Happy New Year.....with a Christmas picture

As most of what happens in our home has no rhyme or reason or is completely back to front on what most would see a logical, I thought it therefore probably appropriate to start 2010 with a 2009 Christmas pic. How back to front is that?

Knowing that Christmas pics are a kind of torture for parents and children alike, we debated whether we put us, G, E and poor Santa through the trauma of trying to get a pic. We eventually decided that why not, we've done it before so let's do it again. Above it the result.

Georgia, wearing her JOLLY Christmas tree shirt and skirt was great. She sat, she rather reservedly talked to Santa. And then there was the other child. Master E the Three. Oh my! The only way we could get him onto Santa's knee was to grab a Thomas the Tank Engine gift set off a nearby shelf in the toy section and get him to hold it. Throughout the fuss, dear Santa sat and told us it was all in a day of work for him. God Bless Santa....I think he deserved a medal.

So Master E the Three looks good, Santa scrubbed up well and G in her JOLLY shirt doesn't look overly JOLLY. Rather downright glum I would have said. But hey, it is a pic and the moment is therefore preserved for immortality! And on that note, HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

It's what is on the inside that counts

To the untrained eye, the top pic is one of a plane. But it is what (or who?) is on the inside that counts. It was THE plane flown by OUR Capt'n TopGun Unca Steve that we'd waited 3-1/2 years to see. Let me explain.

Just about anyone who knows our family will have heard us talk about Aunty Leanne, Unca Steve, Sarah and Nixy. Sarah was born the day before Georgia in 2003 and the girls were humidicrib buddies in hospital. Leanne and I got to know each other over breast pumps......as you do. And Steve and Luke used to pull night shifts together doing late tube feeds to the tiny sub 5lb girls.

This wonderful family supported us then when Georgia wasn't doing so well (yes Georgia, breathing is NOT OPTIONAL), through her PDA (heart thingy) diagnosis and treatment, through her non-feeding and reflux issues and have had their arms firmly wrapped around us and been looking after us every step of the way since. It is not only an honour to know them but we are Blessed to call them friends.

Leanne, Steve + their munchkins had to move to Canberra with Steve's work in 2006 :( We waited some dreadfully short period (less than 3 weeks???) before landing on their doorstep for a visit. Whilst we were there, Steve announced he'd resigned his job and was going to be a commercial airline pilot. Leanne and I thought he was joking. He wasn't. And some comment was made way back then about how we'd have to go down to the airport one day and welcome him home off a flight.

Well it has taken 3-1/2 years but today we did it. Leanne, Sarah and Nixy, the four of us, a WELCOME HOME banner, a few helium balloons (that didn't make it through airport security but were rolled out later in the day) and smiles wide enough to make anyone think that Steve had flown around the world or so greeted Steve when he landed back from a 6 hour commuter hop up to Cairns and back.

I really don't know who was more excited. The children? The big girls trotting through the airport trying to get a clear view of planes landing? Luke felt so sorry for Steve with all the fuss we were making. But why not I say........if you've waited 3-1/2 years to be able to wave at the guy in the cockpit and have him wave back (after the plane had safely stopped and everything was shut down of course.....safety first!) then it's a fuss in order? I think so.

After our airport sojourn, we enjoyed a beautiful lunch at Portside Wharf whilst the rather huge 'Pacific Dawn' cruise liner was in port. The tired munchkins behaved way better than I could have asked and we had a truly wonderful day.

No matter what we do, no matter where we go, we absolutely love the company of these guys. We are extraordinarily fortunate to have such marvellous friends who are beautiful - both on the outside but more importantly on the inside too.....and it is what is on the inside that counts :)

The Christmas card for 2009

Since Georgia's arrival in 2003, I've been meaning to get a Christmas card printed. And as each Christmas has come and gone and I've emailed out messages saying 'Yet again this year I meant to get a Christmas card done but I didn't get to it'. But this year was different. I DID IT! One small step for a Mum!!

The photos were taken in early November but then Luke and I didn't let the photographer know which images we wanted until a few weeks later. And then the photographer took two weeks to get the digital images back to us. By then it was early December.

We knew we wouldn't get the cards in a hurry (yes, the company offered 50% off express shipping THE DAY AFTER I placed the order with 'normal' shipping - don't you HATE that???) so they weren't Christmas cards but instead Happy New Year cards.

Miracle of miracles, they did make it here by 22 December so some special folk did get them by December 23 or 24.........my cause in no way being helped by the postal delivery strike (Ba Humbug!).

Most of the cards were emailed out. Not as good as getting a 'real' card I know but hopefully better than nothing.

Note to self for 2010......start the process earlier? choose images more quickly? find a local printer who can do a 3 pic card (impossible this year but maybe not next year)?

Whatever happens, at least we've been able to send out a 'Holiday' card AT LEAST ONCE IN OUR LIVES :)

Happy Christmas.....and Georgia meets Lulu the cat!

It's been a lovely day here. After an 11pm into bed last night, I did a Santa at 1.14am. I heard rain on our roof (always welcome in drought stricken Queensland) and realised the attic window was open. So out of bed, down came the attic ladder, up into the attic, close the window and just like Santa, down the ladder in the early hours of the morning. My physique (or lack thereof) parellels Santa so all I was missing was the beard and red outfit :)

Ethan woke up at 5am. I kept him quiet until Georgia emerged just before 6am. She woke Luke up and then the present opening swung into action. It was only half an hour from start to finish but the munchkins enjoyed it.

We'd bought Georgia and Ethan an Aquadoodle mat each. Ethan opened the one marked for Georgia. So knowing Georgia can't read, or so we thought, we gave her the one marked to Ethan. Wrong. She looked at the label on the wrapping marked ETHAN and said 'That's Ethan's name'. What a gift that was! Our girl able to recognise letters, recognise a word and know it wasn't for her despite us nodding crazily that it was hers. Way to go Georgia!

Luke and the munchkins went for a swim as there were new swimmers and new pool toys to try out. I went back to bed and gift of the gifts.....I slept until nearly 9.45am. Marvellous!

Mum and Dad (aka Grandma & Grandpa aka GM & GP) arrived with gifts for a present opening session. They had bought Georgia a Fur Real Cat called "Lulu" as Georgia LOVES all things feline. Enter Georgia's hypersensitive hearing. Despite all of us babbling away, Georgia heard the cat meowing through the packaging. And here's how Georgia got to meet Lulu:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=123964&id=750294732&l=4d22606c22

Now that Lulu is out of the box, we've found the OFF switch and Lulu has a 'sleep' when we need to be devoid of incessant meowing :) Lulu has been a BIG hit with both Georgia and Ethan.

Aunty Margaret (aka MMT) joined the craziness mid-morning and gave Georgia a ballet 'lesson'. Georgia demonstrated she has my grace (think elephant or hippo......in no way gracious and elegant) but despite having no co-ordination or style, she giggled and laughed all the way through her 'lesson'. Very precious.

MMT then took Georgia for a spin in the new black Mercedes convertible. I should have taken pics. Georgia was very at home in the passengers seat and would have quite happily done a far longer drive than just around the block.

Mum, Dad and MMT left for lunch at Everton Park and we four were left to have afternoon snoozes, another swim and then our seafood dinner. What a lovely, lovely day.

Happy Christmas one and all.

'Twas the night before Christmas......

' Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, no one was stirring.....not even Ethan the insomniac! But I'm sure he'll be up and raring to go about 5am in the morning.

Santa has 'been' and this elf and her elf helper are absolutely tired out.

Happy Christmas one and all.

MEGA box unwrapping

There are some people in life that you are Blessed to know. And not only know but to call friends. The fact that they live on the East Coast of the USA and we are in Australia doesn't stop the friendship.....emails, photo calls, photos posted on Facebook for them to see AND them flying all the way here in 2007 to spend a MARVELLOUS few weeks with us means that the distance doesn't seem so far.

Ok, it does seem FAR. I'd love them to be able to sit here with us and watch our children gleely unwrapping the gifts they've thoughtfully chosen, lovingly wrapped and sent all this way. But since the Pacific Ocean, and most of the continental USA is between us and them, here are the pics I take for them so they can see, blow by blow, our children loving their Christmas presents from 'Birginia Beach'.

We love you Anne and Al! May 2010 be the year we can hug you both - in person.

See the pics at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=122126&id=750294732&l=cc16bc5de8