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It's *the day after* Friday so here we go! 

1.   The best thing I did all week was finish the school magazine editing and get it to the graphic designer,  in time for the holidays! :)

2.  Holidays make me super happy.

3.  Pets are annoying when they miaow and knock on the door too early, but generally lovely!

4.  Toby is the best thing about my life.

5.  With the cooler weather I am looking forward to snuggles under blankets on the couch and sitting in front of the fire at the beach. That said it's actually turning to Spring here, so I am looking forward to wearing floaty maxi dresses, sitting in the sunshine and taking lots of photos.

6.  Something that's on my "wish list" right now is to have my reports written before I go on family leave. I'd also really love some maternity jeans that fit!!!! 

7.  This weekend I am going to visit the country with Tobes to celebrate 2 years of marriage. :) Lovely!

You?

Flowers from the kids

We have just finished our swimming program and were waiting for the bus to arrive to take us back to school. I'm not sure if it's the springy weather, the fact that today is the last day or term or that my tummy is growing, but today my girls and boys were very sweet and picked me this little bouquet of weeks. They're flowers to me!

Coops and I

Sandcastlle building in Broadbeach. Mum snapped
this photo of us from the balcony of the apartment.

I've been looking through some old photos recently and wondering where the time has gone! Most of these photos were taken on a family holiday that we went on in August 2007. There is one taken in September 2007 at a final soccer game for the season where Rach, Coops and I went to support the boys. 

What strikes me is how much Cooper has grown since then! He is so small and round faced in these photos.

These were the days that he loved jumping into photos and smiling BIG. When he and I would sit in the back seat of the hire car and listen to '20 good reasons' by Thirsty Merc, with Coops slurring through the words of the chorus enthusiastically. He loved The Wiggles and couldn't get enough of Wags the dog (now it's Ty that's Wiggles obsessed!). It was a time when I was 'Arnie Bear' because he couldn't quite get his mouth around Auntie Beck. 

Coops and I still have a good relationship but like everything, it's changed over the years as he has grown up more. Now we are drawing buddies. When he gets to mum and dad's he asks to go to the craft room. We collect our supplies and spend time drawing posters, making masks and models. He wants to be out in the backyard- kicking the footy, playing tennis. He enjoys sleeping over here in the school holidays and having some computer time. And this year I have been writing him letters- initially monthly but I've got slack. He loves getting his post in the mail and casually says to me, "thanks for the letter!".

Cooper is a very special boy. In 4 more years time he will be 11 years old! What will I have to write about him then?   

Currumbin Sanctuary Aug07

Soccer supporting Sep07

Dreamworld Aug07

Seaworld Aug07

At the Aquarium Dec10 

Riding the trains Aug11

Blossom

I've been loving watching the apple blossom in my front garden. I took these photos of them on the weekend .
Stunning!

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A couple of days late this week, but...

1.   You should always take time to  give a warm greeting and a hug to those you love.  

2.  Friendship and sunshine  make(s) the world a happier place to be.

3.  I can hardly wait for our baby's birthday in January. :)

4.  Saturday is my favorite day of the week.

5.  Something totally dumb and ridiculous that I love is getting to that silly, delirious state of laughter late at night when I talk nonsense to Tobes and tickle him. 

6.  If I could I would keep a functionally tidy house all the time. I would visit the farmers markey to get my groceries and be motivated to walk every day. I would also have the time to scrap both by myself and with friends more often.

7.  I rather like cuddles and days in the sunshine.

We've been busy

So the last 2 weekends have been really busy for us on the home front. We have been making room for baby and preparing the nursery. That meant a complete room change. Our guest room has become the nursery, and the front study/scrapbooking room is transformed into the guest bedroom and study space. We are lucky to have such a big room. After concerns that it would be very cramped with a queen size bed and the existing desk in a new place, we were very pleasantly surprised. There is plenty of room to move around... just to get it tidy again! 

This is what our study/scrapbooking room looked like last Saturday morning.

STUDY / SCRAPBOOKING ROOM BEFORE

And here is what it looked like after. There is now lots more mess on the bed and all around the floor from the new nursery and cupboards, but that is a job for the holidays (one week to go!).

STUDY / SCRAPBOOKING ROOM AFTER

So the other room getting lots of attention is the nursery. Here is the before, when it was a guest room (with baby stuff about already!)

NURSERY AS A GUEST BED BEFORE

After moving out the bed and moving in the tall boy, the room looks way more usable and ready to cute up for bubs!

NURSERY AFTER

NURSERY AFTER

The housework continued yesterday with a shed cleanup, washing of the front and back decks, desk clean up in the back study nook, 2 loads of washing and installation of shelves into the baby's wardrobe. It was an old school style wardrobe with just the hanging rack, but now, we have 2 sections of hanging and 3 of shelves. LOTS of storage to last until Baguette is old and grey... or ready to move out!

Proud Toby with his clean back deck. I'm also loving the
springy flowers in bloom- magnolia, lavender and camellias.

Wardrobe BEFORE- just hanging space

Wardrobe AFTER- with 3 sections of adjustable shelving

Next weekend will be very different- celebrating our 2nd anniversary. No housework for us then!

What have you done this weekend?