This Moment #17

{This Moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Australia Day 2012

Me Being a Clown on Australia Day

January 26 was Australia Day.  What is Australia Day?  Basically Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788.  Now there is a little controversy that surrounds Australia Day especially among the indigenous community where it is often referred to as “Invasion Day” or “Survival Day”.  I am not going to comment too much about that though because my opinion on the topic has been known to offend in the past.  All I will say, personally, I feel it is time to let go of the past and move on.

Anyway, I got a little distracted there, we Taylors LOVE Australia Day and personally it is one of my most favourite public holidays.  It’s a time to get dressed up silly, kick back, have fun, relax, drink beer, eat nice food and celebrate being an Aussie (or in my case, celebrate living in Australia).  Last year’s Australia Day was going to take a bit of beating and it didn’t look like we were going to be off to a good start when all community celebrations in the South East were cancelled due to the weeks of rain beforehand.  No community celebrations meant no free breakfast and no rides for the kids L

Jacob with his Tick and Teddy

Wynnum Manly Leagues Club put together a last minute event to make up for the breakfast in the park being cancelled, there was no free breakfast but there was free tea and Lamingtons (a lamington is a sponge cake of Australian origin in the shape of a cuboid, coated in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing then desicatted coconut).  Jacob entered the colouring competition the kids had a dance and we chatted with some lovely old dears.  We also got to see a wonderful lady awarded for her charity work in the community for the Red Cross and as it turns out she was the lady behind making the little teddies given to kids when they need to go to hospital, just like the one Jacob has from when he had a tick removed.

The Kids Dressed Up for Australia Day

After “breakfast” at the club we headed off to visit Rob who was amused to see the kids made up with Aussie tattoos on their face and we decorated his chair with some Aussie flags.



Beer O'clock with a Fosters

When we got home it was Beer O’clock for Jason and I and what better way to kick off than with a Fosters.  We bought it as a joke because people overseas think all Aussie’s drink is Fosters when in reality hardly anyone drinks it.  I discovered that I actually REALLY like Fosters.
And then in true Australian spirit an afternoon of sport began.

Starting with cricket, of course.

Followed by basketball.

Then some tennis.

And finished off with a water fight.

And I think we all agreed, another great Australia Day was had by all.

This Moment #16

{This Moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Picture This, Picture That

Flowers at Southbank

Now the two people who actually read this Blog will know I very rarely mention much about myself in my posts and to be honest that’s because most of my time pretty much revolves around the kids and don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining one bit, I wouldn’t have my life any other way.

However this said I have became interested in a new little hobby that I am affording some time to and that’s photography.  I got a fantastic new camera for Christmas and it has got my creative juices flowing.  I’ve always been keen to learn more about photography and now I am self teaching myself all about shutter speeds, aperture, perspective, ISO, exposure, different camera modes, getting the balance right and even how to hold a camera along with much much more.  I’m learning most of it from a website, The Digital Photography School, which is fantastic.

Now it is really early days and I’m not sure that I will ever be any good at taking photographs but so far (after taking around 1000 pictures) I have managed to fluke a few that I really quite like, here they are.

Flower at Botanical Gardens

Flower at Botanical Gardens

Cactus at Botanical Gardens

Southbank

Our Garden Gnomes

Well I Couldn't do a Post about Photography and not have One of the Kids

I am particularly pleased with the following photograph and got some very positive feedback from the administrator of the Olympus AuFacebook page.

Pond at Botanical Gardens

The Positive Feedback

Wynnum State School Grand Opening in Pictures

Jacob with the Official School Plague

Wynnum State School, Jacob’s school, had their Official Grand opening this morning.  It was nice to go along and be part of this special occasion and was a great chance to have a good look around the fabulous facilities the school has to offer.  I thought I would put together a little photo diary post to remind us of the day.

Oh and just to add to the excitement we got the chance to say hello to State Premier, Anna Bligh and for a couple of Anna supporters that was pretty awesome.

Paul Lucas, Attorney General Queensland

Anna Bligh, State Premier

Bella Trying out the School Hat for when she is a Wynnum State School Pupil

The School Plague Unvieled and Paul Lucas Presented a Gift

Wynnum State School Teachers put on a Performance

Louise and Bella say Hi to Anna

Bella and Jacob

Mrs Franklyn, Teachers Aide Helps Jacob in to Position

Jacob, Jason and Bella with School Plague

When you Meet the Premier there is Nothing Else for it but to CLOSE your Eyes

Jason, Jacob and Anna

Jacob Bags Some Balloons

Mmmm Sausage Sizzle Time

Sausage Sizzle Time and Everyones Happy

Sausage and Balloons, Does Life get any Better?

Jacob's Self Portrait

Bella Enjoying the Auditorium

Enjoy it Jacob, don't Think it will be this Empty Next Time you use it

This Moment #15

{This Moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

The Cat in the Hat Came Back - and back and back and back and back...

30 year old copy of the Cat in the Hat Came Back

As I was reading Jacob his bedtime story last night, Dr Seuss’s “The Cat in the Hat Came Back”, I glanced inside the front cover and noticed the handwritten words “Jason Lee Taylor, Christmas 1982”.  I think around 50% of the kids bookshelves contains books from when Jason was a little boy and most of them have written on the inside cover the year he was given them.

A Christmas Present to Jason, 30 Years Ago

Now obviously I had noticed this writing before but never really thought too much about it.  Last night it suddenly occurred to me that the book we were sitting reading was 30 years old and had been read to Jason as a 5 year old boy, the age Jacob is now.

“The Cat in the Hat Came Back” is a children’s classic, as are most of the Dr Seuss collection are and sitting holding the book I thought “hang on, if Jason has had this book for 30 years, then when was it first published?”  Well it was first published in Great Britain in 1961. So for over 50 years children have been entertained by this wonderful story.

One day I am going to take a look through all Jason’s old books from when he was a boy to see which one is the oldest, just for my own curiosity and I too now write my children’s name, year and who the book is from on the inside of the cover.

I hope in years to come (MANY, MANY years to come) that Jacob and Bella will sit and read these same books to their children.

This Moment #14

{This Moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Jacob's First Day of Prep

Goodbye to Pre-school Jacob

As Jacob embarks on his second week at school I thought I would blog about his first day as it’s a time in his life I want to remember and maybe one day he would like to read about it too.

The Kids at Southbank

The day before school started we had a “Celebration Day” to say farewell to Jacob’s pre-school years, we took an early morning trip in to Southbank and the kids had a lovely swim in the pools there.  It was a lovely morning, not too hot, not raining.  A walk around the markets followed our swim.

Jacob Goofing Around

After Southbank we headed for a visit to see grandad, stopping off at a park on the way for a picnic lunch and a play.  Then it was time for home, where we had a cake in the evening as a special starting school treat and a final goodbye to pre-school Jacob.

Jacob in his Uniform

FINALLY the dreaded much awaited day arrived, our little boy was starting school.  Monday 23rd January 2012.  We were all a little excited and a lot nervous.  Jacob kept telling us that he wasn’t in the slightest bit nervous or scared despite his face being pure white and forcing smiles through very tight jaws.

With Daddy

It was very unfortunate that Jason couldn’t have the day off work due to his supervisor already having the week off.  However, thankfully, he was able to pop home for an hour to he could join us on the first morning.  So at 8.10am Jason was home and it was time to head to school, by now Jacob’s nerves were clear but he remained positive and upbeat.

We had previously had the opportunity to meet the 4 prep teachers at an information evening and we had found out whilst purchasing his uniforms that Jacob would be in Mrs Thomas’s class.  She was the teacher that had least impressed me during the information evening and I was a bit disappointed that she would be Jacobs’s teacher.  HOWEVER, I want to admit how wrong I was.  Mrs Thomas is in fact WONDERFUL and I think Jacob is EXTREMELY lucky to have such an experienced and enthusiastic lady as his first teacher.  I really hope when classes are rearranged later in the year that Jacob gets to remain in Mrs Thomas’s class with Mrs Franklyn as the teacher’s aide.

Jacob Spots a LEGO Box

The moment Jacob stepped foot in his class room all his nerves just melted away, which was exactly what Jason and I expected to happen.  He popped on his name badge and he was off exploring and checking out his room.  One of the first things he spotted was a box of LEGO, well as it turned out it was just a LEGO box with craft items inside, much to Jacob’s disappointment.  The disappointment was short lived as by Tuesday he discovered that there was in fact LEGO for the kids to play with.

Time for Mummy to Say Goodbye

Jason, Bella and I hung around for 10 minutes but it soon became obvious to us that Jacob wasn’t really interested in us being there and just wanted to get on with things.  It was time to say goodbye and let our little boy do it alone, we had kisses, a last look back and we joined some of the first parents to leave.

Guess what?  There were NO tears.  Not a single one.  I didn’t even need to visit the “Tea, Tissues and TimTam” meet and greet area. I thought I would be bawling but I think some encouraging words from friends and family in the morning had helped me realize that all parents get a little sad on their children’s first day of school and its normal but it gets easier.  Now I won’t deny as we walked back to the car I had the hugest lump in my throat ever but I didn’t cry.

Bella and I dropped Jason back at work and went home.  The house was so very quiet and empty and I didn’t spend half my day picking up or repairing LEGO.  Before we knew it 1.45 came around and it was time to pick Jacob back up.

A Great First Day

We were greeted by one tired but one very excited little boy, who had a million stories to tell.  Oh how I had missed his endless chatter all day.