The boys

Poor kids - parents never stop comparing them to each other.
Everyone's been telling me lately how Nick is a mini-me of Daniel. Okay, sibling likeness yes, but I've always thought Daniel looked so different to Nick. It depends on the photo, and their hair is different, so who knows. I kinda think the resemblance between Laura and Nick is stronger.

Nick and Daniel

Daniel

 Daniel

Daniel

 Daniel

Nick

 Nick

 Nick

Nick

Laura and Nick

Waking up...

... to this twice in the last 2 weeks is fabulous. 

I don't mind the cold or the springtime snow at all when I open my curtains and see this in the morning. Beautiful. 

Shame about the neighbour's house obstructing my view!! hehe...

Ballet

For Laura, the day has finally come. All else pales in comparison...

Complete with real ballet shoes (even though she noticed that "they don't have the ribbon mum")

 Is she really only 4??!!

Overheard just now...

D: Boys laugh a lot. And girls talk a lot.
Friend: No, girls dance a lot. And twirl.
D: Yeah.

So it begs the question - if Daniel understands that now, does that potentially make his future with females more successful or more dangerous???!!!!

All the days of the world

You know your attempts at concealing motherhood exhaustion have failed when your daughter says to you at breakfast:
"Mum, are you tired of doing all the jobs for kids all the days of the world?"
Can't get anything past them. Especially her.

"Good Morning Angels" ... "Good Morning Charlie!"

Charlie.

Angels.

Before and after. 

Thanks Dad. What fun. 

You were very patient to put up with our photo shoot. 

Do you think...

... when you're 91 you'll have a pillow fight with your great-grandson?
She started it. Really, she did...

... Laura would like a little sister?

... 5 pounds/2.27 kilos of cheese is overdoing it? :)

This is how we do airports

Move over, comin thru!!!

Secret boys' business

Clearly some serious stuff to talk about at the bottom of the slide.

Wow, I never thought about it like that...

I've always wondered when and how the kids will ask questions about the whole US/Aust thing. It's kinda normal, right? You want to see your cousins (so far they're only on one side of the family for our kids...), you get on a plane for double digit hours and then another plane, you drag suitcases through airports, you rent cars and try to fit those suitcases in, drive an hour or more, and there you find... cousins!!!

Daniel: Oh mum, do some people have cousins in the same country???
Mum: [not sure whether to laugh or cry] Yeah, lots of people do. You know how E & C are your cousins? Well they're also cousins with each other and they live in the same country.
Daniel: Wow......... I never thought about it like that!

I thought he was going to be upset that he was missing out... but no. He must think America is a place I visited for awhile when I was little, found a family, then moved back to Australia... :)

So thankful for all the times we've been here so that the kids can know their cousins...

And their grandparents too, of course!