Damn, that's a good dam.

It was 32 degree's here in Perth during the week and luckily that burst of warm weather fell on one of my good friends birthdays. So we packed some beer, some snacks, some towels and headed to the dam. Firstly, I led everyone to a place called Oakly Dam, I went there a few days prior with Matt and Oli and it was great. But this time, the heat brought the bugs. My friend almost got attacked by the biggest leach I had ever seen. So being the suburban kids that we are, we bailed from there and went to a place with more of a water flow to reduce the amount of critters. I decided to go to Dwellingup Dam, which is a place my friend and I frequented a lot a few years back. It was amazing. I was in my element, climbing the rocks and swimming where the others were too scared to go (I may have had a few drinks under my belt at this point, hence the confidence)

It was amazing, though, I can't wait till Oliver is old enough to adventure to places like this with me. He will love it. Here are a few pictures from the day.

An update

This little guy turned 9 months old the other day (On the 7th). It's so crazy to watch time fly past so incredibly fast. It's true when they say that it goes even faster when you have kids. I think that's due to watching this small being grow and learn right in front of your eyes. His personality already makes me feel warm and proud. He is cheeky and mischievous, but so loving and happy.  He is also very clever, I think. So far he only has two teeth and they are the cutest darn teeth you have ever seen. You can actually see little nibbles out of food.. Adorable. Another incredibly cute thing he does is shaking his head. All the time he is just shaking his head. He does it if he likes something, he does it if he doesn't like something... He just does it for the heck of it. Sometimes he does it real fast so he closes his eyes into a squint and it always makes his Pa and I laugh. He absolutely loves the outdoors. If I take the rubbish out or check the letter box, he makes a break for the front door and when it is shut behind me, he gets so upset. Don't worry, bub, you're mama gets a bit stir crazy being indoors, too! That's why we take daily walks, Also to exercise. He just calms right down when he is in that pram. We sometimes just go for a short walk around the big park down the road, or a lonnnng walk and we just see wherever we end up. Either way, Oliver ends up falling asleep after he has taken in as much nature watching as his little brain can and I get exercise and some peace and quiet. Can't wait until we can find cool places to explore and go hiking as he gets older. That is, if he continues to love the outdoors as much as he seems to now. I hope he does. Being outdoors just makes people happy. It definitely makes me happy. There's something mentally healthy about it. Whenever I'm feeling down, I'll go for a walk. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful, safe place. And I am so blessed to have this happy, old soul as my son.

This past week

I have had a pretty good time this past week, and weekend. I think it's mainly because I was outside, a lot. I love being outside and so does Oliver. That makes for a happy babe and a happy Ma. Plus, my house stayed clean just about all week. Which was amazing.

During the middle of the week My parents, sister, Oliver and I decided to go on a picnic. We went to a place along the Swan River so my Dad could do some fishing. We set up a blanket and had some chicken rolls, cheese and crackers and a cold beer. We took Oliver on the see-saw which he loved, and on the swing and the slide. He absolutely loved crawling around chasing the birds and digging in the sand. Then we left my Dad to do some peaceful fishing and we went on a walk.

The weather is getting to that point where it's warm enough to wear skirts, dresses, playsuits but you still need a jumper or a jacket for when the afternoon turns into the evening. Ah Spring, you beauty.

Then came the weekend. Matt, Oli and I drove down to Yallingup near Dunsborough for a daycation. The weather was beautiful and driving along the coast it smelt like salty water and sunshine. It reminded me that Summer is definitely coming. We stopped off at Smiths Beach and we had a beer in the sun (We like to drink beer in the sun, okay) and enjoyed the sunshine. Oliver was a menace, though. He was eating sand by the mouthfuls and crawling straight for the ocean. He started to get tired and so he was rubbing sand all over his face and almost in his eyes. So we decided that was enough of the beach for one day and went to the Yallingup tavern for dinner. 

 It's these simple pleasures that make me happy. They keep me from going stir crazy. And it's as simple as driving somewhere new and having a drink or some food in the sun with my loved ones.

That's enough to keep anyone happy, I think.