Time for a chop

The kids started back at school this week.  Along with getting new school shoes they all needed a haircut.  The boys like their hair long, as do I, but a tidy up was needed.

BEFORE PHOTOS

Henry was reunited with Leo the pug for lots of pats and licks.

First in the chair was Buster.  His last haircut was before he started school the previous year.

Milly wanted to go second.  Her hair was very long and is hard to manage.  It also tangles easily.  She wanted a lot cut off the length but still long enough for plaits.

Henry was quite reluctant to have his hair cut.  There were a few tears as Ange our hairdresser brushed out his knots.  Leo saved the day sitting on Henry's lap and licking away the tears.  By the end of it Henry was very happy with his funky new hairstyle.

A day with Mister

It's not often when you're blessed with three children that opportunities present to spend some one-on-one time with them.  They relish in the individual attention and we always try to make it special and about them.  A few weeks ago, Milly and Buster had an organised sleepover at Nanoo's which gave us this very chance to have some quality time with Henry.

First on the agenda was dinner.  Mister is our non-fussy eater and this really was a treat for me and Michael as well.  Our last visit to Sushi Train was as a family and it was a miserable experience as our youngest two whined through the experience making it unbearable for all.

This time we could sit, take our time and enjoy ourselves.

Our night ended at home with some chocolate and watching a movie.

The next morning we went for a walk along Nobby's breakwater.  Such a glorious day for it.  We got the occasional spray from the sea and whipping of blowing sand, but it was a peaceful walk with lots to look at.

Mister didn't say much on his day with us (he's a quiet lad).  Yet when he wants to hold your hand or snuggle with you on the lounge that says plenty enough.

Tennis anyone?

Buster has started tennis lessons.  The kid has very good hand eye coordination and seems able to whack any ball thrown at him over the fence or on to a roof.  Tennis seemed like a good fit and we're hoping he'll learn some control so we can lose less balls.

He seems to be enjoying himself so far but still prefers to smash the ball rather than control it.  His favourite part of the lesson is the free icy pole at the end.

Little Miss Scientist

One of Milly's present requests for Christmas was for a science kit "because I'm in to science now".  She asked and she received.  This school holidays we have spent mainly indoors.  It's either been too hot to go outside or torrential rain for days.  Plus our kids haven't wanted to go anywhere or see anyone.  They are quite content playing together or on their own.

One rainy day Milly asked if we could open the science kit and do some experiments.  Sure can.  With two eager brothers as assistants to watch on.

The first experiment we tried was making a volcano using play dough, food colouring, vinegar and bicarb of soda.  Milly was worried it might explode in her face, so she had Henry do the stunt work while she kept the protective glasses on.  Our volcano made some hissing sounds but not much happened, so we put in more bicarb and more vinegar and waited again.  Still not much, and not the oozing we were hoping for.   We kept adding more bicarb and more vinegar until it bubbled out and over the top.  Success at last (eventually).

Our next experiment was to make slime.  The kit provided a gelatin mix and we needed to add specific quantities of water and some food colouring and then mix it all together.  This was a big fat fail.  We ended up with a green milky liquid that resembled and felt nothing like slime.  We decided to leave it overnight to see if that would change the mixture but it didn't.

Our third experiment was to attach a wet bit of string to an ice cube by sprinkling it with salt.  Another disappointing result.  Our string did not stick and we ended up with a puddle of salty water.

Oh well.  I think the only lessons learnt here are about patience and accepting failures.  It was still fun and we still have lots of other experiments to try that might work.

Another Christmas

With family spread far and wide Christmas can sometimes last for days and weeks.  This time it was Nanoo's turn and we all converged to her house by the water for more present exchanges, a BBQ, backyard cricket, and some kayaking.

The cousins reunited and picking up where they left off when they were last together in Coffs Harbour.

Really should have put some sunscreen on those arms and shoulders.

Two heroes and a villain.  Star Wars:  The Force Awakens.

Buster decided wearing long dresses was much more comfortable to play cricket in.

My 6 foot 5 inch brother barely fit in the kayak.

Milly enjoyed her trip out on the water.

Not sure Henry did much paddling.

Buster was only interested in blowing the safety whistle.

 

Inverell holidays

Continuing our family travelling show, we left Coffs (and the onset of more wet weather) for the sunny skies of Inverell to stay with Michael's parents.  Normally to get to Inverell from Coffs we take the road to Dorrigo so we can drive through their beautiful countryside and across their plateau.  Instead, we headed up the highway to Grafton and inland via the Gilbraltar Range, which was just as lush and lovely.

Our days were spent by the pool.  Michael's sister and family from Toowoomba joined us for one night on their way through to Sydney.  Lots of catchups and more cousin playtime.

We had a thoroughly relaxing stay and can't thank Peter and Janet enough for their hospitality and looking after us.

Then we hit the road again to venture home.  The kids had each received some big Lego sets for Christmas and were keen to get started on them.  We weren't through the home door more than 20 minutes and they had all emptied their suitcases and set up on the dining table to get stuck in.  I was called in to help Milly and Buster and just under five hours later, we had assembled it all.

Home sweet home.