January 4, 2009
otis and elijah
with the arrival of elijah otis' world was bound to change. although life remains much the same for otis, and it is too soon for all the ramifications of having a brother to be realised, elijah has been extended a brotherly welcome.
otis seems particularly fond of tickling elijah's head, and on the occasion of having his cheek sucked by elijah otis will squeal with laughter.
otis and elijah recently shared a bath.
otis asked if he could hold elijah which lead to a little spot of cheek sucking and giggling.
eventually even cheek sucking must end and the brothers settled for a brief cuddle which they seemed to enjoy.
December 28, 2008
hello elijah
After much waiting our beautiful baby boy Elijah Macmahon was born on Christmas Eve.
Otis was determined to have a baby sister called Katie and so was sceptical when first told the news, but he is slowly adjusting and is generally happy in his new role as a big brother.
We are all well and are looking forward to the joy (and chaos) ahead. Love to you all, xox
September 11, 2008
holy chopsticks, batman
otis recently insisted that he also eat his noodles with chopsticks. despite our initial scepticism he ended up being happy with the results ...
and he even managed to find his mouth most of the time
June 16, 2008
the party
The weather held out and we had a fabulous time at the playground for Otis' birthday party.
June 13, 2008
birth days
Yesterday Otis turned three, a much anticipated event. All of his friends have recently had birthdays, and for weeks he has been waking up and asking "is it my birthday today?". So yesterday we finally said "yes!" and spent the day having treats and playing with the many wonderful gifts that Otis received.
The birthday boy baked his own cake.
We are busily preparing for Oti's party on Sunday. It promises to be a whirlwind of sugar and we are anxiously looking to the skies hoping that the weather holds out so we can make it an outdoor event.
In other news we are expecting another birth day some time in December! No photos to show yet but be sure that the minute he/she is born the newest baby Wayne will be making their debut on this blog. So many of our friends are also expecting new babies, and its exciting to think there will be all these new people in our lives in not much time. Watch this space....
April 23, 2008
Otis at the Wedding
We recently travelled to Coffs Harbour for the wedding of my cousin Tanya.
The wedding party
Otis is a very sociable boy, liking nothing better than being surrounded by adoring family and friends. This he found at Tai Tai's house, with many aunties and visitors in attendance to spoil him rotten.
After eating a number of the heart lollypops decorating the tables, Otis set off to make new friends and charm young women into dancing with him.
March 17, 2008
old macdonald had a children's farm
some weeks ago otis entertained an international guest.
earth is the son of jariya, a thai exchange student who lived with grandma and grandpa almost twenty years ago. grandpa and earth joined otis at the children's farm with the idea that a morning with the animals would be fun for all. as it turned out a pile of sawdust was far more entertaining, followed closely by the thril of sliding down a pile of dirt on their bums.
earth warmed to the animals, cuddling the guinea pigs and feeding weeds to a goat. they were all pleased.
otis, however, was more ambivalent about his animal cousins. we did manage to capture a rare moment of intraspecies communication for posterity.
February 24, 2008
Sydney
Otis was beside himself with excitement to go on a plane and take a trip to Sydney.
We got close to nature at Wildlife World and the aquarium. Wildlife World was particularly cool - the animals were incredibly active, prompting Justin to suggest that there must be some kind of methamphetamines in the water...
Later in the week we spent some quality time in the Shire with cousin Olivia.
We had a super fun time on our all too short visit - look forward to seeing you again soon, xox
October 11, 2007
The mystery of the night sky
Otis has always liked to look at the moon, and has recently become obsessed with the solar system. He can now name all of the planets, and often says things like "Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun" and "Jupiter has many moons". Tonight, he was telling Justin and I about "the mystery of the night sky".
All of the books and dvds we have about the solar system are more than a year old, and so have Pluto included as a planet. In 2006 Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" and this has prompted discussion as to what we should be teaching Otis. It seems wrong to tell him that it's a planet when it really technically isn't, but now that he knows about it, how do we explain to a 2 year old that the International Astronomical Union has excluded it based on a redefinition of the term "planet"?
So, tonight when making a mobile of the Solar System we decided to include it, dangling there on the end. So many of the things we say and do with Otis are truths stretched or altered for our own purposes, and this will be one of them, to be undone at some later time.
September 27, 2007
mummy buy you a bike
Otis has been wanting a bike for quite a while now. But a two year old is a fickle creature, and we thought we should give it a while to see if this latest obsession would stick, before commiting any money to this project. For many weeks now Otis has woken after every sleep saying "Mummy buy you a bike", so I think its officially stuck.
A few weeks ago Otis helpfully found a battered old Bob the Builder bike on the street on hard rubbish day, and insisted that we claim it. He's had a go at riding it, but really, its a bit big for him - he can't reach or turn the pedals, and gets so distracted trying that he forgets to steer. And its torture on the parental spinal column.
So after reading this very helpful article on toddler bikes, we have decided to go with this little beauty, the like-a-bike jumper:
It's going to be excitement all round when it arrives.
In other biking news, Daddy and Auntie Phoebe are in training for their 200k trek that is Around the Bay in a Day and I keep meaning to train for my debut in the 50k event....
Love to all xox
July 18, 2007
Backyard Blitz
We are currently in the process of landscaping our backyard. Plans have been drawn, and hopefully it won't be long until construction starts. Included on our plans is a space for this: the Turbo Tower
Until Otis is big enough to handle such a grand cubby, we decided to build him a sandpit.
Step 1: Assemble the materials
Step 2: The finished frame
Step 3: The lining
Step 4: A seat for the site manager
Step 5: Otis adds the finishing touches
Step 6: Dig!
July 5, 2007
Festival of Otis - Part 2
To continue the festival of otis it was decided that there should be a second second birthday party. otis had been looking forward to this party and it had been the topic of various discussions. otis was particularly involved in the selection of the cake (see below) and in choosing its colour. but before we could even think about getting to cake there were other important matters to be addressed:
presents
otis now has a new found interest in presents and the words, "present for oti?" can be heard often. otis was very excited by his gifts, and many of his previous favourites seem to be distant memories.
the cake
for weeks leading up to the party (and after the decision had been made) there were numerous daily requests for the train cake. unfortunately, the train cake was only baked/constructed on the night before the party and had to be hidden from sight. fortunately, the candles and singing associated with a birthday cake did not cause the same tearful response as they had a week earlier and otis blew the candles out without waiting for the singing to finish.
the cake was popular all round but otis seemed to most enjoy the bright blue icing.
after the presents and the cake it seemed appropriate to enjoy a cup of tea with lulu.
even though the festival of otis is has ended there are still daily enquiries about cakes, presents and parties. anyone willing to organise and host such an event for otis should feel free to contact us.
June 29, 2007
A Festival of Otis - Part 1
Recently, four generations of the Laurence family got together to celebrate Otis' birthday.
(one generation was behind the camera)
In the weeks leading up to the festival Otis had been talking about candles, and the singing of songs etc, and we had been practicing this ritual almost daily. But when it came to the actual event the pressure overwhelmed, (or perhaps it was our singing?) and in the end I had to step in to do the honours. Eating the chocolate cars on top of the cake restored Otis' spirits.
We were all very happy to see our Sydney family, none more than Otis who scored some fantastic Tonka trucks which now spend their days trundling up and down, in and out of the house.
Stayed tuned for Part 2,
xox
June 17, 2007
So eggciting
Otis has recently fallen in love with eggs. He loves eating eggs, he loves reading about eggs and he loves talking about eggs. This obsession all began whilst we were watching March of the Penguins together; he just wanted to watch the scene where the baby penguin comes out of the egg over and over again.
We recently borrowed a beautiful book (When it is Time) from the library where a little girl waits patiently for a chicken to hatch.
She taps on the egg - patsu patsu patsu. The chicken taps back - kotsu kotsu kotsu. And then...Paka! The chicken emerges.
It was recently discovered that our friend Iris is allergic to eggs. I baked some cupcakes for her first birthday party, and used the occasion to experiment with vegan cake baking. I found a surprisingly good recipe on the internet, and share it here in case you ever need to cater for an egg-free person. Yes, that's vinegar you mix with the soymilk, but be assured there's no trace of it on tasting. Nanna tells me this is how they baked during the depression, when eggs were scarce and householders thrifty.
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups soymilk
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup of oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven 180 c
Mix vinegar and milk in a jug - the mixture will thicken and curdle.
Combine the dry ingredients.
Add the oil to the milk and vinegar mixture.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until smooth.
Fill each patty pan about half, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Makes 24.
May 13, 2007
A tall tale
Otis loves a tower. He likes to make them out of blocks, but any available building material will do. Cups of milk, cars and other toys are regularly co-opted into his teetering works of art.
Of course his skills aren't limited to just one form of tower. The objective of the 'tall tower' speaks for itself and the 'bridge tower' is utilised as a tunnel for various cars to pass under.
Maybe Otis will be the next Frank Gehry...
Or LeCorbusier?
