Grade One

First day of Grade One was a big success. He apparently made lots of new friends, helped the new boy find the toilets, learnt sight words, made an Australian flag (he's dictacting here, by the way..) and counted to 108.

They also drew pictures of their family. Please do note my fetching orange skirt:

The first line apparently says "My little brother is small". Ryan is not amused.

He rides

Teaching Matthew to ride a bike was one of the hardest, most frustrating & nerve wracking experiences of my life. There were days when that bloody bike threatened to tear the very fabric of our family to pieces and we all came home in foul moods, grumpy from the heat, frustration & skinned knees. But today we watched him ride around the path at the river and down the slope (that only yesterday afternoon had him in a panic) and discovered that it was also one of the most gratifying and rewarding experiences as well. Definitely a proud parent moment.

Well done, Boy. xx

Monkey in the Jungle

Matthew had his school concert on Thursday night - dear Lord, it was breathtakingly cute. 100 prep kids all dressed in various costumes, singing and dancing to Bindi Irwin songs was more than I could take. I believe I even shed a tear. Gosh, I forget how little he is sometimes and expect so much of him.

10 points though to the reader who can pick Matthew in this photo. If you are really lucky, I might even send you a homemade, real live, tangible present in the mail since that seems to be the done thing these days. Go on, try me. You just never know...

..