Hot weather fun

Thanks for your help boys. What you can't see in the bucket is about 100 stones that Rhys kindly dropped in.

Oh to be 2 and under and not care about getting covered in sand!

Our version of cloth nappies

So, this is our nappy system. I said I would do a wee (tee hee) blog on it, so here goes... We've been doing reusables since the day Joseph came home from the hospital - i.e. since he was 2 days old. It has been refined along the way! We have always had the old fashioned Indian cotton square naps, this outer is a Real Nappies, we also have Econaps outers that weren't so good on Joseph because he had no thighs! Rhys fits both perfectly. The Real Nappies outers are the ones we use most. So we have about 7 or 8 outers and about 36 cloths and liners. The liners are microfleece, started with a square metre and someone whipped them up for us into liners.

We fold the cloths into half, then half, then thirds, pop on a liner then store them up ready to go.

The fleece is perfect for just dropping bits into the toilet, rolls right off! Also, fleece and outers come out of the wash almost dry. We usually just dry pail all 3 parts but I like to soak the nappy and liner in water, not the outer as it looses it's waterproofness if soaked. Then we just wash with a tiny bit of normal soap powder on a normal wash. We half fold the cloths before hanging them to dry. The sun helps to keep them white. So there it is. No pins, and not that much of a big deal at all.

The secret is to start as soon as you have the baby home. The outers come in different sizes. We don't spend all our time in the laundry washing and scrubbing and it only takes about 10 minutes to fold the dry ones ready to go fo the next day. Nick's brother and his wife use the cloths that are made by Real Nappies, they are a bit thicker so take more time to dry, but less time to fold as they just need to be folded into thirds. It's easy, give it a go! Anyone use different ones? I know a few people who have used the Fuzzy Buns sort which are fleece. They are more expensive, and the outer has to be changed at every change - not like ours, if Rhys has just wet and the outer is fresh it can usually be used for a second round, so we just get another folded cloth...

Also, Joseph was out of nappies at 2, the first in his group of friends, most of which use the FBuns. I think because he felt the wetness he was out of them sooner, and also he was a STAR! It could be totally different with Rhys.

Keeping two toddlers (including one who doesn't have a sleep anymore) busy

Park life...

Spring on the Avon...

We decided on the Saturday of Daylight saving that we would not give Joseph a sleep so that he would be better in synch the next day. Well, it worked a treat, his body clock adjusted just fine. BUT, he decided himself that because he didn't have to have a sleep one day then he didn't have to have a sleep ANY day. So, he now stays up, all day and today for instance, lost the plot at about 6 and was in bed asleep by 6:30pm. It has been quite love;y to have that time with him in the middle of the day when Rhys has anywhere between 1.30hrs and 3hrs sleep. We have had lovely weather, apart from this week, so have spent the time in the garden weeding, watering and playing...

And baking!

I must mention, after talking about weeding, a couple of incidences...after being so pleased with the fine weather and making some headway with the vege garden and weeding the front and side gardens that are often neglected. I was right out the front and had just about finished and ready to go and check to see if Rhys had woken, when I suddenly discovered that my engagement ring was not on my finger where it should be, PANIC, search high and low and exactly where I think it should have fallen but to no avail. meanwhile Rhys has woken up. Searching for a ring in the very frot garden with an inquisitive 15 month old is IMPOSSIBLE. After running on to the middle of the road a third time to retrieve my child I gave up the search.

It was a horrible feeling, one I had had before, when I lost the very same ring in a foot of snow somewhere in the middle of Scotland. Long story short - flung off my very cold hand whilst I was dusting snow off my trousers, nice man called Brian found it.

So, I mention the anguish of the new lost ring to a colleague...absolutely lovely lady who I love working with. She says she would like to come and help me look for it. So within 5 minutes she has it in her hot little hand. I couldn't believe it. So, thank goodness for people who are generous with their time, kind and have an obvious talent for finding things.

Other incident pales in significance - weeding, feel sharp prick on fingers, rather like a cactus, but on closer inspection was a hedgehog, and even more close inspection, a DEAD hedgehog. So that was a trip to the nurse for a tetanus boost. i am going to stick to weeding the vege garden!

Brotherly love

I love the wee smile on Joseph's face here, not such a good pic of Rhys though!

These two little men are becoming more and more brotherly, I'm not sure if that's the right word for it but it will do. They laugh at and with each other, chase, run, yell, squeal (the latter two for Rhys are mainly monkey see monkey do...very funny) and Joseph thinks he is very important when he gets to give Rhys a bottle and feed him at lunch or dinner time. Much more messy but quite lovely to watch. They have an ongoing thing every morning when they are both up and we all say 'Good morning', these two have cuddles, which is the two of them with their arms around each other pulling apart to smile at each other and then hugging again - sometimes five or six times - but usually ending in one or the other either having had enough or loosing their balance and toppling over.

Rhys is showing his love for his newest cousin Tripp here...

Nick's sister Annabel was down from Auckland in the holidays. It was lovely to meet the newest nephew and to be on hoilday to spend quality time with family. Rhys has become much more gentle with his showing of affection but still has the odd mishap, especially with the next youngest cousin Max who has only a red mark or a load of dribble on his head to show what's been going on. Soon enough there won't be much difference in the size of them all and Max and Tripp will get their own back.

New back garden, before and after...

So, this is what we spent our holiday doing. Now that it is done we can hardly believe we put up with the 'old' one for so long, but it did need, fine weather, patience, two of us (one to supervise the children) and money of course. There was a lot of planning and thinking about this back yard and we are very pleased with the end result.