Sunday Afternoon Painting

The children just LOVE to paint... maybe because it really is an 'event' when it happens. Often when they ask, there's just not enough time to fit it in along with the packing up!

This first one is by Nathaniel - interesting picture, reminds me of the aerial views of the amazon which we're about to look at as part of our South America study in January

Also by Nathaniel - I'm keen to ask him about this one. Must make a mental note to do so.
I can't decide if it's one creature that is both green and yellow, or two creatures hugging?

There next two are both by Melinda - she loves to paint things she knows

Again - a painting of what she knows - her roads usually are going to somewhere specific though. Mental note: Ask her where!

Next time we get the paints out I'm going to mix colours... orange, purple, brown etc and maybe the time after that, pastels?

Edited to add that Nj's picture is of a robot going through a hole in a fence (gate) and Melinda's road is going to McDonalds *chuckle*

Stay Tuned for Photo's

We arrived back from our holiday this afternoon - it was a wonderful time away. Stay tuned for photo's, the camera is yet to be unpacked.

The children are all bathed... I'm going to be locking myself in the bathroom before bed... and now they're in bed. A little excited as it's Melinda's 7th birthday tomorrow which seems to be more than enough to take the sting off the end of the holiday!

We spent a day at Dreamworld - a picture perfect day at that as we all behaved beautifully and just had a lovely lovely day enjoying the entertainment, the weather and each other.
Timothy was hilarious. Looking really suspicious when Pete took him on the first ride (slow flying blues clues) but hey - he loved it and burst into tears when it was time to get off!
That was followed by the merry go round (my turn), spinning tea cups (pete again) and then onto rides for older kids. Melinda and Nj did love the toddler rides though.
Pete and Nj took a 'dodgem car' for a spin - what are the called nowadays?
Then it was the sponge-bob square pants flying ride. Melinda and Nj needed persuading for this one but once convinced loved it enough to ride twice in a row.
We got to the log ride and I got soaked, then the river rapids ride twice (Nj calls this the wippet wappits ride *grin*)
A train ride, a couple of food stops and I can't remember what else... and then Pete took M & Nj back the next day while I stayed at the appartment with Timothy.

We then had a couple of days to play in the pool etc, lunch with friends and then it was into seminar which Pete and I thoroughly enjoyed. We were blessed to have Pete's parents on the Gold Coast for their annual trip and they looked after the kids for 1/2 the seminar, reducing our need for paid babysitters.

Now it's time to get back into real life and I feel relaxed, refreshed and more focused than I have in a long time.

Pete is now working hard at assembling a bike for Melinda's birthday in the morning, so he's back into it all too. He does love an excuse to get the tools out, I must say!

Nathaniel's Lego creations are getting better and better every time he plays. I am so glad we've stayed away from kit Lego and instead left it to the children's imaginations, the way Lego was, when I was a child! Children are given too much 'ready to do' things these days and it drives me NUTS! LOL
This one here that you can see, is not yet finished - I don't have the latest photo of it... it now has a roof and on a safe shelf (ie out of Timothy's reach) so that he can add to it again and again.
We're going to add to the Lego collection in a big way once our house settlement loosens finances... and the more I see him work with the small collection he has, the more I am excited about this!