last nite was a rough night for us. no-one got much sleep, esp dh. but this morning i really wanted to go to church. so i got e kids up and let dh continue sleeping. then we quietly snuck out so as not to wake him.

our day got better and better:

-it was communion Sunday, which i ike as it's a longer service :) and there were some beautiful songs and hymns.

-kay and ky were happy too, as Aunty G was there with J & C, whom they've not seen in ages!

-then dh met us after church and we went on to botanic grdns coffee-shop for lunch. J&C and  their mummy and daddy joined us, then we all followed e stream outside, stepping on rocks alongside as we went, (with Kay and C throwing in leaf and flower "boats" along the way.) it was so nice to have e daddies there too, helping e kids cross e bigger gaps between e rocks, and all enjoying their visible excitement. then we all went for a walk ard swan lake, looking out for turtles and fish, and throwing in pebbles and seeds and sticks along e way. later, Kay had just about enough energy to race back with ky and J, and C hurriedly climbed down from his dad's arms to join them all. :) it was very sweet to watch...and they certainly had a lot more energy than us parents! :)

-it was a hot day, but we were in pleasant company, so it was an enjoyable time.  after saying our farewells, dh kindly took us to a nearby mall for an icecream treat. :) we were all in very high spirits after that!

-finally we headed off home. i thought kay wd nap, but she had other plans. she nevr even got as far as e room. (in fact her and ky never even got to remove their shoes!)  ky was trying to chop up a large seed he'd found outside, so she decided to join him. half an hr later i observed him crushing pine needles beneath his rock, "making pine juice" he commented. kay was collecting e pine needle fronds from e potplants where they'd arranged them earlier. as they were so deeply involved, i provided them a little more "eqquipment"....a brick, a mortar and pestle, some dried flowers, fresh flowers, a couple of jelly bowls, spoons and a cup of water. then i left them to it! :)  later on, i noticed that J, our little neighbour, had joined in. it was turning into quite a cookery party, so i passed her some streamers from a party-popper, a few small plates and frying pans. then she came back for a cup of water for herself. they were very sweet, and i realised just now that i never took any photos :(

-dh was itching to go out again... so after an hour or more, e kids packed their bike, skate-scooter and safety-gear, while i grabbed e waterbottles and some sandwiches. even dh fished out his rollerblades! :)   then off we headed for west-coast park. we happily discovered that all the hoardings have bn taken down. they'd obstructed the sea-view for ard 3years! and what do they have to show for it? all we spotted was a new road, and mb a breakwater (or was that there before? ;)) it was pleasant strolling along as e sun set.  some families had pitched tents, while others sat picnic-ing and chatting as they stared out to sea.  our kids raced on ahead. the breeze blew, kites flew high above, and a line of fishermen stood patiently waiting for a catch.  all seemed so right with the world...

-we drove home, pleasantly mellow...e kids contentedly munching on left-overs. bathtime went without a hitch. (which is always good news for any mummy or daddy! :))

-as dh ate dinner i hurriedly changed e kids bedding and sleeping positions... digging to e bottom of e closet for a set of pierot clown bedlinens for kay. these were e same ones i used as a teen in s/africa, and then still while dating dh in e uk. they hv such sentimental value, and one wd hardly believe they're around 20yrs old! (dh looked and said "2" when i asked him to guess ...then he recognised e motif.)  ky likes them very much too! he was just complementing kay on her "nice blankie". :)

i'm sure my mum wd never hv guessed that her pricey investment back then, wd still be seeing so many good days in e future!  thanks mum!   u provided a warm and beautiful end to our beautiful Sunday...