Our Morning Walk

Now that Cian is at his new Kinder I walk him to school on Wednesday-Thursday-Friday because it's on my way to work and it means that Keith and Emily only have to walk the 2km once a day.  That's right I make my 5 year old walk 2km to kindergarten...uphill.  A little adversity never hurt anyone...it builds character.

These morning walks with Cian are my favourite time of day.  We race up the hills and Cian always finds a stick to deposit on the bench - the "last stop" for sticks before we leave Stockyard path and head into the business of Racecourse Road.  We discover our shadows in specific sunny locations along the way - greeting them when we haven't seen them in a while.  We sing the alphabet and decide what movie we'll watch for Movies and Snacks on Friday.  Cian walks the bench beside Newmarket train station and we wade through the autumn leaves.  On garbage days Cian picks up the garbage that was dropped out of the bins and I have to find nearby bins to put them in (God bless his little environmentalist heart).  Recently Cian discovered the doves that were usually on the phone line by the small park had decided to move their morning congregation to the nearby housetop.  I love seeing the world from his point of view.

This morning we all woke up at 6 am and it was pouring rain.  I tried to find alternative routes via public transport to Kindy but there were no better options - we had to brave the 2km walk.  We put on our rain coats and Cian was excited because I gave him his very own umbrella.  As he walked down the path he was sort of shuffling along and then I realized he was singing "In Summer" from Frozen.   Cian doesn't like to talk let alone sing so when I got over the shock I started laughing hysterically.  What a funny kid.  Then I tried to explain to him that it felt like a Canadian summer but actually we were going into an Australian winter and he said "Then we can build snowmen!" Hmmmmm, Australia is confusing for a Canadian kid.  We continued to sing "In Summer" and then sang "Singing in the Rain" where Cian said "Mommy I know this one!!!" and he sang along.  How can you be sad on a rainy day when you've got a kid dancing and singing in the rain with his oversized umbrella and his yellow rain jacket.  It's impossible - I arrive to work every day smiling.

Spider Grief

Cian came out of the bath tonight very excited about what he was holding in his hand.  We couldn't figure out what he was saying but soon realized he was saying "Spider" and he opened his hand to reveal a small, brown, drowned, dead spider.  (Note: this was a little house spider like we have in Canada don't worry that it's the spiders of your Australian nightmares).

Cian was quite excited about this spider and wanted to keep it.  Keith and I were trying to convince him that he could not keep a dead spider mostly because spiders do not routinely have Lazarus-like properties.  This was devastating to him which we could not understand until, finally, through the sobs he wanted to bring it to Show and Tell.  Then all the pieces started to fit together - another kid had brought a spider (presumably a live spider) to Show and Tell so Cian somehow thought he could will this spider back to life and bring it to Kindy Show and Tell.  Thus began the process of trying to find something else cool to bring to Show and Tell.  We finally settled on his triceratops wrapped in a Canadian table runner that I had stored away for gifts (because I convinced him Canadian things are cool).  These two things seemed to still the outpourings of grief over the well-loved spider who died before his time to shine at Kindy Show and Tell.

Emily Goes To The Library

Yesterday Emily and I went on a mother/daughter adventure to the far away library.  Our nearby library is closed for renovations so we went further afield.  The kids were crazy yesterday so we really could only handle one at a time and I pulled the 2-year old straw for the library adventure.

We headed up to the path to the tram.  The trams in Melbourne run in the middle of larger streets so you only cross halfway on the crosswalk and stand in the death-defying middle of the road until the tram comes.  I feel like it could be a little safer than a metal fence separating you from oncoming traffic but I am not an Australian city planner.  Emily was very good and held on to the fence and didn't move until the tram arrived.  She took the big steps up in to the tram and sat in the nearby seat.

Emily's platinum blond hair makes her pretty conspicuous so people have a hard time not looking at her.  That and she tends to not be that quiet either.  "Mom I can see people and cars" and "what is that person doing?", etc. etc.  The young girl across from her with her headphones often smiled in amusement.

We got to the North Melbourne library which had just completed it's renovations.  Emily and I wandered around a bit looking for a book for me.  Emily thought I had lost a book and we were finding it "Mom, is this your book?"  "Don't worry we'll find it."

We then decided to talk to a librarian since they are usually very helpful people and this librarian certainly was.  He had horn-rimmed glasses and a long beard and he thought Emily was hilarious.  We needed to get a new library card and he asked me to take a seat and Emily thought that, of course, he was talking to her so she crawled into the seat next to him and he asked her all the questions.  She gave him our proof of address and he asked he said "G'day" and she said "G'day Mate!" which he thought was hilarious and his laugh bellowed through the otherwise quiet library.  He asked her how old she was and she said "5" and I had to remind her that she was actually "2" despite her desperate wishes to be 5.

We got three stories for Cian - 2 early reader stories including a Star Wars one and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" for me to read to him.  We got three stories for Emily including one by Oliver Jeffars and "Peppa Pig Goes to the Library".  She wasn't really interested in Mom finding a book so I grabbed one off the Hot Picks shelf as she was ready to scan them through the self-scanner. I told her it felt like we got 100 books and she said "I love 100 books!"  The librarian still totally enamoured with her.

We got back on the tram with all the books in my colossal purse except the Peppa Pig book that Emily carried herself.  We got on the tram and read the Peppa Pig book and people around listened to (it's hard not to look at a little person enjoying a children's book).  One of the other passengers came over and asked how old Emily was and said she looked exactly like his daughter did at that age and showed us a picture.  It was nice  to see a young dad come over to chat - usually it's moms and I sometimes wonder if dads are a little uneasy about striking up conversations.  As we left the tram I asked Em to say goodbye and everyone in the front half of the tram said "Bye".  I feel this might be a glimpse of times to come with her.

We then walked home down the path and an older lady with a small bag of groceries stopped to say hi to her and walked down the path with us for a while.  It was fun to chat about the "cold" weather as she was surprised I was in a T-shirt (it was 18 degrees).

The rest of the walk was the usual toddler constant commentary version of life.  "That dog touched me."  "That dog walked behind me".  "Where did that moon come from?"  It's fun to see her start to discover her world.  She found our lane and ran down the path to tell Dad about the moon and all about her adventure.  Her trip to the library was far more exciting than Peppa Pig's.

Actual Mother's Day

Cian had made me a card and brought me purple flowers home from Kindy on Friday which was lovely.

On Sunday Keith woke up, made crepes, served me breakfast in bed and took the kids out swimming.  I was talking to my mom on FaceTime and she said he wins "Husband of the Year" but that's not a new thing - he wins every year - he should probably remove himself from that competition - he's gone pro.  So Mother's Day was off to a good start.

After lunch we decided to go to Brunetti's for a treat.  Amy had been talking about how awesome it is and I wanted to check it out.  It's this Italian cafe with amazing food and an old-fashioned coffee bar.  If you would like to see the video (yes they made a video of the store) you can check it out here...

http://brunetti.com.au/

It seems everyone else had that same idea because it was packed.  We still managed to get Gelato for the kids and Keith got a Caramel Royale and I got a Raspberry White Chocolate Opera and they were both as delicious as they sound.  It was worth the trip - a great treat.

We then walked downtown trying to find a sushi restaurant to bring take-out sushi home (Cian's somewhat selfish suggestion :) and Emily LOST HER MIND.  She had been tired before but that coupled with swimming and a trip on the bus (which they loved cause they got to sit in the raised back part) she was exhausted and DONE.  She had a spectacular meltdown and of course this was the day I convinced Keith that we should try going out without the stroller.  I carried her screaming down Swanston Street until she fell asleep and she was so exhausted that she stayed asleep for many blocks (very unlike her) all the way to Melbourne Central station.  So I carried my comatose sack-of-potatoes to the train station and we had a couple rolls of sushi there (not what we had wanted but it worked).  We then took the train home which worked out pretty well.  It gets dark pretty early now that it's autumn so by 530pm when we got off the train it was pretty dark.  Cian took Keith's phone and was using the flashlight to investigate things in the park on the walk home.  We walked by a couple of teams playing soccer and Emily wanted to sit and watch but we told her that it was time to get ready for bed.  Little did we know that the electric box they were standing close to was open.  As we were telling them to get going all the lights went off in the park.  That seemed oddly coincidental until some of the soccer players came over to the electric box the kids were standing beside and we realized the box was open and controlled the lights.  Cian wasn't close to the open side so it was clearly Emily that had created mass darkness.  We think she just pushed the red button since it was all pretty quick but the guys tried pushing the green button and it didn't work.  There were many minutes of trying to get the lights back on and then the main guy said he would go back and get a key for the reboot box.  We dragged our kids home in silence.  Emily in trouble for the light incident and Cian in trouble for dropping Keith's phone in the middle of the road (it's ok).  They knew they were in trouble too because it was a silent walk home.  Eventually they went to bed (Emily was back to her usual antics of getting out of bed a few times since she'd had a 20 minute mobile nap).  It was not the best parenting day...not the worst...but not the best.  So instead I think I'm going to remember my magical Mary Poppins day as Mother's Day - that's what magic is for right?

The Mothers in My Life

It's Mother's Day on Sunday and I was thinking about that on my walk home on Friday.   We don't tend to make a big deal out of Mother's/Father's Day at our house - usually because it's close to Keith's birthday and we have other stuff going on.  Often it means that there's a card, hugs and kisses and some time to oneself and really - what more can you ask for?  Anyway, today I was thinking of the mothers in my own life and wanted to let them know how much I admire them.

To my most special mom-to-be, Karen you are going to be an amazing mom.  My kids love you so much and you are incredibly kind, generous and patient.  I know the whole thing feels unbelievable in these last few weeks while you wait and wonder what you got yourself into but that is truly going to be one well-loved kid.

To the "new" and "new to 2" moms (Sarah, Beth and Debbie) - it's been incredible to watch you grow as women over the last few years.  To see the bonds of sisterhood strengthen between the Mackey sisters as they have kids that get to grow up together like they did.  To see Deb forging different parts of herself in this new role as "mom".  New little ones can be hard and no one gives you a report card and I think you seem to be handling things seamlessly.

To my "veteran" mom friends (ChrisChan and Jo).  I go to you for advice and look to you for support.  I appreciate that we've made different choices in our families and our careers and that there is no judgement surrounding that.  What a truly amazing gift that is.  Thank you for helping me through my fears and supporting me when I'm not sure what to do.

To my mama friend close to home (Jen Didora) I am so thankful to know you and to have you in our life.  Your quiet strength and your ability to welcome us into your family (both your family of origin and the family you are creating) is such a gift to us. I can't wait to come home and see how Lizzie has grown and hold a new little baby in September.

To the young moms in my family (Maja, Jen and Leslie).  It's intimidating to be in a family of women who seem to have "conquered" motherhood with ease and finesse. I look on in awe at the amazing little people you have brought into the world.

To the matriach of the Morris clan (Granny Morris).  You were so kind to me when I joined the Morris family and every time I had the opportunity to spend time with you was such a gift.  Thank you for raising such wonderful human beings (all 12 of them!) and for your amazing acceptance of a tall blonde girl as one of "your grandkids".  You were an exceptional woman and I hope you are resting well. 

To the amazing woman that raised my beloved husband (Margaret).  How can the world thank you enough for raising Keith Morris?  or Mark Morris?  or Sue Morris?  Really!  Three amazing children that are so different from each other: all of them retaining their uniqueness and they still like to come home and hang out with their parents.  I'm shooting for the moon if I ask for that as a mom.  I would not be able to enjoy the marriage I have if you hadn't raised Keith to be self-sufficient, to respect women, to know that hospital hours are a suggestion at best and that Christmas might not fall on Christmas Day.  And I'm not just impressed by the way you raised my (fantastic if I do say so myself) husband.  I am truly blessed by how you have treated me as a daughter-in-law.  I couldn't have asked for better when it came to the many hard times during residency when I would come home post-call while you were visiting and you would feed me breakfast and send me upstairs to sleep.  I have none of the worries other girls seem to have when their mothers-in-law come to visit - I look forward to it!  Can't wait to see you guys in June.

To the amazing women that raised me.  

To my grandmother, so much of what I learned as a young person I learned in your kitchen or in your garden.  You raised three unique children and countless other "honorary kids" that passed through your life.  I'm still working through my feelings about the loss of you in my life but the truest thing I can say is that so much of me is from you.

To my Auntie Betty, my mom's ridiculous, hilarious and fun sister who used me as a dress-up doll when I was a kid but was someone I always looked up to and I'm so blessed to have in my life.  You raised two amazing kids and it's been incredible to watch them grow into young people.  I'm really lucky to have had the women in my family spread out in age in a unique way that my grandma was 50 when I was born and therefore was sort of in between a mom and a grandma since she was still young and played such a strong role in my life and my Aunt was 19/20 so was like an aunt but also like a big sister.  I had the best of all worlds with these relationships and they filled so many of the needs of my young heart. 

And to my own mother - I don't think I ever truly understood the love you poured into everything you have done for me until I had my own kids.  It really hit home when you said "See how much you love your kids that's how much we love you".  I know you've always been a big believer that our successes are our own but I think that you could take some credit that Brandon and I are functional members of society and have lives that we love - like an agent's cut or a producer credit or something - because you laid the foundation.  As someone who spends a lot of time with young kids who have hard childhoods - thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonder and magic and incredible memories that I have of being a kid.  Thank you for not comparing me and my brother and for letting us find our own ways in the world.  Also, thank you for the special place that you hold in the lives of my children.  I see the love in their eyes when they talk to you or about you and I think of the love I have for my own grandmother and it warms that hurting space in my heart.

These are the women in my life who inspire me as a mother.

Mother's Day though is not a celebration for everyone.  Some people find Mother's Day a painful reminder of loss.  To the people who have lost their mothers including my own parents.  I am with you  thinking of the women who parented generations before us.  The legacy they left both good and bad and the people left here that still feel the effects.  To the mothers who have lost their children: one of the many remarkable things about Africa is that women who have given birth regardless of the outcome are still called mothers, even if their babies are stillborn, or die in infancy or the mothers are babies themselves.  It is an amazing thing to behold a grown man show respect to a 15-year old girl and call her "mama" even though her baby died before it came into the world.  You are still a mother to me and I hold you in reverence for the unimaginable loss you have suffered.  Please know that I will think of you on Sunday.

To the women who have not become mothers whether by choice or by circumstance.  I will speak personally to say that you are some of the most important people in my life and in my role as a mom.  You are the women that remind me to open my eyes and see the big picture.  You are the women that remind me about the amazing gifts of my children through fresh eyes that don't have to love them.  You are the women that remind me that mother is not my only role: that I am a daughter, wife, sister and a friend.  For some of you Mother's Day might be hard for a variety of reasons and I want you to know that all my days as a mother would be harder if you weren't in my life.  Thank you for all of your love and support and friendship.

So thank you to the wide variety of women that inspire me, that strengthen me, that pick me up and hug me and wipe away my tears.  Thank you for your examples of love in my life.  Happy Mother's Day. 

My Early Mother's Day Present

It's been a rainy day so we couldn't really take the kids outside to play.  So we played inside for most of the day: making playdough and horsing around in our typical fashion.  Tonight Keith went to Magic so I thought I'd put on Mary Poppins and watch that with the kids.  I've been meaning to watch it since we watched Saving Mr. Banks.

Tonight was one of those nights where some cosmic miracle happens and the kids were both amazing.  I'm not sure if it's because we cocooned ourselves in our house all day and we were cosy in the darkness of our living room but they both crawled up on my lap and quietly watched the movie.  Occassionally Emily would hop down and get some of the chicken nuggets we made - one for each of us - and we'd continue watching huddled under our little cosy blanket.

When we got to the "It's a Jolly Holiday with Mary" song Cian decided that his mom and dad were just like Bert and Mary Poppins which watching them on-screen was a beautiful compliment. It's amazing how a film from 1964 can spellbind children who are used to the computer animation of the next century.  They loved all the songs and I had forgotten so much of the film it was a new experience for me too - with a poignant message as my two little precious children sat in my lap.

They crawled into bed after the movie and asked me to sing to them and I felt a little like Mary Poppins myself as they drifted off to sleep.  Magical.

Movies and Snacks (the Friends edition)

Every Friday night since I started studying for my exam the kids and I have had Movie and Snacks where we make different snack foods, sit on the floor and watch a movie.  This was the night I had off from studying and Keith had off from the kids.

We have continued with Movies and Snacks here in Melbourne.  The kids love it even more now because we have the projector screen so the movie experiences are even more epic.

Cian and I had the idea to invite Reuben and Beth (Amy's kids) to Movies and Snacks.  We thought Reuben would like to watch "How to Train Your Dragon" since it's one of Cian's favourites.  It worked out especially well since Sunday is Reuben's birthday and he is going on a little trip with his family so this way Cian could give him a birthday present.  Amy didn't tell Reuben that he was coming over to our house until just before they left because she knew he would lose his mind and he did - it's super cute how much they like each other.

They came over at 530pm and we had tea (supper).  I had asked Keith to buy some dips and there was a sale on dips so it was a dip feast!  He also made quesedillas which Reuben said was "nearly his favourite food" and since he had never had it before I take that as a glowing endorsement.  It was also hilarious to hear an Aussie try to say "quesedilla".

The kids then settled into the theatre seating Keith had arranged for them and the adults got to eat the leftovers and have a chat.  I talked about my yoga class and how there are unbelievably flexible people that can go into a bridge (where your abdomen is the top of the bridge) and can stand up from that position.  I am in awe of these people and wished I was as flexible as Beth (the 2 year old) because she can bend herself in half.  We had a great time chatting while the kids watched the movie and wandered around and occassionally came to the table for more crackers/biscuits.  Our kids usually watch How to Train Your Dragon in the car on the iPad when we take long drives so Keith and I have heard it a bunch of times but haven't watched it recently and I forgot it is a bit scary.  I was then worried that we traumatized poor Reuben who has only seen the Jungle Book and some french cartoon about ants.  He only came over to Amy for a brief second cause he was scared but he informed me dragons weren't real so it was ok.  Cian was on the couch with a blanket since he was exhausted from Kindy and at another point Reuben asked Cian if he could come in the blanket with him and they watched the movie together under the blanket.  Sooooo cute.  Emily said almost nothing the entire time Beth and Reuben were over except to sing for Amy when I asked her if she wanted to (she does like to sing) - she just likes to observe what's going on around her so when people meet her they are lulled into a false sense of a quiet and demure child.

The kids made it through the whole movie and did really well.  No meltdowns or disasters - I consider that a win.  Reuben, Beth and Amy said good night and walked home to their house just down the path.  Our kids barely made it upstairs before falling exhaustedly into their own beds.  Full of food and fun times.

About half an hour later I got a text from Amy that read.

Thank you both for a very lovely evening.  
I am a little drunk.
And I can't stand up from a bridge.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  One of the best gifts of this year is how awesome my relationship is with my fellow fellow.  It's almost freaky that we have the same initials, are both left-handed, have a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl.  I'll miss her heaps when she goes back to Brisbane at the end of June.  What a fantastic edition of Movies and Snacks - perhaps the best yet.

Keith turns 35

The last few days we have been celebrating the oldest person in our family.  The ancient and well-preserved Keith Morris.

Last weekend I wasn't on call so we decided to go out for his birthday and do whatever Keith wanted to do - which was dinner and a movie.  Since he is culinarily adventurous we reserved a table at the Abyssian for dinner  (a well-loved Ethiopian restaurant near our house) and then I had gotten tickets to see Captain America at the mall.  He's a man of simple pleasures and that's all right with me.  It even worked out that our beloved Ciara could babysit.

Saturday night arrived and it was pouring rain so Ciara was a little late due to traffic but her mom then drove us to the restaurant so it all worked out (I think it might have taken longer to go via car but it was a very lovely gesture and we took her up on it).  The Abyssian was a cute hole-in-the-wall place that indeed has wonderful food.  The host was this Ethiopian guy who had lived in Sweden so we had endeared ourselves to him by the fact that we are quite comfortable in Melbourne's "winter".  He was also amused that we could not finish the behemoth of the Chef's platter for 2 (I wish we had known it would be so enormous and we would have gotten the Chef's platter for 1!  The food was delicious though and topped off with Ethiopian beers it was perfect.

We ventured out into the mist again and hopped on a tram to the movie theatre.  We never dated as teenagers but I imagine this is what it would have been like: a mom driving us to dinner, hopping on public transit to the movie and then entering the movie theatre really solidified the teenage date theme night.  Movies in Melbourne are expensive (approx $20) but I had a coupon for $12 tickets.  I thought that the movie theatre arrangement would be similar to the Silver City experiences of which I have now become accustomed but actually it seems that Melbourne is about 20 years behind in movie technology as it felt like seeing a movie at Cinema City 12 (i.e. the cheap theatres for those not from Edmonton).  The theatre, the seats and the screen were tiny by my supersized standards and it was a big shocking.  Not as shocking as the parents who had their 3 year old at an 830pm screening of Captain America but still shocking.  It was a really good movie and Keith was happy to see it in theatres so that's all that matters.

On the way home we just made the tram but hadn't realized we got on the wrong tram out of Highpoint so when the conductor called "last stop" we were in the middle of Moonee Ponds and he had to take us back to a different corner to catch the 57.  This corner however was some dodgey place that emanated alcohol from the pavement as people poured out of pub doors in varying states of inebriation. We eventually caught the 57 tram and made it home to relieve Ciara - who was dutifully studying her physics textbook (we love her - she is awesome).

On Sunday it was still rainy in Melbourne so Cian and I decided to have a surprise Star Wars party in the evening for Keith.  We tied the spaceships they had made with Keith out of the Coke box and hung them from the lights by this moss green rope we found in the garage so it truly looked like they had landed in the Degoba system.  We made light sabers out of green grape kebabs and made chocolate chip Wookie cookies.  All with a sign that said "Happy Birthday Jedi Daddy". It was great fun.  We were going to watch Episode 5 but it wouldn't load on the computer and by that time the kids were exhausted so we all celebrated May the 4th in our hearts.

I had been telling Cian that we could make a cake for Keith on Tuesday so it would be ready for him on Wednesday so Tuesday morning at 6am Cian came to the head of my bed, woke me up and said it was time to make the cake.  I convinced him to wait til after work which made Keith happy because he used it as a "carrot" all day to make Cian do things ("Cian get out of the pool or you can't help mommy make the cake").  He was a very good helper and even suggested putting chocolate chips in the batter - a very good choice.  We made a circular cake and I iced it in white and blue so it kind of looked like Captain America's shield.  Keith said that he just needed a chocolate cake with chocolate icing but I informed him that it wasn't just about him :P.

Today was Keith's actual birthday. We sang "Happy Birthday" in the morning and excitedly waited for cake after dinner.  Some of us have to work on our patience as Keith found Emily in the fridge about 10 minutes before supper with a blue face and conspicuous evidence of missing icing.  Cian then said "Emily I am very mad at you for messing up the cake!" and she was very upset that everyone was mad at her.  Madness ensued.

I fixed the cake and we found a tea light for a candle.  After Keith blew out his candle I told the kids to say what they loved the best about their dad before they ate their cake.  Cian said "Dad's games" and Emily thought for a minute, put on a mischievous grin and said "...CAKE!!!" and popped the biggest piece in her mouth.  What a turkey.

And now a movie to round out the birthday.  We love having a projector for movies - I think we will really miss that when we don't have it anymore.

Happy happy 35th Birthday Keith!   We all have our reasons for loving you whether it be your fun games or your amazing abilities at a stay-at-home dad or your irresistable birthday cake.  You are the rock of our family and are truly appreciated every day.  We love you so much - we hope these last few days have been a grand celebration into 35 :).