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We recently returned from a week in the Daintree in the far north of Queensland - way up there in the tropical jungle with the crocodiles (tho we never saw any).

We did see lots of amazing butterflies, a spotted tree monitor (the big lizard pictured below), a male cassowary with its chick (a very big flightless bird), a raft of impressive insects, lots of fruit bats, very friendly jungle perch, and, many other things.

We stayed at some truly beautiful places and I would recommend a trip up there to anyone looking to get back to primordial nature and even off the grid (yikes! that’s right folks, no mains power, cell phones or, <gulp> interweb)…

We swam in beautiful streams - we were told by the owners of the property that there just couldn’t be crocs here, nevertheless, we were somewhat nervous, despite the amazing setting…

We also took lot’s of walks and some got rides (that’s labeled Lucas on my shoulders),

(Keri & Cedar)

(Sherry & Lucas)

‘Gama Sherry’ has been on hand to provide some much needed support (the boyz still run us ragged!):

Here Lucas and Cedar are being crabs.. I think…

And little by little, the boys seem to learning to play better together (they generally do, but there’s still plenty of wrestling for independence from one another).

and yes, even hugs:

- for the full slice of reality, here’s the full motion version:

In all it was a wonderful and much needed break - we got lots of rest and it was so warm and humid, it was like being in a sauna the whole time.

Well, I guess it’s back to the rat race!

It’s been way too long since I’ve posted, but I’ve been run off my feet with new Collabforge work!

Of course I can’t complain, but I’ve been working through weekends for a few months now, which is less than fun when I’ve got two luvsuckers at my heals!

Hope everyone has a good holiday season and here’s a few pictures!

We just got the boys a ‘twin desk’ - I have no idea how old it is, but it has has holes for ink wells (lower left circle)!

We went to the zoo for the first time without the pram - it felt like such an achievement.

Two’s company!

It’s been a few months since my last update on Cedar and Lucas, and of course a lot has happened in that time.

(in the photo: Cedar left, Lucas right)

They’re moving from the ‘telegraphic’ phase of speach (two word combinations) to the beginnings of sentence construction. The other day, Cedar said ‘nice day outside’, which was a surprise to hear. And then, the very same afternoon, while reaching up towards the moon in the sky, Lucas said ‘get moon, tricky!’, which, aside from being one of the cutest things I had ever heard, was also quite a big conceptual/lingual jump in complexity.

They had their second birthday last month (their bday is September 11th) and Keri made them an amazing Thomas the Tank Engine cake (this is currently Cedar’s favourite show).

Here’s Lucas giving a demo of that lovely blue frosting all over his face:

Here they are talking one of their first walks around the neighborhood (Lucas left, Cedar right). Walking with us while holding a hand really took some work - their initial impulse seems to be to run at full pace everywhere all the time. But finally, we seem to have made some progress and they are getting into it. Now Lucas comes up to me and says ‘daddy walk?’ and he’ll grab my hand and lead me all over the house :-).

They are active as ever, as the next video illustrates. Incidentally, only upon watching it did i realise that I had them confused - it is actually Cedar in the box. I wonder how often this happens but without the digital hindsight of video - and I would generally say (and I’m sure Keri would as well) that we always feel like we know exactly who is who…

Here’s a moment of calm (1 minute 10 seconds to be specific). The game that’s all the rage these days is playing ‘nitenite’ - getting a hold of anything blanket-like and then laying down where ever they are and covering themselves up. They also do a kind of snoring imitation - i have no idea where they picked that up, maybe from listening to each other sleep?.. Notice Lucas (on the right) is doing is silly face - he kind of stares off with a goofy smile, then starts sticking his tongue out. This is often followed by meowing, barking and or eating something without hands (this might be mocked eating, or the real thing). He’s a budding eccentric character, that’s for sure. I wonder where he got that from?.. The kiss Cedar gives Lucas is precious to be sure, however this is definitely the exception. How this clip ends (with them screaming over unlimited blanket rights) is more the norm…

More nitenite play (Cedar left, Lucas right):

Headwear has also been in fashion this spring with a wide variety of pieces trialed in a very innovative market (Cedar):

Cedar:

Lucas (on left) is having troubles getting his hat at the right angle. Meanwhile, Lucas is just fine:

Lucas at the park:

Lucas (left) Cedar (right) in their toy box:

Having a ’sit down dinner’ as Cedar calls it (Lucas on left, Cedar on right) this is distinguished from their tenancy to be always on the move - even when you’re trying to feed them!

Cedar on left, Lucas on right:

That’s all for now folks!

It’s been some time since i last posted on the boys - now almost 21 months (that’s nearly 2 yrs old for non-baby folks). They are just entering into the ‘telegraphic’ stage in their language acquisition - speech is characterised by two word phrases - often noun adjective/verb combinations or something of the like, e.g. “bye-bye daddy”, “more egg”, etc.

Carving out their own personal space seems to be of primary concern - sharing being the primary challenge these days.

Here’s a few pics:

Cedar used a stool to find the chocolate, Lucas watches to see what will happen…

One of my personal favorites - Lucas Hefner and his ‘mamma’ :-).

Now they just need a hot air balloon!

What can i say?.. just look at that face :-).

Cedar and mom at the park today.

And finally, for the main attraction.. Box Racing!:

It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally posting on the twins.

I keep thinking i’m going to do a grand catchup, but alas, it just hasn’t happened. So, instead, I’ve opted for something quick in order to stimulate some sort of action.

Having fun on the spare bed – Lucas just worked out how to climb up onto it – look out here he comes!
Here’s all the words we can think (roughly in order of adoption) that are currently in their vocabulary as of 2 Feb ‘08 (16.75 months old):

1. uh oh
2. balloon
3. ball
4. fan
5. ta
6. cold
7. ni-night
8. mama
9. dada
10. cassidy
11. tree
12. ear
13. shoe
14. toast
15. cheese
16. banana
17. nose
18. sushi
19. birdy
20. doggy
21. car
22. bottle
23. poo poo

A few random notes:

• On the 30th of Jan I asked Cedar to get his drum. He walked off with intent, then got distracted. After, I asked him again to get his drum – he said, “Mm!”, and walked off. He retrieved his drum from a tricky location and brought it back with much glee. (Though he still does not actually say ‘drum’.)
• On the 24th of Jan Lucas realised that he could walk backwards with much happiness, making all of us laugh with his silly backwards antics!

And here’s a barrage of lovely pics from the last few months:

Messy eating – outdoors fortunately!

Lucas says ‘hey!’

Cedar lookin mighty dapper indeed.

It’s the word on the street…

Erick parties with Lucas (who’s nearly at the end of his run).

Lucas discovers wind!

Cedar’s comin to getcha!

Chairsharing at the pub.

Beautiful mom, beautiful son.

Mangy me, marvelous miniman.

Lucas playin it cool in aunty Britt’s gift clothes from India.

Cedar got some pretty clothes too.

Grandma Aggy put me in a bucket!

Cuddles with Grandpa…

Lucas feeding Cedar, Cedar is tired.
Cedar & Lucas Update -> Feb 2008