National remote boats

We went one Saturday AM to a small "lake" or what I would call part of a river for the Australian National remote boat race. It was an interesting AM. Each boat is a few thousand dollars and can have several different types of sails. However, each race has the same sails on the boat for the whole race. So all the boats are the same and the winner is the person who judges the conditions like the wind the best.

There were about 30 boats or so on the water in several different heats. A course was laid out and you had to do so many laps to win. It wasn't nail biting as a clear winner came out in front pretty early. Cam & I each picked a boat. Here was mine: I liked the characters on the sail.

 Nev was so excited he fell asleep! Check out the beautiful day and general setting for this relaxing Sat AM.

Occasionally one of the boats would tip over and a guy and the boat's owner would head out into the water in a small dingy. At least you get a sense of scale with this shot. These boats aren't very big, but they traveled pretty fast.

After the races, we headed over to a skate park to watch some of the kids and also to check out the airplanes coming in for a landing. I'm trying to explain to Nev what's happening...not sure he got it all, but at least it was interesting to watch.

"Me and my Friends"

Nev's a popular kid. Whether we are hanging out with the mothers' group or our friends in the park, he really gets around. I recon its his charm (that he gets from his dad). Here's some shots where you can decide what makes Nevlin so loved.

We tried to sit up all the kids at the mothers' group, with some success. Here's a shot of everyone lined up with Nevlin in the foreground.

Stopping by at Cam's work allowed Sean a bit of a cuddle. Can you see the blazing sun? Doesn't Nev look a bit squinty-eyed?

We have a play date with Ava almost once a week. She's also part of the mothers' group but lives super close. Here the kids were hanging out in a basket before they really were able to sit up on their own pretty well.

Cam, Nev, Jo and I went on a picnic in the Adelaide parklands in October. It was such a beautiful day! We sat under this gum tree and ate lots of good food. Nev even got to eat some rice cracker things, which are a current favorite of his. Handy too, because they are a bit of finger food & he gets to hang with the big people.

In the gum tree above us, we had a visitor: a KOOKABURRA! I sung the song "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree" and he sung back to us his clear call. Nev didn't really get he was there, but he could hear him. Its hard to pick things out of all those leaves.

Random Sept Shots

I've been slacking on uploading photos. Here are a few from the last month or so...In his Indian's uniform and practicing holding up that head.

Gnawing on the closest thing in the bath. One thing that everyone notices is the amazing eye contact that Nevlin gives everyone. Its really piercing and he concentrates so much.

This is possibly my favorite bib. I haven't bought many things for Nevlin, but this one was impossible to pass up.

Nevlin and Cam went on a few bike rides. Its been an adventure, but there is always love when you get to see the ducks. "Quack, quack; waddle, waddle; quack, quack; waddle, waddle."

A while back all the mom's from my mother's group went out to dinner. It was a really fun night, and I even was able to catch a ride, so I had a cocktail or two. Great that we got to see each other as something other than just "so & so's mom."

Nev goes RETRO!!!

MaryEd, Cam's mom, brought with her some of Cameron's old clothes from the mid-1970s. These are such absolutely amazing outfits and we can't thank her enough for saving them. CLASSIC 1970s stuff, and even a few bits from the early 1980s. For those who like to go skiing or for football fanatics is the following.

Then there is the super hero. The sleeves were a little long, but the rest of it fits quite well.

This cotton outfit really was challenging as the child who is wearing it now is a bit heavier than the one who wore it 30+ years ago.

Check out this shot of Toby and Cam (on the right) in the same thing. I recon there's a bit of family resemblance.

The look of wonder on Nevlin's face in this shot is just amazing. He really is captivated at books, they transport him to another place and he loves it.

OK, so the color is just better in the new photo, and the two of them were about 6 months different, but you can't tell me that the outfit is timeless (or priceless). By far my favorite.

Finally here's a shot I took today of Nev. Really had to squeeze him into this one, but didn't want him to wear it earlier as it hasn't been warm enough to run around in. Unfortunately this will be the only time he squeezes into it, as the buttons were nearly impossible to fasten.

"Room Alterations"

Cam and I have migrated things in the apartment yet again and given Nevlin a bit of his own space. Here's a shot of his room, from the door. My brother put me in a laundry basket when I was very young, I don't think I was nearly as happy as Nev is here.

There's lots of color in his room. From the beautiful home-made quilts from his Cioci & cousin to the Sri Lankan masks to the mobile that hangs in the middle of it all.

 

 

Here's a shot of the mobile by itself. Made from the vines growing next door and stars from all over the world (many cousins have contributed), it is the centerpiece to his domain. Stars were flown in from the US and Aussie flags were added too. Recently our neighbors went to China & bought him the birds with the red hanging part. I love running that into Nevlin's forehead, an action that often gets a giggle. 

 

 

We have also created a space where our dining table used to be for Nev to play in. The carpet makes it much better to fall over and the couch is a nice place for us adults. There are no outlets, so its pretty safe. 

The bookcase faces outward and we painted a nature scene on the side that faces the play area. Letters and numbers are on the side, making it easy to break out into "ABC" frequently. An orange tree and blueberry bush are on the left, just above a pond. Nev's hand print doubles as a cloud.

Tall Ships return to Port Adelaide

On the last day of August, we headed up to Port Adelaide to see all the big ships & pirates roaming about. We all donned our bucket hats & braved the crowd to see some amazing vessels. Waiting in line was not going to be in the cards for one in our group, so we looked from land.

Lots of local folks had their small sailboats on the water. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be outside.

The crowds had many people including lots of kids. I ran into a volunteer from the museum and there were thousands who turned up. Some of the vessels had the option of staying overnight for a few hundred. Cam and I already did a similar thing, as volunteers last year. An amazing night. See the post in FEBRUARY of 2012 entitled "Endeavour - in Port Adelaide."

Just a parting shot of a few masts. Enjoy the view.

Eating up a storm & 6 months

Nevlin has been expanding his food options for over a month now, but we had a few hiccups. Lets just say that "sweet potato revenge" hit the whole family with a vengeance.

So far, he eats RICE, PEAS, ZUCCHINI, APPLES, STRAWBERRIES, & PEARS.

We will be adding to this list slowly as I figure out what each food does to his little gut. I'm just trying to make sure he doesn't have any allergies.

Here's a sequence of shots of Nev playing with his spoon & licking it clean after a feed. He's wearing a hat knit by my Mom, which was so adorable that I took a bunch of photos. These shots don't exactly capture his best face, the one he first makes at the beginning of any feed. Maybe we will try to capture that this weekend.

NEVLIN has hit over 9kg or 20lbs and he turned 6 months today! To celebrate, we are getting his immunization shots later this afternoon and having a big sleep right now, hence the post.