You can just about see the teddy/toy Nativity we've had up on the left. We were missing a few characters but we all got the point!

 It's not really jingle bells at Christmas but cicada chirps. The boys love them and Steve's often out at night finding unhatched ones peeping out of holes in the ground from their 7year -ish long sleep. The boys get a bit confused with the names though.. "Brown Bacon" and "Black Baker".

 When I came to Australia from England when I was ten, I was freaked out by these. A girl had me cornered and thought it was funny to show me one up close while I had a panic attack! So these pictures give me the creeps but I'm under control! I can appreciate and fake an "ooh! lovely boys... now outside with them!"

 Riley's a funny boy. He has trouble getting to sleep lately. Like Lucas did at his age. He's rather inventive though and last night made a road out of books. We store all the books in storage tubs under his bed - no messy shelves or hours maintaining it! He'd made a road for Lucas that joined up with his and then led out of their room and down the corridor. So funny!  He even sneaked out of bed one more time to fix his road as he's seen me moved a book out of place. Slightly anal for a 3 year old! And no he's not autistic before I get any comments. Just cute.

Christmas lights..

Christmas lights - bad pics and the biggest Nativity scene ever!
HERE at "from dirt to dinner" I've blogged about our annual (well we go heaps of times before Christmas day) Temple lights trip.

Here are some of the lights. It was 8pm and still not dark enough to see them in full effect... but we had fun anyway!

 They wouldn't keep still so I just madly clicked the camera...

Christmas eve and almost everything is done. Just wrapping and ironing clothes for tomorrow to go. LOVE Christmas on a Sunday as we get to go to church and sing Carols on Christmas Day!! Plus give out little baggies of home made treats to everyone - especially the not so happy looking ones. So if you don't get one,  you're probably counted as a good friend that will understand because the person next to you looks lonely! BUT if you do get one then I've obviously made enough to cover all bases!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! As usual Steve and I are both haggered and exhausted before the day has even arrived, the kids are bored to their eye balls with no pre-school or usual routine... and we're all looking forward to tomorrow.

Christmas Cheer

Get in my belly Christmas food!
That's unfortunately from my side of the family :o)

Lucas' Christmas Concert was a laugh!
I can't seem to get the video clip on here of the "a tootie ta" song. Hilarious!

 He'd made us a lovely present (plaster candle holders) and a personalized calendar for next year.

 Here with Riley and Matilda. She'll be going to big school with Lucas next year. Riley has had a long time to get used to his new pre-school and I think he'll love it next year too.

  Other than that we've been to Bethlehem:

 Some superfast sewing that morning for my little Angel and Innkeeper.

Steve caught a fish at the beach. It was yum!

And Lucas tried on his school uniform. We woke up to "muuuum.. daaaaddd" whispers and I felt a peck on my head. I opened my eyes to see Riley standing so close and the pecking was the wide brim hat he had on. They were both in uniform and looked so cute. Lucas has never looked so old and he's only 5!!

Oh yeah, we've been on holiday.. more pics to come

Happy Birthday to Roo

Happy Birthday my little Riley Roo!

We had Riley's birthday yesterday and after a Church ladies Christmas evening I rushed home to do a quick birthday cake jobby. Not great.. I forgot how small the shop cakes were and didn't have time to make one.
He loved it anyway! Especially when I put the candles in and the pretend fire in the tent actually caught on fire. :o)
That's on purpose milo down the side there..You can't dig holes and not have some go down the cliff! That's a pile of rubbly dirt next to the hole.

We had lunch at Nanny's

.. and enjoyed the cake.

He got three really corking presents that has kept him and Lucas entertained for the last couple of days (and many more no doubt): A cuddly doggy that looks like Uncle Andrew's dog Daisey from Mummy and Daddy (he called it Daisey or Biccy), then a purring, trumpeting, "awwww"ing elephant that moves, sits and even chuckles (we have to take turns with this one as it's lovely fun to cuddle) from Nanny and Grandad and from Farmor and Gramps he got a mimicking chipmunk that sometimes mimicks your voice straight back, sometimes high and fast and sometimes slow and low.

Lucas was trying really hard to be cross today and it repeated back his cross words in superfast chipmunk. So he had great fun getting angry (pretending as none of us could keep the smile off) and telling it off and it telling back.

Jamberoo