So Yeah

I have to admit, that life is so much more fun for me, now that I'm not such a hardcore blogger. I've seen the light and now enjoy the boys experiences, rather than sticking a camera in their faces all the time trying to capture them. I think I might even be a better Dah for it :o)

So yeah, what have we been up too? Well, I finally got to run the big race, which I've been training 20-weeks for. The 2009 Six Foot Track race took place on Saturday 14th March and I lined up with about 850 runners, to run the 45ks from Katoomba to Jenolan. I have an injured ankle/knee/hip thing, which I knew would give out at some stage, but didn't know that it would be so early on at 12k. This meant that I had to struggle the remaining 33k on one-leg. It wasn't too bad, as I knew it would happen. My finishing time was a sad 06:36, but I finished and as you can see by the photo below, I was VERY happy :o)

The day after my race, we all drove down to Canberra, as Ade had a conference. Rather than stay at home for three-days with the boys, we decided that it would be a fun break for us. We visited The Australian Museum, which was OK, but had the best fun at The Discovery Centre, which was way smaller, but so much more fun for little people. CSIRO is a Government run Industrial Research Institute, with the Discovery Centre added onto the side of the complex. It was very much Jarvis thing, as he got to perform many experiments, and like our local Powerhouse Museum, had plenty of hands on exhibits. The biggest buzz for Jarvis though, was being able to see actual, real, live Scientists at work. He even had a mad Professor afro hairstyle for the day.

I celebrated my 43rd Birthday on Thursday, however my good friends Belinda and Emma caught me out with a surprise birthday cake and present the day before at morning tea. We all meet up at a cafe before Music Class, which is where they totally caught me off guard with my cake, a chorus of Happy Birthday and a wonderful chocolate cake. I was both touched and surprised.



As you can see by the picture below, Emma was feeling very proud of herself for catching me out and making me blush!

And look at the 'Who Me' look on Belinda's face :o)

Adrienne is such a wonderful Partner, as she now takes the boys for trips out on Saturday mornings, so that I can have some Lee Time at home. On Saturday Ade took the boys to The City farm out West, which the boys just love. As expected, they all had a wonderful time feeding and playing with the wee animals, going for tractor rides and watching the Cowboy doing tricks with his whip. Jarvis even got to milk a cow, something his Olds have never done, so we are most impressed.

Felix really enjoyed feeding the baby animals.



Our Cowboy Jarvis.

Lee

BBQ At The Garcia's

Today the whanua paid a visit to Manal, Hector, Tyler and Cameron for a BBQ. It was so nice to get our two families together, as Manal and myself spend lots of time together running and Adrienne and Hector work in the same Industry. Also, Jarvis and and Cameron are pretty close in age, with both being full of energy and get on very well, so all round, a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

We arrived at 12-noon to find a flustered Manal in the kitchen, which I expected, as Manal is always telling me, that cooking is not one of her favourite things. Manal did make a wonderful creamy potato dish, so she can't be all that bad.

Within seconds of arriving Jarvis and Cameron were off playing upstairs, while Manal and I talked about running and Adrienne and Hector talked about Finance. I have to confess, that for a while when Manal was busy, I sat down and tried to join in on a conversation that Hector and Adrienne were deep into, but didn't understand a thing they were talking about. Ah well, I'm just the pretty House Dad who cooks, cleans and runs the house!

Lunch was wonderful and our whole family, thanks to the Garcia's, are now hooked on grilled Haloumi cheese. My god, it's beautiful and I think I'll be adding it to our shopping list each week now.

It's strange, but I'm with little people all week and come the weekend, I still find time to enjoy playing with them. As the adults drank wine and chatted 'adult stuff' inside, I found myself outside playing with all the boys. I guess it's now my full time job and nice that I don't begrudge being with little people at weekends.

We did plan to go to the park after lunch, but everyone was very tired and well fed, so we came home to crash on he sofa, as I expect our buddies did, to reflect on a wonderful lunch date with wonderful friends.

Lee

Felix's Number One Fan

I'm just going to do a quick post this time around, as I promised Felix's number one fan that I'd upload their picture.

For the last four-years that I've been blogging, I've got used to all the attention that Jarvis receives. It's a combination of his confidence and curly hair that attracts so much attention. However, over the last couple of months I've been delighted by the attention that our wee Felix has received from a couple of really nice Israeli girls, who have a business in our local mall.

The first time that Dikla set eyes on wee Felix, she was taken aback and just has to cuddle and kiss him every time that we go by. It's so wonderful to see Felix, who tends to live in his big Brothers shadow, get some attention. Felix, who unlike his Brother, takes time to suss people out, has really taken to Dikla too and is now full of kisses for his number one fan.

Dikla tells us, that every time she sees Felix, she is moved to tears, as she really, really misses her Niece back home in Israel. Hence Felix is smothered in cuddles and kisses from Dikla every time we pass. Sadly, I don't remind Dikla of anyone back in Israel ha ha! But yeah, thank you Dikla for noticing Felix and all the love and attention you give him.

Lee

There's Something About Kiwis

The boys and myself took a trip into the C.B.D in the week, as the previous day had been a home day and I think we nearly all killed each other confined to such a small house. It was a lovely day too, so it made sense to get out and enjoy the sunshine.

After playing a while in Myers department store, the boys asked if we could have lunch one level down in the cafe. It seemed like a good idea, so down the escalator we went. As I lined up to buy some lunch for the boys and a coffee for myself, Jarvis started talking to a wee girl who was about his age. So I asked the Mum, whose name was Justine, if we could sit with them, as it would be easier to have all the little people in one place. Well I say easier, as they were here, there and everywhere by the time lunch was over.

Anyway, it turned out that Justine and wee Isabella, like us, were from New Zealand, which I should have guessed, as they both had that easy going and open nature that Kiwis share. Bonus.

After a while it got a bit messy with Jarvis, Isabella and Felix running around, that I suggested to Justine that we head to a park for a play. Both Justine and Isabella were up for it, which was great, as it was fun for the boys to have a play buddy for the next couple of hours.

So it was, that we found ourselves in Hyde Park, building huts, exploring and generally having loads of fun. It was great for the boys, as they had a VERY cool play buddy in Isabella, who was just delightful. I also got to chat to Justine about home, life in Australia and general parenting stuff, so it was 'win - win' for everyone.

So yeah, that was our random meeting with a couple of fellow Kiwis, who were up from Melbourne (I think it's up) for the week. The boys had a wonderful time and would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to Justine and Isabella for being such great company - Go the Kiwis :o)

Lee

This picture is off Isabella and Jarvis breaking a stick in half, so that the next time they meet up, they can join their friendship stick together. It was big hugs all round when they said "Bye", so sweet.

Felix The Forgotten Second Child

One of the reasons why I combined Jarvis and Felix's blogs, was because poor wee Felix's blog was never getting updated. A good friend gave me some stick and called Felix 'The Forgotten Second Child', which was true when It came to blogging.

With this in mind, over the last few months I have made a big effort to ensure that I do all the things with Felix, that I did with Jarvis. For instance, the music class that we do each week is such fun and Felix really enjoys it. I also make sure that we have at least one 'Dah and Felix' trip out per week, as we did on Friday, when the boys set off to The Royal Botanical Gardens for a picnic.

I timed it so that Felix would sleep in the car as we drove from dropping Jarvis off. He did not wake until 40-minutes later when we jumped off the train at St James station. From there it was a short walk to the Botanics, where the wee guy jumped out of the stroller and spent the next couple of hours roaming the park.

I think it's not allowed, but on the quiet and with an eye out for the park wardens, Felix and I feed the ducks. Felix was not at all worried to have ducks, seagulls, ibis and various other birds clamber all over him, as they scrambled to eat the pieces of bread. As you can see from the picture below, he loved it so much, that he was full of claps.

I even splashed out the $10, as we took a ride on the train that drives around the park. Felix must have waved at everyone we passed, and just like his older Brother, is certainly not shy.

From the park, we walked to The Sydney Opera House and just went where Felix wanted to go. It's so nice to let him roam free and not see a little person like him stuck in a stroller. He must have walked around that area for a good 50-minutes, climbing, jumping and exploring. Then as we neared Circular Quay, I could see he was getting a little drowsy from the heat and playing, so we jumped back on the train, to be back in time to pick Jarvis up from school.

Developmentally, Felix is coming along very well. He has great balance and confidence and is starting to form words. The word he uses most is "Watch", as he raises his finger and expects you to watch whatever he's doing. Sometimes he just says it, without actually having something to show you and then spends a few moments scrambling around to pick something up.

Felix is also keen on pretending to be a pussy cat and meows lots, when I wrap him up in a pussy cat bed after his bath.

So yeah, all is very good with young Felix and we think that at 18-months old, he's coming on nicely. In fact, we think we might even keep him, when the hire-purchase arrangement we have him on comes to an end!

Lee

Music Class

Since we moved over to The Inner West of Sydney, I've had little luck trying to establish a group of friends to hang with, who have little people the same age as Felix. Jarvis was blessed with the most wonderful coffee group in Auckland and some cool mates in Paddington, however, as we didn't do the post-natal coffee group thing with Felix, it hasn't quite happened. However, the wonderful Belinda, whose little people also go to Jarvis school, has hooked me up with her group on a Wednesday at music class. Unlike Jarvis who did something similar in Bondi way back, and hated it, Felix has embraced the class and after only two-classes is having a wonderful time. So yeah, a massive thank you to Belinda for making it happen :o)

These are the Yummy Mummies that we do Music class with on Wednesday. From left to right are Emma, Belinda and Rachael. Music class was great fun to take part with them and their little people, but going for coffee and cake beforehand was AMAZING!



Just like Jarvis who also went to this play group when we lived In Paddington, Felix has a thing for the back wall, that is covered in heaps of pieces of ceramic. It's truly funky and we spend ages looking at and naming the various animals and things.

See, I knew buying a drum kit for Felix and Christmas would pay off. He really has the two-handed playing style down, doesn't he.

Cissy employed the on-handed technique, but also bought the tongue into play. Very cute.

And Jude, as cool as ever, went for the banging the sticks together style.

So yeah, that's music class, which we do each week with our buddies - It Rocks.

Lee

Fush 'n' Chups On Waitangi Day

I have to say that I'm quite enjoying not blogging each day now, meaning, that for me, when I do, it's quite a buzz. However, I've not too much to report this week, as we've taken it fairly easy, as we get back into the routine of Jarvis going back at school.

We did have an interesting day at Little Dynamo's though, and strangely, it was because it was so very quiet. Normally there would be hundreds of little people running around, but on Monday morning, we shared the place with about six other little people. You are probably thinking that is a great thing, but the boys really enjoy interacting with other little people, so when it's so quiet, they get a little frustrated. Oh well, we had a fun time.

Jarvis has now started to wash his own hair, not because he wanted to, but because I have had  bit of dermatitis flair up on my fingers, so keeping it out of chemicals is a good idea. He's quite enjoying washing his own hair and creates the most unusual hair sculptures. Sadly, Felix still loathes having his hair washed, rinsed or even touched!

Felix and myself have been attending music classes on a Wednesday, with our buddies Belinda and Cissy, Emma and Jude. It's quite good and Felix is more into it than Jarvis was at his age. Felix claps along and is quite a bold wee guy. But then if you have Jarvis as a role model, I guess confidence would not be a problem.

Adrienne forgot to take her packed lunch to work on Friday, so it was the prefect excuse for Felix and myself to have a city day. It's the first time that it's just been Felix and me in the city and it was heaps of fun. The highlight for both of us though was to see Adrienne for 30-minutes. We even managed to grab a quick bite to eat and drink with our beautiful Mumma/Wife.

Friday was Waitangi Day and being so far from home, we needed to celebrate in some way. To be honest, we'd forgotten about it, so our planning was very last minute. The only thing I could think of doing was to have a fish and chip dinner. The reason for this is that here in Australia, they claim that Kiwi's don't say fish and chips, but fush un chups! So yeah, seeing as we are Kiwi's in Aussie, we had a fush n chup dinner to celebrate Waitangi Day.

Lee

The Megalong Massacre

Sunday was a big and exciting run for me, as I've been training for a race in March called The Six Foot Track. It's known as the toughest marathon in Australia, as it's over a very, very hilly section of the Blue Mountains. Over the 45-kilometres, the course climbs 1, 528-metres and drops 1, 788-metres. Believe me, as I've discovered, going down those gradients is as hard as going up them on the body. There's also the heat, rocks, fallen trees, river crossings and odd dangerous animal. But hell, I love it.

So yeah, I started my trail running back in November of last year, where I buddied up with a running friend called Leonor, who is the same ability as me. It really helps to buddy up with this type of running, as you need the encouragement from a fellow runner, plus it's a wise thing to do, as sometimes, as we found out this weekend, it can get pretty dangerous.

This is my trail running buddy Leonor, who speaks five-languages and is just the best running buddy to have, when out on the trails. We met up at the Megalong Valley just after 6am on Sunday morning. This road intersects the course about 8-kilometres from the start. It was nice an cool and we were so excited to be running some of the track, that has been our sole running focus of the last few months.



Here we are moments before setting off, looking very fresh and excited.



We started running at 6.33am (runners are VERY pedantic about getting start and finishing times right) and at about 7.00am the sun started to break in the valley. We stopped, as we did on lots of occasions to take pictures. It was all a very exciting for us.



This picture was taken at about Mini-mini saddle, which is about 780-metres up. It was starting to get very warm and I'm pointing back to where we started.



Finally, after about 2-hours and forty-five minutes of climbing up and up and up, we made it to the top of the Pluviometre. I think Leonor and I were disappointed about the sign, as I think we deserved something with flashing lights and fireworks after that bloody climb. But none the less, we were happy to get there. Come race day though on March 14, this will only be the 26-kilometre point, with another 19-kilometres and another 200-odd metres in altitude to climb straight up.



After getting to the top of the Pluviometre, we then turned around and had the tough down hill slog to do. On the way down, it was wonderful to see our other running buddies from our running club. Below is Karen and Paul, with whom we would have run with, if we'd left at 7.00am. Like us, they wisely paired up, which was smart, because as Leonor and myself were to discover, things were going to get very, very hard.



At about the 24-kilometre point and with the heat on the track in the high thirties, people were starting to drop like flies. There were ultra-runners, way more experienced than Leonor and I, laying on the track with cramp, heat exhaustion and even vomiting. I came down with heatstroke and for a few moments couldn't talk and couldn't even remember Leonor's name. It was pretty scary for lots of us, but all 150-odd runners made it back in various states of distress.

On reflection, Leonor and I had a great time and had a very safe and practical strategy, which saw us finish in 05:10-minutes, though I think on a cooler day and with less photo stops, we could go sub-four-hours. Oh and look at the big monitor lizard we saw on the track too - awesome.



Lee

Bugger, It's A School Day!

At 8am, as Jarvis, Felix and I lay in front of the TV watching Scooby Doo and eating chips, in full holiday mode, I realised that it was a school day! Bugger I thought, we are all unwashed and in our sleeping gear, and I've only got 30-minutes to turn us all around. So it was that I had to think quickly about how to get Jarvis ready in a flash. Jarvis has never taken a shower, as we have always found it easier to bath him each morning, so that we can comb his hair, which in itself is a 10-minute job. Suddenly I had the solution "Hey Jarvis" I said "Do you want to have a shower with your new scuba diver face mask on?" My god, I've never seen him strip off his PJs so fast. He was in the shower in a flash. He actually enjoyed the new experience and can't wait until tomorrow morning to show his Mumma how he now showers.



We arrived at school with about 5-minutes to spare, which is unusual for us, as I like to get there early so I can chat with my buddies, as some days, they are the only adults I get to talk to. Anyway, it was great to tell them about our mad dash and to apologize for Felix and myself being a bit smelly! Below is a picture of Belinda and Cissy, our good buddies. Cissy is a bit older than Felix and they will be in the same year in 2011.



Another couple of our school buddies are Emma and Jude, pictured below. Jude is a couple of months younger than Felix, but will also be going to pre-school with Felix and Cissy in 2011. Along with Emma and Belinda is Jane, who we also hang with, but I didn't get a picture of Jane, as they were running late. All three parents are very, very cool and great fun to see on school days and play dates.



While Jarvis was at school, Felix and I went to the mall, which has become somewhat of a routine for us. The reason being that he can play in the wee play area, wander around and burn off some energy until about 10am when I spot that first yawn. Once I see that yawn, it's into the car, where he falls asleep within minutes for the drive home. I then lift the wee guy out and put him to bed. Felix will normally sleep for about two-hours, while I VERY quietly clean up or catch up on my emails or Facebook.

Anyway, while at the mall I bought Jarvis a snorkel and flippers to go with his face mask. He was very excited to wear them and had no fear about jumping into the water to use them. For about 20-minutes he circled around, breathing quite comfortably through the snorkel and kicking away with his flippers.




Lee

Australia Day - School - New Pool - Tomatoes

It was Australia Day on Monday and we were blessed with a visit from our good friends Louise and Rosie. It was great to see them, as they took out an hour or so from their busy schedule of planning Louise's forth coming wedding to visit us. Rosie flew down from Brisbane to organise Louise and Michael. Anyway, not only did Adrienne and myself enjoy their company, but Felix and Jarvis loved having them round, so that they could show off all their new tricks.




It's always a buzz this time of year in our street, as from out of nowhere appear massive flocks of parrots appear. I can't remember the type they are, but we are hoping Granddad Steve might be able to help us out here. Anyway, they hang from the trees in our street in their hundreds and the noise of them munching away on the tiny nuts is incredible. As a family, we just plonk ourselves onto the footpath and watch. I think our neighbors think we are a bit weird!



On Wednesday Jarvis started back at school, which was a big thrill for everyone. He got to use his new school bag and lunch boxes, as did I at 4.45am when I made his lunch before going for a run! But yeah, he's moved into Transition Class now, which is a big boys class, as he tells us. He still has the same Teachers as last year, which is wonderful, as they are very, very good.



The weather has been really good over the last week, so I went out and bought a pool for the boys, as I broke the other one. Our old one was a Thomas The Tank Engine, with a canopy. I stupidly thought I could could cut the canopy off, so that the sunlight would warm the water up. As I cut off the last corner...whoosh...the base of the pool ripped, sending about 100-litres of water all over the yard...BUGGER! I must have looked so stupid, standing in a pool of water, holding a pair of scissors with a stunned look on my face :o)

So yeah, I bought a much bigger pool, so that they boys would not be fighting over being too close to each other, as they were with the smaller and now stuffed Thomas pool. It's called a Wade and Shade, as it has a canopy to keep the sun off once the water is warm enough. I think it's about 2-metres across, which gives the boys plenty of room to play. They both love it and I can't get the little blighters out when it's time to eat. They want to eat in the pool, which is NOT going to happen, believe me.

The biggest thing though is that Jarvis has become so much more water confident. I bought him some goggles and now he spend most of his time in the pool, fully submerged and pretending to be a scuba diver. Felix tried to copy him, as he ALWAYS does, but swallowed so much water he thankfully gave up.




The wonderful weather has also meant that Jarvis vegetable plot has really begun to flourish. We are now overloaded with lettuce, cucumbers, peas and most amazing of all, the most delicious plum tomatoes. The plant is covered in the sweetest tasting tomatoes and we have been eating them up by the plate load.




Lee