Checking out the new gate... which doesn't help him escape the 'yard' at all...




Carding some wool from the black sheep...



Why else did you think I wanted Jasmine's pink back pack? ...

Making pancakes with Jasmine...

Staking trees with Daddy

December, 2009

Byron this month:

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We started playing a game to make having his nails clipped more fun, where I call him "sir" and charge him to come to my clipper shop. After charging him an imaginary $2 for clipping all his toenails, he decided to do mine, charging me $100! (At least he said, "Thankyou, sir")

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"I think my milo's not a baby, cause it's milo." (stomach contents become confusing when Mummy has a baby in hers.)

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"Daddy, I want some Beyonce! I love Beyonce!" (asking for music to dance to)

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"Where's the Princess? The queen is gone! I have to find the queen!" (on waking up; obviously dreaming of rescuing some damsels in distress)

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Daddy: Why are you putting the cushions over there?

Byron: [flapping his arms] Because that's where my nest lives.

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"Mummy, you need to go inside for a minute, because I'm starting the angle grinder." (kicked out of his 'shed')

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"I just want the pineapple only!" (complaining about having to eat pizza)

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"Thankyou, God, for our yummy food, in Jesus' name... and bless your cotton socks... in Jesus' name, amen." (grace)

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Byron asked me to make the toy chipmunk a milo, but I refused, saying to Chippy, "You eat nuts." He quickly backed me up, saying to the toy, "You eat nuts... and bolts".

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"Mummy, the men won't wave to me!!" (indignant at the rudeness of airplane pilots flying far above us)

November, 2009

How does one go about getting cute pictures of a naughty 2-year-old? I know...!

Hehehe. Well, okay, he's also pretty cute when he's not asleep in bed, in the car or on the beanbags... he just doesn't smile and stay still at the same time very often Ü

Quotes for Nov

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"Mummy, stop making noises! I'm trying to watch the news!"

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"I think I could climb into it and get a pig..." (after watching some cute piglets on TV)

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"There are two left." (I took the jelly bean container off him and said if he could count how many he had taken out, he and Jasmine could share them. He showed me the hand containing two... and hid the other handful behind his back!)

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He's also started the annoying habit of repeating what someone just told him. But he has learned how to control his temper enough to (sometimes) yell, "No Thankyou, Jasmine!!" instead of just whacking her. Progress ;)

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October 2009

Getting a lesson from Daddy on How to Pedal.

Potted

At the Goldsmith Steam Rally (boys' day out with Daddy; technically Nov 1...)

Emptying the dry dirt from many pots into the rainwater in the empty sandpit = MUD
Despite the look on his face, he was allowed to play in it. Did a lot of washing that week.



Up under the handle of the treadmill. Anything to pretend he's riding a motorbike!
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QUOTES FOR OCTOBER

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My legs aren't sore... I think I can walk... yep! (self-testing after seeing a boy in a wheelchair on TV)

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Don't unchance me! (When told he was naughty and couldn't have another chance. He was angry at the punishment (Jasmine got a lollipop and he didn't) though she let him have hers shortly after.)

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Two is enough... (different opinion to Mummy re. iceypoles)

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I'm not being good, but I'm still being good! (trying to convince Mummy)

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Daddy: Come here.

Byron: You have to say, "Come here, little robot" (he had a bucket on his head) and you have to say please!

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also:

Mastered the forward roll

Told the toy horse all about his day yesterday

Reads books when he should be asleep (he's realized that we hear the click of the light going on, so he leaves it off, but he still reads out loud Ü)

Cleaned the tables at Happy Jacks (playground) with the toilet brush he found

Taught Jasmine how to ride a motorbike (the only props were two toy rings, used for steering wheels)

September

Playing with the frame of Daddy's buggy

Climbing up the rope ladder as easily as a monkey. Loves going to the playground!

Taking the wheel and going for a spin ;)

He doesn't think rain is any sort of reason not to play outside, and why would you when your big (size 5) raincoat covers you so well?

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I didn't record so many quotes this month, as he talks more or less constantly; instead I wrote some of the things he's been up to.

This month Byron's been into posting things into cracks (like books and spoons into the gaps of my treadmill). Nathan's also been trying to get him to say "J" because he actually says "j" as "dy", like "dyasmine". Once, when I asked him to say "Jjjjjj-asmine" he said to me, "Daddy's at work, so I don't have to say DYAY!" hehe.

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He puts on his boots and heads outside all the time, which is fine, as we have an enclosed little yard. But sometimes I put him over the fence and he explores the paddock and chases the sheep. Once, when he was a bit far to see over the longish grass, I called out to him, and the neighbor waved and pointed. He was at the back fence asking him to lift him over ;).

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He seems to pick up words and ideas all over the place with ease. He told me he had whiskers (brushing his cheek with his toe) and that our seagull ornament was actually an Albatross. He plays "boilers" with a broom, sweeping dusty ground up into "steam". He plays with an imaginary dog. He says "Goodbye" to his fruitcake before taking a bite! When I told him my back was sore, he took me to "hospital" (his room), told me to lay down, fed me imaginary cheese, read me "Rub a dub dub, who are these men in a tub, who a think a be.... they all sailed out to sea", turned off the light and shut the door behind me.

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He had a great time tipping water over Jasmine's head (she thought it was great because it just dripped off her hat). When she was crying one day, he said to her, "Come here, sit on my knee and I give you a cuddle." Cute, but he mostly says "That's enough kisses!!" and pushes her away. Though one nice night he said to me, "Mummy, I need LOTS of kisses" and then said, "Thankyou, Mummy; I love kisses!" He likes feeding Jasmine, and even dishes her up more (out of his plate) if he is close enough.

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He was walking around stamping his left foot, and when I asked what he was doing he said he was trying to start his motorbike. He can count to ten, though he wasn't specifically taught to (and I think his "Look, four blocks..." is more clever than reciting stuff.) He can half-quote lots of rhymes, like Ring a Ring a Rosie, Old King Cole, Diddle Diddle Dumpling, Hot Cross Buns, etc. and "reads" them (and other books) to Jasmine.

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He's still at the very naughty and defiant stage (and spends a fair bit of time on his bed some days), but he's still, by far, one of the cutest, cleverest, nicest little people I've ever met. Hehehe.

August, 2009

The serious business of fixing mowers.

Look what I can do once I've put the pots all over the kitchen floor.

So serious...

But this is what happens when I say, "Smile, Byron..."

Cuddling Jasmine

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Quotes of the month:

I'm hungry! I need chocolate. (each day)

Mummy, I need my socks on coz my feet get cold if they get cold.

I'm NOT tired, I'm a BOY.

Don't get lost, Mummy (as I followed him around Target, a bit too slowly)

You can't have more wool; you've got your own wool (I was buying more, but he thinks my yarn stash is big enough.)

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Mummy, I won't wake you up, Mummy.... I won't wake you up any more, Mummy... Mummy? Mummy!

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Hey, where are you going? (to a stranger walking by)

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He also...

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Took off PJ pants and put on tracksuit pants

Next day, took off PJ pants and wet nappy, and put on PJ's over bare butt.

Told me off for turning his pillow upside down

Spent 3 hours at a Macka's playground, and all he remembered, when Daddy asked about it, was that "Mummy spilt her orange juice all over place!"

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Spent days talking about wheels and whistles and muskets and fires after a visit to Sovereign Hill.

July, 2009

Puts his own boots on and heads outside regularly. He can't get out of this small yard (yet) but loves to have a bit of freedom, especially with puddles like this about!

He was feeling cold, so he put on a jumper (around his waist) and a tshirt Ü

Now Byron is in the big bed! We took the side off the cot, as he was climbing over it anyway, and found him on the floor a few times. At least this bed has rails! Jasmine got promoted from the portacot to Byron's old cot Ü

Quotes for July:

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"Ginger beer, ginger beer, ginger beer, ginger beer" (sung to the tune of "Spider man")

"Ding Dong!" (When knocking on his bedroom door didn't get results quickly enough)

"Mummy, go faster!!" (in the car)

"No, MOPS is on Tuesday. Bye." (talking on pretend phone)

"I'm going to be a man... and put on a hat."

"No, thankyou. I'd like a chocolate frog, though..." (response to biscuit offer)

Me: What's your "bzzer" today? Chainsaw? Jigsaw? Whipper snipper?

Byron: It's not a whipper snipper, it's a spoon!

"There's no reason for you to be in there!"

"All day long" (catch phrase of the month.)

"Goodnight Mummy, goodnight Jasmine, goodnight chairs, goodnight curtains, goodnight window....."

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Also sings the whole alphabet song. Got a video of most of it, but can't seem to put it on with sound (which is pointless). Can count things (as he points to them) up to about 7.