out to breakfast (too early)

 

 

It was one of those mornings.  One of those mornings when the kids are up well before roosters and refuse to return to dreamland.  So we're up.  And there is only one place open at this time to get these kids out of the house and that's Speciality Inn graced in the past by the likes of Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Carter, and some  crazy bum named Harold.  And they serve M&M pancakes which Papa (stupidly) in his fatigued state decided to order for his kids.  They looked disgusting but were a big hit with the miniature diners.  As a parent, you try and savour the moments while they are young and still kind of like you.  As a human being, you just want to go to sleep (as Schuyler did right after breakfast - even with a belly full of sugar and chocolate).

beauty parlor

 

 

Well, Schuyler had received one haircut in the past but the time had come again to chop the locks.  This time we went to a real hair salon where Schuyler could not believe her luck.  As she sat in the booster seat and Shannon (no relation) clipped her hair back and sprayed it, Schuyler absolutely beamed with joy and pride.  She was positively thrilled... and so was her Papa who fully understood that it could have easily gone the other way!

hurricane leslie

 

 

 

 

 

The first of several hurricanes to graze our shores this Autumn, Hurricane Leslie came... on a weekend (they always seem to come on the weekend).  The good news is that she veered away from us as contact time approached so we only had tropical storm force winds (for 24 hours) and hurricane force winds.  The even better news is that we maintained electricity the whole time(!) which meant that being stuck inside for 24 hours was much more tolerable (as above) than it otherwise would have been.  But even without the lure of television (which only lasts so long fortunately) we were able to entertain ourselves with arts, crafts, and custom made sunglasses which are sure to be fashion must-have in 2013.

brushing

 

I'd love to begin this post by saying our kids are diligent teeth brushers and that we enforce this routine with a rigour Stalin only dreamed of but that, sadly, would be a large overstatement of the facts.  The truth is we try.  And many nights a week they do get them teeth scrubbed.  Fortunately, no cavities so far!  We have been counseled by her dentist that we will be paying her significant amounts of money in the tween years with braces and some sort of headgear but for now - s'all good.

happy 27th mummy

 

For Mama's birthday, Schuyler and Papa secreted away and made a cake (the first time Papa had ever made a cake in his life!) for her.  The patriotic sprinkles were Schuyler's idea.  Then we met Mama for lunch in town and just plain had a really nice day.  We love our Mama.

playing at the new house

There's so much roooooom here!  The kids can actually get exercise here (even with the remaining unpacked boxes)

The South Shore beginning to roar pre-storm

 

Now our yard space is considerably reduced but much more accessible and usable!  Hence, the playground gets more use... it's just so much easier and more fun for All Da Family.

lunch and dinner

 

 

Lunch at Rustico.  An homage to Kim and Ward Baby.

At March Hill, it is so much easier to have people over.  This impromptu gathering involved lots of swimming, testing out the new bbq, and feeding the kids al fresco.

March Hill

 

 

 

The "Guest Suite" aka "The Pool House" - not glamorous accommodations but still somewhere decent where guests from overseas can come stay and have their own quarters with a fridge, coffee maker, and bathroom.  to make life easier for our guests, there is also a supermarket only a two minute walk away, a nature reserve for walks just three minutes walk away, and a beautiful beach just a ten minutes walk away! Please take this note as an Open Invitation to BermyBaby readers (hint! hint!).

 

So we are in our new house and, boy, does it make a huge difference to our lives.  We'd been looking for a new place for well over a year and this place fit the bill in so many ways.  Charlie and Schuyler have their own rooms and, most importantly, I am writing this from our new office/playroom.  Finally, Charlie doesn't live in our office and we can actually use it!  Plus, it is also a playroom where all the kid [stuff] can stay in roughly one place so adults can spend time in the living room or dining room without having to dodge the kid-based debris that used to dominate our old quarters.  And we are also back in our old neighbourhood of Smith's Parish where we can hopefully return to morning walks with the dog.  And we're only 7 minutes from Schuyler's school which makes our commute easier, driving by a horse farm and bucolic fields.

As if this weren't enough, we have an amazing view and a POOL!  At first, we were a bit daunted because we felt like there were no adults to supervise.  Soon, we realised that we were the adults and jumped in.  The kids LOVE it and we have made very, very good use of it - swimming almost every day.  Winter will soon rule this out for a while but next summer will rock!

new house, new bed

 

With our move we have upgraded Charlie to a toddler bed.  One of our friends asked where we had gotten it because of its unique finish; she thought it was one of those shabby chic looks.  Nope, just shabby.  Charlie adored it from first glance.  "My bed.  Charlie bed.  My room.  Charlie room."

farewell castle cottage/kookaburra

Helping with the packing.

Seeing this makes me sad.  We're leaving the house where my kids were born and grew up.  It's all they've ever known.  And before we leave, Mr Beek will paint over the marks a family leaves on a home, including the notches of their height outside the kitchen.  It's sad but it is a good and necessary new beginning.  Farewell, Kookaburra.