Risser Ramblings

Before and Afters

2012-02-11T13:16:00.000+10:00

Before

After (excuse the foggy child cleaned mirror)

Before

After

I really did cut it ~~mostly~~ straight but apparently instead of the stick straight hair I thought it was it has some sort of wave to it.

Before (size 26 skirt from store regular $34.95 on sale for $10)

After

(also included free of charge is photographic evidence that Catie is indeed "all legs" and that Nathan only wants to be in photos you have not asked him to be in.)

Bubbles!!

2012-01-29T06:16:00.000+10:00

4 out of 5

2012-01-28T06:04:00.002+10:00

Happy Birthday, Catie!!

2012-01-27T00:09:00.002+10:00

{the candles kept blowing out. apparently that was funny!}

Catie turns 9 today!! The last year before double digits! How is it that my first born is already this old? We had a bunch of friends over for brunch yesterday. Catie decorated the cake and cupcakes herself. We kept it nice and simple.

Happy Birthday to my sweet and thoughtful Catherine Joni!

Catherine Joni

2012-01-26T21:11:00.003+10:00

Naomi Kay

2012-01-26T20:52:00.002+10:00

Nathan Sampson

2012-01-26T20:44:00.002+10:00

Emma Lorene

2012-01-26T20:33:00.002+10:00

Rebekah Jane

2012-01-26T20:21:00.000+10:00

playing pretend at Grandma's

2012-01-26T17:10:00.007+10:00

The girls love to play pretend. Apparently at Grandma's they had quite the town going. Grandpa and Nathan must have been council workers in charge of the grounds. haha. Emma was the grocer, Catie the hairdresser and Beka was the banker. Grandma was the photographer. =)

clock positions

2012-01-23T06:22:00.000+10:00

I don't have a picture of when I first put Naomi on the rug today but she was closer to the couch and her feet would have been at 9 o'clock if you think of them as 12 o'clock in the first picture and 3 o'clock in the second picture. She just lays there so nicely and quietly and looks around everywhere. This was the day that Nate, Naomi and I stayed home while Josh went to work with the Challacombe's and took the girls with him. Nathan is holding Naomi's hand and helping her go "pat, pat, pat" like they say to do in the Little Einsteins video they are watching. =)

Workers

2012-01-22T06:18:00.001+10:00

The girls came to me all dressed up asking if they looked like workers. Emma said maybe she should wear one of Josh's fluoro work shirts. I suggested Catie's green t-shirt but she ended up changing to Beka's bright orange t-shirt. =)

Catie

2012-01-21T06:10:00.000+10:00

This girl will be 9 in a week. 9!! that's crazy!! She is growing up so fast. These are two papers she's written for me in the last week. In the one she is organizing her birthday brunch. And the other was from when we were at Bible study and Chantelle was babysitting them.

VBS-Dress in your team colour day

2012-01-20T14:26:00.002+10:00

Dot points

2011-12-31T21:39:00.001+10:00

Well, I have pics from Christmas but due to super slow and intermittent internet it is just impossible to upload them.
I have one week until VBS!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!
Naomi is growing so much!!
I can't believe 2012 starts in less than 3 hours!
I apparently really like exclamation points!!
Did I mention only 1 week to finish getting ready for VBS??
I'm supposed to be doing up a bulletin but can't think of things to put in.
I'm three months behind on school paperwork.
I've lost 15 kilos since getting pregnant with Naomi. I really want to keep it off this time.
It doesn't help though that I've been reading this blog. So much looks so yummy!
Catie, Emma, Beka and Nate are spending the night at Grandma's. It's pretty quiet around here.
I'm not gonna stay up and see in the new year. I'm such an old fogey. =)

hanging around for Christmas morning =)

2011-12-23T00:34:00.002+10:00

Well, I got the fun part of choosing the fabrics and pattern for the girls' Christmas dresses. Mom did the hard work of producing these beautiful dresses. They're so gorgeous!! Better than I imagined. I used the scraps (and that's just about all we had left. Mom is much better at fitting patterns on fabric than I am. I would've never fit it all.) and made the stripwork onesie for Naomi. My favourite part is the ruffled bum. =) Thanks, Mom. Can't wait to get pictures on Sunday.

And I did post one on Facebook...

2011-12-22T12:59:00.002+10:00

It's the thought that counts right??

2011-12-22T12:51:00.001+10:00

Well, I thought about sending Christmas cards. =)

Slippery slide with friends

2011-12-20T10:58:00.000+10:00

Catie

Beka and Nathan H

Ashleigh H

Alex H

Uncle Danny

We visited friends in Brisbane this past weekend. On Saturday they played on the slippery slide and have a lot of fun with only one or two injuries. Nathan opted to play with the water that was dripping off the hose into the bucket instead. =)

Naomi

2011-12-19T10:42:00.000+10:00

ready for church in her Christmas dress

sweet

2011-12-18T22:39:00.002+10:00

Grandpa meets Naomi

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000+10:00

a princess, a clown and a butterfly

2011-12-10T22:46:00.001+10:00

Naomi

2011-12-10T01:02:00.000+10:00

Out with the old...

2011-12-08T22:54:00.001+10:00

....in with the new!!

Of course, as soon as the new chair was in the house this sneaky little guy had to try it out! =)

When you have 3 big sisters...

2011-12-04T04:24:00.000+10:00

this is bound to happen sometime. =)

Smile!!

2011-12-03T04:21:00.000+10:00

short i sound

2011-12-02T16:18:00.001+10:00

When you're learning the short i sound then you gotta dress the part! =)

Do you see what I see?

2011-12-01T10:24:00.000+10:00

Do you see what or rather who is in the middle of Nate's toys?

Need a closer look?

That's right. Apparently Baby Jesus likes cars and trains too. =)

And actually, when I tidied up last night I also found a wiseman and Noah with the same toys. Apparently you're never too old for playing with toys.

I ♥ reading!

2011-11-30T21:51:00.001+10:00

Ever since Catie learned to read she's had her nose stuck in a book. It's taken Emma a bit longer but lately she's been enjoying books more too. And they've rediscovered the set of encyclopedias. After Grammy and Papa left they liked to take the encyclopedias in to that desk and write reports about things they found interesting. Here's hoping this is a habit they enjoy for many many years.

Andy's Grad dinner

2011-11-28T21:13:00.001+10:00

Andy (in his red suit) singing in a trio with Jake and their friend Josh

Andy holding Naomi

(she's wearing her "little black dress" from Auntie Tasha)

The Sauvageot clan

Josh, Naomi and I went to Andy's grad dinner the evening that Mom and Dad left. Andy was born the February before I graduated high school in May 1994. He was 3 when I met him in 1997 and 6 when I came back in 2000. And now he's graduating. CRAZY!!!

Grammy and Papa

2011-11-20T09:08:00.000+10:00

Thanks for coming to visit us and for all the help you were to us. We love you and miss you heaps already. Hope you can come back soon!

Brief summary with photos. =)

2011-11-19T20:24:00.001+10:00

Well, we tried to get a photo of all the kids but this was the best Nate would do. =)

Another cute Grammy-made outfit Is it any wonder that I asked her to make the girls' Christmas dresses? They are so cute!! I can't wait for the girls to wear them. Don't worry, Mom. I'll wait until Christmas! =)

We made a couple trips to the beach. This night we had fish and chips at the beach. Full moon, perfect weather. Absolutely beautiful. No way can pictures do it justice.

We put up the Christmas tree with Grammy and Papa.

We visited a wildlife sanctuary in Maryborough.

Did a bit of this too, both the crying and the trying to take cute photos.

I also kept Dad busy with a few projects that I haven't taken photos of yet. And Mom took the kids on walks. I got some sewing done too but still need to finish Naomi's Christmas dress. We got some Christmas shopping done. We went to the water park and to the pool. Mom spoiled us all by doing the laundry every day And Mom and Dad spoiled us with cooking and cleaning.

Naomi Kay Risser

2011-11-05T20:52:00.001+10:00

Baby Girl

2011-10-29T20:23:00.001+10:00

arrived 4am Thursday.

9lbs 8 oz / 4.3kgs

19.5in / 49cm

no name yet =)

I need to take some photos

2011-10-19T10:51:00.003+10:00

Beka has learned to ride a two wheeled bike
Nathan loves Beka's little baby doll. He's even been sleeping with it. He's normally very gentle with it but hopefully he won't think that he can carry the new baby around. =)
The craft room is beautifully clean and organized.
You would have been amazed or probably aghast at all the stuff Chantelle found shoved under Beka's bed. We got it all cleaned up and now it's nice and clean and so is their closet.
Nate has been loving his train set and will play so nicely by himself for hours.
Mom and Dad get here tomorrow and the girls have made flowers and coloured pictures to put in their room.
I have a stack of teeny tiny nappies waiting for a teeny tiny bum to cover. =)
I've got a collection of Christmas presents that is slowly growing bigger. Need to finish some before mom and dad leave so I can save on shipping. I'm so cheap!

Well, I'd better get the camera ready to catch the photos and take to the airport with us tomorrow. We're very excited about Grammy and Papa coming. only 22 more hours!!

The one in which I ramble

2011-10-14T03:00:00.000+10:00

After 4 hearing tests this year and failing them all in varying degrees it has been suggested that Beka go to Australian Hearing. First we are going to visit the doctor and see about physical issues as this time the tester saw fluid on her ears. So I'm guessing we might end up seeing an ENT and possibly tubes/grommets in her ears? I made an appointment for her on Monday the 24th to see the Dr. And then we'll go from there.
I am so ready to be done with this pregnancy. Lots of pain, pressure and discomfort lately. Not looking forward to the actually having of the baby but it will be nice to have it over and done with. Hopefully my memory and cognitive abilities will come back. I can't remember anything! and don't think things through too well. I made a menu this week that is cooking from the freezer and pantry but apparently picked two meals with mince/hamburger in it even though I only have one package of it in the freezer. hmmm....
Had a total pregnancy moment on Sunday which involved baking a cake and then accidentally smashing the cake on the driveway and managing to cut my feet in three different places. And then Monday I managed to get another sliver of glass in my foot but can't get it out. ughhh... and it was one of my good 9 x 13 glass pyrex dishes. I have two but always use both. so I need to keep an eye out for one on sale.
Nate is slowly talking more and more. He understands a lot more than he says which is nice to know as I had started worrying a bit after all Beka's hearing tests.
Emma has started reading chapter books. She still isn't the reader that Catie is but I think that's a personality thing. Josh isn't a big reader either. She still likes to act like she can't read and asks me to read her schoolwork to her but that is getting less and less frequent.
Catie would read all day every day if I let her. Thankfully she doesn't mind re-reading books and we've found a couple series at the library that are appropriate. I need to do another order from The Book Depository. But Mom gets here next week and is bringing some books to keep Catie occupied while they are here. And Gwen has loaned us some books too.
Josh has been busy with work. They are having an official opening of the new building on the 25th with dignitaries and all. Josh is kinda in charge of that. Wanna bet that's the day the baby comes?? =)
We're coming in to the crazy time of year. Lots more things we need to do. Between now and Christmas we have an engagement party to attend, the baby due, mom and dad coming to visit, the church AGM, ladies' Christmas luncheon, Sunday school picnic, Sunday school concert, Andrew's graduation dinner, Andrew's graduation, possible Christmas mini-cantata, as well as the normal day to day stuff. I also need to figure out what PACE's to get the older two girls for school next year (aka do the diagnostic testing) and decide what to use for Beka as I'm pretty sure that she won't be reading next year. Then after Christmas is VBS, Catie's birthday, Nathan & Chantelle's wedding (Beka is a flower girl and Nathan is the ring bearer) and school starting again. And like I said we still have to do the normal day to day stuff. Should be interesting.
I love the fact that we are having an extended cool season this year. This was one of the coldest Hervey Bay winters I can remember and even though we've had a couple hot/humid days we have had many many more cooler breezy days. I love it.
Gwen has been home since mid-August (I think) and it has been so nice. She keeps the kids on Thursday evenings for us to go to Bible study and normally takes them in the afternoon so I can have some time to myself. Alas, she has to go back to Atherton for a conference and end of the school year. We are all going to miss her. The kids have such a great time with her. Even Nathan gets all excited about going to Grandma's house. Well, he likes it when she picks them up and he gets to leave me. He doesn't like it so much when I take him there and leave him. Last week he had just woken up from his nap and Grandpa had to peel him off me while he screamed and cried.
We are getting 4 eggs a days from our 5 chickens. I was totally over them pooping all over my back porch so Josh rigged up a moveable chicken run. However, in the last two days they have started realizing they can hop the fence. So we need to clip their wings a bit more or find another solution. stupid chickens. =)
I think that's all that's going on around here. Baby clothes are washed, dried and folded and the hospital bag is as packed as it can be ahead of time. We bought a second hand baby seat for $50. Haven't put it in the car yet though. Need to get the cradle out of the shed and set it up. Josh put the swing together but I need to buy batteries. My goal this week is to finish tidying/organizing the craft room. and next week is the school room. It's an ongoing battle. I really should clean under my kitchen sink and in the oven before Mom gets here (in 6 days!!!) but that probably won't happen. sorry Mom =)

The one in which we try out Daddy's new firepit

2011-10-13T02:00:00.000+10:00

possible alternate title

The one in which I look as huge as I feel

The one in which Beka asks Daddy to play handball with her

2011-10-12T02:00:00.000+10:00

and she's wearing her mama-made birthday dress. =)

The one in which I take pics of my garden flowers in case they get wiped out by hail

2011-10-11T02:00:00.000+10:00

The one in which we invite a bunch of people over using Beka's birthday as an excuse

2011-10-09T15:23:00.000+10:00

After a crazy storm yesterday morning it cleared to a beautiful cool breezy afternoon just in time for friends to come hang out. We always say it isn't so much about the kids' birthdays as about having friends over for fun, food and fellowship. =)

cracks me up!

2011-10-08T10:36:00.000+10:00

rare

2011-10-07T10:30:00.000+10:00

One of our chooks laid a triple yolk egg on Sunday. Just had to document this rare occasion. =)

p.s. Josh thinks this photo kinda looks like a smiley face. ha!

Miss Beka turns 6

2011-10-05T22:26:00.002+10:00

She decorated her own cake!

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa came for dinner too.

Grammy made a tutu for her. It's gotten plenty of wear in the last 24 hours.

Nate really enjoys her picnic/tea set from Uncle Matthew =)

I love...

2011-09-16T17:23:00.000+10:00

eggs from our chooks, tiny ones and big ones

baby clothes washed, folded and put away

centrepieces made by the girls

finding a stain on brand new clothes and using it as an excuse to copy an idea from the internet

the girls' creativity even though it is COMPLETELY different to what I was thinking

how organized the craft room is {slowly} becoming

brand new tiny girly clothes

the new computer desk

more signs of the girls' creativity {doing something I did as a child}

science with Daddy

2011-09-11T06:09:00.000+10:00

Josh bought each of the girls a volcano kit. They did the molds on Monday. Now they need to paint them and then try them out.

Urban Farmer??

2011-09-10T06:03:00.000+10:00

we got 2 new chooks. They're still working out the pecking order with the black chickens but we're hopeful it will all be sorted soon. We planted some pumpkin seedlings on Saturday morning and by Saturday afternoon they'd been dug up. So we've put some fencing around the garden as we let the chooks free range most of the day. My lettuces and tomatoes are growing really well. We've been enjoying the fresh lettuce in salads and sandwiches. Out in the front the roses are growing back well after their annual winter pruning. The rose I was given when Nathan was born died last year and had left a big blank spot just by the front door. I'm so excited that I was able to get a hydrangea bush. I hope it grows really well. My pansies still look great in their wooden planter and Emma's petunias just keep going. Our miniature peach tree finally died so I need to find something to put in that planter. ahhh...I love spring. And it's been a gorgeous one so far!

ummm...well, I've been using the new blogger interface and it uploaded my pictures backwards to what I thought. Oh well, you're smart. You can figure out what's what. =)

Duh!

2011-09-09T06:44:00.000+10:00

Ever had one of those DUH! moments? This is one my recent ones. (I have way more of them than I really should. I blame it all on Mommy/prego brain) anyway, what was it? Goal cards for the girls. Seriously, I grew up in an ACE school. I've worked in an ACE school off and on for the past 10 years. I've been homeschooling for 4 years or so. And it was just in the past week that I thought of goal cards. Oh well, at least I thought of them now. They've been working great. The girls know what to do each day and I feel semi-organized.

Spoiled!!

2011-09-08T06:37:00.000+10:00

Josh and I got spoiled on Sunday. For Father's Day Josh got lots of chocolate and his matching shirts. As you can see the girls wanted to open gifts before we went to church so Josh had just got out of bed. I promise he didn't wear sweat pants to church. Ha! But you can see how cute he and Nathan were.

I got spoiled for my birthday with a chips & dip/cake dome/punch bowl combo and a 24 pack of Pepsi (my biggest craving this pregnancy) 4 of the cans were replaced with cherry Dr. Pepper. =) Josh's family gave me some fun kitchen stuff and fabric. And you can kinda see in the top picture of me the present from Josh--a genuine pearl necklace!! isn't it beautiful? I love it.

p.s. all photos taken by children 8 years and younger =)

Random

2011-09-07T06:03:00.000+10:00

The girls took a bunch of photos out in the yard with the chickens. They love those hens so much I'm afraid we'll never have eggs. They chase them around trying to grab them to hold them. We let the chickens out in the yard for most of the day. I need to figure out some way to keep them off the patio though as they poop a lot!!

The girls love having curlers in their hair. Catie chose not to have any curls that day.

This is just some recent schoolwork. We've been studying the solar system and found this "make your own" solar system through Meg at Whatever. I can't remember where we found the verse printout.

We love babies!

2011-09-06T06:57:00.000+10:00

At Trevor's recent birthday party Catie, Josh and I got a chance to hold little Izaac. Isn't he adorable? mmm....I love babies. =)

p.s. the blurry photos are due to being phone photos.

Baby blanket

2011-09-05T06:51:00.000+10:00

This is a blanket for the new baby, obviously. Mom sent me some lovely soft yummy minky fabric for the back. The top was made of fabric I already owned. My fabric stash is crazy for as little as I've been sewing lately. Anyway, it's bigger than Nathan's blanket so I may tie it in a few places. I really don't want to quilt it especially as it isn't exactly perfectly straight. But it's soft and pretty and we all like it. Now we just need a baby to wrap up. =)

like father like son

2011-09-04T06:46:00.000+10:00

Josh will sometimes choose to wear something similar to Nate for church on Sundays. So when I started thinking of what to give Josh for Father's Day (today here in Australia) I thought of matching shirts. After searching for matching polos and finding none I decided to buy two men's shirts and remake one of them for Nathan. This is the result. I think it is so cute. I'll have to upload a picture of the two of them wearing their shirts after I give them to Josh.

For Mom

2011-09-03T06:43:00.000+10:00

32 weeks

Noodles

2011-09-02T06:34:00.001+10:00

I made noodles the other day and they actually turned out on the first go!! Woohoo! The best part was that the scraps kept the kids busy for an hour or so. Dinner and distraction all in one! =)

10 years!!

2011-09-01T06:20:00.000+10:00

10 things I love/admire about Josh

His patience and ability to hold his temper in.
The way he is with our kids.
The way he researches big purchases and is careful with money (I really admire him for this but don't always LOVE this part.) =)
That he can fix/repair/build anything he sets his mind to.
The way he isn't concerned about what most other people think.
He works hard and gives 100%.
That my life with him is completely different than I imagined 10 years ago but it's good and peaceful and we're content.
He helps out around the house when I need/ask him to.
His hugs, kisses and all that mushy stuff. =)
That he loves me!

A boy and his tractor

2011-08-31T06:44:00.003+10:00

Nate was beyond excited to get this tractor from the Challacombe's. He'd push the button then gasp and smile and ooh and ahh. So funny. And he was pretty much done opening gifts when he opened this one. Nothing was going to top this. =)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Nathan!

2011-08-30T14:51:00.005+10:00

I can't believe this little guy turned 2 over the weekend!

We had friends (Grandpa and Grandma were on their way home from Tasmania) over for lunch the Sunday before Nate's birthday and then Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Jason and Uncle Matthew came over for dinner on the day after his birthday. We would have had his family dinner on his actual birthday but Josh was in Brisbane and didn't get home until 10pm. Nathan got spoiled by friends and family alike and we love sharing this time in our lives with like-minded friends and family.

happy

2011-08-20T14:37:00.002+10:00

cakes to make

2011-08-17T12:01:00.004+10:00

pardon my crude drawings. I'm no artist, that's for sure. Especially on the computer =)

The top cake is for Trevor's 21st birthday party on the 27th. 10, 8 and 5 inch squares plus the topper. The 8 inch squares will be a green velvet cake. And I think the 10 and 5 will be chocolate. or maybe half chocolate half vanilla. Not sure. But I can cut them out of the same 10x15 pans so they'll be the same whatever they are. And the topper will be from fondant. Need to get that made so it will for sure be dry and sturdy. And to make things easier I plan on making the cakes on Monday/Tuesday and then freezing them. Then I'll probably do the buttercream on Friday and just have to place the fondant superhero logos and cityscape on the cake Saturday at the church.

Nate's cake is for Sunday at his "party". Just an excuse to have friends over really. anyway, it's a 10x15 cake cut into the shape of a two. The top road will be made from almond flavoured fondant coloured black (the cake shop was out of black fondant so now I have purple hands from colouring it). the sides will be green coloured buttercream piped with the grass tip. And at Easter I found chocolate rocks and put them in the freezer so I'll put them around the bottom edge. Nice and simple. I have some car shaped chocolates so was going to put a couple of them on but then I found some Little People Wheelies on sale so bought two of them to go on top. He loves anything with wheels so it should be a hit. Not that he really cares as long as it tastes good, right? (p.s. the girls decided on what cake he should have. maybe he'll get a choice next year?)

exciting stuff!

2011-08-15T14:09:00.004+10:00

can you guess what happened at our house today??

yep, we got 3 chickens! The girls have claimed one each. They named them Lucy Lorene van Huyssteen (Emma), Rosie (Catie) and Jane Risser (Beka). Now to tell them apart! =)

Finished

2011-08-02T16:28:00.003+10:00

I know I've written about the front room before but this time I can say that I'm finally done with it. I love to come and sit here and just relax. I made the berry canvas and it turned out exactly as I wanted. and for only $15. The red frame was at Big W on sale so I snatched it up. It has photos of places we've been. I love that the room looks finished but I can change things out as the seasons change/holidays come. I actually took down my Phil. 4:8 plaque and replaced it with a "let it snow" sign for the next month to go with all my winter things. But soon I'll replace those things. I'm debating on a spring theme or a love theme since next month is our 10th anniversary. Soon I'll be counting the days until we leave on our little getaway. I know the girls are already looking forward to a week at Grandma's. Last night they suggested that maybe we should go away for two weeks. =)

just when my family thought we couldn't get weirder...

2011-07-30T12:36:00.004+10:00

we built a chicken coop. well, Josh put together a chicken coop kit with some "help" from the rest of us. Now we just need a few chickens (we're thinking 4) and all the stuff needed to care for them (better research that) and we'll be eating homegrown organic free range eggs. Yummy!

ADD

2011-07-25T16:26:00.002+10:00

I totally have ADD lately. I want to craft and decorate but nothing holds my interest for long. It has to be all short instant gratification projects. I still have pictures from our trip to post. And I have pictures from other random things too. But here's a little look at what life has been like the last couple weeks

appliqued 3 t-shirts for Nathan
made a blanket for the baby.
made 2 nappies and wipes cases
started using PACE's for our history curriculum. I just can't find one that I like and is easy to use.
Emma, the non-reader, LOVES to read her Social Studies. She reads it on her own and reads the questions and answers them on her own too. can't read? whatever!
got a haircut/trim today. just a couple inches off the length and a few layers. makes a big difference in how it feels though
Got Catie's hair cut today. About 5 inches off the length and she asked for a fringe (bangs). I'll have to get a photo.
Changed all the photos in the frames in the front room. And bought another frame that I have to find photos for. =)
Finished the Christmas vinyl decorations that Josh got for his birthday.
moved the bookshelf from the living room to the school room.
got the school room completely cleaned up.
got out all the various containers of clothes from around the house and organized them all.
very tempted to wash all the cute little baby stuff. But will probably wait another month or two.
Had the dreaded glucose test at the hospital this morning. That stuff is nasty. Then went to Big W and HBW and then to get my haircut. When I got home Josh and the girls had done schoolwork and tidied up the mess from the weekend!! So nice to walk into a clean house. Thanks, honey!! (I know you check up on me!)
Got all but the yoke of Beka's birthday dress done one night last week. But it's just been sitting there ever since. Oh well, I still have 2 months until her birthday. =)
wrapped Nate's birthday presents.
made two birthday presents for girls at church.
got a couple more things sorted for VBS.
ordered a bunch of stuff from walmart for Mom to bring over with her.
ordered books for Catie from the book depository. (I can't keep enough books in this house for her. and the selection at the library leaves much to be desired.)
moved furniture around after moving the bookshelf out (well, Josh moved the bookshelf. it's heavy! the furniture I moved was easy to slide.)
moved the furniture back to its original spots cuz it just fits better.
set up savings accounts for the kids

ummm...I think that's about it. of course we've been doing schoolwork and keeping the house tidy, etc. I'm ready to give up on cooking though. I botched a batch of choc chip cookies. It's the recipe I've been making for YEARS. I swear I followed the recipe and yet it still turned out weird. And the same with beef stroganoff. How do I mess stuff up when I follow the recipe and have been doing so for years?? uggghhh...I think I'll stick with stuff the kids can make. Tonight is homemade pizza. Hopefully it turns out well. =)

LOL

2011-07-19T21:25:00.004+10:00

Josh took a picture from Halloran's Hill of the highest point in Queensland. Of course it was a very cloudy day and you can't actually see the highest point. So, this photo makes me laugh.

days eight and nine

2011-07-19T21:02:00.005+10:00

Saturday was the first day that Gwen didn't have to work. We didn't choose a very good time to visit as the first week was the last week of June and thus, the end of the financial year. So Gwen was very busy with work. Anyway, on Saturday we headed out to see some of the local sights. The first stop was in a field to see the "dancing brolgas". These birds come here to mate every season. The are big water birds more likely found in the outback. The males can be up to 1.5 metres tall. We couldn't get really close to them for a picture. But it was fun to see them in the fields. We were amazed to see a huge flock of ducks in the field where we were too. After this stop we went to visit the curtain fig tree. I'm sure by looking that you can figure out why it's called the "curtain" fig tree. After that we went for a drive and visited Lakes Eacham and Barrine. Lake Eacham had lots of fish and turtles to check out. We also found it amusing that there were cement steps with a railing leading down into the water. It was just strange looking. When we reached Lake Barrine it was raining quite hard. So we had a quick look around and read up on some of the logging info then hopped back in the cars and went home. The girls found it more fun to ride with Grandma and Grandpa the whole time we were out being tourists. Josh and I had to get used to a quiet car. Well, as quiet as it was with Nathan singing his little heart out. =)

On Sunday after church we got chips and scallops and went up to Hallorans Hill for lunch. You could see a lot of stuff from up there and there was also a bit of information about the history of the area too. One of the sights to see was Mt. Uncle and Mt. Aunt. =) I'm not sure what the pictures are of but they are from up there.

day seven

2011-07-19T20:49:00.004+10:00

We drove down the range to Cairns. Reminded me of going to visit my grandparents in the mountains in Arkansas. We stopped at a lookout and it feels so strange to be up on the mountain and having a view of the ocean. The girls were all in the truck ahead of us with Grandpa. We saw this beautiful rainbow. I know it looks a bit ordinary in the photo but that was through the windscreen in a moving car. It was such brilliant colours and looked like it was only a metre or two off the road.

The reason for going down to Cairns was to check out the auction. The kids only lasted an hour or so but Floyd was there until mid-afternoon. The girls were fascinated by the auctioneer's speech. They couldn't believe he could talk that fast and kept asking what he was saying. All I could really understand was the dollar amount. =) Anyway, we went and checked out a couple shops then headed back to Atherton. It was the first day with little rain and the kids went out to feed the cows and check out the barn. They loved those cows. They had all of them, even the bull, eating out of their hands. As you can see from the last two pictures it was still quite chilly of an evening. The girls loved having Grandma read to them every night before bed.

days five and six

2011-07-17T08:59:00.005+10:00

I don't recall doing anything on Wednesday. Well, we did make our daily trip into the laundromat to dry laundry. It rained all that first week and we only had 3 outfits each so I needed to keep up with the laundry.And Nathan found ways of amusing himself. He loved to put all the drinks on that mat. We were afraid he was going to roll them down the ramp. And he enjoyed watching Boz on my laptop.
On Thursday we took the kids to a shop in town called The Crystal Caves. We got to put on hardhats with lights and go look at these rooms that had been made to look like caves with crystals and fossils all through them. The pictures don't really convey how cool everything looked because you can't see it well without a flash and the flash washes everything out. The star of the show was the HUGE amethyst geode. The girls loved it.

days three and four

2011-07-16T09:43:00.006+10:00

On Monday we went to visit Gallo Dairyland with the Blackmans. We saw them making chocolate and making cheese. There was an animal nursery and one of the calves decided to try eating Catie's jacket. They also had a viewing area so you could watch them milk all 270 cows. They milk at 3:00pm so Josh and the girls didn't get back to see that until the day before we left to come home. No pictures of that though. =( That night the kids and Dave and Grandpa played a round of Mexican Train Dominoes. The next morning the Blackmans packed up in the rain and left to go on up to the tip of Australia. Nathan loved having Asher and the other boys around. He constantly wanted Asher to hold him. The rest of our day consisted of playing around the house and taking laundry to the laundromat to be dried. woo hoo! exciting stuff =)

Day two

2011-07-13T22:32:00.004+10:00

Josh set the alarm for 2:00am. We were packed and on the road by 2:33, ready for our 13 hour trip. First sunrise we've seen in a long time. =) After 13 rather uneventful but long hours we arrived in Atherton. Nate got straight out of the car and headed straight for the tractor. I can't find a pic of the house but it was a small old house that we all fit into nice and cozily. I don't think we took pics of the end to end beds either. It was good to see Grandma and Grandpa even though we've seen them fairly recently. Our friends the Blackmans showed up later that afternoon as a stop on their way up to the northern tip of Australia. Thankfully they were camping so Gwen didn't have to find them beds too. =)

Day one

2011-07-13T22:24:00.003+10:00

On Saturday the 24th we left Hervey Bay and drove 5 hours north to Rockhampton. We stopped at the Rockhampton Botanical Gardens and Zoo. Nate likes to watch The Zoo on tv so we thought he'd enjoy his first visit to see some animals. And it was free so win/win. The little koala in the enclosure was so active. He kept running back and forth and getting as close as he could to people. We enjoyed the time there before heading to where we stayed for the night.

how to start?

2011-07-10T22:57:00.002+10:00

it's late Sunday night and we've been home for just about 24 hours. I don't even know where to start with all the photos and everything. You might just get a day by day accounting of what we did and see the photos. However, there are hundreds of photos so not sure that would work. Anyway, can't think much tonight so will just leave you with some of the names that caught my eye as we travelled for just under 4200k.

Alligator Creek--all 4 of them that we saw
The "Tree Creeks" Apple Tree Creek, Cherry Tree Creek, Cabbage Tree Creek, Fig Tree Creek, Plum Tree Creek
The "Mile Creeks" 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 14 mile creeks. Yes, Mom, I saw a Five Mile Creek!! Just not THE Five Mile Creek
Nathan Street
The town of Brandon (tried to take photos of it for my nephew but by the time I had the camera ready the town was gone.)
Two roads called Gentle Annie Road

There were lots of interesting places and names but those caught my attention for various reasons. Anyway, I'll start posting photos tomorrow.

another sneak peek

2011-07-08T10:40:00.001+10:00

Sneaky Peek

2011-07-06T10:35:00.002+10:00

a few photos from our time in Atherton. Lots more to come when we get home =)

These make me happy

2011-06-24T09:48:00.007+10:00

Our new patio roof. Josh took these photos last night. The guy is out there right now putting on the gutter and downpipe and whatever finishing touches are needed.

Finding a wooden train set at a price I like after a few weeks of looking in preparation for Nate's birthday.

The boy in boots and overalls.
He loves those boots so much he wears them every day all day. Even takes his naps with them on. He'd sleep with them on at night but I won't let him. =)

Girl #3 in a brand new Grammy made outfit

Girl #2 in a new Grammy made shirt and a new Grandma made skirt

Girl #1 (in a new Grammy made shirt as well) reading as usual. (Nate was laying down beside her looking at the book but got up just as I took the photo. of course)

a clean school room floor

This corner of my front room especially with the new big fluffy cushions I made with the pillowcases that came with the sheet I'm using as a cover for the futon, my new bookshelf and my new winterscape on the mirror.

tooting my own horn =)

2011-06-23T08:39:00.000+10:00

I'm just taking a moment here because I'm very proud of myself. Our car seat cover has been through 4 babies and the backing was completely disintegrating. Here you can kinda see what the front looked like.
Anyhoo, I bought $15 worth of heavy cute polka dot material and read the tutorial by Ashley on Make It and Love It. Then Josh took the car seat out one day after Nate spilled or spewed or something and washed it all. I grabbed the cover with the intention of re-doing it that day. Well, several weeks passed and Nate has been using a bigger booster seat. But he will be much more comfortable on our trip up north (not to mention safer) in his other car seat. So yesterday I bit the bullet and cut that cover apart. Of course I neglected to pay attention to what Ashley said and didn't take any photos. So then I was worried that I wouldn't be able to put it back together. But I found some thick iron-on pellon in my craft room and just started sewing it all together. And it worked!!! I'm so happy! It's so much cuter now. And not shedding all over my car. I somehow made a mistake in cutting out one piece and didn't realize until after I had sewn it together but it was an easy fix as it was cut too big and I hadn't hemmed/put the binding on it yet. So, without further ado~the new and improved car seat!!

Friends

2011-06-22T10:08:00.001+10:00

The Challacombe's came over for lunch on Sunday. Nate and Jim were having a great time out on the trampoline all by themselves.

Warm

2011-06-21T10:05:00.003+10:00

On these chilly winter mornings Catie can normally be found in the warmest spot in the house. In the front window soaking in the sun and reading a book.

Cute

2011-06-19T22:59:00.002+10:00

Beautiful

2011-06-19T22:54:00.002+10:00

*photos by Gwen/Grandma

Can you guess...

2011-06-18T15:02:00.002+10:00

who did this?

or what this is going to be??

dot points of randomness

2011-06-17T14:18:00.002+10:00

our washing machine broke.
the guy came out today and had to replace the motor capacitor.
Not bad considering we've had the machine for 10 years and have only had to replace a belt and the capacitor. Go Maytag!!
Nathan is talking more. If only we could understand him! His "1,2,3!" sounds more like "uh, tuh, TUH!"
He loves to sing.
We found out that the baby is a girl! Have I mentioned that already? can't remember
I went through the baby clothes the other day. I started sorting them to wash the tiny stuff but then realized that I should probably wait a few more months. =)
Some friends had a little boy Wednesday. We went to see him on Thursday. I just love holding newborns. And they smell so yummy!
The girls are doing well with their schoolwork.
Catie prefers reading to anything else including schoolwork. =)
Emma like Math and Astronomy.
She has also taken it upon herself to start writing in cursive. Guess I should work on teaching her the proper way.
Beka continues along in her Prep/Kindgergarten work.
She really enjoys the books we've gotten from the Mennonites.
And she has a third and hopefully final hearing test next week. I guess they want to make sure that the one she passed wasn't a fluke.
Further to yesterday's clever post I wanted to mention that except for the backing on the bookshelves every single step to go from live tree to awesome bookshelves was done by Mark!
And they even have some of the distressing with a hammer that's really popular in blogland right now thanks to a little helper. It's like the signature on a great piece of art. =)
We are headed to Atherton in a couple of weeks. That's where Floyd and Gwen spend most of their time. So we thought we'd check it out.
It's a 20 hour drive at least. ugghhh! But we'll be there for two weeks or so.
Gwen has been home for the last 6 weeks or so. It's been so nice to have her home. The girls love spending time with her and Nathan really warmed up to her too. Which is awesome!!
She's planning to watch the kids for us in September.
Josh and I are heading to Montville for 4 days in September to celebrate 10 years of marriage! Yay for us!
I believe there needs to be more focusing on and celebrating of marriages/anniversaries.
I'm sure there's more to say but that's enough for now.
In case you didn't know, but I'm sure you did, that's an ultrasound picture of #5 up the top.

my little secret....sssshhhhh.....

2011-06-16T13:53:00.006+10:00

I'm gonna let you in on my little secret to seeming clever and creative. Surround yourself with creative and clever people. Like Josh, he built a bench for the side of the table that is up against the wall so that the chairs quit scraping the wall. And it fits 3 people easily. He also built a stand for the Berkey filter so that it doesn't have to be right on my sink and take up so much space. Clever!!

Or like my mom, who makes beautiful clothes for my children so I don't have to. (They have heaps of clothes she has made but these were the easiest pictures to find) Clever!!

Or like Mark, who takes my idea and Josh's scribble on a piece of paper and turns them into beautiful, just what I envisioned, perfect bookshelves. Clever!!

Nate likes Daddy's hat

2011-06-08T16:14:00.004+10:00

This is the type of picture I get with Nathan about 50% of the time. =)

I know I've only been putting photos up lately but it seems like everything else is just the same old, same old. Everything's normal and a bit boring. HA! as boring as it gets with an 8 yr old, 7 yr old, 5.5 yr old and a 21 month old. =)

Catie, Nathan and Daddy on The Big Wheel

2011-06-01T13:20:00.001+10:00

Emma on the bouncy slide

2011-05-31T13:16:00.002+10:00

Beka rides the teacups

2011-05-30T13:13:00.000+10:00

Each of the girls got to choose a ride to go on at the Show. Beka chose to go on the teacups.

Petting Zoo

2011-05-29T13:07:00.002+10:00

We went to the Fraser Coast Show on Thursday with some of the school classes. All of the kids loved the petting zoo. It took Nate a little while to like feeding the animals. But then he got this great look on his face when he realized they would eat out of the cup. I have a cute video that captures it but it's a bit long. Anyway, once Nathan got over his little fear of the animals he started chasing the chickens. =)

crazy kid =)

2011-05-28T13:02:00.001+10:00

crazy circus

2011-05-27T12:58:00.004+10:00

a zebra (with a collar)

a clown

and of course you must have a Ringmaster! =)

*all face paint compliments of Emma and Catie

peas and corn

2011-05-16T02:42:00.001+10:00

So far I have snow peas (along the fence) and corn growing in my garden. I have seeds for lettuce and tomato but just haven't gotten around to planting them yet. The rain is making the corn do really well. Hope they get nice and big and have lots of corn to eat. =)

of course I had to show you some flowers too. I planted pansies in my little wooden planter. And Emma has some petunias that she bought with her own birthday money. The rain is helping them grow well too. =)

more vinyl

2011-05-14T12:40:00.003+10:00

I put up some vinyl in the bathroom. Didn't wait quite two weeks and some paint peeled off but it seemed a little loose anyway. Oh well, the girls made sure to show Josh as soon as he came home. the missing paint, not the vinyl. =)

vinyl crazy

2011-05-06T04:17:00.000+10:00

Josh got a gift certificate for some vinyl wall art for his birthday. It came today and I immediately put some of it up. We also got a couple for Christmas and one to put in the school room. And a welcome sign as a thank you for ordering. I haven't done anything with them yet. =)

First I put flowers in the girls' rooms. It's hard to see the light pink against the wall colour in the pictures but they are nice and bright in real life. Catie put hers over the window by her bed, Emma wanted hers to be vertical by her bed and Beka put hers at the head of her bed.

I put this one up above the window over the sink in the kitchen. I love the change but I'll have to get used to not having a clock up there. And we'll just pretend that the reason it looks crooked is because of the camera. =)These inspired me to finally pull out the vinyl I bought in America and put it on the pantry door. It's so cute. and much better than sitting in the linen cupboard. I promise that it actually does look straight in real life. =)

Laundry Room

2011-05-05T04:09:00.000+10:00

I bought these stickers in America over Christmas. I finally got to put them up. I think they look cute and match the washboard and curtains Mom gave me ages ago. I bought two packages and didn't even use a whole one. guess I'll have to find something to do with the other ones.

done!!

2011-05-04T16:04:00.002+10:00

We finished painting!! Saturday Josh and I painted the girls' toilet and bathroom and Monday Josh painted the laundry room. Doesn't it look great? Now to wait the 2 weeks before I can put up the vinyl I have for the girls' bathroom. It's gonna look cute!

Hanging out with Dad

2011-05-03T11:42:00.003+10:00

Beka had moved a chair near to Josh so he could check out why her foot was hurting. After she went to bed, Nate decided to hang out with Daddy. So he moved some of his tractor over to the desk and sat next to Josh for about half an hour. =)

cooking

2011-04-30T09:44:00.000+10:00

The girls have been asking to help cook so I try to find easy meals that they can make. At this season of our lives a lot of our meals are dump and stir type meals so it is easier for them to make. Last week Catie made beef and vegetable soup and cornbread, Emma made mostacioli (the meatballs were pre-made, cooked and frozen) and Beka made tuna noodle casserole. This week they asked if they could make pancakes. They all helped make the mix and then they all helped Daddy cook them on the BBQ. Makes for an easy dinner. We ate the pancakes with syrup, peanut butter, jam or cream. Served with a side of canned peaches it was a yummy meal that I hardly had to do anything. =)

random

2011-04-29T09:35:00.002+10:00

After Beka opened her mouth so I could take a photo of her missing tooth, Nathan decided I should take a picture of his mouth too. And then Catie and Emma joined the fun. Then when I downloaded the photos Josh took of Easter morning I found these random photos. Apparently it's all the rage to take close up photos of people's noses and mouth. =)

another first

2011-04-26T07:40:00.001+10:00

curtsy

2011-04-25T07:12:00.001+10:00