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The wanting comes in waves

Luke — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:07:41 +0000

(RJ helped sell some things on ebay, and in exchange was allowed to buy something for himself… Instead of getting an actual bird skeleton, something that he’s wanted for a while, he settled for a metal bird-skull on a chain.)

RJ: I can’t believe it! It’s finally here! It took two whole weeks!

Dad: It actually looks good, too. Solid.

RJ: I know! It’s really pretty cool. I think it’ll be pretty popular at school. I bet everyone will want to check it out. That will last about a week, maybe ten days. Then it will be a bit boring again. After that, you know, something else will be cool and who knows what that will be.

RJ feeling just a little bit gansta: Bird skull necklace, hoodie, and random pair of sunglasses that he found.

Happy Mother’s Day, 2012

Luke — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:07:16 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! We hope all you Mom’s had a terrific day. Around here, the kids woke up early, putting together a great breakfast for Mom and tried to let her have a quiet, relaxing morning — before going on their normal weekend rampage.

Wow!!!! LR cooked up a huge batch of waffles and arranged this delicious breakfast for Mum! I'm really looking forward to Father's day.

After chopping strawberries and whipping the cream, RJ carefully arranged Mum's favorite chocolates on the platter.

Salted caramels and dark chocolate Belgian truffles... Mmmmmmm....

Happy Mother' Day!

RJ made a placemat for Mum with lots of reasons why he likes to have her around.

We were all surprised to discover her love of energy drinks and the movie, "Home Alone".

While the outside was decorated with a beautiful drawing of flowers, the inside of LR's card featured a friendly bear.

LR makes sure Mum notices how many X's and O's are across the bottom of the card -- probably enough to last the whole year.

Getting a big hug afterwards is always the best part.

Happy 6th Birthday, RJ!

Luke — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:07:30 +0000

Happy Birthday, RJ!

It’s been a great six years. Thanks for keeping us on our toes and making our days so much more interesting that we ever could have imagined.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Hope you have a brilliant day, RJ!!!!

Diving in with both feet

Luke — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 03:07:22 +0000

Last weekend, LR competed in a diving competition. She was a bit worried because last time around, she didn’t do as well as she wanted to… This time was different…

LR brings all her skills from gymnastics and trampolining to diving.

Precision, precision, precision...

And the result is... First place! WOW! Go LR!!!

LR's best friend I. won second place. Great job girls! What a great team!

Two wheels good, four wheels bad!

Luke — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:07:05 +0000

Over the weekend we took a trip to Rottnest Island and everyone knows that the only sensible way to get around Rottnest is on a bike. There was one problem: RJ was still on training wheels, and you can’t ride all the way across the island on training wheels.

The day before we left, as Dad spent some quality time with the bikes in the garage, RJ practiced balancing as he wheeled himself around and around on the smooth concrete. He wouldn’t accept any help at all.

RJ: Stop! Don’t touch me! You’ll just make me fall over!
Dad: Fair enough. Just a bit of advice, though. You should try to…
RJ: STOP! Stop saying anything! I’m trying to concentrate!

The next day we arrived on Rottnest and the rough, bumpy road surface lay ahead of him, waiting hungrily to scrape the skin off his knees. With only the slightest bit of trepidation he pushed off the ground, lifted his feet to the pedals and he was away!

It was the end of an era... The age of innocence was over... It was time to grow up... The training wheels were gone...

Don't touch me! I don't need help! I've got this!

A look of fierce concentration as he conquers the skill of bike riding without assistance, purely by exerting his fearsome iron will.

He's off and moving fast! He doesn't have braking sorted out yet, but that doesn't stop him... It's your job to keep out of the way.

The reward for all the hard work? Freedom to escape from Mom and Dad and cruise around with his sister.

You know you've finally made it as a bike rider on Rottnest when you cruise down the main street to the pub on your own

Well done RJ! You've got it totally figured out!

A moment later, he was performing his first bike trick: riding past while staring at you, grinning like a madman and yelling, "CHEEEEESE!".

From-the-past: Trampoline Champ!

Luke — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:07:27 +0000

Rewind to February… Mom was hiking in New Zealand… Dad was feeding the kids… There were days they went without shoes. Sometimes, they even got hungry… They were dark, dark days.

In amongst the gloom and chaos, LR was forced to compete against hardened athletes in a trampoline competition.

Find out what happened!!!!

She was all ready to go, fully charged up with bounce.

Trampoline champ!

Luke — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:07:19 +0000

Rewind to February… Mom was hiking in New Zealand… Dad was feeding the kids… There were days they went without shoes. Sometimes, they even got hungry… They were dark, dark days.

In amongst the gloom and chaos, LR was forced to compete against hardened athletes in a trampoline competition. Somehow, despite her hair being done by her father, LR managed to rise up, again and again, soaring into the the sky, capturing first place in her competition.

Well done LR!!!!

She was all ready to go, fully charged up with bounce.

After warm-ups, the team heads off the floor towards the trampolines. LR led the charge.

She was one of the first to compete and wasn't nervous at all.

She is very precise and has great form.

Those years of gymnastics have given her a huge advantage.

After her routine, she waits for the judge's scores...

After everyone competed, they tallied up the points and LR won first place in her division!

First place trampoline champ! Well done!

The whole team did really well. Congrats guys!

How to save an orangutan

Luke — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:07:51 +0000

Towards the end of last year, LR decided she wanted to help some endangered species in whatever way she could. She remembered our local zoo has an orangutan conservation and breeding program with several large, well designed enclosures, and decided that donating money to their program would be a great way to make a difference.

Her idea was to hold an art show where kids at her school could donate two dollars to enter. In return, they would get a certificate and also a chance to win a huge jar of lollies. She hung several of these signs around the school and recruited a few of her friends to help collect money during their lunch breaks.

LR printed out these posters and hung them around the school.

After four weeks, she had a huge jar full of coins and only four pieces of art for the show. It turns out the kids wanted to win the jar of candy more than be in an art show. She called off the art show, but continued the lolly competition.

After weeks of work, she had collected over $250 dollars!

LR didn’t mind, though — every bit of money would help the orangutans. At the end of the school year, the winner’s name was drawn from a hat by the school principal. The winner of the lollies was a second grader and not even one of her friends.

We contacted the Perth Zoo who were really excited to have LR come in. They presented her with a certificate and showed her around.

During the school holidays, we contacted the zoo who were delighted to have LR come in and tell her story. They presented her with a certificate and gave her a tour. Unfortunately, the uncooperative giraffes wouldn’t come over to be fed, but she had a great time anyway.

Good job, LR! We’re amazed at what you accomplished. You definitely made a huge difference.

Well done LR! We can't believe you did this all yourself. We're so proud of you.

First day of school, 2012

Luke — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:07:14 +0000

After a stressful evening of packing school bags and reviewing essential school and office supplies (including psychedelic liquid filled rulers and pencil sharpeners), the kids are ready for the first day of school.

RJ is starting Year 1 and LR enters Year 4! Congrats guys!

The first day of school. Welcome to Year 1, RJ. Welcome to Year 4, LR!

Everything was all very friendly until we reached the school gate... and then LR insisted that she not be followed to her classroom. Parents are just too embarrassing.

RJ waits at the door to his classroom. He's totally ready for Year 1, but are they ready for him?

Invasion!!!

Luke — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:07:26 +0000

While we were away (yes, pictures from our holiday are coming soon), RJ and LR worked on their art skills. While LR interwove a broad spectrum of stories, pictures and poems, RJ turned his laser-like focus towards drawing aliens in preparation for invasion (project 1).

The Party Alien is on the way. He is a lot of fun, but his sword is super sharp.

The Science Alien uses "Alien Google" on his computer for answering questions about anything in the universe. He also has his grandmother with him, but she has to stay downstairs.

The Mum Alien has extra eyes and arms for keeping baby aliens out of trouble

The Warrior Alien has extra sharp teeth and spikes on his head.

The Strongest Alien can lift pretty much anything.

The Scary Alien will grab you with his arms and tentacles. You can't escape him.

The Twin Aliens are the sneakiest. While you are watching one, the other is smashing everything up. When you try to stop him, the first one runs away and laughs at you.