29 February - Leap Year purchase

I have always lived with the theory that if you buy something on February 29 you can't feel guilty about it, no matter how expensive, or how much you don't need it, since February 29 is not a real day!

So today I bought a new guitar. It wasn't expensive, but I certainly didn't need it. It brings my collection to 3. A regular acoustic (on the right), a nickel coated steel single cone resonator (on the left), and today's purchase; a cutaway semi acoustic complete with pickup and equalizer.
It's the one in the middle if you were wondering!

28 February - Dorothy

This afternoon Grace and I had a little lay down on the bed for a while. I asked Grace to smile for the camera but she had to find a spot for Dorothy to sit for the photo as well....

27 February - Swimming

Leah took this photo this morning of me at swimming.
I love how she looks so unimpressed by me, but I'm sure over the next 18-40 years or so she will be equally as unimpressed with me for various reasons!

26 February - Doctor & Dorothy

Today we went to the Canberra show. Thinking we would be there about 2.5 hours max we finally got home after a little over 5 hours there!!

We did meet Dr Harry though Grace wasn't as excited as me about it.

We also bought Grace a Dorothy the Dinosaur show bag which came with a replica of Dorothy's hat. I tried it on and for some reason it instantly made me look EXACTLY like a dinosaur.
Uncanny.

25 February - Double Trouble

After looking after Maddie this morning for a couple of hours I learned a couple of things:

1- despite Maddie being really good and not having a minutes trouble with her, it's bloody tiring playing with two 18 month olds.

2- despite Grace being really good and not having a minutes trouble with her, it's bloody tiring playing with two 18 month olds.

3- despite Maddie and Grace getting along really well and playing together perfectly when I was tired and sat to rest, it's bloody tiring watching two 18 month olds.

24 February - Graces duckies

After a bath with Leah this afternoon Grace climbed into our bed with her 3 damp rubber duckies.
She had a really difficult time arranging them until she was happy, trying them under the Doona, on her lap, and behind her head until eventually lining them up on the second pillow seemed to work for her.
I think she is pretty happy with the result. Though it only lasted about another 5 seconds before they were back under the Doona again!

23 February - Accidental photo

I actually didn't take a photo for my blog today, but when I looked at the Camera Roll on the iPhone, I found this.

Evidently I accidentally took a photo while I was getting out of my car this afternoon.

But it WAS taken today, so it fits the description for the blog.
It was either this, or a self taken photo of me with Duck Face lips...

22 February - Dr??

Received this letter at work today, from the Taiwan Fishery Agency in Taipei.

Maybe you don't need to be that qualified to be a Dr in Taiwan? Because I'm certainly not...

21 February - Handmade

I had to go to Civic today and Leah asked me to have a quick look at the handmade store while I was there.
So I did.

Who knew that HANDMADE was an acronym.

Horrible And Nasty Designer Materials Are Decidedly Expensive

20 February - Changing Tastes

So it's been only a week and a bit that I've been eating Lite'N'Easy every day.
I've lost some weight and very Happy about it, and generally I'm finding the food delicious.

But today I had to really wonder if the food actually is delicious, or am I just extremely hungry?
Because the salad I ate for lunch was a Greek salad (which I don't like a lot) full of ChickPeas (which I really don't like), Celery (which I dislike immensely) and some other beans/nuts/seed things (which I hate).
But strangely, overall, as with the other meals, I found it delicious....Hmmm

19 February - Grace grooms

Technically this photo wasn't taken today, it was taken yesterday but I thought it deserved a blog post.

This is Grace with the tweezers trying to pluck her eyebrows after she saw me using the them.

Amazing what kids pick up so quickly from watching adults.

18 February - Graces "Flowers"

This afternoon we took Grace down to the Apex park for a play.
As soon as she got into the playground she picked up a 'flower' and would not let it go.
She even posed for photos while showing it to me!

17 February - Shunned...

Lately Grace has only been Happy to bath or shower if Leah or I bath or shower with her.
Tonight was no different, except once we got into the bath, she outright refused to let me play with her at all.
So I had a relaxing 20 minutes looking at her back while she played happily.

16 February - Foggy Start

This morning on the way to work it occurred to me that in Tasmania you would never get thick fog like today's, during Summer.
But almost before I could think about it the fog was gone!!!
I love Summer in the Capital!

Believe it or not, the photo on the right was taken about 300m (and a very short time, hence the same cars) down the road from the first one!

15 February - Mogo Zoo

After a great day at Kiama yesterday we decided to drive home via Batemans Bay to see Mogo Zoo.
So glad we did! It's the best zoo I've ever been to. Not huge but you get really really close to ALL the animals, including only about a metre from the tigers and lions, and literally touching the same glass the cheetahs were hissing at from the other side.

The naughty deer stole the whole bag of food out of my hand when I was trying to feed a different one.
And then 4 dingos having a walk came by and one really liked Grace.

14 February - Valentines Day & Kiama

My Valentines day gift is really cool, if not just a little unusual! It's not that I got a plant. Nor that I got a cool pot for it. It's just that I have never actually seen miniature Capsicums before!!

We also came to Kiama for the day where Grace had a great time in the kiddie pool at the place we stayed.
Got to try out the underwater camera properly at last!!

13 February - Grace and Baxter

Tonight I took Bax to the boarding kennels for a couple of days while we go to the coast.

Grace certainly enjoyed having him in the car with her!!

12 February - Odd cat

This morning Nala decided to take advantage of the sun in the loungeroom, along with the extra padding from Graces duck cushion and couch.
She sure made herself comfortable!

11 February - Ball shooter

This afternoon Nathan and I took Maddie and Grace to Lets Play fun Centre while Leah and Cass got screamed at by an angry Yoga man.
(Stretch arms you must)...oh hang on that's Yoda. :)

Grace loved sitting in the ball pit while the balls shot out of the target at her!
So did Maddie until she got hit in the head twice by flying balls.

10 February - Everything gets a slide

Grace has had this slide toy for a while now but recently has decided that some of her other toys need to slide down it.
Tonight she decided just about everything got a slide.
You can see the Weeble (which is supposed to slide down) as well as a Tolo figure, wooden block, wooden hammer and she is forcing the rather large caterpillar down too!

9 February - bath time

For quite some time now Grace has always made her caterpillar 'eat' the food in the book complete with sound effects.
Tonight she was insisting that it come and bath with us and after about 5 minutes I finally convinced her to leave it on the change table and get in the bath.
Then Nala arrived...and it took another 10 minutes of convincing Grace to bath!!

8 February - bounce

Another afternoon spent on the trampoline with Grace in her pink Gumboots and hat!
But as long as she is happy, why complain?
I'm not certain she appreciated me taking her photo today though!!

7 January - Jab

Grace had her 18 month vaccines today. She was really good and stopped crying the instant she saw the band aids. She had a little play in the waiting room afterwards and then we went to Woolies and bought her some fruit.
Which she loved.

6 February - Grace turns 18...

Grace turned 18 months today. Quite a landmark i think.
She loves her chicken pasta and gives us 18month old attitude the whole time she eats it!

5 February - pAtting zoo and the park

After a morning in the heat with Nathan and maddie at the Jerra wetlands where there was a pAtting zoo (not Petting) we went to the Queanbeyan 'bowlsclubthenmuseumnexttotheotherclubandfinallypolicestation' park for a play and convinced Nathan to come along with Maddie as well.

Here we are having a play on the bouncy thingamajig there.

4 February - nappies on puppies & bouncy bouncy

This morning when I was trying to
Convince Grace to let me change her nappy she decided the Elmo and her Puppy both needed a nappy. Oh, And a Duck also had to go on it!

We also got her trampoline setup which she loves. First time in and she and I bounced so much she had a little bit of a vomit. Excited much? :)

3 February - Snickers Reaaaallllyyy satisfies

After some taunting over 2 snickers bars last night, I happened to notice the bakery near work had some Snickers Fudge Brownies. So I had to get some.

As yet still untested but it sure looks tasty.

2 February - Grumpy Grace

Grace was somewhat grumpy today after a bad night sleep last night, and we suspect sore gums where she is getting more teeth.
Subsequently when I thought she wanted me to take the bracelet from her, I discovered that really wasn't what she wanted at all.

1 February - Coffee and Lumberjacks

After Leah's mammoth effort to finally get us an Aldi Pod Coffee Maker, I went down to Aldi to get some coffee pods for it.

Grace insisted that she wear her pink hat to match her gumboots, but then she turned the peak up on the drive down and wouldn't let me fix it!

Looks a little like a Lumberjack to me!!