Alexander's Birthday

We're getting closer to 'now' - Alexander's birthday was at the beginning of this month - he has just turned 9!

Time for another "I can remember when he was a baby" photo.

Alexander at 6 hours old - my 1st photo of him.

For Alexander's birthday we had booked the bike centre too - as we had done for Olivia's birthday see here - but instead of friends for the bike centre we did a family time, as we had family visiting from the mainland and the house would have been kinda squishy.

At the bike centre

More fun at the bike centre

Alexander's cake

Even the grown-ups had fun at the Bike Centre!

So we had friends come around the next day and watch a movie (Monsters Vs Aliens) and they had fun eating pizza, popcorn, chips and chocolate!

Blowing out the candles

Eating cake after unwrapping presents!

The Burnie Show

Nearly 3 weeks ago was the Burnie Show - held on the Friday and Saturday.

We were invited up to display our cars - so we headed up and put our cars next to the very dusty trotting track - and ended up with very dirty cars.

All the cars

Mine and hubbys cars.

When I wandered away to have a look at the show (which took all of 20 minutes by the way) - hubby managed to grab the camera, and a passing guy dressed up as a lizard... This is the result....



They tried to get him IN the car - but his tail wouldn't fit. He will never be left again with the camera without supervision lol.

Our Melbourne Trip

So two weeks after the below birthday parties we took the kids and ventured to Melbourne for 4 nights.

We flew out on Friday morning - not too early!

Waiting for the plane at the airport.

I was very apprehensive about our accomodation. I booked it online because I could get a cheaper rate and have two bedrooms for 4 people, and then checked out the reviews.... bad idea....

But on arrival it couldn't have been better! OK, well it could have, but the rooms were fine - and was paint missing from parts of the wall really going to be the undoing of our holiday? I think not!

The view from our hotel room.

So on day 1 (Friday) after chucking our bags into the hotel room we set off for the Queen Victoria Market and wandered around looking at all these things we didn't want to buy. We then went down to the Spencer Street DFO - and that really hadn't gotten any better than last time we were there - nothing appealed to us. We also did a city circle tram ride - that takes an hour to do!

Lunching at the market.

Day 2 (Saturday) - we set off for the Zoo! An exciting tram ride for the kids. The kids had an absolute ball there (as did the grown-ups). The downside? My camera went flat only halfway round the zoo - darn new lithum batteries.

At the zoo

On our way back to town we stopped at the market again - Hubby wanted to buy some new shoes as the ones he brought with him were hurting his feet. And then we set off for the Museum and wandered around there - pity I had no camera, so no photos of Phar Lap - but I did get a postcard!

Day 3 (Sunday) - we decided to go to Chadstone shopping centre, so we caught the train out there. I remember it being wonderful.... it was wonderfully huge, easy to get lost... and we went shopping at K-mart... Yep, we went all the way to Melbourne to shop at K-mart.... We did buy some other things too, but buying mugs at the Reject Shop is not really a highlight.

On the train!

Day 4 (Monday) - we caught another train and headed to the Scienceworks Museum. Our local little museum has a small hands on science display - well this place is just amazing, and our little area would get lost in there! And they had a Star Wars exhibition too - so the kids had a ball looking at that too.


With Yoda! With Chewie!

Looking very small in a painted doorway... The whole background is painted actually.

Day 5 (Tuesday) - home day. We went back to the market for a last look and bought the things we hadn't done on the first two visits! And headed to the airport to sit around and wait.... After a delayed flight we made it home - exhausted.

View from airport window.

But not one complaint about the amount of walking, no tired legs, the kids did an amazing job!

Update - finally!!

I'm back - again!

Today to start a proper update - like I said I would do a month ago....

As it's been two months since I posted anything properly I thought I'd do one post a day for the next few days about what we've been up do - cause a few things have happened in the last two months - and to do them justice I can't cram them all into one post.

So we'll start with Olivia's 7th Birthday!

My baby turned 7!!!! It seems like yesterday I was waiting for her due date and holding my little girl!


We had a birthday party for friends at "The Bike Centre" - it's an old empty reservoir that they have painted inside and have put traffic light up and walk signs so the kids can take their bikes and ride around like mad things!

It's as cheap as to hire from the local council, and there is a BBQ and a sheltered area too if it does rain- not that the rain stops the kids.

At the bike centre

Olivia and friends with the cake

Olivia opening presents

Olivia playing with her 'boyfriend' Ryan
(Ryan thinks Olivia's his girlfriend anyway)

And then the next day we had a party at home for family. It was either 30 odd people at the bike centre for 2 hours and Olivia not getting to spend time with everyone, or 30 odd people in our house - which would be kinda squishy! Or the two birthdays - which works easier for my sanity!

The cake! They are meringue "grubs" on the top.

Opening presents.

More opening presents.

Back later on with more!