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

Welcome To The World Of The Bakers

Haere mai, welcome to The World Of The Bakers, the very first post on our new blog. After blogging for 4-years with Jarvis' blog The World Of Jarvis Tahi and then Felix's blog The World Of Felix Rua, I found that I was struggling to keep both blogs updated and do my number one job of actually being a full-time House Dad.

The solution was obvious, combine both and include some bits about the boys 'olds', Mumma and Dah too. So yeah, here it is, The World Of The Bakers, where we hope, once again, we can keep all our family and friends around the world, up to date with what ALL of us have been up to.

The first post will be short and sweet, as I have LOTS of organising to do, such as copying over the links and things from the other blogs, but keep with us, as in a few days I'll have this blog up and running.

Oh, and just in case you are new to our blogs, here is a picture and brief description about each of us:

Felix Rua

At the time of writing, Felix, our youngest, is 17-months old. Felix, or Mini Lee as we call him, is a delightful wee boy, who is generally very happy and fun loving. He adores his big Brother Jarvis, eating and mimicking EVERYTHING his older Brother does.



Jarvis Tahi

Jarvis is our oldest, who at the time of writing is about 4 and a half years old. Jarvis, like his beloved Mumma, is supremely confident and like his Father, 'a-million-miles-an-hours' type kid. Nothing is done slowly or quietly, instead Jarvis prefers to make an entrance and befriend everyone. He's certainly one VERY entertaining young guy.



Adrienne

Adrienne is the glue to our family, hard working, loving and very, very beautiful. Adrienne and I have been together twenty years this year, two decades that have been as much fun as I could have ever wished. I do not have words to describe how much the boys and I love Adrienne/Mumma. Adrienne is smart, funny, beautiful and a very, very strong woman - we are blessed.



Lee

I'm known as Dah in our house, as I'm a full-time House Dad, though Jarvis likes to tell anyone who will listen that I'm a cleaner, as that's what he sees me doing all the time. Outside of my home life, I'm a keen runner, racing in events ranging from 10 to 45k. I've been running for just over 18-months and love that it gets me out among a group of wonderful friends.



So there you have it, the Bakers.

Lee :o)