Adam demonstrates his advanced gardening technique

Evidence would suggest that someone has had a hand in the marshmallows. Now to figure out who – I just can’t quite put my finger on it.

In other news: elephants are close relatives of dassies, and pandas literally have pissing contests.

You just know this is going to end with Adam jumping down, swinging from a rope and bumping his head.

Adam learnt to pedal on his “big” bike in September but hasn’t really been interested in that bike too much, spending most of his riding time on his balance bike.

The balance bike is just too small for him now so we decided to try again. He was keen, and after a few (quite a few) laps around the pool helping him balance he was on his way riding on his own.

Still some work before the mountain bike track, but he is doing really well and looking super comfortable. He managed three clean unassisted laps around the pool today….tomorrow it is time to venture out around the circle.

Grace has decided that she is ready to stop ballet and would rather learn to play an instrument, so Saturday was her last demo/recital. She started when she was three, so six years later this era is coming to an end. She enjoys it, enjoys shows and performing, but over the past few months she has had a dip in her energy to go to classes and practice. It just seems like her time for this is now done.

https://youtu.be/W3BKMxOMu2w

When the doctor gives you frightened eyes and says you definitely need to take your boy to hospital, then it’s time to pack, make sure you have enough to entertain Adam (because hospitals are always slow) and off you go.

Donné was giving her baking class, so I had the two boys and after a night of Eli coughing and wheezing we had an appointment to see the doctor. She thought he may have pneumonia.

After chest xrays at the hospital and a visit from the paediatrician it was looking more like asthma but with his rapid breathing they kept him overnight.

Eli was super excited about the bed and his own personal bathroom…

https://youtu.be/qtYPLaeeB_A

He’s doing much better today and was discharged this morning.

It’s a ponycorn!

https://youtu.be/V8xnj6cZD1I

I’m having lots of these moments where I feel like my children are growing up, becoming more of themselves, doing the unexpected.

Today Grace arrived home after singing, while Eli was at swimming with Donné. Adam was watching some TV and I was working in my office. I went downstairs for some reason and see Grace filling up the kettle, so I asked her if she was making tea or hot chocolate for herself.

No, that’s not what I’m doing. Okay, so why are you boiling the kettle? I’m going to wash the dishes. Oh, okay – thanks Grace. What made you decide to do that? They’ve just been here for too long, so I thought they needed to be cleaned.

That was certainly surprising, and very kind of her to do. I can’t quite say why, maybe it was just because she did a chore without any prompting, but it made me feel like she is growing up and becoming even more of her own person.

Adam moved up to the preschool class (from the toddler class) today. Now he is in class with Eli for a term which they are both excited about.

Eli says he did “the frog cycle,” built a puzzle and licked some people. We’ll call it a win.

Eli turned 6 and got to stroke a cheetah.

He also had his birthday circle at school yesterday