Brad and Gypsy

Just wanted to post this pic of Brad & Gyp. I thought they were looking especially handsome when we went out to dinner.

little mischeivious boy

Liam is a lot like Kai, They seem to disappear and I find them up to mischief somewhere. Liam was reorganizing the recycling when I finally found him.

my lovely friend, Tal

I just wanted to post this picture of Taly. She looks so happy and relaxed with her littlest baby, Asher.
I really miss her. We used to have lunch at Nordstroms often...I miss the Chinese chicken salad, it was amazing.
Way to rock the Acca-Dacca T-shirt Tal!

it's been so warm...

The weather has really been lovely. Eli has been working and takes the car so I have been walking around a lot with the boys. We have been having a great time. It kind of reminds me of LA and the meandering days I used to have...just me, a pram, a fully stocked diaper bag and the open road...fun!

We just got back from dinner...

we just had a really wonderful night with Brad and Gyp. Mart baby sat for us and it was nice to be able to go out and be adults. I was a bit anxious to get home and think I may have cut the evening a little short. I guess in time I will really start to relax and be able to enjoy myself fully when I am away from the babies.

little sick boy...

Oh Liam was so sick this week. I was really worried, but he is better now. I took this photo one night when he was just so snotty and hot with fever...but he was so sweet as well. Oh well, we are all fine now and the weather has been great.

We have all had the flu

We have all been pretty sick this end. Kai seems better and Eli is OK. Liam and I have a lingering virus thing. We just sleep all day and night. I feel pretty weak in general but am trying to keep it together here regardless. If I can manage to get a few things done it helps to lessen the feeling of everything becoming totally overwhelming. Kaisy is off to school today and Eli will be working in the shed. I hope that Liam and I can SLEEEEEEEEEP all day.

Lovely Saturday in Ormond...

We had a lovely afternoon with Gaye and Mart. Mart made a chomlette* and I made egg sandwiches. It was fun and easy and reminds me of the reason I moved back here.

It always seems the same on the weekends, Eli and I both struggling to get some time to ourselves. We are both acutely aware of who has had an iota of free time so we can claim our own. Sometimes I feel like I just have to STOP trying to get things done (work, cleaning, washing etc) and just play with the kids, it's always fun and I forget that. I guess my greatest challenge as a Mum is to let things go a bit...leave the dishes and enjoy making a mess with the kids.

It seems that Eli and I really chose to sell our house at the right time, the housing market is really tanking in the States although the repercussions will be felt everywhere. When America sneezes the world catches a cold.

*flourless chocolate cake made with lots of eggs.

new quilts on the beds...

Judy sent us some really beautiful quilts for the boy's beds. I think they look wonderful. I actually got a photo of the moment Kai was discovering all the trucks and cars on them. Life has been pretty quiet in our house. We are all still recovering from various cold/flu viruses. Eli has been working in the tool shop. He is in heaven over there.

Really quiet weekend...

It's been a really mellow weekend. Yesterday I took the kids over to Mum's. We walked around St Kilda and took Kai to Luna Park. We went on a couple of rides, but he was mostly interested in watching the dodgem cars. He really wanted to go on them but was too little. Today we all just dagged around in PJ's for most of the day. I finally rallied and made spinach and cheese pie with roasted pumpkin. it was OK, the recipe needs some work, it was a bit watery.

eli is building a little tree house...

E started building a little tree house in the nectarine tree for Kai. It's a project we had planned in Mar Vista but never got around to. I get pretty nervous with them outside with the power tools, but Eli assures me Kai is safe at all times. I guess it's a good idea for him to learn about tools early.

Really yummy fried rice...

I have been having a great time cooking again. I kinda lost my mojo toward the end of life in LA (with all the prep to leave) and now I am really enjoying thinking of what to make for dinner. I have been experiemnting a lot. We had fried rice tonight, which is great because it's all one dish and the kids loved it.

Jo's Fried Rice

Marinade
• 1 chicken Breast (cut up finely) in
• soy
• honey
• Chinese Spice mix (Master Foods is great)
Set aside in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Fry
• 1 beaten egg thinly spread over non-stick pan (cut up into small pieces and set aside)
• Marinated chicken (set aside)

Chop finely
• spring onions
• carrot
• corn
• bell pepper
• green beans
• peas

Cook
• Rice

Lightly fry veges in oil and soy.
Add chicken and egg.
Add Rice.
Combine all ingredients over low heat.

Serve to the hungry mob!

sick, cranky, but excited

Oh crappo, i'm sick again. It just seems that the kids and I pass this thing back and forth. I feel like I have been sick for weeks now. Kaisy and I also have a bad case of conjunctivitis. It stinks. BUT...
I am starting to get excited about the land/house prospect. Eli has been telling me more about when he took a walk around the land. There is a little running creek down at the edge of the property. He has talked about building a little deck down there. And maybe we could put a swing. Anyway, I know I shouldn't get emotional about it because we are not even sure we can secure financing etc. But I would just LOVE to put my heart and energy into this dream.

E was looking up some roofing material and the sample house image used on this site really gives the tone of the house we are wanting to build.