See this little boy...doesn't he just look so innocent? So unassuming? So perfect? Don't let that fool you.

Behind that cutsey smile is a little boy who likes to hit and punch and shout. Ahhh yes, like most 2 1/2 year olds he has a problem with sharing.

My sister and her 4 kids are up visting for 2 weeks. Thankfully they are staying at our mums house and not mine(I would have been insane by now if that was the case) My sisters kids are aged 7, 5, 2 1/2 and 1. The 2 youngest(both girls) are the main issues. You see...well they like to play with things and touch his things and touch his Granma too. Big no-no in Ethans book!! How dare they! But trust me his cousins can give as much as they can take...so my sister and i have spent the last week trying to stop our kids from killing and/or maiming each other. Just 1 week to go. I love having my sister up but Ethan has been on the 'naughty spot' so many times i swear i might just have to make him stay there all day! I can't believe how he acts with them around. It's driving me nuts!!!

Tip for the day : do NOT go looking at display homes with 5 children in tow!

The Nesting Instinct

What on earth is this thing? Seriously, i don't think i had it with my first son. I can't remember wanting to clean everything...maybe i did have it and just didn't notice. But this time i've noticed. This morning i woke up and did the usual routine - pee, eat, iron dh work clothes, get Ethan installed on either the 'pute or the tv and then collapse while the wooziness takes over me. While in this woozy state this morning i realised that my house was a complete and utter mess and it would be criminal to go off to the hospital to birth my baby with the house in such a state. Even worse would be my dh coming home from the hospital after said birthing to a dirty and messy house!

When your 36 weeks pregnant you will know that it isn't easy to bend down and you get tired easily. I also seem to lose my breath when i bend over aswell, so it's slow progress to do anything. Thankfully my mum rang up this morning and she said she wasn't doing anything today and did she want me to come over. YES!!!!
So we have spend the morning cleaning and de-messing the house. It looks a darn side better, let me tell you!

But you know what perplexes me? I read somewhere that the 'nesting instinct' comes from the male side. Men having a nesting instinct???? WTH??? Ok maybe some men are like that...but seriously, who would have thought that. Its usually the women who are clean freaks.....
My dh for example.......the house can look like a tornado hit it and he wouldn't even notice...there could be dead animals in the house and he wouldn't even notice. I pity my daughter(if i ever have one) because she's not going to get any 'nesting instinct' from her father!

Confessions of an addict.....

Hi, my name is Andrea and i have a problem. I'm addicted to dying my hair.
My problem started when i was about 14. The lure of dye that only cost $3 was too much for this little black duck. Plus my big sister and future sister-in-law was all into it aswell so hey, you can't fight that.
It started out with temporary dyes. You know, the wash out in 6 washes ones. Then it advanced to much more permanent dyes. My sister also succumed to the dreaded 'streakers cap'. We have a very lovely pic of her posing with it on. Then came the ultimate. Me going completely blonde. I did this stupid thing when i was 16 and in year 12. One day i was a brunette/red head(depending on what i'd done with it lately) and suddenly i was a brassy blonde. Brassy being an understatement considering my sister did it and you know, she was no hairdresser. lol
That lasted until after graduation and i had lovely regrowth for that......i'd show you a pic but they are all downstairs in a box somewhere and then i would have to scan it.....too much hassle right now.
I got sick of the blonde and went back to being a brunette.

When i left home at the age of 19 i was still to set foot into a hair salon and get my hair done properly, though i had ventured to getting it cut by a professional.
Once i had a job and could afford it i went to a salon and had it dyed properly for the first time in my life. It was fabulous! Though the cut and colour did cost me $160 it was worth every penny.
I continued my movie star life style of getting my hair 'done' until i got married. After i had Ethan i decided i needed a pick-me-up and went and had it done. My dh almost had a fit at how much it cost...he didn't realise it costs that much. I have had it done a couple of more times but the guilt is just too much...spending that much on myself and i have yet to find a salon as great as the one i used to go to when i was single. So i have returned to doing it myself and i think i'm actually quite good at it. And it only costs me about $15 for the dye and up to $20 for a cut.

Yesterday i dyed it again. Now its a dark brown and will stay that way until after bubs is born. I am planning on getting it cut too for the warmer weather.
My dh and i actually have a deal. He loses 10kgs and i will go blonde (done professionally of course.....blonde and home jobs just don't go ;) He's supposed to do it by Christmas......yesterday he had to choose a smaller notch in his belt. Guess i'm going to be blonde soon......not that it bothers me......i'll probably be 'dying' to dye my hair again soon.

We've lost 3 famous Australians this week. Things happen in 3's right? On Monday it was Steve Irwin and Colin Thiele and today Peter Brock. Isn't it weird how you just never expect things like that to happen and yet everyday people are dying. I guess celebrities just seem to be able to live forever and its always a shock.....unless their known druggos or something like that.

I just wanted to touch on and reminisce about my association with Austraila Zoo. Of course i didn't know Steve Irwin, but I have been many many times to the zoo. When i was a kid it was run by his father. We lived only 1 town away from it and would go regularly. Back then it was called The Australian Reptile Park(i think) lol we used to just call it The Reptile Park and it was small and didn't have many vistors. When you went in the front door the small entry area was filled with speciman jars and spiders in those perspect blocks. It was kinda creepy and cool at the same time. The park wasn't very big and there weren't that many animals. I remember the snakes and that there was a big carved wooden crocodile out the front(i believe its the same one they now have inside).
We moved away from the area when i was 12 and sometime after that Steve took over and it became Australia Zoo. We have been twice since it became 'famous'. We first went when i was about 5mths pregnant with Ethan....it was November and it was hot! I think that day i almost passed out. But other then that it was great! Heres a pic of me and a kangaroo:

The next time we went was this year for Ethans 2nd Birthday in February. It was hot(again...please remind me never to go there again anytime from October to March)
Here's Ethan and Dh on a ride:

And Ethan and I taking a tour of the park...Ethans wearing Koala ears. lol


Its a great zoo....but you know what it will be missing now? The excitment that comes with wondering if Steve will be there the day you go.

Something too cute not to share.....


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