July - Mid winter?!

Well another month has passed and we all feel like we haven't stopped recently, we have been doing something every weekend for quite a while now, so I will break this post up as there are quite a lot of photos.

It is still winter here, but the rain seems to have gone and now it is cold at night (down to 7 some nights) but the days are lush, averaging around 24, beautiful clear big blue skies and little wind.  The sea is still a little chilly, it's warm enough to go in but the little breeze there is chills you, so me and the boys don't last long in the sea, Tris is still in surfing though.

The boys are still enjoying school and loving living in the street still, they are hardly in, between school and playing with their friends, they are only in when it's dark or there is food involved!

Tris is working a lot at the mo, which isn't so great, his hours seem to have gradually increased, so he is very tired but we are still making the most of the weekends.

My course is going well, still slowly but I am getting through the units.

As the weather is sooo lovely at the mo, a couple of days in the week, we are all heading down to the beach after school and work to enjoy the last of the sun for the day which has been nice.

Reuben is still going well with his swimming lessons and Rowan has ditched swimming and started yoga, which he loves.  He even practices in his room before school some days.

Spring is just round the corner here and we have planted some herbs and tomatoes, bot tried growing any veggies here yet, but we thought we should give it a go.  With spring though has come pollen and Rowans asthma is back, only mildly but it is there.  Keeping his window shut at night seems to help though, so far its all ok.

Anyway I will stick some photos on here now, I will put our camping ones on separately as there is a lot of them......

Tristan and Rowan catching the sunrise at Dicky Beach

Bug show

Reuben holding a stick insect

Rowan with a dead moth

Annie, Lara and Lara's kids came to stay with us for the weekend, we showed them around and had a lovely weekend.  We were all knackered by this point so the ice creams were well needed!

Neo, Lara's youngest.  Rowan and Neo have become really good buddies.  Rowan loves Neo and spends a lot of time making him laugh, it's very sweet.

ansum pasties made by Tris (the biggest one is Rowans cheese one and yes he ate it all!)

Rowan is getting quite musical and loves his music lessons at school.  He will quite often pick up the guitar and strum something.

Yes the Boo is still bonkers!

Tris and his lovely pasties!

Pasties, paper bags and sunshine (although just as we finished the sky went grey and it proper chucked it down!)

Play dough olympic torch

A happy man cleaning his and half the neighbour hoods bikes!  We went to a nearby lake with 2 other families for a bbq and day out.  7 boys in total.  Tris took them all for a bike ride through the bush, they all came back muddy and happy :)

 

Time flies.......

when you're having fun, and we've been having lots of it.

I did promise myself I would update this more often, but life seems to get in the way, so I think now I will resign myself to the fact that I update it monthly.  One problem with that though is sometimes there will be a LOT of photos!

So what have we been doing?  Well the last 2 weeks have been school holidays, which has just been wonderful.  It was lovely to spend quality time with the boys doing loads of fun stuff, fun free stuff at that and enjoying each others company.  Unfortunately Tris didn't get any extra time off, which was the only bummer.

The sun was shining most days and we made the most of it by having picnics in parks, going to the beach, going to friends houses for playdates, going to the movies (to watch Despicable Me 2 - very funny!), going to the science museum in Brisbane, going to the markets, doing free workshops and just really enjoying our local area and new found friends.

It has been a bit of a shock going back to school, well the boys love it, but it is really quite at home, although plenty to be keeping busy with.

I can't really think of much to write so I think I will just pop the photos on and explain as I go.....

World Environment Day Festival

It was a great free day out at the local university

This table was musical instruments made from rubbish, the boys loved it

On this table he had pumps and things attached things.  Rowan loved the rubber glove blower upper!

That look says it all really, eh?  Yes they did love it!

Face painting fairy was free too, the boys lined up for 45 mins, they have learned if it's free it's worth queuing for!

We weren't sure the fairy would do spiderman, so Rowan asked for something awesome, her response: Spiderman?

Then its was Boo's turn

Another skeleton/zombie

There were loads of free kids workshops too, this one was Renata the recycling lady, she has really made a mark on the boys - Rowan told me off the other day for leaving on a light!

Random shot of one of our local beaches - Moffat Beach

This is the view from Point Cartwright.  Somewhere we have been meaning to go for ages and finally went the other week.  It was lovely, you can see miles down the beaches and surf was beautiful that day.  We went up to the lighthouse for a picnic and hoped to see whales off the headland but none.  We did however watch a bunch of teenage boys sit in a bush with a rubber snake on a bit of fishing line tricking all the passers by.  It was quite funny as lots of people fell for it, including us at first! 

A winters day here in Queensland

The boys had their first semester school reports.  Both were amazingly good and they were both very proud.  We knew Rowan would get a good report, but we were quite amazed at Reubens.   He gained an academic exellence award, which means he is in the top 5 of his class and he got to go up on stage to be acknowledged.  (They are not in uniform as it was community day, where they could go in dressed as a caring role model form your community, Reuben went as a Daddy!)

Day out in Brisbane

Science Museum, great fun, rubbish photos though

The start of the school holidays, we made marshmallow shooters with some friends on the street

Half of the street gang armed with their marshmallow shooters, Rowans went furthest!

Reuben still badly wants a dog, so as a compromise we walk our friends 2 dogs, this is Lilly

And this is Amos

Trees, boys and beach

Our first 4wd trip, through Mapleton National Park

A very happy man and his 4b

We drove to high lookouts and waterfalls, walked in the rain and had an awesome day out

Would you trust these two?  I wouldn't!

Scribbly Gum, the boys favourite tree to point out on a walk.  The bark naturally makes these cool little scribbles

Mapleton Falls - 120m (rubbish photo though!)

Eumundi Markets school holiday fun, science workshops

Gloopy Goop

A trip to the beach for some fish and chips and sandcastles

They spent half an hour making a track for the ball to roll down by sliding their bums along the sand!

Add caption

running races at the lake

A shot just for you, Dad

I finally went to the hairdressers yesterday and am happy with the result

So thats the last month all wrapped up just in time before picking the boys up from school.  We have friends staying with us this weekend and then in a few weeks time we are planning a camping trip to break up the long term, but for now its beaches and parks to enjoy this beautiful sunny winter weather :)