A bit of catch up!

Sack race

Egg and spoon race

Bella and Amalie had a great time.

I didn't realise what a good pic of the other boy picking his nose, and you can barely see Micah, he is turned away,(next to the nose picker, closest to the camera) but he had a great time.

These are from Micah's athletics carnival a couple of weeks ago. He had a great time, they were practicing for weeks doing 30 meter run, egg and spoon race and the sack race. The little boys were so cute and all had a fun time. They had an obstical course and parachute games and heaps of other games and activities organised in between races which was great so they didn't go crazy!

Bella, Amalie and I went along to watch and the girls had fun on the obstical course themselves, and enjoyed all the fun of the afternoon.

Micah only has a week left of school for the year, I think he is really going to miss going to school during the holidays, but he has made some greeat little friends which has been fantastic and I think he is going to love Prep next year, he already wants to go every weekday this year!

We put up the christmas tree on Saturday. I have been excited that this year the kids will be more involved and that it will be so much more fun, but Saturday was crazy. Micah only wanted to put the star on and went on about it from when the christmas tree box was opened, and didn't do one other thing! Bella was great and put on nearly all the baubles, very densely populating the lower branches of the tree, with some branches four or five heavy, and I am talking the one little branch of the many on each bigger branch. But she was so enthusiastic and helped til the end. Amalie fulfilled her toddler role of pulling off every bauble on any branch she could reach, causing a fit from Bell who was frustrated by the constant upsetting of her masterpiece. Fun fun! But at least I have learnt not to have any expectations of my children! They all have their different strengths and abilities and interests! And they are all darlings, but I have enjoyed their bedtime, well after their bedtime, this last week!

My little Smarty Pants

We got Micah into Kinder early this year, because he was so ready, there were a whole bunch of reasons, and he has been so happy, made great friends. He started two days a week, now does three, and would go five days a week if he could. But because his birthday is January it looked like he would have to do another year of Kinder, which I think would drive him crazy, he would be the oldest in the class and would be bored not long into the year.



So I organised for him to be assessed by a child psychologist, to see where he is at to see if I should push for him to go up, or at least know that it would be the best for him to do Kinder again. Firstly, people made out it was a stressful and traumatic thing to put your child through, well Micah loved it, he had fun. Anyway, I got the results back on Friday, and they were fantastic! My little 4 year 8 month old boy, ranged between 5 yrs 7 mths and 6 yrs 10 mths with his assessment, in the top 2 percent, and they certainly recommended his grade acceleration, and extension activities, and I talked to his teacher, and it's not all official yet, but it looks like he will definatly be going up.



The other great thing about the assessment was that the last page was full of recommendations for him and his learning, and it is fantastic, I think I will get the girls assessed at a similar age, just for the great resouce. It also had information about the Tas Association for the Gifted, which is just classic! I am so glad I got it done, he is going to be so happy to go up with all his friends.

Micah

Micah dressed as a knight for the book parade at school.

Playing Diago on the computer

Micah is growing more delightful every day. He has been a bit bored this holidays after being so stimulated at school, he would love to go every day! He is really growing into a boy, a school boy, an intelligent, active (although amazingly less active than he used to be, I never thought that would wean!), creative boy, though in a different way to Bella.

He loves music, he loves dancing, he makes up these fantastic dances that are a combination of tap and breakdancing! They are so good, he does little performances for us. The other day I unusually had some of my music on and he was helping me cook, but when each new song would come on, he would have to go and dance to it, and he danced differently depending on the song and tempo. It was gorgeous.

He has a great imagination, he loves inventing things, mostly from box work, but he makes all types of thing. He told me that when he is five he will be an inventor, because he will be grown up then, and he needs tools and a desk! He worked out the other day that he can make the letters of the alphabet with his body, so he contorts it some very creative ways to come up with his letters.

He is competitive, he is affectionate, and he looks after his sisters. He loves Scrapheap Challenge, which starts at his normal bedtime. He loves using the camera, and he has pretty good composition too. He is charming. He is a wonderful boy.

Isabella's towers

I may be a bit biased, but Bella is an incredible girl. Maybe the contrasts between her and Micah really point me to her virtues. The other day she spent hours making these houses and towers, she made them, then would make more, often after Amalie had been past and played her let's knock everything over game. Bella has amazing concentration, se can sit and do things for hours. She often sits at the table and draws for hours also. When we drop Micah off at kinder, we don't leave until he has written his name in a special book, and every morning Bella has to do a drawing at the table with the boys. Her drawings are fantastic, she does people, Micah's teacher raves her drawings, she even called the other teacher to show her, and couldn't believe she wasn't even three yet. She also does these pictures with patterns, circles in lines, in all colours. Anyway, I think she is very clever. The thing that is really nice is that she gets so involved, she does it with most things, she is a little thinker. I often find the blocks sorted into colours or shapes. She is gorgeous.

Excuse the red on the carpet, our red shag mat is driving me crazy as it constantly sheds

Holiday Fun!

I was so looking forward to the school holidays, not having to rush off in the morning, and to enjoy spending time all together.

We had promised the kids they could camp in the back room, so Friday after school the kids and I set up the sun tent with their sleeping bags and all the dolls and teddies they had to have with them. Then Daddy set up his sleeping bag out there too and told them stories by torchlight. They had a great time, and slept there for four or five nights, though one night was enough for daddy. It was gorgeous how much they enjoyed it. Amalie loved it too, and even though she didn't sleep out there she would climb right in the back of the tent and find herself a spot. We found Isabella almost out of the tent most nights because she had made room for her "children." They are so much fun!!

I remember sleeping in a tent in the lounge when I was a kid, we loved it too.

Man Flu!!

James was sick this last weekend, really sick. He has been on and off for a couple of weeks, better and worse, then Friday he was really sick, slept the whole weekend, day and night!

He found this great clip, which I am sure you will all relate too. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvWKioLtP-0

I will add that like in the clip, he caught it from me!
Thankfully he is finally better now.

Mornings

James got up this morning early with the kids, so I could have a little sleep in (Amalie was up sick again last night!). Well when I got up, he had dressed Micah ready for school and Isabella was dressed in a cute outfit, though it was a little tight. The pants were only 3/4 length, and the top quite short and tight. It was Amalie's outfit! He had got it out of the clean washing in the basket, and I suppose just thought it was Bella's. I had taken pics of Bella and Amalie in the outfit so you could see, but I am having trouble getting my pictures to attatch.

Though I want to add that I really appreciate the effort, and it was quite entertaining. Because I was a little overtired, when I saw Bella I started to laugh in that uncontrollable way that is almost hysterical. I'm sure it let out some of that built up craziness and tension. It was great!

Also on the things cheeky husbands get up to when they get up early. I think he had a plan when he got up early. We started a diet today, just cutting out a lot of junk and eating lots of natural foods, lots of veg soup. I found him when I got up, in the back room (hiding!!!) eating microwave pizza, though just half, he told me!! And a bowl of rich chocolate ice cream!! Though he did point out that it had banana chopped in it too! I don't know if he was having a last binge, he was the one who really wanted to get back on track!! I suppose it can only get better from now, if that's how it started!!

I'm back!!

I haven't barely touched the computer for over a week. It has been a bit crazy, Amalie and I have been sick, which was not really fun. I think being sick as a mother is probably one of the hardest things about being a mum, thankfully my mum took the older two kids for a couple of days, but Amalie barely slept for four days and nights, and was so grizzly I spent most of the time holding and comforting her. I was hanging out to climb into bed and sleep!

It's such a great thing that we have such a strong bond and love for our children, I don't want her to be unhappy, or sick, or uncomfortable. It's amazing how we can do so much more because of our children, we have to, and we CAN, which sometimes seems amazing when we seem to have so little left ourselves. Though I am still very tired. I used to have some hope that there would be a time in the future when I would not be so tired. I think it is funny how no-one tells you how physically demanding having young children is, untill you have then and then everyone comments on how they remember that time and how crazy that was. Then they would say it gets easier, so I was hanging on to that, and now Micah has a few days Kinder, people are telling me it never gets easier! I suppose that is the truth!



I love my children, they are wonderful and crazy and funny, they do the best dances, and songs, and Bella loves me more than the biggest giant standing on Pa, and Micah loves me more than a very complicated trip around all the worlds and on rockets and past Heavenly Father etc, and Amalie lights up EVERY time she sees me. How could I not be so happy and blessed with these beautiful children and the opportunity to spend this precious time with them.

The joys!!

The other day I looked over and saw Isabella wiping water all over the coffee table with a half deflated balloon. We only have carpet in two rooms in the house, the lounge one of them. I went in with a tea towel to soak it up, and the kitchen cloth to wipe it down.



I asked her where she got the water from, she replied "it isn't water, it's wee wee."



Lovely!! I threw that tea towel and cloth in the bin!! I don't understand how standing on the coffee table is so much easier than going to the toilet!!

Picture Card Perfect!

Last year for Mother's Day James gave me this card with a picture from the 50's or 60's with a sophisticated looking woman, high heels on, rollers in her hair, cooking dinner with a baby on her hip. It had some comment about what a fabulous woman/mother, who could do so many things at once. We laughed about how easy it would be with only one child hanging from you! It is funny how it was hard when I only had one, or so I thought. I suppose each thing prepares you for the next! Or in this case, having one child prepares you for three! Well, I don't know if prepares is the right word.

Anyway, today I was that card, well slightly modified! Slightly! I was trying to wash the rice for dinner, no heels, no rollers, and three crying/grizzling children all trying to hang from me, pushing the others off me. This was before 4pm, we had only been home 45minutes after getting Micah from school. Micah and Bella had kicked and who knows what each other most of the way home in the car, complaining about the other. Amalie had only napped maybe 20mins in the car, to and from school, so she was behind a couple of hours, but I didn't want her to sleep now til dinner. James was going to be late at work.

Thank goodness for bedtime!! That's what makes it do-able on days like this!!

A few pics from our trip to Brisbane

The kids and I had a lovely time in Brisbane. Uncle Edward came for a visit, which was a highlight for the kids. He is lots of fun, plays with them, teaches them things. I think the thing they love the most is just the time and attention he gives them, they know he wants to be with them.

Muzzie came for a visit too, the kids were so happy to see her.

And just some pics of my gorgeous ones!!

Amalie

Isabella

Micah

Just like a Rock Star!

Micah put on my sunglasses and then said to me "Rock stars wear glasses like this!"

The thing is that I have no idea where he even heard about rock stars. I certainly have never mentioned them! It was classic! He comes out with the funniest things.

I am a BLOGGER!!

Well, I never thought the day would come when I would set up a blog! It's funny how these things happen. Just a couple of weeks ago I got tricked into starting a facebook profile, or whatever it is called. Not that mine is much of a profile, it hasn't really got much on it. A friend said she had photos of her homemade babyclothes she is selling, pre website, and I wanted to have a look. I didn't realise what it involved, I had never even looked at it before. Next thing I had all these "friends" and I felt bad because is all that was on my profile was my name and my birthday!
This afternoon I had an email about a friends new blog, which I checked out, and when I tried to leave a comment, I couldn't do it just with my name, only Google / blogger, so I thought I was doing a google account, but here I am now with a BLOG!! Classic!!