this year I'm bloggin' again...

"It's no New Year's resolution, it's more than that"...
Great Christmas Day this end. I hate to be a boring cliche, but Christmas is just so much fun again, enjoying it through the kid's eyes. I must admit, I don't think there was ever a time I actually believed in Santa Claus, but I am really loving that my kids believe. It's so fun to see them wake up and be so thrilled that the milk and cookie that they left out had been eaten during the night. I think as usual we overdid it and the boys were just spoilt to the max. We got an inkling when they complained their arms were getting tired from unwrapping gifts. I would like to try and tone it down a bit next year, hoping that we haven't set the precedent already. I just end up feeling like such a consumer, wishing I could go against the wave of pressure to buy, buy, buy.
It was great seeing everyone although I was pretty preoccupied with little Zo. She got an hour long cuddle from Grandpa Don which was lovely.
Eli was a little sad on the way to our lunch. I think mainly he missed his family. I wish someone would hurry up and invent that atom mover that could transport us to another continent in seconds. Just think, Christmas Eve with Grandpa Walter in Vermont, Christmas Day with Judy, Roy, Dewey and Kira, and then Boxing Day back in Sunny Melbourne watching the cricket.
Ahhhhh... Dreams.
Will be back on track with blog this year...

little kids

Have been playing out on the back deck a lot this sunny, hot week. It's a great thing for the kids to do as they have spent so much time inside this Winter. I think we have a pretty beautiful bunch of kids, I'm a proud Mumma.

cup day bbq

We went over to Roula and Andrew's today for a BBQ and it was really fun. E is still on the Gold Coast so It was a bit sad for us not to have him there but everyone else came. Gypsy won two of the sweeps and I blew all my dough and didn't win a cent... I have pretty bad luck on the races generally.
Zoe is doing great, but won't sleep in a crib, or anywhere really except in my arms which is quite a challenge considering I only have two of them and they usually need to be doing a million other things.
Eli is back this weekend.
Looking forward to some more warm weather... and some more spring storms.

Zoe is 5 weeks old today...

Today Mum and I decided to take the kids to Fountain Gate after karate... what were we thinking? It always seems like something quite fun before we actually get there and then the whole shopping centre reality sets in. I end up becoming a ball of anxiety and just want to run from the place screaming. We did it though and actually got almost everything we needed on our list which was a bonus.

We have been slowly getting used to our new life with three kids. Zoe is pretty great and we are all in love with her. I just love my time alone with her at night when I can lay there and drink in her beautiful soft baby/milky smell. She is really starting to become more alert and I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy this present moment and not wish her onto her next milestone, this being my last baby I just want to enjoy every moment.

The boys are great, feisty as ever. Liam particularly is really testing us right now. He spent most of the time at the mall today on the floor refusing to budge. It's pretty hard to make him move while carrying a baby as well, so i had to keep thinking of creative ways to get him moving, when he would finally get up he would give me the cheekiest look, reveling in his naughtiness. Anyway I now never look down on harried, screechy Fountain Gate Mums because I officially am one.

a few pics from the last 3 days...

she's here...

After a surprising early water break (38 weeks) Zoe was born on Saturday after a speedy labor (around 1 hour). Eli and I rushed off to the hospital after mum arrived to look after the boys only to be a bit worried as no signs of contractions or labour had started. I was actually starting to panic I had gotten everyone worked up for a false labor. The nurse was deciding whether to send us home when she suggested maybe Eli and I take a little walk to see if anything happened first. Within about 10 minutes I was on the floor crawling up the stairs to get back into the delivery room, with Eli laughing all the way. Marti arrived as the contractions started to get more frequent and stronger and we were well into the swing of it within about another 20 minutes.
OK so if you haven't had a baby yet and think you are going to maybe you might skip this bit : )
I had Zoe pretty much drug free (a little gas which kinda freaked me out) and even though it was pretty quick from go to whoa, I have never experienced so much pain in my life. The boys were both induced under an epidural and this was a complete shock to me. Eli is now telling me at one point i was screaming out "HELP! HELP!, WHAT'S GOING ON?" which everyone found kind of funny as it seemed pretty obvious to everyone there what was happening except me. I think I was fully expecting to have my drug fix and ease my way through the labor and by the time I was in full panic mode and begging for some drugs it was too late. Anyway, in retrospect I am so happy I have experienced a natural childbirth, but I am so glad that will be my last.
We are all settling in pretty well here, I am still pretty amazed I have a little girl, and I am a Mumma of three... who would have thunk it. What a blessed life I have with my little family.

my beautiful family looking so happy at the wedding in june...

Saturday Night with Mart and Spidey...

We have been so lucky to have a steady stream of aunties and Nanas and Grandpas coming to visit so we don't get lonely while Dad is away. Mart came up tonight and the kids love having Spidey here. Spider is actually asleep on Kai's bed right now and it was the easiest Kai has ever gone to sleep... I can really see Kai wanted a dog at some stage in the future.
I made scrambled eggs for dinner which seems to be the one thing that the kids completely finish off with no crumbs left.
I was actually a bit worried because one of our chickens went missing tonight and I was out with the torch looking for her and finally found her on top of the chainlink fence around the side of the house, I think she may have flown up there and gotten stuck, I was really glad to get her back into the pen safe and sound... I love those chickens... and not just for the yummy scrambled eggs : )

friday night at our house...

Celeste and Owen came over last night for pizza. I was feeling pretty tired but was really glad for the company. The boys jumped around for a little while and then spontaneously took off their clothes and crashed out in a heap. I was a bit of a screechy Mum last night and now looking back at these photos see that the boys were just being boys and having a lot of fun... I think I'll try and lighten up a bit next time.

a little while between posts...

Last week Eli and I went out for dinner at this great Indian restaurant we have found and then onto Oscars for a drink. It was a great night, but I had started to really feel something brewing in my chest, a lot of coughing and wheezing. Anyway it was just really cold and I felt it intensely, but then ignored it, as you do. Next day at about 4pm I was hit with a fever and flu like a freight train, it was like a matter of 20 minutes, I was fine and then I was just not. Anyway, upshot is I spent the night at the local Hospital and it was all a bit scary. The nurses kind of rushed me through to a bed in Emergency after ready my vital signs and it was the very first time I have had an oxygen mast, which for me was pretty full-on. I usually wait this sort of thing out, but thought because of the baby I should be checked out and to have the nurses react so swiftly was a little alarming. Anyway, turns out I had a bacterial infection in my chest and "The Flu", whether it was swine flu or not I can't tell, apparently we all have it. But I have been recovering slowly but surely, mainly with the help of hubby and Mumma. Mum actually spent pretty much the whole week helping me out with the kids, she was a God sent and I really don't know what I would have done without her.
The boys are great, they were a bit confused, and even angry when I would hop back into my bed after a small spell of playing "Mum, you're not sick anymore" Kai would say. But I have to say a scare like that has made me realize how much I need to keep well and look after myself more, which when lying in a delirium I swore I would do, but of course I'm almost back to all my old bad habits, no slippers on cold tiles, sheer tops in arctic weather, chocolate breakfasts and bare feet outside in the rain, etc... as you do.

chillys in the hillys...

It's been pretty chilly this week. Lots of fires going at night and rugging up during the day. Eli got back on Wednesday and it's been great to have him back home again. He is adjusting to the cold and time difference, so he has been a bit dazed. The kids are pretty cute with him, they keep running up to him for a hug and kiss, It's like they keep seeing him for the first time. It just makes you realize how much of our comings and goings effect them... they absorb everything even if it doesn't seem like it.
I have been working a little, but also just putting a lot of time into the house. It's amazing how when it's cold you have to do lots of prep, make sure fire is ready for the night chill, make sure all beds have warm, fresh sheets, hot water bottles, hot chocolates... I must admit though, I kind of love it. I remember when I was young I would love to play nurse and make everything perfect for my sick patient, it's like that again... I love making all the small details around the house perfect for everyone. I warm PJs at night and set up fire so it only needs a match to go, I even love having dinner on the go before the kids get home so they can walk into the warm aroma. Anyway, this will all probably fly out the window once I'm knee deep in nappies and baby puke... but for now it's fun trying to be Carol Brady : )

funny little boy...

Liam has been talking so much these last few weeks... He is saying such funny little things, like "I love you darling" to his nanny. He always needs to talk on the phone whenever I am on it and is now able to say more and more. It's so fun to watch him develop, Mum keeps telling me to get the video camera out as we are really slack about videoing anything, I know she is right, it will all pass by in the blink of an eye... hmmmm, must remember to ask E where the camera is when he gets back.

happy birthday neepy...

Happy birthday to my beautiful husband and best friend.

pirate party

The kids went to Kai's mate, Abiah's birthday today. It was a really fun party and Sally (Abiah's Mum) did a great job putting it together. The kids loved Pass the Parcel and the Pinåta. It was just nice to sit with some mums and talk while the kids ran around having a ball. Kai and E left Liam and I to have a sleep in the afternoon to go and help Kai's karate class remove some hate/racist graffiti from the building. They ended up going to see a movie together (Night at the Museum 2) and didn't get back until 6pm. I was pretty pissed that I fell asleep for so long with Li as I am anticipating a long night of insomnia now, which is usually followed by an even longer day of tired Mum hell... Usually the only thing that helps that is packing the pram and taking off and walking, so that's the plan.

cubby house

I remember making little cubby houses when I was little. I loved it, and would always imagine it would be my new house where I would live forever...

sunday book club

This weekend has been a pretty busy one for us, yesterday the kids and I met Celeste and Unmani in Belgrave for a BBQ in the park. It was a really nice day and all the boys ran around for hours. Eli didn't come and I was kind of sorry I discouraged him as I think he would have really liked it, and there were other guys there too. I thought it was just a Mums and kids thing... oh well next time.
Today E definitely wanted to stay home and spent most of the day in bed with a stomach flu. I took the kids down to Gayes for our book club meeting. Not everyone was there but it was still great. Actually I think this week was actually the first week we all started to passionately talk about, and in some cases defend the books and authors we loved. It also made me think about since joining these two book clubs I have read and thought more about what I am reading than ever before.
Anyway, today was good, the weekend was good, but still I felt just a little on the flat side... not to be confused with fat side : )
I think I've hit my mid-way pregnant woman hump and just have to get through it and start preparing for the new little person we will all soon be meeting.

mothers day...

Today Mum and I drove with the kids to Caite's house in Pakenham for a Mother's Day lunch, where we met Nana, Gem, Roy, Gin and Carm. We all sat around talking (as usual) while the kids played on the Wii. Then we went to the park at the centre of Caite's housing estate, which was really nice. Mart and Gaye turned up later on their way home from Nana Segel's. Mart had got the kids these great suits which they loved beyond belief.

dinner and a movie...

E and I haven't really gone out for a while, just the two of us, so last night was really special to me. I had organized for Mum to come up and mind the kids and really wanted to go to an Indian restaurant I have heard great things about. I rang for a reservation but was told there was nothing available, but decided to turn up early anyway and see if we could squeeze in. It was great we got a fantastic table and the food was amazing. I can't wait to go back again. Eli ate a chili meal and was dared to go up to a 5 XXXXX rating for strength... He chose 1 X and was still pretty blown away by how hot it was, but say next time will try 2 or 3 X. We went and saw Star Trek in Belgrave and it was really fun, It still takes a lot to keep me interested in any kind of actiony-scifi kind of movie, and I did find my mind wandering at times, but it was definitely a lot better than I anticipated. Anyway, it was a great night for me and I really want to try and make the effort t do it more... while we can : )

so chilly... but so much fun...

Yesterday we ventured into town to spend the day with Mart, Mum and Gaye. We packed the pram with food and nappies and started off by going to the op-shop, where Kai found a big stuffed car "to hug at night" and a ball and a few other bits and pieces. Then we went to the Adventure Playground where the kids ran around for an hour or so. I bumped into an old work colleague, which was nice as I got to catch up on what had happened to the advertising agency I worked at just before embarking on my trip to the States, all those years ago. Then we headed down to Acland Street to look for warm hats and some tights. We all got ice creams and kept walking to try and find a house that had be designed to look like a dragon. We found it and the kids thought it was quite awesome. Then a walk along the beach while we decided what to get for dinner. We ended up just getting a chicken and some salad from Safeway, which was the cheaper and healthier option...
All in all, it was my idea of the perfect day. The best part was that I seemed to have more stamina than usual, even though I am pretty sick with a cold. I could have kept walking and walking, even though everyone else's legs were falling off.
The kids fell asleep in the car on the way home, and Eli and I watched In Bruges. Then flopped into bed totally exhausted!

mum and dad...

My wonderful folks...

easter party in the hills...

This was our second party for Easter here and I think it may become an every year occasion. It was really wonderful. I spent the whole last week stressing that there wasn't going to be enough food for everyone and of course there was a huge abundance. The kids had a great time and seem to be getting the hang of all this chocolate on Easter Sunday. I did let them eat a little but we have a cupboard full of eggs and will be doling them out for the next few months. The ironic thing is that this pregnancy has left me with a complete aversion to chocolate, try as I will to eat and enjoy it I am just not into it... what a change for me.
here are a some pics...

good friday with my beautiful family...

Today the boys and I drove down to St Kilda to spend the day. Mum, Mart and I walked to Alma Road park and let the kids run around for a while. We then went to Chapel Street for lunch and the most amazing chocolate tapas from San Churro Chocolateria. Then Gaye met us for the walk home. It was one of those slow meandering days in St Kilda that I have come to love so much. We didn't get home until 8pm and I am ready to crash... Eli was busy working on the house all day and getting it ready for the party on Sunday.

teddy bear picnic at the pre-school

Today we met Kai for lunch at his pre-school, all the kids brought along a teddy bear and it was pretty cute. Liam loved being able to spend some time actually playing at the school as usually we are whisking him away after we have dropped Kai off. I made a cake and some of Kai's friends shared it.

littlest one...

First ultrasound of the littlest bubba...

things getting back to normal...

It's been a pretty rough month this end... I think my last post was something about the hot weather coming and hopefully we will be spared any major fires in Vic... well needless to say, that didn't happen. The fires were horrible and we were in and out of our house for about a 2 weeks. It was really upsetting for all of us, but mainly the kids felt the mood change. Liam started to wake often in the night after sleeping right through for almost a year, Kai's behavior was pretty erratic at times, he was having a hard time making sense of everything. I was feeling violently ill and Eli was becoming increasingly more homesick.
I am really happy to say things have started to settle down and our little house is starting to feel harmonious again.
Liam is pretty much back into a good sleep routine and I feel like Kai has calmed down and is able to communicate better his feelings and thoughts. Eli seems to be happy again pottering around the garden. He has planted so many veges and herbs, it's funny because I have been practically bed-ridden I have hardly even noticed the plantings, then when I took a walk outside, wow, we have tomatoes, basil, squash, parsley... not to mention all the fruit trees survived the heat and seem to be thriving.

kai and li...

The boys are getting so big...

coping with the heat...

Haven't written for a while... Life has been quite hectic lately, mainly just trying to keep everyone cool (tempers & temperatures) in this horrible heatwave. We have basically been shutting the house up in the morning and using the evaporative run-off in the kids pool in the afternoon. It hasn't been so bad and at least we have the evaporative cooling, some of our friends up here don't have any cooling and it's been unbearable for them. I have had some pretty bad morning sickness and have been laying around a lot... it's so easy to forget how horrible the first trimester is. I had to forgo my Leonard Cohen ticket last night as I just wasn't up to sitting in a hot arena even for that and I was so sad when Mart rang mid way through the concert to tell me how it was going. It sounds like an amazing event, I just couldn't do it, no matter how much I wished I could. Tomorrow is expected to be HOT again with very dangerous fire conditions, so fingers crossed Victoria gets through this one without any fire damage.

sunny day at the lake...

I took the kids down to Lysterfield Lake Park. It was pretty hot so we only stayed for a while. We met Celeste and Owen and had planned to also meet Roula and the kids. As it turns out Roula was at a different part of the lake and it seems a much nicer part too. We had been sitting in the area that was gravelly and hard, but there is a whole man-made beach area up a little way... next time we will try that out I think.

marti's birthday in the park...

Today we all got together at St. Kilda Gardens for Mart's birthday. Marti and I concocted the plan a couple of weeks ago. It was fun deciding what each of us would make to bring. I made a potato salad and mart made sandwiches and salad. There was also plenty of cake : )
I didn't get any pics of the kids because they both spent the whole time running around and having a ball. The park was pretty full with families and kids. I just love watching the way children interact... there is no inhibition and you see kids just running off with one another only to be side tracked by another game with some other kids, it seems within a playground full of kids each child has interacted with each other at least once. Anyway I think it's lovely and so sweet.

I was pretty tired all day because Liam and Kai kept us up since 3am... they take it in turns to be awake and then just both decide to stay awake if it's getting toward dawn. I plopped them in front of cartoons when it became early enough hoping to get a little more rest on the couch, but before I could get the telly on was asked by Kai "What are we made of?" and "who made us?" ... it was these big questions that made me finally give up on more sleep... I just couldn't come up with a good answer at that time, the best I came up with was we were made by the world (hey, it was still only 6am), but I will have to think about that some more, I am sure there is a better answer than that.

Tomorrow it is going to be HOT, so we are planning to take the kids swimming somewhere local.

saturday with mart...

We went down to St. Kilda on Saturday instead of Sunday this weekend as we wanted to do some shopping on Chapel Street. It was getting pretty warm when we left and stayed sunny most of the day. I took the kids to the Library before we picked up Mart and Kai really loved it... I used to love St. K library too when I was a kid. Come to think of it I should have taken him outside to jump up on the ledge that runs all the way around... that was my favorite part. Actually now I am having another memory of a kid from school discovering that a lolly factory somewhere in the vicinity used to dump all the malformed snakes and jubes in the Library bins out the back and we used to ransack them... erhhhhhh...
And taking a trip down memory lane, we also re-discovered Alma Road Park which has had a lot of work done to it since we used to play there. The boys loved it. There was a flying fox and lots of other great things for them to play on... I think that may become one of our usual destinations now when we are wandering around St. Kilda.

Yesterday was pretty mellow, I got a chance to give the house a good clean, which felt good A good clean usually results in me piling up Eli's tools and junk in a huge pile beside the front door until it gets moved... which may not be any time soon, judging by his expression when he saw it.

I took Kai to Earthly Pleasures and met Gyps, everyone was there to listen to Andrew and Joel play. I talked to Joel later about maybe taking some guitar lessons, which I may or may not be able to afford.

Note: This week Kai's new thing is to tell mumma to "chill out mate" or just to "chill down"... it's a good reminder actually : )

kaisy and mumma...

My beautiful boy : )

lovely afternoon...

So nice to have a kid-free lunch with Gyps and Simmone. We had intended to go to Earthly Pleasures in Belgrave, but it was closed for the Christmas break so we had to settle for the only place open in Kallista. It was a bit of a downer as it would have been the perfect day to sit out on the lawn at EP, oh well. It was great to get together and we really had a chance to talk. I think the best thing about having friends, especially great old friends is that they know you and can give you insights, advice and observations all with the wealth of many years of knowing you, I guess what I mean to say is that I really listen when they speak...

liam and the chooks

We are loving our new chickens. They are so sweet natured and follow us around the garden all day. They always stick together and it's really fun watching them explore the big backyard. Liam especially loves feeding them and watching them, sometimes crying if he has to come away from them. Anyway, they have made their first bed for us and Eli has planted some herbs and an orange tree... we just pick up the movable coop after a few weeks and voilå, a fresh patch of fertilized earth.
PS: Kai has named the chooks, Reindeer, Polly and spotty.