Crumpled Home

The day has finally arrived for us to move out. So many things have been packed away that day-to-day living involves battling our way through a cubic cardboard jungle. Things like eating breakfast and dinner, having baths, and building giant robots have become pretty much impossible. We’re spending the night at Grammy’s house, then we move out tomorrow!

Our world is filled with boxes, boxes and more boxes.

Last bath at the old house!

We had breakfast in throw-away, plastic bowls. All the real dishes were already packed!

Goodbye old house!

(Dad walks into bathroom to find LR balancing on her stomach on the edge of the bathtub, legs and waist in, upper body and head out.)

Dad: Umm… LR… What are you doing?

LR: I couldn’t decide if I wanted to get out of the bath yet… So I decided to stop half way.

Dad: Been there long?

LR: A few minutes.

Dad: Good solution.

(while eating breakfast)

RJ: (Pokes spoon between Dad’s fingers and starts twisting… Twist… twist…)

Dad: (Ignores him)

RJ: (Continues with the next gap between fingers… Twist… twist…)

Dad: RJ. What are you doing???

RJ: I’m taking you apart. I have to remove your fingers first.

Dad: What!? Why are you taking me apart? What did I do?

RJ: I created you, so I can take you apart.

Dad: Am I a robot or something?

RJ: Yes. I created you, but you turned out evil. I have to take you apart and rebuild you.

Dad: I hope you get it right this time.

RJ: (yelling from adjoining room) Hey! I’ve got a spider in here… It’s a redback. It’s a really big one.

Dad: (yelling back) Be careful, RJ. I don’t want to see him wandering around the house!

RJ: (peeking head around doorway) It’s okay! It’s okay! I have a leash for him! (holds up skipping rope)

Dad: Be afraid… Be very afraid…

On the weekened, we took a quick trip to the city to watch the finals of the Perth leg of the Red Bull Air Race [wikipedia]. It’s a high-speed race through an obstacle course where pilots attempt to achieve the fastest times slaloming around pylons and performing certain maneuvers.

Earlier this week, during training, one of the pilots smashed his plane into the river. Unlike his plane, he survived with no injuries. Apparently it was the first crash ever in the history of the race, caused by the crazy winds that we get around here. On the day we were there it was perfectly calm, with perfect racing conditions. The Australian pilot placed second, which was great considering the group of veterans and previous winners that were competing.

As usual, we had a great time and followed it up with shaved ice, face painting and balloon animals.

At RBAR 2010, LR had her face painted to match her shirt!

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Look out Quintilian, now there are two…

RJ had his very first day at “big kid school” yesterday. After striding through the door and surveying the room, he wandered up to a table, got to work on an activity and promptly dismissed Mum.

Is there such a thing as being too independent?

RJ and LR arrive at school for their first day back after Autumn break.

(RJ discussing a recent project over breakfast)

RJ: LR made a Toothless. I and J made a Toothless. H made a Toothless… Everyone made a Toothless!

RJ: (grinning) But not me… I made a T Rex with rocket boosters…

RJ: Now that is something really scary… Even if you’re an astronaut.

…

RJ: But don’t worry, I didn’t give him any batteries.

(I had to ask what a Toothless was… Oh, of course… )

(LR and her friend T spent an hour planning their next album)

Band: Zulu Leprechauns

Album: Zulu Leprechauns (self titled)

Tracks:

1. Progress Hurts
2. Answers are Free
3. Tricks are Looking for You
4. Horses Rock
5. Freezing Bubblegum
6. Disco Rainbow / Silent Rainbow
7. Gimme Some Robot
8. Dogs and Cats Skydive
9. 100 Dollar Monsters
10. Step Away from the Pig

What the critics are saying:

“Everyone’s favorite hipsters open with one of their reliably depressing musings on life and time, accompanied by shimmering, aquatic xylophones and drums crashing in a fractured march while a woozy bass spills like a cloud of ink all over everything, before shifting unexpectedly to slowly undulating strings perfectly hinged on a bubblegum melody which is instantly moving, yet nailing gothic disquiet both on and off the page. The second track is a step back in the band’s development, in part due to a beat that sounds like what might happen if “Flight of the Bumblebee” got mixed with the theme from Psycho and random female utterances. The band returns to form, however, with a moving coda of snowballs packed with rock-hard chunks of melody, and in each case, the lead singer’s voice abrades the solid lines down to the bare minimum, and the band fills in the resulting space with pure venom.”

– Pitchfork Review Generator

Easter and the Autumn break rolled around once more, so we took off down south to unwind and relax a little. We brought our friends M, J, J, and I along with us and we all had a great time. Big events this time around were several extreme rock climbing sessions, decorating eggs, the Easter morning hunt, a hike through the Karri forest and the required horse riding.

We made it to the top!

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(while reading stories before bed)

Dad: … that the most likely reason of all, may have been that his heart was two sizes too small…

RJ: That’s why he was so mean.

Dad: Yep. That’s definitely why the Grinch was so mean.

RJ: His heart wasn’t big enough to push all the blood around. He wasn’t getting enough blood in his brain.

Dad: That’ll put anyone in a bad mood.