Well I am a Mummy and WE ALL take loads of photos don't we.In fact I seem to know a few Bon Papas and Grandads who took a few photos in their day too!
Home of the Gardan ancestors.
Whilst wandering the streets of St Malo we stumbled upon a little kiddie playground.
Felix was thrilled...
Mummy and Daddy were a little chilly however - the weather was glacial!
Even Felix was a little cold despite the running...
But he had loads of fun...
Not a bad spot really!
After lunch we went for a little stroll around the streets in St Malo. 
Terribly pretty but so icy cold. 
A little treat helped warm Felix and Daddy.
Felix spotted 'our family' in a shop window display - only thing was, Astrid was still in Mummy's tummy!
And then some crazed seagull nearly whisked poor Felix away!
But luckily for us he didn't get very far.
And before long it was time to hop back in the car and head back to our little abode.
So we have been hit by some super cold front here in France ... and what's worse is poor Bon Papa's hotel's heating system has broken down...
But despite the cold we set off for the beautiful St Malo today. First stop - a seafood lunch!
Fortunately for us they actually had a high chair for Little A (a novel change to Paris).
Felix decided to take some snaps of everyone (just like Mummy does!).
By which stage we were feeling content with thanks to a delicious lunch!
Ok and maybe a glass or two of wine.
Oh the struggles Mummy has to get a decent photo of our two cherubs.
If there aren't spoons in mouths...
... then there are cranky little ones that aren't fond of brotherly hugs.
If it's not the cheesy smile...
It's one that looks away...
Yes I think maybe I am best to keep taking photos of other people's kiddies!
Like all true aussies we spent Christmas afternoon at the beach at Dinard.
Only thing was it was FREEZING!
But it was lovely to have some fresh seaside air...
And it certainly was a pretty little town - kinda like Whale Beach.
So after a quick visit...
It was time to head back to the car to warm up...
Before we froze!
Bon Papa joined us on Christmas Day and so it was a perfect opportunity for a reindeer photo with the grandkids (don't you just love it Aunty Caitlin!).
The kids were pretty excited about more presents...
And of couse Christmas wouldn't be Christmas with out some nibblies...
A cuddle amongst siblings ... Astrid just loving Felix's close cuddles as usual!
And then a good animation film Toy Story to finish the afternoon.
It was a bright and early start on Christmas morning as a certain 4 year old had a sneak peak under the tree at 4am and knew there were lots and lots of presents.
Astrid, having just had birthday party season, is now quite familiar with the notion of presents and so sussed out some of the presents too.
Felix had a put in a special request to Santa for a Buzz Lightyear ... 
... and would you believe it, to Felix's delight, Santa managed to find one.
Astrid received her first real doll - with real hair and everything.
So they were both super chuffed. And this was only prezzies round 1, we still had more to open with Bon Papa when he arrived!
Bon Papa arrived in Brittany today, just in time for the Christmas festivities (and meals) and for Astrid to claim his little beanie. 
Luckily for Astrid she also managed to get a few cuddles whilst having her evening bottle.
There are always a few important errands that need to be done before Christmas - like ordering the seafood.
So the boys quickly popped into the seafood shop whilst the girls waited (patiently) in the car.
Luckily for Astrid (you can imagine the Xmas queues) she had one of Felix's favourite books.
This Christmas we decided it would be nice to get out of Paris and see a bit more of France, given Daddy also had some time off ... so up to Brittany we went.
We stayed in a little house about 30 minutes from the coast, where they had chickens...
And so each day Daddy and Felix had the job of collecting the eggs...
As you can see the fog was pretty heavy the first morning and the chickens were very keen to be set free for the day!
Felix did a great job of feeding them...
And collecting the eggs...
Can I tell you how delicious fresh eggs are! Yum-mee!
There is a little hurricane in our household. Little hurricane Astrid.
It only takes one minute whilst you are busy preparing an evening meal for chaos to happen.
But hey it keeps her entertained for a wee while!
If only we could teach her to put it all back!
Sigh.
Another day and more climbing from the little one ... this time Mummy's birthday chair...
The little kiddie chair...
And uh huh, back onto that kiddie table...
Again and again...
She hasn't fallen off yet which is a big relief!
A four year old's birthday party is terribly important.
For weeks at school there had been much discussion about who was and wasn't coming to Felix's party.
In the end we had about 12 four year olds including Felix new best buddie Kedyan (in brown above) and Agate.
We played Pass the Parcel.
Drank Smoothies...
And then it was present time ... and all the kiddies promptly started tearing into the presents.
And of course cake time...
I love this last photo...check out Felix's expression - simply priceless!
Just thought I'd share a few photos of little Astrid and her Mummy.
A little giggle...
A blow of the nose ... (her new trick)
A loving look (or is she thinking come on Mummy let's stop with the photos?)
Felix turned four today and of course a birthday brings presents .... a new school bag from Nanny Carol.
A shape puzzle from Nanny and Pappie.
A chateau from Mummy, Daddy and Astrid ... which Felix wouldn't let his little sister into!
More presents ... 
... and of course his fave a chocolate strawberry cake.
Happy Birthday Angel Boy!
So it seems that little Astrid is developing quite a taste for fashion. 
She loves to get 'dressed' which involves finding a piece of her clothing and drapping it on herself (usually over her shoulders).
She is also quite taken by her new boots (as is Mummy) and loves picking them up when she is not wearing them. Little cherub!
So Felix was terribly chuffed with himself today when he appeared ready to go out in Mummy's boots.
By the time Mummy reached for the camera he was concentrating very hard on how exactly to walk in the heels. 
Needless to say it didn't take him long to take them off again. (Phew)
So Little Astrid is getting more and more confident by the day and now takes a few steps between various bits of furniture...
Don't you just love that little expression with just a hint of fear!
So we've been wondering if shell be up and about walking by Felix's birthday.
Guess time will tell... but in the meantime she has worked out a cunning way of reaching things on the table.
Clever huh!
So as you probably heard poor little Felix had Scarlett Fever so we spent many days indoors and thus lots of colouring in.
Not liking to miss out on anything, Astrid was also in on the colouring in action.
She SO wants to be a BIG girl just like her BIG brother Felix.
Yes it's been another day of climbing on the home front...
This time Mummy and Daddy's bed...
...which Astrid simply adores...
And why not climb Mummy too!
Oh the fun and games of one year olds!
The house is certainly entertaining now that the littlest one is more active...
But we still like to have little stories together during the day...
Today it was Mr Men, with thanks to Aunty Kim & Uncle Barrie...
As you can see they both like the little stool. It's especially a favourite of Astrid's as it is just the right height for her little legs!
We had a visit from the lovely Sue and Steve who were passing through Paris. We had some aperos (very tasty) with the kiddies and then polished off some Fois Gras once the kiddies had gone off to bed. What a treat. Lovely to see you guys!
So we have a little climber in the family ... Little Miss A!
Now that she has discovered how to get up onto the kiddie table, it's opened a whole new world for this little girl.
And of course her partner in crime Felix is right there with her. 
Cheeky little monkeys!
Ok it's been a while since I posted one of the kiddies so this one is for Aunty Kim who is due to have her baby girl and day now...just some of the kiddies in action!
It's a shame you don't get a sense of the decibels of the blocks banging!
But hey the kiddies had fun!
So you've already had the Astrid photos ... so I thought I'd share with you some recent photos of Felix too...
Sometimes it's hard for nearly 4 year olds to keep to keep too serious for their Mummies!
But I think it adds to the fun!
Although as all us Mummies know it's always too hard to choose the ones you like.
This one cracks me up ...
I can't quite put my finger on who this reminds me of? Needless to say I stopped taking photos just about now!
This year Mummy and Felix decided to have a little halloween party ...
And have some dress up fun...
Invited guests were Cinderella ... a Pumpkin ... Dash Incredible...
A lovely little lion Eléa...
The lion's Mummy, the Good Witch Susannah ...
Roanne, the black cat with baby pink fairy Chloé.
A beautiful Indian Kate, with Emma in her Polka Poodle skirt...
A little red lady bug, Alice...
A little chicken Astrid and her Mummy, the Pirate Maiden.
And Captain Feathersword Kosta even made an appearance (as did his chest hair!).
The Mummies had some mid-week champagne...
The kids played a spooky game of 'Pass the Parcel' and 'Pin the Baby Spider on the Mummy Spider'.
And we all enjoyed celebrating Halloween in Paris!
Oh and Happy Birthday Nanny!
Well as is to be expected Mummy takes a lot of photos of the kiddies ... and she wanted to share some of them with the family back home in Oz (and Vence!).
A few different expressions from Astrid...
Ok and one of Felix's toy!
Hope you like them Uncle Barrie!
Mummy was in the middle of feeding Astrid one night when she popped out to the kitchen to put some final touches on Felix's dinner...
"Mummy ... I'm feeding Astrid".
And sure enough Felix was feeding his little sister (just like Luka, Ash).
He did a pretty good job too. Hmmm ... maybe this could happen more often.
Although a little later Astrid decided to help herself to Felix's half finished yoghurt.
Hmmm...not so good!
Needless to say it was straight into the bath tub!
Some of you may not realise that we actually have our own little super hero living with us in Paris.
Meet Dash Incredible.
He recently made an appearance to meet Astrid after his Mummy searched high and low for a dash outfit (thanks for trying Ash and Uncle Jonno!).
Astrid was pretty excited to meet Dash.
And Dash was pretty excited too.
So be warned if you see a flash of blond hair running past (running really, really fast!) ... you know it's Dash popping in to say 'Hi'!
Ironic, as this is the last film Mummy and Daddy saw whilst Felix was in Mummy's tummy a week before he was born!
Sweet little Astrid wants to be just like her big brother Felix.
She wants to watch TV with him...
At dinner time she wants to stand right beside him...
Although sometimes she gets just a little too close to Felix's dinner.
But Felix has learnt a very good technique of keeping his arm up whilst eating.
Mummy is endeavouring to give them the same meals where possible to minimise the stress!
Astrid's discovered a new favourite spot in our apartment. Felix's chair. And let me tell you it is now an obsession for her to perch her little butt into Felix's chair. Think we will have to go shopping for a little princess chair!
Astrid had her 1st Birthday party and as expected it was crazy.
The big boys ran riot...
The big boys monopolised the presents...
The big boys took over Pass the Parcel...
But most importantly our big boy helped with Astrid's birthday cake!
Happy 1st Birthday Astrid!
On Astrid's birthday we went to the park to give the kiddies a run around.
Felix had fun on the new playground they installed...
And Astrid had great fun too...
...with the occasional head rub from her proud big brother!
She explored the little shop...with a new friend.
And then Felix and Daddy decided to have some races...
So after lots of running...
and lots of walking for Astrid...
and the occasional stand by herself (when she didn't realise).
It was time for us to go home for a really good sleep!
Astrid turned one today and of course we had some prezzies for her.
Of course her big brother Felix helped her to open them...
And then she had a little try herself.
But strangely Mummy thinks she was more interested in the bread!
Or perhaps her darling Daddy!
Astrid's turned one today. Hip hip hooray!
So here are some photos of our little bum scooting cherub!
Happy birthday darling Astrid!
This weekend it was Olivia's 4th Birthday.
It was a dress up party so Felix went as a black spiderman amongst the princesses!
Astrid practiced her straw technique...
Alas there weren't too many photos as Mummy missed the party as her shoot in Versailles ran a little later than she expected.
Happy Birthday Olivia!
Each afternoon Mummy and Astrid pick Felix up from school.
Astrid is usually terribly excited to see Felix again.
And it's fast becoming a ritual for her to hold Felix's 'doudou' on the way home.
Luckily today Felix was in a great mood ...
(Sometimes he can be a bit weary after a long day at school and no nap!)
So there you have it. A little daily ritual here in Paris!
This weekend it was Eléa's birthday.
Another occasion for more champagne.
And more chaos indoors with the kiddies.
It was the little girls in action this time...
And the gorgeous birthday girl herself - Eléa!
Now where is Daddy hiding his champagne glass?
Ben liked the funky jungle theme.
And little Emma enjoyed cuddles from Eléa's aunty.
In the meantime Felix decided to give an extra big cuddle to Eléa's favourite lion.
Thanks for the great party Eléa!
Our good friends ventured off to Australia earlier this year but have since decided that Paris is really home.
So it's back to having playdates in the Luxembourg Gardens. Yippeee!!!
Astrid loves to be one of the big kids now and scoot around here, there and everywhere (yes she is a bum scooter with the occasional crawl!).
And you can see she just loves being one of the 'big kids' playing in the sand.
Not to mention loving being on the see-saw with everyone!
Although she choose wisely to leave them to it when they were going a wee bit faster!
Welcome back 'S' family! It's great to have you back.
We suffered the worst jetlag coming back from The States. The kids were shattered for a week (Mummy and Daddy were shattered for two). Everybody was out of their rhythms. Alas we'd be busy doing something and turn back and find somebody had fallen asleep at the table. Whoops.
Birthday season has officially kicked off in Paris with Alice and Ben's Party (brother and sister born a day apart!).
Everyone had great fun with the presents...
New toys to play with...
Pretty dresses...
And fun party hats...
Balloons...
And catch up chats for the parents.
Ooops and maybe there was a bit of champagne too!
All good holidays must come to an end and after we had spent a couple of weeks in the States it was time to return to Paris.
Alas we discovered our flight was delayed - but luckily they had a little play area for the kiddies (don't you love the States).
As usual Astrid just wanted to be doing what Felix was doing.
Even Mummy was in on the action with the spnky fireman (ok, we had a lot of time to kill!).
Bye Bye USA. See you sometime again soon!
Sometimes Mummy and Daddy divide and conquer with the kiddies.
So one morning Mummy and Felix set off for the park whilst Astrid had her nap.
Strangely enough near the park we discovered huge bear footprints...
But we couldn't see any bears anywhere (luckily).
So instead we had some fun instead.
It was a really great morning toegther for Mummy and Felix.
Now if only we could find those bears!
We did loads of walking whilst in Chicago and in fact whilst we were in the States. 
And whilst in Chicago Mummy fell in love with the houses ... aren't they just gorgeous!
Whilst in Chicago we spent lots of time at Oz Park which celebrates 'The Wizard of Oz' theme (the author used to live close by). Dorothy’s Playlot is filled with play equipment for the little ones to climb, swing, and run. There's the Emerald Garden and when you arrive you are greeted by statues of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and everyone’s favorite: Dorothy & Toto. It was a pretty cool place to hang out!
