Christmas Day the 'Walsh' way...

Here's a bit of a peek at Christmas Day at the Walshs!!! We've had a lot of fun with James and his first Christmas... He thinks this is great fun, especially since he has learnt to stand up at will!!!!

Christmas morning... look what Santa brought...

And out to the loungeroom to open up the sack and see what goodies he's received...
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A Tonka truck! A bucket and spade set! Animal cubes and a 'Bath-ketball' set!!! Yippee!!!!

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And Mummy & Daddy helped unwrap all of the presents from Nanna, Grandpa, Jacqui and Kate...

He loved the activity centre we gave him, finding it a very good thing to stand up on...

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And here's the bigger boy with his new toy - a stock whip!!! He's been cracking the whip all day!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Into the pool for a swim with Mum...

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And a swim with Dad! This is great fun!!!

Photo with Santa...

James had his first photo with Santa today... I don't think I need to say any more...

The amusing side is that Mum & Dad have no photos of me with Santa as I screamed and refused the photo every year. I guess that's what they call Karma... :-(

Pharmacy Photos - 8 months old

Most of you will know about the local pharmacy photos, a monthly event in Wodonga where a lot (as in 95 this month) of mums take their babies to have them photographed...

And some of you will know that James has been unfortunate enough to cop an ear infection or two in his time...

Well, here's an example of when the two collide :-(

Fortunately, well I guess unfortunately for James, he's a tough little cookie and didn't let on he was feeling this unwell until we were next in line to have the photos taken... Following these pics we hightailed it to a doctors appointment where we were told his ear drum was on the point of bursting.

So, ironically, we went straight back to the pharmacy where we'd spent the morning waiting for photos and sat waiting for our prescription.

As I type he's on the mend... Hopefully he grows out of these ear infections sooner rather than later because they're painful, painful things (for his Mum & Dad as well...)

Tinkler Family Christmas Day!

We had Christmas Day with the Tinklers on Saturday at Kez, Mike, Ella, Jack and Lily's place. Denise & Bernie and Emma, Pat & Finn were also there and Paul, Reilly & Chloe in spirit (they're actually in Canada!)

Well, didn't we do well!!! Matt and I were given a super-sucking dustbuster (which I might add is exactly what we wanted... If you were given a vacuum cleaner for a present and didn't love it so much you have to check this out... http://creativity-online.com/work/view?seed=5e32d548 )

and James, well, let this picture do the talking... Two boys on their green ones!!! A John Deere tractor all to himself!

Although, in typical baby fashion, James was just as delighted with all of the wrapping paper.

Lily, however, was besotted with her new doll, which didn't leave her hand for the whole day and night!

Since returning home James has decided enough is enough, he's sick of caterpillar-ing along the ground and in the space of 24 hours from Sunday night to Monday night he's learnt to crawl properly (and quickly!) go from crawling to sitting and vice versa, and he's also pulling himself to standing on anything he can find. This development thing sure is quick! Watch out Walshs... you're about to get some uninvited interior designing!!!

What a weekend!

This weekend James had a few more firsts...

His first 'first' (!*?) was getting a big sloppy kiss from his girlfriend Rosie on Saturday afternoon! Rosie's mum, Kerrie, and dad, Alistair, were in the same antenatal class as Matt and I and James and Rosie were due on the same day. Rosie was born on the 27th March - 5 days before James, so technically she's a cradle-snatcher!!!!

Here's Kerrie & Alistair with Rosie, James and Matt...

And his second lot of 'firsts' were going to a Christmas Party and riding on a miniature steam train

meeting Santa for the first time...

AND getting his first Christmas present!!!

We're all looking forward to our Christmas break now!!!

Our little Elf!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Birthday Jacqui!

My big sister, James' Aunty Jacqui, turns 30 today!

Happy birthday!

The Coffee Table Climber

Hi Dad,

Did you ever think the coffee table you made for us would become a climbing frame?

"But I'm innocent!"

Our Trip to Our Nations Capital...

We headed up to Canberra for the weekend to catch up with my cousin Dean, his wife Betty, their gorgeous little boy Hayden and my aunty Karen & uncle Peter, as well as Matt's sister Emma, her husband Pat and their little boy Finn. Here's Karen, Peter, Betty, Dean (holding James), Matt, and in the front, Hayden.

Hayden was very kind to his little cousin and let him play with his toys all day Saturday!

He even shared his high chair with James!

Here's James having a cuddle with Karen. He thought all of his family was pretty cool!

And speaking about cool... Here's Hayden 'beamer'!!! Betty used to work for BMW in the US and her work gave her one of these cars for Hayden. It is an amazing machine - so smooth to drive! Matt was a little jealous - I think he would have had a go if he was 30 kgs lighter!!!

And while we're still on about cool stuff - how cool is this Elmo chair. James cracked up at Elmo's eyes!!!

Saturday afternoon we headed back in to Em & Pat's and James and Finn had more time playing together before an early night. Pat, Em, Matt and I had a relaxed barbie for tea and spent most of our dinner conversation pondering our "6 dream dinner guests".

My list was...

1. Matt
2. Roger Federer (to pick his brain on attitudes in sport)

3. Andrew Denton ('cos he's spoken to everyone who is anyone)

4. Cate Blanchett ('cos she's awesome and so down to earth)

5. Queen Elizabeth II (I'd like to ask her what her thoughts were on the monarchy)

6. Michael Caton (Daryl Kerrigan!!!! and I love his new show Packed to the Rafters)

Matt's list was...

1. Jane

2. Kevin Sheedy

3. Steve Waugh

4. Layne Beachley

5. Sidney Kidman (Australian cattle baron)

6. Hilary Clinton

I can't remember Em & Pat's lists... Maybe Em will post them on her blog???? (All I can remember is Em's having Oprah and Barack Obama, and Pat's list involved a discussion about eye candy! he he he)

Sunday morning we went for a walk down to the Old Bus Depot Markets where Matt and I stocked up on Fudge and Spices! And then after getting home we set off on our 4.5 hour journey home.

We were lucky enough to have the Murphy's drive over to Gundagai to have an icecream with us as a halfway stop on our trip home!

In front of the 'Dog on the Tuckerbox'
Jack, Ella, Matt & James, Kerrie & Lily and Michael.

We were well and truly spent by the time we got home and are looking forward to staying in Wodonga this weekend. I'm sure we'll find something to do anyway!

Pharmacy Photos - 7 months

Here are the 7 month pharmacy photos even though James is actually 8 months old today(!!!!!) I've been keeping these photos under wraps (for obvious reasons) but I can't resist it any longer - here's the Christmas boy!!!