♫♪ ...when I'm 64 ♪♫

Me, giving Tyler a big hug after coming from work: Do you still love me?

Tyler: Of course, why wouldn't I?

Me, teasingly: Oh I thought you might have forgotten me.

Tyler: Of course not, I'm still young.

Me: What difference does that make?

Tyler: Well when I'm older and you're old and crinkly, I might love you just a wee, wee bit less.

Me: !!!!

In other news, I won some bling at the annual Vocal Competitions recently (I'll blog about it soon over at (A)musings of a Lyric Soprano)

Last weekend I took Tyler and Anton to Riverton for a bit of crab-hunting and ice-cream-devouring.

Whoosh, there go the holidays.

Here we are at the last weekday of the school holidays and it seems as if it was only yesterday that they started. Tyler has had a mixture of OSCAR  (broken bones not included this time), Mummy-time and Daddy-time. He has had a friend to stay overnight and been on a day-trip with another friend, so I don't think he's had a chance to complain of boredom.

We spent today tootling around doing some messages for me, visiting toy departments so he could ogle Pokemon, Bakugan and other must-have toys for nearly 8 year olds, and then a wander through Queens Park and a twirl on the playground.

Chris is gearing up for his trip to Hawaii in September for the Golden Oldies rugby tournament and is off to Tapanui this Sunday for a tournament. I'm still playing netball and really enjoying it this year. Our recent club night was a 'B' theme and I went as a builder. Everyone got dressed up in theme and there were some quite inventive costumes. Here's me and my team which includes a Bollywood actress, Barbie and a Bikie chick. 

Tomorrow is an early and sad start - long-time choir member of A Capella Singers and also it's President, Peter Lenihan died this week and ACS are singing at the service. Peter's wife Di is also our Musical Conductor so given the circumstances I am conducting instead. It will be an honour to sing him to rest. 

And I guess Sunday will be getting ready for the new school term. Tyler came up to me this evening and said "Mummy, what would you say if I said I wanted to give $100 to the hospital? Because that's what I want to do."  Bless.

Mothers' Day

Here's the card Tyler presented me with this morning:

Front:

Inside:

What more can I say?

All I Want For Christmas.....

Tyler recently wrote out his Christmas Wish List. The first two items are as expected. Then a candle - interesting. I queried this and he said he wanted a 'Christmas candle'. Hopefully the nice red glittery candle in a glass I have acquired - oops I mean Santa has made - will do the trick. 

An Angry Bird - not hard to figure that one out, he loves the red soft toy Angry Bird that sits on my desk and sets off its angry little squawks whenever he visits my office. 

More of the expected follows and then, items 9 and 10. Bless.

Only 7 more sleeps!

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig

We had a very brief but enjoyable trip to Christchurch, staying with Rosina. We had a little taste of what the poor locals have been putting up with when we were in a shop and a short, but sharp after-shock hit. The salesman we were talking to bolted on us (seriously I don't think his feet touched the floor on the way out the door) and by the time we realised what was happening it was all over. The rapid shaking was quite different to the swaying, rocking type that we tend to get down here.

Tyler, Chris & Rosina

A boy and his dog

Arts & Crafts time

Chris is back to work so Tyler and I are just puddling about. Glorious day yesterday so we headed off to Riverton beach for some paddling and crab-hunting, followed by the obligatory icecream.

Ready to check out the rock pools at Riverton

But the best thing that has happened these holidays? This piece of paper that Tyler casually handed to me the other day:

When is a naughty word not naughty?

Me: Oh bum, I forgot to go to the supermarket.
Tyler: Hey Mum, isn't bum a naughty word?!
Me: Ah, um, well....it depends on the context really.....
Tyler: Oh! You mean like if I say 'BUMblebee' it's ok?

Milestone

Tyler is about to reach another milestone, he has not one but two wiggly teeth. He is very excited about the prospect of a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Meanwhile Mum and Dad have been consulting his classmates' parents re the going rate. Obviously the kids at school have been discussing the ins and outs of Tooth Fairy behaviour because when I asked him what would happen if he lost a tooth he nonchalantly replied "Oh you just write a note to the Tooth Fairy and leave it under your bed".

We had a busy day today, up early to cheer on the Preston Russell Law Vikings at the Corpor8 rowing - they won, hurrah!! - and then a joint birthday lunch at Eat on Windsor with the Howards and Mum & Richard.

Singing tomorrow at the First Church sesquicentennial celebrations morning service - I have the solo in Psalm 23, the 'Vicar of Dibley' setting by Howard Goodall. We are also doing Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence and the Clare Benediction.

Words of wisdom

At practice for First Church choir on Thursday, the minister of the church (who sings in the choir) got Tyler to stand by him and have a sing. On the way home Tyler and I had this conversation:

Me: Did you have fun singing with the minister?
Tyler: Yes. Mum, what's a minister?
Me: (Thinking - how can I summarise this?!) Well, at church on Sunday's he stands up in front of everyone and tells them about things that are in the bible.
Tyler (firmly): I know what's in the bible.
Me: Do you? What?
Tyler: Words.

Baa Baa Black Sheep Tyler Styles

Tyler (singing):

Baa baa black sheep

Any any wool?

Bless you, bless you,

Never wanna fall

Me: What are those words?

Tyler: Duh! Those are the words of the song!

Me: Ohhkaaay.

I was going to put some photos here but the photo uploader has been changed and now isn't working, grrr.

Tyler's little catchphrases at the moment are:

"I like-a some...uuummmm...." meaning he wants something but he can't figure out what it is (usually food).

"Uh oh, happen?" when something breaks/falls/interesting happens.

We also have a thing we do where if he is getting stroppy and/or hitting I say "Where's nice Mummy?" and he will stop and stroke my face. It's a little calming thing for him. Yesterday I was so proud of him when he was mad at me for not allowing him to have something he swung his arm at me and then stopped himself mid-swing, reached up and stroked my face.

Another Mummy Moment last night - as he was having his last feed before bed, I said "Love Mummy?" to which he smiled and stroked my face and then said "Love Tyler?" which he's never said before. I said "Yes I love Tyler, and you'll make Mummy cry" and he went "Nah" in a sort of dont-be-ridiculous tone. So cute!