Life under a Pepper Tree

And so ends my 2nd year of Project 52.  Not sure what I'll do in 2016.  Would love to keep a regular photo journal of Dylan, but with a new bub due in March I don't want to over commit myself.  I'll just see how I go I suppose.  Dylan got a little fireman's outfit for Christmas.  He wasn't so keen on it initially, but I knew that it would be something he would come back to.  Sure enough a few days later he requested it and before we knew it, there were "fires" all around the backyard needing attention.  I love watching and hearing his imaginative play.  I got him having a quiet moment with his "hose" before he tried to squirt me.   A portrait of my son, once a week, every week 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

It's been such a hectic week, but thankfully I can say it's over and the craziness of Christmas is about to hit.  There really isn't anything I can say about this week other than someone turned 3! Hooray!  My weeny boy isn't so weeny anymore and likes to call himself a "big boy".  We felt we just couldn't do a big party with all the trimmings this year, so a simple afternoon tea with close family was more than enough.  We kept it simple and I'm so glad we hadn't planned anything bigger as it was just so hot.  The air con was cranked up and the house was bursting with so many people in such a small space.  It's the few times like these that I really wish for a bigger house.  But it's the before and after the party clean ups that I again appreciate the small space we call home. Happy birthday Dylan!  You are the most special little man and we just adore you. A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi an

This week we had Dylan's daycare Christmas party.  He's been so excited about the party for a couple of weeks now.  They had an entertainer singing Christmas carols in front of the children and encouraged them to join in with musical instruments and singing along.  I did see Dylan joining in a bit, but he loved winding his way through the crowd back to where hubby and I were sitting and chatting to us about the party or just hugging us.  The daycare had been advertising for a parent to volunteer as a Santa for a few weeks, but it seems none stepped up to the challenge.  I tried suggesting to Hubby that he'd make a great Santa... nothing to do with the big jelly belly though!  I just thought it would be sweet to be in the thick of it handing out gifts to all the children and see the excitement in their faces.  But he wouldn't have a bar of it.  Instead the lone male trainee carer ended up taking on the challenge.  Quite a slender barely 20 year old, with a cushion stuffe

Hubby finally got a teeny tiny speck of enthusiasm for Christmas and decided to put our Christmas lights up on the front veranda.  Dylan was thrilled! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52. Bel

A few weeks ago when hubby was driving to work he passed some houses that were about to have a council clean-up.  There were piles of junk, old furniture, and random stuff on the nature strip.  For some reason he stopped the car and had a look through as something had caught his eye.  I can't even tell you the reason for it, but he picked up a little kids skateboard which was still perfectly fine.  I know he's used it to wheel around bulky furniture or something, but of course it ended up going to Dylan.  I'm definitely not a fan of skateboards and clumsy toddlers, but I can't keep him away from it forever. Today he decided to have a go, thankfully volunteering to get his own helmet on.  Mostly he just wanted to sit on it, push it up and down the driveway, but he did have a go riding it.  He stuck out his arms to balance himself and off he went! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Our last day in Noosa we again divided our time between the beach, the pool, and as the sun was starting to set, down on the private beach out the front of our Hotel on the river.  Dylan had a blast digging in the sand and splashing in the water.  There were pelicans swimming near the jetty, seagulls overhead, and ducks in the river, all just waiting for Dylan to chase after! Other than all the whinging, we certainly love our beach holidays! But glad to be home again.  A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Almost a week into our holiday, we had enjoyed our first night in Yamba, then 2 nights in Caloundra (QLD), and on to our week-long stay in beautiful Noosa (QLD).  Here we spent our days divided between the hotel pool, the main beach at Noosa, or down on the riverbanks.  All that swimming and playing was definitely taking it's toll on Dylan and so when we got a chance to have an afternoon snooze, quite often we all had a lie down.  One of the days when it was about time to rise from our afternoon lie down, I snuck into Dylan's room to find him still well and truly asleep, but all curled up.  Love this one! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52. Bel

Yep we are weeeeeeks behind.  But we've been off on a little holiday for a few weeks and there just wasn't time or the slightest inclination to keep up to date. Not to mention the poor car was filled to the roof with all the important and not so important stuff required of a beach holiday. The last week before we left was busy with last minute work projects and then the obligatory freak out when I realised I simply didn't have a single thing to wear on this beach holiday.  Yeah right... nothing to wear?? As if! Well.... this time it's true.  See I've been sitting on a little secret for a while now.  I'm up the duff and the guts have definitely spilled out the front of my pants!  So it wasn't as easy as pulling out last years summer wardrobe, it was dig through the stash of maternity outfits from the first time around.  Of course last time around my maternity wardrobe was 85% work clothes, and as I finished up work in late November, many of my casual clothe

This past week we had a little gathering for Dylan and his 2 best friends from Daycare.  Rory had just had his 3rd birthday the previous week, Jaxon's is now late this week, and Dylan's isn't until late December.  We decided with Christmas coming up, Jaxon's baby brother due to be born probably within the week, that we just wouldn't have had another chance to celebrate together.  So the 3 amigos had a little gathering in a local park for cake, party foods, presents, balloons, and fun times! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Dylan followed his Daddy outside on Saturday to help wash the car.  He quickly lost interest and began picking up little "treasures" around the garden.  A little stick, a few fallen gumnuts, colourful petals from the rose bush, and some crackly dried leaves from a nearby tree.  He held them tightly in his hand and wouldn't show me what he had at first.  This was as close as I was allowed to get to his little treasures. A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

During the past week my thoughts turned to the dreaded C-word.... yep, Christmas!  I just know it will be here before I can blink and I'm sure to be as unprepared as ever.  I've been thinking about what to get Dylan for both his birthday and for Christmas as they are so close together.  I started making a list of a few ideas and trying to have at least one bigger, memorable thing for each day.  One of the ideas I've had for a little while was a kids scooter.  I ran the idea past hubby who thought it sounded like a good idea. Fast forward to today when our thoughts turned to our upcoming holiday to QLD.  Last year we took Dylan's little 3 wheeled trike with us.  It was perfect for the trip as it folded up small in the car and it had a handle for us to push him around on.  The trike is now getting a bit small for him so we thought maybe we won't take it with us this time.  The idea came up that maybe we should just bite the bullet and get the scooter now so he can g

So this post was supposed to arrive on Monday night.... then Tuesday night.  By Wednesday afternoon I remembered that it had slipped my mind.  Friday night, yeah I'll have 10 minutes to do it... opps! It's Saturday again and it's still not done.  I WILL get there... eventually. So the only excitement this week was the arrival of a new toy train! Percy came to keep Thomas company and hopefully provide hours and hours of quiet play! Ha! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 .   Bel

Late yet again! Seriously I need to get my shit together! Hubby was away for the long weekend so doing all the parenting meant less important tasks like actually getting the camera out just didn't happen.  Unfortunately it also means that I'm left with the one thing I said I wouldn't do this year - and that was use a crappy iPhone shot for my photo of the week.  Bugger it, too bad.  So the long weekend of solo parenting wasn't all bad. We did get up to my mums place for a while where Dylan had a great time. Sunday morning cafe breakfast and a trip to the park made Dylan (and me!!) a happy chappy. Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Late again! Almost a whole week, but I was determine to get the post up here!  Its been a busy week, and I just couldn't get the post up here last weekend.  Just a quick shot of Dylan one evening when we were cooking a BBQ outside.  Dylan just had to come see what we were doing and comment on absolutely everything.  So many questions! What a little chatterbox!  A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

8am Sunday morning and I just don't have the heart to break his peaceful slumber.  Both hubby and I went into his room numerous times to see if he was waking but he was in the deepest sleep, snuggled on his little pillow with teddy under his arm.  Sweet dreams Dylan! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Wow! Another milestone just yesterday.  We decided it was time to finally take the side off Dylan's cot so he could sleep in a "big boy bed".  I know we thought about doing it months ago, and most of his little friends have been sleeping in converted cots or toddler beds for quite some time, but we just didn't feel the need to rush it.  After our successful sleeping on our little holiday a couple of weeks ago, I thought it might be time to sort it out.  We've been chatting about the changes to Dylan over the past week and yesterday afternoon we had some spare time and a flash of motivation.  Dylan jumped up and down on the bed as soon as the side was off, and he kept getting himself up and down, on and off the bed.  We let him play on it for a while but kept trying to reinforce that he would have to sleep on it last night, and no playing was allowed at bed time.  I kinda dreaded the sleep last night.  I imagined him falling out of bed numerous times, nightmares

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there for today!  We've had a quiet-ish day, with just a small lunch for hubby's parents.  Dylan wasn't feeling well and complained of a sore tummy.  He asked for medicine and wanted me to take his temperature.  We put him into bed for his nap and happily he awoke around 3 hours later feeling much better. This afternoon I grabbed the camera to attempt any kind of shot for today's post and Dylan just wanted to sit on me and look at the pictures on the camera - not to be in them!  I asked him to move away a bit and nooo... there was no way!  I told him I would cry, and proceeded to vocalize a great big howling pretend cry.  This was met with a great big belly laugh from Dylan.  Eyes closed, mouth open laughter.  We are clearly having a silly Sunday afternoon!      A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015  Joining in with Jodi and Project 52. Bel

On our little beach holiday last week I decided I wanted to try recreating a photo we took when we were last there.  We took Dylan on his very first trip away when he was about 8 months old, not knowing how he'd fare, but hoping for the best.  Looking back I don't think it was too bad really, but hindsight is a wonderful thing! I just can't believe the difference 2 years makes!  August 2013 August 2015 I'd love to keep this going in 2 years time.  Fingers crossed we get the opportunity to do it all over again! Bel

We're back from our little beach holiday!  And I'm blaming my relaxed state on getting this post up 4 days late. We really had a great time away.  It kinda felt like the first holiday where I get an inkling of what holidays will be like in the future.  We had our last proper holiday in October last year, and compared to then, he was practically a baby and now he's a big boy!  Dylan was just so easy to deal with, other than the impossibly slow meal times.  He was an absolute dream in the long car ride, either snoozing, chatting, playing or just watching the scenery go by.  He loved exploring around the venue that we stayed at, but was also content to sit inside quietly, playing with his toys or watching some tv.  I was most dreading how he'd go sleeping, but it turned into a non-event.  He was excited to sleep on the mattress provided for him both afternoon nap times and during the night.  One night he wanted to have the mattress up on the lower bunk and sleep in a &qu

The countdown is now on until our little "beach" holiday this coming week.  Just 2 days of work and daycare to get through then we are off!  We are ready for a road trip in the bus!! Hubby has spent the day packing up all the spares, the tools, and the extra somewhat-important stuff to make it a peaceful trip.  We've got fold out chairs, picnic rugs and picnic sets, buckets and spades for the beach, plus a beach shelter, just in case.  The weather forecast isn't looking so great for the next few days, so fingers crossed it clears up enough for a few pleasant days for us.  I'm trying for be an economical packer... but like usual it's just not happening.  I'm sure my suitcase will be popping open at the seams with just one or two or ten unnecessary outfits or changes of shoes! Ha!  I started packing a bag for Dylan today and he was very happy to "help" by throwing every conceivable piece of clothing somewhere near the vicinity of his bag.  Once

3 days late. Opps!  Its just been a shitty kind of week. Enough said! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Dylan's Grandpa came for a visit yesterday, and better still, he brought his bus with him!  Hubby had done some work on our bus during the week, and was happy to check over Grandpa's bus too.  We've got a short trip away planned for a few weeks time, and we are all taking our buses for the getaway.  Taking Kombi's (or beetles for that matter) on a road trip require some serious planning.  Not only do we require all the space that a kombi affords us for all Dylan's "stuff", but there always needs to be some room for spares! Spare bits and bobs that make things work and gets us there to our destination.  Almost every road trip we've done in one of the VW's has required a pit stop somewhere, for at least one of us in the convoy.  We've had our fair share of problems...  Like the hole in the exhaust which was fixed with some piece of tin found on a council worksite, jacked up on the side of the highway goodness knows where...  We've had the m

So good to be out of the house and out into the fresh air today.  We took Dylan for a walk at the park by the river this morning.  He loved seeing the ducks in the water, playing on the park equipment and just generally commenting on anything he saw! Look mummy, there's dog poo! Look mummy, there's a big boy on a bike! Look mummy, there's the water!  The conversations were never ending.  Eventually he got a bit tired and wanted to be carried.  The only way to encourage him to keep going was to tell him Daddy had snuck some slices of chocolate brownie into the bag and they were back in the car just waiting for him.  And that certainly got him moving! Love his happy face and his little shadow in this shot! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Today has been just so beautiful and sunny.  Its suppose to be around 20 degrees and for a winter's day it's just glorious!  Dylan has escaped to the backyard for most of the day thankfully.  Playing in the yard with his cozy coupe, his trike, and every toy car imaginable.  Before lunch we took a walk around the neighbourhood to just enjoy the sunshine and wear Dylan out completely before his nap.  Last night wasn't a great sleep with only a 1 hour nap on our car ride home and then he just kept on going! He was in bed around 9pm, but he was still playing with his cars in bed and talking to himself at 10pm. He's definitely a little night owl!  Whilst out enjoying the sunshine I was presented with this pretty camellia that had fallen off the tree.  He gave me a hug and then ran off to play with his cars again.  My little sweetheart! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

We decided to bake some biscuits yesterday.  My little helper was very interested in everything that I did, from creaming the butter and sugar together ("whats that?" as he pointed to the KitchenAid), to measuring out the vanilla paste ("whats that?" as he pointed to the measuring spoons).  There were so many questions to ask apparently!  He was quite upset when I didn't let him crack the egg and mix it through, but I seemed to make up for it when he was allowed to sift the flour into the bowl for me.  I managed to stop him from tipping it upside down so he could see where the flour came out; crisis averted!  The best part (aside from eating them warm and fresh from the oven), was definitely putting the chocolate beanies on top in the most random and haphazard way he knew how!  Love my little kitchen helper! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Dylan practically jumped out of his skin when Grandma and Grandpa arrived today for a visit.  He had been excited for the past few days when we told him Grandma was coming over and that we were going to have Happy cake (aka birthday cake) for her.  Dylan is a sucker for cake and especially for cuddles from Grandma.  When the day's activities were done and we were trying to get him ready for a nap, he demanded Grandma read him stories.  Just pure love and adoration right there.  We love it when you make all the funny sounds reading "We're going on a bear hunt" Grandma! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Whatever happened to my sweet bubba and where did this cheeky, mischievous, small boy come from?  My goodness Dylan has been hard work lately.  Everything takes twice as long as it should.  Whether it's sitting at the table for dinner or finding a pair of socks to wear.  He just doesn't listen.  It drives me bonkers!  Today he played outside with his cozy coupe and his tricycle while I did some gardening.  He wasn't content with staying behind the gate, he had to come and see what I was doing.  Only after I told him about a thousand times to not touch the rose bush (so of course he got spiked), he left and went back into the yard.  He then proceeded to scare the pants off me by zooming down the driveway on his tricycle, seemingly out of control, heading straight for the road, before giggling like crazy and stopping.  I'm sure he's giving me grey hairs and a one way ticket to the loony bin. This was a quick shot I got of him contemplating his next plan of destructi

OMG! Half way through the year. Yikes!  I feel like maybe I should have actually achieved a few things in 6 months, but I can't for the life of me think what they might be.  Maybe I'll have worked it out by next week! On Sunday we took Dylan out to the Model Park at Luddenham.  He loved watching and then having a few rides on the miniature steam trains.  We saw model trains chugging around the big outdoor railway, model aeroplanes zooming through the skies, and remote control cars speeding around the dirt track.  We sat by the lake and watched the model boats on the water while we had a picnic lunch in the sunshine.  Such a lovely day out with my beautiful blue-eyed boy! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

The past few months seem to have slipped by just so fast. I keep meaning to add the odd post during the week, but just don't seem to get there.  Good intentions, poor execution. Oh well! I have a little secret. It's not something I am actively hiding, but not many people know so I guess it's kinda secret.  I've decided on a little self improvement.  Something to make me feel just a little bit better about myself, cos we surely put ourselves down far too much.  Now I wish it was to lose another 15 kilos, make my skin better, or acquire a perfectly matching, figure flattering wardrobe. But it's not! Those things will just have to wait I'm afraid.  I decided to fix my smile.  Its something I've thought of doing for years. I probably first thought about it 7 years ago, maybe more, but just didn't want to fork out the big bucks.  Again I contemplated my options as I approached my wedding in 2009. In the end I decided that I wouldn't fix my teeth, I just

We've just had a weekend away, and honestly it just didn't go well.  Cold wet weather mixed with very poor sleep does not equal a good time.  Since we got home, Dylan has been cranky, clingy and not a happy camper.  To try and comfort him whilst trying to get unpacked and sorted I had the heater cranking, and popped on his slippers and dressing gown.  We had to have lots of cuddles until he took some interest in reading his books in his room.  I left him to just try to relax and after a few minutes found him sitting up on the chair in his room with a good pile of books.  I snapped this one while he was mid-sentence in "Where is the green sheep?".  Love his little expressions. A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

Last weekend was the Queen's Birthday long weekend.  Growing up this meant one thing - cracker night!  The nanny state means no more fireworks, but we did have a box of sparklers sitting in the drawer just itching for some little boy to see and wave about!  We watched him like a hawk and he was under strict instructions not to touch any other part of the sparkler and to hold it as far away from his face and body as possible.  He LOVED it!  We lit one and after another and I'll admit to joining in just for fun.  Happy memories! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

A day late, but better than missing a whole week I guess.  Yesterday we had a family catch up for my birthday.  Birthdays just remind me of how fast the years are flying and how dreadfully old I'm getting!  So for a bit of fun my lovely sister in law baked me my very first Dolly Varden cake.  Absolutely hilarious!!  I loved it!!  All the kids got in and tried pinching off the marshmallows.  Dylan and his cousin Charlie had turns at blowing out the candle, and even once the doll was removed and the candle was off the cake, it was re-lit a number of times just for fun.  Just love Dylan expression here as the candle was moved closer to him to have a go.  What kid doesn't like blowing out birthday candles? A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

We had a lovely family catch up yesterday.  Dylan got to play with his cousin and one of my cousin's toddler.  Much like me, Dylan was shy; holding onto me no matter how enticing the other boys play session seemed to be.  He happily sat up at the table for some chocolate cake afternoon tea, and a cuddle from his Grandma though.  He eventually joined in with the boys play, and shared his toy cars around, even if he probably didn't want to.  It was just so lovely to observe him as he joined in, and even when he held back.  His personality really is shining through, and I cannot describe him as anything less than a little sweetheart. Dylan's grandma kindly knitted him a beautiful little jumper to wear this winter.  We showed it to him today and then tried it on.  I don't think toddlers do "fake", so I guess we got brutal honesty. His comment was "Mmmmm... nice. Mummy, it's nice" as we put it on.  He just beamed.  He wasn't quite as taken with

Today we headed out to Fairfield for our car club's annual show. This is the 3rd time Dylan has been, and he certain seems to enjoy it!  I lost count the number of times I heard "look Mummy, a bus! A beetle!".  We saw all the cars on display, saw a few nice ones for sale, but once again we strike the dilemma of no more garage space, so which one has to go???  We got around to the swap meet area where we came across a few parts, and various cars for sale.  Here there were constantly calls for "look Mummy, a broken car!".   Dylan is just getting to the stage of sitting through the vast majority of a kids movie, like Toy Story or Cars.  I've been meaning to dig out the Herbie DVD, but haven't gotten there yet.  So when we came across a few beetles painted up like Herbie I knew I had to get a shot.  I'm sure one day Dylan will be impressed with his meeting with a real Herbie!  One day... maybe... ! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2

Today we headed to the park to expend a bit of energy.  Dylan got to ride his little trike around the park's pathway, to the playground area, via every patch of long grass to roll in, stopping to meet puppy dogs or interesting looking people.  We also ran around the centre of the grounds where I grabbed this shot.  He was watching his Daddy fly his remote control helicopter, and then ran off to chase the birds.  This led him to see a game of AFL being played on the next oval.  There were calls to go join the game until something else distracted him for 5 seconds.  There's always something to see or do at the park! A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52. Bel

Got a quick snap in between playing with cars and trucks.  Although the entire time hubby was trying to get some shots in, Dylan was eyeing off his train set.  I've got myself one sweet cuddly car/truck/train/bus-loving beautiful boy who I love to the moon and back. Bel

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there! I had a tiny speck of a sleep in this morning which was pure bliss.  Dylan woke up earlier than expected, but I heard him playing with his toy buses in his cot for a good 20 minutes or more until he started calling out for me.  I received a lovely Mother's Day gift (bought by me!) but just hearing Dylan actually saying Happy Mother's Day in the sweetest voice was more than I could hope for.  Some times it's just the simple things that remind me how lucky I am to have such a happy healthy cuddly boy. We celebrated Mother's Day with hubby's family last night for dinner, and so had my mum over for lunch today.  I had planned a simple menu which I refused to get stressed over or be stuck in the kitchen the entire time.  Without even an inkling of a need for dinner tonight, I think I can say it went down well! Today's photo captures the excitement from one cheeky boy who discovered that he can climb up on top of

We had a day this week where Dylan came home from daycare and shortly after said he felt sick.  Hubby thought he felt cold and so put him in the warm bath to relax him.  He was relaxed but soon refused to get out of the bath until I had come home from work.  Only the offer of lots of cuddles managed to get him out of the bath.  After the bath he moaned and groaned and rolled around on the floor.  He was just so clingy and complained of a "sick tummy".  My poor poor bubba.  We weren't entirely sure what caused his sick tummy, but we get the feeling it might had been the result of a bit too much cake at daycare celebrating another child's birthday.  And he does love cake! When you're feeling poorly, there's nothing like some cuddles with your teddy. A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

This week we had photos done at Dylan's daycare.  I dressed him up nicely, made sure his hair was done and made sure there was minimal grot on his face.  Dylan's curls are cute, but getting so tangled in the mornings.  I've really needed to get him a haircut, but every time I look at those gorgeous curls I've chickened out.  I figured I could wait until photo day and then get it chopped.  So this week photo day came, and we basically went straight from daycare to the hairdressers who gave him a super sweet new look.  We had to wait a while before the hairdresser was ready for him.  Luckily clips of his favourite cartoons on my phone kept his occupied while we waited!  Such a cool dude wearing his sunnies indoors. A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015 Joining in with Jodi and Project 52 . Bel

I took these shots a few weeks ago and have been meaning to post some but I just never seem to get around to it.  These were taken one evening straight after Dylan's bath when he clearly had had too much energy!  He ran off from his room before we could get a nappy on him, let alone some pyjamas.  He grabbed his bouncing bull "Brutus" and hopped away giggling and having a great time.  I just love his wet curly hair bouncing up and down!! Bel