Up to date!!!

Whew! This is my last update.. Are you still with me..lol.. This week it has been raining non stop.. so the boys and I are going a little stir crazy in the house.. but it is great for the grass.. and the Wallabies.. and thank God for the Wii..lol..

The boys now have their Worm farms they got for Christmas set up and if they hver leave them still long enough they may just see some worms one day..lol.. And Declan caught a Rhino beetle last weekend so he and Daddy set up an old fish tank as a home and it is now in his room.. Oh I dread to see what else that boy is going to bring home as he gets older..lol..

Yesterday I took Connor and Declan shopping and Declan is now the proud owner of his first School uniform and backpack. Prep next year..woohoo. It was so funny buying him a port. He wanted one that had camoflage on it.. but when he put it on it was twice as wide and nearly as long as he was..lol.. I managed to convince him to get a smaller one.. I told him the little Phone holder on the straps would be good to put a little toy in..lol.. he thought that was fantastic!!

So we have started preparations for school next year.

A special thank you to Uncle Warwick and Auntie Tanya for the Roary drawing board you gave Brodes for Christmas.. This is what he did to himself last night instead of sleeping..lol

It is on his sheets, his walls and even after being scrubbed is still all over him..lol.. Little rabbit!

Today while I did a few things and worked on my pics etc Connor and Declan decided it would be fun to play out in the rain.. though that wasn't wet enough so they had to use the hose as well.. As if our yard is soaked enough with the 7 inches of rain we have had since Monday. Anyway they had a great time and when they came in they were all excited cause they had a frog, which they named 'Roak'... lol. Supposedly they had saved it from a heap of ants and wanted to keep him. I convinced them that wasn't such a good idea and they agreed to put him back outside as long as I took a photo and printed it for them so they wouldn't miss him too much...lol..

Well.. Off to Crazy Jokers in the morning to see if we can get rid of some of their energy and then I have to clean up this house ready for our friends to come over tomorrow night..

So I think I will sign off now.. go and clean the kitchen and then take the lappy to bed to have a play on facebook..lol..

Have a wonderful New Years Eve everyone and I hope 2010 brings you all you could hope for.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

♥ Donna

Christmas

We had a quiet Christmas this year.. As Greg has been away so much we decided we would just stay home. And it was extra quiet as it is the first year without Poppy. So there was a lot less food in the house..lol.. But we did miss him heaps.. something just wasn't the same..

Carien came over on the Thursday and the boys made their biccies for Santa.. I had to make em choose one each to leave for Santa otherwise they would've eaten the lot..lol..

We then went to a neighbours house for a sausage sizzle with a few of the other families in the street. And were very surprised to see we had one the streets best lights comp.. We didn't even know they had one.. there is a trophy and everything..lol.. It was great kicking back, having a few drinks and a chat.. but the boys kept asking to come home to bed so Santa would come..lol.. Pity they weren't that keen all year round.

So we came home and put the Biccies and beer out and the Reindeers carrots and water.. as well as Santa's special key to get in. The boys insisted on putting the carrots next to the decorative Reindeers we had outside the front door.. So they could eat them too...lol..

After the boys went to bed the fun began.. putting the pressies under the tree and sorting out the stockings.. Luckily no pressies to be made this year..

Surprisingly Declan and Brodie slept in on Christmas morning. So Connor was very patient and helped Daddy do some things around the house while he waited..

Greg suggested that he might like to tidy his room and Connor's comeback was 'That's not in the Christmas Spirit Daddy!'..lol.. I have to say I agreed with him.. lol.. Greg went out the front and our lawn was covered in wallabies.. so he decided to take some pics. The poor things have been soo hungry that they have been all over our street looking for food..

When they finally woke up the boys attacked their Stockings from Santa.. they loved the Slime and Balloon helicopters he had brought.

We then had a yummy Ham and eggs Brekkie and got dressed then Connor got to play Santa and read out the cards on the pressies under the tree.

They got very spoilt as usual.. New Wii games and controllers from Santa, as well as a totem Tennis game.. lots of books, a popcorn maker, a biccie maker, dinosaur stuff, craft kits, cars, gift vouchers, money etc etc etc..

Greg got the 12th Man Cd Pack and the Latest ACDC collection and I got Wii Fit.. so I gonna have to get myself moving next year. I also got a gorgeous Secret Santa pressie from one of the Boxx girls and we got more gift cards. So we were all very lucky.. To all those that sent presents thank you soo much.. they are really appreciated and the boys are having a great time with them!

Dylan, Carien and the boys came over mid morning and we had a lovely day with lots of food, good company and a few drinkies..

Unfortunately poor Joshua got Gastro that night so of course Greg came down with it on Boxing Day and Brodes followed that night.. Thankfully it didn't last long and the rest of us managed to avoid it.

We hope you all had a Wonderful Christmas and Santa made your dreams come true.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Family Photos

My gorgeous friend Rachel took some pics for us this month.. She did some for me and I took some of her..lol.. worked out well.. and I just love the photos she took.. Even managed to make me look nice!

Thanks Rach.. you are a doll!!!

December...

Well I am finally getting in to update the blog .. again..lol.. One day I will manage to keep it up to date. Greg was away a fair bit before Christmas so I ended up with the boys in bed with me a few times..lol.. I couldn't help but take this pic... Aren't they cute.. My pair of Tommy Tumb Tuckers!! Wish they were always this quiet and adorable..pmsl..

On the 5th of Dec Rocky held 'Fire in the Sky'. We decided to go up to Mt Archer to check it out and I wanted to try and get some pics.. It was a little far away but they are kinda artistic.. aren't they?..lol..
The following Tuesday I went along to Kindy to help the kids make some reindeer biccies.. I was watching Declan in the garden when he spotted a lizard.. he crept up on it and I have never seen a kid move so fast.. he actually caught it! He is definately our little Declan Attenborough!

The Wednesday was his last day.. It was a fun morning but sad too.. They sang some songs and danced for the parents and got to bring home a big bag of different things they had made through the year.. Declan loved Miss Tina and Mrs Van Heck and they will certainly be missed.. they are both wonderful and caring women and He was certainly lucky to have them! He is going to miss his friends too but luckily some of them are continuing on to School with him..

Finally some Creating..

Well I haven't had much time to scrap lately but I did manage to do a couple of pressies for Christmas.. Just haven't been able to show them until now.

This is the Wall hanging I did for my Secret Santa on the Boxx. I had lots of fun making this.. very tempted to do one for me.. lol.. maybe one day!..

And this is the gorgeous plate my Secret Santa sent me.. I just love it.. I mean how gorgeous is that..!!! Plus I got a Scrapping Frame.. so will have to get scrapping to put something in it!

If you are reading this Santa.. Thank you soo much.. it made my day..So glad I waited till Christmas morning to open it!

As Connor's teacher last year loved her notebook I decided to do them again for the boys teachers this year..

Below are the ones for Declan's teachers.. I did the one for Mrs Vanheck but my friend Julie was over on the day I was doing them so she had some fun and did Miss Tina's.. I love it..

And I did this one up for Mrs Gorman, Connor's Teacher..

Well that's about it for now.. Hoping next year I will have lots more creations to show off!!

We'll Miss You Tom!

On the 30th of November the world lost one of the good guys.. Tom Scotney lost his battle with cancer after only 8 mths at the age of 53.

Tom and Clare started out as our neighbours in Highfields and by the time we left 5 years later they were two of our closest friends. Looking through my photos I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.. remembering all the wonderful times we had together.. Card games, drunken charades, dress up parties, New Years Eve cocktail parties, Friday night football, Barbecues, Holidays together.. and the list goes on.. They were there to celebrate the births of our boys.. and those boys loved 'Uncle' Tom sooo much.

It was hard enough leaving Highfields and our friends behind but now knowing that Tom isn't there to visit is just heartbeaking..

We will miss him so much.. miss the opportunities to have more fun, I will miss our debates.. His smile, his friendship. I didn't get to say goodbye so this is my little way of saying

'goodbye Tom.. we love you and will miss you so much'

All my love... Donna ♥

November Update

On the 12th of November we had our Playgroup Christmas party at Cooberrie Park. The boys loved it. We went out on the bus which was exciting in itself as it was their first bus trip.Then they had a great time feeding all the kangaroos and wallabies and checking out all the other animals. Brodie was a little shy about touching them but Declan jumped straight in.. Patting anything he could get his hands on and had no qualms in holding the rather large snake!.. I was really proud of him.

They also got very excited when Santa turned up to hand out all the pressies.. It really was a lovely morning.

Murphy has taken to occasionally jumping up on the boys beds for a pat and a cuddle at night time. Unfortunately when he gets into Brodes or Declan's room we quite often hear.. 'Daaad..Muuum.. Murphy's too loud.. can you take him away'..Lol.. but Connor does love a cuddle.. and a photo..lol.. so here he is with the purring puss!

Connor had his last game of Touch Football on the 14th. Love some of the photos I get of the kids.. and I couldn't resist taking this pick of my three boys having a cuddle while Connor was on the sidelines.. See they can be nice to each other.. Occasionally..lol

As you would know we had the lots of bushfires here in Oct. We were fine but our friend Dylan had to come and stay and we kitty sat their pregant cat Lexie for a week.. It was interesting .. She is a tiny little thing and had our big cats bluffed. Anyway.. two days after going home Lexie had her kittens. Aren't they just soooo cute.. the boys love em. And are always nagging at me to take em to Carien and Dylan's to see the kittens.. or if Carien brings Josh and Ethan over Declan wants to know if the kittens are coming too..lol.. We did end up kitty sitting again when Dylan and Carien went on hols. I miss my kitties now.. they soo cute and cuddly..

But we have enough animals around here without any more..lol.. including this gorgeous Wallaby and her Joey that was snacking on our front lawn a few afternoons in a row.. Just goes to show how dry it is around here. Couldn't resist the pics.

On the 26th St Joey's had their presentation night. All the classes put on a performance so I took Connor along. Luckily my gorgeous friend Amanda babysat Declan and Brodie as Greg was away. Connor's class did really well with their song 'The 12 days of Xmas'. And I had to take pics of Chase, Pypa and Millie in their little outfits. Aren't they just the cutest.

That weekend we had Greg's Christmas party at 1770. I was so looking forward to a weekend away as Greg has been away with quite a bit lately. But things didn't quite turn out as we expected. We got there friday night and I ended with gastro and spent all day Sat in bed.. Managed to take a few pics of the boys from my balcony but that was it. The we got a call from friends of ours letting us know that Tom.. a really good friend of ours in Highfields.. was finally succumbing to cancer. So Greg jumped in the car and drove to see him. I stayed behind with the kids and was so grateful to Vanessa, one of the girls Greg works with, for all her with with the boys on Sat night and Sunday.. then we got a lift home with George.. another workmate. Luckily the boys were fairly well behaved so he was still sane when we got here.. I think..lol.

Greg got home Sunday arvo just in time to come to Declan's Kindy Christmas party. So it really wasn't the best weekend.

And can you believe I forgot to take my camera to the Kindy Party..

Anyway it is late.. so I will leave it at that..will update more soon.. Hope you are all well..

Connor's Swimming Carnival..

Last Thursday Connor went to his first school swimming carnival.. Unfortunately I had to go to playgroup but Greg went along and took some pics for me.

It was a day of mixed feelings for us. We were so proud of Connor.. he came second in his 15m Kickboard Race.. Just behind Lachlan.. who as you can see was very pleased..lol

And Connor was so proud of his ribbon..

But then we were very disappointed. We both told Connor he could take $2 to buy an ice cream at the pool. When Greg turned up.. just in time for Connor's first race he was no where to be seen.. He missed it.. due to the fact he was lined up at the kiosk.. again.. he had taken his whole wallet to the pool.. and spent nearly $20-. Greg was furious.. and of course Connor was devastated when he found out that he had missed a race..Hopefully it might teach him for next time.. that and the fact that we have now confiscated his wallet..

Declan was also very proud of himself on Saturday.. He actually started swinging on the swing without help for the first time.. No more pushing with his feet on the ground.. no more asking for help.. lol.. he said to me.. ' Mum this is great.. I can swing all by myself".. which is something I have been trying to convince him of for the last year or two..lol..

These boys go nuts on those swings.. Brodie is really starting to scare me..lol.

Well it was a huge weekend last weekend.. Greg has brought himself a new set of golf clubs.. and we have a little deal going.. He gets to go and play golf on Saturday.. and I get the day to myself on Sunday.. not every week.. but hey I will take what I can get..lol.. It was wonderful to have a day of hiding in my craft room and just doing what I wanted to do.. didn't particularly achieve anything..lol.. but a half finished layout.. but gee I felt like a new woman.. and then I spent the arvo at Rach's Clothing Party.. Coffee, chatting... shopping.. it was fabulous.



Meanwhile Greg took the boys for a haircut.. I so have to get pics.. Brodes hair is sooo short.. then he took them to the movies.. yup all of them..lol..to see Up in 3D.. and then they had a birthday party at the Rockpool.. And no I didn't plan it that way..lol.. it was just one of those weekends..lol

He said the boys were pretty good at the movie. Even Brodie, and they all said they loved it so that was good. It was a reward for them having earnt enough points from actually getting their day to day jobs done..lol..



Greg has been away again this week.. Won't be back till tomorrow arvo.. so the boys are missing him.. He has been away so much lately. Brodie goes looking for him every morning..



Umm.. and the wonderful Rach came over to help me do a bit more organising around this house too.. She is sooo good at helping me to declutter..lol.. So all we have left is to clear out the boys Toys.. woohoo.. then I can start doing cupboards etc.. I am getting there..lol.. very slooowly!



Ok .. I am tired and I think I am actually going to go to bed early tonight.. Yup.. before 12 is early for me..lol..

Nite all xx

Connor's First Filling

Well Connor had to go to the School dentist today to get his first filling..He has two to get done.. I was really surprised as we are quite strict on teeth brushing around here.. oh well I guess these things happen. They had also explained to us that the enamel on some of his teethe hasn't formed properly.. probably due to illness when he was little.. so we are going ot have to be very careful with them.. If they get too bad they may have to be pulled.. Let's hope that doesn't become an issue.

They popped him in the chair and explained what they were going to do.. then told him if it hurts too much he was to lift his hand and they would stop asap. They just started.. had barely touched him when the hand went up. When he was asked what was wrong his answer was 'It's annoying'. Lmao.. Only Connor.. we explained that annoying was something he had to put up with..lol. Anyway.. he put up with it for a bit longer but then told them it was hurting so we had to get the needle.. He was really quite good. Didn't carry on. I was quite proud of him. Because they gave him the needle they didn't want to do both at once as one was at the top and the other was on the bottom and the whole side of his face would've been numb. But when he was told he would have to come back and get another one he was really good and said ok without complaining.

So really it all went quite well.. better than I expected.. I think I was the worst.. the sound of that drill went straight through me!.. lol.

He is off to his first School Swimming Carnival tomorrow. I can't go as I have to do playgroup but Greg is going to try and get there and get some pics for me. I can't wait till I can pick or choose when I want to go to playgroup.

Anyway.. I am soo happy I am keeping the blog up to date..lol.. slowly getting myself organised..

Hope you are all well..

Brodie's Birthday!

Well Brodie is now a 'big boy'. On the 19th Oct Our baby boy turned 3. He too got to opne some presents on his b'day.. he was soo excited to get his own Leapster.. He kept hugging it.. in fact he hugged all his presents..lol. Marnie and Pa came up fo the weekend and we took Brodie to the park with his friends.. they had lots of fun.. and I got lots of great pics..lol..

So I have finally caught up on all my pics..lol.. I am going to try and keep it all up to date for now on.. oh well.. I will try.. Doing my best to get things under control around here.. My gorgeous friend Rach came over this week and helped me to start decluttering and tidying the house.. and OMG it is still clean.. well the bits we did anyway..lol.. I have also done up some charts for the boys in an effort to stop all the yelling and screaming around here in the mornings..lol. And I have discovered a website.. Flylady.. which helps you to get and stay clean and organised around the home.. so cross fingers for me..

I have also found a replacement for me at Playgroup. I have to say it is such a relief.. I have enjoyed the last two years running it.. but it is a big job and just makes it so much harder for me to keep up with everything else. So next year I have promised myself I am not committing to any committees etc.. and I am going t0 have more time for me and the family..

Anyway.. Thank you for your patence while I caught up..lol.. That is if anyone is reading it any more.. Would love a comment or two.. Feel like I am talking to myself sometimes.. mind you I am used to that around here. Lol

Hope you are all well...

Connor's Birthday

Well can you believe it.. We have a 7 year old in the family.. Connor had his birthday on the 8th Oct and was very excited.. He got to open some presents on the 8th but he had chosen to have a TMNT party at the Bowling alley...

The kids had a ball.. it is hysterical to watch them bowl. They each had their own techniques..lol.. Connor was very excited as he got a strike 'AND I DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH THE BUMPERS BALL THINGIES MUM!!!', You can see his excited jump in the Pics below. Lmao.. I guess Wii sports does have some benefits.. And at the end of it he got his own Bowling Pin which all the kids signed.. It was a very exciting day for a 7 year old!

Connor

Jamie's Birthday

The second week of the school hols we had a quiet week at home.. the boys were tired and grumpy and I have to admit I was looking forward to school to start again..lol..

But we did have some fun at Jamie's Birthday party.. and I had fun taking lots of pics..lol..

School Holidays ~ Gold Coast and home

Before leaving Toowoomba we had a couple of stops to make. We took the boys to see the Twin's resting place. We have only just told them about their big brothers this year as I wasn't too sure if they were old enough or not.. anyway they of course asked a million questions which we answered. I am glad we did it.. I think it made it a little more real for them. And I love hearing them talk about their.. 'big brothers'.

We also dropped in to see Grandma, Greg's Grandma that is.. the boys were a little unsure at first as it has been a looong time since we have seen her. But we did manage to get them to give her a hug before we left.. and I really think it made her very happy.

We then headed off to the Gold Coast did a little Ikea shopping.. woohoo..lol.. and booked into the Mantra Wings.. which was quite nice. After a nap.. of course the boys had to hit the pool.

I stayed upstairs and took these pics from our balcony on the 5th floor.. sooo loving my long lense..lol

And Connor wanted me to take another pic of his burn.. looks a bit more dramatic here. He really was a brave boy about it all.


On Wed the first thing the boys wanted to do of course was get in the pool again..lol.. It was a beautiful morning but by mid afternoon this is what our view was like.. and no I haven't touched up the colour.. that is the dust storm that hit the Gold Coast.

I was supposed to meet Jodes but there was no way either of us was gonna try driving in that.. you couldn't see a thing. So I didn't get to see her :(

It was a relaxing afternoon though.. just kicking back.

On Thursday it was off to Dreamworld to spend the Day with Tanya, Michael and Talissa.. I took sooooo many photos as usual I thought I would save space and do a collage up..

The kids had a great day.. and were so excited to see their friends again. As was I.. But oh .. Dreamworld is sooo exhausting..lol.. Brodie was asleep hugging his new Wiggles lunch box before we 5 mins down the road when we left..lol

But my Fav bit is the Tigers.. They are sooo beautiful.. and I got some gorgeous shots with my long lense.. sooo would love to have one of those meet the tiger experiences..

A long, hectic wonderful day..

Friday we started to head up to Mum's. And stopped in at Bribie Island to catch up with a few of my Boxx Chickies.. We went and had fish and chips at the park and decided we needed some pics.. of course.

Deb, Me, Tam and Elise.. Oh and the little perve that kept grabbing Deb's bottom..lol.. must take after his father..lol.. I think Deb wanted to chuck him in the ocean..lol.. Little Rabbit..

It was fantastic to see the girls again.. been tooo long.. so need a girl's weekend!

After that we went up to Mum's and stayed there until Sunday. Unfortunately Brendan (the Cockatiel) had died just before we got there.. was so very quiet.. and expected to hear his squawks and flutters all the time.. He will be very missed that bird!.

Greg and Col got to have a game of golf and we got to spend time with Granny and relax a little.. then headed home on Sunday..

I think I needed a holiday to get over our holiday. It was soo tiring.. but it was so wonderful to see everyone.. just wish it wasn't so long between visits..!