Tidbinbilla

I am so thankful for sunshine and warm weather today. It's amazing how good it makes you feel :) 

Since it's a long weekend and we hadn't made any plans to go away, we thought we'd take advantage of the great weather and head out to Tidbinbilla again. 

It is easily my favourite park/picnic place to go at the moment. And today was perfect. I felt so relaxed…except perhaps when Malakai was teetering on the edge of the creek! We got our feet wet, built volcanoes and sandcastles in the rocky sand by the creek and played cricket. 

I'm thankful for the blessing of these kinds of days :)

Since there has been so much rain here lately, when we woke up to another gray day this morning I decided we'd finally make use of our free entry to a local indoor playground.




We had a nice morning and it wasn't too busy ;) just as we were about to leave though, one of the large metal fluorescent light casings fell from the high ceiling directly into the area where parents and children sit at tables.

It was quite a shock and all I could do was thank God that no one was underneath it when it fell. I'm not sure we'll be in any hurry to visit there again :(

So after that we decided some jelly beans and a spot of shopping was in order. And after we picked daddy up from work we stopped into maccas for icecreams and a play. Overall it was a pretty nice day, despite the shock of falling light thingys ;)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More family fun :)

Yesterday we went to Tidbinbilla for a BBQ lunch and play on their nature discovery playground. It was such a perfect day. The weather was amazing, no wind and God blessed us with getting a table under the shelter (so I didn't burn at all! So rare lol).



Malakai enjoyed being pushed 'higher mummy!'



Ella was a little shy of the flying fox and big slide at first, but after I went down the slide with her she was fine. I found it a bit scary though! We helped her on the flying fox and she loved it.







Josh made new friends (and remembered their names!) and absolutely loved the flying fox.



At one point Malakai hurt himself coming down the slide, and as I went to comfort him, Josh came out of nowhere to hug him and check that he was alright. LOVE those moments :)



We went to Taronga Zoo last Sunday! I'm looking forward to posting some pics about that soon :) Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Family fun

Today we went to Weston Park and enjoyed the glorious weather. My old school friend, Kasey, came with us and we met up with grandma, granddad and aunty Shelly for a BBQ lunch.



I didn't realize the water play area was open/working again. The kids had such a great time getting wet! I remember my grandma Nonie taking me and my brother there when we were kids...



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

April/May

The kids and I at Mogo Zoo, April 2011

Poor Kai got his head stuck in this photo board thingy at Mogo Zoo! It was one of those funny/horrible moments...

Building Sandcastles at Longbeach

During the recent school holidays, over the easter weekend, we were blessed to be able to spend some time at the coast (Longbeach NSW). Although the weather was fairly ordinary (as it often is when we go to the coast!!) we still managed to have a great time. We only had to walk across the road to get to the beach :) the kids made sandcastles and flew their kites. We went to Mogo Zoo for the morning as well, but left fairly quickly when we could no longer move for all the people who ALSO decided to go to Mogo Zoo that day ;)



Over the past month we've been to the National Zoo again, to Questacon, and enjoyed having Daddy home for the second half of the holidays. I enjoyed Mother's Day...sort of! The day before Mother's Day we did a lot of yard work, then I followed that with LOTS of ironing and several hours of school work on the computer. I woke up at 5am on mother's day in tears cause I couldn't move :( after many massages, a visit to the dr and chiropractor, I'm still a bit of a mess but significantly better than sunday. God is so good though, as I was leading worship for our mother's day service and I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to do it. In the end I decided to push through and miraculously was able to do it without much pain. It was a huge blessing to me.

School is back and it's a busy term :) Josh has just started piano lessons at school as well. He had his first one today, followed by his first practise tonight. So cute! Kai and Ella want to practise as well of course. I just handed in Malakai's preschool enrollment forms this week too. It's a reminder that there is only about 8 more months until he's not at home full time anymore. The desire to homeschool is still there...we will wait and see what happens and how things go :)

it's quiet here at the moment...

dinner is done, Aaron's at a men's meeting and the children are sleeping. I have recently moved our study into what used to be Ariella's room so I'm about to do some more sorting/organising, but thought I'd do a quick blog post since I've been a bit slack lately.

I became a member of the National Zoo and Aquarium this year (Kai and Ella are cheap/free to get in since they're still under 4, and I used the coupon in the Entertainment book so the membership price wasn't quite so bad lol). So we've gone a couple of times already. God's creation just fills me with awe, and I just love zoos for that reason. I particularly love that the zoo we have here has both land and sea animals. I love aquariums. They give me a glimpse of the unfathomable creativity of God.

Josh and Kai at the National Zoo
February 2011

Josh has finished his season of playing cricket with the Milo In2Cricket program. I'm looking forward to swimming lessons finishing up and taking a bit of a break over the winter.

Ariella enjoying her play time while the boys have their swimming lessons.

Term 1 is finished and I'm so glad. I started off this year with the determination that as I returned to work I would NOT overload my plate. That worked ok for a while, but then some opportunities came up that were right in line with my goals and before long I found myself feeling the pressure. Add to that the fact that teaching can bring with it unexpected pressure of its own and I'm am just so relieved that wk 10 is over. Although I have a heap of work to do during this break so aside from not having to teach my class it won't be all that relaxing lol!

Josh is 6 and a half. He is my peacemaker, my sincere, thoughtful and friendly sweetheart. I enjoy him so much. I pray that God will help him to not be so easily distracted! I love having him visit me when I'm at school, he peeks in the window and makes me smile. He plays with the chess set and makes up his own rules and I love it.

Malakai is 3 and 8 months. He's serious, yet has an awesome sense of humour and loves to make us laugh. He adores his older brother and wants to learn to read because Josh is. He can be stubborn so I pray that he'll be stubborn with always loving and serving God. He loves to dance - and has an unusual style! He is clever and capable and I have to be careful not to treat him like he's also 6 and a half.

Ariella almost 2 and 4months. People often comment on how good her speech is. We have cool little discussions. Lately her favourite thing to say is that her and I are, 'Both girls'. She told me last night that I'm her best friend. I call her my 'best girl'. She gives awesome squeezy cuggles (all my kids do). She has a really cheeky streak in her, loves to see what she can get away with - all the while smiling and giving such a cheeky look. Seems that's a girl thing? I love watching her and her daddy. Sometimes if I'm feeling emotional it can even make me cry! (happy tears) After 2 strong boys she seems so EASY! I have to be careful to stay consistent with my expectations of her. She loves music and dancing as well, keeps reminding me that I told her I'd teach her some ballet lol!

Well, Aaron's home so I'll get off the computer :) hope you're all having a great weekend!

Family visit to Questacon

Recently we took the boys and headed off to Questcon for the afternoon. They had a dinosaur exhibit that we really wanted to check out and it was worth braving the freezing weather to spend some really special time together as a family.

It was great to see Kai really get a lot out of it (like getting saturated in mini Q)
Josh and I went on the rollercoaster simulator together, and he told me at one stage that he didn't need me to hold onto him cause he could do it by himself :( but then we went around a corner and he nearly fell off the seat so I kept my arm around him anyway.



By the time we made it home, this is what Kai did while we were getting dinner ready! He was totally out of it. Stayed asleep on the table like this for ages despite the noise of the household. Very cute :)

Love days like this

Family fun :)

When Josh was probably 6 months to 18months old, we used to go on 'family fun' evenings. We'd take a quick and easy meal and go eat by the water somewhere (can you tell that both Aaron and I grew up on the coast or what...we both miss living by the ocean. BUT we both love it here too...so here we are). Anyway...as usual, I digress...


We started doing it with the idea that we'd keep doing it, but of course life got in the way somewhere and we haven't been in over 2 yrs :(

Well, tonight I felt like fish and chips, so we went and had that for dinner, then took the boys to feed the ducks and fly the plane that Anthony sent Josh for his birthday. It was perfect. The weather was beautiful, there were hardly any people around and the boys had an awesome time (we even had Mr Whippy ice-cream cones!) . I went nuts with the camera (of course) and took 82 photo's - trying to get some good ones. It's much harder with 2 kids to get good photo's than it was with just one!! lol (I did manage to delete the dodgy ones and bring the total photo's down to only 33...
This is what Kai looked like most of the time that Aaron wasn't holding him...trying to run off as far (and as fast!) as he could, all the while ignoring me calling him back...


Malakai also followed in Josh's footsteps by eating more of the bread than he gave to the ducks :)


So it was the perfect end to a really good day. After we helped out with cleaning up a friend's yard this morning, we sorted through everything that was in the garage and I am excited to say that we're giving away more than we are keeping :)

I had a nap cause even though I really did nothing all day (Aaron did the work in the friends garden while I chatted, and mum went through all the boxes while I gave my input on what we'd keep or give away), i was exhausted :( and it meant I had to miss a friends baby shower...I'm really looking forward to having some energy again...one day!

Thankfully having the nap meant that I was ok for most of the time at the park. So that's cool. I'm going to go have an early night now :)

Hope you're all having an awesome and blessed weekend!

oh marshmallows...how i love thee

eating far too many marshmallows at the moment :) I never divulge exactly how much chocolate i eat (or marshmallows, as the case may be) because I have found that during discussions of how much chocolate (or other naughty thing) people eat, I always seem to eat more than they do...and if someone were to look shocked at my chocolate (or other) consumption, I may feel obliged to cut back, and I'm just not at that stage in life yet ;)

I went to Koorong and the new DFO in Fyshwick today. It's probably a good thing I had the kids with me or the bank account would be totally crippled! I'm not one to go completely nuts when shopping, in fact it's not unusual for me to go out with the deliberate intention of getting something for myself and end up coming home with nothing at all.

But today was different. Again I will blame it on the baby hormones. Now in the scheme of things, this is a little like the chocolate thing, altho the other way round. Compared to other people's shopping ventures I probably didn't spend much at all. But it seemed like a lot to me. Perhaps cause it was mostly for me (and the house...there's definitely a fine line with that one...)

Anyway it was good. Til the power went out at DFO and made the place feel a little creepy. And we sure didn't want to get stuck if they had some major issue going on so we beat it out of there fast.

An ice-cream from 'Old MacDonald's' on the way home and it was a pretty good day overall

;)

Sunday School Bushwalk

Last saturday we took Josh and Kai out to Tidbinbilla for the Sunday School Bushwalk.
We haven't been out there since the fires (not that we'd been there much before that) and were amazed at how nicely the walk was set out. It was great :) and just the right length!

Josh holding Matthew's hand as we set off (he hardly walked with me at all...)

On all the bridges/boardwalks there were these random quotes, this one says,
'For observing nature, the best pace is a snail's pace'

One of the people who work there lent Josh their binoculars when we stopped at this particular spot.

Aaron and the boys

The group stopped to check out some big bird and the black swan nesting

We really enjoyed ourselves and will go there again on one of our family excursions. There was also a big play park on the way there that we will DEFINITELY be checking out, especially now that the weather is getting so nice :)

Praise the Lord I am not sick! I prayed like mad, and I reckon I was healed cause I felt revolting. Work was good yesterday, someone came up and thanked me for blessing them with the devotion i gave last week at staff devotions. Actually after I gave it I got lots of hugs and encouragement, it was a bit overwhelming! It was definitely God that made it bless them, cause I didn't even know what to share til just before I got up! It was really really nice, so many people there are just so affirming. I keep telling people that I'm spoiled where I work, and it's so true :)

Today was a busy day - Aaron had booked his parents in for lunch and help with the chicken coop, but I'm pretty sure he didn't realise it was the same day as the church spring clean when he organised it. So he headed off to help at the spring clean this morning, then we had lunch with his parents and basically took advantage of the GORGEOUS weather today to get lots done in the backyard. Aaron and his dad got a good start on the coop, we planted 4 camellia's (with one more to be transplanted to the same patch) and strawberry plants. We've also got some tomatoes just waiting to get into the ground and a lemon tree (FINALLY! we've wanted one for so long!). So exciting. So much more to do tho! I've made a list of course ;) lol

Have a blessed sunday everyone and I'll catch you next week :)

National Zoo and Aquarium (post is a little longer than I'd planned...)

We took the boys to the National Zoo and Aquarium on tuesday for Malakai's birthday. It was such a gorgeous day weather-wise and we had a wonderful time. The only thing we would've changed was actually charging the camera batteries before we went :( these are the only photo's we got (besides a few other dud ones) before the battery went dead. Normally we'd also have mum's camera, but she was in Sydney lol! It was one of those 'learning' experiences that we hope never happens again :(

The boys and I at the monkey enclosure

Daddy holding Malakai up to see the giant crayfish thingy

We thought the zoo was great. But the aquarium was what particularly got the boys attention. Both of them were just nuts with excitement. It was really cute. So now we're planning a trip to the big aquarium in Sydney :)

Aaron started his new job on thursday :) it's going well altho lots of new stuff to learn of course. He's moved from a section where there was only about 2 guys to a section where there's only about 2 women. lol, that's nice for a change cause the disability sector was also predominantly women.

Praise the Lord we all seem to be better now :) Kai and I are still coughing but it's the tail end of it thankfully.

All my friends around here are seriously getting crafty. Makes me feel a bit slack cause I haven't done a thing lately! I used to be into sewing but I'm not that good, so I just kinda let that die a natural death (altho I've still got quite a bit of really nice fabric that I am going to sew into something 'one day'!). Then I got into cross-stitching/embroidery/needlework etc but my style has changed, and I'm not really into that anymore. I have this HUGE cross-stitch that is practically finished but I haven't bothered with the last bits cause I know I don't really want to put it on the wall around here...very disheartening. Maybe one day I'll change my mind, and it'll still be there waiting lol! I made a quilt once, and I love it, but it's still not my thing. One friend (hi Ruth) is particularly into cake decorating and I remember loving that in high school (wasn't half bad at it either ;) but it's not really the thing for me right now either.

I guess that leaves me with my passion for scrapbooking :) and I'm more than happy with that. So why do I still look at the end product of what other people are doing and think that I should be doing it too? (Cause it all looks really awesome everyone!) Or perhaps because I really haven't done a lot of scrapbooking lately and there's not a lot of 'end product' of my own around here I feel a bit slack? Or there's a silly mind-set in me that thinks I should be doing something cause lots of other people are?...wanting to be a part of the 'group'...

The bottom line? I need to get some scrapbooking done! lol, and just enjoy it cause it's what I love doing. Maybe that's what it is that draws me to what others are doing...the fact that they are enjoying whatever 'thing' they do.

I think that's it.

Well then, I'm off to 'enjoy'...might start with a trip to the scrapbooking shop ;)

they're gone...sniff...sniff

So Aaron and Josh just left with Granddad for their first big 'men's fishing trip'. ;)
I am so excited for Aaron and Josh, they have been looking forward to this for months and months. I knew I'd be a little emotional (can't escape that right now!) but watching Joshy waving like crazy with excitement thru the car window as they drove away was just a little too much for my pregnant self...I bawled.

Thankfully it hasn't lasted long, and I am starting to get some healthy perspective that I have a relatively 'easy' weekend ahead! Mum bought the first 3 vids in the 'Love comes Softly' series and I plan to finish watching the 3rd one this weekend. I also have a TONNE of marking to do so I guess I'll get around to that (ugh...big...sigh...) eventually. Our study is looking rather *interesting* right now so may clean that...the possibilities are endless.

And of course lots of snuggle time with my not so little anymore baby boy who's hanging out here too.

see you tomorrow at church :)

Questacon

I've decided that I want to do little 'mini-excursions' with the boys either every week or fortnight as a part of a very informal program I'm making up for them (mostly Josh at this stage really).
This week we went to Questacon (today).
Both boys totally loved it, I was so excited to see Malakai really getting into all the stuff at MiniQ and watching Josh interact with the things I've seen him play with several times before made it really clear that he's grown up so much.
He stopped to really take in things and interact 'properly' with the shop and the vet surgery etc We even had to go investigate a few other galleries - which was great fun.

Malakai enjoyed miniQ then had a bottle and a sleep. Good plan huh.

Josh in MiniQ at the water play area

Malakai checking out his reflection in the window of the baby area of MiniQ

and playing near the astronaut section

Josh driving the car :)
He was totally refusing to pose today, this is about the best shot we got

About halfway thru the afternoon this is what Malakai thought :)

Josh's FAVOURITE part - the scary Crocodile!! He comes out and pretends he's gonna chomp you.

Josh looking at me cause I made him, but he wouldn't smile. (He's always been fine with me taking his photo :( so I'm crushed that he's going thru this phase)

Definitely NOT my favourite part!! This funnel web was HUGE. I think even Josh was a little put off at first.

This photo was a fluke shot - YAY

And mum in the jaws of something :) brave lady

We also watched the 3D Shark thing and went into the earthquake house. We wanted to go in the rollercoaster simulation again but it was being repaired or something :( oh well, next time!