Hiking at Mt. Coot-tha

Brisbane had a holiday on Wednesday of last week so we decided to to take a morning hike on a hill near our home.  It was only 3km roundtrip so it was a perfect distance for Max.  We parked at the top of the hill (called Mt. Coot-tha, aboriginal for "honey") so Maxwell walked almost the whole way down.  We carried the backpack so Tim could carry him on the return trip up the hill.  There is a lookout from the top of the hill which, considering the hill is not very high, is quit spectacular.  One can see all of the way to Moreton Bay (the ocean) and Brisbane's outlying islands.

The start of our walk

An interesting flowering tree

Riding in the backpack

A Kookaburra feather

Resting at the bottom of the hill (Slaughter Falls)

Birthday Party

One of the boys from my Mom's Group had a birthday party earlier this month.  Max had a blast.  As soon as we unstrapped him from his stroller, he ran down the hill in their back garden to the toys.  My friend had set up play stations all along the edge of their garden so the kids could play with a kitchen set, playdough, a play gym, and bubbles.  Maxwell played until he was exhausted.

Before we left for the party

Max found the gingerbread cookies.  He had at least one in his hand during the whole party.

Our friends lent us their backpack because Max has outgrown the one we bought when we first moved to Brisbane.  Although we had the stroller, we decided to put him in the backpack because I figured that he wouldn't fall asleep in it.  He fell asleep within 10 minutes of our departure for home.

Garden Photos in Winter

The weather can vary a bit from day to day during the winter in Brisbane.  We've started to play a bit more often in our garden/veranda, especially in the late afternoons.  Most of these pictures were taken in the morning on days that I wasn't motivated to make an outing.

Water play

Makeshift Train

An evening in the garden

Playmates

Maxwell and Abby with Ki-ki and Jamima