Our first Jack-o-Lantern

Grumpy was super nice and bought us a pumpkin (which Mom says cost a FORTUNE in Australia) so Mom could help us carve our first jack-o-lantern. Elliot kept trying to insist that we're supposed to paint on the pumpkin, but I didn't even have a clue.

Who knew that Mom was so good at carving pumpkins?!? And who ever thought to put a candle into a pumpkin with a face carved in it?!? AMAZING!! ~ Oliver

The Elliot-Oliver Dictionary

Merriam-Webster has nothing on my little wordsmiths!

Crookedated - as in "Oliver hit me on the head and crookedated my hat" ~ Elliot

Hogsmash - as in "Hogsmash is my favourite superhero because he's green and has huge muscles" ~ Elliot 

Laperated - as in "Oliver hit me in the stomach so hard that he laperated my heart" ~ Elliot

Menja - as in "I love being a menja and sneaking around on my tippy toes" ~ Oliver

Nee-haw - as in "I'm a cowboy. NEE-HAW!" ~ Oliver

Universary - as in "My mommy and daddy are celebrating their 10th wedding universary" and also as in "My mommy works at a universary" ~ Oliver

Restaronk - as in "Sometimes when mom and dad don't want to cook, we go out to a restaronk" ~ Oliver

School Photos 2014

So these might not be as amazingly gorgeous as in previous years, but I still reckon I have two super handsome little boys!

Kelmscott Show 2015

Considering I'm going to be a cowboy when I grow up, I'm probably the best person to tell you about the Kelmscott Show. Grumpy had seen loads of pictures and heard all about the annual show, but this was his first time experiencing the fun for himself. What he didn't know is that Kelmscott Show Day is one of the very few days when Mom and Dad say 'YES' to almost everything and El and I run amok in whirlwind of sugar-fuelled ecstasy!

First stop this year was for balloon animals and semi-temporary tattoos (you can still see remnants of Elliot's and its weeks old now!). And then we made our way to the livestock. Elliot commanded a camel, while I was gleeful riding my pony. 

Next it was time for the rides and fun. Elliot climbed up and down this crazy thing for a while.

And then we all hopped into the bumper cars for some smashing and crashing and fun!

We wrapped up the day with some fairy floss and sausage sizzles while watching the log chop shows. We didn't quite make it to the fireworks, but we had a really awesome day anyway. Heck, maybe next year I'll be riding a real horse and jumping over the fences. ~ Oliver

Awesome Festival 2015

This year we dragged Grumpy to the Awesome Festival for Bright Young Things and joined Heidi, Karina and kids for a hilarious slapstick mimed performance of the Magic Chicken. We all loved the show, but the rest of the day's activities saw at least one kid melting down which resulted in us wrapping up the day a bit earlier than expected. Here are a handful of photos of the children who weren't throwing a tantrum when the photo was snapped.

This is what happens when the Thomases have time to kill . . .

Grumpy visits Kalbarri

Since Grumpy had never been to Kalbarri, it was up to Team Thomas to show him all around and make sure he had a great time. I'm pretty sure that we did an awesome job.

Grumpy met us in Kalbarri after driving all the way up to Broome and back. We didn't waste our time with all that travelling. Instead we just drove the 6 hours north from Perth with just a little stop for ice creams and playing in Geraldton where Mom bought us really awesome surfer thongs. Somehow, Grumpy beat us there though!

After setting up our tent (and a quick bounce on the bouncy pillow), we made our way to Finlay's fish BBQ to eat yummy fish and chips and roast marshmallows on the bonfire. Yummy!

The next day we joined a canoe tour of the Murchison River where we saw lots of big birds, ate a delicious bush breakfast, and did some terrific swimming in the river. I was having a great time jumping off the rocks into the water until I slipped and scraped my leg on the way down. After that, I wasn't so keen to do much of anything, but what do you expect from a severely injured little boy!

The next day, Ollie and I joined the annual kids fishing competition. Somehow we managed to catch nothing! But Mom was nearly attacked by an eel while trying to dislodge my hook from some rocks. She sure can squeal sometimes! Afterward, Dad stayed with us at the caravan park so we could jump on the bouncy pillow and ride our scooters around while Mom took Grumpy out to check out the beautiful gorges.

And then day 3 we made our way down to the pelican feeding. Ollie was a lucky ducky and got chosen to feed a pelican. I wanted to do it!

After the pelican feeding, Grumpy needed a break and headed back to his cabin. Mom, Dad, Ollie and I rented a little boat which we took out to deserted islands to find pirate treasure. We also tried again to catch some fish and had a bunch more of bad luck. The most exciting bit of our boat ride was the ride home when the wind picked up and the waves splashed and soaked us the whole way back. What an exciting boat ride it ended up being!

Aaaarrrrrhh!

The princess mermaid protecting the pirate's ship.

Ollie hiding from the waves under the towel.

That afternoon we visited the Rainbow Jungle parrot breeding centre and all its beautiful bright birds before making our way to Cinema Parrotiso, an outdoor movie theatre where we ate delicious wood-fired pizza and watched 'How to Train your Dragon 2'. I think that Grumpy might have liked the movie even more than Ollie and I.

The next day it was time to pack up the tent (well Mom and Dad and Grumpy did; Ollie and I bounced on the bouncy pillow) and head for home. On the way, we stopped by the Pinnacles where we played Hide n Seek and acted like ninjas. It was pretty awesome!

Dad with a roadside kangaroo sighting.

I sure hope that Grumpy had as much fun in Kalbarri as I did! Can't wait to go back again! ~ Elliot