Take you to China town

 In all its beauty. This is when I wish I had a wide lense for our camera to get a better picture. I am no photographer nor have the patience to learn all the fancy things, but I do like to take pics and would love to get another lens or two for our camera.

 So this is a cool sign and one day I will try this Yum Cha. I have heard many good things about it. And although I dont understand it completely let me tell you what I gather. I may be wrong but I have heard it is best to go with some type of group because to get the benefit of the experience you order a dish and share it with the group somehow. I dont know it the portions are huge or how it works exactly but it is best that way. So you all order something different and then it gets split and its a fun adventure!

On this particular night we happened to stop in at our favorite restaurant there only to learn that they were shutting down and when it would reopen there would be new owners. We havent been back yet, and I know that the owners made the decision that was best for their family but I hope it keeps it's charm and yummy taste with the new owners. These guys would remember their customers and loved Erik (we didnt eat there often-I would say we had been there 3 or 4 times in the time we have lived here), they were very personable and had good service (which is rare in Oz, you dont tip but you lose all of your good service because of it).

 The one thing I didnt like at this place was this way of getting utensils. These baskets sat on the tables all the time and you just grabbed cutlery or chopstick as desired. Not the most hygenic. And who knows how many times they had been touched. But that is not the first nor last time I will see such practices. At the acupuncturist (a post for another day) they have pillows you can lay on while you relax during your treatment. They have pillowcases but they are not changed between each patient. Yes gross, but honestly I love my Doctor there and so I am staying there for the time being. Don't judge, I am a clean woman but not as much as a germaphobe as some. Since becoming a parent some things just slide easier than others nowadays

 mmm drunken noodles. Don't worry, no alcohol was consumed in the consuming of this meal.

And his baked tofu ( I like tofu but this was not my favorite way to eat it). This pic is mostly to show you how silly Erik is. When you ask him to smile for a picture he always tilts his head like this. When you tell him he doesnt need to, he switches to the other side. I have numberless amounts of photos with his head tilt!

On the train

 This is a night view of the train at the station. They have gotten quite clever with how they work the cars as well. Some trains are shorter and dont have as many cars. On the short trains the first car is the "quiet car" for those who want to be in silence and read or study or what have you. On the longer trains its the first and last car. Quite smart, and then I dont have to fret as much about my munchkin bothering people because if they wanted to make sure they have quiet they have an assigned car. Although Erik usually is fine and I dont worry about him. It is just extra comfort.

 I looks like most trains you see in the movies other than our seats are all plush covered which is nice. This was the first place I have been able to ride an urban train so it was a pretty exciting experience for me the first time.

 Right in his element.

Why yes, we have a central station here as well!

All Aboard

 I thought it would be fun to give you a tour of one of our oft used modes of transport on the weekends and some evenings. We use the train and ferry boats the most, but the buses aren't always neglected. Actually as a complete side note, the other day I saw the bus electronic sign, you know the one that says what bus line number it is or sometimes they say "sorry not available for service". Well I saw one that said "Sorry bus full!" I couldnt believe it. Well I kind of could, we have ridden the bus in evening rush hour and they are packed to the max, but never seen one that wouldnt stop to pick people up because of it, I thought that was pretty cool. Us Brisbanites are using the green machines pretty well, even though they are nearly the most expensive public transport systems in the world.

 Back on board....this is what one of the outdoor train stations look like. Very typical around here, nothing fancy.

This has become a very important rule enforced by Erik in our family. We stressed the safety issues and rules about public transport and he is the yellow line nazi! The boats have a yellow line to wait behind as well and so with the double dose, if he sees so much as a centimeter of your toes on the yellow, he will tell you to get back.

 This was the indoor station that we arrived at. So this view is after we had left the actual station if you were to be approaching the station to get on a train.

Destination at last....China Town! One of our fave spots to eat when we go out. They have good hours, good authentic food, and a fun atmosphere!

First camping trip in Oz

 Oh if only I could show you a picture of how much it takes to tucker out this little man. He has more energy than I know what to do with most days. We tried to get him to nap before we left for this one night camping trip with other members from our church, knowing he would stay up and be running around. But he wasnt having it........until we were in the car that is!

 Then he was out like a light. We were the first ones to the camp site but couldnt go to it, since we weren't the point of contact, so instead of staying in the hot car, we pulled him out and laid him in the shade of the car. He actually slept longer than  I thought that way.

 Then another family showed up and we played with a rugby ball for a bit tossing it around. I learned that it is WAY easier to throw a rugby ball than an american football (it doesnt matter how big your hands are!) and that I can kick a footie ball pretty well too. It was a lot of fun. I will say I do love Rugby but I never imagined that I would.

Ahhh such a handsome couple! The only reason I had a sweatshirt on was so that I wouldnt get eaten alive by the mozzies (mosquitos). I couldnt put pants on though, too hot. It has been weird to not have it cool off much at night here, no crisp mornings, hot cocoa seems far fetched, and not much relief when sleeping. Another lesson learned, our negative temp camping gear is FAR too hot for the Aussie weather!

 Playing with sparklers and setting on our camera!

 Lindsay went for a run that night and came across some yucky spiders.

This one is the infamous HUntsman spider. This picture doesnt show it well, but they are huge. Big enough to hear them scurry across a wall or floor. We have some friends who has one named "lucky" that lives in their garage. It was named that because he is now missing some legs from killing attempts. At this point they stopped trying to hunt him and just say they are more comfortable seeing him on the wall when they go out to their car then not, because then they dont worry that he has made his way into the car! Gives me the shivers thinking about it.

And so that we dont this post on nasty yuckiness. A picture of Erik and one of his friends. These two are joined at the hip usually and can get themselves into quite some naughtiness. She comes from a family of 4 girls and is the youngest so she knows how to fend for herself and well Erik is a boy, so although they play well..........they fight well as well. We recently had their nursery leader tell us that they have been quite naughty in class in church so we have been talking a bit about that at home. I didn't think these things happened until school!

paint the rainbow

One particular day Erik and I were getting on each others nerves. Usually a good sign that we are both in need of some good stimulation and/or breath of fresh air. So I decided to fill a muffin tin with the cheapest shaving cream from the market, color each hole with a different color using food coloring and let the kid go to town.

 We started out on the balcony (fresh air), he knew a mess was to be had and he got to get down to his skivvies, which eventually turned nude. All the better for his taste!

 So I have the huge roll of paper you can get at IKEA, totally useful for many things I have found. He was a bit unsure at the very beginning, but you could tell he was more nervous he was going to get in trouble (I would never keep on his case about not making messes :)

I, however was getting more anxious by the moment about the mess, but didnt want to stop the fun or creativity, so I had the genius idea of taking off the undies so they wouldnt get stained, and moving the whole activity to his bath tub. There the mess was contained to an easily cleaned area, and he could go at it to his hearts content. Both of us were much happier.

Are you sure this okay mom?

Ahh, master in practice!

partial masterpiece with a fake smile

 
And then, to be honest I think this part was by far his favorite and the squirt bottle has stayed as a permanent tub toy. After he used all the cream, I gave him the squirt bottle so that he could shoot it all off. I closed the doors and then of course he was trying to shoot me through the glass. So although the painting was fun, the shooting was MUCH more fun!

*note to those who may now try this: His tub/shower is white tiles, the colored cream did stain the white grout a bit. As soon as I got him out I just sprayed my shower cleaner on it, let it sit for a minute and took an old toothbrush to scrub.....came right up! It made me nervous for a minute though. So I will do it again but will remember to crub right away again.

All in all perfect cure for a boring day. It was a great activity that got some his energy out, I was able to get a couple things done while checking in on him and we both came out happier. Success!

There was a delay

A delay in posts that is. I should have kept posting anyways without pictures but I was lazy and hadnt uploaded pictures in a while. So things in our household just seem to get busier by the week. While some things lack I feel like we are keeping up just great.

January was good month. The first half of the month Lindsay still had off for his Christmas/Summer holiday. It was a transition to have him all the time but it was nice and it was a transition to have him go back. Around that time we came across a guy at church who was traveling here from the Utah doing some self employed work and play. We knew we could help him by letting him stay with us and so we got to know Scott and spend a week with him while he was here before he traveled farther south. Scott is the man behind Fullgive Leather . And honestly his work is awesome. I will be doing a post all about his work in the near future because we ordered some sweet bags from him after seeing his work up close and personal. We were the recipients of his belts and I love mine. Definitely check him out and be on the lookout for my upcoming post.

January was also hot hot hot, so we spent lots of time in the pool or inside when it was raining, because if it wasn't hot it was raining (well I guess it was still hot when it was raining, that is so WEIRD!) You get a little relief as the rain falls and the humidity spikes up and you just cant get dry, even indoors. Your sheets, the carpet, your clothes, never all the way dry. Both Scott and Later in February when our friend Matt came out to visit asked each day if they could put their clothes in the dryer before changing so they felt dry for a few minutes. So funny! But sadly true.

After our fun times eating vegemite for the first time while Scott was here, and introducing him to the infamous tim tam slams February rolled around. And you know what that means? A certain little boy turned a whopping 3 years old!!!! I know, I could hardly believe it as well. These years are going by far too quickly. He is your textbook three year old, learning to manipulate well, throwing more massive fits than I have seen from him yet, and imagination growing out of no where. Funny story....just a couple nights ago...he was using the couch as a jungle gym. Lindsay reminded him again that he was not to jump on the couch, Erik's reply...."no jumping just flying dad." Those are the times it is hard not to just bust up. So for every bit of bad and pull my hair out moment there is an equally joyful one. He loves to get a kiss and a hug before you leave him and gets upset if you try to leave without it. (melts me), and he is understanding that other people have feelings so one night I was pretending to cry because he and Lindsay hadnt brought me home food when they went out to get some. Erik's response to my crying was to turn out to Lindsay and say, "You naughty naughty Daddy," and actually start crying because he felt bad. Obviously I stopped at that point and explained that I was okay. And now we know that we must be careful of our little guy's sensitive heart.

Erik's little language is progressing and his accent is slowly getting more aussie. He by no means sounds aussie upon normal conversation but there are a few words here and there that definitely come out with the accent. When he says, "last night" and randomly one day without prompting he started saying" g'day mate." I am teaching him about heroes in the scripture and he loves Abinadi from the Book of Mormon. He says his name with the accent and it is adorable.

So Feb. started off with a little birthday celebration. I failed epically at picture taking. We decided not to do a big party with friends this year, I think we will save that for next year. We invited one other family over for a birthday breakfast. (I chose breakfast because as I was thinking of his favorite meal I could make...well pancakes are his favorite) So we did it on a saturday morning.

 Upon talking with Erik about what he would like to do for his birthday he told me he wanted a "blue" birthday and so that is what we did. A few decoration and the counters loaded up with a pancake buffet. All regular pancakes with fun toppings. I didnt do a birthday cake, we just added ice cream to his hot cakes, stuck in a candle and blew out the candle. It was fun and low key, perfect to not have to stress about but hopefully he still felt special.

This year in place of his traditional birthday crown I made him a superhero mask with the number 3 on it. I made it durable so he could add it to his small collection of dress up attire and he loved it! It was a proud mommy moment.

At the start of the new year along with all my other small improvements around the house I added these trays underneath our entertainment center. Originally I thought I would change them out every week or two with new material......I do change it but not as often as first planned, thats okay I am not needing to hold myself to any certain standards, and he still loves it all.

 These are all trays I came up with on my own from scouring the web for tot tray ideas. But if you are interested in more seriously do a google search. One of my favorite homeschool sites I like to check out is 1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com but there are loads of other sources as well. You can find them on google or pinterest!

 Practising fine motor skills to use tongs to move puff balls from bowl to tea light holders

 Matching chipboard letters to ones I traced onto paper.

Cut up an old photo of Lindsay and I, laminated it and it is now a puzzle. I have since added magnetic tape to the back and it is on the fridge. I plan on making more of these!

Twist the lid off the jar, get the rocks out and put the corresponding amount on the numeric number. Erik can't identify numerals yet so this was exposing them to him.

So that was a bit more about the first month and half of our 2012, exciting and fun!