There was jumping castles, Frozen karaoke - yes, we walked around with Let It Go in our heads, slides and more. E and his little friend H had a ball watching Nemo and checking out the life-sized Buzz Lightyear and Woody at the Toy Story zone. It was definitely busy but not crazily so and we lined up for a few attractions before calling lunch at just the time things started to get crazy.

We had some success getting both boys to sleep over lunch (at the pub of course) much to my shock (and disappointment - I would have preferred they hold off for the trip home) and headed for the car to go home. Of course the rain that had been threatening all morning finally fell and the pram rain covers were still in the car. The boys remained mostly dry although a little damp but we got soaked trying to sprint for the car.

Once strapped in and on the highway, C decided to completely lose it. He hates the car at the best of times but this was the worst and he wouldn't calm down. He actually started holding his breath which scared the life out of me and I screamed for S to pull over. We ended up taking the next exit and had to stop for half an hour to get Charlie out and settle him. Not quite the way I wanted the day to end.

It was a great day overall as I had S home on a weekend for a change so it was fun to get out as a family and spend some time with lovely friends.

I am officially THAT mother... You know, the one who dresses her children in matching outfits. I figure I've only got limited time on this so I might as well have some fun with it. My sister tells me it's a form of cruelty but I enjoyed the Country Road sale and the boys now also have matching printed board shirts for summer and checked button down shirts for winter to add to their wardrobes.

And it's set to get even better before the week is over.

B2's arrival is getting closer and closer with everyday ... heck, I thought baby was going to make its arrival over the weekend with all the niggles and apparent 'early' labour signs I seemed to be undergoing. As the days pass, I worry sometimes about the arrival of B2 and if I will love this baby as much as I love E. I know I will love my baby, but will it be the all consuming, heart melting love that I get just from looking at my precious first born who makes my heart squeeze and sing.

Most of all, I worry that E won't understand the changes and will be upset at the loss of having S and I solely devoted to him only. I worry that he will think he has been displaced and isn't as loved or important anymore. Thinking of this actually gives me a physical ache and I know S has been feeling the same.

A new update in my series to prove bloggers, instagrammers, facebook users, tweeters ... have less than perfect lives despite accusations of only sharing the perfect moments of their lives. Here goes with my ongoing confessions to a not so perfect life:

This week one load of washing was 'washed' three times and 'rinsed' twice before it got hung out - in fairness 2 washes and a rinse were because S decided to be helpful and put my orangey red scarf in with the blacks. Cue red fibres on everything!

I have a pile of bedding (quilts, pillows, throws etc) sitting in our entry hall waiting to be vac-bagged and put away. I will get around to this one day... or maybe one week is more accurate.

I would happily eat mac & cheese every night because a) I like it, b) I couldn't be bothered thinking of what else to cook.

I gave E a cup of lite milk with his breakfast one day this week ... we ran out of the whole milk he normally has and I couldn't get to the shops till later.

I bought overripe bananas to bake with then forgot about them/never got around to it then insisted S use them and bake muffins while I was at work even though a) he has never EVER baked anything b) I didn't even have a recipe ... I told him to google. Luckily he humours me when pregnant and went ahead and baked banana sultana muffins - hooray, someone else in the house to make the sweets.

I pretend to pour drops of my drink (juice, soft drink etc) into E's cup to avoid tantrums.

I used pregnancy to get out of a dinner invite but insisted S go ... and I'm excited for a quiet night in and microwave popcorn for dinner ...once I get E down for bed of course.

I adore my boy and my husband more than anything and value every second I have with them but right now my idea of heaven is a weekend at a hotel on my own ... This may be because B2 and the soon to be realitity of two under two is getting closer and closer.

You might remember me posting in one of my weekend updates about a photo shoot my family and I did to celebrate the sponsored partnership of Surf Life Saving and DHL. Turns out the local newspaper picked the story up and here it is...


http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/clubbie-colours-are-a-real-family-affair-for-the-fife-clan/story-fnj94iqm-1226775995141

I'm so proud of my amazing family and I'm also very proud to be a part of such a wonderful family that gives so much back to the Community.

It's safe to say that as far as E is concerned, poor old Santa is a great big fail this year.

We had a bit of an unenviable early start to our weekend when we were woken before dawn by the sounds of E's very laboured breathing. Concerned as he appeared to be struggling for air, we woke him and were greeted by a very sad baby with a harsh seal like cough that frightened him (and us) each time. Poor babe also had a temp spike of 38.6 (not bad considering how many times we've nursed 39+). Whooping cough was the number 1 illness that popped into my head and given it appeared his breathing was affected, we made the decision to head straight to emergency. Luckily it was a surprisingly quiet night/morning and the triage nurse had one listen to E and admitted us immediately saying that we did the right thing bringing him in as he very much needed to be there.

1. Make nuts and bolts - it's an Aussie thing involving nutri grain cereal and curry powder amongst other things.

As I've posted before, bloggers, instagrammers, facebook users, tweeters ... are all accused of only sharing the perfect moments of their lives so here goes with my ongoing confessions to a not so perfect life:


Ethan watches TV ... 'watching' might be an exaggeration but he does like to have ABC Kids on in the morning for background and a little bit of In the Night Garden before bed.

I rely on baby food pouches when all else fails and E is refusing anything I put in front of him. He sucks those things down the way I enjoy(ed) a glass of wine after work.

You can often find E running around the playroom or yard 'nakey' or in just a nappy on a Saturday afternoon. Its hot, he's messy and I get sick of the washing.

My sheets have sat in the laundry all week waiting to be put through the wash. Lucky I have 5 sets... this may also be why I'm so slow to get around to washing them.

It took 2 days for the dishwasher to be unpacked this week. Lucky I have a lot of dinnerware and cutlery too.

I'm not above bribery ... if 'tanas (sultanas) get him to lay still for nappy changes then Ethan can have 'tanas to his heart's content.

I haven't flossed at all this week and have only washed my hair once.

I left my bins out after rubbish collection for 2 days ... well actually, I can blame Scott for this as its really his job to bring them in.

I look forward to silence in the car on the way to work some mornings and press ignore if anyone calls me some days. Sometimes its the only peace I get for the week.

I have feigned an 'important' task (think bathroom stop, phone call ...) to avoid changing E's dirty nappy when S is around. I don't do this often but just admitting I have done it - only when S is around and its still changed straight away.

We eat frozen veggies for dinner as much as we eat fresh ... those Heinz microwave steamer bags just make life far too easy.

I ate 2 Twix ice cream bars for dessert last night and KFC for lunch yesterday.

It took me 6 weeks to remove and repaint my toenails - I just kept painting over as 'touch-ups' during that time.

I have sat on the floor and cried while he is crying ... sometimes those tantrums all get too much and push me to my limits as well. Tears are cleansing and cathartic.

I am THAT mum that has to check on Ethan regularly while he sleeps to make sure he is still breathing. I have been known to even give him a little poke to be sure ... thankfully I think I've only woken him twice maybe.

I watched this season of Big Brother (and I was sad Tahan didn't win). I love some reality trash and since we cancelled our Foxtel (soon to be reinstated through TBox), free to air reality was my only option.


That's just a few  in the interests of 'keeping it real'.

If you lived in Queensland or NSW, you were lucky enough to enjoy a long weekend like us and here, the weather was perfection for the most part.

We did lots of swimming, ate healthy lunches on the go, had a Japanese lunch date with my sister and niece, celebrated the Roosters' grand final win with a party at my parents' (thank goodness as the alternative would have devastated my dad and sister), visited Wet'n Wild,





 
ate lots of frozen fruit - my new addiction ... and a few ice creams, and caught up with wonderful friends and their children.

As always, the weekend goes far too fast, even with an extra day but the plus side, its a short week!



I also did some shopping, kitting out Ethan's summer wardrobe with some new shoes, funky new tees and shorts - Scott of course is a big fan of the Atari inspired Space Invaders tee. Best part, everything was at least 50% off. Although I'm on a bit of a ban, I snapped up this gorgeous Charlie Brown 'Masai' print wrap dress for me as well. The print and colours are so beautiful in real life and this dress will be ideal for work or play I figure.




I discovered a new TV series, The Blacklist, and I'm hooked. Got to love James Spader in pretty much anything but throw in some secret agent FBI mystery, a reasonably entertaining plot and I'm happy. The only problem is, we're too used to having a series available all at once but this one only has 2 eps so far and a week is a long wait!


We also made a big purchase yesterday morning but more on that another time :)