Ramblings of a Scrapping Mum

Life is Always Hectic!

2011-06-21T23:18:00.000+10:00

It's been hectic again.. as usual..lol.. Where to begin..

May was pretty much devoted to to the 'Relay for Life'. On the 1st of May we held a Scrap Day to raise funds for the Relay For Life. We had a great day with Raffles, Silent Auctions, lots of Food, Scrapping and great Company.. I was lucky enough to win a gorgeous Canvas made by Julie Heard in the silent Auctions. No thanks to my friends who kept upping my bids knowing how much I wanted it! Oh well.. all for a good cause and we managed to make over $600 for the day. So it was well worth the effort taken to organise.

Then on Thursday the 5th we had a little do at Kindy for Brodie and I for Mother's Day.. They had made us the cutest gifts and we had lots of yummy food.. of which the Chocolate Fountain was the most popular..lol.. then some dressing up, photos and Stories.

Brodes was so funny, he didn't want to get a photo with me taken by the photographer so I ended up with one of him half crying with his head buried in my chest..lol.. so need to get a copy. It was quite cute..Mother's Day itself was quiet one round here.. But the boys gave me some cute things they had made at school etc.

We had friends over on the Saturday night for Greg's Birthday. Was good to sit down and relax with everyone. Though we all must be getting old.. ended up being a fairly early night..lol

The most exciting news for May was that Rach & Adrian welcomed Pip Luci into the world on the 1Oth.. She is one gorgeous little girl and she is going to be one much loved little member of the family and our adopted extended family..lol.. Woohoo more girlie shopping for me!

hmm.. what next.. Greg and I celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary on the 13th. He actually managed to surprise me. I got flowers at lunchtime to say we were going out. He had colluded with the wonderful Jodes and Zoe and they took the boys for the night so we could go to dinner and a movie. Bit of a worry that my hubby and friends are so good at keeping things from me..lol

The weekend of the 21st and 22nd was a huuuge one.. Greg took the boys out Thunder Egg hunting at Mt Hay with the Scouts. They had a ball, bringing home heaps of eggs.. not sure what to do with em all now..lol Meanwhile I went and helped set up for the Relay for Life. Was not looking forward to it too much as I managed to not get to sleep until 4 am on the Friday night. lol.. typical me.

We had a pretty good time actually, checking out all the other stalls, doing our walk, remembering those that had gone, and all other affected by cancer. Must admit the candle ceremony brought a tear to my eye especially as the boys wrote some lovely notes for Poppy on their candle bags. Walking over Declan looked at me and said ' I really miss Poppy Mummy, Wish I could see him again'.

The kids had fun playing and running around until we forced em to bed sometime round midnight..lol.. prob was I had to lie down with Brodes to get him to settle so of course I had few hours nap too..lol. But we made it .. right through to the last lap at 9am and despite some masssive blisters and a bit of damp from the rain it was a good night.. and all up we raised over $2500. for the Cancer Fund.

It was kinda fitting as it was Dad's Anniversary on the 28th. Still can't believe it's been 2 years.

Anyway its late.. At least I got some of it done. I soo need to keep this thing up to date .. yeah I know I say it all the time.. lol.. maybe if I keep saying it I may actually do it..lol.

Easter..and more

2011-06-21T18:49:00.000+10:00

The boys decided they wanted Mummy to come fishing too so we all got up early and Greg had plans to go out to the reef. Well it was a little rougher than Greg had expected so after we were all soaked, my back had been compacted by a few cms and poor Brodes was crying with fear I managed to convince him that somewhere a little closer might be a better idea..lol

So we went over between Humpy and Keppel Islands where it was calm and lovely. And I finally got to see where 'The first Boat' ended up on the rocks..lol.

Have to say I'm not a massive fishing fan but we had lovely time. We all caught plenty of fish and the boys were quite excited to catch few sharks as well. Unfortunately no keepers but that ok.

The trip back was lot more comfy with the wind behind us and Declan and Brodie had fun playing Silly buggers at the front of the boat while Connor helped Daddy Drive.

All in all a great family day.

The next day started the Easter Break and we headed off to Yeppoon. Had lunch at a local Pub which was nice and then headed off to check in at Rydges. Even for a weekend the car was loaded, including the Easter treats the Boys and I had made.

We were supposed to meet Joe & Zoe there on the Saturday but unfortunately Ella had been sick so they had pulled out. Had a lovely time anyway with the boys playing Soccer with some other guests .. seeing as Greg had to drive home cause he forgot the hanging clothes..lol.. Lucky we were close to home.

So after a fun afternoon the boys went off to kids club and Greg and I actually got to have a lovely dinner on our own. Been far to long. The boys had a blast at kids club and when we went to get them they didn't want to come..lol

The next morning the boys were very excited to see that the Easter Bunny had come. Before we even woke up both Connor and Declan had read huge chunks of their new books ..lol.. and eaten very few eggs... funny kids.. They sure made up for that the rest of the day though..lol

As Ella was on the mend Joe and Zoe brought the kids out for a visit... they all had a ball..and we managed to convince them to find a room for the night. I think the kids stayed in the pool and on the slide all day. Then Fish and Chips for dinner and not surprisingly everyone crashed rather early..lol.

On the Monday we packed everything up then took the kids to play mini golf and Lawn Bowls before we headed home. They loved it and it was quite funny to watch..

It was a lovely weekend but it was also very lovely when the boys went back to school on the Wednesday..lol..

I am still here!!!

2011-04-21T15:06:00.002+10:00

lol.. how slack am I .. haven't updated in months.. let me see what has been happening..?? Well I know what hasn't.. I haven't scrapped at all.. Oh and I miss it!.. Still trying to get me office/scraproom org and as usual it hasn't got done.. and I find it sooo depressing going in there to do anything let alone find the creativity to scrap... So need to kick myself in the butt and get it done..

In Feb I did a mad dash down to Melbourne to see my Dad's rellies.. My Nanna is not doing so well.. so took the opportunity to get down there and see her. It was great to see her and to catch up with my Aunt's and Cousins as well as meet a few online friends for the first time. It has been 24 years since I was last in Melbourne and other than Auntie Larry and Nanna I think that was about the last time I saw everyone! Unfortunately I was only able to go for about 4 days.. so could've stayed longer!

Here is a pic of Nanna and Larry.. aren't they gorgeous!

Got very cranky with myself though.. went and had coffee and got to see and meet a heap of people and didn't take a single pic.. grr!

After I got back it was finally time for Nettie and Gil to get married. After all the time I spent on the invites etc was so looking forward to seeing them walk down the aisle... but just my luck Declan started throwing up that day so I had to stay home.. was so upset.. It all went well for them so that is the main thing.. Will put up pics of my creations when I get organised. hehe.. yup haven't even edited any pics in forever!

Greg took Connor to Brissie to see the first Broncos game with Pa, Uncle Matty and Uncle Warwick.. He loved it! Greg has got the boys addicted to football with him now... Well the older two anyway. Lately Friday night Brodes and I snuggle in my room watching tv while we listen to the other 3 yelling and screaming at the tv..lol..

Declan has now lost his two front teeth.. he was so excited... wiggled the first one for ages then eventually got Daddy to pull it out.. lol .. the second one he managed to knock out at a party.. lol..

The boys also had Dance Fever on at school.. where they put on a concert to show everyone what they have been learning in PE.. They had a ball..

The boys did well at school and Kindy this term... We are finally getting Connor settled and working to his potential and Declan is reading way beyond his age and doing well. His teacher said his only problem is getting him to remember there is no need to shout all the time..lol. Brodie is loving Kindy and Miss Lucy says he is doing well too..Again, like his brothers, he is advanced academically but still needs to learn self control!

Connor is still into his Tai Kwon Do and Declan is loving scouts.

We have had some more stress as my Stepfather has recently had a Skin Cancer removed from behind his ear for the second time. They think they have got it all but he and Mum are travelling back and forth from Brisbane for Radium so hopefully at the end of that he will get the all clear.

Speaking of Cancer, Greg and I are doing the Relay for Life this year with a group of friends.. should be fun with all the kids..lol.. We are org a scrap/craft day on the long weekend to raise money so I am hoping we do well. If anyone would like to donate please go to Rascals n Ratbags. It is a great cause!

Well I think I have finally caught up with most of it.. Hopefully Greg is taking the boys fishing tomorrow so a nice peaceful day for me..(school hols is killing me..lol) then we are all off to Rydges Yeppoon to spend Easter weekend with Joe, Zoe and the kids.. Oh I sooo can't wait..lol.

Happy Easter everyone!!! xxxxx

Time to get organised!

2011-01-30T21:57:00.002+10:00

Hi everyone, it has been ages I know.. You've probably all given up on me! Well I still have a heap to catch up on cause as usual I am way behind and always busy. So I am gonna try something different. From now on I will post when I can and put the photos up later. Cause I can post on my phone whenever I like and it's editing the pics that puts me behind lol. So at least you can catch up on what we are doing and then if you want to you can come back later to look at the photos. I will also be starting from this last week so if you want to catch up on Xmas and the floods you will have to keep an eye out. I will get there I promise! Lol

Well the boys finally started school again this week and Brodie had his first day at Kindy! Can't believe I have one in grade 3, one in grade one and next year they are all off my hands lol. The first day of school was a total mess! I was so organised. Got up early, by the time 8 am came I had the house tidy and we were ready to go. Jumped in the car and had a flat battery! Connor had been cleaning it and had left the accessories running!! Aaargh!! of course Greg was out of town and everyone else was busy so I called the Racq. It took them an hour to get here so we were an hour late on the first day! But we did get there and the boys settled in well to their classes. They both like their teachers and seem to be doing well.

Got Brodie to Kindy and he was off and running immediately. Had to chase him down to say goodbye.. Lol He loved it and and loves Miss Lucy and Miss Jenny. He has the same teacher as Declan had so I am happy.

Today we took the boys to the park and they had a ball. Brodie was so excited. He kept running back to tell me he had made new friends. Lol 'I got lots of friends now Mummy' lol.

Speaking of Brodes I am starting to think he is sleepwalking. He has been coming into our room at midnight for the last few nights and crawling into bed. Last night I was still sitting in the chair on the putter and he climbed into my lap and fell asleep. When I tried to carry him back to bed he seemed to wake up so I put him down and he turned straight around, climbed onto Greg's legs and fell again.... All without a word lol. Little rabbit our bed just ain't big enough for us all!

Anyway another busy week coming up. Declan starts scouts again and Connor is going back to Tai Kwon Doe and we may be hit by a cyclone! Just what we need after the floods! All without Greg as he is away all week! So lets hope it passes by and leaves Qld alone. Hope you are all well..

Photos to come

Teachers Presents

2010-12-16T16:29:00.001+10:00

Here are the presents I did up for the boys teachers last year..

November update... Late as usual..

2010-11-25T21:21:00.040+10:00

The end of the school year was as busy as usual. lol.. The kids had their end of year concert on the 25th of November. They had been practising at school and at home for weeks.. They did absolutely wonderfully we were so proud of them.. and they had a blast! It was a real credit to the teachers for getting all those kids organised without any major dramas. lmao!

We also had some fun watching. All the littlies were relatively well behaved under the circumstances and Greg and Sam had a lovely conversation about their shirts..lol.. Sam went over and pointed to the fish on Gregs shirt and after being told what it was etc. proceeded to point to his own shirt as if to say.. 'well look at mine.. isn't it cool too..' hehe.. was soo cute! Ella and Brodie were up to their usual mischief.. chatting and bossing each other around and Miss Bonnie was Jodes girl that night..lol.. Rhys and Lily were of course just their usual cute little selves..lol

On the 4th of December we finally got organised to do the Santa photos.. They took about 25 pics and I don't think they were all looking in the same direction in one of them..lol.. But there were some cute ones..lol and no dramas this year about sitting on Santas knee or smiling thank God..

On the 17th we decided to go for a drive to check out the river and the Barrage.. As you can see it was up quite high even then... and of course my camera shy boys had to get their photos taken as well..lol..

OK can we wipe this week..

2010-11-20T14:33:00.000+10:00

What a week.. Started with Brodes having high temps and Headaches on Sunday night and Monday.. Which the other boys then got on Thursday night.. Luckily that was all they had so panadol eventually fixed them all up.

Was so looking forward to last night.. the girls coming over to scrap. Then Greg came home yesterday with a fever. Tanya, Nettie and Gil came over and I got started on Nettie and Gil's Wedding invites. But Greg ended up with the shakes, temps over 39C and miserable. So when the guys left I took the laptop to bed and kept looking for stuff online for the invites. Turned the puter off about 2.30am but was still awake at 5. Greg was moaning, sweating and I was waiting for him to have some fit or something from the fever! But of course he wouldn't let me take him to the hospital.

Anyway got to sleep after 5 and eventually woke up after 10 with a stinking headache and in a foul mood. Greg's temp had dropped slightly but then started going up again. So he has been to the hospital to see a doc and it seems he has a severly infected throat and middle ear.

Just to round off the day we were supposed to be going to Rydges at Yeppoon today for the Suncorp Xmas party. Staying overnight and coming home tomorrow. Was so looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Anyway Greg rang Rydges this morning to see about a refund or transferring the booking to another weekend. Couldn't see the sense in going with him sick. But the idiots at Rydges wouldn't even talk to him about it! Even though the room was in our name and the we paid for it, because Tracy from work had booked all the rooms they would only talk to her. I couldn't believe it. I was sooo ready to let fly. Luckily Greg was talking to them. He so more patient with these things.. I would have given them a gobful!

Anyway Tracey has talked to them and even if they don't refund us she and her hubby are going to take our room so we not out of pocket.. She such a lovely lady.

So our relaxing weekend has turned into a miserable, rainy day with cranky kids, a sick hubby and a splitting headache!

So hope everyone else is having a much better weekend. And thanks for listening to me vent!

Check out this new Kit Shop!

2010-11-16T23:59:00.000+10:00

One of my gorgeous Scrapping buddies has started her own shop selling kits.. She has put the first one up.. you gotta check it out.. It's gorgeous!

The Polkadot Place

My Little Helpers

2010-11-16T23:33:00.000+10:00

Well I am finally catching up I think..again..hehe.. It has been a busy few weeks as usual.. not helped by the fact that Greg seems to be away for work more than he is home. Last week he went on Wed and didn't come home until Sunday.

But luckily the boys have been pretty good which certainly makes life easier. On Sat after we got back from Cooberrie Park I threw a load of washing on and the boys decided they were going to help hang them out. I was on the phone when I went to check on them and just bout cacked myself when I saw them..

Declan had got the stool from under the water cooler and brought it out and Brodes had emptied all the clean clothes out of the basket and was standing on it to reach. But they did it all themselves.. and everything managed to stay clean too..lol.. Of course I had to take some pics..lol

Also while Greg was away we got the news that we have a new little Nephew.. Zachary Willem. Congratulations Tanya and Warwick! As Greg was in Brissie he hired a car on Sat and went up to visit. How cute is this little man!

So can't wait to give him a big cuddle and get lots of pics!

Well think I am finally up to date.. Have I said before I gonna keep it that way..lol..

Hope all is well.. and would love to get some comments!! xxx

Cooberrie Park

2010-11-16T22:40:00.000+10:00

On Saturday I took the boys to Cooberrie Park with Declan's Joey's group. The boys loved it. We had a wander around first and the boys thought it was so funny because three emus were racing around the Betong's Cage stirring them up.. It seems that they play together regularly..lol. Declan wasn't impressed though when one of the donkeys tried to have drink from his water bottle.. lmao They got to pat the roos and the Koalas in the cages were so active and friendly the boys got to pat them.

After lunch the staff gave us a wildlife show and the boys got to hold and pat lizards, birds, koalas and snakes. Brodie wasn't too keen lol.. But of course Declan got his hands on any animals he could. I can't put the pic up because of the other boys in it but we had about 7 little boys in row holding a 3 mtre long Python. It was 'awsome', in Declan's words..lol. Connor wanted to hold the head but as soon as it moved he changed his mind so of course Declan jumped in. No fear whatsoever. The boys had a choice between getting something from the shop or holding an animal. Declan and Brodes decided on a toy each but Connor wanted to hold a baby croc.. He was so excited about it.

It was a lovely day and the boys were well behaved for me which always makes it better..lol.

Swimming Carnival

2010-11-16T21:05:00.000+10:00

Last Thursday Connor had his school swimming carnival. He entered into the 15 mtre freestyle and the novelty events.

I think after his 15 mtre event I should've entered him in the 30 mtre..lol.. He left the 3 kids behind and finished half a length in front of them..lol. He was happy as he got a Blue ribbon. He also won the kickboard and Noodle event as well.

All the boys did well having a go even if they weren't strong swimmers. Made us Mummies proud!

Had to take some pics of Lily~Rose.. How cute is she!

As his events finished at lunch time we all then went to Jodes place and the kids had fun playing in the hose and with Water Balloons... Rach and I weren't to happy as we got roped into filling and tying the water balloons.. I think we got as wet as the kids did..lol.

All in all the kids had fun and it was good to sit down and chat to the Mum's.

Declan's a Joey!!

2010-11-14T20:34:00.000+10:00

When I took Declan to Scouts on the 19th his Leader, Wattle, said he could be inducted. He was just a little excited..

This meant he got all his basic badges, could now wear his scarf and Woggle and was allowed to use the official Scout Salute and Handshake..lol. He listened intently while she explained the scouts beliefs etc and then presented him with all his badges. Took him a little bit to get those fingers the right way for the salute..lol. and he thought the left handed handshake was quite funny..lol

Of course I didn't have my camera on me so only got some very average pics on the phone.. Oh well at least I got something!

So I finally got all his badges sewed on.. what a task that is! and had to get pics of our little Joey! And of course his brothers had to get in on the action..lol. Brodie was funny trying to copy his big brothers salute!

Brodie's Birthday

2010-11-14T20:09:00.000+10:00

On the 19th of October our Little boy turned 4!!! How time has flown. Because Greg was away the morning of his birthday we saved his pressies until that afternoon after Daycare. He loved his new Chef's Apron and hat.. Just like Poppy's! lol.. Unfortunately Greg had to go out again that night so he stayed with Connor and Brodie while I took Declan to Scouts. It wasn't a very exciting day for the poor little man but he enjoyed making cupcakes at Daycare and playing with some new toys.. Luckily it was only a few days till his party..

As Greg was basically away all week except for an hour or so on Brodes Birthday, the Sunday before they both went to the shop and he helped pick himself out a new Big Boy's Bike. His little one was still the right size for him but he wouldn't ride it anymore cause it was too small.. It didn't seem to matter that the bigger ones he couldn't touch the ground properly.. anyway he loved his new Shark Bike!

For his party he wanted to go to Victoria Park to ride his new bike. It was a lovely morning.. all our good friends, kids everywhere, and Brodes loved his Monster cake! I didn't realise until I started looking through the photos that I didn't get pics of half the bigger kids, Connor included, because they were too busy off playing and we didn't see them..lol.

It was a lovely day and Brodes got spoilt rotten with Presents... We really are lucky to have such wonderful friends here!

Connor's Birthday

2010-11-14T12:53:00.000+10:00

Catch Up time again.. I am soo slack with this Blog aren't I!

Our big boy turned 8 in October...and instead of a party he decided he wanted to have a sleepover with a couple of his mates.. Well I told him two.. which ended up being 4 and then back to 3..lol.. As he wanted to sleep in the tent.. with no adults.. He also wanted a camping cake. Well.. do you think I could find a tent small enough to fit on a cake..lol.. so I had to make one.. that was fun! I think it turned out ok.. and Connor was happy with it which is the main thing.

All the boys came over on Saturday morning and had a great time playing with Connor's presents and running around the yard under the hose.. just as boys do. Then they had to help Greg set up the tent and get their beds organised. They were just a bit excited! I let Connor have no adults in there but we set the tent up right outside my window so I could hear everything..lol.

Pizza for dinner and the quietest time we had in the day was when they were eating and watching a movie..lol.. 6 boys in the house makes for a lot of noise! Poor Kyle was falling asleep on the couch so after the movie we cut the cake and sent them all off to bed. Connor and Lachlan were talking and playing with their little torches I had given all the boys until about 10.30. But they weren't too loud so I let em go. Kyle and Jamie flaked..lol.. Was very impressed though. Not one of them got scared at all.

Unfortunately though they were all awake by 6 am. Luckily Greg is an early riser! They packed up the tent and camping gear and then it was off to the Bowling Alley. The boys had a great time. And they were all well behaved which was a plus..lol. Declan is getting too big too.. he started off with the ramp to bowl but then decided he was big enough to bowl without it and did really well! Connor was so happy as he managed a strike.. Then it was time to drop the boys home and Mummy to recover..lol..

It really was a good weekend and the boys had fun.. plus sooo much easier than a party..lol.

Beading..

2010-10-12T14:01:00.000+10:00

I forgot to put these up.. While I was on hols I just took a little beadign stuff with me. I made the spider from a kit my friend Chrissie had given me for the kids and then had a play and made the crab and jelly fish. I got the pattern for the crab online but decided to make up the jelly fish myself. Needs some tweaking but the boys loved em.

School Holidays..

2010-10-12T13:29:00.000+10:00

Well over the Sept school holidays we headed down to our fav place.. Coolum Beach Getaway Resort for 2 weeks.. We love it there.. Coolum is such a lovely quiet beach and Murray and Carmel that manage the units are just so lovely!

We left home on Sat Morning and of course an hour down the road Greg realises he left his Laptop at home..lol.. Wouldn't be too bad but he had an assignment that had to be done over the hols.. lol.. Thanks to the gorgeous Rach she got it sent down to us on the bus...lol. Thanks Rach you are an angel.. and poor Mum had to chase the bus round the coast to pick it up for us because of a mix up on the pick up point..lol.. Thanks Mummy!!

Anyway looong trip down but we got there just after lunch time and after unpacking Greg and Declan went to the shops to pick up a few essentials. I got a lovely surprise when they came home with this lovely arrangement for me because I had to leave my Birthday flowers at home. Isn't that sweet!

It didn't take long to get into the swing of hols. The first week the boys did a lot of swimming, Went fishing with Daddy and spent some time at the Beach.. It was a bit rainy but that really didn't worry us at all. I got to relax and read.. ahh was so noice!! Oh and don't forget the Fish and Chips for dinner.. I looove Coolum Fish and Chips..lol And most afternoons we had Happy Hour with Murray (the unit manager). Such a lovely bloke.. and a good excuse to sit down and have a wine..lol

On Monday morning we got a call from the security people to say our home alarm had gone off. Rach to the rescue again! She went and checked and yup someone had tried to break in. Luckily the alarm scared them off. We are so lucky to have such good friends. Between Rach and Gil they organised the police, fixing the damaged door and kept an eye on the place while we were away.. Thanks guys you are the best!!

On Monday we went shopping at Sunshine Plaza and took the boys to see 'Cats and Dogs, The Revenge of Kitty Galore' at the movies.. they loved it. With the kids size 3d glasses even Brodie kept his on and watched it all..lol

On Friday we met my brother Brett, Carla, Lainey and Claire at Australia Zoo. It was wonderful to catch up with them and of course to see my gorgeous nieces. I can't believe how much they are growing up!

As usual the kids had a ball checking out all the animals and chasing their cousins about.

We even got to see Bindi perform which the girls were really impressed with..lol. And of course the kids all came home with bits and pieces. Quite a lot actually cause some they bought themselves, we got them something and Uncle Brett bought them something.. Spoilt boys!.. Of course Declan went for the baby Croc that has its own bottle..lol. and another Mummy Croc and we got him a shirt. He also got himself a really nice book on Australian insects.. surprise surprise..lol. Brodes got some figurines, and had to have what Declan had so got a baby Koala and a Mummy Koala. Connor was the difficult one. Our boy is growing up.. he had a really hard time picking something. No kiddie stuff for him. He wanted a whip and a Hat.. both of which where about $100 each so we had to say no to that one..lol. He eventually got a rubber snake, a dinosaur excavation kit and we got him a shirt.

I got to get the girls a pink Blingie Bindi shirt each..lol.. I loove buying pink bling.. don't get to do it very often!

It was a loong fun day, and the kids were all well behaved.. yeah.. but it was far too soon when we had to say goodbye and head off back to Coolum! We do miss seeing family. Everyone is so far apart.

The boys were swimming every day.. which was great for me because I must admit Greg often took them down to the pool and I got to stay inside and relax and read a book! I actually got 4 1/2 books read over the two weeks.. love it! In the middle of reading the Millennium Trilogy at the moment.. Love em.. Now gotta find the time at home to finish them..lol

Greg took the boys out in the boat a couple of times but unfortunately they didn't catch too much..And he and Connor were getting very frustrated as the other 2 boys kept getting bored or needing to go to the toilet and all they wanted to do was fish..lol

On Monday Marnie and Katie came down to stay for the night. The boys were so excited to see them. Katie is growing up to be such a cutie. She had drawn picture for the boys.. covered in love hearts and I Love You written on them.. lol.

We took the kids to the beach that afternoon and they had a ball.. I got so many cute pics it ws so hard to pic which ones to put up. They played in n the water and looked for shells and found some sea snails which impressed Declan. Declan was inseparable from Katie.. they were holding each others hands most of the afternoon or walking with their arms around each other.. soo cute. Katie was so funny.. she kept facing the water and standing with her arms open (think Titanic..lol). it was so cute. And while we were searching for shells Brodes decided he wanted a kite so started swinging the Boogie Board around to see if it would fly..lol. Connor and Declan have both really got the Boogie Board worked out. Connor had a few good goes then got dumped.. he decided that was enough..lol.

After the beach the kids, Marnie and Greg all jumped into the pool. There was a lot of fun going on with the kids ganging up on Marnie with the Water pistols..lol.. Mind you I think she got her own back..

Yes I know I was very slack.. I went 2 whole weeks and didn't get wet once! I must be getting old..lol. Whenever I decided I would it would get overcast and it was a bit too cool for me to jump in..lol. But I had a great time taking pics..lol.

On Tues morning we all jumped into 'Night Fury' and went fishing on the Maroochy River. Doesn't she look good with her name on!. It was Katie's first time fishing and she had a great time. Again Declan stuck to her like glue..lol. Declan was very impressed as he caught the first fish of the holiday..lol. a little Archer Fish we threw back. The younger kids did get bored fairly quickly so we went back home and let the kids have another swim before Marnie and Katie had to head off that arvo.

Colin and Mum came down at lunch time too and Col, Greg and Connor went back out in the boat that arvo. Connor caught a whiting and Greg got that huge shovel nosed shark. Connor was so proud of himself as he could now cast his own line out and I think it was far more enjoyable for Greg..lol.

Aren't they the cutest of cousins..lol.. Poor Katie spent two days trying to get some space because everywhere she went there was arguments as to who was gonna sit next to her or hold her hand..lol.

The boys do miss their cousins.

While the boys were fishing Mum and I had great fun playing Wii with the two little ones..lol..

Granny had brought the boys a kite so the next arvo we headed off to the beach to give it a go.. I flew really well and the boys were very excited. Unfortunately we had only been down there for a little while when a storm started coming in so we had to rush home in the rain..lol.. The whole time having to explain to Brodie that the storm wouldn't really hit him..lol.. and that noo the chances of the lightning getting him was very slim..lol. The questions my boys ask!

On our last Friday our good friends Andrew and Marisa came up with Andrew's boy Jack. Declan was very excited that his Godparents were coming to visit..lol. It was lovely to see them and catch up.. been far too long. We had a great day playing tennis and Jack played soo well with the boys. They loved him, and when we were inside Brodes kept snuggling up to him..lol.

Tennis was so funny.. Declan kept throwing the ball up so high to serve it then running around trying to hit it over the net..lol. I think we need to do it more often at home. it was great fun and the boys played so well and so nicely. But Brodes stayed in the pool with Jack.. they were so cute together!.

That night after the kids were in bed we got to catch up and have a few drinks and play cards. Was a lovely way to end our hols. Just a pity they couldn't have come down for longer.

The next morning Andrew and Marisa kept the boys occupied while we packed up and unfortunately we then had to head home. The worst thing about hols.. long car trips with 3 kids..lol.

Wasn't too bad.. had to detour to avoid a fatal accident but luckily our trip was uneventful!

Hope you all had great school hols.. and sorry for the looooong update. Had hoped to do it bit by bit while we were on hols but unfortunately didn't have enough Internet..lol.

What's Been happening..

2010-09-17T13:56:00.000+10:00

As usual it has been busy busy around here.. Greg has been working away a lot and the boys as usual are keeping me on my toes..

We decided to do some craft one afternoon and I made up some salt dough for the boys to bake and paint..

so easy and they had a ball doing it.

It was also my Birthday on the 13th.. and on Sat night Greg cooked me a lovely roast dinner and I also got some gorgeous orchids delivered and my fav Caramel Mudcake..yummmm. I spent Monday doing nothing lol.. I had managed to get Brodie booked into daycare for a make up day so I spent the day watching videos and basically relaxing.. was sooo noice! and on Tuesday my gorgeous girlfriends ook me out to lunch at the Glenmore and I got another bunch of flowers.. soo spoilt..

Was a very exciting weekend as not only was it my birthday but I got a call at 3 am on Sat night to go and look after Zoe's and Joe's kids as her waters had broken.. Felt soo bad cause I had forgotten to turn the vol on my phone up..(doh) so took them a few calls to get me..lol.. luckily I get there in time as it only took her an hour or two and Lily-Rose came into the world.. She is such a cutie.. and the look on her big brother's faces when they woke up and I told them their little sister had arrived was priceless.. I just wish their mum and Dad had been there to see it.

And I finally have some pics to show because Gil and Nettie also welcomed into the world a gorgeous little girl, Rhiannon on the 24th Aug.. Sooo lucky to have two little girls to spoil.

Well we are getting organised to head off to Coolum tomorrow for 2 weeks holidays.. can't wait. We all so need a break. So if I don't get a chance to Blog while I am there I hope you all have a great couple of weeks of school hols..

And please keep your prayers going for Joshua.. he is still going through chemo and we have had some other family deaths and illnesses as well so all thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Lubs ya!

Jump Rope for Heart....

2010-09-08T11:13:00.000+10:00

Connor and Declan are doing Jump Rope for Heart at School next week.. and I would love to encourage them with some sponsorships.. If you can help help out even with a couple of dollars it really is for a good cause..

To sponsor Connor please go to - Connor's Sponsorship

And to Sponsor Declan please go to - Declan's Sponsorship

Thnak you so much guys.. xxxxxxxx

Olivia's Diva Album..

2010-09-07T13:06:00.000+10:00

Our gorgeous friend Olivia has moved to Brissie so I made up this album of all us girls on Diva night so she can remember us all..

Miss Ya Livie.. and Miss Despira! xxx

Happy Father's Day!!

2010-09-07T12:17:00.000+10:00

Well for the first time since he the day he was born Declan's Birthday was also Father's Day..

Greg got to go to an afternoon tea at Prep on Friday Afternoon where Declan gave him the gifts he had made for him at school.. On Sunday it was so busy organising the party that Greg really didn't get to have much of a restful Father's Day. But he got the gorgeous pressies the kids had made him at school and we also got him some more gear for the boat.. Rod holders, and a knife holder and the boys insisted on picking him a lure each as well.. so I think he did ok..lol.

The four Boys in my life..

And we were lucky enough to have Pa here so got a Photo with the three generations as well..

Connor's Presents.. The picture is of some UBeaut machine that makes houses or something..lol.. I honestly don't know where his imagination comes from..lol

Declan's Pressies..

And Brodie's from Daycare..

I always think home made pressies are the best!.

I hope all you Dad's out there had a wonderful Father's Day.

I just wish my Dad could've been here still..Mind you Brodie mentioned again to Pa on Sunday how he was gonna swing so high that he could go to Heaven to visit Poppy. If only it was that easy.

Happy Birthday Declan!!!

2010-09-07T11:56:00.000+10:00

Yep... Can you believe it our boy is now 6!

He had a huuge weekend.. It started on Saturday night when Daddy managed to pull out his first loose tooth...

It has been loose for about 2 weeks and he was so excited that it was finally out. For his Birthday he wanted to sleep in the tent in the back yard with Daddy and his Brothers.. and Lucky him.. Marnie and Pa came to visit for the weekend so Pa got to sleep there too. So the Tooth Fairy had to visit him in the tent and then it poured in the middle of the night.. lol.. Marnie and I had a great night sleep inside..lol..

But in typical boy fashion they loved it!

Then on Sunday (His actual Birthday) they all woke up really early and after giving Pa and Daddy their Father's Day Presents (Photos to follow).. It was time to set up for his party..

And of course it had to be a bug party.. so I have been working my butt off for a couple of weeks getting a heap of bug stuff ready.. All his friends got here at 10 am and between showers of rain we managed to have a Bug Hunt, Pass the Parcel, Lots of food.. and off course lots of presents..

But it was also Julie's birthday so when she dropped Ry off I managed to surprise her with a little cake and we all sang Happy Birthday to her..lol.. I have decided I am soo much better at making boys cakes than girls.. lucky hey..lmao..

Don't ya love the appreciation..lol..

This is the Birthday Card I made for Declan.. I also cut out another copy of the Magnifying glass to pop it off the page and put clear plastic in the centre.. looked very cool if I say so myself..lol.. And we had Bug net Lolly Bags and and a bug jar invitation..

And this was the buggy cake.. Declan loved all the new bugs he got to keep..

Here is the decorations and food.. including the Birthday sign I made for him, Plus we had Bug pictures hanging everywhere. My attempt at Choc spiders..lol.. I was told they tasted good..lol.. There was flies (sultana's) in the ice blocks and I also had to decorate 30 cupcakes for him to take to school on Monday..

And the party.. and lots of presents.. He was very spoilt.. He got bug games, a remote control Rattlesnake, Bug books, Bug Building kit, Lego, an Antosphere ( Thanks Auntie Julie.. You will be cleaning up the mess if he knocks it over hey...) lol. He can't wait to set it up. And We got him some 'Littlest Petshop Animals', It was all he wanted from the whole Target Toy catalogue..and I also managed to find him a Hex Bug Nano kit.. It is soo cool.. and he got a few more Hex Bug's to go with it.. See I told you he was spoilt! He loves it all.... Though he did ask Daddy why everyone gave him bug stuff.. duh! Maybe cause that's all he talks about..lol..

We had to finish the party with a Sausage sizzle cause he really wanted to have a BBQ too.. lol

He had a blast and I think all his friends did too.

All I can say is I am all bugged out..lmao.. so glad it over for another year.

One down.. 2 more to go!

Milly's Birthday..

2010-09-06T21:45:00.000+10:00

On Tuesday the 31st the gorgeous little Milly turned one. Can't believed it has been a year already.. Belinda had a little party for her at the Kershaw Gardens and as all my boys were at schol and daycare I got to relax and take lots of pics..lol.. Ain't she the cutest!

Gingerbread Men..

2010-09-06T21:34:00.000+10:00

Last Monday Brodes had great fun making Gingerbread Men.. I do enjoy our Monday morning Baking Sessions.

And Brodes thought they tasted pretty good too!

Yeppoon Fishing Comp..

2010-08-26T18:48:00.000+10:00

Well we all had a lovely weekend last weekend.

I got to spend it alone at home scrapping with the girls!! It was lovely, peaceful and fun. I spent Friday night watching a movie and relaxing, then after voting and doing a little shopping on Sat morning I got organised to scrap. The girls got here after lunch and it was great. The usual creativity, good food and laughter! I wil upload some pics soon.. still haven't taken any..lol

Where were the boys you ask.. Well Greg finally got the boat, Pic also to come..lol.. So on Friday he went out to Yeppoon to the Yeppoon Fishing Competition. After a little trouble with the fuel lines.. He was sooo not happy.. He managed to get some fishing in before the weather turned bad. So he came home, picked up the kids and took them back with him. Connor and Declan were old enough to be entered into the comp as well.. and Connor was very impressed when his no. was drawn out for his own straw hat and new tackle box with Hand reel and tackle inside.

They stayed in a cabin at Yeppoon and Greg took them out in the boat on Saturday. The boys had a great time and all of them caught fish. Declan caught a Spotted Cod, Brodie a Parrot Fish, (or a Carrot Fish if you ask him..lol) and Connor caught a Golden Spotted Cod.. They also lost a few fish as they could not get them into the boat so Greg is going to get them some heavier rig. Brodes fish was the only one big enough to keep so he was very happy to have it for dinner on Sunday night.

Declan also had to take Penelope out on the boat too.. She is a puppy he brought home from Prep for Show and Tell.. so of course he had to get photos with her too..lol.

They came home on Sunday morning and cleaned the boat then headed back to Yeppoon for the final Tally of the Comp. All in all they had a great weekend and loved every second of it!

Latest Update On Joshua

2010-08-26T17:50:00.000+10:00

Hi all .. Here is Kylie's latest update on Joshua.. please keep your prayers coming! xx

"Sorry about the late update...my turn in hospital all last week....

Josh is going well :)

He's now off nearly all the drugs, including morphine, and is coping beautifully! He is still on meds for infection, and is having nasogastric feeds, but has managed a few bites of food....mainly strawberries! Staying awake for longer periods... but only half an hour"

Boys!

2010-08-18T17:07:00.000+10:00

Well yesterday was one of those days..lol.. After school we decided to pop into the pet shop to pick up some food for Declan's little friends.. The boys were very excited to get to handle a heap of mealworms.. yuck.. Brodie's first question.. 'Are they blood suckers?'.. lol. think he been watching too much animal planet..They were even more excited when they found out they had to chop the mealworms heads off. What is it with boys and gross things..lol. Anyway.. we got that over and done with before bed last night. And yep the boys thought it was great fun!

Then as Greg was away, again, Brodie got to sleep in Mummy's bed. Normally he is very good and goes straight to sleep so I finished cleaning up and headed into the office to do some things. Well I came out at 9:15 to find Connor still reading, When lights out is 8:00.. grrr and then went into my room to check on Brodes. He was sitting in my bathroom doorway, playing with my makeup.. lipstick all over the carpet, looking very guilty. What the! I got cranky with him, told him he should be asleep and lifted the doona to tuck him back in. Well! Then I really blew up. Under my doona was some of my undies, The good ones too not just me old grundies..lol, Greg's Cologne, Books, New toys that were supposed to be hidden, and a pair of scissors! I do not know what goes through that boys head.. I am losing it and he is sitting there cying, telling me it wasn't him! That it was Declan, who mind you was the only one fast asleep! I grabbed everything, yelled some more, ( I was really cranky) and warned him that if he wasn't asleep in 5 mins he would be back in his bed. Yup I know I shoulda put him straight there but I was worried that if I laid a finger on him to put him in his bed I was gonna smack his bum... hard! ..lol. Besides.. I think I scared the bejesus out of him..lol.

Boys!! they drive me nuts.. luckily nothing was cut up so I can laugh about it now.. kinda...

Hope your kids aren't sending you round the twist! ♥

I have been Creating again..

2010-08-15T13:52:00.000+10:00

I am loving our weekly scrap sessions with the girls.. I have actually been achieving something..lol.

My darling Mother showing us all that you are never too old to have fun..lol..

Wasn't Brodie such a cutie..lol

Dad loved cooking with the boys and I wanted to do a lo to remind them of all the fun they had doing it!

This was the July sketch from Scrapability Sketches. Love how it turned out.

Just had to do a lo of the fun we had at our Scrap for Cancer Day.. the pics still make me laugh. I do have some maaaddd friends..lol

I have also been doing a few Invitations, Thank you cards etc for friends so I thought I would share.. actually really been enjoying it.. As you can see they have started out quite simple but I am improving..lol

I made Leon's using a kit I purchased from Scrappin Doodles. Loved how they turned out.

Thanks for looking.. Leave me some blog love if you have time! xx

Last Weekend..

2010-08-15T12:54:00.000+10:00

We had a huge day last Saturday.. started with Leon's first Birthday!.. I can't believe he is one already!! The kids all had a blast playing jungle animal bowls and getting their faces painted by Julie.

Leon looked so cute in his little Tarzan outfit the clever Tanya made for him.

Then on Saturday night we had another grls night at Rach's. For a bit of fun we had a Diva night so we all had to get dressed up and took heaps of pics.. It was hysterical.. I do so love my girls up here..

Aren't they all gorgeous!

Well I think I am finally up to date..lol.. again.. just got to do one more post with my latest creations..

Hope you are all well and please spare a thought or prayer for my Cousin's little boy Joshua! Mwah!

Some more Pics

2010-08-14T17:07:00.000+10:00

The beginning of August has been busy as usual..

Brodie and I love Thursday morning Playgroup with our friends.. The week before last we went to the Botanical Gardens for a play.. the kids loved it.. and so did all the 'Aunties'. Of course I had to get some gorgeous pics of the kids.. Not like me at all..lol..

and this week we were back at Tanya's as usual.. It is getting a little sad as at the end of this month Olivia and Saphira will be leaving us to head to Brisbane.. We had a small Baby Shower for Olivia this week giving her a basket of goodies for the Baby. Unfortunately she has to hide it all as we all know what she is having .. but Hubbie doesn't..lol.

And Declan got to bring 'Boris' the bear home from Prep last weekend. They take it in turns to bring him home and then have to write in a book what they did with him and draw a picture. Declan took him to the Zoo with Daddy and his brothers.. I stayed home as I was a little tired.. (more about that in the next post..lol) But the kids had a blast and I think they really enjoyed having Daddy to themselves as he has been away quite a lot with work lately.

Connor at the moment is doing really well. His behaviour has vastly improved even to the point that he got the Gold star Student of the Day award in his class last week. He was so proud of himself. Last week I asked his teacher if he still needed to be separated from the class, He had been sitting right up the front so he wouldn't be distracted or distract others. She told me that he didn't but when she asked if he wanted to move back with the others he said..'No thanks.. I will stay up the front as I get my work done better there'. I was so proud of him. We finally have our gorgeous boy back. We knew he was there we just couldn't find him under all the attitude..lol.

Declan is doing really well in Prep too. As Qld has to catch up with the rest of Aus for the new Country wide Curriculum standards they have really started to push reading and writing etc. It has only started this term and Declan is reading so well. His teacher confirmed that he is currently reading on a par with some of the grade 2 children. If we could only get him to settle down a little in class and stop being so excitable and at times annoying and distracting to the class..he will be way ahead by the time he hits grade one. So we are working on that one..lol.

Brodie is also growing up too quickly and showing his brains as well. He can now count to 10 and loves to learn. Unfortunately he is also trying out a big boy attitude as well. So we are getting a lot of backchat and defiance. Hopefully we can curb that before he hits Kindy next year..lol.

I am getting busy trying to start planning the boys birthdays for the next couple of months.. and have actually been scrapping a bit and creating invitations etc for the girls. Will put up some pics soon.

As I said Greg has been away a lot.. So he is keeping busy trying to juggle work and home.. not always successfully. Unfortunately the boys really miss him.. so we all hope that maybe it will settle soon.. Though I don't think it will.

End of July..

2010-08-14T16:13:00.000+10:00

Well I am behind again..lol.. but then you wouldn't expect anything different would ya..Well lets see what happened at the end of July..

On the 22nd the Boys at their Sports day.. It was Declan's first so he was very excited..

The Preppies Had Egg and Spoon Races, Sack Races and Ball games.. all of which Declan's team did really well in.. Winning most of them.. Which made him very happy.. lol.. and then he had a 40 mtre sprint in which he came about 5th.. and got a good effort Ribbon for.. he was so proud he didn't come last..lol..

Connor had Ball Games, Relay and I think it was a 60 mtre sprint.. He got second in his sprint and even though he had to swap teams to make up numbers for the relay he was very proud of his first place..lol.

And of course we mums all had fun socialising on the sidelines.. lol.. when I wasn't taking pics that is!..

I ended up taking photos for about 10 Mums and all up I think I took over 600 pics.. Couldn't work out why my arms were sore the next day.. hehe..

All up it was a well run, fun day and the kids had a blast even though their team (Daly) didn't win overall.

For those that don't know Brodie has an addiction to Taggies.. yup the tags on anything.. Toys, clothes, linen.. makes no difference as long as it is the right kind of Taggie.. He is constantly walking around with his hands in the back of his pants or behind his neck playing with his Taggie.. especially when he is tired..lol.. It is even to the point that he will not wear clothes that don't have the right kind of Taggie.. lmao.

Anyway.. Connor was sitting on the puter one night and his brothers were watching him. Next minute I hear..'Can I use your Taggie?' and turn to find Brodie sitting behind Connor fiddling with the Taggie on Connor's PJ's..lol.. Just had to take some pics.. I really do have some strange children.. lmao.

Oh and I have finally got some pics of the boat to share after its little 'mishap'..

New one should be ready next week.. this time fully named etc.. so lets hope Greg has better luck with it..lol..

Quick update on Joshua..

2010-08-14T12:30:00.000+10:00

I am hoping to update all the blog today but wanted to put a quick update in on Joshua..

Here are the last 2 updates from Kylie..

Update Friday 13/8

Joshua is OFF the ventilator!! As of approx 6.40pm friday :-) he is still very sleepy but doing well!! Keep the love and prayers coming please, still battling!

Update Wed 11/8

Josh is doing well... although he has a bit of a temp at the moment... due to a secondary infection, and he's had withdrawels coming off some of the meds.. (morphine/medaz)... they are going to start waking him over the next couple of days... all going well!!!!! YAY!!! He is a bit more aware now.. they had to splint his arm to stop him pulling the tubes out...and 'cos he was pushing the nurses arm away when trying to wash his mouth with yucky mouthwash!! Go Joshie!!!!!!!!!!! XXXXXXXX♥♥♥

Thank you to everyone who is praying and thinking of Joshua and his family.. I am so proud and consider myself to be so lucky to have so many wonderful friends IRL and online that have taken the time to pray and support a complete stranger.. I do so love you all!

Please we need your prayers and thoughts!

2010-08-08T17:21:00.000+10:00

I know I have a lot to catch up on on the Blog but I just wanted to put this in.. I received an email from my Cousin today and wanted to share it with all the gorgeous people that read my Blog.. My Cousin's little boy is very sick and we really do need all your thoughts and prayers for him..

Kylie says it perfectly so here it is..

From MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

My son, Joshua Webb is 7 years old. He has always been a very active little boy. He is loving and kind, thoughtful and considerate, and a sweet child, popular with all his family and friends, and loved dearly by his parents and sisters.

Today he is lying in a hospital bed on life support, in an induced coma. This is day 8....

(induced 30th July 2010).

7 weeks ago he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. After 4 weeks of chemotherapy, he had two weeks off before the next intensive phase of treatment was to start, but that week, almost 2 weeks ago, he caught an infection in his lungs. In the space of 5 days he was admitted to hospital, then to ICU, and now in an induced coma because his little body was exhausted, and could not cope with the work it had to do just to try to breathe.

Joshuas family is requesting prayer please, from as many people as possible around the world. His mother Kylie, elder sister Sharnhi, (10), younger sister Nikkisha, (19 months), and his father Glenn, as well as grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family and friends, would like people to pray for Josh on August 8th, around 6.15 pm, Melbourne standard time. I know many of you are already praying for Joshua, which is greatly appreciated.

Its not so much the time that is important, but the supportive prayers of many going up that is comforting to our family.

Please, take a moment to pray for Josh.... even if its not something you would normally do, your voice is needed. He needs all the support we can possibly give him.

Joshua is a beautiful little boy, and has a whole lifetime of love to give and we, his family, would like your help in prayer during this very critical time please.

Thank you so much,

from Joshua and his family.

Any prayers and thoughts at anytime would be so appreciated..

Thank you so much.. xxxx♥♥♥

Glitz and Glamour Cybercrop

2010-07-16T12:01:00.001+10:00

Gonna have a good night tonight.. the girls are coming over and we are gonna check out the Boxx Cybercrop.. sooo can't wait!!!

Connor!!!!!!

2010-07-09T21:04:00.000+10:00

That boy of mine is getting far too smart for his own good..

Carien and I are going to see Eclipse on Sunday and I was supposed to go and get cheap tickets from RACQ this arvo but got there too late. Talked to Carien and we decided to go anyway.. So I told her to send me her Cinebuzz card by text so I could order the tickets.

Anyway.... Connor was playing a game on my phone and when I sent him to bed and got my phone back i got a text from Carien.. saying what a shame we couldn't go.. and she would see me next week.. so of course I sent one back saying what about Sunday? and she replied but you just said you couldn't go! What the......I was soo confused so after a bit of investigating I discovered this conversation on my phone..

Carien.. 'Movie Card no........ See ya Sunday! :)

Me.. 'Can't go. :('

Carien.. 'Aw no! What's Wrong? Would sat night be better?'

Me.. 'NO'

Me..'I got there too late! :('

That's when I go the phone back.. I was beginning to think I had a haunted phone!! then I realised Connor had answered for me! Little rat!

What am I gonna do with that kid!! I don't know whether to be cranky or PMSL!

Well Rach is here and Tanya is on her way so I am actually going to scrap.. Have a great weekend all!

Some scrappin'

2010-07-04T15:00:00.000+10:00

The girls and I have been getting together one night a weekend to do some scrappin.. it is great.. kid free time and I actually have been achieving something..lol..

The end of June..

2010-07-04T14:43:00.001+10:00

Well the end of June was not as drastic as the first few weeks.. Connor has had some trouble at school.. but we are finally getting that under control and he really is starting to behave.. Cross fingers it keeps up! His end of Semester report card wasn't the greatest.. not that he doesn't have the ability.. just very lacking in motivation.. Hopefully we have some things in place now and at the end of the year he will get the report card he is capable of.

Connor has also started Tae Kwondo.. and doing ok too. He is really enjoying it and we have just ordered him his special uniform so he is very excited. He wants Mummy to do it with him.. lol.. I mean I do just sit there and watch each week.. just not sure I am willing to make that much of a fool of myself..lol.. Not that it wouldn't be good for me..lol..

Each week on a Friday one class leads the school in a liturgy and this week was Declan's class first turn. They all did so well.. no real nerves anywhere..lol.. And of course Declan got up and did his prayer like he had been public speaking for years..lol.. didn't even need any help from Mr Carrington to remember his lines.

He is so growing up.. starting to read and doing very well at school. His report card was really very good.. and with the changes coming in to the prep curriculum next term I think it will just get better. He also got invited to a couple of birthday parties as well.. One at Hungry Jacks and one at the Crazy Joker.

And both of them were for girls birthdays..lol..yup.. he's a ladies man..lol.

Was mucking around with my camera one day and took these pics of Leon..

Isn't he turning into the most gorgeous little man.. Can't believe he will be one soon.. and he has just started walking. Tanya is so upset he is growing up so quickly..lol..

Brodes is also growing up so quickly.. can't believe he will be 4 soon. He loves helping Mum cook these days.. now that he doesn't have his brothers to compete with every day.

We were making some biccies and he loves to tell me how he gonna be a chef like Poppy.. but he wanted to know if the biccies we were making were for Poppy.. I told him no.. cause Poppy can't eat our biccies anymore.. 'That's ok' he says.. 'We can still eat em'..lol..

He is getting to be a real Mummy's boy.. wants to be with me all the time and has even started getting upset when I drop him off at daycare.. so hope that doesn't last too long.. lol. He is such a good boy when his brothers aren't around.. then the attitude really kicks in when they are.. sigh. also hope that doesn't last too long either..lmao! ..

School Holidays have begun.. it is so nice not to have to rush around but I do miss having a break..lol.. The boys have been pretty good and we have been visiting friends and playing around home a lot.. Only one week to go..lol.

We took them to see Shrek 3- Forever After on Thursday afternoon.. and we all loved it..

I had to laugh on Friday.. The boys were told by Daddy that if they behaved and got in and cleaned up the yard so he could mow they could watch the Bronco's with him.. Well... they did it.. and the patio too.. with no arguments.. I was so proud.. But I told Connor to put any toys that need fixing on the Patio table for Daddy.. and as one of our large heavy wooden chairs has lost a screw.. he put that up on the table as well..pmsl... Unfortunately Daddy was not home till late so they couldn't watch the Bronco's with him but I gave them a pick from the treat box.. Brodie got a jigsaw, Declan got a 3D Shark book with a cd rom.. which he loves and Connor got a book on experiments.. so we have floating eggs, electrical conductors and invisible ink everywhere..lol..

Anyway prob bored you enough..lol.. Greg took the boys to the park this morning as he has been away with work so much lately and I am not sure who wore who out.. the boys won't go for an arvo nap and Greg is snoring his head off..lol.. At least I got the chance to catch up on this..

Hope you are all enjoying your school hols..

Ok so July has to be better..lmao

2010-07-04T13:50:00.001+10:00

On the 10th the boys had their first school disco for the year and Declan's first ever. It was a Masquerade Disco so we rushed home from school and the boys made some pretty cool masks. They had a ball and when I wanted to take photos Connor had to stand sideways so you could see his cool design on his Jacket..lmao.

What a pair of rabbits..lol

Then on the Queen's Birthday weekend I headed off to Brisbane to catch up with friends and go to the Papercrafts Expo. Had a great weekend.. stayed with Tori and Clare came down from Toowoomba. Was soo good to see them both. I hadn't seen Clare since Tom died and it was soo good to give her a big hug!

I got down on Fri and was picked up by the gorgeous Mary off the Boxx and her friend Leanne.. We got to do a little shopping at DFO. It was lovely to finally meet Mary in person.

Clare and I went to the Expo on the Sat and I was able to finally meet IRL some of the wonderful ladies of the Boxx as well as catch up with some old friends. Would've liked to have spent more time with them but it was so hectic..

Clare and I had a great time checking out the stalls and spending just a little bit..lol..

That night Clare, Tori and I had a few wines and did lots of chatting..lol. Well we had a lot of catching up to do..lmao

On Sunday we then hit the shops. Bought some cheap clothes.. gotta love a sale... and spoilt myself with some gorgeous candles.. Would've been a perfect day cept I had managed to leave my Credit card at the Bottle-O the day before so we had to rush back and get it.. Sorry Tori...lol.. But we made up for it by heading to another shopping centre near Lauren's place (Clare's Daughter) so it was easy for her to pick her up.

Tori and I then spent another night chatting.. It really has been too long.

Meanwhile Greg took the boys and some friends to Humpy island for a camping weekend in the boat. 3 Men and 5 boys.. so glad I was in Brisbane. lmao..

They had a great time.. fishing, camping and doing all that male bonding stuff.

Humpy is very beautiful and the boys got to eat fish on the first night as another group of campers donated some..lol.. the two large ones in the pic. All the boys did end up catching fish all be it small ones. Brodie's is on the bottom.. he wouldn't hold it..lol.. unfortunately Greg didn't get any pics of Declan's. And Connor had his line broken a couple of times by some whoppers. They also got to wander through the reef at low tide looking at the coral and found some Scallops to cook up.

Now for the bad.. lol.. yep you knew there had to be some hey.

On the first night Greg tied up the boat to a tree and got up the next morning to find it well and truly beached.. Luckily the other campers were able to help pull it off with their boat. So on Sunday night he just anchored it. And the weather turned really nasty.. Monday morning he and Brodes got up early and went down to check on it. But there was no boat!! Brodie's comment was.. 'Daddy you lost the boat cause you left it in the water..' lmao..

So he jumped in the other campers boat and off they went to see if they could find it.. and find it they did.. left high and dry on the rocks of Great Keppel Island.. typical hey.. the poor thing had only been in the water about 4 times.

So they had to get the ferry to pick them all up to get them back home. Greg was rather embarrassed and upset as you can imagine.

The Coast Guard were unable to get near it for a few days because of the weather but when they finally were able to Greg managed to salvage some of the fishing gear.. He lost some rods...including the rod Poppy had give Brodie..and Poppy's Tackle box.. that was the only thing that upset me.. all the rest is easily replaced on insurance..

So the insurance company eventually recovered the boat.. which was totally trashed.. huge hole in the hull and and dents and scratches all over it. So another one is on order and Greg has to wait 6 weeks for another boat..

I got the phone call about this just before I boarded the plane in Brissie.. and I just didn't know what to think.. I mean I don't want to sound negative but it was kind of a, well just add it to the list, after the last few months. When I told Tori her reply was.. 'July Donna, July will be better..' Oh do I dare to hope..lol..

Oh What a week...

2010-06-08T20:17:00.001+10:00

The Flu has hit us... Connor is hacking, Greg is sniffling.. and I have been hit by a Mack Truck.. of course.. it just a virus.. so nothing we can do... sigh.. Hate being sick.

Went scrapping at Julie's place last Friday.. managed to get one LO done.. I am on a role! lol.. Will upload when I actually remember to take a pic..hehe..

Connor has been having some difficulty at school again.. so that is causing us stress.. Hopefully we are on the way to getting that boy sorted out!

As you can see same old same old around here..

Have to write down a conversation I had with Brodes earlier tonight..

Brodes:- "Mummy, When we gonna die like Poppy?

Me:- "Not for a long time darl"

Brodes:- "awww" (pouting)

Me:- "We don't wanna die yet"

Brodes:- "But I wanna die like Poppy, I miss him and I wanna die so I can go visit him"

What do ya say.. I thought maybe Greg had mentioned Poppy earlier but he hadn't.. this had just come into his little mind! My darling baby boy...

He has been rather clingy lately.. always sticking by my side when we go out.. and every morning I wake up to find him curled up next to me..lol.. Lucky for him I love little boy cuddles first thing..lol

Hope you are all well!

♥

Yup I have Scrapped!!

2010-05-30T16:23:00.000+10:00

We have got into the habit now of getting together on a Friday or Saturday night whenever we can to scrap.. So I have actually been achieving something..lol..

Here are the latest cards I have made.

This is a layout I did of the first girls night we had with me Julie, Carien and Tanya.. some classic pics..lol.. and the journalling is hidden behind one of the flowers..

It was Tori's Birthday this month.. and I actually made her a card but stupid me forgot to post it..lol.. Sorry Darl!!! Anyway I was thinking of her and decided to use these pics from her last visit to do a lo based on a challenge at Scrapability Sketches. I love how it turned out!

The girls also challenged me to do a real girlie lo so I picked photos from when I first met my two gorgeous Nieces Lainey and Claire.. It was fun using so much pink and flowers.. I don't often get the chance..lol..

Connor sat down and scrapped with me last weekend.. he wanted to do the photos of when we went out in Daddy's boat.. I think he did really well!

Well that is it for now.. I have another lo I have nearly finished.. just gotta do the journalling..

Better go and sort out these kids..

Hope you are all well!

We Miss You Poppy..

2010-05-30T15:15:00.000+10:00

Well on the 28th it was 12 months since my Dad passed away from Cancer.. The boys still talk about him.. which is good as I am glad they still remember him..

I had to laugh as earlier this month I was cooking with Brodie and I asked him if he wanted to be a chef like Poppy.. ''Yep" he says " I gonna be a big fat cook like Poppy!" He cracked me up! I told him if Poppy was here he would've called him a cheeky monkey and probably chased him round the house.

This is a layout I did earlier this week.. I used to love watching Poppy playing with the boys in the back seat when we went anywhere..

We miss you Dad.. You will always be in our hearts and minds!

xxxxx

May.... It didn't really improve!

2010-05-30T15:04:00.002+10:00

Well as I said.. I soo hoped that when April was over so would all the rotten things that had been happening! But no such luck! Unfortunately Rachie was still in hospital.. and they still couldn't give us any definite answers on exactly what was wrong with her.. It was soo worrying for her family and all her adopted family.. (us!)

To start the month off we had been up at the hospital with the kids to see Rachie... after having spent the morning shopping.. So you can imagine by the time we got home we were all ready for a nap and some peace. Well I walked into our bedroom and the two cats were staring very intently at the curtain... 'Bugger' I thought.'The mongrels have caught something and brought it in!' Well I carefully pulled one side of the curtain over so as not to scare the bird or mouse I expected.. Well no such luck! I saw the rear coils of a fairly long snake!!! Dropped the curtain and yelled for Greg!!! Kicked the cats out and yelled at the boys.. a few times to get away from our door and get into their bedrooms. Greg tried to gently coax the snake out the door.. but noooo it decided to go under our bed instead! So it took prob about an hour of snake wrangling before we politely asked it to leave and it did... (cough cough) Seeing as you are not allowed to hurt them and all!

Here is our friendly visitor.. unfortunately I didn't think to play with the settings on my camera so I didn't get too many clear photos. But you get the idea. From what we could tell it looked like an Eastern Brown.. Only the second deadliest snake in Aus.. but if anyone knows different would be glad to hear it!

The only good thing to come out of the incident was that Greg got in and fixed the screens on the doors.. something I have been asking for for months..lol.. Tell ya what though.. I definitely needed a nanny nap after that!!!

That week continued with Connor in trouble at school and Declan getting nits.. just to make life easier..lol..

On the Friday Declan had an afternoon tea at prep for Mother's Day.. As Nancy and Aidan came up on Friday to look after the kids for the weekend, Nancy came along too.

Now why did we need them.. well something good for a change.. Greg and I were heading off to Cairns/Port Douglas to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary. It is actually on the 13th of May but that weekend was the only time we could get away. Plus it was Greg's Birthday today. It was absolutely lovely.. We flew to Cairns on Fri night and stayed at the Cairns Casino.. Ducked down and Greg played roulette for a bit.. and came out in front..lol.. then back to the room for an early morning room delivered snack.. love it!! lol. And woken to a huuuuge Breakfast in bed.. ahhhh my idea of heaven..lol

Took the hire car and met my brother Brett, and gorgeous Niece Claire at the shopping centre. In the mess that was Friday I had completely forgotten to pack my make up so had a wonderful time girlie shopping with Claire and also spending a bit getting little gifts for her and others for her to take back to Lainey.. so wish we could've seen Lainey as well. kicking myself because I forgot the Camera in the car.. Claire is growing into such a beautiful little girl!

After that we took off for Port Douglas and spent the weekend up there eating out, relaxing, wondering around.. It was soooo nice. Though of course I didn't get to see the boys for Mother's Day. Back to Cairns on Monday morning and home again that arvie.

These are the gorgeous flowers that Greg brought me on our actual anniversary.. and my wonderful friend Tanya made us this beautiful card which our friends signed..

Due to the misbehaviour and attitude of our two bigger boys I also cleaned out their rooms .. They now have nothing left but their beds, clothes and books.. My garage is full of toys lol.. Doesn't seem to worry them too much though.. just goes to show how much they really don't need all the 'stuff' in their rooms.. They can earn it back bit by bit as they behave..lol.. not much has been returned as yet..lol..

On the 14th May The school took the kids to Under 8's Day in the park. They had an absolute ball. I supervised one group of grade 2's and the boys were happy to wander around with other parents.. When I caught up with Declan he was very proud of his Spiderman face..lol.. and of course on the way back to the car we had to feed the turtles..

On the 18th we had a Scrap for Cancer as our Biggest Morning Tea.. It was wonderful.. Rach took some pics of all of us.. and of course they are just gorgeous then we sat down and did some scrapping.. what a wonderful way to spend the day. We were lucky to have some local scrap shops donate some goodies and Coles even gave us a gift voucher. We had given Carien $10 to get us the mugs from the cancer foundation but unfortunately they ran out so she went and got us some gorgeous mugs for $5 and we donated the other $5-. Mine says 'Drama Queen'.. So not me..lmao!! We also had some little raffle prizes and between that.. our gold coin donations, plus we were fining people for swearing, smoking and I donated every time someone made me a coffee.. ( I am sooo lazy..lol) we managed to raise $180 for Cancer.. It is not a lot but I am proud of it.. after all there was only 11 of us there.

Here are some of the gorgeous pics that Rachie took.. She is sooo talented!

And the good news is she is on the mend! At home now and nearly back to her old self.. It is soo good to see her smiling again.

What a month....

Birthday Parties..

2010-05-28T13:53:00.000+10:00

Well to round off the month we had 3 Birthday parties to go to..as well as other things.. and can you believe I didn't even take any pics.. Luckily I have got some from friends.

We had Ella's Party (no pics) and then we had Saphira's on the 25th. As Liv and Grant are into shooting etc.. she had a cowboy and Indian Party... A friend even brought a horse along.. not that Brodie would go near it ..lol. But the kids had a ball! And Liv did a great job on the Cake too!

And because Rach was still in hospital.. I picked up a cake and had a very impromptu Party for Bonnie.. Just wish I had've been better organised to make her a cake.. but she was pretty happy with the Dora one I picked up. The kids had a great time even though it was organised last minute and just goes to show all you need for a Birthday Party is a Cake, some lollies, Pressies and lots of good friends.

Isn't she a gorgeous Birthday girl!

Speaking of good friends I have to say that I have some of the greatest friends up here.. between us (the Aussie Aunties as we call ourselves..lol) while Rach has been in and out of hospital we looked after kids, cooked meals, cleaned, played Taxi and all those other little things that need doing. And Adrian was a wonderful father and Hubby through all this.. looking after Rach, seeing the kids and still working. Plus Rach's Mum came up to look after the kids etc. for a few weeks. Just goes to show that real friends are there for good and the bad! And I lubs em all.. xxxx

What a Month!!

2010-05-28T13:31:00.001+10:00

Well April ended as a real shocker.. I was sooo glad when it was over.. now what happened..

Well... my gorgeous friend Rach ended up in hospital.. very ill.. and was in and out for a couple of weeks.. It was a very worrying and stressful time.. During the first week she was in Julie and I trook the kids so that Adrian could concentrate on Rach. I took Tom and Julie had Bonnie and Sam. Tom was such a good boy for us.. helping out and being so thoughtful.. On the 16th Brodie just did not want to settle and wanted Mummy to lie down with him. A bad habit he has at the moment. and Tom offered to lie down with him instead.. I went in aout 15 min later to check on them and this is what I saw.....

Aren't they sooo cute.I just had to take some pics. We eventually woke Tom up to send him to his own bed.. not that he remembered that the next morning.. Lmao!

That week was very hectic between trying to keep our life in order, visiting Rach and helping Julie out with the two younger ones. She is such an Angel.. She was sick and still soldiered on with 5 kids in the house!

On the 18th Greg took the kids out in the boat.. The boys were very impressed with the big Crab they managed to bring home.

At our usual Friday morning get together one of the girls grabbed my camera and took some pics.. they were so cute I thought I would share..

And Greg was one happy boy this month.. I had Rach up at the chemist after rushing her to the doctor and he rang to talk about going fishing on the weekend. complaining once again how our boat couldn't fit everyone in etc. and making the comment 'unless I go buy a bigger one'. Well not thinking.. and not serious I said 'Well if I can have a good flash for me camera than you can buy a boat!' Well you guessed it ... the next day off he went and bought 'Night Fury' as we have christened it.

Here are some pics of it. I have to agree that it is lovely being able to send Greg and all the boys off fishing.. (I wanted to call it 'Mummy's Freedom!) lol.. but somehow I also managed to miss out somewhere on this deal. He got a boat.. and I still haven't organised the flash I want.. and the girls were all kicking me cause I should've asked for a scrapping shed instead..lol.. Oh well.

I have designed the name to get put on it.. we now just need to get organised and get it done.

The day after we picked it up we all went out for the maiden voyage on the Fitzroy River.. the boys loved it.. catching a few little fish.. and Declan even hooked onto something quite big.. but it went straight to the bottom and even Greg couldn't reel it in. Eventually it broke the line. A bit of excitement for the morning.

Easter

2010-04-07T22:18:00.000+10:00

We went to Dalby to Marni & Pa's place for Easter.. Poor little Brodie was sick all day Friday and Saturday with High Temps and Headaches.. He was miserable.. I spent most of the days lying in bed with him.. He just wanted Mummy.. poor little man.. luckily he got over it on Sat night and was all fired up for Easter Sunday.

The boys found lots of little eggs that had fallen out of the Easter Bunny's Basket as he hopped around the house.. They do hope he never fixes that small hole in his basket..lol.. And they had eggs and pressies on the table waiting for them..

It was really cute.. I had put down 3 little eggs each for them from Greg and I but by the time I got there they had decided that it wasn't fair that Mummy didn't have too many eggs so eachof them had put one of their little eggs in my spot for me.. They can be such sweet boys.

The boys had a great weekend.. riding the little motorbike around.. and the little red car, both of which was their daddy's when he was little.. Greg also took them out the back to give them a go at the Air rifle.. After I lectured the hell out of them..lol.. It is a bit of a shock seeing your little boys with a gun in their hands.. even if it is an air rifle.. not sure I really liked it..lol.. but then I am not off the land like Greg and his family. Even Mummy had a go.. The boys love going to Marnie and Pa's and doing all that 'boy' stuff..

They sat down with Pa on Sun night and watched a 3D movie that the Easter Bunny had given Connor.. Been a looong time since I have seen the old red and green glasses..lol..

We left Monday morning for the long trip home and ended up meeting up with Friends also traveling back to Rocky. Was good to have someone to chat to on the loo stops..lol.

We also had another little excitement..

Picture the scenario.. driving along.. oops.. flashing lights.. kids.. 'what the policeman want'.. 'Just be Quiet kids".. Policeman.. 'Sir the radar clocked you at 110 kms'.. Greg.. 'Didn't think I was going that fast' .. policeman..'What speed do you think you were going?'.. Greg. '108'.. Policeman.. 'umm what is the speed limit sir'.. Greg....'100'..Policeman.. 'fine the same for 108 or 110'.. Ticket written.. we drive off.. Kids.. 'what the policeman want Daddy'.. Mummy..'Daddy was naughty.. not obeying the rules'.. (while she cacks to herself that he admitted to a police officer that he knew he was going over the limit but had to say it anyway!! Doh!!) .. For next 10 mins.. kids.. 'You speeding Daddy?' Greg.. 'no..be quiet..' .. Connor.. 'You sure you not speeding Daddy?' .. picture Mummy.. trying so hard not to PMSL!!!

And Olivia and Grant also have quite a laugh as Greg had overtaken them about 5 mins before..lol..

Oh well.. these things happen.. don't think Greg finds it particularly funny though.. hehehe..

Well Easter is over for another year but school hols don't finish until next Tuesday.. The boys have had a great time the last couple of days playing the Wii and xbox, and generally just being kids.. Big day tomorrow.. having a few of their friends over for a play.. should be fun.. and noisy.. and tiring.. and messy..lol.. Oh well.. least I get to chat..hahaha

Hope you all had a safe and wonderful Easter..and are enjoying the school hols!

2010-04-07T22:17:00.000+10:00

Last month we had Rylan's Mad Hatter's Tea Party for his Birthday.. The kids had to wear mad hats so as You can see I was a bit slack and just stick things all over hats we had..lol.. they had a great time and Julie put on the yummiest food.. lol..

As you can see even the Mummy's had fun playing Egg and Spoon Races.. lol.. and I won.. hehehe as Rach and Carien both dropped theirs at the last second.. See slow and steady.. etc..

The last few weeks of school went very quickly.. now both my school boys have got awards at Monday Assembly.. I still have to get a pic of Declan's lol.. and Connor got one for always getting his spelling right.. He not dumb that boy..lol.. He is doing a lot better and his behavior is improving.. thankfully..

Anyway.. Gonna finish updating and then it is time for this little girl to crash..

Declan's Bug tank...

2010-04-07T19:51:00.001+10:00

Well I have finally gotten organised to update my blog.. here are the pics I took of Declan's tank initially.. Looks a bit different now.. we have more plants though most of them have been eaten by the 65 caterpillars he put in there..lol.. ok maybe not that many but it sure feels like it.. The eco system is obviously working as we have had quite a few turn into moths.. the first one is in the pics.. and we have had very few casualties..lol.. I think I need to start studying entomology myself as I now have to spend hours on the puter trying to identify all the bugs etc he collects..lol

I also got motivated on a Wed Scrap day and actually did a layout.. woohoo.. and yup I did the boy and his bugs..lol.. Quite happy with the way it turned out.. The top pics are actually layered so I could fit more on.. and the journalling is on the green paper behind the pic..

A little bit of creating..

2010-03-06T13:15:00.001+10:00

Rach and I have started getting organised and having a cardmaking night once a month.. and I mean night.. she left after 5am this morning..lol

I really enjoy our nights.. lots of laughing, chatting and the occasional card gets made..lol.. We have been setting ourselves challenges to use up some of my stuff so I got in last night and used a heap of my tags and things up last night.. Thank you to all my wondeful friends that sent me all the tags and things!!

Well I am off to have a nanna nap with the boys.. I need it..lol..

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

WELCOME RHYS!!

2010-03-06T12:45:00.000+10:00

He's finally here!!! Jodes, Mick, Jack and Kyle welcomed Rhys to the world on Tuesday.. I went over on Thurs night to have a cuddle and catch up with them.. and he is such a cutie!!! Congratulations guys!!!

Busy as usual...

2010-03-06T12:36:00.000+10:00

Well life has been a bit hectic as usual.. so where to start...

The kids..

Connor is trying very hard at the moment.. We have started a new reward system here where if the boys behave they get to pick a card from the reward box and they earn things such as bubble baths, Stories with Mum and Dad, Getting to choose dinner... etc... and it has been working fairly well.. They still have their moments.. but at least life isn't a misery as it was getting to..

He also hurt his ankle at school on Friday afternoon.. It isn't swollen or bruised that I can see but he is enjoying pushing himself around the house on an office chair..lol.. We will see just how bad it is when we go to a birthday party this afternoon.. If anything is gonna get him walking sitting down at a party all arvo will..lol..

Declan is absolutely loving Prep at the moment.. He is getting so involved and is settled in really well..

He took a couple of Rhino Beetles in to show his classmates and they are now residing in a small tank in class and Mr Carrington has even decided that they can study the life cycle of the Rhino Beetle rather than the butterflies they normally do..lol

We still have 3 at home and Declan and I are going to clean out his tank and set it all up properly with plants etc this weekend.. He has decided now, after 2 years of wanting to be an archiologist that he now wants to be an entomologist.. lol.. Boys and bugs.. Will put a pic of the tank up when it is finished..

Brodie is his usual active self.. I think he kinda likes the fact that he has Mummy to himself now though he does miss his brothers when they are at school.. We haven't been to playgroup much as he is prefering to go to friends place's on a Thursday morning where he get to play with just friends his own age. He can be such a good boy when it is just me and him.. But the devil does emerge after we pick the boys up from school..lol..

Greg as usual is flat out between work, home and study.. He has been going out of town a lot which the boys hate but I keep crossing my fingers that it will settle down! And he has been doing really well at uni so that is good.. he has also been getting a game or two of golf in on the occasional weekend which he is slowly improving..lol.. He is no longer on the lowest handicap you can get!! rofl!

And me.. well.. I am my usual hectic self.. Slowly working my way through this house decluttering, and organising and the girls have been wonderful in helping me to do my Craft room/study.. Will put some before and after pics up when it is finally done..lol. It is great having Julie and Carien over on a Wed to scrap and chat.. and organise..lol. And I think we have convinced Tanya to join us as well.. I love my little bit of me time with my friends.. keeps me sane. And I have booked my flights down to Brissie for the June long weekend to go to the papercraft show!! woohoo.. get to catch up with my gorgeous Boxx friends and Tori as well.. I can see lots of shopping, chatting and fun coming up.. so looking forward to it!

Next weekend I am also organising a girls night.. We are having a tupperware party then a few drinkies and breaking out the singstar etc..lol.. I soo can't wait.. Adrian and the kids are coming to stay here with Greg and we are having it at Rach's and I am sleeping over.. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends here.. They keep me sane.. kinda..lmao..

Last weekend we went off to Brissie to see ACDC! We dropped the kids of at Mum's and stayed in a motel with Nettie and Gil.. It was a great night.. they still have it!! The boys behaved quite well for Mum which is good as she isn't feeling 100% at the moment. Even Col didn't get grumpy at them.. lmao.. I offered to sell me ticket and stay with the boys but Mum wouldn't let me.. Ain't she lubbly!!

Ok.. think I have caught up on the general news for now..lol.. Sorry for the long post.. but hey .. you used to that by now hey..lmao..

Love to all!!

Hehehe.. What a week..

2010-02-19T20:25:00.001+10:00

Well I had a great week last week... On Thursday Julie, Rach, Carien, Nettie and I all went to 'Puppetry of the Penis'.. OMG.. it was hysterical.. even the opening act 'Granny Flaps' had me laughing so hard my jaws ached! It was a great girls night out and we had a blast!

Then on Sat Connor had a training session with the Broncos in the morning, while his little brothers watched and then they went to the Shopping centre to get a heap of stuff signed by some of the players. Then that night Greg took the boys to see the Bronco's play the Storm here..

So we girls decided to have another girls night..lol.. and OMG Singstar was involved.. it was hysterical.. at one point I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my cheeks.. I have even got Tanya, Julie, Carien and Maddie recorded on my Iphone.. I just wish I could figure out how to upload it.. lmao..

It was sooo just what I needed.. Honestly I have a great bunch of friends up here..lol.. Even if they did force me to put up pics of myself as well..pmsl..

On another note we are working on Connor at the moment.. He has been better behaved at school so lets hope we get whatever is going on figured out and get him back on track..

Greg has been away a fair bit for work and the boys are missing him badly..

Was hoping to get to Brissie in March but I cannot find any cheap flights.. so now I am thinking I may head down in June for the Scrapbook Expo.. actually got some reasonably priced flights.. so cross fingers for me..

Hope all is well..

I give up!!

2010-02-10T22:42:00.004+10:00

Well it didn't last.. I got called to the Principal's office this arvo.. Connor got sent there after hitting 4 kids.. yep 4.. OMFG.. where did I go wrong! He is now officially 2 steps away from possible expulsion.. in grade 2.. What am I gonna do.. I am just so over it at the moment..

Greg and I explained the seriousness of it all to him today.. so I have to just hope it has got through.. We are also gonna get him to see the school councillor.. maybe he can get out of him why he is being such a horror.. I have tried and when I ask him why he is behaving the way he is I got 'I really don't know Mummy'.

They are really cracking down on these things at school.. which is a good thing... but I sure don't want to be on the receiving end!

Oh I wish someone would give me a manual on these kids.. cause nothing I have tried seems to work.. If anyone knows a secret I would love to know it!! grrrrrrrrrrr

Australia day and the first day of school

2010-02-10T12:57:00.004+10:00

We had a lovely day on Australia day.. Rach, Adrian, Julie, Steve, and Nettie and Gill all came over with the tribes.. And As usual.. the whip came out.. lol.. starting to become an Aussie day tradition around here. The kids all had a good time.. though Maddie wasn't too impressed when she managed to whip herself in the back..lol.. poor kid.. but she was very brave and came back for another go..lol.. And Rach reckons she has found a new love.. so watch out Adrian..lol..

Then the next day was the boys first day back at school.. Declan was very excited as it was his first day at prep.. He looks like such a big boy now.. Of course trying to take photos of my 3 boys together is asking for trouble..lol

They have all settled in really well and so far have really attached to their teachers.. but Declan managed to break Connor's record and was sent to the principal's office on day 4.. Oh I am sooo proud.. sigh.. He tells me someone told him to hit another boy in the face.. no excuse.. he got the big lecture on not doing the wrong thing no matter who tells him too.. so lets hope that is the first and last time Mr Barker has to deal with him.. Oh I dooo hope so..

Connor is settling in well and so far has not been in too much trouble.. I was very pleased when his teacher told me he actually got up and moved away from someone who was trying to distract him.. so I do hope that continues as well..

And Brodie is settling in well to his new room at Daycare.. He gets to play with his mate Lachlan all day and is really having fun..

The rest of our Hols...

2010-02-10T12:13:00.007+10:00

Well I am finally trying to catch up on this blog..

We had quite a relaxing time for the rest of our hols.. Greg got in the habit of taking the boys to the Beach first thing in the morning.. home for some quiet time and an afternoon rest and then into the pool for the afternoon..

We also had a couple of other visitors while we were there.. and Chrissie, Jane and the boys also came down for a couple of days.. that worked out very well.. We let Greg go off fishing by himself for the morning and then he looked after the kids and one arvo we went shopping and the next we went to see Avatar at the movies.. It was a great movie and it was wonderful just to spend time with Chrissie again. I really miss seeing her.

We also had David & Hayley and come to visit with their four girls too.. The boys loved catching up with everyone and we loved the distraction it provided..lol.. Got to relax and have a few drinks..yeah..

We ended up getting the boys a boogie board and didn't they love it... Connor and Declan did really well but when Greg first Brodie on it he started him too far out and let him go.. so he ended up head first in the sand.. Got the pics below but I didn't get one of his final dump.. legs in the air as I was too busy screaming at Greg to get him.. After that I had to take him to the park as he was soo not into the ocean.. luckily he got over it the next day and was happy to go swimming but there was no way he was getting back on that boogie board.. lol poor kid..

We also took the boys to Underwater World.. and they had a great time.. checking out all the sharks and stingrays and they absolutely loooved the Seal show.. We went downstairs to the seal viewing area and 'Portia' the star of the seal show took a liking to the boys.. She kept coming to them and copying what they were doing.. it was soo funny.. She was just so gorgeous..

Chrissie and the boys come to visit!

At the beach..

and the park..

Brodie's one and only Boogie Board attempt..

Underwater World..

So over all we had a great time.. and have already prebooked to go back in the Sept Hols.. we have decided that that will be our yearly hol from now on..

The start of our Holidays..

2010-01-13T10:56:00.002+10:00

Well it is the start of the New Year and hopefully our holiday will renew and revitalise our energy for the year..(she says as Greg and Declan are yelling and screaming in the background)..lol

It was a verrrryy Long trip down on Saturday.. Traffic was busy and slooow and the boys have just started the 'are we there yet' monotone.. Ah the joys. But we got here ok and got settled into our unit, did some shopping and Greg took the boys for a swim.. An early night for all was definately in order!

Greg took the boys off to the beach early on Sunday morning.. They have decided that seeing it is holidays they have to be up by 6am.. grrr. I stayed home and finished unpacking and organising. They had a great time finding crabs and swimming.

Marnie and Pa came on Sunday morning to stay with us for the night, so of course the boys were very excited. They went for a swim with Daddy and Pa that afternoon and had a great time shooting everyone with water pistols another family had and swimming around with the noodles and Kickboard.

Monday morning we headed off to Australia Zoo. The boys loved it.. all the animals to look at.. Declan was in his element.

We got to feed the Elephant 'Siam' and for once I didn't worry about the camera and got to feed her too.. So unfortunately we didn't get any very good pics.. Connor and Declan both fed her on their own and I helped Brodie.. He got a little frightened and threw it at her..lol.. They are such beautiful creatures.

They also dug in the fossil pits they had there.. and there was a cave to explore..I do wish I had my camera ready then though cause Declan went around a corner in the cave and it started roaring at him.. He took off out of there like a scared rabbit..pmsl.. the look on his face was priceless.

We were very lucky that the Irwin's were there for the show at the Crocoseum. So the boys got to see Bindi perform and Terri and the kids were in feeding the crocs etc.. It was good fun.

When we got the boys to sit on the statue of the Tortoise there was about 4 Water Dragons sunning themselves around it.. Brodie gave me a heartattack as he walked over not watching where he was going and proceeded to stand on the largest one..lol.. I was sure it was gonna turn around and bite him or he had hurt it.. luckily both survived the encounter but Brodie was a little more wary of where he was walking after that..lol.

The boys were very tired and we left at about 2pm.. Marnie and Pa headed off home and we came back to the unit.. Unbelievable the boys still had enough energy to have a swim with Greg when we got home.. I soo wish I had their energy!

Yesterday we had a relaxing day.. Greg took the boys for their early morning play at the beach then we went up to the shops to pick up the boys some more pool and beach toys.. and got to stop in and see Alliese, Greg's cousin that lives down here.. hopefully we will get to catch up with her and her kids next week.

This morning Greg and the boys went off fishing early.. Declan caught two little fish, and Connor and Brodie caught one each. Unfortunately Greg didn't get any pics. But the boys had a great time and I loooved the peace and quiet at home alone..lol. The Unit was cleaned the washing done and I was relaxing by 9am.. I soo need to get better organised at home so I can do more of this relaxing bit..lol..

Anyway nearly time for our lunch and Nanna nap..lol.. Gotta love holidays..

Hope you are all enjoying the beginning of 2010..

Luv Donna xx

New Year's Eve and Leon's Baptism

2010-01-03T22:14:00.002+10:00

We had a lovely New Year's Eve.. Nice and quiet.. Rach, Adrian and the kids came over for dinner as they were pretty stuffed from their Xmas hols and we had Carien, Dylan, Julie and Steven and all the kids..

We had a lovely dinner with everyone bringing a dish.. including a traditional South African dish that Carien brought. As usual there was food everywhere..lol.. but not as much as if Dad was there. I do miss him heaps..

Anyway.. Joshua and Ethan went to bed early and Ry crashed at about 11 so I missed out on getting pics of them having fun at midnight..But the rest of them had a ball with poppers and sparklers and even some fireworks we could see off in the distance. Then it was time for kiddies to go to bed.. yeah.

Now my terrible friends then kept me up until 4.30 am chatting and drinking.. I mean who needs friends like that..lol. And poor Julie and Steve got stuck on our couch as Greg fell asleep without putting up the stretchers..lol.. and we were all too tired to work out how to do it..pmsl. Luckily that only lasted an hour or two before the kids woke up and they stole their beds.. But of course I had to take a pic first! hehehe..

Well New Years Day was verrry quiet at our house.. everyone left about lunch time and we went for a nap.. Man I was tired.. and didn't do much but play wii with the boys and fold up some clothes after that.

Luckily I recovered enough to make it to Leon's Baptism on Sunday. It was a lovely service and he was such a good boy.. and promptly fell asleep as soon as I tried to take some family pics..lol

Then back to Tanya's and Paul's for a little party. It was great to catch up with everyone and get to cuddle my little man. He had a ball helping open the pressies and I was so glad that they liked the Snugglepot and Cuddlepie Book we got him. It was my fav as a kid and Connor actually picked it.. taste must run in the family..

The pic of the funny look on Tanya's face as she opened Carien's Pressie was not one of horror..lol.. but surprise. I snuck a pic Rach had took of Tanya and Leon and she put it in the frame and wrapped it. It was gorgeous to see how much she liked it... and such a great idea Carien.

Anyway.. that's it for here.. I finally took down the Chrissie decos today and tomorrow the plan is to finish cleaning the house and put them away..Lots to do this week.. busy busy busy as usual.

We hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve too.. and I hope to catch ya on here in 2010. Would love some comments.. starting to echo on this blog..lol..

Night all ♥ ♥

Up to date!!!

2009-12-30T20:11:00.002+10:00

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

2009-12-30T17:41:00.004+10:00

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

2009-12-30T15:42:00.005+10:00

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...

2009-12-30T14:40:00.002+10:00

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..

2009-12-30T13:03:00.001+10:00

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!

2009-12-22T15:49:00.002+10:00

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

2009-12-09T21:57:00.005+10:00

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..

2009-11-10T20:56:00.002+10:00

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

2009-11-04T22:52:00.003+10:00

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!

2009-10-30T21:34:00.001+10:00

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

2009-10-30T20:33:00.002+10:00

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

2009-10-30T20:33:00.000+10:00

Jamie's Birthday

2009-10-28T20:39:00.003+10:00

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

2009-10-13T21:25:00.004+10:00

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..!

School Holidays ~ Visit to Toowoomba

2009-10-13T20:48:00.008+10:00

On the Monday 21st Sept we headed off to Toowoomba to catch up with some friends.. We got to have Morning Tea with Tom, Clare and Dhugal.. Our old neighbours.. gee we miss you guys! and then off we went to Chrissie's place.. The boys were sooo happy.. It has been so long since they have seen the boys.. and they had a pool..lol.. Some pics I got of the boys having fun...

Mitchell & Ruben.. love this action shot.. can you believe it didn't end in tears..lol..

Connor, Mitchell & Ruben... they all went nuts..!

But Declan decided it was too cold..lol.. been up in Rocky too long I think, and spent most of the time on the side of the pool..lol

As did Brodie.. he had great fun throwing the noodles in the pool and making the boys go get em for him..lol..

It was such a lovely afternoon.. I was really sad to go.. Got to see the boys Chrissie and Granny Carol.. and I miss you guys sooo much too..

After we left there we to Andrew's and Marisa's house for the night.. The boys thought it was great cause they got to play with Mark's games..lol.. and they love playing with Andrew and Marisa.. It was a shame though we didn't get to see Mark as he was away..

The boys pretending to be tigers and Attacking Andrew..lol..

It was a lovely night catching up.. It all made me soo homesick.. I miss everyone and the cool..lol..