Or Maybe Not so Busy...

Cohen came down with croup. Not severely, but it bordered on mild/moderate and it was not in any way pleasant. Of course he kindly shared it with Kason, so I've had two sick boys in my bed most nights this week, which also meant that none of us have been getting much sleep at all :( Thankfully they have been improving pretty quickly (Kason especially, he didn't have it as badly as Cohen did), and they were both feeling much better today so we managed to get out and catch up with some friends. It broke my heart as we left though, Kason said, "I love my friends, Mummy. I'm going to miss them lots". Poor boy :-( I think they are both starting to grasp the fact that we will be living in NZ and won't be able to see their special friends very much.

Thankfully we have a quiet couple of days coming up before another busy week...as long as noone gets sick again! It's so crazy to think that next week is our last full week in Adelaide. Cohen asked me this afternoon how many sleeps until we go to New Zealand - only 12!!! I'm very glad that when we go back, my brothers and their families are also heading back (for my little brother's wedding). It's going to be incredibly hard to leave, so it's nice to have some things to look forward to once we get there.

xxx

Busy Busy Busy!

We have a crazy busy couple of weeks coming up as it's only two weeks tomorrow until our big move! We are trying to catch up with as many people as we possibly can before we head off, as well as leaving time every couple of days for Simon to spend time with the boys. I also need to find time to sort through our things and keep the house clean!

Yesterday, we took the boys to their very first movie! We saw Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, and they LOVED it! They've seen the first one, so they knew what was going on, and who the characters were. Cohen cried at the end because he didn't want to leave! They both sat there beautifully for the entire movie :-) I call it a success!

Today we went to a Science Fun event at the school next to Kason and Cohen's childcare. It was fantastic! We started off in a big inflatable 'Star Dome', where the guy taking it had the night sky projected onto the the inside of the dome. He started off showing us the South Australian Winter sky, then the SA Summer sky, then the South Pole sky. After checking out the stars and learning some cool things, we went outside and made some rockets! The boys absolutely loved it all, and when I asked them tonight what their favourite part of today was, they both answered, "The stars and the rockets!".
From there, we headed to the local PlayCafe to catch up with one of their little friends. It was really lovely, as usually when we're there, the boys go their separate ways (which is completely fine!), but today they stuck together and helped each other out so much :-) It was just so nice to see them playing nicely and working together without fighting.
After a couple of hours there, we headed to another friend's house to catch up with her and her 8-month old boy. Cohen and Kase loved giving little Connor lots of hugs and kisses, and he loved watching them playing and kicking the ball around!

The rest of this week is shaping up to be just as busy as today was! Thankfully, they have 'school' tomorrow, so I'll hopefully get a chance to get some things sorted out and take a carload of things to the local donation drop-off.

xxx

New Year, Big Changes

A few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to predict the changes that are going on here right now. Simon and I split up in November, and since then, Kason, Cohen and I have spent two weeks on the Gold Coast in Queensland, had a visit from my Mum, and now we're getting things sorted for our move back to New Zealand early in February! We'll be moving in with my parents in Hamilton until we get ourselves sorted and find somewhere to live :)

It's not an easy time, but the boys are coping remarkably well. They have been overly clingy, especially when we were with my brothers and their families on the Gold Coast for Christmas. They aren't so clingy now that we're home, but Cohen has woken during the night a twice in the last week scared that he has lost me :( Breaks my heart :-(

But! We had a great Christmas, they boys had a blast playing with their cousins, swimming in the pool, going to Dreamworld and just having a break from things.

While I know that 2014 won't be the easier year, the three of us have a lot to look forward to - starting with seeing my oldest brother for the first time in almost five years, the boys meeting their pirate uncle, watching my little brother get married and spending more time with our family and friends :)

xxx

Zoo Day!

 We spent Father's Day at the zoo! The weather was stunning, and because we went after lunch, it wasn't too crazy busy :) We all had an awesome time!

 

Cohen absolutely LOVED the pandas! They were inside for most of the time we were at their enclosure, but we could still see them, and Cohen just wanted to wait for them to come back out. One of them kept coming back out into the enclosure, then would waddle back inside. She did that over and over and over again - Cohey though that she was hilarious, and kept talking to her to try to coax her out!

 

Kason's favourite had to be the little quokkas in the Children's Zoo. They were his favourite last time we were there, too. The photo above of him is one of my favourites! He just kept patting them, and giving them pieces of grass and hay to eat :)

 

xxx

"This is my friend"

Hi!

The weather here has been C.R.A.P. lately! We've had rain pretty much every day, and it's been so cold I've even had the heater on every day. I am SO looking forward to Summer, and I'm loving seeing all the blossoms and daffodils out...I'm hoping that they nature's sign that the weather is going to improve soon...I can hope, right?!

Kason, in his raincoat, ready to play in the rain

This week has seen us at a friends place for a playdate, at playgroup twice, Kason and Cohen at child care, at the library, trying out a new barber for the boys (when I told them we were going to a barber, Kason starts singing, "Baa baa black sheep" - cracked me up!), climbing on boxes in the garage, riding bikes in the garage, and Cohen and Kason deciding that they are friends! The last few days, whenever one of them gets hurt (happens a lot. They fight. A LOT!), the other will come over and say, "This is my friend {insert brother's name here}" - super cute!

 

Cohen & Kason

 

 

Anyways, it's bedtime for me :-)

xxx

 

 

 

I'm Baaaack!!

Hopefully!

Ok, so highlights of the last three (!!! I'm so shocking!) months:

1. Kason and Cohen turned THREE!!! We had a monster-themed party, and had about 15 of the boys' friends at our place...and their parents!

2. Nana & Grumps (my parents) came to visit! They were here for the boys' birthday, my Dad was here for 10 days, Mum for about 2.5 weeks.

3. My best friend and her husband also graced us with their presence :-) They were only here for 5 days or so, but it was SO, SO good to have them here and show them a teeny tiny bit of Adelaide.

4. Kason and Cohen had their first 'school' trip - we went to the Adelaide Zoo, and had an AWESOME time! Especially as it was when Nana and Grumps were still here, so they could come, too :-)

5. We have FINALLY gotten two little boys pretty much toilet trained, including overnight!! It took us a good two weeks for it to click with them, but they are doing super awesome...apart from at school?!

6. I've been doing a whole heap of sewing - for the boys, for gifts, and even one item for myself! my next project is for me, too - I just need to get some fabric for it!

7. Simon and I celebrated five years of marriage! Well, we didn't really celebrate exactly, as my Grandmother died early the same morning.

8. But, we did go to see Ballet Revolucion a few nights later - a joint anniversary present to ourselves, and a birthday present for Simon.

9. Kason and Cohen have nailed riding their new bikes (they got them for their birthday) with their training wheels! We are so glad to live in a quiet cul de sac where they can ride their bikes almost everyday. And when it's raining? The car gets put onto the driveway so they can ride in the garage!

10. I think that we're all up to date!

xxx

Kids Clothes Week in Pictures: Part 1

Here's some of what I've made so far for Kids Clothes Week! And yes, I know it's supposedly for 'Spring', but it's Autumn here, so not much point in making Spring clothes!

 

 

 

 

There is still more to come, and I better get cracking on tonight's project :-)
xxx

Kids Clothes Week

I only just found out about Kids Clothes Week a couple of days ago, and decided today that I might give it a go! It started yesterday, so I'm a day late with started, but I think I more than made up for it!

The temperatures have dropped quite a bit really suddenly in the last week, and I cannot, for the life of me, find the big box of Kason and Cohen's Winter PJs! I know I stashed it somewhere 'handy' not all that long ago...apparently that 'handy' spot isn't really that handy, though - I've searched everywhere! I've been hesitant to go out and buy more PJs because I know that as soon as I do that, the box will magically reappear. So...I found an old flannelette cot sheet, chopped that up to make two pairs of PJ pants. I picked up four plain long-sleeved tees ($3 each - thank you, Kmart!) this morning, and I've appliqued those to match the new pants, and a pair of pants I made a few weeks ago (I originally made them to go with singlets) - so, as of this afternoon, Cohen and Kason now have two extra pairs of Autumn PJs each that they didn't have this morning :-)

While we were out this morning, I came across some women's t-shirts marked down to $1.00 each. I bought three of those and made them into two long-sleeved tees for the boys. I also whipped up another 'Scooter' tee while I was at it.

So, if you're keeping count, today I sewed:
* 2 pairs of flannelette PJ pants
* 3 long-sleeved t-shirts

and appliqued:
* 4 Autumn PJ tops

Yup...thinking I've made up for starting KCW a day late :-)

xxx

Latest Sewing Projects

Wow, and once again it's been WAY too long since I last posted!!! My excuse this time? I've been sewing. A lot. And on the nights the sewing machine has stayed in our room, I just haven't felt like updating my blog. Hopefully this will be a revival of sorts!

Anyways, here's some of what I've been working on:


I used the Little Explorer pattern from Make it Perfect for these shorts and the turtle applique. I love this pattern, it's so super easy to follow, and the end result is AWESOME! These three were all gifts - the ones on the left and the right were for 2-year-olds, and the middle one was for a 4-year-old. They all went down a treat! Kason and Cohen both have several pairs of these shorts (four each, I think!) and a pair of the overalls, but the photos of those are on my other computer.

 

This tee-and-shorts set was a gift for one of the boys' friends who was turning three. I found the tutorial for the 'bib' piece on the t-shirt on good ol' Pinterest! I have made it before, for my niece, but I love the colours in this one! The shorts were just plain denim from Target, and I just added the bright hem onto them to make them match. I didn't think it was quite finished, so quickly whipped up the little tie belt to go with it, and I think it turned out awesome!




 

This was just a quick applique I whipped up for myself. I had this plain white t-shirt in my drawer which I never wore, and I couldn't find something cute in the shops, so I just used some scrap fabric, traced the birds on the branches onto the heat'n'bond, ironed it on, then stitched around it to stop it peeling, and done! I love how it turned out, and I love how quick it was! I always seem to get compliments on it, too :-)

 





Just a couple of weeks ago was my niece's 2nd birthday, and this child has EVERYTHING, so it's always hard to buy for her. My usual way to combat that is to make her something! This birthday was, obviously, no different! I used a Simplicity pattern for the dress, but mainly just for the shape (I can't draw to save my life!), as I didn't follow the instructions at all. The way it does up is different, and I made it reversible, so it's kinda two dresses in one! For the Dora PJs, I used the same Simplicity pattern (it came with a shorts pattern, too), but added the ruffles at the bottom to make them more girly, and the bow to just 'finish them off'. The top is just another applique on a plain tee - super simple! Apparently my niece LOVES them (I only got around to posting them to the Gold Coast late last week, and they only arrived today), so I can't wait to see pics of her wearing them.

 

 

I am LOVING these hoodies at the moment!!! It's The Reversible Zippy Hoodie from Kitschy Coo. I made these one from a drill cotton, and they are fully lined with fleece. I love that they are reversible...well, would be if only I could find a reversible zip that wasn't in a horrendous nude/beige colour!!! I'm not the best at sewing, so at least all the seams are out of sight! Cohen's and Kason's are (obviously!) on the left, and the one on the right was for a gift we gave this past weekend. The boys ADORE these hoodies, Kason especially! The first time I asked him to try one on, he would. not. take. it. off. And it was 35C outside!! There may have been tears when I finally managed to get him to take it off. There may also have been bribery involved. I am already on the lookout for fabric for some lighter-weight ones they can wear in the next couple of months as it cools down. As it is, these hoodies are the pretty much the only thing I'm looking forward to Winter for - the boys can wear them!

  

 

And not to be left out, Simon saw how Kason and Cohen's hoodies turned out, and decided he wanted one for himself!! Needless to say, the pattern doesn't go up to adult sizes, so I found another pattern (Simplicity, again, I think), used that as a guide for the pattern pieces (although I did still have to adjust them a fair amount), then used the instructions from The Reversible Zippy Hoodie. Simon loves it, and is hanging out for the nights to cool down so he can wear it on his way home from work! Sidebar: there is a 'cuff' at the bottom, Simon just likes to fold it under (if that makes sense!)

 

 

So, yeah! I've been just a bit busy! I also have another project I'm working on that will take me until late-November to get finished. I'll share more on that once it's all completed.

 

 

xxx

Beach Days and Night Time Dramas

Sunday and Monday we spent some time at the beach. The boys (and Simon and I) absolutely love the beach, and I love to watch them having so much fun! Cohen's favourite thing at the moment is to find rocks and throw them into the water, Kason loves to jump in the waves! Usually at the beach, Cohen is a bit more brave, and just runs straight into the water, whereas Kason would usually hold back a little and wakes a little bit to get used to it. The last two days, though, it's been the other way around. Kason just couldn't get enough of the water, or the waves, and he just wanted to swim! The waves were a little bit too big for him to swim, but he still had an absolute blast :-)

On a completely different note, the boys have been absolute NIGHTMARES for the last 10 weeks or so to get to sleep at night. Before we went to New Zealand, I could put them to bed at 7pm, tell the goodnight, give them a kiss and cuddle and walk out. They would stay in their beds (which, at that time, were their cots converted to beds, so no sides), and go to sleep by themselves. Sure, sometimes it could take up to an hour, but they were happy, they left each other alone, and they didn't trash their rooms.
In New Zealand...completely different story. They played up something shocking, and on just the second night (I think), they tore down the net curtains in their bedroom and stripped the wallpaper off probably a quarter of the room. Every night they would run around being crazy for about 30 minutes, before they started screaming and crying. Then I'd go in to settle them down, and I would end up staying in there with them and cuddling them to sleep. When we got home, nothing changed. I tried to go back to how things were going before we left on our trip, but after they pulled the blinds off the wall (THREE nights they did that!), and after Cohen hurt himself, I decided that I would just have to stay in there with them while they went to sleep. It would take me up to TWO hours to get them to go to sleep. Not fun at all, and by the time they finally crashed out, the only thing I felt like doing was blobbing on the couch, so I haven't been getting much done at all!
Tonight, I decided to see how they went if I put them to bed at 6:30pm instead of 7pm. There was SO much less mucking around from Cohen (he is ALWAYS the one playing up the most at night time), and they were BOTH asleep within 20 minutes, and I didn't cuddle either of them. After reading them their story, I lay them both in their beds, told them goodnight, then sat on the floor between their beds with a hand on each of their tummies, and just waited.

When I came back out to the lounge, I was SO stoked to see it was only 6:50pm!!!!!!!! Here's hoping they sleep past 6am tomorrow morning, too :-) Watch this space!

xxx

Urimbirra

Today we spent another fun day at Urimbirra Wildlife Park in Victor Harbor. We just love it there, and every time we go, Cohen and Kason get more and more into it, it's so awesome to see! Usually they mainly into the kangaroos, but today, while the roos were definitely still their favourite, they were really excited to see all of the other animals, too :-) I think the snakes were their second favourite this time.




 

xxx