The background colour is the second of three coats of paint on the kids’ bedroom wall!

Ben likes to come up with themed outings for the kids when they take off on a Sunday to give me a little break. He had the idea of showing them the water cycle, first in an art book (looking for pictures of clouds, rain, and bodies of water), and then out in nature (going up to the hills, following a river, and finally to the ocean).

The timing was great for this end-of-May outing: just before moving into winter, since winter is our rainy season. The kids loved looking at familiar territory through fresh eyes, and all three returned from the outing talking excitedly about clouds and the ocean.

linking up with the Learning Laboratory at Mama Smiles

Ben’s birthday began with crumpets and jam.

This was a very eventful long weekend for us! I had my first-ever false labour, which was uncomfortable but helped in several ways. First of all, Ben got the birth pool pumped up. He’s a pro at this, having set up three different brands of portable pools in four different houses. After the contractions died down, I was able to focus on what we still need to organise for the upcoming home birth. Mostly I need to finish and wrap the gifts for the kids and mix up an energy drink for me to sip during labour.

Also, as part of prepping the house for the birth Ben removed the last bit of Lex’s litter tray from the toilet, and Lex has been using the toilet without the tray for a few days now. If he continues as well as he has begun, Ben and I will be very glad to call his training complete and our house a litter-free zone.

In addition to all this, Ben did quite a bit of bunk-bed painting over the weekend. He also took Nikki busking one final time before her license expired. I cleaned the house, something I had been hoping to do before the new baby arrives, and we celebrated Ben’s birthday Monday evening, sharing fajitas and apple crisp with our friends Carrie and Michael.

In another answer to prayer, Carrie has agreed to be on call for the birth! She will come here to take care of the bigger kids while Ben and I are busy with labour and the new baby. She did a marvellous job last time and we are delighted that Carrie is happy to come back at some unearthly hour of the morning to help us once again.

Ben took some video during a recent Sunday adventure and recorded this priceless moment.

Having seen a poster advertising it at work, Ben took the kids to the Bullsbrook Produce Market on Sunday. The plan was to wander around the market stalls and buy random fresh produce to eat for lunch. Only two people were actually selling produce, but Ben still managed to come home with gorgeous zucchini, cucumbers, and part of a watermelon. The kids enjoyed their lunch of watermelon, supplemented with raisins and crackers that they brought along with them.

There were other attractions to make up for the lack of produce. Nikki and Michael bounced along on a free Lion’s Club tractor train ride. They also watched a group of musicians play unusual instruments and saw part of a skit.

Ben’s last chance for a “real” lunch evaporated when Nikki spotted a pony for hire. But any regrets he felt on spending his sausage money disappeared when his daughter shot him a beaming smile from atop the tiny horse.