Sometimes I insist my job as mother is hard, demanding, relentless, etc, etc. And it is. But then there are times when I actually think that relentlessness is something I am coming to love. Because there
is something sweet about them wanting the goodnight hug in bed, rather than just in the kitchen. And
"can we just play Uno one more time?!" is really just them wanting to hang out.
And then there's vacations, holidays. Which are still relentless. All mums seem to have a different way of saying it, but basically I call it "life in a different location" because it all just keeps going.
I've had a many weeks of
holidays over the past couple months (3 weeks in the U.S., followed by 2 weeks back to school, then 2 weeks of school holidays, which we have now finished). The memories are good, and the relentlessness was actually really fun.
Andrew on the plane saying, "what? flying with 3 is easy!"
Hello cockpit! So nice they still let kids do this sometimes!
Visiting good friends from Stanford meant
new friendships for the kids. Good fun.
Amazing how playing on an iPhone can
break the ice with a 2-year old. Silly Elliott.
Annie's hair salon!
Daniel loved little Annie
The best we could do for a photo (the kids took it),
of course only remembering at the last minute.
You did it Laurie, mother of five now!
Didn't take a lot of camping pics
(Jenn, I never actually remembered to get yours...)
Silly cousins after a talent show
Lots of time with cousins and grandparents
Laura the fix-it girl with her toolbelt.
I think Grandpa's handyman skills are rubbing off...
Huge American pancakes, of course! Yum.
Seems kids like to peek in on photos... :)
Making bread with my Grandma - thanks Grandma,
I know you don't measure anything normally,
but I just want to make bread and be able to say it was your recipe!
My grandma playing on the iPad,
which talked back to her. Too fun!
Cuddles with Gramma
Good times with old friends (the mums) and new friends (the kids)
Hiking to a waterfall
Fun with Gramma and Grandpa!
Saying goodbye at the airport. Love you Aunty Jill.
Sometimes layovers can be wonderful when it means I get to see a great friend and her baby for a couple great hours while Andrew takes the kids to the aquarium!
Just before the school holidays I ended up having eye surgery. Very sorry if you would rather not see this photo, but there are some [Jenn] who love this stuff, so here it is! Red, swollen eyeball for weeks. Not as painful as it looks, but continually exhausting, and no driving for a week meant for a low-key week with the kids (thus playing Uno so many times!)
\
While I recovered in bed for a much of each day, the kids found empty boxes and played outside for hours with them on their hands.
Childhood is so blissful.
Nick learned to ride a bike last year, but has really gotten it now!
We watched the builders every day during the holidays.
As soon as they finished the deck we had a hot chocolate on it.
Laura and Nick got to abseil at this cool forestry exhibit in town. Seriously, they abseiled! Even if the guy was controlling the rope for them, they still were gutsy enough to step off the platform and come down. That's when you know your kids are blood-related to you! :)
A weekend at Bruny, and Dad suggested Scrabble - that's a first!
He won.
Also a first.
So it's all relentless, but whatever, I'm going with it. It's kinda once in a lifetime. :)
