Holidays....

Wow, what a busy month it has been! I have hardly had time to blog and I know that there is so much I need to catch up on! So I will try and start from the beginning....

Four weeks ago Andy arrived and and then 5 days later Amye and Tyler arrived. For a couple of days we all just hung out at our place, the kids loved all the attention they were getting from their new visitors and we were all getting exited about going away for the next 2 weeks.

2 days later Adam's parents arrived. We picked them up from the airport and headed straight up to Caloundra to the beach side apartments. It was stinking hot when we arrived, but by the time we got settled we were all ready to hit the beach and go swimming. Our friends Jody and Mark came up and stayed with us for 2 nights with their 2 little ones, Mia and Bella. It was great, the kids were all hyped up (not sure if that is great) and they had a blast. The following day we had a joint birthday party for Annabel and Amelia. It was so much fun! The weather was awful though, it rained all day so our beach side party had to be held in the apartment, but that was ok, the kids didn't care.

I was so excited getting ready for their party, I had ordered some Little Mermaid party settings because both my girls are mermaid obsessed! The guys had taken the girls out shopping in the morning so we could set up for the party. They were both so excited when they came back from shopping to see all the decorations.

They were both terribly spoilt! They got so many things from everyone else, that Adam and I needn't have got them anything! We had lunch and the cake, and then I had 2 very tired girls on my hands. I cant remember if they went to bed early or not, but I do know that Amelia has been sleeping terribly for far to long now and I so desperately need to get her back into some kind of routine, and help her with her terrible milk addiction.

The day after the party Andy's girlfriend Chung Yi, flew over to join us all. The girls just loved her as well and hung off her for most of the first day.

So the rest of our time in Caloundra we just hung out, went swimming, shopping, ate and ate some more. The others went on a couple of day trips, but I just stayed back with the girls. It was easier for me to have a quiet day with them once in awhile.

After a week in Caloundra we headed down to the Gold Coast for a week. It was so nice having so much holiday time. We stayed in Surfers Paradise, though not right on the beach, but only a 1 minute walk so that was fine. We ate and shopped again, and swam and went for big long walks on the beach. We treated ourselved to a manicure and pedicure while the guys watched the kids. It was lovely being pampered!

The kids were relatively good for the 2 weeks we were away. They were always very excited which led to them being pretty cranky some nights, but all in all it was a fun and relaxing get away.

We are all now back at our place, enjoying all the rain. I cant believe how much it has rained since everybody has been here! It usually never rains, and now we are having record rain falls! Its crazy! But I must admit I have been enjoying it since we've been home. Before everybody came the days were so hot and humid and the sun felt as though it was burning holes in my skin. So this cooler weather is a nice change, not mention that the grass needed a good water!

So we have been back for a week now, Andy and Chung Yi are already back in Beijing and back to work. The others are here for another week. We've all just been hanging out and relaxing. Today I think we are going out for lunch and are going to do some shopping. Then we will back here for dinner and no doubt a nice bottle of wine! Cheers!

So its raining! It is wonderful! After all the stinking hot humid days, we finally have some relief! Its funny though because usually rainy overcast weather is depressing, but not at the moment. But I am hoping that it is over by the weekend, because we are going away for 2 weeks! Adam's brother, Andy, arrived here on Saturday morning. It was so exciting! The girls just love their fun Uncle Andy! The day we arrived we decided to take him up into the city and do the usual thing up there. We went swimming at Southbank and then walked over into the city and then through the botanical gardens. It was a nice day, not to hot (although I still managed to get sun burnt even though I had many layers of sunscreen that were reapplied through out the day!), and there was a beautiful breeze.

We then walked over to kangaroo point where there is a great cliff face that stretches across for about 200 metres and is right on the river with picnic tables and grassy areas for the kids to play. It is the place to go climbing and is always filled with people. Adam and Andy took their climbing gear and headed up the rock face. Andy made it all the way up, but poor 'ol Adam was hurting a bit and couldn't quite make it. He is not as fit as he used to be! I like to say that he has settled into the family role and is enjoying the many different "comforts" that come with that. Exercising being at the bottom of the list. But needless to say they both had a great time, and the girls loved watching them. I was annoyed though, because yet again I didn't have my camera with me, so I couldn't take any photos. The girls both wanted to climb as well. Annabel put on Adam's climbing shoes and helmet and attempted to climb. She really wanted to climb to the top but changed her mind when she realized just how hard and scary it was being only 3 feet above the ground. All in all it was a good day!

Annabel is so desperate for it to be her birthday. Thankfully her is only 2 weeks after Amelia's, so the wait isn't too long for her. The morning of Amelia's birthday Annabel woke up early and proceeded to get all the balloons out of the cupboard and started blowing them up. She has just learned last week how to blow up a balloon and is now constantly wanting to have the house full of them! So once she had blown them all up she proceeded to stick them all on the wall with sticky tape. A fine decorator she is! She keeps asking me "Is my birthday starting now Mummy?". There were a few fights when Amelia got some gifts in the mail. Annabel couldn't understand why she couldn't play with them when she wanted. Oh dear! But not to worry, yesterday my sister sent them both a gift in the mail so I let Annabel open hers 2 weeks early, and she was very happy.

So along with blowing up balloons Annabel has also learned to whistle and hang up side down on the monkey bar with no hands! She is so excited, especially about the whole whistling thing. She had been practising for so long and finally mastered it a few weeks ago. I wonder what the next trick will be?

Today was SO stinking hot! But for some reason I didn't turn the AC on. I dont know why, but I have been reluctant to ever since we got solar panels on our roof. Adam, being the accountant and all, has been calculating all our savings and it is pretty exciting seeing how much we are saving on our energy bills. But at the same time it is pretty silly because now we are cutting back on things, like I only run the dishwasher after 8pm because its off peak and cheaper. Crazy stuff! But I am sure the novelty will wear off and I will succumb to comfort instead.

So today Annabel went to preschool, and I spent the day cleaning the house from top to bottom. Adam's brother Andy arrives here on Saturday which is very exciting! I haven't seen Andy since Annabel was 9 months old and he hasn't even met Amelia yet! So we are all really excited to see him and the rest of the family. In fact, Adam's parents are the only ones on Adam's side who have met Amelia. So it is going to be a great family holiday this year! We haven't ventured back to the US since Amelia was born, the trip seemed a little to daunting with 2 small children. But once our kids get older we will get back into it again. I'd love to take the girls over for a holiday and catch up with everyone there!

So the plan is to have a joint birthday party for the girls while everyone is here. I went online today and found the cutest Little Mermaid party stuff. My girls absolutely LOVE mermaids and Disney princesses, so I figured it would be the perfect theme especially since we are having the party at the beach. Earlier last year my Mum had made the girls a mermaid tail each, she was always sewing and making great things, so I am going to have the girls wear them. It will be really special and nice to know that Mum is apart of their birthdays.

It strange though, because Mum has been gone for 12 weeks now, and even though it has been awhile I still feel like she is going to come home. I guess it take awhile to sink in. Although I just try and be practical, and tell myself that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, so I just have to get on with it. And its true! But one thing I am grateful for is that she is not sick anymore, and I dont have to worry about her. I was always worried. I dont like worrying, so I am choosing not to, well, trying not to worry about things anyway! I am missing her though, so very much and it is hard to think that she isn't coming back, ever. But one day at a time. I mean who knows the world could end tomorrow, and Jesus Himself could be taking us all home. Too much thinking though, I wreckon!

So anyways, back to the birthday party. It should be a great day for the girls, I cant wait to see their faces! I cant wait to have everyone here, and relax and have a great time. A good holiday is definitely needed!

Happy 2nd Birthday Amelia!

Happy Birthday Meelie Moo! Yesterday was Amelia's 2nd Birthday, and also Australia Day (26/1). The lucky little munchkin will always have a public holiday on her birthday, and will never have to go to school or work! Its hard to believe that my baby is already 2, which means Annabel will be 4 in 2 weeks!!!!
So yesterday we decided to take the girls into the city to South Bank for a swim and to join in all the festivites going on. I was really bummed though because my camera's batteries were flat and I didn't get any photos while we were there. The girls had a great time though, swimming, eating, playing, and watching everything that was going on. There were so many people there, but not so many that you were overwhelmed, but enough to create a great atmosphere. Lots of families celebrating, and everyone was dressed in the red, white and blue colours of our flag and there were flags everywhere, in many different forms and shapes. Adam's parents had sent the girls a cute American outfit for Christmas, all red white and blue, so they wore that and blended in very well! Its great that both flags have the same colours!
We ended up staying in the city for 5 hours, but decided to leave after Amelia was starting to lose it, and needed a sleep.
We then came home and rocked out to Guy Sebastion and Beyonce. The girls loved having their own little disco! We didn't have a proper birthday party for Amelia yet, because we decided to wait until all of Adam's family were over and have a joint party for the girls while we are away. So we had dinner and then the birthday cake. Amelia was so excited and Annabel equally excited when we brought the cake out with its lit candles on top. Singing happy birthday is by far the most exciting part of having a birthday. I think if thats all my girls ever got they would be stoked! I would love to be a kid again!

So the last couple of weeks have been busy! I have become really slack with my blogging and need to get back into it again. I dont want to turn around one day and wish that I had kept track of all things we've done as a family. Like my scrapbooking which has been untouched for months, and many months again before that. It seems though that my kids hate it when Im on the computer, but when I have the time, there is always something else I need to do. At night I am to tired to do anything except veg on the lounge or simply go to bed! I just need to post little blogs more often I guess!



Anyhoo! This past weekend we went up to friends Mark and Jody's place.They have Mia and Bella. Annabel and Mia are best friends. They haven't seen each other for ages, as we have been away and they have been away, so we the girls (and us adults!) were so excited to have a good catch up! It was great! We went out for Thai and we stayed the night, so it gave us plenty of time to chat away once the kids were all asleep without the need for babysitters. Mind you though, we didn't end up getting to bed til 3am! I have no idea where the time went, nor how I managed to stay up that late! Im lucky if Im still awake at 9.30pm! So we had a great catch up and the kids were so good.



Annabel however has been a bit difficult lately. Listening seems to be a real struggle for her and a constant battle for me! I thought "maybe she has something wrong with her ears?", but no. Mention the word chocolate and she tunes in quick smart! I just feel like Im yelling at her all the time and sending her to her room. Im make her stand in from of me and look me straight in the eye when I speak to her to make sure she is listening. She does all that except listen! GRRRR!!!! I get so frustrated! So now I have to make her repeat everything I say. Her mind is always wandering, and I realised that that concentrated look on her face was her listening hard to hear the TV to see which one of her shows was on! If only she would listen so closely to me! I guess my constant nagging is not working! So anyways, we are working on this "listening thing" now, and hopefully I can bring her attention back to me.

Camping trip

So christmas was over and it was time to get ready for the New Year! We had decided that we were going camping with my sister Jo and Steve and Nic on the way back for a little holiday and break the 10hr trip up. We left early on New Years Eve, and made it up to Stewarts Point by late morning. The 4 hour trip was alot easier! My sister had all the campsite set up and all we had to do was blow up our airbed and put it in the tent! It was great! The campsite was right on the water exactly 1 meter from the water's edge. It was a river connected to the beach, which was just over the other side of the mangroves. We camped there once before when Annabel was a baby. Camping is a huge Australian tradition. Every year, mainly at Christmas, families will go camping for a week or 2 to camping grounds (usually the same one) with friends and family. This camp ground was really nice as it had nice ementites and powered sited if you wanted them. There are camp grounds all up the coast, and we hope to get into the swing of camping as our kids get older. I always loved it as a kid.

Annabel and Amelia loved it. Annabel is a real little camper, she just lived in her swimmers and collected shells and both girls did alot of fishing. Because we were right on the water we would just cast a line out and the girls sat there on there chairs waiting for a fish to bite, and one did! Annabel caught herself a decent sized breem! It was actually quite big! The funny part though was that the hook wasn't in its mouth, she somehow managed to catch it with the hook in its back. Not funny for the fish though, but I have never seen a fish caught like that. She was very proud of herself!

My brothers and brother-in-law, all love fishing. My youngest brother Tim came camping aswell, and he and my Brother-in-law Steve and nephew Nic, all went out in the boat everyday catching alot of fish. It was great! We had an awesome fish fry for New Years Eve. They would catch everything from big fish to small fish for live bait, and nippers and pippies and they had crab traps out to catch all the big mud crabs which they did. Annabel and Amelia loved looking at all the different things they caught.

We only stayed for 2 nights, I could have stayed longer but we had to get back because Adam had to go back to work. But we are keen to go again next year!

Amelia sat there for ages waiting

for a fish to bite

The campsite

2 little camping munchkins

swimming at the little beach

The fish that Annabel caught