Royal High Tea

Yesterday was not only the royal wedding of Wills and Kate, but it was also Tony's 40th and Liz's 66th birthdays.  To celebrate, today we attended a royal high tea in their honor.  Aaron and I were officially the paparazzi for the day, while the boys had a lovely afternoon at Mum and Dad's.  As the paparazzi we dressed down for the occasion.  Aaron's idea of royal attire is an English cricket top.  We borrowed someone's Wills and Kate masks for a photo...

and of course we had to reenact the first kiss.

Caroline introduced everyone as we walked down the red carpet, to bow and curtsy to Lord Tony and Queen Lizzie.  Even the real 'King' was there!

I had so much fun spending the afternoon in my dream job ;)

 

There was lots of lovely finger food, as well as a beautiful cake.

Thanks Bec, Tony and Liz for a fantastic afternoon!  It's a birthday party we will never forget.

More photos can be seen here...

Big Boys Bed

We have been so lucky with Kobe as he has never ever attempted to climb out of his cot.  Because of that it has been so easy to just let him sleep in his cot for as long as possible.  The best thing has been is that he has still been having day time naps every second or third day as he has no choice as he can't get out of bed. It only takes about ten minutes and he is asleep, which has been great for me if I've had a bad night with Noah, as it means I could also have a nap if I needed to.

We have been talking about moving Kobe to a big bed for a while, but have been putting it off as we were worried about how he was going to go and whether he would be a pain, and just get out all the time.  We thought that this week may be a good week to do it, since we are on school holidays so two days ago Aaron put together Eden's old bed, that Kobe was lucky enough to inherit when they moved to the USA.  It's perfect as it is actually the same bed that both Jay and Harri have.

As soon as Aaron put it together Kobe decided that the best thing to do on his new bed was of course jump on it!

 

He then collected all his toys from his shelves and baskets and put them up on the bed with him. 

 

He was so funny and thought it was the best thing to have lots of his toys on the bed with him.

We were very worried about how he was going to go the first night.   All day we made a big fuss about what a big boy he was and how cool it was that he was in a big bed.  He happily said goodnight and got into bed and was very quiet for about half an hour.  Then Harri started getting ready for bed and turned the bathroom light on next to his room, which must've disturbed him as next thing we know Kobe appears in the lounge room with a HUGE grin on his face saying 'Hi!'. 

When I growled at him and told him it was bed time he burst into tears as I marched him back to bed. He was okay about going back to bed and ten minutes later he was sound asleep.

The thing we were most worried about was what was going to happen when he woke at his usual time in the morning (anywhere from 4.30 - 7am!).  If he wakes before 6am we just ignore his calling out and he usually goes back to sleep eventually.   We never go into him as he then just assumes it's time to get up.  He did his usual 5.30 am call out 'Muuuummmy, Daaaaddddy!' and I ignored him and was waiting to hear little footsteps up the hall after he realised that he could actually get up himself.

Instead he went quiet after ten minutes and had gone back to sleep! He then woke up at 6.30 am (a much more respectable time) and kept calling out to us.  He didn't even attempt to get up and there was no way I was going to yell at him to get up, or he would think he could do it all the time, so I went in and told him what a good boy he was in his big bed and that he could get up. 

Last night I went to check on the boys before we went to bed and I couldn't see Kobe anywhere in his bed! I started to freak out, until I saw his cute little legs poking out from under his bed! He was obviously in such a deep sleep and fell out, and just kept on sleeping (or had gotten out of bed to play and just feel asleep!). 


This morning he did the same thing as the morning before - called out at 5.30 am, didn't get up but went back to sleep until 7.15 am!  I then went into him and got into bed with him and told him what a good boy he is in his 'big boys bed'. He is very proud and loves that he is now in a big boys bed.  Now, if only I could get him potty trained I would be a VERY happy Mummy!

Treasure Island

We had heard a lot about the 'new' playcentre - Treasure Island from Annette and Kylie, and were hanging out for the Easter holidays to take the boys there.  Today was the only day we had some In Home Support during the day for the Easter week, and we knew there wouldn't really be much for Noah to do, so we decided to go today while Di was looking after him.

The boys had been counting down the days all week as they had heard that there were 'guns' and were keen to check it out.  The boys still like going to Kids Paradise, but it has become really run down and not as good as it used to be, so we were keen to see how they compared.  As soon as the boys got inside they were excited to run off and play.

Kobe headed straight to the toddlers area and had lots of fun thumping out some notes on the keyboard.

He was keen to go down the slide in the toddler area, but was scared to walk across the netted area and kept saying 'high Mummy!'.

He also loved throwing himself back into the balls and yelling 'me stuck!'.

The boys loved collecting (and throwing!) balls and going up to the guns to shoot them at each other.

Even Aaron and I had fun going down the big slides with the boys.

Kobe got brave in the end and kept going down by himself.

I am not a thrill seeker at all, and hate anything that makes my stomach go, but when I saw the big blue curvy slide, I thought I'd give it a go anyway.  It was totally dark the whole way down and dropped very quickly, so Aaron had a great time laughing at me as I screamed the whole way down. 

In one area there are different machines where you can press buttons that would create a stream of air and you could then get balls to float in the air.  Kobe was fascinated by it. 

The boys had a great time and said it was better than Kids Paradise.

We loved it too and it was nice having it all on one level and being able to sit down and have something to eat while the kids were playing. The only thing we thought that could be improved was that they need to put a child's safety gate somewhere so that little kids can't get out.  Even though we hardly took our eyes off Kobe, there were a couple of times where we couldn't see him for a minute and it worried me that he could've just walked out through the main entrance.

We will definitely be going back next school holidays.

Cupping (and scraping!)

Since Noah was diagnosed with hydranencephaly, we have spent a lot of time looking into natural treatments to help him have the healthiest life possible. This includes regularly taking him to a chiropractor,and our friend Marlo who is a bioresinance therapist and giving him herbal remedies.

This doesn't mean that we don't use or believe in contemporary medical treatments as we know that Noah wouldn't be here today without the medications he is on and without interventions that he has needed.   We just believe that having a good balance of the different types of medicine helps him to be as healthy as possible.

Not only does Noah try natural treatments, but we also like to try it for ourselves and the boys when needed.   For a few years I have heard a lot about a Chinese doctor in Devonport.  I had heard that he has helped a lot of people with different ailments and finally decided to make an appointment for Aaron and myself to see him, while Aaron is on school holidays.  We have both have had a lot of improvement with our health after seeing our friend Marlo, but thought we'd try something else as well to see if it could help with Aaron's 'eczema' and my general health.

We didn't really know what to expect but heard that he did acupuncture and cupping.  On the way there we were arguing about who was going to go first, but he called my name first so there was no argument once we were there!  He looked into my eyes and said 'you not sick, but I can help' and told me what he was going to treat as there were blockages in certain parts of my body and then proceeded to treat me. First of all he scraped my body which actually hurt more than anything else, and then he applied an oil and the started doing 'cupping'.

It is a traditional Chinese medicine where the cups are applied to the skin and is supposed to increase the circulation at different accupuncture points, and promote healing.  He gave us an information sheet when we left and it said that cupping is supposed to purify the blood and increase red and white blood cells, increase the calcium levels in the blood, promote smooth circulation of the blood, strengthen the immune system, relieve symptoms, help you sleep better and promotes detoxification.

I started freaking out when I saw him with some fire, but when I realised that it was going nowhere near me, but was just used to heat up the cups I calmed down! :) I told him I was very nervous and he said 'I haven't killed anyone yet!'.  The cupping hurt a little, but was more uncomfortable than painful.  In the end it actually made me feel really good and although I've felt a bit wiped out since and like I've done 3 massive gym classes in a row or something, but that's all a part of it.  The worst thing of it all was when the woman gave me a massage at the end and told me all the things I should know about the next 24 hours and she said 'no exercise'. I was like 'so I can't go to the gym!?' and she said definitely not.  I was devastated I had to miss my favourite class tonight.

Kobe was quite excited about the circles on my back tonight.  He kept drawing circles in the air to tell me what they looked like and told me they were 'pink' (to him pink and purple are the same!).

The doctor told Aaron that he could help him and that his 'eczema' isn't actually eczema but actually a bacteria in his body that he needed to clear out.  It really makes sense as he has only had it for the past 16 years or so, after he touched some flowers on a flower farm that had some sort of chemical spray on them.  Fingers crossed that all these bruises will do as he says they will, and help him.

I asked him about Noah and he had a look in his eyes and said he didn't think he could do very much to help him because the blockages in his body were coming from his brain (or lack of it) rather than just blockages in energy flow, but did prescribe him with a tea that will hopefully soothe and cleanse his bowel out a bit more.

I actually liked that he said that rather than just telling me that he could help him, and then the treatment not working as we've had that happen before.  We took Noah to another guy who told us that if we had brought Noah to him as a baby rather than years later, that he could've 'fixed' him which of course is a load of rubbish, so needless to say we never went back.

We are going back again next week and despite what our backs look like, we both feel quite good after it and are looking forward to the next treatment.  Fingers crossed it will work, especially for Aaron's 'eczema' which causes him a lot of grief at times.

We Will Never Ever Forget

ANZAC Day was always an emotional day as I would watch my Pop march down the street with his head held high and his chest puffed out.  Last year was of course very emotional as it was the first year that Pop was no longer here to march on ANZAC Day, but Nan was still here. This year felt a lot different since they are both now gone, so instead of heading out to Deloraine to the march there, we decided to go to the ANZAC parade in town for the first time ever.  

It was a beautiful autumn morning for it with the sun shining.   Just as the march started I felt really teary, thinking of Pop and Nan and realising how much I miss them, especially on days like today.

The boys enjoyed a play in the park before we went home.

We were excited to run into Matthew and Kerry and the boys.  We haven't seen Alex for ages, but he is still as cute as ever.

I'm glad that we went and hope that boys never forget what their Pop did for them and our country. We love and miss you Pop and will never ever forget.

Slap Cheek?

Kobe has been 'funny' all week - just not himself at all.  I put it down to him being overtired but just knew he wasn't right as he was super cranky, chucking more tantrums than usual and not wanting to eat much.  This morning he woke up with very red cheeks, and at first I thought it may have been from too much Easter chocolate as he is slightly dairy intolerant.

As the day has gone on though, I actually think he may have slap cheek? It has spread more to both cheeks now and is also a little on his arms and back.  I feel awful now as he has been around other kids all week, but now that his cheeks are red he isn't contagious anymore (if that is what it is).

 I still think he is as cute as ever though, red cheeks and all :)

Autumn Blog Header

I've been hanging out for some leaves to drop from the trees so we could finally take a photo for our autumn blog header.  I was excited a couple of days ago when I drove past the park and noticed lots of lovely orange leaves on the ground.  

The boys aren't all that keen on getting their photo taken for it, but know that if they just humor their poor old Mum it will be over with quickly and they can then have some fun...such as throwing acorns at each other - typical boys!

The boys decided they wanted to give Aaron a race...around the fountain and back again.

Aaron gave up half way around (getting old and unfit!).

I knew I could take him out, so gave him another challenge - to race me.  The guy that was near the fountain with his little boy was quite amused by us two oldies.  Of course Aaron couldn't keep up with a gym junkie like me and gave up half way through again!

It was fun to have a play in the leaves before we left.

 

I'm sure it's the first of many trips to play in the leaves before they are all gone.