"You talking to me!?"

Day 15

Meal times are always colourful in our house, in more ways than one. Cohen prefers to feed himself...so we normally resort to putting a paint smock under his bucket bib and have the dogs waiting in the wings to 'dust bust' the floors. He gets a treat and watches TV while he enjoys his lunch, which actually makes things run a little smoother (and lets me get a few things done) while he is amused by 'sid the science kid' or 'dinosaurs'. I have caught him a couple of times laughing to himself and today i actually found him talking to the TV with exaggerated hand movements...i almost missed it as i was trying not to laugh while reaching for the camera. So much fun!

jx

Our first attempt at crayons...

Day 14

Well a day of rain called for some indoor activities. So i decided to see if we were old enough to play with crayons....result, well you can see for yourself. There was pretty much no drawing and lots of eating. Cohen's face as he realised that they were in fact not edible was priceless. Then he decided that the taste wasn't too bad and tried different colours, just to be sure that there wasn't a fruit stick hidden inside. I proceeded to tell him not to put them in his mouth and out came the cheek. He looked me in the eyes and walked his fingers over to a crayon, thinking that he would be able to get away with it without me noticing....hhhmmmm. Cohen 0, mum 1!

In all was a lot of fun and so great to watch him discover a new thing in his world!

jx

Winter Sun

Day 13

I know i keep harping on about this but we are having the best winter! Days filled with sunshine but fresh enough to layer up. I can get the washing dried and put away all in one day, have enough free time to go to the park with Cohen to soak up the vitamin D. Today we checked out the park at West End, all recovered from the January floods, and ready for 2 little toddlers to explore, and explore they did. We have sticks and bark in the mouth, down the jumper and stuck to the pants - all equating to a super fun day with great friends!

jx

King of his castle...

Day 12

Happy Monday all! We definitely had a much happier day than those in last week, no teething troubles to report on...we did however decide not to have an afternoon sleep so off to the park we went to burn some energy. Not realising how busy it would be during school holidays; Cohen was in his element watching all the older kids run and climb around...mean while i was busy trying to keep him on 2 feet as the bigger kids whooshed past him. He managed to climb up to the top of the equipment with an accomplished look on his face and was happy just to sit following their every move with such inquisitiveness. Getting him down was another story. Not wanting to leave his vantage point i chased him from side to side until after some negation and instructions i taught him to back down the stairs himself. I love all the new skills he is learning these days.

Giving me some blue steel has he tried to hide from my clutching hands not wanting to come down

jx

Thrill seeker!

Day 11

What can i say, the boy's got no fear...we dropped into to Cohen's Aunts to say hi and found a kidie coaster out the front for sale in her garage sale. Cohen's feet could barely touch the ground, however this did not stop him from launching off the top full speed down the drive. Got to hand it to the kid, he does have some nice balance, he held of the whole way as he screamed with laughter and pushed his legs to go faster. Lets hope this is a sign that he'll love the snow for our next NZ trip!!!!

I love Lynny's face in the background!!! He was so pleased with himself...such a little man already.

jx

Little bit from column A, little bit from column B...

Day 10

With a Gen Alpha on our hands, the overwhelming need for technology will be more than we can imagine. I have read and also had some very interesting conversations recently about how to tackle the issue of 'how much technology should we expose our one year old to"!? My response on the whole thing is 'a little bit from column A, and a little bit from column B'. OUr children will grown up in a very deferent world to what we remember, with so much stimulation and options, they are going to need to know how to process it all. I am not going to take the self righteous stance and think that Cohen will not want and need to know all about the latest and greatest (especially if he is anything like his father), however i am also conscious that too much of a good thing can have a negative result. After all the boy is only 1! So my plan is to make him aware and understand the world around him; weather that be how our plants in the vegie garden grow, or what wet paint feels like when its smooshed into his hands (and his hair and mouth) and also how to use and understand how technology works. I believe that things such as ipads can be a great learning tool for kids and if they grown up with them it will be second nature, and hopefully advantageous. Don' get me wrong you are not going to see Cohen playing games solo on the ipad however reading books or learning about what sounds different animals make with Chad is a-o-k with me.

jx

Thankful #1 - You love them a little bit more when they are asleep

Thankful for blissful sleeping child, so calm and peaceful. I watch him all day long, the little wheels in his head turning as he explores and discovers his world. All that discovery calls for some downtime, to recharge and reboot...i want you to know i love you my little man...i love you - exactly the way you are!


jx

Keeping the cold out!

Day 9

Cohen is a creature of habit and the day can not start without a play on the deck. He will stand at the door immediately after breakfast and jump up and down until he is released into the fresh crisp cold of our winter mornings. This brings with it a whole lot of issues when trying to keep him warm...beanies tend to be thrown off the side of the deck to the waiting dogs below, who are all to happy to unravel it and destroy any chance that he will have of wearing it again. SO i have resorted to layers and layers (have even bought some girls tights to wear under his pants poor thing), all topped off with a hoodie. This is one of my fav's, an american purchase that reminds me of our white christmas whenever he wears it!

jx

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bOOks!

Day 8.

Its no surprise that one of Cohen's first words was boo-k! He even managed book before 'mum mum mum mum mum', which only comes out when he is pulling on the leg of my pants wanting something.

He is always carrying, looking at or pulling apart a book...i must admit it does bring me some comfort that he has taken such in interest into them, hopefully this trend will continue. Although the remote, iphone or ipod are number 2 3 & 4 on the favourites list...his love of books might be short lived!

jx

ZzZzZzZzZzzz....

Day 7

Finding solace in the electric toothbrush for some very 'hurties' teeth....

jx

Sad little teething toddler...

Day 6

Found one small child rolling on the floor gumming his Sophie le giraffe...poor Sophie has had a work out over the past year...her spots have almost completely disappeared and she has one big gash to her neck...money well spent!


jx

Cheeky...

Day 5

I love the determination Cohen has...he has been walking since his 1st Birthday and every day he tries to push is limits and learn something new. Speed seams to be his new quest...running away from me, chasing the dogs with a crazed look in his eye and the most devilish laugh and just running to see how far he can get. The cutest part is when he falls, looks around to see if anyone saw then pops his bum up in the air, lifts himself back to his feet and continues on his way...love is so simple!


jx

The first of the birthdays...

It started with the invite....i wanted a small gathering of family and friends to celebrate Cohen's first year in this world, little did i know that a month of planning would lead to an 'event'...i did have the best time though, and all the planning payed off with a relaxed fun day filled with smiles and laughter!

I ran with the 'Picnic theme' and had a turf covered food and deserts table, filled with yummy treats for all...topped off with the brightest cake you have seen (i tried to make red and as i added more colour it just got brighter and brighter - nothing like red food die for a one year old!)....
Cohen was surrounded by so much love it was so beautiful to see all who have supported us over the past year - it has been one hell of a ride! We are so lucky to have the best friends and family in the world!!!!

Thank you to all who were able to make this day an amazing first birthday, and thanks for all the generosity - we can now set up a play group in our home...how new one little boy would have so many toys!!!


jx 

Birth Charts

I made this birth chart for a good friend of mines little girl Haidyn. I took the colours and elements from her room decor so that it matched the cute girly theme Belinda has made for her girls...

jx

Miss P turns 1!

Cohen's little friend turned 1 a couple of weeks ago and i was asked to do up an invite and cupcake toppers...above is a printable party pack for Miss P's pastel party theme.

Such a cutie in layers of ruffles. Cohen enjoyed the pink cupcake with pink icing, oh yep sugar overload...lucky this type of thing only happens once a year : )


jx

mAd As A hAtter

A friend of mine asked if i could help style her new business launch event. She wanted to go as 'Mad as a Hatter', so we had a lot of fun. With tiny "drink me" bottles of juice, vintage tea sets and decor, and all the high tea goodies you could ask for. The day was great, with perfect weather and an amazing turn out. One very happy Fergie Ferg was in the house.

jx

Dads chops

Day 4

There is no doubt that like father like son, Cohen could hide a bag of lollies in those cheeks! Guess its a little extra cushioning for when he falls now he thinks his ability to walk means that he can also run like an Olympian and climb like a ninja! You will also notice the stream of dribble running strong as he tried to figure out how the laptop charger works, i seriously think this kid is going to be an engineer with how inquisitive he is with how and why things work they way hey do. I do hope that he gives himself a rest from the teething after this batch comes through though, we are rounding #13 & #14 making the flow of dribble more like a tap that needs a washer replaced...not  a good thing when its so cold!

jx

Birth Announcement

Van's birth announcement....

The result of one adorable bambino+an hour of being the cutest 'male model'+a little bit of photoshop = Van's birth announcement!


jx 

My first attempt at newborn photography

My beautiful friends had their first child on the 04.06.11 and i was lucky enough to capture him at just 4 days old. I love newborn photography and have always wanted to see just how tricky it is....so we set the heater on high and fed little Van up so he warm warm and sleepy, these are the results.
A big thank you to Matt and Jana for letting me shove a camera in their little mans face for a couple of hours (and thanks to Matt for keeping Cohen occupied and away from the heater haha). 
Now all i need is another friend to have a baby so i can go for round #2 haha...any takers???


jx

Poor kid - look what your mum dresses you in...

Day 3

Winter is truly upon us and its funny how as soon as the mercury drops below 10, Queenslanders (well those on the coast at least), shiver and complain like its the worst thing in the world. I guess thats why we are called the sunshine state, although the sun has been out in full for some amazing days! So just quietly i would like to say 'i LOVE winter'....snuggling under the doona, dressing in all the layers, cooking yummy hot soups, and drinking red wine, mmmmm. Yep i seriously think i'm the only one in this state that loves the cold...the only thing that is missing is a snow covered mountain, and its nowhere near cold enough for that so don't see what people are complaining about. A couple of weeks and people will be able to pull out the pluggers again so 'suck it up'!
Mean while the cold does pose the challenge of how to keep one small child warm and snot free. Thus we have resorted to tights under trackies and beanies, much to his disapproval. Poor kids going to hate me when he's older and looks back at some of the photos...

jx

Bubbles and bubbles of fun!

Just had to add these....bath time in our household is so much fun! Cohen is pretty much at his happiest when he's in the bath...and why not!? What kid really likes having their clothes on anyway. A bath can fix a grumpy boy and chills out a sleepy little man, ready for a good night sleep! Speaking of sleep thinks its time to sleep myself...night x


jx

A wonderful day for sunshine

Day 2

Today would go close to a 'perfect winters day'...sunshine, family and lots of smiles! These are some of my favourite pics of the day...


jx 

Today's as good as any other...

Day 1.

Well today is the day of the first post....like many before me i have resorted to blogging my spare time away...

My goal is to include my inspirations, loves, and thoughts as well as anything else i may find along the way. You will also find spelling and grammatical errors galore and stuff that just makes no sense at all, and thats just me!

I have decided to set myself a new project of taking a photo every day for a year...not a new concept at all, but a new challenge so why not. And if nothing else hopefully after the year i will be slightly better at taking photo's.

Till next time....

j x