Five!

In my immense slackness as a blogger, I have failed to record the Birthday of Amazingness that was Lolly's Fifth birthday!  She had a party on her actual birthday, with lots of school friends, which was heaps of fun.

Skateboard from her brother!

Big bike from us :D

Her party was a Teddy Bear's Picnic theme, it was sunny and hot!

Before the hordes descended.

Compulsory adorable cake.

Hungry!

Even the turtle got in the party mode.

Dino piñata!

Excuse the lazy photo blogging!  :D

School days...Part the Second

Lolly is in Prep this year, which here in Brisbane is our first year of school.  She goes to a democratic independent school, which has just been amazing.  Thought I'd share a few shots of school awesomeness.

On the BIS tree.

In the end of term art show!

Flying kites at pick up time with some friends.

Dress up Day!  (Cleo from Clifford, the Big Red Dog)

Cheeky.

So...we got a wheelchair adapted car!!

And it is awesome...

At the dealer :D

We may have added some bling...

How it works.

DinnerDad pimped my ride with shagadelic Ikea rugs!

Snail contemplates a Banana - IN OUR CAR!!

It fits two chairs, TWO!!

Lolly looking cute and me peering in.

The car has transformed our lives.  It's amazing. Just amazing.

:D

School Days

Lolly has started Prep at school!  She's doing great, and the school is wonderful.  It's an Independent school with a small group of students, Lolly has only 13 kids in her combined Prep and grade 1 class.  She's doing really well, and loving the play and learning.

I'm doing okay, it's a big change for everyone.  Here are is a non-specific picture of the awesomeness of her school grounds.  It's a whole new world!

Standing Frame Frolics

We have a standing frame on loan at the moment from the Cerebral Palsy League, so that Snail can use it to build up some strength and as part of her rehab.  While it looks like some kind of medieval torture device and takes up more room than a small car, it's worth is for the fun Snail has in it!

Monkey!!

 DinnerDad loaded up the girls on the weekend to storm watch in our front yard, here's Lolly on the front.  Too cute. 

We're probably going to apply for some funding to get one, they're pretty cool :D

Travels and such...now with too many photos!

All has been quiet on the blogging front, for two main reasons.  First, not having anything interesting to report for most of the time, we've been either home with Snail, or sick and home with Snail.  The girls have watched a LOT of My Little Pony.

The other main reason is we had a whirlwind trip overseas to Stockholm and London!  DinnerDad had to work in Stockholm (as you do) and we had a week holiday there and in London before heading back home.

It was awesome!!  Here are some snapshot highlights for your viewing pleasure :D  Sorry about the photo bombing, I've been sick since we got home two weeks ago with a bug we picked up in Sweden.  Blerg.  But worth it!!

Gamla Stan on our first day in Stockholm

Cute hat!

Up close with the Lemurs at Skansen!

More picturesque at Skansen, Stockholm.

Snow!!

More cute hats and frozen puddles.

Wolf hat and half-frozen lake at Uppsala

Butterfly House, Stockholm.

"Keep off the Grass" NOT - at Westminster Abbey.

Kensington Palace

Hyde Park!

Tower of London looks imposing.

FANCY hotel in London!!

Pony on the London Eye

Squirrel!!

After a LOT of flight time, Lolly watches more MLP on takeoff from Singapore.

Doings - August and September!

Not as many doings as we are normally, well, doing, due to being at home a LOT with Snail.  But we get out when we can.

To the wonderful Bush Kindy, organised by a dear and wonderful friend.

Treasure hunt collage!

Sunny days doing a bird ID walk at bush kindy.

The very start of Spring, already roasting here in Brisvegas!

I LOVE that the kids were to "tick" the birds as they spotted the cards, and Lolly drew an actual tick (as in, the little bug).  She'd just had a tick on her neck that week, so it was clearly topical.  ;)

Ticks :D

 To Sushi train, where kitty gets salmon.

More sushi train, in which Lolly is so grown up.

Sisters watching Bananas on the iPad.

All of the drawing.  

"Mummy and Lolly in a house with a sun and birds."

Making the most of an occasional cold August night at our fire pit.

Why yes, Lolly did toast a carrot over the fire as we had no marshmallows!  She ate two!

Sad neglected children get toasted carrot.

Snail is doing really well.  She had to have one of the hip pins out as it had come through her skin (!!) but recovered quickly and we are well into rehab. She is (as of a couple of weeks ago) back in her normal wheelchair, so it's goodbye to the reclining thing we spent 9 weeks in!  She's doing great at physio, and standing transfers are close in our future, which will make all our lives a lot easier, especially hers!  It's been a hard time, but the light is at the end of the tunnel. 

At one of our post-surgical appointments, around 8 weeks after surgery, at the hospital cafe, traveling in style!

Finally, girls with "pricklefoot" have to use their sister's reclining wheelchairs to recover.