W's 4th Birthday

Note the homemade "Zappo the Alien" birthday cake

W celebrated his 4th birthday in style with a fancy do at a play center. It was cold and wet outside but the kids didn't care and a great time was had by all (kids).

The parents meanwhile went slowly insane with the amount of noise being generated by a large number of kids in an enclosed space. Note to couples thinking of having children, do not go to a play center on a weekend, it may put you off kids for good!

But seriously the kids had a good time (who wouldn't with the amount of sugar running through their tiny little bodies?) and below are the photos to prove it. These photos are from the private rooms upstairs, it was too much bedlam downstairs in the public area to get any good photos.

W had a great time and received great presents.

A special thank you to Auntie Briony for coming over from Sydney to make W's day extra special.

thank you!

thanks po po and koung koung

thanks gramps

Thanks also to auntie Jo and auntie Kate, for whose presents mummy had not charged the camera battery!

auntie Briony arrives tonight...We are having a very lucky run with the aunties, who W now thinks are kind of like fairy godmothers, who grant wishes and presents for mysterious far away places!

The measure of a man

This week, there was a shooting in Melbourne, a shooting in which some people of the general public became involved, because they came to help.

You can read about the funeral of one of these men here.

To me, this is the kind of man who epitomises the word "hero". This is the sort of man I want my boys to grow up to be. Not because women need men to protect us- but because we all need each other to protect us.

One of the things I admired the most about my Dad when I was growing up, was that he was always the one who helped ladies get their pram down the station stairs, when it seemed everyone else was rushing around, too busy to help.

Twice this week, I have seen W stop and do something for someone else- a baby dropped a shoe, and he took it to his mum. At toy library, there was a blankie on the ground, and he looked around for anyone who might have dropped it. He found the pram and ran to the lady to return it...I felt more proud than I felt the situation deserved, but I think things like this are a pre-cursor to a life of "best and fairest".

If W grew up to be like this man, I'd be ever so proud. This man's children are too young to understand now, but I hope that when they grow up, rather than feeling angry for the way he left them, they will feel enormously proud of the man he was.

I heard a quote once, which I think summarizes the situation perfectly- "our children are watching us live, and who we are shouts louder than anything we can say"

the worth of a child

The Touch Of a Masters Hand
'twas battered and scarred and the auctioner
though it scarely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.
What am I bid for this good folks, he cried.
Who'll start the bidding for me? A pound, a pound, then two. Only two.
Three pounds, once; three pounds twice. Going for three....... but no.
From the room far back, a grey-haired man came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightning the loosened strings.
He played a melody pure and sweet.... as a carolling angel sings.

The the music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, What am I bid for this old violin? And held it up with the bow.
A thousand pounds; who'll make it two? Two thousand pounds, who'll make it three?
Three thousand once, Three thousand twice, And going and gone said he.

The people cheered, but one of them cried.
'We dont understand,
What changed its worth, made it so grand?'
Back came the reply,
'The touch of a master's hand.'

And many a child who comes to you
As a child who only exists
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Like the old violin you saw.
Robbed of his childhood, nobody cares.
A true self that nobody knows
He is going once and going twice.
Without you he is almost gone.
So when you come forward, you folk in the street.
Who never can quite understand.
Its the worth of a soul and the change that is wrought,
By the touch of the Master's Hand.

(Sorry I dont know who the author is)

time waster!

Click here

It will take you to a cool site which will give you heaps of facts and figures about your birthday.

recent photos of...

Davey Crockett, jnr



Captain Dylan McPreppy, auditioning for 90210, the early years



hungry hungry hippo, and friend!

Can you tell he's going through a "posing" phase?

we were robbed

Please tell me we are not the only ones sitting here shaking our heads! That game (Swans v Essendon) was an absolute joke! I mean yeah, at times we played a bit ( a lot) crap, but the umpiring was woeful! BOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOO!

What is the deal with us loosing by a point again? URGH!

gift giving tips

With W's birthday coming up, lots of thought has been going into the whole "giving of gifts" thing. I thought I'd share some tips for non parents on gift giving.

If you have a friend to whose child you feel obliged to give a gift to (or a niece, godchild, etc), and you don't really like the kid, and/or the parent, the following gifts are the way to go;

*any musical instrument, but drums and recorders are especially annoying and repetitive.
*things with more than 5 pieces, bonus points if the "thing" is no longer able to be built or used without a tiny, easily vacuumed up piece.
*books with themes which will require a lot of awkward follow up discussions. Suggestions include:
Where Willy Went
Jenny lives with Eric and Martin
I wish Daddy didn't drink so much
*any art and craft type items which are impossible to remove- personal favourites include the coloured blu tac type stuff, moon sand (easily the most irritating stuff ever), and non washable paints.


Now, on the other hand, if you like/love the kid and/or the parents, here are some of the most cool/interesting/fun gifts that W has received, or that we have given over the years;

^musical walking mat
^soccer and footballs, or that grip ball game...easy for kids to play with, and encourages everyone to get up and about
^books which are not about hard-to-explain stuff; some of my favourite books are anything by Lynley Dodd, Giles Andreae or Mem Fox, "Imagine", "Sleepy Bears", "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", "Hushabye Bear cub"...oh, I could go on all day....I could easily spend a fortune on kids books, and read to kids all day long.
^play doh mat
^toy cash register and play groceries
^mr potato head
^colouring books and stamps
^mega blocks musical juke box
^monogrammed towel

Hope that helps...a few people had asked me for advice in this area lately...Kids love anything and everything though, which is all that matters at the end of the day!

Happy mothers day

It's mothers day, so happy days to all the mums who read.

Haven't written for a while, what with being spoilt in Sydney and all. I had a great time catching up with all and sundry. Big shout out to Jo, and her "porn filled" pizza parlour (which just cracked me up!)

Heading off to Perth week after next, for Shelley's wedding. Dad is headed our way next Friday, and we are all looking forward to his visit.

For anyone who missed it (hahaha! I think I texted the entire contents of my phone book) we are expecting another beautiful boy come October (the 3rd, for those playing along at home)

While I had my momentary sadness, mourning over the little girl I will never hold, I am trying to put that behind me, and be thankful for the blessing of a brother, who will be able to play rough, smash cars, share clothes, and be a companion for Will in his adult filled world.

We have decided, for lots of reasons, to stop at 2 kids, and I am trying really hard to be at peace with the idea that I'm not going to be a "girl" mum.

Most of my reasons for wanting a girl are selfish, and more about me than them. I am feeling sad about not having anyone to dress up, do their hair, have meaningless chats about gossipy stuff. I am finding it hard to wrap my head around not ever living with anyone who just knows what it is like to be a girl.

Years of the toilet seat being left up, pee being on the floor, and picking up endless "weapons" from the floor stretch before my eyes. No mother of the bride moment (sorry to all the boy mums, but we all know weddings are about the bride more than the groom, and who wants to be thought of as the interfearing mother in law!) No watching my baby have her baby.

And the awful thought that I will have sons who don't remember to call me, until they get a girlfriend/wife, who then does it for them, which just isn't quite the same. (boys reading, take note...do something nice for your mum off your own bat! sign those cards, write those letters, make those calls!!!!!)

But there are also years ahead of that unique brand of "little boy love and affection" I already have one little "body guard" who takes my side in everything, and shortly I will have 2. Years ahead of being the dominant female influence in their lives, and years ahead of "sorry, need some girl time!" which no-one will be able to argue with, because how would they know! ;)

Overall, we are so happy on Friday to see "Smudgey" moving around, little heart beating. The scan lasted nearly one hour, and please God, all looks set for another safe, happy arrival in Spring.

fresh from the dinner table

Here's what surmises for dinner conversation at our place;

Steph and I were discussing the upcoming election, as Rudd had been on the news while W and I were watching.

W; "So do you like Rudd dad?"
S; *in summary* "I'm undecided"
W; Well, I think Rudd should have a turn, it's time for a change."

Okie dokie Peter Harvey, thanks for your input!

Later on, we were talking about a toy we'd seen that day, Elmo knows your name.
I was saying to Steph how cool it was, and said it would be kind of lost on W, as he's never really been in to the whole character thing...Then I asked him "Do you have a favourite character buddy, someone from TV?"

W; "Yeah, Homer! "
F; *laughing and thinking what sort of reflection is that on us as parents* "How come buddy?"
W; "Because he's funny, and he causes lots of llama drama in some episodes"

Fair enough I reckon. Fairly sophisticated taste for 3 1/2 though.

ps; the phrase "llama drama" is from one of our favourite books, please click the link and read all about it.

Daylight savings

SUCKS!

I hate waking up at 5 20...I hate waking up at 6 20 too,but that would be considered a luxurious sleep in compared to 5 20.

A pox on the person who invented daylight savings, and the effervescent toddlers who punctuate its mornings.

That is all.

Our weekend

We went to watch A LOT of things/events as part of the World Police and Fire Games, and the Fringe Festival.

On Saturday, Stephane went with Will to meet up with Jamie and Roger (the Scottish friends!), to watch the Dragon Boats and some buskers

On Sunday, we watched wrestling, more dragon boats, and some ice hockey, which was very, very cool! In honour of Will's fabulous god mother, we were "rooting" for Vancouver, and the guys were nice enough to pose for some photos for us;

We had a very fine weekend indeed.

Today, Will and I watched some Rugby (where we met a real New York Fire Fighter (Wiggles reference there, will mean something to those with kids!) and some more ice hockey. Later on the week,we will be going to "Ultimate Fire Fighter"...and it's all free! WHOO HOO!

I want this to not be hanging over my head anymore! I hate being in a position where I have to just wait and see if the world as I know it will come crashing down around my ears. There are a few people who will read that and know in an instant what I'm talking about, a few that wont, and one in particular who I wish did know, but it isn't my place to tell them.

I remember feeling like this when mum went out of remission- I kept thinking "god, if she is going to die, would you just let it happen already! Then I can deal with it, then I can know for sure what the "right" thing to feel is". And of course that sounds selfish and indulgent and whatever else.

I hate how powerless I feel. I know I have a choice- I can't change the fact that that is, indeed, the very nature of the journey. That, as someone wise once said, "life is what happens when you're making other plans". My choice is in how I deal with it. Do I say "oh my gosh, this is driving me nuts and so on and so forth" or do I say "que sera sera, can't do much, may as well go with the flow."


Gosh, today I wish so much that I could go back to a time where things were so much more simple, when the biggest call I had to make was something so minor. The thing is, those things seemed major to me at the time.My prayer is that one day I will look back on this time and think "Wow, I can remember feeling like *this time* was going to suck, and you know what? It did suck for a while, but it lead to *this non sucky direction I cant see right now*, and I never would have had that chance without *this sucky time*"

And the thing is, I might not even have anything to worry about yet, but a situation which wasn't even on my radar has become a complete possibility, and, well, I don't like it.

Anywho, keep us in our thoughts and prayers, that someone up there knows what they're doing.

Here's a tip...

Want to know the scariest thing about being a parent? All of a sudden, you are the grown up. You are the one that is supposed to protect the house and home, you are the one who is supposed to just "know" what to do...And it makes it even more scary when "your" grown ups admit that they STILL don't know what they are doing, and they never really did.

Shhh, trade secret apparently, just thought I'd give you guys the heads up!

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Makes you think

Some friends of ours, who are really great people, received some shitty, life changing news today. The kind of news that makes you look at your partner and think "at least we have our health." These are good people, people who would give to others at their own expense.

And it lead me to think of how many people have so much, and instead focus on what they don't have, or what they wish they could have.

So here is my open letter to the world;

Those of you who have a "home" to go to, a place with family or close friends, a "room at the inn", give thanks. Know that, if worst came to worst, you'd have somewhere to go, and people who would love you, not judge you.

Those of you for whom that "home" is the one you grew up in, and the people there are your parents, you are blessed beyond measure! Knowing you can call someone on the other side of the country or world and get support, it still isn't quite the same as curling up on your old bed, in your old room, and having your mum or dad there beside you.

Those of you who have stable employment, who know where the next dollar is coming from, who are just "rolling along"...Please, cherish that fact. Not everyone is so lucky.

Those of you who have partners, for all their flaws, they are there for you, beside you, in good and bad times. Maybe focus more on the good, and try and enjoy those times. That is what gets you through the bad times.

Those of you who have someone to call, at 3am, who you wouldn't be embarrassed to wake up over something that may be perceived as nothing, rejoice! Friends are a true comfort.

Those of you who have little ones, hug them a little tighter, because before you know it, they will be grown, and have problems enough of their own.

Your whole world can change in the blink of an eye. It sounds so cliched, and until you have lived it, you will never know. But please, take it from someone who does...Laugh often, live well, love much, because when you wake up tomorrow morning, it could all be taken away, and you will need those memories to keep you going.

Ironic thought

I don't know why this came to me, but it did;

I want to know why, when you are "most giving" to your kids (baby and toddler years), it is that they won't remember. Conversely, why is it that the teenage years, where some of the most challenging things come up, happen when your memories seem to be strongest.

rhetorical question/s

The power and perils of praise

While I don't expect anyone to be interested enough to read all 5 pages, I thought this article was a good read.

In essence it talks about how praise can have negative connotations for kids.

Changing Lives

Heard about this...want other people to hear about this. Super cool thing in my opinion...

go here

Catching up

Ok, so I believe my last post was February 4th, and didn't really tell you much about what has been happening with the crew here, so what follows is my attempt to sum up;

*Dad has moved (again) to Darwin, where he will be for the next 3-5 years. He has a liaison type job, which involves flying all over the Territory, delivering news, views and ideas on education to remote communities. He likes the job, and is a bit sick of all the travel.

* Tom came to visit, and taught W the Yogi bear song, and a joke about muscles. He delivered enough testosterone to last W until next trip, as proven when W fell shortly after he left. As I was cleaning up W's scrape, he came out with "it's ok Mum, I'm tough. Tough, like Uncle Tom!"

* We had some new friends come for lunch. They have a son who is 4, and they are Scottish. We had them over for an Australia Day lunch, which was a BBQ, followed by cricket in the park.
They are very nice people, and they are coming to afternoon tea this Sunday.

* W started at a new pre-school, called Jescott. He chose his own outfit for his first day. I hope our Canadian readers recognise the shirt :)

* Stephane's work has changed locations...As W says "Daddy has a real work now, not a house!"

*W's love of early 80's movies abounds, with the latest obsession being Ghost busters. He puts on his Elmo backpack, puts a remote control in for a gun, and busts ghosts... Very cute. Stephane found the Ghost Busters theme on one of his CD's, and W has been listening to it as a lullaby every night. We had to re-think this once he discovered the other songs on the CD. Mostly innocuous (love shack, macarena etc...it's a "party compilation"), but when your 3 1/2 year old is singing "boom boom boom, lets go back to my room" it's a little disconcerting, even if he has no idea what it's all about!

And now, the supporting evidence (photos!)

W's outfit for his first day at Jescott

Our little ghost buster

The battle of good and evil continues !

Resemblance? I have no idea what you mean Jo??? :)