Let’s just pause and take a breath and look at what has happened in the last few days:

Wife has returned to work two days a week. This has probably been the hardest thing that she has done since childbirth itself. It will be a real effort for all of us to survive these next few weeks. We are in a situation where there will be long days for the kids at their childcare centre with Wife dropping them off for breakfast before heading for the train. Whereas I will be heading for the 6:25am train to be at work right on 8am. This means I will be able to leave and catch the 3pm train to pick the kids up at 4:30pm. Then I get to take them to Physie, or home to cook dinner and have a bath while we wait for Wife to return home. This makes for long days for us and the kids. Sadly this is the way the world is going - the day of the stay at home mum is out of reach of most of us (and most of us blokes feel like it is our fault and we are therefore bad providers - but we will recover).

Also Little Miss has turned 4! Can you believe that? Do you actually care? Didn’t think so. But to us it is a very big deal that we have finally had our precious big girl for longer now than it took to get her. Not sure which was the most expensive bit though - the costs involved in obtaining our child versus the cost obtained in raising our child. Probably the latter, but the big difference is it doesn’t involve large outlays in one hit, more like incremental problems.

Of course we had a party for her and despite the fact it was almost 40 degrees Celsius on the day it was a big success overall. There were over 20 kids there, and their parents and both sets of grandparents etc. And they were real guests not just cousins and the like. I was so proud of Little Miss and all her friends, how well behaved they all were and how much fun they had. Equally proud of Wife for yet again putting on a great party which everyone enjoyed. I was in charge of sausage rolls which is my specialty.

Usurper has decided to become very possessive of everything. As an almost 20 month old she has declared that every toy is ‘Mine’ or “Usurpers!”, that it is “Usurpers turn” etc. etc. Let the fun commence with that!

Last but not least I became an Uncle again this week. I say again, but it feels like the real time because this time I am not an Uncle by marriage as my little brother became a Dad! Kind of spoils the fact I have spent the last 20 years telling everyone he is gay - but I’ll get over the disappointment.Now we just have to work out how we can get down and visit the family.

Oh, and in other big news the Aussie Rules preseason started today. Go Pies!

*Note: This post was edited at the behest of Wife to correct spelling mistakes that were apparently ‘killing her’. It reminded me of the days when I was wooing her and she would send my my emails asking her out etc with spelling and grammer corrected.