Year after Year

Each year we take a picture of Jake next to one of our Buddhas in the back yard to commerorate his birhday and to see how much he has grown from year to year. Having just had his fourth birthday, it's interesting to look back at the five birthdays photos (including when first born) and see just how much he has grown. It's also a bit scary to think that the last photo was four years ago when it seemed just liked yesterday. The three year old picture is Jake at nearly 3 1/2 as we cannot find the three year old one. We also think Buddha needs a touch up!

My Birthday Weekend

It's been a busy time for mum and dad this weekend. Not only have they made a special effort for my birthday yesterday but they have also had to put up with me hyped to the max on cake, sweets and cordial. What a great combination of foodstuffs that is for me!

Mum and dad organised for a small but select group of friends to meet at the wavepool in Darwin. It's a terrific place for a four year old to play. I went on a boogie board and an inflatable ring and I had brilliant fun riding the waves. We also had chocolate cake and lots of other goodies. Mum came home and had a rest in the afternoon.

For my birthday I got lots of presents including a trampoline (which dad still has to put up), a bouncy castle, crayons, a water slide, heaps of books and games, including buckeroo and a golf game.

This morning M&D took me to Fred's Pass Show which is a country show just outside Darwin. I loved the chickens and cows as well as the boys riding on their bikes on top of sea containers. All good stuff. Mum made a mistake of buying me my first candy floss which I really liked and dad bought me a pancake for my breakfast. Mum and dad have been discussing the effects of junk food on me!

It's great being four!

The Joys of Camping

Well the 'Dry Season' has started and mum and dad took me camping. Last time we went camping was two years ago when I threw up at 4am in the morning and we had to pack up and leave the camp site. But safe in the knowledge that I haven't thrown up since our holiday in Singapore six months ago, mum and dad were sure that the same wouldn't happen again.

We went to Batchelor on the way to Litchfield National Park, about an hours drive from home. We found a really shady camp site and set up camp. Mum and Dad bought a new tent with three rooms and a sun annex. Dad says 'it's the Taj Mahal of tents.' All I know is that it took M&D ages to put it up, and they didn't even bother with the rain fly. Anyway, after the tent was up, Dad said that he needed a drink so off to the bar we went. I had a fruit juice and mum had a coffee. Dad must have been very thirsty as he had another beer.

After that we went to the pool for a swim which was great fun. I had a strawberry milk shake afterwards.

After a few problems with the gas light it was off to bed. In the morning I found a cane toad in the sun annex but Dad didn't keep it there for very long. We also found a frog in the pool and geckos in the toilet. Camping is so interesting.

Shortly after I saw Aoife and Eamon from my child care. They came in late the night before. Eamon said his dad took ages to put their new tent up too! M&D went and had a coffee a I had a babyccino before going into the supermarket in Batchelor. Did I tell you that I hadn't thrown up for ages? Well, Dad had great fun cleaning the supermarket floor and mum was not too pleased to drive back to the camp site with vomit in her hair and in her ears!!!! At least I wasn't sick over the sheets this time!

Eventually, M&D and me had another shower and dad said he needed a beer, so off to the bar again. No strawberry milkshake for me though, even though I wanted one - M&D were firm on this one.

Spent the rest of the day in the pool with Eamon and Aoife which was great fun before having roast dinner in the restaurant. Dad had another beer.

Looking forward to my next camping trip, not so sure about M&D.