Day out in the City

The family had a day out at Bunarong Mirr, which is alongside the Yarra in Melbourne. The Ferris Wheel is the temporary one until the Melbourne Eye is completed. I have promised myself we would go for ages so off we went. Dette isn't a fan of the big wheel but the children enjoyed the views.

The walk along the river is lined with art works and a great kids playground. We also had a coffee and were told when we went to pay that is was voluntary and a donation is all that is required. Bugger, only have a ten dollar bill, should have asked for some cake too....After a stroll to Federation Square, and really cool robot man and rubbish juggler, we had some lunch. Then back down to the car for the huge jumping thingys. A chance to be sick over a large number of people. Amelia enjoyed a classic carousel for a more sedate and civilised ride.

We found one!!!!

Went to town today to pick something up and thought i'd buy a second controller for the Wii. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a white and green box. I picked it up and it was heavy, behold it was a Wii Fit, complete and for sale (cheap too)

So weve been running and balancing all evening. Also got Wii Play, great game.

Funny Marshall Comment :

Marshall - "What does impertinent mean"

Mum - " Well kind of cheeky"

Marshall - "I can be impertinent sometimes."

On the mend

Xander is slowly getting better, he has had another visit to the Docs who told us to keep on keeping on and watch his fluids. He still hasnt really eaten anything, (6 days now) but he is perking up a bit now. He stayed at home today whilst the others went to Creche. It was a good sign when he wanted to try on his Hulk costume. We were very excited. The grass is being installed too. I will blog when it's done. Nate is really getting around now, you have to keep your eyes on him as you never know where he will be.
Marshall and Amelia after trying on most of the great hand me downs from the Walmley Dawsons.

Here are a couple of shots from the trip home.

Home, safe and well

Well made it home. The second flight was long but we both scammed 4 seats each so had a bit more rest. Had a great drive from the airport and got home to a very warm welcome from the family. Xander is still sick and has been back to the Doctors today, he really is crook and i didnt recognise him, his face is so drawn and sunken.

The children loved their presents and Dette loves the watch, good work Sara. Amelia has been running around as Dora all day. Dette and the children loved thier hand me downs too. Amelia and Marshall had a dress up party! Thanks Walmley Dawsons.

To make it more interesting the hot water service packed in last night so urgent ring arounds today and no shower for daddy.

love to all

Postscript. Plumber just arrived, simple fix, 3 mins work for fifty bucks. Daddy nuding up for shower now.

first leg

The crazy dubai airport.

well the first leg is over. Bit nasty as it was overnight so sleep was a priority. Pete scored a row of four so slept for six and a half of the seven hours. I reckon i got an hour or so. Getting some food in at the airport snoo

My Poor Boy

Well, it seems Xander is sick! He's been complaining of a tummy ache and I thought it was simply the remains of gastro - you know how your tummy gets after not having any food for a while? Anyway, it was off to the doctors today after dropping the other three off at creche and he said Xander had a bladder infection :(

He's on medication now, so hopefully it wont be long before he's back to normal - playing with his brothers and sister and asking me endless questions. For today and tomorrow though, he's on the couch happily watching ABC2!

On the way home

Well im sitting in the terminal at Brum airport after spending the last few pound coins on a few knick knacks. Looking forward to getting on with it now and getting home. Had a fairly quiet day today with lunch with mum and Dad and Elsie at a pub then home to Sams for packing.

Cammy and Pops were at separate birthday parties so we had the house to ourselves for a bit. Thanks a lot to Sammy and Sara and the kids for having us at their home for the week. Well done both of you for doing a sterling job of organising Dodos fairwell. I was umming and arring about coming but Im glad you convinced me to come . It was the correct decision.

Dette, love you and see you soon. Give the kids a kiss for me

Cammy, I want to see Zelda finished sooner rather than later.

Pops, Make sure you bring the tweezers when you come to Aus for those scary hairy backs!!!

Love to you all and see you soon.

PS had my first real coffee today at the airport. Bliss, in fact i had two the buggers took the first one off me.

Xander and out of space

Well, my boy has given me a few moments of real worry today - I was thinking that we might have to go to hospital to get some fluid in him but it seems to be staying down at the moment - fingers crossed please!

Anyway, after worrying about him all day and calling Nurse on Call twice, as well as Marty to make sure I had someone on standby in case I had to take him to the doctors/ hospital, my little boy just showed he's not too out-of-it.

I went in for the latest 'teaspoon of water' and told him I love him. He replied he loved me too so I said, "You know what? I love you all the way to England and back 60 billion times!" to which he responded - "Well, I still love you more because I love you all the way to out-of-space 60 billion times...and back again!" I guess he told me!

The little things in life

Well, it's been hectic to say the least!

On Thursday night I managed to flood the house (well, at least partially!) in my determination to save water. Ironic, isn't it?! After doing a load of washing I saved the rinse water in the tub and used it to fill the washing machine for the next load. Silly me forgot to put the hose back where it's supposed to go, and worse... didn't take the plug out!! After the kids were all in bed Thursday night I decided to mop the kitchen floor, so set about my ritual for cleaning the benches and chairs, putting them up, sweeping - you know the deal. Then I heard some magic words... "You've just entered...the Xander zone!" Yes, we had an email!!!! It was obviously an excuse to have a little sit down so off I went and managed to get distracted by playing Who Has the Biggest Brain - I have to maintain my position on top!!!!

It was during this time that I heard the washing machine make a few beeping noises, so after ignoring it for a few minutes got up and saw, to my delight (!!) that I would indeed almost be able to mop the kitchen floor - with water all the way from the laundry!

Hilarity ensued - with every towel in the house being used to try to dry up the carpet. Sometime during this fun adventure, I managed to wake Nathaniel, who thought it would be fun to stay up until 2:30am. What a joy!!

Anyway, after finally falling into bed, I awoke to Xander asking me to turn the tap on so he could wash his hands because he'd just done a poo. I thought it was morning (already?!!) but a quick check of the clock showed me I'd been sleeping for all of 42 minutes! Who needs sleep!

Xander had a little gastro, but seemed well enough and we went off to sleep together only to be raised from our slumber once more to the dulcet tones of Nate crying. Nothing like everything happening at once I say! I am Supper Mummy - throw it at me!

After a couple (in its literal meaning) hours of sleep, we got up and had brekkie. Xander wasn't hungry, but seemed fine so we decided to go on with our day's plans, which included shopping for a present to give to Sophie at her party later Friday afternoon. We got dressed and started getting into the car, only to have Xander vomit all over himself and the car - pleasant!

Plans for the day scratched, we came back inside and set about organising a day at home with a sick boy. "Is that all?" I can hear you asking - no, of course not. Now obviously somebody upstairs decided to challenge my abilities as a mummy, because no sooner did I have Xander all sorted than Amelia showed signs of being crook, in the form of diarrhea. It never rains but it pours!

So, 2 down, 2 healthy. My day was spent washing and drying all the towels that had been utilised during my little Noah's Arc episode the night before, and running between the kids.

But, I loved my day! The weather was perfect and I decided that rather than think glass half empty I'd be a half-full kind of person, so focused on the fantastic weather we had that let me do 6 loads of washing and drying. Having Xander out of action also helped show what a big helper Marshall is - he doted on his baby brother and watching them play together was beautiful. Marshall wanted to play outside so out Nate went as well. He sat in his swing and had Marshall at his beck and call, jumping up regardless of what he was doing every time Nate's swing stopped to give him a little push again. My boys were beautiful!

They all slept well last night and mummy was in bed before midnight (I know, don't pass out Richard!) and was awake at 6:15. Today has been a bit harder, with Xander still not well and having to have one teaspoon of water every 10 minutes. We did this for about an hour before he threw it up again, so after a nice bath have started again. He's very thirsty but I'm not allowed to give him more until it stays down (I LOVE NURSE ON CALL!!!!)


Here's a picture of my sick boy 20 minutes ago, he's now sound asleep - thank God - and I think it's the best thing for him at the moment.





Here's my helper, who has taken to the couch today too. He's not sick, just wanting the special treats his brother is getting - without having to vomit to get them!



Love you Daddy!

Dodo's Funeral

Today we said goodbye to Dodo.



Here are some photos from the wake at West Bromwich Albion. I will add more text later.

Mothers' Day

I figured it was time to add an entry from Mothers' Day, considering Richard up and left the next day (only joking my love!).

I had a lovely day, sleeping in and then having a cooked brekkie before playing with the kids. In the afternoon we went to the pond for a play and to feed the ducks, only to see the sign that tells you not to feed the ducks! We had a great time anyway. Here are a few pictures.

Considering it was Mothers' Day it came as something of a surprise that there was only one photo of me!



A few pictures of the reasons i LOVE being a mum, and their wonderful Daddy.





Nate loved his swing.


Here's Amelia laughing at Mummy on the swing.


My cheeky boy.


Male model here we come!


And a quick shot of the duck we told the kids must be the king, he's wearing a crown. (Daddy suspects it's a tumour, but we thought it better to lie!)

Mummy's bored!

OK, since when is it fair of everyone to leave me alone at the same time?????
No Mum to call, no Ann to gossip with, no Ricahrd to bore with my day-to-day life! I love my children, but there's only so much stimulation you can get from discussions about Play School and the like.

Love you Richard!

PS Kids all slept beautifully agian last night, and followed it up today with fantastic sleeps after lunch.

Love You Daddy!

Well, another day has gone and I was only asked about Daddy around 20 times! Amelia is the worst - she wants her Daddy all the time! We had a web chat and she was happy hearing his voice, although we had tears for 15 minutes after he hung up! They're all being good though, and have gone off to bed without any dramas. Nate has slept through the night again, and woke up this morning playing in his cot. I woke up with 2 boys giving me cuddles and complaining because i kept on snoozing the alarm! Picky little buggers!!

We love you Daddy, and can't wait until you're home again. Here's a picture of them all sound asleep. I'm sitting down having a latte and watching House. Give Elsie, Sam, Sara and the kids a big kiss from us all. Love to your mum and dad too.

Xander was first one sound asleep



Marshall obviously had it sneak right up on him!



Amelia barely has enough room in the bed.


And Nate is hanging on tight to his teddy. Can't see much, but he looks beautiful...take my word for it!

First Day

The flight from Dubai to Brum was okay. We had a row of four seats spare next to us so we both managed o get a couple of hours decent sleep which felt great. Mum and Dad were waiting for us at the airport in her flash hire car.
It always feels dead weird when i first start walking around the UK again. The smells, noises everything just brings back a thousand memories.

Well the second day was a bit more eventful. We walked up the shops first to get a paper then off to see Elsie via a couple of shops. Elsie was good and in good spirits, We had fish and chips for lunch after the vicar had been and practiced his eulogy. Seems like a nice bloke. We did a bit of gardening to smarten the front of the house and then back to Sams

Sam came home , we missed picking him up at the airport, and we had a Chinky takeaway. Some late night Wiiing and off to bed for a sleep.

Its the morning of the funeral today and were getting ready, the kids are going to school and then to a friends house. Love you al, speak to you soon.

at Dubai

Pete on the wii at melbourne.

at dubai airport . On the mobile phone wifi. Long flight. Tired but okay. Eating a big mac. Only seven hours to go. Part two. Just run around the duty free for a look. Its not that cheap really so we skipped it. Then a search for a loo with no queue. Now sitting at gate waiting to board.

Departure Lounge

Well as tradition dictates I am blogging from the departure lounge. We arrived nice and early and only just avoided an argument as we strolled to the front of a big queue, (we had web checked in). Then some food and through. The lovely people at the duty free shop gave me an oppurtunity to beat Pete at Wii Bowling (last few frames though).

So about to board and we're off.

Next Entry in 15 hours at Dubai!!

On my way

Well i've had a quiet day. Had my tooth filled this morning which was surprisingly painless and then run about getting some things ready for the flight.

Off to the airport in a couple of hours.

Dette, you wont read this till i've gone so just a short note to make sure you know I love you and already miss you and the children. Thanks for making this easy for me.

I love you

Happy Mother's Day 2008

Happy Mothers Day Mum

We had a lovely day here with a cooked English Brekky for Mum in bed and some presents, inlcuding some great craft items made at School. A quiet morning and then off to the duck pond and park for a play.

So a great day for a great Mum.

To all the Mums, Happy Mothers Day, we love you.

and here is a quick video for Pops.....

The wheels on the bus

Whilst Dette was sunning herself at the luxorious Cape Schank Resort (work conference) Dad and the Musketeers thought an adventure was required. In these modern times you have to reflect from time to time on how good you have it. Dette had the car and I cant get all 4 in the Jag (if it starts). So housebound and bored we thought we would catch the bus to the shops.

Now this doesnt sound too exciting but Xander is almost 5 and the last time he was on a bus was 9 months old in Dublin. So firstly I had to spend an hour figuring out which route and bus to catch online (What did we do before the internet?)

Unfortunatley it was a 15 min walk to the bus stop but the weather was mild and the walk pleasant past the Berwick Springs Lake. Then a five minute wait and were off. The 2 minute car journey took half an hour but i guess that was half the fun. The biggest excitement was not having to wear a seatbelt. I had done a shopping list but left it in the kitchen so we wondered around for a bit and had some lunch. Brought a couple of pointless things i later realised were not on the list and repeated the journey backwards.

The desired result was a fun day out, everyone knackered and thankful for all creature comforts. We did just that today and set off to shop but had no joy with both things we went for sold out. The main one being a Wii Fit. Mothers Day tomorrow so an early night to prepare for a fun morning.

All set for the off on Monday. I think all my illnesses are over and done with and I have a dentist appointment Monday morning, hope that goes well!!!

All set

Well by the time I have posted this blog entry Mum and Dad should have landed in at Brum airport. Yesterday I spent a lot of tax payers money at the British Consulate and Australian Immigration and I now have in my hot little hands a passport and valid visa!

My ailments are slowly sorting themsleves out, no shingles yet, and a dentist appt. Dette is off to a work conference at Cape Schank tomorrow for 2 days so I have the four musketeers.

Just busy planning my Mp3 player and converting some videos for the trip.

Hectic

Well its been a hectic week. With the sad news of Dodos passing it was decided that the Pete and I would fly back to the UK to attend the funeral and spend some time with Sam and Elsie. This was and wasn't an easy decision but once we were set on it Pete started looking at flights.

We pretty much had the dates booked when I wondered if my passport was okay. NOPE, expired.

Now sometimes I whinge about Aussie bureaucracy but never again. I rang the British Consulate in Canberra and was met with, "Please enter your credit card number". Yes to speak to a member of her Majesty's government cost me $10 bucks. She advised me to apply as normal but with URGENT printed on it. I might get my passport in time but who knows. So i set about this until i realised one of the blokes at work had experience in terrorism investigations. He had a contact who suggested I go to Melb office and shed a tear. This done I was told no problems an emergency passport will be here soon. So 10 bucks for crap advice. Never mind , all I have to do now is transfer my visa. Bottom line were booked to leave on the 12th May for 9 days all up.

In the meantime Mum and I have been having a competition as to whom can make this trip hard work. Mum of course was the early leader with her back but I have made a comeback with a possible case of the shingles. Still no sores yet so fingers crossed the Doc is wrong.

Thanks to Sam for being there with Dodo and Elsie and making all the arrangements during a busy time. Thanks to Dette for understanding I need to go home and for looking after my four children so wonderfully. Thanks to Elsie for making it an easy decision.

Here are some photos to cheer everyone up a bit and de-stress.

Sophie, Xander, Nate, Maddison, Amelia and Marshall

At Alison and Daryl's wedding

PS. HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY SAM