Two big birthdays

We went to two important birthdays this weekend. Saturday night Dan and I went to the 50th birthday of the father of one of Dante's classmates, whom we've known since the kids were 11 months old! We took the boys along with us (and left Elora with my folks) and had a pleasant evening chatting about "grown up" stuff and trying to stop the boys jumping on the bed!

Sunday morning we all bundled into the car (my parents included) to go to my Uncle Paul's 70th birthday celebration at my cousin's house. He is my father's youngest brother (no. 4) and has five kids, too. Our two families used to spend a lot of time travelling the countryside together – can you imagine it? Two Chinese guys driving Combi vans full of kids in convoy? Unfortunately I wasn't around in those days. Only 9 kids between them, then. (I do remember that we had a red Combi and they had a yellow one. A bit like tomato sauce and mustard!)

Now that we've grown up we don't see each other very often at all. Half of my cousins (more than half: three fifths) have moved to Newcastle which makes things more difficult. So we all made the effort to go this party which was in Sydney. Just the immediate family, pretty much. My folks, my Aunties and Uncles, my cousins in-laws, my cousins and their families, and us lot, of course. There are 18 in the next generation, half of whom are under 5! It was a busy day.

This was my favourite moment. Atticus sat himself down before lunch and started demolishing the cut-up cucumbers in the serving tray, much to the astonishment of all around. Uncle Paul came over and started making faces at him and Atti was tickled pink! So sweet.