I just love this photo of my boys – although Samuel looks a little freaked out.

Thomas loves his little brother. So glad I could capture this moment. I swear I didn’t even set it up. It just happened.

I suspect this may be part of the reason he’s not sleeping well at night. Samuel was supposed to be having some tummy time but about 2 minutes into it he fell fast asleep. Sometimes I struggle to keep him awake during the day but apparently at 4am it’s party time!

“Horsing Around”. Thomas has a dinosaur book (a Dr. Seuss one) that explains the traits of some of the Dinosuars. Apparently the Iguanadon liked to attack people with its thumbs so lately Kei has been coming after Thomas with a cry of “I’ll Iguanadon You!” Much laughter and fun follows. Unfortunately it doesn’t do a whole lot to wind Thomas down before bed.

A summer’s day at the rose garden in our local park. I just love the energy of this place when the weather gets warm. This photo can only portray a little of what was going on – wedding photos, families having fun, dogs running through the fountain, a guy filming on an old video camera and this random bike just sitting in the middle of the space and waiting for its photo to be taken.

It’s been a while since I got a good swing shot. And even longer since I got one with Thomas doing his “cheese” face. Took this one at our regular pot luck night at the house of our friends Warren and Michelle. Their son Colson has the BEST backyard setup. I dream of a yard like theirs. Cool play equipment, a little bit of grass and a nice relaxing paved area where Mum can sit back on a warm summer day and just watch the kids play and read a magazine. We’re working on it.

I have so many photos of Kei and Thomas in this very same postion from when Thomas was a baby. Good to see the tradition is continuing.

Nan’s last day with the Ishida’s before embarking on the marathon plane trip back to Australia. Just two months until we see her again. Assuming I am able to get Samuel his passport in time, that is. I am praying that his birth certificate arrives this week so I can get started on the application and avoid the last-minute “will it arrive in time” stress. Not to be confused with the “are we really taking a 24 hour plane trip to Australia with a Toddler and an Infant” stress. That comes later.

I took Mum out for afternoon tea as a little thank-you for helping us survive our first month as parents of two. So nice not having to worry about laundry or dinner for a whole month. Although I still think she does the laundry too often and I won’t even get started on our differing philosophies about ironing (I mean what is the point of ironing pants that you will be wearing on a plane for 24 hours?). Not that I don’t appreciate it all. I REALLY do. I am just not going to put myself under any pressure to maintain the high standard.

Afternoon tea was at a little restaurant on the Columbia River called Salty’s that I have been wanting to try for a while. Apparently they have a very good (kid friendly) weekend brunch that we will have to try out soon.

Sometimes you buy a toy for your child and you know they will like it. They may even play with it for a few weeks before it becomes old news and something bigger and better comes along. But every now and then you buy a toy that becomes a trues obsession. A toy they look forward to playing with when they get home from a day out. A toy, most importantly, that can be used as leverage. EFFECTIVE leverage.

Buzz Lightyear has become that toy. For days after we gave it to him, Thomas would just spontaneously tell us how lucky he was and how much he loved his Buzz Lightyear toy. He would ask if we bought it for him (the toy was a combined gift from Mummy, Daddy, Samuel and Nan). He would get dressed have breakfast and brush his teeth just so he would have a chance to play with Buzz. And truly amazing things happen if we threaten to take Buzz away – anything is possible.

Of course now he is asking for a new Woody toy (the very cheap, small one I bought for him is a little worn out) and he wants Army Men and a Mr Potato Head. And did I mention that we have watched Toy Story about 20 times in the past two weeks? It’s so bad that I had to buy Toy Story 2 just so we could watch something different. Of course Thomas only wants to watch the penguin singing at the very end of the movie so we haven’t had a chance to watch it all the way through.