Picking Up The Pieces

It's that time of the year again: the annual Lego clean-up.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Can you guess where I sit?

The time of the year when I get to sit in the middle of all of Nathan's Lego and try to put them all back together in their proper configurations.

You see, after Nathan gets a new set of Lego, he likes to put it together the way it's supposed to be. Then, he starts taking bits and pieces off here and there, and combines them with bits and pieces from other sets to make his own awesome creation. But he never puts them back with their original set, so after a while, we get a huge collection of miscellaneous pieces and semi-dismantled figures/models.

I love letting him be creative, but after a while, it gets to be a bit of a pain. Especially if I happen to step on a piece, or five.

Last year, this process went much faster. I had managed to get it all done in one day.

Since then, we've gotten more Lego, there are more hands dismantling the structures and carrying them off to different parts of the house.

This year, I've been at it for two days and I'm still not even half way there. I probably won't be done for another little while so if things get quiet around here, you'll know why.

Assistance with this arduous task and tips on keeping Lego organized are welcome.

Layouts: Real Life, Right Now

Here's another layout of just Andrew and I from a few years ago. This was taken on Nathan's fourth birthday at Disney. This is what we look like from his point of view. 

I'm really liking the layered look right now and I figure the only way I can get better at it is if I practice. It takes me way longer than anyone in the videos I've been watching but it's such a fun process, I really don't mind. Plus, it's helping me use up some of my stash! I'm really hoping to make some space for the new product that's coming out.

I've been wanting to get into the habit of documenting things that I like, or do, right now. It's amazing how much the things I enjoy change over short amounts of time, and how quickly I forget about them. And another thing I wanted to try was putting together a layout using little bits and pieces. It's almost like one of those I Spy photos.

Thanks to all the NSD challenges for helping me cross some things off my scrapbooking to-do list, and thank you for looking!

Mother's Day 2013

I'm not much of a sleep-in and have breakfast in bed person, especially when I'm at home, so when I woke up at 7 and all the boys were still sleeping, I hopped out of bed and straight into the shower. That's my idea of the perfect way to start off my day; a peaceful, un-rushed hot shower.

The boys started to wake up a little after I stepped out of the shower. When Nathan got up, he ran straight for his playroom. About 10 minutes later, he emerged with this handmade card for me. I absolutely don't mind that he waited until literally the very last minute to make it. I like knowing he can write thoughtful notes on the fly.

We drove down to Mt. Tamborine for a lovely afternoon. Our first stop was the Tamborine Mountain Country Markets. It's been a really long time since we've strolled through any markets. It was a little chilly up on the mountain, and soggy from the rain but the air was nice and fresh.

Excuse the pair in the background. This would've been a nice photo, just bad timing!

Next stop was this open area on the side of the road with an awesome view. I can't even begin to explain how breath-taking it is there. You just have to see it for yourself.

I love this shot of the boys.

Not even a minute after Andrew snapped this photo of us, it started to rain and the entire view was hidden behind a veil of mist. We were so lucky.

We were also lucky enough to get into the Bavarian Grill Haus again without a reservation, and the wait wasn't too long either! Andrew's been wanting to go back for ages. Look at Caleb, all ready to dig in!

The weather cleared up as we were eating, so we made our way to our next and final stop: O'Reilly's.

The road Apple Maps told us to take was blocked with a "Road Closed" sign. There had been a landslip there so we took a detour.

The views on the way were spectacular. That's the coast in the distance, all dotted with high-rises. Eventually, we arrived at the winery. They have a dessert wine that I had tried a couple years back and I've been meaning to get us a bottle. It's been a long wait, but Andrew made it happen (times three).

We took a stroll along the vineyards and by the water before piling back into the car for the ride home.

It was a happy Mother's Day indeed.

Lazy-ish Saturdays

It's not every Saturday...

... that we can get up and ready early enough to have a delicious breakfast out. We devoured it quickly because it was so tasty, but also because we had to pick Nathan up before his game. It would have been lovely to enjoy it leisurely but that can happen another day.

... that we get to watch Nathan and his teammates fight hard to win. This was by far their closest match this season. The score was tied all the way until the last minutes and our team came out on top. I think they all learned a little lesson about the benefits of working hard. They're real champs.

... that I'm happy about being stuck inside. After a slightly disappointing trip to the mall, we came out to discover it was pouring rain. That meant we'd be stuck inside for the rest of the day but that meant we could finally tackle that long list of housework I've been writing in my head. Andrew did most of the tackling (thank you!). Nathan and I pitched in but we ended up playing (read: learning) on this iPad app that teaches programming concepts.

... that our youngest son decides to climb into a duffle bag and zip it up with his legs inside because that duffle bag is in fact, a boat.

I love it when my Saturdays play out like this.

Best Mates

We've been so fortunate to find good family friends here in Brisbane. Families where the kids get along and the parents get along. Those are the family friends we've been praying for.

Nathan had another sleepover tonight at our friends' place and they treated him to a rugby game as they were celebrating his friend's grandpa's birthday. It's the Queensland Reds vs. KwaZulu-Natal Sharks (from South Africa). Our friends are from South Africa so it was extra special.

What a lucky guy!

We are so, so blessed.

Have a beautiful weekend, people! And don't forget to wish your mothers a happy Mother's Day!