Great-Grandad's 80th

Dear Matthew

The weekend before last we celebrated your great-grandfather's 80th birthday down at his and nanna's house in Mandurah. It was a great opportunity to catch up with my cousins, many of whom I hadn't seen in years, and to meet their children (your first cousins once removed? Or maybe your second or third cousins, I'm not sure).

Coincidentally, many of my cousins also have little boys, so you were in your element having fun with them. In fact, the first six great-grandkids on this side of the family were all boys before the first girl arrived. Crazy! But it meant you had some great new friends and toys to play with.

My favourite part of the lunch was when we sang happy birthday to your great-grandad and four of the oldest boys (including yourself) insisted on helping blow out the candles! It was gorgeous! It was also lovely to hear nanna and grandad talk about their love for each other, without which most of the people at the lunch wouldn't even be alive. Nanna also spoilt you with chocolates despite my best efforts to stop this.

I'm so pleased you have two sets of great-grandparents alive still, hopefully you grow old enough soon to store some memories of them. I know I only have a few odd ones of my great-grandmothers (nanna and grandad's mothers who we called big-nanna and little-nanna) and I treasure them.

Love you little Matthew,

Mum xxx

Autumn leaves 2016

Dear Matthew

 

Well, it is that time again! Time for your yearly photo in the leaves! Grandma and Gramps' tree was shedding again and we *attempted* to get your photo as we have done for every autumn since you were born.

 

I must admit, it was hard. As you'll see from the photos below, in most you were not happy to lay down and smile for the camera, although I think the day's glare had a bit to do with it.

 

We managed to get one though, and the three final photos below show how you have grown and changed these last three autumns.

 

You had a great time playing with Gramps in the leaves though. He'd throw them up with the rake and you'd run around enjoying the leaves raining everywhere. You are divine and your laughter and joy is infectious. Gramps would also shake the tree and you'd watch them fall off together.

 

Thank you for running in the leaves with me again baby boy.

 

All my love,

 

Mum xxx

 

 

 

 

Adventure Park and the zoo

Dear Matthew

Over the last couple of weeks we have been catching up with friends at some fun places.

We caught up with my friend Pia and her kids Thatcher and Marlow at the Russell Brown Adventure Park in Mosman Park. None of us had been there before- but we will definitely be returning. The park has quite a big undercover classic plastic playground but its the nature playground area that is the best part about the park- a stream, logs, plenty of rocks, ropes to climb, rope swings etc. It truly is amazing and you and the other kids had such a great time, all managing to get pretty much naked either by our insistence or because you'd fallen into the water accidently.

 

 

 

We have also visited the zoo again to celebrate my friend Alysia's 30th birthday. The dinosaur exhibit was still happening and you enjoyed exploring/peering at the dinosaurs suspiciously with Oliver and Samuel. And of course, you ran after the multitudes of seagulls screaming 'BIRDS!!'. Hilarity all round.  



It's been fun having fun :)

Love you baby boy,

Mum xxx