Baby's first passport

Dear Matthew and Toby

After a lovely but unexciting 2018, your dad and I decided to mix things up in 2019 and make things a bit more interesting. First stop was an overseas family trip. Given Japan has always been on our bucket list, and kids travel around Japan for free until they're six, we decided to make it our destination of choice! So we're booked in to go this coming April school holidays for two weeks, and cannot wait.

Toby, this will be your first overseas trip so we needed to get you a passport. We took you to the chemist to get your photo (see below) and while I was expecting a repeat of the Santa photo situation we endured in December, you sat nicely and we managed to get such a cute photo of you! Your passport should arrive in the next couple of weeks and then we'll be all set.

You are also now 17 months, but it feels like you're about 3 years old. You have an incredible ability to watch your surroundings and just do things without me teaching you (you just copy Matt). It is incredible to watch a second child grow, given they have someone to look up to and learn from - everything just seems to be happening so much quicker, to the point where I keep exclaiming aloud 'you're not supposed to be able to do that yet!', over and over.

You're answering questions correctly in context with yes and no and you have beautiful manners, saying 'thank you' as 'tan oo' when I hand you something. You love music and dancing and will often bring my phone to me asking for me to play 'do do do do', which is LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem (incredibly, this is the song your dad and I did a choreographed song to at our wedding reception). You call Matt 'brother' and when you're trying to get my attention you slowly escalate your voice by saying 'mum. Mum. MUM. MUM!!!' However the first person you usually want to see in the mornings is your daddy, and you normally get down off the bed in search of him for a cuddle.

You are a delight Toby-woo, and with school going back we'll go back to enjoying just pottering around the house together on a few days a week together soon.

Love you boys,

Mum xxx

Boxing Day and New Years

Dear Matthew and Toby

For Boxing Day this year we did the traditional trek to Mandurah to visit my grandparents for lunch. Luckily you seem to have taken a liking to the car finally Toby so we were able to drive there and back without any breakdowns! Woohoo!

We had a lovely lunch with the rellies and Matt you especially liked playing with my cousins' little boys (most of the great-grandchildren on this side of the family are boy - 11 out of 13!). In the afternoon we played celebrity heads (with nanna!) which you had been given as a gift from my aunty Sharlene Matt and had a lot of fun with that.

For New Years we stayed over at your grandparents house as your dad was doing some painting and, as you can see in the final photo, you both passed out on me together! It was a lovely way to finish 2018.

Love you boys,

Mum xxx

Christmas Day 2018

Dear Matthew and Toby

Christmas 2018! It arrived! I had been so looking forward to this Christmas mainly due to your excitement Matt, and with Toby copying everything you do, it was sure to excite him too.

As mentioned previously, we slept over your grandparents house on Christmas Eve so we woke to the bottom of the family Christmas tree being littered with presents from Santa, t the milk drunk and the carrots nibbled on. Matt, you helped distribute the presents to everyone and you and Toby had a great time opening presents together. Luckily Santa had brought you the Batbot you had requested, as well as a special surprise toy called Ryan's Mystery Egg (you are currently obsessed with Ryan's toy review, which is a youtube channel on which a kid named Ryan reviews toys with his parents) and your reaction to getting this toy was priceless (if you can, check out the video I have of it on Facebook). You also both got a number of other great toys and were spoilt rotten. Matt you gave me and your dad a beautiful apron you'd made at kindy covered in your handprints, I loved it.

Afterwards we had waffles together, went for a swim and had a water balloon fight with everyone. It was a lovely morning with the Constables.

For lunch we went to your dad's uncle Martin's house for lunch with your Nanna's side of the family. Matt you loved playing in the awesome pool with a few of your dad's cousins' kids and we all enjoyed a big lunch together. It was a very relaxing day.

Love you boys,

Mum xxx