I was flicking through my photos and saw these photos of Aaliya and wondered why I hadn't blogged them! They were taken in the first week in May. We were at Sonia and Trent's engagement/housewarming party. In these pics she's a few weeks off turning two :)
* At two, Aaliya says "peanut budee" for peanut butter. For a while there, anything with 'er' on the end, she would say 'ee' - like water was "wadee".
* I remember when Owen learnt the word 'tree'. Soon after he learnt the word 'treat' but would sign the word 'tree' because to him they sounded the same (this is when he was using baby sign instead of words).
I'll add to this as we think of more.
This is how I grew strawberries last year. I ordered 20 plants off ebay (I got 28 in my package) and planted them in this vertical garden. It is a good example in recycling as it is left over PVC pipe that we cut a horizontal line is half way through, then used a hot air gun to heat above the cut and push it in.
We got a really good batch of beautiful strawberries. Not that they lasted long - as soon as they were ripe, the kids got them.
The other great thing about the strawberry pipes was that they were easily watered (water in the top) and that they are easily moved. During winter, they were moved to the sunniest, warmest position next to the driveway which would be too hot in summer.
My baby boy is 5 months old! He's starting to move around, commando crawling of sorts. Now I have to make sure there is nothing on the floor that he can get into that he shouldn't - great! He's waking a bit more at night and wriggling a lot during the day. He's very strong so all the wriggling is really tiring me out! He's also at that age where he just wants to TOUCH EVERYTHING!
He's still the most placid member in the family. He's happy to go down on the floor and play (explore) for a little while and sit in his highchair and check out whatever toys we put on there. He hasn't started on solids yet, I'm kind of avoiding it cause that's extra work for me in terms of preparation and cleaning up and I like the fact my boobs are on autopilot! 
Aaliya and Owen have a lovely high school girl come and entertain them for a couple of hours a week so I can run around and get stuff done. She comes from Japan and often does origami with the kids. They love it.
We were at a family dinner one night and Owen was showing his origami skills to his Nanna and Grandad and Aunts and Uncles. Owen made something (usually random folds and then calls it a dog or something). Aaliya proclaimed she was doing origami too. We asked her what she was making..... She scrunched up the paper and shouted:
Origami Ball!
so funny and so cute at the same time :)
I did write an earlier entry about choosing education for kids and how we were considering many options.
Towards the end of 2007 Owen starting asking me if he could go to school. I can't really remember what prompted him to do so. But he was insistent. I kept telling him that we would see after Christmas, and that he must understand that it meant he would have to stay at the school by himself and that mummy couldn't stay with him. He said that was ok, but I wondered if actually put in that situation, how he would go.
Well, at the beginning of this year, Owen was offered a place in a local
Montessori preschool for two days a week, cycle 1, for ages 3-6. I was apprehensive about how he would go on the first day, but he was great. He seemed a little nervous but went inside with the teacher just fine. It was like he trusted that I wouldn't leave him with bad people so he let go and went for it. I was so proud and relived that he had such a great start, but a little teary also, my little boy was going to school.
Owen loves school. Stu and I got to go for an open afternoon at Easter time when the children also had an Easter Parade. The children were given the opportunity to show their parents their favourite school activities. Stu and I really enjoyed seeing Owen in this environment. Owen seems to really enjoy the freedom to choose which activities he would like to do, but also works well with the guideline provided by the montessori style of education. At the open afternoon, Aaliya had the opportunity to have a go at some of the activities too (photos included).
Owen really enjoys show and tell. He tells us that when he starts his show and tell, he says "montessori friends". So far this year he has taken pictures and paintings that we have made at home, books, and photos. One day he took a photo of Remi (our french friend) and taught the class a couple of french words. The teachers were very impressed. Last week he took helicopter seeds (seeds from a tree that when you throw them up, the spin down to the ground like a helicopter) and he took enough to give all the children one to take home.
Lately the teachers have been commenting on Owen's ability to complete some challenging tasks. They have been impressed at his ability to
concentrate for a length of time and how he is pleased with himself when he completes the activity. They have a digital camera that the children can use to take a photo of their completed work, and Owen enjoys this too.
I'm very proud of my little man and I'm glad we have found a style of education that really seems to suit him. I'm glad that it is education, and not child care (see rant below though) and that Owen is getting a lot out of it.
teeny tiny rant - the fees for the school aren't cheap. We do not have a problem with this. However we have to cover the entire cost as the school does not qualify under childcare (and therefore no CCB) nor does it sit under education so it recieves no funding there either. It's a real shame. However, we are grateful that it is available and will cop it sweet financially because it is an experience we want Owen to have.
So I LOVE the mei tai sling, but realised it's limitations in wet weather, and it does take a small amount of time to get on.
Now Saxon is a bit bigger and has a bit more body strength, a ring sling is a fabulous quick option and he can still be upright. I know that you can have new bubby's upright in the ring sling (as Saxon seemed to prefer being upright from early on), but I've never had much luck with new bub's upright in a ring sling.
Anyway, here is some pics of a new ring sling I made for Saxon. I still have the purple one I made Aaliya, but it just doesn't seem entirely right to wear Saxon in a purple sling - an excellent excuse to make a new one!
So it had been a while since we had been out to dinner as a family (as I recall, the last time the Harding Tribe went out to dinner by ourselves was when I was morning sick and wanted good food but couldn't cook it).
Anyway, I didn't have high expectations of how the evening would go. You can have high expectations of a peaceful mean out when you have 3 kids
under 4.
Well, surprisingly, I was a really lovely meal. The kids were really well behaved, including Saxon who just sat on Stu's lap.
We got a little dressed up to go out, and after getting ready, Owen runs up to me as says "Mum, I look like a gentleman!" Gotta love it :)
Anyway, some pics of us all looking nice for our night out.
After some inspiration from a friend (same friend who made me the mei tai - she's a talented sewer), I made this kids carrier for Aaliya.
Here is a sling that a friend made for me. It is a mei tai and I LOVE it!!!
I can wear bubs on the front or back, here in this photo he is in a high back carry. He is 8-9weeks old in this photo! Great for getting things done :)
My friend made it for me using these instructions. I will attempt one myself one day.....
Scandi Mei Tai DIY
Here are some pics of Saxon at 3 months old. He is an absolute delight of a baby - he sleeps fairly well, especially during the day. I am really not use to having a baby that doesn't fight sleep and takes reasonable naps during the day. It is really a refreshing change. I'm actually quite grateful that Owen and Aaliya, my two babes that decided that sleep wasn't a thing they were in to, came before Saxon because it makes me REALLY appreciate Saxon.
For Aaliya's 2nd birthday, instead of buying something, we thought we would make something....
I found this cabinet on kerbside collection and picked it up for free. We turned it into a cute little kitchen for Aaliya and Owen to play with. The paint were sample pots that I bought ages ago with the view to paint our bedroom, but it never got off the ground, so it was good to use up that paint. All the doors and hinges were off the original cabinet. The stove was made from a bit of wood that was in the door originally, and the hotplates and stove knobs were from reverse garbage. The tap over the sink was a piece of metal from a baby bouncer that we left in the garage and was destroyed by a possum. The door knobs were from reverse garbage, as were the two little decorative hearts and the piece of perspecks that was in the oven bit. The only thing that I bought new was the metal bowl that is the sink.
Anyway, she loves it. We did buy the little wooden tea set (you can see the cannisters from the set on the bench) to compliment the kitchen. The tea set cost $55 whereas the kitchen probably cost us $12-15 all up! Stu and I are impressed with ourselves :) See below for the before and after shots.
