Ange and Zane

Christmas blog

2012-01-01T19:49:00.000+10:00

We had a very nice Christmas this year with the Knight side of the family. It was a bit of a shakey start, with the boys both waking up at 11pm and 3am after having a nightmare (maybe we overdid the bit about a fat man in a red suit sneaking into their bedroom after they went to sleep?), and it was a 5.30am start, which is to be expected in a house with young kids I guess! The boys were thrilled with their stockings, and were wide-eyed with awe when they discovered the carrots and milk and cookies they had put out for Santa and his reindeer had been eaten.

Zane was inspired by a Jamie Oliver Christmas special we watched the night before and cooked American style pancakes for us for breakfast.

After brekky it was time to open up some presents.

Ella was quite delighted with the way the morning was unfolding

James was thrilled with this present from the O'Dowds

And Liam was too

James needed some assistance opening this whopper up - a bright yellow scooter!

Ella was almost beside herself!

Another Christmas, another shirt!

Ella loved her ballerina & cat musical snow globe

Liam was dumbfounded when he realised all his dreams had come true and he was now the proud new owner of a DS! I think he was still in shock when we took this pic.

James was thrilled with his new puppy, Snowy, who came with his own transporter and medical kit.

The obligatory family snap

After an exciting morning, we packed up the car and headed over to Brent and Penny's for lunch.

Opening pressies with Chae

Frolicking on the lawn

Catching up on the goss with the rellies

It was a great lunch, everyone brought a plate and the table was

laden down with lots of Christmas goodies

Ella's excitement didn't wane all day!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A xx

Christmas Party

2011-12-26T22:20:00.000+10:00

We had our annual Mothers Group Christmas party at our house this year - I have avoided it for many years but finally the excuses had run out and it was well and truly my turn to host. Fourteen adults and fifteen children aged 1 - 5 = controlled mayhem! It was noisy and unruly, and there were a few bumps and bruises from the kids playing in close proximity and being in a state of extreme excitement, but I just had the frozen peas at the ready for any injuries, poured myself a champers and enjoyed watching the chaos unfold. A great night was had by all.

Me and my girl

My lovely friends Tracey, Emma, Katherine and Kate

... and their other halves

Ella couldn't believe her luck when she found this empty juice box

that one of the big kids had tossed aside

Some of the boys managed to sit down for two minutes for a sausage!

Randoms

2011-12-26T22:09:00.000+10:00

Just wanted to show you a picture of Ella in the beautiful dress Grandma sent for her birthday. Pretty in pink! Yes, that is a syringe she is sucking on. Teething woes, again...

Most people who read this blog probably already know that we've had a student from Korea staying with us for the past couple of months. She goes to school in the mornings and helps with the housework / childminding in the afternoons. Her name is Elisha, and she is a very nice, courteous, friendly young lady. We are all enjoying having her here, and I am loving the extra help. Here she is with the kids:

We took Elisha sightseeing her first weekend in Brisbane. Here we are at the top of Mt Koot-tha.

Liam had his last day at the day care centre he has been going to since he was two. On the last day all the kids wore their new school uniforms for the day. It was also the day of the Christmas party, a great chance to have a bit of fun and say goodbye to the friends we have made along the way.

Liam in his Wilston State School uniform, with James proudly standing alongside.

Liam and his buddy Wil. They have developed a great friendship over the last couple of years, and although they won't be in the same class next year, they will still be nearby.

"The best teacher ever" - Cathy, she is everything you wish for in a teacher. She is kind, caring, attentive, considerate, fun, I could go on and on. Liam has forged a very strong bond with Cathy and will miss her next year. Lucky James is in her class next year.

Moving on the kindy end of year celebrations ! Here is Liam proudly displaying the decoration he made to hang on our tree.

The kids put on a Carols concert for us. It was heaps of fun, the kids loved being able to stay up late and run wild with all the other kids.

More on Ella's birthday

2011-12-26T21:51:00.000+10:00

I put Ella's birthday blog on in rather a hurry, and there were a few nice pictures that didn't make it to that blog. So, here they are:

Liam and Ella, wearing the gorgeous outfit Aunty Leigh sent for her b'day. Don't you think Liam and Ella are two peas in a pod?

Before Ella's teeth started appearing, this was her 99% of the time - she is (or was) such a happy bubba!

Liam and Ella having some no-shirt time. James is too cool for such shenanigans.

Having a cuddle with Great-Grandma Mavis - who is around 93 I think.

A lovely one of Ella and Aunty Kerrie (with Lorraine - Zane's Aunty)

Ella wasn't keen on opening her presents, but the boys were more than willing to help out!

James especially loved Ella's new pram and nappy bag.

Extreme close-up of the cake. Yes, that's right folks, it is dripping out of her nostrils.

I just love this picture because I think it captures the innocence of a baby ... soooo cute. I just want to smother those chubby cheeks with kisses.

Paul's 65th birthday celebrations

2011-12-26T21:36:00.000+10:00

Paul (Zane's Dad) turned 65 last month and in true Knight fashion, decided to spread the celebrations out over a few days.

The first event on the calendar was a cruise on the Gold Coast broadwater on a luxury catamaran, at twilight, followed by a party at their place at Mermaid Waters. This was a surprise organised by Jacki. Apparently organising surprises for Paul can be a bit dicey, but luckily this surprise was very warmly received by the birthday recipient.

Kerrie was once again my guardian angel and agreed to look after the kids so Zane and I could go down and join in the fun. Thanks Kez! I didn't get any photos of the cruise and after-party, but there was a family lunch the following day, and here are the pics.

Ella was only just walking here.

Enjoying her new-found independence (with Uncle Brent)

The birthday boy and his brother Pete.

James just loves having a dip in the ocean.

Zane and Ella checking out the jet-ski.

This is the view from the end of their jetty, looking back up to the house. The Riviera is parked behind me, right next to the jet ski. Oh, how the other half live...

Time for birthday cake.

Ella and Uncle Brent having fun

Happy 1st Birthday Ella!

2011-11-21T12:18:00.000+10:00

We had a party on Sunday to celebrate Ella's first birthday. It was a great afternoon with all the (Brisbane) family here.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday presents / cards / birthday wishes !!!

Spring Cleaning

2011-11-03T19:53:00.000+10:00

With Spring in the air, it's that time of year to turn my mind to clearing out the old to make way for the new. I can hardly keep up with the kids, they grow so quickly that by the time I have reorganised their wardrobes with the right sizes, it seems to be time to do it all over again. Liam has grown about a foot in the last month!

After tackling the kids' rooms, my next job was to empty out the "wine cellar" (read: junk closet). Next on the list, the cupboard under the stairs.

Phase One: complete!

Another job I have been putting off for ages was re-covering our dining table chairs. They've had a lot of loving from the boys and it was getting to the stage where you couldn't sit on them without fear of picking up a greasy souvenir from a dinner eaten not so long ago. I opted for indestructible, stain-proof, water-proof, bomb-proof fake leather/vinyl. Classy.

They are soooo much nicer than the previous!

After completing my domestic chores, and feeling very virtuous, I had a sudden urge to bake.

This is a honey-spiced fruit loaf. It's got walnuts, dates, almonds and a few other things in it. The recipe is on the back of the White Wings Wholemeal Self-Raising Flour packet. Very delish, I highly recommend it!!

This one is an old fave that gets cooked often here. It's a zucchini and bacon slice. A great way to get vegies into the kids. It's really nice with a dollop of Mrs Ball's chutney on the side and a sprinkling of salt and pepper on top, for lunch. Note the onion on one half only - at the boys' request. I am a very accommodating mummy!

Here we are enjoying the bake-off.

Ella has had a very busy schedule this week, what with mastering walking, and managing her swollen gums. If you zoom into this pic, you will see that she now has two teeny tiny teeth! She's quite pleased with herself, and fancies herself as a big girl now. No more vegie mash for me please Mum! I'll have what the boys are having!

Check out the look of dogged determination here. Ella is not letting go of her walker for anyone! It's hot work slogging it out with the big kids, so a bit of shirts-off time was called for.

James was too cool for the shirts-off shenanigans.

She's Walking

2011-10-28T13:39:00.000+10:00

Sandgate Promenade

2011-10-16T17:02:00.000+10:00

We had a very pleasant diversion last weekend when we took a drive out to Sandgate for a bike ride and a play in the playground. It was a perfect sunny day, after a few days of rain, so there were loads of people out there enjoying Moreton Bay. What a great way to while away a Sunday morning!!

Riverfire

2011-10-16T16:48:00.000+10:00

I finally put Zane's Nikon photos on my computer and found a great shot that he took of Riverfire from his Dad's place. It was right at the crucial moment when the F111's were doing their dump and burn over the river - awesome!!

Ella is on the move!

2011-10-04T13:50:00.001+10:00

More of Mum's Visit and School Holiday Things

2011-09-27T22:00:00.000+10:00

We've been spending a lot more time outdoors since Spring has sprung. Here we are having a quick game of footy before dinner.

Ella is now trawling along the walls and furniture, and standing up with no assistance!

Grandma was very impressed with James's kicking foot

I thought I would try my luck at getting a nice one of the three of them together ... but it proved elusive as ever.

We have been spending lots of time in the pool. The solar heating has it at a nice toasty 27 degrees.

Liam spent ages trying to stack all his puzzle pieces up in a tower. After much persistance, he did it!

Sophie and Toby spent the day with us. We had great fun swimming ...

... while Ella and Grandma looked on from the side of the pool ...

More feeding, this time upstairs (it takes a lot of work to keep those chubby cheeks in the style to which they're accustomed)

We also went bowling. They have nifty things for kids like this launching ramp, and gutter barriers. All that protection even allowed Liam to get a strike!!

There was some ticketing system on the gaming machines that we couldn't figure out, but we thought we'd have a photo with all our booty anyway.

Ella getting into the puzzles and looking beautiful as always! Note the dribble everywhere ... those teeth can't be too far away now!

I know it's mean, but I just had to add this one in, sooooo cute!

Much happier here!

Ella meeting her O'Dowd cousins for the first time!

A few more cuddles with Grandma before she headed home

We went to a strawberry farm to pick some berries on Monday. It's a great activity to do with small children, they had a great time. We packed a picnic and had some lunch there, and there was a great playground for them too.

Today we tagged along with the O'Dowds and the Masons for their scheduled visit to the Gold Coast. We hit Main Beach about mid-morning and had a play in the surf, then headed over to Cavill Mall for a browse and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Liam chatting with the locals

Two of my gorgeous nieces

... and there's the other gorgeous niece! I am a very proud aunty.

Katie had her hands full here with Ella who was desperately trying to get at my chips!

Mum's visit

2011-09-27T21:36:00.000+10:00

Mum was nice enough to come and help us out for a couple of weeks while Zane went to Sri Lanka for work. It was so good to see her again, and just fantastic spending two whole weeks with her. The kids and I loved every minute of her being here, and were very sorry to see her go.

Ella got to have first cuddles with Grandma

Liam made some zucchini and apple muffins for Grandma

Liam and Ella warming up for an impromptu photo shoot

James got in on the action (not the camera smile firmly in place)

A lovely one of Mum Liam and Ella

... and another one ...

... and another one! Couldn't decide which one was best, loved them all!!!

Mothers Group Joint Birthday party

2011-09-27T21:27:00.000+10:00

We had a joint birthday party for our group of friends who all have kids that were born within a couple of weeks of each other. Since our first joint birthday party in 2007, the brood has expanded and is still growing!

We had a great barbecue at Hidden World Park in Taigum. There was a storm looming, but luckily it held off until the end when we all had to race for cover!

Two thumbs up from Liam

James sneakily checking out the pressies while no one was looking

Getting ready for a quick game of pass the parcel

Ella was feeling very relaxed about the whole process

Checking out the competition

Time for the old classic, sausage 'n' bread

James's 3rd Birthday

2011-09-27T21:17:00.000+10:00

Just when you thought you couldn't possibly have to read any more birthday blogs .... there is one more! James turned 3 on 9th August, here are some pics of the day.

I can't believe James is 3 already. Hopefully his 4th year will be not quite as fast-paced as his 3rd, he earned his nickname "Hurricane James" well and truly!!! James is vivacious, funny, super-cute, entertaining, engaging, affectionate, sweet, thoughtful, brave, daring and fearless. He is also cheeky, stubborn, and can throw a whopper of a tanty when things don't go his way. But life would be boring if we were all flawless, and James and his big personality have made our lives a lot more fun, and we love him so much!!

Happy birthday James! xxx

Liam and James - birthday party

2011-08-14T10:19:00.000+10:00

The Cake!

The calm before the storm

Front row seat reserved for the Fire Engine

Liam and Frederick

James was delighted with his goodies

The Masons did a wonderful job entertaining Ella

Kicking the footy before lunch

Ella spun the disco ball and rocked out some tunes for the party goers

Taking instructions for the games

Lunch time! Kerrie did a marvelous job keeping the food coming.

Enjoying the nosh.

Crazy eyes! (This is Wil - Liam's best buddy at school)

The Fire Engine arrived!

Fire Chief Number 2.

And Fire Chief Number 1.

A quick happy snap before taking off.

A few games while the other kids waited their turn for their ride.

Squirting the hose - the neighbour's van was a popular target and
ended up sparkling clean after everyone had their turn!

Say "Fire Engine"!!!!

Time for cake. Special thanks to Kerrie who made a fabulous soccer cake for Liam.

Liam loved this bubble wand which blows amazingly huge bubbles.

James loved the balloons.

Thank you to everyone who sent pressies for the boys - they loved them all.

It's going to be hard to top that party next year, so we're not even going to try. Now, time to start planning for Ella's 1st birthday!!!!

More crawling!

2011-08-12T10:20:00.000+10:00

Here's another video of Ella mastering her crawling skills, done a few days after that last video I posted.

Much more confident now and getting a bit of speed up!

Liam's 5th birthday

2011-08-11T15:16:00.000+10:00

Liam's birthday fell on a Monday this year, so we decided to start the celebrations a day early so Zane could join in on the fun. We asked Liam what he would like to do for his birthday, and his response was, "Can we go out for breakfast of bacon and eggs, and then I want to tell you what I want to do all day instead of you telling me what you want me to do all day"!! Fair enough ....

A birthday cuddle from baby sis

At our favourite brekky haunt, the North Shore River Cafe

I kept my word and didn't flinch when this extra large hot chocolate complete with marshmallows arrived at the table...

Shenanigans in the sunshine after breakfast

Check out my new bike!

After a long father / son meeting involving plenty of negotiations, it was decided that the training wheels would stay off. Liam wasn't completely convinced but decided to have a go (on the grass first).

To his surprise, after a few turns with Dad helping, he managed to make it across the lawn without falling off! He was very pleased with himself.

Poor old James was not nearly as impressed with all the birthday frivolities as everyone else was (bless).

He had to come up with new and exciting ways to get our attention.

Ella Update

2011-08-11T14:13:00.000+10:00

I am about to bombard you with pictures and stories about the boys' birthdays, but before I roll up my sleeves and get stuck into that, here are some pics of Ella and what she has been up to.

Yes, Ella is now crawling! This video was done a couple of weeks ago when she was just starting to figure it all out.

Ella is also saying Mumma and Dadda, waving, and she's having big girl brekkies (porridge and weetbix) and finger food like steamed veg and toast soldiers. As usual, every new milestone is pulled off with minimal fuss. What a little poppet!

Snow Holiday Continued

2011-07-26T11:02:00.000+10:00

So we packed up and left our lovely house in Jindabyne and hit the road. Next stop: Canberra. It was a dull, grey day when we got there and it stayed that way until we left.

We stopped in to see Julia but unfortunately she wasn't in.

We met up with our friends Cimone and Darren and their kids Christian and Emma. We had dinner at their local Club. It was a great night.

Strike a pose!

We found Canberra quite dull (sorry if there are any Canberra residents reading this). It possibly could have been the weather and our crappy accommodation which caused our lukewarm response to Canberra.

Our next stop was much more convivial - Hunter Valley. We got a great 2BRM apartment on a golf course. We did a bit of sight seeing. The highlights were the Chocolate Factory (wine tasting tours just don't work when you have 3 kids in tow) and dinner at a beer brewery, which had an open log fire, very cosy and lovely.

The Chocolate Shop - anticipation mounting...

... and - success! Chocolate dipped strawbs and marshmallows, yummy yummy.

Checking out the vineywards

... and the function room / restaurant.

Check out the moosh on Ella. Those cheeks were just made for squeezing.

It was very brisk at the vineyards so we did lots of horsing around to keep warm.

The potters barn brewery we went to for dinner was great.

Back on the road again, this time on our way to Coffs Harbour. We stopped at a few places off the highway . We stopped at tea rooms which was a bit like stepping into the twilight zone. It was in a tiny town and the shop sold everything from magazines, to postage stamps, to drill bits, to angle grinders,to Akubra hats, to kids toys, the list was endless. We marvelled at the variety. An old lady was running the shop and she made a mean cheese toasty for us for lunch and milkshakes for the kids. She told us she was "new" to the area - she'd only been there 28 years.

We also stopped at this river bank for a leg stretch and toilet break. Liam and James attempted to scale this structure.

... while Zane and Ella looked on with some concern.

Here is a quintessentially Australian shot for you.

We finally made it to Coffs and of course our first stop was a trip to the Big Banana. Ella was very happy with the bag of banana lollies she got to hold. The boys loved the toboggan ride they had there.

Zane and Liam were a bit under the weather with the flu, so while they tried to get some rest in the afternoon, James, Ella and I went out exploring. We visited an aquarium and a playground. We did some people watching.

Before we left Coffs we went to the yacht club for a great brekky before hitting the road again. Here we are outside the Maccas in Grafton enjoying the sunshine.

We passed a giant prawn along the way.

... before arriving at the Macadamia Castle, which was awesome!

James meeting the locals.

A spot of mini golf.

Ella was our caddy.

So that ends the tale of our epic journey. Whilst we loved it (for the most part), we have decided the next holiday will involve a beach, a swimming pool, and not doing much of anything at all! Fiji, here we come!!!

Snow Holiday

2011-07-17T20:16:00.000+10:00

We made a snap decision last month to organise a snow holiday after hearing good reports about the snow at Thredbo and Perisher. Zane got all misty eyed remembering his childhood driving holidays and decided that the only way to get there was to drive, so we could stop and "smell the roses" along the way....... what follows next is an account of our sometimes harrowing, but for the most part enjoyable, eight days, but first, here are some stats to whet your appetite for the adventure ahead!

Kilometres travelled: 3,100
McDonalds visits: 6
Dead kangaroos/wombats driven past: 25
Stops required to completely change Ella's nappy and outfit: too many to count!
Hotels stayed in: 5

We go away early on the Friday morning (3.30am) to try to beat the traffic and get a few hours under our belt while the kids were still sleepy, thus reducing the need for stops. We got to Sydney by about 5pm and checked into our 2 bedroom apartment right on Manly beach. Leigh had very kindly offered to have us stay but unfortunately Chloe was suffering from a case of suspected swine flu, so we decided to stay in an apartment just to be on the safe side. Ironically, Zane and Liam ended up coming down with the flu anyway, and it was a doozy, lasting two solid weeks, and it really knocked them around. Just goes to show the best laid plans can go awry!

Anyhow, back to the holiday. Leigh met us for breakfast on Saturday morning, while John completed a two hour run around Manly beach. Apparently he was taking it easy due to an injury, he usually goes for longer than that!!

Aunty Leigh meeting Ella for the first time.

No show without punch.

Ella was anxious to show Aunty Leigh all her party tricks - here she demonstrates jumping up and down while shrieking with delight (it's one of her favourite pastimes).

It was a beautiful day at Manly beach.

Uncle John's turn for a cuddle

Liam dusting off the cobwebs after his 14 hour car ride the day prior

James was quite excited to be out in the sunshine too.

Heading up to the Manly ferry.

After brekky, we took a walk along the beach and hopped on the ferry and headed over to Circular Quay. It was just a glorious day on the water, with lots of people out enjoying the harbour one way or another, and we remarked on how lucky Liegh and John are to live in such a beautiful city. Sydney has a great energy, and on a sunny day, there's no better place to be. We wandered around the city and stopped at a great cafe for lunch, then headed back to our apartment. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the playgrounds along the promenade and then had a nice dinner at a local restaurant.

It's almost impossible to get a good one of the five of us, here's the best of a bad bunch.

James and Ella have been having some delightful interactions and are really enjoying each other's company. Ella can sit up all by herself now so she has suddenly become a lot more interested - and interesting!

The next day, Sunday, we headed off to our next stop, Jindabyne.

The landscape changes quite dramatically as you head further down the country. It goes from sub-tropical Queensland to rolling green hills and lots of cattle in New South Wales, gradually changing into brown, flat paddocks, much more desert-like. While there are difficult moments travelling such long distances with three kids under five, it is undeniably the best way to see our beautiful country. We stopped at some great pubs and tea rooms along the way, and met some characters that looked like they'd just stepped off the set of The Man from Snowy River.

We got into Lake Crackenback Resort at Jindabyne in the late afternoon. It is a resort set on 150 hectares right at the entrance to Kosciusko National Park. Our accommodation was perfect, a double storey house with loads of room and a roaring log fire to greet us on arrival. It was so nice we didn't want to leave it!

Heading up to Thredbo. James was almost unbearably cute in his bib and brace pantsuit!!

Our first look at the mountain!

No time for pose for pictures, let's get sledding!!

We found a great spot called "Dead Man's Gap" for sledding. While we were there it started snowing and the boys had a snowball fight, it was quite magical!

Me and Ella enjoying the snow

Here's the front view!

Back at our place

Snow angels!

Liam made this great snowman

Check out the foot of snow on top of this car!

Christmas in June

2011-06-24T13:38:00.000+10:00

Zane decided he wanted to have Christmas in June celebrations to mark the occasion of his birthday this year - yes we know it is meant to be Christmas in July but we can't change his birthday can we! And yes we are a bit weird!!!

Anyhow, there was quite a bit of preparation involved, the kids put the Christmas tree up and decorations were put up around the house. We had 13 people for dinner on the Saturday night (all family) and it was fantastic!!! Zane made a 3kg butterflied shoulder of pork with crackling and a turkey and leek pie, sooo yummy. I made a steamed Christmas pudding and the obligatory rum balls.

We also had a Secret Santa where everyone had to bring a previously received (and unwanted) present for re-gifting. Presents were anonomously contributed and instructions were given for crappy contributions to the present pool. After all pressies were opened, a bidding war commenced so that everyone ended up with the "right" present.

We had a trip down memory lane with everyone choosing a song on Youtube that symbolised their youth. Kerrie and Jacki got all misty eyed over Leif Garrett while Penny and I bonded over Bon Jovi and Icehouse. If you could pick one favourite song from your youth, what would it be???

Ella needed her beauty sleep so she got off to bed early, but the boys got to stay up late and (gasp) drank lemonade and (shock horror) ate chocolate ice creams!! They thought it was the best party ever.

Zane set up a mulled cider station on the back deck.

Penny expertly handled the age-old juggle of baby in one hand, drink in the other

Jacki and Brent were surprised to find the mulled cider was actually pretty good!

Dinner time!

It was almost too much excitement for James.

The girls proudly displaying their Christmas gifts

... and the boys doing the same.

More Christmas goodies over here. Check out the look of absolute delight on all their faces!!!

Brent quite liked his floppy Akubra hat, the bidding was hotly contested for that one with Chae ending up the lucky winner

I scored the gift of the night with these gorgeous napkin rings from Bali.

The boys were stoked with their chocolate ice creams

The night was such a success that there was talk about making it an annual tradition. OK great - whose house next year?!!

June update

2011-06-14T21:13:00.000+10:00

After reading and thoroughly enjoying Mum's "Day in the Life" blog, I have decided to do one along similar lines, except of course it will be about life here in BrisVegas!

It has been busy busy as usual and we always seem to wonder why the weeks are racing by so quickly and we never seem to be able to get everything done that we want to. We have managed to organise our next holiday though, a trip to the snow!!! Watch this space for pics - we're leaving on the 1st July and will be away for 8 days.

We got our little DJ station out for Ella (previously loved by the boys) so she could rock out some tunes and have a bit of a jam while I get work done in the study. As you can see she absolutely loves being upright.

On Friday nights, we usually have home made pizza. This includes kneading the dough and rolling it out and making the sauce too. The boys absolutely love the whole process and Friday nights are looked forward to with great excitement in our house. Liam usually wins the "best pizza" competition. If you're wondering what that wet patch is on Zane's shoulder, it was a little bit of loving from Ella.

We spend a lot of time downstairs - the boys play (this usually consists of racing, kicking the soccer ball, hide and seek, search and rescue games, etc) and I am usually hanging out / bringing in washing. Queen Ella presides over her minions in her swing, watching and enjoying the flurry of activity around her.

Since the floods in January, the banana crops were decimated and they are currently $12 per kg in the supermarket! Our lovely friends Kate and Stu gave us a big bunch of bananas from their parents house in Caboolture, we were in banana heaven! Zane strung them up on the clothesline to ripen (took about 2 weeks). I was worried about birds stealing them, but I forgot about the James factor ...the picnic table was dragged underneath the banana bunch and little fingers started pillaging! I spent a week finding banana skins tossed here there and everwhere - anyone would think I never feed the poor kid!

We have updated our little vegie patch, it now has cherry tomatoes, red capsicum, spring onions, chillies, lettuce, and a selection of herbs. Ella likes to have a play on her blankie while I tend to the garden. As you can see there's a lot of fat rolls between her hands and her feet so it can be quite tricky to get a grip on them! A lot of grunting and exertion is required but she thinks the effort is worth it! She is now rolling and scooching across the floorboards, the bum goes up in the air but no crawling yet. She is not yet sitting unaided but is very clever at waving bye bye and giving sloppy kisses.

We had a fair bit of rain a few weeks ago but that didn't deter us from going for our daily afternoon walk. The boys like to make sure Ella is snuggled up in her little cocoon and is nice and dry.

Liam having his "Titanic" moment

Here we are back at home and you will see that the DJ station is also very useful outside. Ella is choosing a record to play before giving the disco ball a spin. James is getting ready to show us some of his smooth moves.

Don't you think James looks all grown up all of a sudden? He's not my baby anymore!!

Luckily I have one more baby who will still allow me to lavish with cuddles and kisses!!

Liam has joined up for "Kindy Kickers" at the local Brisbane City Football Club. He has been waiting for a long time to strap on the boots and as you can see he is clearly delighted with it all.

The coach's name is Jake and Liam thinks he is the coolest guy who ever lived.

On the weekend we went over to the Masons house to celebrate Sophie's 11th birthday.

The birthday girl and the baby girl having a cuddle...

... and more cuddles with Aunty Kerrie.

Ella tarted herself around this weekend - on Sunday we went down to the Gold Coast for Chae's b'day and here is Ella making herself very comfortable on Aunty Penny's lap.

Jacki's sister Sally, husband Pete and their two boys Hudson and Mitch who are exactly the same age as our two boys, also came. As you can imagine, organised chaos reigned!!

I just finished reading Oli and Rosie's blog - am really feeling for them and everyone in Christchurch at the moment.

Ange xx

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-09T06:39:00.000+10:00

It was my first Mother's Day as a mum of three this year, so my darling husband pulled out all the stops and made it a very special day.

We got off to a great start with all the kids sleeping in until 7am!! I was presented with some beautiful home made cards and gifts including a heart shaped biscuit slathered in sprinkles and lollies and pink icing (a kindy creation), which Liam was very anxious to help me sample. After a nice brekky of poached eggs and bacon (cooked and cleaned up by Zane) we packed up the car and headed up to Maleny for a bush walk at Mary Cairncross National Park and lunch at Patrick's Steak and Seafood restaurant, which has panoramic views over the Glasshouse Mountains and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. A buffet lunch was served and I think every senior citizen within a 50km radius was coached in for the occasion, but the crowds only added to the enjoyment. There was a band playing "easy listening" or should I say "easy dancing" music, and a few of the older gals dusted off their dancing shoes, and James got so excited he invited himself into their posse and made some new friends on the dance floor!

Group shot, at the start of the walk

The boys

The Knight boys

Taking a break on this comfy park bench!

Rick was employed as resident babysitter as well as being a comfy cushion!!

In other news, we have had a visitor staying with us for the last week - Sunshine the budgie! He's a kindy bird who goes to all the kindy kids homes over the course of the term. He is very tame and friendly, very chatty and sociable and we have really enjoyed having him to stay.

Thanks for the good times, Sunshine!

A visit from Mum

2011-05-06T15:03:00.000+10:00

No sooner had one Grandma left than another one arrived ... we have been very spoilt lately! Mum managed to squeeze in a visit to us on her way to Leigh's house for the Easter holidays. We had a great time with her and were very sad to see her go.

First cuddles with grand-baby number 7

While Mum was here we met up with the Masons for lunch at a really good restaurant in Samford. Rick wanted to give his new car, "Grouch" a burn on the open road.

Kerrie striking a pose with the newest member of the Mason family

After lunch and ready for action!

We also went to our favourite park at the Grange library while Mum was here - the boys enjoyed showing off for Grandma and Ella enjoyed the cuddles!

Here is a picture of James with his eye patch on - that's going quite well, we are managing to keep it on him for around 4 hours a day now with not too much of a fuss, and we think there has been some (albeit small) improvement with his weaker eye.

I had to include this picture because it made me laugh! James loves climbing into Ella's cot and playing with her toys (little tinker) - as you can see Ella is not very impressed with the invasion!!!

She is much happier when she has the cot to herself!!

Ella has been spending lots of time on her playgym. Today it was very exciting because she rolled over twice, un-assisted!!

Liam has been hijacking the camera lately as he fancies himself as a bit of a photographer. Here is a selection of his recent work.

We had a week up at Twin Waters over Easter, which was a much needed and well earned break. Here we are at the pool (which was freezing).

Exploring...

We had lunch at the Buderim Tavern one day. Ella sat in a high chair just like a big girl!

We had a very exciting Easter egg hunt on the Easter Sunday.

Even Ella joined in.

The boys with their spoils (don't worry, we didn't let them eat them all!!!)

No trip to Twin Waters is complete without a trip to the beach. The boys and I went over one morning while Zane and Ella rested at home. We had a great time, making sandcastles, boogie boarding, kicking the ball around and people watching.

We also utilized the resort facilities and did a spotof kayaking.

Sorry to bombard you with random shots of Ella, but she's just so gorgeous and I just can' resist!!

Our friends the Nashes came to visit for lunch on Monday and despite the dreary weather, we had lots of fun after lunch playing cricket and doing a mini-Olympics. Stuart is british so it was just like playing in the Ashes.

Then on Tuesday we met the Desmonds for brekky at Mooloolaba. Alex is 3 months older than Liam and half a head shorter!

Along the promenade

We were feverish with excitement in the lead up to the royal wedding and on the big day, we got the streamers out and got dolled up for the wedding. Sophie looked gorgeous in the BM dress I wore to Leigh's wedding nearly 10 years ago!! My look ended up being more burlesque than elegant royal guest, but at least it wasn't as bad as Beatrice and Eugenie's ... come on, girls! What were you thinking?

We went to Zane's Grandma's 90th birthday party in Laidley on the weekend. It was good to catch up with that side of the family as we don't see them very often.

Liamwas VERY pleased with the milkshake I ordered for him.

He also helped his Nan blow out the candles on the cake.

... which was thoroughly enjoyed by the boys....

Group shot!

And Knight family shot.

Ella's First Food

2011-05-03T12:59:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone,

There is so much to update you with since I last posted but as usual I am finding it difficult to get a spare minute!! In the meantime, here is a video of Ella having her first taste of food - good old Farex. She wasn't completely enthralled, as you will see, but sincethen has enjoyed tasting apple and carrot. Next on the list is pumpkin and pear!

She Sings!

2011-03-20T19:10:00.000+10:00

Sometimes, Ella likes to entertain us with a tune before sleepy-time. So cute!

Time flies

2011-03-19T17:23:00.000+10:00

I just logged into the blog and was astonished to see that I haven't posted since January! Even Mum and Dad are outdoing me in the blog-sphere.

So, what's been happening over the last month or so?

The pool: got a major workout throughout February. We had lots of hot weather and lots of swims. The boys absolutely love it, and I do too, because it keeps them happy and entertained, and when they're happy and entertained things run a lot more smoothly around here.

We also invited ourselves round to Zane's brother Brent's place for a couple of swims there.

Zane went to Sri Lanka for two weeks. While he was away his Mum Ann stayed. She was a big help and the boys enjoyed having their Grandma to give them a bit of attention. It turned out that she was here at just the right time because in the second week, I put my back out and was basically crippled for a full week. Thank goodness for "Super Gran" who did all my lifting and carrying for me. She became quite the expert at burping and settling baby Ella for her naps.

The three Musketeers... ready to keep Grandma on her toes for another day.

Ella was a delight.

Having 27 years experience as a kindy teacher doesn't go astray with entertaining the boys either.

And the added bonus was that she was on call for babysitting duties. We were lucky enough to go out for dinner to a Spanish restaurant called Ortiga for our ninth wedding anniversary. on the 16th Feb.

Here we are all ready to hit the town.

It wasn't the best night to be going out and celebrating though, because we had just been told by a specialist that morning that James is nearly completely blind in his left eye. We were shocked and saddened by this news, although James was completely oblivious to the kerfuffle and it was business as usual for him. He now has a pair of Mr Tickle glasses to wear, which are very very cute. I don't have a photo yet but will try and post one soon.

Ella, just keeps getting more beautiful every day. Zane painted the cot (which is now up to child number seven!!) a fresh coat of white for our little princess. It looks great.

Here is Ella cuddling the bunny Grandma Warren gave her. She has to keep it close by as the boys have their eyes on it... constant vigilence, Ella!!

Another birthday for me came and went. I am now firmly in the middle of the thirties. We went out for dinner with the Masons and a cake was bought to mark the occasion.

As you can see, Ella was less than impressed with the birthday festivities.

As you can see, Zane was less than impressed with another birthday to deal with.

But a good time was had by all at the Lone Star.

Ella is now doing lots of tummy time and is very nearly rolling. Isn't she clever!

Summer again

2011-01-28T12:18:00.000+10:00

We have had some beautiful weather the last couple of weeks which has made going outside fun again.

Last weekend we went to the Newmarket Pool which is just up the road from us. It's a great place for little kids. There are waterslides and lots of fun water activities, and a playground and picnic area. The boys (and we) had a great day and went home tired and happy.

Liam's on his back at the bottom of the slide and James is in blue to the left of the slide!

After exhausting all options in the kiddies pool, the boys graduated to the bigger waterslides. Liam was brave enough to go down by himself...

James went tandem with Dad.

The boys have been spending quite a bit of time with Frederick and Timothy (on the left) - Fred is two days younger than Liam and Timothy is a few months younger than James. They are all "best friends" (whatever that means when you're four and two).

Well, after months of delays and problems, they finally started filling up the pool on Tuesday!!!! We now have a beautiful pool to swim in. Zane couldn't keep the smile off his face and said that first dive in was magic. The boys are pretty keen on it, too.

The pool all ready for pebble-creting.

It took a lot longer than I thought.

The big truck with all the concrete bags out the front.

Zane keeping an eye on things.

The boys have been busy, busy as usual. It has been nice to see them getting into more imaginative adventures around the house as James gets older. There have been plenty of rescues, mysteries to solve, exciting explorations and super-hero activities going on.

Liam has been surprising me with his problem solving skills, he really likes to figure out ways to improve things or fix things (he must get that from his engineer father). The other day he built a seaplane with his lego - I didn't even know he knew what they were!

James has been keeping us all entertained. He is definitely the clown of the family! He's a very cheeky boy with a real spirit of fun and adventure. He absolutely adores Liam and follows him around all day, copying everything he does. Liam is very patient with him! It's hard work having such an adoring fan...

James's speech has really come along and he has turned into a real little chatterbox. Sometimes it's hard to get a word in when Liam's around, though!

Liam had his first day at kindy last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were no tears (from me or him), so I think he is going to have a great year there.

James also had his first gym-tots class, which is a junior gymnastics class. He navigated the obstacle course they had set up within the first couple of minutes and then decided to shimmy up the parallel bars and swing from them, much to the alarm of the teachers! He is a little monkey. If there is something to climb, he's there!

Now, don't say I didn't warn you - I am about to bombard you with Ella pictures!! There were so many gorgeous ones I couldn't choose between them, so I'm going to put them all on!!!!

This is Ella in the gorgeous party dress that the O'Dowds sent for Christmas.

All ready for the party.

Kicking back in the play gym.

A close up. Those chubby cheeks are so kissable!

A different angle - same gorgeous smile.

This dress was a present from Aunty Penny and Uncle Brent. I think it's one of her favourites.

Having a chat with Mum.

Getting excited!!

We had a nice Australia Day on Wednesday. We popped over to Paul and Jacki's for lunch and a swim as Paul had brought Mavis from her nursing home to spend the day there. Chae loved spending time with Ella - she is very happy that there is finally another girl in the family!!

Ella has more chins than a Chinese phone book.

This is very poor quality as it was taken on Zane's iphone, but it must be noted for the record -

Ella's first swim!

Brisbane Floods

2011-01-18T07:14:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone,

Well what a horrible start to 2011! I'm sure anyone who reads this blog already knows all about the floods that devastated Brisbane over the last week, here is a link to some before and after pics if you want to check it out:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/qld-floods/beforeafter.htm

Our street was initially on the flood map so we were quite worried about what would happen, but after further investigations they took our street off. It ended up coming nowhere near us, thank goodness.

Zane joined the gumboot army at Yeronga on the weekend to help with the clean-up, here are some pictures of what he saw on his way there:

That's a pretty good snapshot of what a lot of Brisbane looks like at the moment.

Thank you to everyone for your concerns, it was nice to know that people care!!

Life with three small children must go on in the middle of a natural disaster - strangely they have no concept of other people's suffering!!

Liam had his first day back at day care last Friday. This year is a little different to last year as we now provide the lunches and snacks. It was very exciting for Liam to have a new lunch box ... not so exciting for me as I am new to the world of school lunches ... very time consuming!!

Here's me packing my first ever school lunch.

In other news, James's friend Timothy turned two. He had a lovely party which my boys thoroughly enjoyed.

Lawn update: we have "Army Grubs"!! They are so named because there are literally thousands of them and they marched with purpose onto our lawn and proceeded to munch their way through most of it. Zane swung into action and after a quick google search, did his own marching with purpose into Bunnings to find something to exterminate the little blighters with. Mission: accomplished.

A Sunny Day!!

2011-01-06T20:56:00.000+10:00

We had a brief respite from the relentless rain last Friday when out of the blue we woke up to clear skies and sunshine. Zane was so excited he took the day off work and we popped down to the Gold Coast to spend the day with Paul, Jacki and Chae.

Blue skies .. woo hoo!!

Soaking up the sunshine.

Liam and James checked out Chae's new boat that she got for Christmas.

Lunch time! (Shortly after this was taken James decided to vomit all over himself.)

Our Beautiful Girl

2011-01-03T17:00:00.000+10:00

Ella has been delighting us with some beautiful interaction, when she smiles her whole face lights up and it makes our hearts melt! Everyone works very hard to get a smile from her, as they are not easy to come by, and the boys go to great lengths to entertain her with songs and silly dances.

We can't believe she's 6 weeks old already. She's off to the doctor tomorrow to have her first needles :( ... wish her luck!

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-01T07:37:00.000+10:00

I hope you are all impresed - it is only one week after Christmas and I am already getting the blog on! I must be some kind of domestic goddess.

We had a great Christmas - very low-key with the day spent here at home with the Masons. The boys woke up at 5.30am to find a Santa sack on the ends of their beds and calamity followed, with great shrieks of excitement as the presents were unwrapped and little feet stampeded around the house as new toys were road-tested.

Zane and Ella on Christmas Eve, checking the night sky for Santa's sleigh. (Leigh mentioned on her blog that there was no Santa at their place this year .... not true!! He is real!!!!!! We know this because he sent the boys a Christmas video.)

For the first time ever, we cooked a glazed ham. Oh alright, Zane cooked it, but I enjoyed eating it!

After a simple brekky of weetbix (to leave plenty of room for our Christmas lunch), we had some more pressie opening. Then at about 10am the Masons arrived and we had some nibblies while more pressies were opened. Thank you everyone for the great pressies for the boys, they loved all of them! We are now all set for water toys ... if the pool is ever finished .... and Ella will look beautiful with her new dresses.

Liam with his new big boy scooter - only two wheels!!

James got one as well - a three wheeled one - very cool as it has flashing lights!!

Thank you for the water toys!!

James in his Woody pyjamas opening his Woody talking cowboy, who has since not left James's side.

I'm not sure how to rotate these pictures - can anyone help?

This is the only pic of me on Xmas day - taken by Liam (if you're wondering why half my head is missing)

James checking out his new boogie board and snorkelling kit

Kerrie cutting up the ham

The gorgeous Ella joined us for lunch.

Uncle Rick was always on hand for cuddles.

Liam was very excited because he got two Christmas crackers.

The obligatory shot of everyone at the table! It was all too much for James by this stage - he had retired to his room for a little (3 hour) snooze.

Unfortunately it rained all day but it didn't hamper the Christmas fun. We still got out in the afternoon to stretch the legs and road test the new scooters.

Rain, rain, rain

2011-01-01T07:01:00.000+10:00

With all the rain we've been having, we took a drive up to Wivenhoe Dam which is the main dam that services the Brisbane area. It's currently at120% capacity and all five spill gates have been opened. When we went there was only one spill gate open, but it was still spectacular. And no, we didn't leave the other two kids at home! They were having a little snooze in the car - it was all too much excitement for them.

Bits and bobs

2010-12-20T10:29:00.000+10:00

Before the turf was put down, Zane hired a mini bobcat to level the yard off. The boys had to help, of course! I'm not sure who was more excited, Zane or the boys. Rick also came over to add some man-power. Thanks Rick!

When Ella first came home, Liam was all over her and wouldn't let her leave his sight. The novelty has now worn off, somewhat, which has allowed James to step up to the plate and have a turn. James is quite taken with his baby sister and loves to sit next to me while I'm feeding her and then hold her hand while I burp her. He is always available for cuddles too. We have been having lots of interesting discussions about what babies like and don't like (i.e. they like having their toes tickled, they don't like having a toy smashed in their face, they like milk, they don't like Tiny Teddies). Liam informed me in the car yesterday that I had better not go over any bumps in the road as Ella might fall out the window and smash into tiny little pieces.

Gazing up at big brother James in awe!

Group hug.

Last weekend we went to visit Zane's Grandma Mavis to introduce her to her new great-granddaughter, Ella. The pair hit it off immediately!

Last weekend we took a trip up to the Sunshine Coast to visit Underwater World. The boys took a super-hero each to fend off any baddies.

On the way up... bright eyed and bushy tailed

Travelling along the travelator...

We might need those super-heroes now, boys!!!

Both boys asleep on the way home - a sure sign of a successful day out!

Ella has been racking up a few zzzz's of her own. Look at that chubby-cheeked baby goodness - just made for kissing!

Isn't she lovely!

Garden update

2010-12-03T16:37:00.000+10:00

Goodbye swamp, hello lawn! Order has now been restored outside and we have a lovely green, prickle-free lawn. The garden is going really well too. We have been eating the lovely tomatoes and the corn should be ready soon. We also got our first sunflower!

The boys have been gazing longingly at the pool and asking when we can swim in it ... maybe January boys, fingers crossed!!

Our beautiful new lawn.

Our first tomato!

Liam with the spoils.

James watching on with glee.

Sunflower!

The corn must be ready for picking soon.

The gorgeous Ella May having a quiet reflective moment.

John is in BrisVegas at the moment helping his son move, and he popped in to meet his new niece. They got along really well together.

Ella May Knight

2010-11-23T19:23:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the world, Ella!

After months of anticipation, our gorgeous little girl has finally arrived. She was born at 1.19pm on Thursday 18th November. She was 3.25kg or 7lb 5oz and was 52cm long. She has a good head of dark brown hair and baby blue eyes. The labour and birth were surprisingly bearable and I recovered really quickly ... must be getting better with practise!

So far Ella has been an absolute dream baby, feeding every 3 hours or so and hardly cries at all.

The boys are absolutely delighted with the new addition to the family, especially Liam who is besotted and thinks she is the most beautiful girl in the world.

The proud Dad moments after Ella was born

Ella having a snooze

Liam's first cuddle

Cheesy grins all round

... and another snooze

We had some visitors on our first afternoon at home. Aunty Kerrie had a nice cuddle.

More snoozing, this time with her brothers.

Liam is taking his big brother role very seriously and constantly

checks to make sure I am looking after her every need.

... another snooze with Aunty Penny. All this meeting the rellies is tiring!

The proud Aunty Chae.

Grandad, Chae, Jacki and the little lady.

Grandad's first cuddle.

Chae made scones for all our visitors and they were consumed with gusto (James had four).

Weekend on the gold coast

2010-11-02T15:45:00.000+10:00

Zane's dad got a new boat a couple of weeks ago, a 38 foot launch by Riviera. We spent the day on it on Sunday and had a fabulous time.

Leaving Runaway Bay and heading for the Spit

The captain at the helm with brother Pete

Zane and James enjoying the sea breezes

Liam, Jacki and Chae

Safety first!

Cruising the broadwater

A nice cuddle from Jamesey

Setting off to explore the islands

Checking out the action at Sovereign Islands

Sunny weekend

2010-11-02T15:38:00.000+10:00

After all the rain we have been having, it was great to have a nice sunny Saturday morning. It inspired us to take a drive out to Sandgate for breakfast at Sonomas, which is a really nice cafe right on the promenade.

A quick spot of colouring in before brekky arrived

Cuddles with Daddy

... and Mum

Look at that glorious view.

This was taken just prior to both boys falling off the back of the tree! The headlock grip should have been a clue for us that something bad was about to happen ...

After a quick broken bones check (all good) it was time to sail the high seas and escape the pirates and sharks that were circling in the playground - this boat very conveniently sports two steering wheels

Liam fancies himself as a bit of a photographer. Not bad for a 4 year old!

Not long now!

2010-11-02T15:30:00.000+10:00

Here's a pic of me about 2 weeks ago at around 36 weeks. I'm coming up to 38 weeks now, so it could be any day !

The Pool!

2010-11-02T15:24:00.000+10:00

One of the first things on our agenda after moving in was to get a pool in the back yard hopefully in time for Christmas. Unfortunately the rain has delayed things but as you can see from the pictures below we are well on the way to completion. With all the rain and the digging, there has been sooo much mud! The boys have been loving all the noise and action.

A "before" shot

The excavators rolling in

The first scrape

Well on the way - the first half was very quick, then they hit rock which slowed them down a lot

Goodbye lawn!

.... hello swamp.

Laying down the gridwork prior to the concrete spray

The spray - very noisy and dusty

And the end result!

Now we just need to wait a month or so for the concrete to cure, then the pebble base and tiles will be put on, along with the retaining wall, the feature wall, the electrics and the plumbing etc, then the last job - fill it up with water!

Brent and Penny's wedding

2010-11-02T15:10:00.000+10:00

I don't make a habit of blogging about things I'm not involved in, but Brent and Penny's wedding is too important an event to ignore, and I wish I had've been there!
They got married on the 10th of the 10th in Wanaka, Queenstown. Apparently it was snowing outside during the ceremony and it was very romantic.
We're just waiting for the honeymooners to get back from their trip so we can hear all about it!

Penny with her nieces

The cold weather option (they ended up getting married indoors)

Zane and Brent

The happy couple

Time to relax!

An exciting month of visitors

2010-10-24T05:59:00.000+10:00

The first week of the school holidays arrived and with it came some very special visitors from Sydney, the O'Dowds. Unfortunately Leigh got way-laid for a couple of days as she came up separately from the others, but she got here in the end!

The boys were absolutely beside themselves with excitement that the girls and Uncle John were sleeping over, and were mesmerised by their gymnastics skills and high energy fun. John even demonstrated a couple of somersaults on the trampoline (wish I got a picture of that!). Katie even found time to give James a makeover (note the hairdo below) which made James feel quite special. James is a tough nut to crack but Katie seemed to have the golden touch with him.

Liam and Chloe having a smile-off.

Dad kindly volunteered to cook a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings for the entire family. It was a great night. Here Kerrie models some fabulous shoes purchased on a shopping trip with Mum and Leigh ...

... while Leigh rummages in her new handbag which matches Kerrie's shoes quite nicely!

It's not often Zane and I have our picture taken together and this one is not all that good, but it's all we have so ...

The Warren girls.

All of us! Ready for the papps.

The kids having a bit of quiet time after a very busy afternoon.

In the last week before Mum and Dad went home we went up to the Sunshine Coast for the day. We stopped off at Caloundra and had a paddle on the beach. After all the rain in Brisbane it was lovely to get the sand between our toes and enjoy a bit of sunshine.

Dad and James demonstrating good beach safety - paddling between the flags.

How's the serenity.

A nice one of Mum and Dad.

After Dad went home it was just Mum, me and the boys. We had a great week together. One day we went to the park and the boys enthusiastically demonstrated their climbing skills for Grandma...

... followed by an impromptu picnic.

We are in full "preparation for baby" mode here and one of our strategies was to give the boys a baby each to look after. Liam's baby is a girl called Darcey and James has a baby boy called Max. They have been giving the babies lots of loving (some of it quite vigorous). Liam decided to toilet train Darcey - isn't she clever. He's given up on James who won't sit still for more than three seconds!

Grandma Ann stayed a few days before heading off to NZ for Brent and Penny's wedding and while she was here she helped Liam make a bed for baby Darcey. Note the soldiers and dinosaurs standing sentry along the top of the bed to keep intruders away and the army-tanker style firing arm on the side.

More sillies

2010-10-20T06:16:00.000+10:00

With two solid weeks of rain, rain, rain we had a lot of sillies that needed to be shaken out (anyone who watches Yo Gabba Gabba will know what I'm talking about). Many different methods were employed to exterminate the offending sillies ...

Superhero hat firmly in place...

... otherwise known as pyjama pants....

Time to shake the sillies out!

Anyone in need of a pirate or a sheriff?

Gardening project

2010-10-20T06:09:00.000+10:00

We had a wonderful visit from Mum and Dad recently. It was great to catch up with them and spend time pottering around the new house together. One of our first projects was ripping out some of the hedges that seemed to be everywhere in the back yard, which left some lovely garden beds just ripe for planting a kitchen garden. Grandad and Liam took charge of that project and (despite James's best efforts to sabotage their efforts) they did a fantastic job. We now have sunflowers, bok choy, lettuce, spring onions, radishes, carrots, chilli plants, tomatoes and a herb corner - most grown from seeds!

Dad and Liam planting the seeds and watering them in

No garden is complete without a Buzz Lightyear gardening kit.

Digging in the dirt ... it doesn't get much better than this.

Here's one that James squashed earlier.

All that work requires a spot of morning tea and a bit of silliness.

Grandma was always on hand for tricky manouvres!

Exploring

2010-10-17T05:34:00.000+10:00

There have been lots of new places to explore since moving into our new home. The torches have been pulled out for thorough investigations of under-the-stairs cupboards, behind garden beds and all sorts of new nooks and crannies. The house has been thoroughly checked and fumigated of monsters and ghosts so we can all sleep peacefully at night!

We have also been enjoying exploring the local neighbourhood. Oh what bliss it is living on a flat, level street. Whilst living at the top of a hill had its benefits, at least now I don't have to worry about the boys screaming down the hill on their bikes at 100km per hour to meet a grisly fate at the bottom of the hill!

Here we are preparing for another adventure in the streets of Wilston.

Moving Day

2010-09-05T16:30:00.000+10:00

On Saturday 20th August we made the big move from Gordon Park to Wilston.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and a few family members and friends came over to lend a helping hand, which made the day run very smoothly and it was also heaps of fun!

Liam and his friend Keelee.

A box can be used in so many different ways - here, we have a Flinstones car!

The new Pad!

Checking out the new fort

Meanwhile the unloading continued out the front.

A new trampoline - woo hoo!

A couple of days later ... enjoying the afternoon breezes on the front deck.

Liam has just recently decided to stick his tongue out every time the camera comes out ... oh joy!

Conspiring against Mum, perhaps?? What are you planning on doing with that bubble gun, boys???

Liam got a Meccano set for his birthday and he has been making lots of different creations - here he proudly presents "the robot".

... and here is "the plane". The front of the box states "Level: Easy - 4+ years". That is a sad indictment for me as it took over half an hour for the pair of us to put this together!!!

Liam's engineer Dad was not too impressed!!

So there you have it. We're all moved in now, and absolutely loving the extra space inside and out for the boys to run around and play in. We're not in each other's laps all the time! The boys are over the moon and want to invite everyone over all the time. We've decided to have a housewarming on the 25th September - all welcome and we would love to see you!

On a different note - have just been reading up on the Christchurch earthquake. Thank goodness no one was killed, our thoughts are with everyone over there who is caught up in the middle of it.

Ange x

James's 2nd birthday party

2010-08-17T15:10:00.000+10:00

On Sunday we had an afternoon tea to celebrate the auspicious occasion of James's second birthday.

The Masons, Paul, Jacki, Chae, Brent and Penny all came over to help celebrate. The weather was glorious, one of those crisp but sunny winter days that remind me of why I love Brisbane so much.

It was a little bit sad knowing that it would be our last gathering in our Gordon Park home, we have many happy memories in this house and it will be sad to leave all of that behind. However, onwards and upwards as they say, I am sure we will have great times and create special memories in our new house. Only four more sleeps until we move!

Anyway, back to the party. James got lots of lovely presents, thank you to everyone for your thoughtful gifts. And thank you to everyone who posted gifts from afar. They were all much appreciated and the boys have been loving having new toys to play with.

A birthday blog wouldn't be complete without a review of the last 12 months and I can tell you that James has taken us on a roller coaster ride, we have had to strap on our seatbelts and hang on for dear life! James is a mini-tornado, he seems to take up more space than everyone else, make more mess than everyone else, he is louder than everyone else, he's stronger-willed, more stubborn, more cute, more affectionate, more gregarious, more irritating, more antagonising, he really is a mixed bag of excitement! He is completely fearless and will not hesitate to plunge himself into hair-raising extreme adventures, especially when I am not looking! I am amazed that we haven't spent more time at the Children's Hospital with him. He thinks he is a four year old trapped in a two year old's body, and demands to be treated equally with Liam. At mother's group he ditches the second kids and plays with the big kids (much to their disgust). Whereas Liam is quite sensitive, James seems to be lacking that gene and is about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Having said that, a mother could not love her son more than what I do James, whilst he is hard work from 7am to 7pm each and every day, he has also brought so much happiness, laughter and love into our home for which we are all so very grateful.

Pressies - yippee!

Enjoying the afternoon sun

No kid's party is complete without cocktail franks (or little boys as Rick likes to call them)

A good clue for anyone who wasn't sure how old the birthday boy was

Blow!

Enjoying the birthday songs

My grubby children with Chae, who was looking perfect as usual!

Ekka!

2010-08-17T14:46:00.000+10:00

Zane had the day off work last Thursday and we took the boys to the Royal Brisbane Show. We were expecting a full-on day and we got it! We caught the bus there (which was almost as exciting as the Show itself). We had a ball exploring the animal exhibitions, checking out the show champion cows, sheep, goats, roosters, chooks, cats, dogs, basically anything that had four legs or feathers! It was a cacophony of smells and sounds. They even had a lamb birthing display!
We also checked out the fresh produce displays, very spectacular, and admired the giant pumpkins and sampled strawberries fresh from the farm.
Our next stop was the Woolworths Fresh Food pavilion, where we had the famous $2 Coon cheese toasties for lunch and cooled our heels before the afternoon itinerary which included a ride on the giant slide, exploring the circus ride, climbing on the farm machinery and last but not least, a trip to Sideshow Alley to pick up a Ben 10 showbag for Liam and a Bob the Builder showbag for James. We were all exhausted by this stage and traipsed back to the bus stop, rosey cheeked and exuberant after a great day at the Ekka. Liam made friends with all the old dears on the bus and regaled them with his adventures.
So, we were pleasantly surprised with our Ekka experience and will hopefully be back next year with three kids in tow!

Fun on the circus ride

The Knights checking out a Knight

The baby animals pavilion

It really was a fun slide - no false advertising here!

All the machinery in this exhibit was still registered and useable!

They may have some trouble getting this one registered...

Proudly displaying the spoils of the day!

Birthday season

2010-08-17T14:27:00.000+10:00

Liam went to a couple of birthday parties recently, here are some cute pics.

Anyone need a superhero?

Awaiting the arrival of the awesome dinosaur cake at Frederick's party.

Bashing the pinata at Remy's party

Liam's 4th birthday party

2010-07-27T21:38:00.000+10:00

Liam turned four on Sunday and we had a party at the park to celebrate. He had a few friends from his day care and mother's group, and family, and they all had a lovely time together.

It threatened to rain but thankfully the inclement weather held off until we were leaving.

Liam got heaps of really cool pressies and loved being the centre of attention - James had to take a back seat for a change!

Happy birthday Liam - we are very proud of you!

Liam and James checking out the see-saw

Kerrie, Sophie and Toby sampling the goodies

A space ship cake ... oooh how exciting!

Time to blow out the candles...

A hammer was required to penetrate the titanium outer shell of the space craft...

(would someone wipe James's face!!!)

... to reveal the treasure inside!

A gleeful lolly grab ensued.

Thank you to everyone for your lovely, thoughtful birthday wishes and phone calls and presents, you helped to make it a very special day for Liam!

Ange xx

Dress-ups

2010-07-20T13:32:00.000+10:00

Check out my super-hero Liam - ready to fight evil and save the world at any moment!
James stayed true to character and dressed as "the villain" - a swashbuckling pirate ready to rob, pillage and wreak havoc. Much like everyday life, actually.

Those underpants are a bit baggy there, Superman!

Good point Mum - but I still think I look really cool!

Liam to the rescue!

Zane's birthday

2010-07-20T13:25:00.000+10:00

We had a great lunch at the Belvedere for Zane's birthday.

Everybody say cheese!

Leigh's 40th

2010-07-20T13:13:00.000+10:00

We thought we would be sneaky squirrels and fly down to Sydney to surprise Leigh for her 40th in June. Unbeknown to us, Mum had had the same idea! So there were surprises going on all over the place!

Needless to say, we had a fabulous weekend away (sans kids for me!). John was in full project manager mode, collecting and dropping off at the airport and moving everyone around like a pro! He arranged for us all to have a beautiful lunch at Darling Harbour on the Saturday afternoon, and then we had dinner at a great place at the Rocks, followed by cocktails (lemon lime and bitters for me). It was sooo good all us girls being together again.

The next day everyone else nursed their hangovers, and I emerged fresh as a daisy, ready for more action! We had a great buffet breakfast in the hotel, followed by lunch at Leigh and John's local. Then it was sadly time to say goodbye.

Thank you so much to John for his incredible generosity and organisation skills. Thanks to him we had a brilliant and unforgettable weekend.

At lunch

A champagne toast for the birthday girl!

The Warren girls

Dolled up to the nines, ready for a night on the town

Happily ensconsed at the restaurant

The harbour bridge was right behind us! (you'll have to take my word for it)

The best buffet breakfast ever

Fed and watered (I think those are all Leigh's tea cups - she loves a cuppa!!)

Back at the O'Dowds, pressie time

My gorgeous nieces

Brent & Penny's engagement party

2010-07-19T16:27:00.000+10:00

It's not often that we go out anymore so Brent and Penny's cocktail party engagement party was eagerly anticipated by us.

Options are limited in the wardrobe department when you're four months pregnant but one good thing is that your feet don't change size, so fabulous shoes are still an available option!

Pictured above is from left to right - me, Jacki (MIL), Chae, Lorraine (Zane's aunty) and Sarah (Zane's cousin) and of course, the happy couple Brent & Penny.

Sydney

2010-07-19T16:10:00.000+10:00

On our way home (as you probably already know from Leigh's blog), we stopped in Sydney for a couple of nights. James picked up a vomiting bug which resulted in a rather messy situation in the hotel porta-cot (I won't say any more on that subject) - but that didn't stop us from getting out and enjoying the delights of Sydney. Leigh and John were the perfect hosts, giving us lots of top tips for sightseeing and taking us out for dinner, and having dinner at their place. It was great to see everyone again and I am SO glad they are back in Oz! Their house is fantastic and in a great location.

We also really enjoyed the Sydney Wildlife centre, a trip to Manly on the ferry, and wandering around the Rocks and Darling Harbour.

All in all a perfect way to end a perfect holiday.

Our last morning in Sydney

An impromptu gymnastics display in the backyard

Making friends with the locals

Fiji .... again again

2010-07-13T07:15:00.000+10:00

The last of the Fiji pics. Note the lobster for dinner - which we had twice!!
And the tuna for lunch that Zane had caught off the reef that morning. Yum!

More Fiji!

2010-05-13T16:22:00.003+10:00

They had a fabulous kids pool there, complete with fountains. We spent many an hour there working off our buffet breakfasts. The kids absolutely loved it and made lots of friends from all around the world.

So, that was all the mornings taken care of. The afternoons were a change of pace ... hello Kids Club, goodbye little friends!

How's the serenity - the "adults only" infinity pool overlooking Natadola Beach. Not a screaming toddler in sight!

Relaxing in the pool without fear of being dive bombed by a little person!

Bula Fiji!

2010-05-13T16:14:00.002+10:00

A warm welcome after a long day of travelling to the Intercontinental Fiji

Liam hauling coconuts for the team

I wonder what's inside?

Yummo!

The beautiful Natadola beach was right on a coral reef.

Great for snorkelling, kayaking, paddling and exploring

Easter 2010

2010-05-13T16:02:00.002+10:00

We went to the old favourite Moora Park at Shorncliffe for an Easter Sunday picnic bbq. I always think of Mum and Dad and Leigh when we go there, so it was a nice place to go for Easter seeing as how we couldn't all be together. The Masons came (minus Rick who was crook) and the newly engaged Brent and Penny. The boys ate way too much chocolate and ran us ragged for the afternoon!

Ready for a spot of boogie-boarding

( This is random) - Liam and James getting crafty

The couple of the moment -the soon to be Mr & Mrs Knight.

Chocolatey faces, just prior to the sugar hitting the blood stream!

April!

2010-05-13T15:44:00.004+10:00

One of these days I will catch up to what is happening now!! But in the meantime you'll have to make do with what we did last month.

Toby and James exploring Mary Cairncross National Park

Contemplating the struggles ahead

Visiting Mary Cairncross National Park at Maleney.

Getting ready for our bush walk - a rare photo of us all together

We dallied with the idea of camping. As soon as the tent was pitched in the back yard, reality kicked in and the tent was swiftly packed away again!

The boys favourite back yard game - zooming down the hill in the wagon or wheelbarrow

James was very proud of the card he made for Grandma.

Haven't had a food shot for a while so thought I'd put this one in !

March

2010-05-13T15:37:00.003+10:00

We had the Masons over for dinner to celebrate my birthday (34!). It was a great night.

Bed time stories with the much-more-exciting-than-Mum cousins

A new tea-set!

Pressies for Liam and James from Grammy ... hang on a minute, isn't it my birthday??

James was very happy with the new addition to the bath tub toy collection

Another trip to Twin Waters

2010-05-13T15:26:00.003+10:00

February is an exciting month for us because it's our wedding anniversary and Valentine's Day. With that feeling of love in the air, we packed our bags and headed up to Twin Waters for a long weekend. To celebrate our anniversary, we had a romantic dinner for four at the local Italian. Not much gazing into each other's eyes went on, instead we had lots of chasing after kids who could not sit still, and wiping up messy hands and faces. After dinner we went home, put the kids to bed, got out the cards and the Port, put our feet up and heaved a sigh of relief.

Checking out Liam's boogie board - wipeout!

The boys all set for a swim

James doing a bit of maintenance work around the resort

A quick cuddle before another swim

James feeling the strain under Liam's relentless love-fest

Australia Day BBQ

2010-05-13T15:20:00.005+10:00

We had an Australia Day BBQ at Karen and Shane's house (part of my mother's group). It was great getting all the kids and Mums and Dads together for a few drinks and a swim.

Goodness Gracious

2010-05-11T16:07:00.006+10:00

Time flies when you're having fun. Even I am getting sick of the Christmas blog. I have five months to catch up on so will keep it short and sweet!

January - we did some dog-sitting for Paul and Jacki. The dogs are Crystal and Goldie. Very small, cute and fluffy. Unfortunately though, they poo everywhere, and staged a couple of daring escapes, which lead to a crazy, hungover woman running through the streets in her pyjamas at 6.00am on New Years Day. Luckily, they were found and returned safely to their owners.

We visited the Ipswich Rail Museum, where they were having a Thomas the Tank Engine exhibition. Not everyone's cup of tea, granted, but the boys had a ball.

Liam matched the train's slightly stunned expression nicely.

Here's one my size!

All aboard the Thomas Express.

We had a day at Southbank Parklands. We visited the Museum where they were having a dinosaur exhibition, and went on the Giant Ferris Wheel.

Bouganvillea in bloom

On the way up in the Giant Wheel

Having fun with Daddy

Look how high we are!

The dinosaur exhibition - note the terrified boys clinging to their mummies!! The dinosaurs were VERY realistic.

The long overdue Christmas blog

2010-02-08T06:52:00.006+10:00

Yeah yeah I know it's February and this is really not topical anymore ... but I thought I had better add the Christmas blog seeing as how I did promise it in my previous blog, and for posterity.

We had a very nice day, starting with a visit from the Masons and then it was off to Paul, Jacki and Chae's for an extended family lunch there. A great day was had by all, even me who was designated driver for the day.

Putting up the tree - Liam showing a bit of leg! (Thank goodness he hasn't inherited mine)

Christmas morning - Very excited about the new Postman Pat book.

Crash 'em up racing - cool!!

A new teddy for James to cuddle at night

James trying Sophie's hat on for size

Sophie and Toby were very pleased with their DS games

Cuddles from Aunty Chae

...and more cuddles from G-G'ma Mavis

I got to sit next to the most beautiful girl at the table

The obligatory table shot

...followed up by the obligatory after-lunch dip.

James and Liam were more than delighted with their new boat from Uncle Brent and Penny

Jet Skiing Adventures!

2009-12-31T14:56:00.002+10:00

We had a delightful day a few weeks ago down on the Gold Coast with Zane's Dad, Jacki and Chae. Paul had acquired a new jet ski (birthday present to himself) and my boys were anxious to give it a test run. I wasn't going to, but it looked like so much fun that I got talked into going for a spin on the Spit with Jacki. It was a really windy, rainy day and the Spit was super choppy, so it was a case of hanging on for dear life and getting drenched with salt spray! Great fun.

The boys coming in to the jetty ... and zooming straight past it...

That water is cold, Dad!!!!
Fuelling up for the next round.

Long Hot Summer

2009-12-30T14:45:00.004+10:00

What is a boy to do on those long, hot, endless summer days?

Run around in the nuddy, splashing in the water ...

Go on, give us a kiss! You know you want to!

Invite our friends over to play (Jenni's baby Cameron)

... and Kerryn's twins Sarah and Chloe

... and Emma's baby Darcey.

We could smear chocolate all over our faces! And the table! And the floor!

We could pull the couch apart and make a cushion mountain!

We could draw pictures all over the wardrobe! That is sure to get Mum's attention!

... and if that doesn't work, we could always draw on each other's faces!!

Or we could go back to more traditional methods of entertainment and build funny cars with our Klipo blocks.

We hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! Watch this space for our Christmas blog, coming soon!