marc.vic.max.elliot

And boy has there been news!

• Max started Kindergarten on Monday!  The reason that there was no build-up was because Vic only got a call last Thursday saying “we’ve had a couple of people leave the area so would max like an early start?” “Damn right” said Vic (I paraphrase of course ) Due to the number of children in the area he wasn’t supposed to start until July so this is quite a bit early.  Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 12:45 till 15:15. So far it’s gone really well…..  Monday he had a wee accident, as it were, but to be fair it was all new and exciting and I just think he forgot.  Vic was there with him for the whole time Monday and Tuesday and Tuesday he was great.  Today she left him for an hour in the middle of the session and he hardly noticed she was gone so he should be OK next week.

• Elliot walked!  It happened on Friday and he took four to five steps twice according to Vic.  Naturally I was in Sydney and of course he hasn’t done it since…… typical!

• Sydney was, well, work really.  The one fantastic thing was going sailing on Sydney harbour on Wednesday afternoon.  Match racing modern racing boats in front of the Opera House and harbour bridge that have competed in the Volvo ocean race around the world was awesome.  They were run by these guys and to give you an idea of how close and hard the racing was we came second in our 30 minute race by 14 seconds.  The smallest winning margin in the five three boat races was 8 seconds!

Off to Sydney for the whole of this week so I’ll see y’all next week!

Here’s Elliot at his birthday lunch.

So now all I have to do is remember what’s happened since last we spoke……. I think I’ll do my normal trick of bullet points

• Elliot now has seven, yes seven, teeth!  He’s turning into a real little charmer as well with his toothy grin, blonde wavy hair and cheeky laugh.

• In one week he will be one. I know!  I have no idea where the time has gone 🙁 I was talking about it with Vic last night and I remember the day he was born (at least from when Vic and I left home for the hospital) with crystal clarity.  Before I know it he’ll be leaving home…… hopefully

• Elliot has also got the stage where he is standing for periods of time on his own without realising it and then crumpling to the floor when he notices.  Very funny to watch.

• Max is the same wee boy – a joy one minute and a right little shite the next.  He gets on really well with Elliot and it’s very funny watching them interact in various ways.  After dinner tonight Max was crawling after Elliot who was crawling away and squealing hilariously.  When Max caught Elliot he’d blow raspberries on his bum and then it would all start again.  All great fun until Elliot filled his nappy and Max comes up from the next raspberry with a wrinkled nose and tells us that “Elliot’s got a really stinky bum” lol!

• Max said this morning “I don’t want daddy to screw it up” about something that I was about to do.  Bizarre.

• Vic and I had a weekend away with some friends a couple of weekends ago – yay!  Max stayed at home with his Grandad and Elliot spent the weekend at his Granny’s.  We went to Martinborough which is both a town and a wine growing region about an hours drive away.  A very adult weekend was had with food, drinking, wine tours and much silliness – great.  We stayed at the Secret Garden which just lovely and a perfect size for six people.

• I started playing football (soccer) again, after a break of 23 years, and am playing for the Masters team (35+) of Naenae football club.  The first game of the season (3-2 loss) I completely knackered my achilles tendons and have been unable to play the last two weeks.  The physiotherapist has no idea when I’ll be OK to play 🙁 Getting old, I tell ya………

Other than that life just seems to have been passing me by at a crazy rate.

Over two weeks without an update and where the hell has it gone?!

Can I be bothered telling all that’s happened? Not really.  The highlight of the entire two weeks was Max’s reaction to all things Christmas and Santa related.  His first Christmas where he understood what was going on will be remembered by me forever for the sheer excitment and joy he showed

We hope you are all well and I have some cute photos that I’ll share over the next few days.

Just a quick note to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.  The picture above is one we sent out with our cards this year and just shows Max’s personality perfectly

As for me I’ve been crazy at work trying to close business.  Our financial year ends on Jan 31st and so our last quarter, which is 13 weeks long, basically stops at Christmas (which is only week eight) What this means is that we have eight weeks to bring in thirteen weeks worth of business.  Fun, manic and so, so tiring so apologies for no updates but by the time I’ve finished work, got the kids into bed and then done some more work I am absolutely shagged……. 

Well the week has gone OK so far.  We had Aunt Bet’s funeral on Monday and that went as well as can be expected.  There were very few people there, about a dozen I guess, but I suppose that’s one thing that happens when you move across the world in your 70’s and then pass away 20 years later – you just run out of people to mourn you.  After my Dad read the eulogy I got up and said a few words.  I had been thinking about what I remembered most about her and just shared those thoughts with the people there. It was unexpected from my point of view but I’m glad I did it.  I was then a pall bearer (my second time) and was again suprised at how heavy people in coffins are – she was only little so there must be a lot of wood in one of those things!  She was then taken away for cremation and my Dad will take her back to the UK to be with her sister (Dad’s Mum) soon. 

It was also quite interesting explaining things to Max.  He’d only met her a couple of times but understood enough that he knew when the coffin was being driven away that Aunt Bet was in there.  To be fair he was more worried about what was going to happen to the flowers on top of the coffin I think bless him

Another thing that happened on Monday was Max strung the best sentence that I’ve heard him put together.  At dinner I had a can of diet coke and he said “Daddy, please may I have some of your drink” and pointed to the can.  Not hugely long but it was really well constructed and well enunciated IMO for a two year old.  Max and Elliot also did us proud at lunch after the funeral.  We went to a cafe with my Dad and his partner and after our meal had finished a lady came up to us out of the blue and told us how lovely and well behaved our children were!  Admittedly she just just struck it lucky ‘cos they’ve been little shits lately but even so it was nice to be told

At last I’m back!

The time has just flown but it’s been life/work as usual except for the following:

• Elliot’s second tooth came through while I was in Sydney

• The main reason for no update last weekend was that I spent a huge chunk of it putting up my new garden shed.  Timber framed and sheet steel clad it’s a good reason to get rid of tons of crap out of the garage.

• Max seems to have taken some steps back in his toilet training and is having quite a few accidents.  I may have been an attention getting thing while I was away and he seems to have got better since yesterday but we shall wait and see…..

• At 94 my Great Aunt Bet passed away – again while I was in Sydney.  Not a bad innings and she had been mentally frail for some time.  She’s the last of that generation in my family so an era really has passed

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For the most part Max and Elliot get on OK.  Elliot adores Max and he’ll follow him with his eyes all day.  Max, on the other hand, can take or leave his little brother I think At times he loves him to bits (but doesn’t realise he’s much bigger) and at other times he’s just a jealous, attention craving monster – which I think is normal

Here they are showing each other some brotherly love.