The July Summation

The obvious problem with neglecting your blog is trying to remember what happened months ago. Be warned I will be making this up as I go along.

I think I took this pic as tangible poof that the kids sometimes play nicely together.

We went to Cath's for tea and realised Bear had grown about 10 centimeters!

The other thing that happened in July, was that I finally caught up with Vyc for some quality BFF time. Never under estimate the restorative  power of  a pedi with your bestie. It was beyond brill.

July is a big birthday month for us with the kids, two of their cousins, Pauline  and Tracy all celebrating birthdays in July. 

Lucy turned 

12!

Pancakes for Breaky 

Lamest Woolies bought cake eva.

As always Lucy got to pick what was for tea (I think she had San Chow Bow) and we sang happy birthday.  

A few days later Riley turned 15!

 These people are awake! (I suspect the person taking the pic wasn't). Riley is opening his gift from us ... a very sporty flash watch that he had picked out months earlier.

Making a wish after blowing out his candles.

Bear also picked his favourite tea - chicken paramagiana .

One of the reasons the kids birthday celebrations (on the day) were so low key, was that David and Riley took Lucy and  3 of her friends to the Gold Coast (Dreamworld) for the day.  This was a huge deal not only for the cost but because we had to borrow Pauline  and Brian's 7  seater  car. I opted to stay at home (I told David that this was MY birthday present for the next 5 years) but looking at the 500 pics Lucy took (most of them selfies)   a good time was had by all. Riley did mention that he wasn't keen to be stuck in a car for 2 hours with 4 girls again anytime soon... we'll see. 

Dear Riley

Today you turn 15.

This open letter is all about you and its my attempt at recording all the small details of your life at 15 (as I see it).

You love being you: you are comfortable in your own skin and you mostly like your everyday life. You have some close mates and are in the last couple of months girls have made an impact on you. You did have a “girlfriend” for about a week until I suspect school/rugby/homework time pressures made it all too hard and you told Dad “it’s off move on”. You like Siena and admire some of your teachers. You have a personality conflict with Mrs Chutcuti (whose strengths and personality you won’t value until you are much older)  but even then she thinks you are great to teach and you manage to keep your impatience with her in check (as Dad and I expect you to do with teachers and coaches).

You and your board at Mlooba Beach

You are FUNNY especially to me and Dad. Your sense of humour is dry, a combination of Uncle Joel and Uncle Stephen at times.  Your humour is the quiet type, one liners and witty comebacks are your specially (when you are talking and laughing … you're 15 … sometimes you just grunt).

You are starting to exert your independence. In the last couple of months you completed work experience at Brisbane Airport and stayed the week with Nick and Tracy and travelled to Northern NSW for a Rugby tour. You like being your own person without Dad and I nagging you with all our bothersome rules like bedtimes and homework.

Rugby Trip 2012 - why are you being cuddled?

Saying you eat a lot is putting it mildly.  Your favourite foods are still meat and potatoes, curries and roasts. Every Sunday you tell me off for only cooking one packet of bacon and last weekend when we went to Nanna and Poppies I took a kg of bacon that Nanna thought was over the top. There was none left J . You love cookies and cream ice cream but only the ultra-expensive brand of course and you like to eat it straight out of the carton with the ice cream scoop. This causes Dad and I to scream at you. You are a little bit finicky about food at the moment … if someone else touches your food you won’t eat it needless to say this gives Lucy great pleasure in annoying you.

You love the mirror. You love going to the Uni gym and you love skateboarding in Ptown. You ask me to take you to  Ptown on the weekends to skate and I walk. I love these afternoons with you.

You are learning to be a man by wrestling Dad! Well at least that is what the Parenting book tells me. Lots of your interaction with Dad is trying to get Dad to submit in a wrestle or seeing who can give the other a dead arm. There is lots of biffo going on. It’s important that Dad doesn’t back down and I guess you will get that one day when you have sons of your own. We know we ask a lot of you with chores and helping around the house. You are a gun lawn mower and whippersnipper as well as helping Dad rebuild the house.  Believe it or not this will stand you in good stead later in life and compared to lots of kids you have it great.

You have just started a class at school call Program Challenge where you work on a project with a community mentor. You were chosen to do this class by Mrs Bolton and it’s a privilege. Your mentor is Mr Pat O’Dwyer a retired Mining Engineer who will guide you in putting together a feasibility study for a new open cut mine.  I took you to the meeting with Pat and let me tell you I was a little bit worried. Especially as on the way in the car you said and I quote “This meeting better be good I washed my hair for it and its mint”. I have to say that in the meeting you blew me away with your maturity and intelligence and manners. Pat also commented to Mr Height how switched on and prepared you were. This sums up your 15… some days are golden some days we want to sell you on ebay.

You, Pat and your mint hair

Other small details that will fade as you get older are: you like Quarter Pounders, Gansta Rap, very plain t shirts, Nike dress shoes, Facebook, skype, nutrigrain, black skinny jeans, surfing magazines, going to the beach and the uni gym.

Your bedroom is always a mess, you never want to get up for school, you are always late getting to the bus, you argue EVERY time its your turn to do the dishes and to our knowledge you have never voluntarily picked up a towel off your floor.

Rugby Trip 2012

Happy Birthday Bear, we love you and you love us and that is all.

Mum & Dad xxxx

May (and My 40th Birthday) Summation

I'm not dead :-)

My friend Annie rang me on the weekend and asked if I was ok as I hadn't updated my blog in years. To be honest this is the post I have been dreading, even if I didn't have major internet connectivity issues I would still be dragging my heels to document May.

The lead up to my Birthday Weekend (BW) made May one very emotional and exhausting month.

All the weeks before hand were a mad rush to get the house and yard ready to have people over for my Birthday and then after the BW I was so exhausted and melancholy (not to mention poxy with about 16 cold sores ... sorry for that mental picture) that I threw a pity party for myself that lasted most of June.

All my pictures of the BW are crap and the good ones I took of my siblings out to lunch in Maleny were eaten by my iphone :-( but to follow is the best of a bad lot. 

David outdid himself and worked like a dog to get the paving finished.

This is me on my actual 40th Birthday! Cath dropped into the Uni to have coffee with me. The girls at work birthday bombed my office with balloons and streamers and we had cake in the afternoon. I had a great day apart from strange phone calls where not one but two relatives decided to turn saying Happy Birthday into berating me for perceived slights. Many Happy Returns!

This is the actual day of my party. This is the day I will treasure forever! My family all together, with some extra glorious news thrown in.

My niece Dana is a star... she (along with her parents and my  family) manned the kitchen and fed everyone.  David and I didn't have to worry about the food at all.

After lunch, Annie and Stewie drove hours to see me!!! I love these guys so much and I hated that they couldn't stay longer and that I wont see them now until September.

Looking back I have no idea why I didn't make a bit more of an effort with my hair and outfit on the day... probably because I was trying not to lose my shite at every turn.

Pretty much every pic I have is this bad! At least in this shot you can see the disco ball and the brazier. We managed to have my birthday outside on the coldest night of the year!

Its hard to see but David made the long table and bench seats so we could all sit and eat together and my fam decorated downstairs beautifully. It looked like a twinkly outdoor restaurant. My beautiful Sis Krys did my make up and it was very glam.

Here is me doing what I did most of the night... dorky dancing under the disco ball.

Suzie was also busting some moves :-)

Another  attempt at some family pics.... Cath is making sure she gets in the frame :-)

The next day we all went out to lunch at the tavern Dana is apprentice cheffing at. It was a great lunch for those of us not hungover and asleep on the couch (I'm looking at you David).

Dana picking out knives 

Sunday  also saw Krys and Andrew fly home (thank you again Angie,Krys and Andrew for coming so far for such a short time xxx).

Monday Cath, Ang and I took Joel to the Plaza and had some excellent brunch  and I walked around with the sick feeling in my tummy that it was all finishing.

Me, the sibs and my chins

Angie  flew home Tuesday morning and I went back to work. David and I spent the rest of May NOT working on the house and sleeping a lot.

Stay tuned for June where I hated the world, broke my iphone camera, and helped David rip out the bathroom.

Ex

Joel's 30th Birthday

Being with so many of my family peeps to help celebrate Joel's 30th was so good. I love all these (crappy) pics. 

 Krys organised a fun and happy party for Joel at the wharf ... she worked really hard to bring everyone together and make sure they were fed and watered and then clean up and get the venue ship shape. She did such a great job.

All these pics are crappy - but if you look hard Zach my nephew is sticking his tongue out... its hilarious

 Krys asked Angie, Cath and I to do a speech and Angie came up with the "30 Things about Joel" concept. We tried to make them funny and poignant and I think our speech was a hit. All the speeches were amazing, Joel's mate AJ read a message from a very close mate of Joel's who couldn't make it and there wasn't many dry eyes in the house such is the strong bond of love and friendship Joel and Krys have with their friends. My Uncle Geoff made a cracker of a speech (he was MC at our wedding and his speech's are always very personal and from the heart).

Cath forgot her glasses and had to share Angies :-)

 We each told family and friends 10 things about our baby brother.

 We tried not to embarrass him too much :-)

 Joel spoke brilliantly. He was a little emotional as were we all. I think it meant so much to him that so many mates and friends and family were with him to help him celebrate.

Dave and our friend Warwick... and a pesky balloon

This is at the end of the night... about 1.30am I think. Just waiting for taxi's and having a rest.

The "30 things about Joel" are obviously personal and between him and us but I will write the last part of our speech :

When Joel arrived in our family 30 years ago it was like we had all received the best preset ever. A more loved and wanted baby your couldn't find.

And pretty much throughout the last 30 years that feeling hasn't changed.

Looking around I can see he is loved and admired by lots of his family and friends and I think we all consider him a gift in our lives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVELY!