Technology issues!

I am so sad to report that our wonderful laptop computer, (my friend and seemingly, extension of my arms), has passed over to the other side. I no longer have my computer or access to my photos. So alas these past few days I have not been able to blog. I will be signing out for approximately one week while we try to sort something out. I hope you are all enjoying life, and to all those Canadians out there, happy 1st day of Spring!!
Lots of love to you all and talk to you real soon.

A week gone by

I apologise for my absence this week. It has been a week of ups and downs. Poor Harry fell in class and hit his head. He ended up with 2 stitches above his left eye. Very brave little man and we will go have the stitches removed today. He is really enjoying school, apart from the fall of course! He has made some really nice friends and enjoys going off each day. Melanie, your journal became a focal point at show and tell last week. Harry's teacher loved the idea so much she started a new home work project for the kids and Harry got to be the first one. She put a kangaroo puppet named Joey in a bag with a little book. The kids get to take Joey home and write about their adventures with the children that night. So there you go, you are a beautiful, wonderful teacher and making an impact on kids around the globe!! Well done!

My friend Catherine had a beautiful baby boy on Thursday afternoon which was a wonderful, joyous occasion. It is so nice to have a fresh little baby around again and to see a baby born into such a loving family. You know where I have been spending my spare time!

Friday night was book club. Wow that month went fast and I did it!! I read the book and loved it. I am really looking forward to our next book "The Secret Life of Bees". Will keep you posted. We have a young Canadian girl who has joined our group so after our meeting I invited her to come stay with us. I was able to show her around Sandgate area in the morning. It was so nice to be able to offer up some kindness and hospitality. I think back to all the people that took us in and helped us on our travels.

Kevin worked again on Saturday but met us at lunch time in the city. We said goodbye to our new Canadian friend and we took the boys to the Brisbane Museum. It was great fun for the whole family and a lovely way to spend a couple of hours. We met friends in the late afternoon for dinner. Mia and Sethie are truly worshipped by the boys, so it is an evening thoroughly enjoyed by all. Sunday we had a BBQ with our old neighbours from Redcliffe. It was awesome to see the kids all playing together as if they hadn't been apart for 2 years. Unfortunately we didn't get to go inside our old house where Sam came into the world but just seeing the outside and visiting with our old friends was lovely.

I have also been working on a project Mum left me in charge of. She is donating 2 large boxes of books to Viroga Health Spa and Yoga Studio here in Sandgate. They are hoping to set up a library of sorts for their clients. I have been cataloguing and organising the books ready to deliver. I will let you know how it all turns out.

As for this week, I will be busy getting organised for New Zealand. We will have to pull out the few winter woolies that we brought with us and I am sooooooooooo looking forward to it!!!

Busy and loving it

It has been a busy past few days and such an enjoyable time. I was able to help a beautiful friend move back into her recently renovated house. It is pretty challenging to clean cupboards and move when you are ready to have a baby!! And I remember the feeling well. We only just finished our kitchen days before Harrison was born. There was no way I could bend down and put things in cupboards, let alone clean them out. My super Mum came to the rescue, so I felt honored to be able to pay that forward and help Cath.

Harrison, in the middle of all this activity, had a stomach bug and missed a few days of school. He recovered beautifully, just in time for the weekend!! Friday night was a frenzy of activity here at the house as Mum was preparing to leave the next day for her around Australia adventure. We managed to squeeze in a lovely meal together, followed by a board game. Saturday morning we cleaned and organised mums van and finally she was ready to set off! How exciting for her. I wonder what amazing adventures she will have. Good luck Mum and have fun!!!!

Saturday afternoon was Cath's Mother Blessing which was a beautiful night not only for her, but for us too. It is so full filling being able to give back to your friends, to let them know how much they are loved and to help fill their cup as full as possible for their new journey and challenge ahead.

Kevin took the boys on an adventure of their own. They rode bikes up forest paths, went on a grocery hunt for some "Adventurer" food, caught a train to Shorncliffe, rode until they found the perfect beach for lunch, and the perfect playground. They topped it off with a slow ride home and fish and chips for dinner. The boys went to sleep early and Daddy even got some time to himself....pure bliss!

Kevin decided to bank some extra hours at work this weekend and headed back to work for the morning on Sunday. I drove over to Redcliffe and had breakfast and a play on the waterfront with a friend. We took turns watching the children and the other went shopping at the markets. A lovely way to start the day. Then we were off visiting family and got home in time for a quick nap, then out again to a BBQ.

There really never was a dull moment and I feel like we are really aware of the time we have left here. We are trying to say yes to all invitations and really putting ourselves out there. It is easy with Kev working and Harry at school to forget that we are on holiday. So we booked a trip to New Zealand for 8 days leaving in 2 weeks!!! It is somewhere Kevin has always wanted to go but we were never able to make happen before.

The other exciting part of the week was I finished knitting a pair of legwarmers for Cath's new arrival. I was really pleased with how they turned out. I used left over wool from the op shop and then realised that I was knitting them for a baby, so I had to line them. It all worked surprisingly well and I really enjoyed knitting them. My dear friend here, Gwendalyn is modelling them for you!!! (Note the knitted top she is wearing? My grandmother knit it for me when I first got her, 20 years ago. Looking good Gwen!)

Now the only sad part to such a full weekend, is how neglected the house has been. Yup, you guessed it - piles of laundry, dishes in the sink, grocery shopping to be done and the list goes on and on. Better get to it!

Paper plane fun

On Tuesday afternoon, Harry got sick. His teacher phoned asking me to pick him up early. His classmates were very sympathetic and just gorgeous. After a rough afternoon and evening of being sick, very sick, he awoke at 4am yesterday morning a new man. Me on the other hand felt very sleep deprived!! I convinced him to lie in bed for another hour but he was just busting to get up, so up we got. To make sure he really was better, we had a very quite morning. The boys watched tv, read their books and played with their castle. I learnt how to crochet little flowers for a very special babies bottom. Not to shabby, huh?! Oh and in response to my beautiful M.I.L's question, the pants do up by a drawstring, which I haven't put in yet.

We all then had a lovely nap in the middle of the day. I was inspired by Amanda at SouleMama with this post about having a craft set up for the kids when they wake in the morning. I thought that applies to naps too. I found 2 patterns for paper airplanes and made those, then set up the paints outside. They awoke to see new their new planes and we then spent the next 2 hours in the afternoon sun, painting, flying and knitting. Pure bliss!

Look! In the sky (specifically by the top of the gate!!) Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Why yes!!! It is a plane, a paper plane!

(I have just realised that the plane is really blending in with the mailbox. Oh well, you will just have to use your imagination). It was a great launch....really....it made it all the way across the dangerous ocean (the driveway) into the other airport (the rocks). Landing can be hazardous but FUN!!

I have finished another project. It felt like a long time coming, and well, it was!! It is not as unpleasant a task as one would think, knitting wool in Brisbane during the summer, but certainly not something that springs to mind after a sweaty day! Cath however, is looking splendidly ripe and is due in the next week or two!! I am so excited to see how this diaper cover looks on the baby. I was really hoping to learn how to crochet a few pretty flowers to put on the bum but what happens if she has a boy?! Boys can have flowers too can't they? Oh and I think I forgot to share, the needles pictured with the pants were made by my dad and I. They were a special larger size for my GG and dad wipped up a few extra pairs.

Mum is still continuing to dive through her belongings in order to have it all packed up for her trip. She came across this book that she used as a teenager. I am loving these treasures she is uncovering and handing over to me. Lucky girl I am.

A Fish and Chips weekend!!

Wow, what a weekend! There really was never a dull moment......
FRIDAY:
We picked Kevin up after work and headed across to Redcliffe to meet Matt, Cath and Kees. It was a lovely night by the beach. The little boys loved stripping off for a swim in the ocean. We had sandwiches, and I, a little wine. A lovely way to catch up with friends.
Note: I have been forgetting my camera an awful lot lately with Friday night being no exception. The past few weeks have almost been like a photographic dry spell....well people....the drought has broken. Prepare for the rainfall!!!!
SATURDAY:
The Stook family came for a visit. Everyone, apart from me (darn stitches), jumped on the bikes and headed across the old bridge to Redcliffe. We have finally purchased a bike seat for Sam so he can enjoy these longer journeys too. Kevin worked out that Harry rode his bike for almost 10km that afternoon! Way to go Harry. Seth and Mia are beautiful children and were a real joy for the boys to play with. We then went across to Scarborough for fresh prawns from Morgans, then fish and chips. A truly beautiful spot. The kids were able to play at the playground, and Sam discovered soccer. He has incredible hand eye co-ordination for his age and loved kicking and chasing the ball around. He cried at the end of the night when he had to return the ball to Seth!!! Will have to invest in one I guess!!

"Daddy, yuck, don't eat the prawn!"

The view to the left....

The view to the right

SUNDAY:
This morning was a lovely, lazy kind of morning. The kids actually slept in, then Kevin took Sam for a bike ride to the shops for the morning paper. Harry and I lost ourselves in books on the front deck, just soaking up the beauty of the morning. Then Kevin surprised me with the most fantastic omelette EVER!!! It was delicious. I seriously have the best husband!!

As mum will be taking off on her around Australia adventure late this week, my brothers and their families came out for a family afternoon. Firstly, I had great pleasure in sharing my wonderful treasure chest of Grandmas jewelery with the kids and we had a grand time playing dress ups.

Then we headed outside to the very popular Lower Moyer Park at Shorncliffe beach. They truly have the most amazing playground and the cousins went wild. Then there was more fish and chips to be enjoyed, more beach to be explored and a fantastic afternoon spent with a very loving family. This I think we are all going to miss very much. For now, we are just happy to bask in the moment and look forward to the next 3 months here.

How was your weekend, be it in Australia, Canada or abroad? I would love to hear what is happening with you all.