Dear Matthew
Last Friday we visited the Re Store with Grandma. The Re Store is just an Italian gourmet shop in Northbridge that has a deli where you can get a roll made, but it holds special meaning for me. This is because when we were young, as a school holiday treat, Grandma, Aunty, Uncle Andrew, Aunty Robyn and my cousins Kate and Anna would go there and have a roll made just the way we like it. And on the way out the person on check out would give us a Cadbury chocolate.
It sounds so simple when I type it out like that. But for some reason it was a highly anticipated tradition and treat.
I suspect the reason I loved it as a kid was that I got to feel like I had a bit of culture- us skips would also help out on Tomato Day with the Melias, bottling a years worth of pasta sauce in a day in the front yard of aunty's house under the watchful eye of nonna (uncle Bruno's mum). And I could cling to that, as I didn't realise that we had our own culture at the time. I didn't recognise our own traditions to be important as they weren't hugely obvious, so I tried to swing with my wog cousins in an attempt to feel some form of cultural identity.
Also, I got to spend the morning with my extended family whom I love and adore. Nothing beat that.
So you've made your first trip and I hope there will be more :) You loved your roll, almost as much as you loved watching the pigeons each scraps near the table we were eating at! And you loved all the nativity sets in the window of the store (it was fun describing the scene to you as you would point to each and day 'dat!' and I'd tell you who was who).
Love you monkey.
Mum xxx
Dear Matthew
My job is to teach you about the real world. So here's how exciting New Years Eve can get when you're a parent:
It was great. Truly.
Hoping our 2015 is awesome. What am I saying- with you, things are always awesome :)
Love you baby boy.
Mum xxx
Dear Matthew
Christmas this year was wonderful. You were a bit more switched on and even though you didn't know why you were being given presents and visiting everyone, it was clear you were really enjoying it.
The night before we went to the children's mass at St Benedicts with the Constables. For some reason it was indoors this time but that didn't stop you wanting to run around liked a crazed monkey so it was interesting (and fun as you got to play with other kids).
We started the big day with the Constables for breakfast. Grandma doesn't really know how to do basic gift giving so as usual we were showered with presents. We had a lovely breakfast of waffles and fruit with ice cream, cream and syrup. It was a great way to start the day.
We then moved on to Aunty Lynne's for lunch with your dads mums side of the family. You went for a swim in the pool and we had a visit from Santa. It was very relaxed and the weather was beautiful.
For dinner we went to your granddad's house and enjoyed catching up with cousin Jen a bit more as she had flown over from Sydney (she is from London but is currently working in Sydney).
As we were heading home grandma called and said their house alarm had gone off and as they were in Mandurah asked us to drop through on our way home to check it out as they were speeding home but still an hour away. Turns out the Christmas lights had caused the electricity to switch off for a second, triggering the alarms to go off so thankfully all was well. You slept through the whole thing in the car seat, even the police visit.
On Boxing Day we headed down to Mandurah to catch up with my grandparents, Aunty Sharlene and Steve and cousins Brianna and Travis. We had lunch on their balcony overlooking the estuary and again the weather was great for it. You particularly loved the bubble machine Aunty Sharlene gave you :)
So it was a jam packed couple of days and you managed it all really well. I was so grateful for all the loving people in our lives and cannot wait till next Christmas when you'll have an even greater idea of what's going on :) #bringonthemagicofmattsfaceatchristmas
Love you,
Mum xxx
