Looking Back: A wild day at the library

Back in April, during a school holiday, the boys and I had the chance to attend a wildlife presentation at our library.  The boys waited anxiously for the animals to arrive.

While we waited, we browsed through a few good books.

Eliot was very impressed with the snake.

Peter was considerably less impressed.

The boys got to pet a dingo and a koala.  It was pretty cool.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

The First of September was Daddy's birthday.  It was also Father's Day down this way.  Eliot and Peter made cards for him and Eliot brought home a framed photo of himself from school.  In church the Primary children sang songs for their fathers and Eliot (though shy of singing) mouthed the words.  That evening we had lemon cheesecake to celebrate.

The boys and I are so thankful for Spencer.  He is such a great husband and daddy.  He loves his little guys so much, and they love him.

My little big helper

After the semester break Eliot had a bit of a hard time getting back into the swing of things at school.  On his first day back he was quite tearful.  His teacher explained all of the fun things they'd be doing that day.  In an attempt to make it all sound that much more appealing, she told him that I was just going home to do some cooking and cleaning.  What she didn't realize was that cooking and cleaning was exactly what Eliot wanted to be doing.

He took it upon himself to wipe down the oven.  The other day he also disappeared into his room and I later realized that he was in there washing the walls.

It's a bit tricky to get the hang of a carrot peeler.

When we make pancakes he likes to drizzle the batter into the pan to make different shapes.  I save some batter at the end for him to make a "really big one."

One morning he used some cooked oatmeal to make "cookies".  We put them in the oven on a low heat.  They dried up into unexpectedly edible little wafers.

His kitchen skills are growing steadily.  It can sometimes get a little dicey, and tears have been shed when I've had to exert my authority, but for the most part he's a great little sous-chef.  One day we were going to sauté chicken and I warned him that the chicken can splatter when it lands in the hot oil.  Sure enough, as soon as the chicken was in the pan it started popping and spluttering.  He was off the stool and away from the stove in a flash.  I was focused on getting the chicken sorted and the next time I became aware of Eliot, I realized that he had returned to my side, this time with one of the large couch cushions.  He was holding it in front of himself like a shield and peeking over the top of it.  Resourceful as ever.

A Visit From the Youngs

At the end of July Grandpa, Nana and Uncle Hugo paid us a visit.  It was a whirlwind visit into which we packed as much as possible.  The boys had a great time and soaked up the extra attention.

Visiting the Fremantle Market (can you see Nana and Peter waiting up ahead to ambush us?)

Exploring the Pinnacles.  The last time we were here Peter was still riding around in a stroller, this time we couldn't get him to stop running off.

A sunny day at the beach.  The boys played in the waves and we buried Eliot and Uncle Hugo in the sand.  Eliot pretty much thought that anything Uncle Hugo did was the coolest thing ever.

Grandpa had a birthday during the visit.  The boys were delighted.

One evening Eliot spent the night at the hotel. 

Can you guess what was his favourite part?

Swimming with Grandpa and Uncle Hugo

Love the hair.

Love the goggles.

Both boys enjoyed playing, reading, and just hanging out with our visitors.  Peter's language is rapidly improving and he was learning a lot of new words.  I think everyone's favourite was Unkie Go-go-go.

Augusta

While Rissie was here, she and I took the boys down to Augusta where we spent the night and explored the area.

Both boys were excited to get out of town.

Our trip included a stop at the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse that Spencer and I visited last year.  It was a windy day, but we just missed the rain, and Rissie and Eliot even spotted some whales from their look-out.

Eliot was a trooper, climbing all of those stairs all the way to the top.

It was just Rissie and Eliot on the tour, so Eliot got to have a lot of hands-on lessons in the mechanical workings of the lighthouse.

He even earned a certificate for making it to the top of the lighthouse.  You probably can't see the certificate very well, but the look on Eliot's face speaks volumes.

Four is the minimum age for climbing the lighthouse, so Peter and I stayed below and watched the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean splash up against one another.  Peter also threw rocks through the fence and told me several times that he wanted to "sim" in the "oh-sin."

Can you see us way down below on the board-walk?

We stopped to check out an old water wheel that was covered in calcification

The area was covered in rocky tide pools.  We stayed for a long time so the boys could throw pebbles into the water and explore.

Aunt Rissie and Eliot Explore Rottnest Island

Last month my sister came to stay with us for a few weeks.  It was a busy visit and I didn't really have a chance to take any pictures.  This is okay, though, because she took plenty of really great shots and sent them to me.

While she was here, she took Eliot over to Rottnest Island for a little day-long excursion.  She had visited the island alone last year when she was here, so she had some idea of places to take him.  They had a great time.

We got up early to drive them down to Fremantle where they caught the ferry.

Eliot was very excited about the bicycle rental.  Apparently he was also very diligent about helmet use and often reminded Aunt Rissie.

Exploring the rocky shoreline.

Eliot was very impressed with this life ring and was excited to have his picture taken with it.

It turned out to be a really nice day so Eliot took a dip in the clear water.

A close encounter with a quokka.  He got to feed some of them, which was a real thrill.

This was a picture taken toward the end of their day.  The look of utter exhaustion on Eliot's face means that the outing was a huge success.

A visit to Canada

At the beginning of June Spencer had the chance to return to Canada to give a paper at a conference that was held in Victoria, British Colombia.  He had been looking forward to this conference more than others he has attended because it meant that he would have a chance to see members of his family that he may not have otherwise seen until the end of our tenure here in Perth.  On his way he had a layover in LA where he caught up with cousins Melissa and Lindsey before heading north where he had a chance to visit with his grandparents and his Aunt Coleen.  He also got to stay with his brother Aaron and sister-in-law Patti, who live in Vancouver, and his brother Doug made it down from Edmonton to join them.  From what I can tell, it was a great visit.  The boys and I have enjoyed hearing about the trip and seeing the pictures of some of the places he visited.  The pictures are beautiful.  Is it possible to be homesick for a place that isn't technically your home?

Spencer and his grandparents

Visiting with Aunt Coleen

The Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC

The Butchart Gardens