog at least twice a month

- have a night away with Dave without Lil

- exercise three times a week (possibly couch to 5k or at least a fast walk)

- have a date night once a month

- start vegie garden

- finish painting house inside and out

- sew a skirt or dress for myself

- go to the movies (at least once! Maybe aim for twice just to beat 2009.)

- visit Tim and Zoe in Parkes and go to Western Plains Zoo

- take Lil to Sydney aquarium

- renew passport (just in case)

- (re)visit Brisbane

- read more books