Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Art and puppy-kids

Here's how to have a lovely day.

First, have a fabulous Modern Art Museum in your hometown.

Second, get them to have some kid-friendly and future-vet-friendly animal-lover art.




Third, have a kid who wears cat ears (or lion or cheetah or leopard or puppy ears) everywhere.






Fourth, have a section at the gallery for kids to make their own art!

Fifth, combine and enjoy!







Sunday, March 23, 2014

Six!! Now with more kittens!!

Lolly turned six recently!  This year, we made the big call of getting her a kitten for her birthday.  This is still the most awesome thing ever.

So we have a new Memo-er: Pickles!

Also, little kittens make small people very happy.
Here she is on her first day!

Meeting Alia, the cat of grumpy.


Yes, she has a moustache!

Meeting Squirtle!  

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

School Holidays, in Picture form!

We're coming to the end of our very first big 7 week school holiday.  We've had a lot of fun at home this year, no big trip as we'd just been to the US in October (will photo-bomb in a future post).  Some snapshots of our time at the end of Prep holidays!

Lolly found some colourful bug, insect and lizard toys and spent a happy day making "zoos" out the back.  Here she is proudly showing me around the zoo.


The zoo also had a very fierce cheetah...



We're encouraging Lego play, and Lolly got a big "Friends" house set for Christmas.  DinnerDad has a long and abiding love of lego, so on weekends they build new things with it.  Here's a vet surgery.

Tasty bones.


This puppy is getting an x-ray!

Dressing up is a BIG favourite of Lolly's, and has been her whole life, really.  She spends a lot of time being a puppy, cheetah, cat, and a range of creatures.  Okay, mostly puppies.  This one is Christmas puppy.

This one is a movie-watching puppy.  It's basically all of the cute.


Lolly has been more interested in dolls, though mostly as vets/zoo keepers.  She has taken lately to taking "her girls" around with her, brushing their teeth, and putting them to bed.



Of course, the pets are still the favourites, even when they're asleep!



We've had some fierce hot weather here, but with the air conditioning on, you need a blanket while watching your favourite kids TV (Backyardigans and Lazy Town).  For a while there it was basically too hot to leave the house!

Yes, this is the best couch in the world.  Yes, those are cupholders!
We like to head out for lunch, wearing our Disney Princess hat, coz that's how she rolls.  


She learnt some fearsome new stunts from her older brother!


She's very interested in Snail's chair and standing frame, I had to get it out for her the other week so she could be "just like my sister".

Here are the girls out with their "cousin", puppy, Lou-Lou!




And finally, the awesome Elmo, modelling Snail's doll wheelchair that we bought in the US at American Girl!

Lots of home time, lots of playdates, lots of family, and back to school next week!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Old Blogger Attempts New Tricks...2013 in Review!

Or is that *Old blogger attempts old tricks?*  I mean, I was a regular blogger once before, so that makes it an old trick, right?  Okay then...

With that out of the way, here is the Memo to Self family at the end of 2013, by their humble chronicler.

The Memo family moved house in August, we sold our family home in September, and are in a fab (and HUGE) house closer in, which we are loving.  The joy of not having the extra 25 minutes drive out to the "country" is still pretty fresh and awesome.  We have a pool here, and Lolly has become at least 70% mermaid.

A Mermaid and her Dog
Lolly, DinnerDad and I scampered off to the US in Sept-Oct for a holiday (except for the bits where DD had to work :p), we took in a weekend at Disneyland, a few days in New York, and just over a week in Washington (unfortunately, when the government shut down was on, so not the most action-packed time to go, to be honest!).

Toys about to embark for the US!
Lolly and her favourite princess!
The Princess thing really stuck! Eating a street hotdog in New York!
Empire State Princess
Lolly has finished Prep, which here in sunny Queensland, is her first full year of school!  She goes to a fabulous alternative, democratic school nearby, which she has loved.  We've had a couple of moments of separation anxiety, funnily, more at the end of the year than at the start, but we're still doing great, having fun, and producing innumerable items of art!


At School (end 2013)
Snail had a mixed year, early on we were still feeling the effects of a pretty awful surgery and recovery, which saw her have 6 months off school, be in a lot of pain, and need a lot of therapy.  We got our fab wheelchair adapted car in April, which has been quite simply amazing, so we've got heaps more mobility.  As the surgery got further away, and we got a pretty good 12 month report from her surgeons, along with some drug changes for seizures, Snail has been fabulous this past month, back to her smiling, interactive, chatty and playful self.  Without getting too deep about it, we were kind of afraid that she had gone, so it's been beyond awesome that our bright happy girl is still in there!  Still getting seizures, but hoping for more balance with meds to come next year.
Intrepid bushwalkers!


OMG Eyes! Xmas 2013.
Smash has had an eventful year, but is hanging in there, slightly bruised, but still going strong.  Some of the bruises are real ones, from all the skilful and scary-to-watch BMX and skateboard tricks he can do these days.  Best for parents to look away, really...

Also, he turned 18 - first legal drink at his birthday dinner!
DinnerDad is going strong, and I've been working a few hours a week at Lolly's awesome school, which has been good fun, I'm continuing on with that in the new year.
Princess and Me on a carriage ride in Central Park.
I'll be back blogging some more, so tune in :D  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
Our awesomest Xmas Wreath, ever.



Thursday, May 16, 2013

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

Saturday, May 11, 2013

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.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

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