Christmas baking and decorating

Dear Matthew and Toby

In the weeks leading up to Christmas I love to make decorations with you and bake some delicious treats.

This year I bought a decorate-your-own-bauble kit from Target and Matt you decorated three baubles for your grandparents/great-grandparents. I especially loved the one you made with the smiley face (see below).

We also made reindeers biscuits together for your end of year class party. These were super-easy to make using milk arrowroot biscuits, tiny teddies, strawberries and cream lollies, white choc bits and a black icing pen. Matt you practiced and concentrated so hard on getting the reindeer's pupils perfect and I was so proud of you for that. They were a hit at the party.

We also organised our annual baking day with your cousins which we hosted at our house this year. You two, Ella, Mikayla , Harry and Saffron all decorated biscuits and cupcakes together out the back. You had a lovely time, and made plenty of Christmas and non-Christmas goodies!

I love this time of year because of all these special things we do together boys!

Love you,

Mum xxx

Christmas carols at school, at mum's work and a visit to Santa

Dear Matthew and Toby

In the lead up to Christmas we have attended a few Christmas carol events.

The first was held at Corpus Christi in the final week of school. The two school's choirs performed and we all sat on the grass enjoying their peformances. Matt, you loved running around with your friend Joseph from school and Tobes enjoyed trying to touch ants on the pavement! We had a nice picnic together before heading home.

A few days later we went to my work for more celebrations. Matt, you loved doing craft in the kids corner, including making Christmas decorations, colouring in a nativity scene (which made me ridiculously happy- I want to frame it) and sticking things on a paper Christmas tree. It was great to spend a few summer evenings in the lead up to Christmas just relaxing and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

Unfortunately our visit to Santa wasn't quite as relaxing! Matt you loved seeing Santa but Tobes, this year you wouldn't have a bar of it! You screamed and I had to sit next to Santa, and we still didn't get a photo of your face given you were grabbing on to me (totally normal reaction for a toddler). I'm sure we'll look back on in it a few years with a smile, as it totally captured this season in our lives perfectly (as in, we have a toddler in the house), but I'm sorry if you were traumatised! Mama just loves her Santa photos!

Love you boys,

Mum xxx



End of year dance concert, final kindy liturgy and visit from Santa

Dear Matthew and Toby

The final week of kindy approached so quickly! I can't believe you have been at school for a whole year, Matt! It has been the most wonderful experience to watch you absolutely thrive with the help of your amazing teachers at kindy.

Your school put on a few events over this last week. Firstly, you had your dance concert. You had been practicing all term to dance to the song 'Hot Hot Hot!' and there was a whole school dance concert in the Corpus Christi gym where each of the years' classes danced in front of the parents. You were dressed up nice and colourfully and absolutely nailed your routine (although unfortunately I couldn't see a lot of it, but the school photographer took some of the great photos of you below, and your granddad managed to film you on his phone allowing us to watch it after). You love dancing and it was great to watch you dance with your classmates so happily. All your grandparents came to watch you and afterwards we all had pizza together back at our place, which was really lovely that they all came together to celebrate you.

The next week we had your last kindy liturgy for the year. This one was extra special as you were asked to speak at the microphone. We had practiced for many weeks leading up to your debut and you knew your sentence 'He lights up the path' off by heart! I was so proud of you up there. Afterwards we went back to your kindy classroom for a shared morning tea and a visit from Santa! You had such a great photo with him and he gave you a present. We also had photos with your teachers (Mrs Bollen, Miss Morgan and Miss Myers) and I was so sad that you were finishing! In fact, after we went to a carols event a few days later, you cried on the way home saying you didn't want to leave your teachers, and I joined it! They have been such magical women and will be greatly missed.

Tobes, I can't believe how much you have grown this year too. To think at the start of this year you were still a little bub that I was carrying into class in the ergo and now (as you can see from the first photo below) you're walking so confidently into the classrooms, and lying down on the mat as if you own the joint! Fingers crossed starting school is a walk in the park given how you're so used to going there already!

Love you boys,

Mum xxx