July 2014

It has been a crazy, busy month. Within an hour of putting my last post up, we were approved for the rental property we had applied for that morning, and so packing, cleaning, moving, more cleaning, unpacking, settling in etc etc has been the order of the month! Getting the old place cleaned up was quite a burden (the to do list never seemed to end) but as of the end of this month we are now completely signed off on it - no more double rent or cleaning or responsibility for it, yay! In the midst of it all we had a run of sickness and I can only thank God for His grace on those days after being up through the nights cleaning vomit that I could function and get work done still. Thankfully things should all settle down now and we can relax a bit. Jon's family arrive in 10 days and we are greatly looking forward to this.

I am loving our new home. The yard is amazing - very large and lots of trees. The children have not used the trampoline since we moved in three weeks ago - there is too much else to do. Abigail has taken to a small mango tree and has gotten good at climbing. With some persistence, Sarah has now worked out how to climb it too. Caleb would like to be able to. I have cleared a couple of the vege garden beds and Sarah had a pet curl grub for a few days - her fascination for bugs has not diminished. Some bees have started to nest in a tree near our back deck (Caleb has managed to get two bee stings so far); lots of butterflies and sounds of birds. It is a little Aussie-style bush paradise.

The house itself has large rooms. It has been quite cold as we don't get a lot of sun on our half due to all the trees in the back yard, but we do have a fire place and that has been a wonderful novelty. There is a grove of pine trees not far from our house where we go and collect pinecones (they have become Jon's favourite way to start a fire as they burn very nicely), and the girls collect sticks from around our yard. We bought a load of firewood not long after we moved in, and our neighbours across the road gave us some wood they were going to dump. It is very pleasant to spend the evening sitting in front of the fire. Having a bath tub has been another wonderful addition to our lives - the girls spend ages in it given the chance. We bought a very large extendable table last weekend (Jon got it from down the Coast) and he spent a large part of this weekend getting a protective cover sorted out and made for it.

I got distracted this week by the arrival of a Sonlight catalogue I ordered months ago as I then did a lot of looking into their curriculum, but have eventually decided to stick with my own plans that I have already sketched out for homeschooling; planning to get back into the basics with Abigail again now that the dust has settled. I have also spent a bit of time keeping up to date with the 2014 Reebok Crossfit Games lately - I got onto watching old Games videos on YouTube during my first trimester when I was confined to bed so much. Jonathan bought me a ChromeCast thingy so now we can play YouTube through the tv screen - I can now do work on the computer while the children watch Beatrix Potter episodes! (They've been on a big BP craze these last weeks - naughty Tom Kitten and Peter Rabbit have been particular favourites, along with silly Jemima Puddleduck. I have been reading the books over and over).

So a very busy month has come to a close, and this next month holds some big changes as Dad and Mum Sheehy, Nick and Philip come to join us. A new chapter of our lives awaits!


(I apologise for the lack of photographs; we have barely taken any this month)

June 2014

Here we are at the end of another month - half the year has gone!

I have been out and about a lot on my own this month, which has felt a little irresponsible! I got to go see Mom's Night Out with a couple of other mum's from church; it was full of laughs. I've started going to a 6am Bootcamp thrice a week with a friend at Underwood Park; very cold, but I have been enjoying it. My walking group (and 'associates') did Miss Muddy, a 5km obstacle course, together. I really enjoyed it, though I was freezing cold by the end from the mud and wet and very cold wind. I went to a Thermomix demo one evening with some of Jon's workmates; yummy food, but not convinced I need a $2,000 appliance to make it.

It has also been a busy month viewing rental properties. It has been challenging finding a place to meet the requirements we have with some of Jon's family coming to live with us, but we put in an application on a property today that seems just right. We continue to pray God's will in all this and wait to see what will happen this time.
**Update: we got the place this (same) afternoon. Moving in less than two weeks!

The girls spent ages harassing a friend's chickens on a recent play date

Caleb loves to draw. And to graffiti the walls....

Some music I've been enjoying this month:

A podcast I enjoyed from Inspired To Action here and a blog post from I Take Joy here.

And two new recipes I've liked: Low-Carb Peanut Butter Muffins and Cheeseburger Cauliflower Mince (delicious and very filling with Bread in a Mug on the side).

My scan is coming up next month, as well as my first appointment at the hospital. And who knows, we might be moving house!

Missing In Action (A little bit of a catch up)

My poor blog has been neglected these past couple of months (bet you didn't even notice!) due to my not being well, but here I am again at long last almost back to 'normal'. I have been very blessed to have had the girls behave very well in this time; they have played many many hours building things out of Mega Blocks while I have been sick in bed, and even now they still spend a good part of the day playing with their blocks. Caleb has been a little difficult, so I'm waiting to see if his last four molars will come through soon...

First hair cut

Caleb is a bundle of all sorts. We night weaned him straight after Easter - within a week he was sleeping through the night and his bed is now in with the girls. He likes to be doing things / helping (which can be a pain and a delight). In April, I found him dunking the mop in the loo to mop the floor. When Jon roasts his coffee, he need only mention coffee to Caleb before he's off to the cupboard hauling out the roasting equipment and beans! It is very endearing to watch him working hard to carry the exhaust system outside. He is beginning to talk a little - 'mummy', 'me' and 'nah' the most common words. When Jon leaves for work he asks who wants a hug and the girls come running saying 'me me me!'; it was very cute when Caleb first came running saying it too. 'Nah' sometimes means yes, so that can be a bit tricky to work out....

Sarah with her duck

I have enjoyed observing Sarah these last months. I had worried that Abigail would always overshadow and dominate her but it has been really enjoyable to see Sarah becoming her own identity. I remember the big change when she went from a 2 year old to a 3 year old (from baby to child), and again as she heads towards being 4 I see it happening again. Her and Abigail are still best buddies and spend most of their day together, but Sarah will now happily go and do what she wants on her own (whereas before if Abigail didn't want to do it, Sarah wouldn't do it). She surprised me recently when I was reviewing phonics with Abigail by piping up with the correct sounds before Abigail did!

Abigail's reading lessons fell by the way these past couple of months so we're slowly getting back into it. Lots of mega block building and dressing of toys has been done instead :) She's a good little helper (it is the girls job each day to unload the dishwasher and to bring the dirty laundry downstairs for me).

Flowers from hubby and candle from Alisi; children gifts from God

Abigail and Sarah eating their 'Jesus bread' - what they call hotdog buns based on some pictures in their Bibles :)

We made it up to Bundaberg over Easter to see my Grandma, and my aunt and cousins. I was able to go to Sydney for a day in May to visit Jachin and Alisi and meet little Zachary. Jon had a work trip down just south of Sydney the weekend before that. And this Queen's birthday weekend past we visited Grandma Sheehy on the Saturday, Grandma Randall on the Sunday, and on the Monday we met up with a workmate of Jon's and her husband in a park for a BBQ lunch together. And we've played lots of games of Catan together :)

March 2014

It was my birthday early in the month and, like last year, we went camping for it. We camped four nights up at Forest Glen and had a lovely time. The plan had been to explore the Montville/Maleny area but we ended up staying on our campsite and simply relaxing and having fun together. It rained half the time, but we still had great fun.

The rest of the month has been full of catching up with friends and family, more decluttering and simplifying around the house, and lots of playing with my kids. I am learning to give them more of my full attention and to spend a good amount of the day doing stuff with them rather than getting stuff done. I've enjoyed it and so have they. Abigail even told me she loved me (first time for her to do that spontaneously). We continue to do dinner at a park each week, as well as lunch with Jon at work once a week.

Jon's workload has settled after that busy period. He is now working in one department only and is able to make headway on various projects he has had shelved. Jon has expanded his coffee making hobby to include roasting his own beans with good success using a popcorn maker. I have organised and decluttered our container cupboard to make room for all his coffee equipment.

I think we will end up with dreaded guinea pigs one day. Such a pity that rabbits are illegal to have as pets in QLD!

Jon's first batch of home roasted coffee beans

The girls with their 'thunder buckets'

In case you wondered what a thunder bucket was....

Abigail with her 'haystack' (from The Banks of Plum Creek)

February 2014

February has proven to be a full month in many ways.

We met up with Dan and Kalara, Bruce and Karen and Grandma Randall in Caloundra early in the month for lunch beside the beach. The next weekend, Jon was working Friday night and all Saturday (for CMI, not sound work), and we had another picnic with Dan and Kalara and friends on the Sunday. This past weekend we had a BBQ at church to welcome home a family who has been doing missions work in Thailand. And this coming weekend we will be having a picnic in Wynuum with Uncle Jono and Grandma Sheehy. Good times!

 Jonathan has been kept very busy with his work (over)load. He works for two departments, is covering some of the work of a colleague on leave, as well as some other responsibilities on the side, so he has been doing extra hours throughout the month to try and get on top of it all. He is looking forward to things hopefully settling down a little in another week or so with the return of said colleague, so that he can try to clear all the urgent things off his plate and make headway on projects that keep getting pushed aside.

My days have been longer with Jon gone the extra hours, but I feel I have made a lot of headway with the various projects that have been piling up around home for me. Decluttering and organising has certainly featured in my month, and I even cleaned my fridge (Have I cleaned it since Caleb was born?? Jonathan says it just goes to show how unimportant cleaning a fridge is. Hmmmm.).

I have been surprised and impressed with Abigail's reading progress (we are using a book called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - a well reviewed book in homeschooling circles; it certainly is very easy to use). She has currently learnt the sounds a, e, i, o , th, r, m, s, d, t, and c. Her latest lesson ended with her reading This cat is sick. This cat is sad. I am so proud of her. It is certainly a privilege and a marvel to journey with her in this world of the written word.

Standing on her hands while walking her feet up the fridge has been Sarah's recent novelty. Recently and unexpectedly, near the start of a meal, Sarah thanked me with a lovely smile for the 'good food', and she has continued to do this regularly at dinner meals (Abigail follows suit). I have, of course, found this very endearing and wonderful, and also left wondering what prompted it (in the past Jon has encouraged them from time to time to thank me for the food, but this still seems to have come out of the blue). It is funny though when she says it when I know it's a meal she doesn't like (dahl curry, for example. Both girls loved it as babies, but aren't so keen on it these days). I spend so much time cooking and shopping and planning and thinking about food, so it is nice to have appreciation shown, especially from the girls.

Caleb is in that delightful stage where he chows down his food at meal times. Jon and I enjoy watching him (it is a nice contrast to all the times where we have to remind/bribe the girls to get on and eat their food). Climbing, jumping into the pool, and throwing a ball back and forth are his current favourite activities. I have decided to start night weaning Caleb. Slowly. But I'm starting to think 3-6 feeds a night is quite unnecessary (okay, okay, I just want a decent night sleep!), even if he is only 15 months old now. So we'll see how that goes.

This month saw us switch to the evening service at church. I have stopped going to MOPS (the girls have never been keen on it, and we weren't happy with having Caleb in care yet), and we've been getting to the church playgroup more regularly. The girls and I dressed up and went out for 'tea' one Sunday (Caleb was in bed; Jon got a break) and Jon took all three to the library another weekend to give me a break. We've continued dinner at the park most weeks, and even did a (very) little geocaching at Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary (after nearly a year off). We are both very much looking forward to an upcoming camping holiday on the Sunshine Coast for some downtime together.

January 2014

This month began with our arrival home from New Zealand to a heat wave. Suffice to say we have spent a lot of time in the pool this month. Within a few days back in the pool, Abigail started swimming independently, dog paddling her way around the pool. She is doing very well and we are proud of her. Sarah gets around with a Floatie pack on her back, and Caleb keeps our eyes and hands busy with watching and fetching him from under the water; he likes to try and swim.

We are slowly reading our way through the Little House on the Prairie series with Abigail and Sarah. I especially enjoy Farmer Boy (book 2) and hearing about all the food that Almanzo's mother used to make! The girls and I had a go at making some butter, and some egg nog. We are now reading Little House on the Prairie (book 3).

Jon and Grandma Randall had their birthdays this month and so we had a combined celebration for it with a picnic beside the beach. The rain and wind stopped just as we were setting up and it turned into a beautiful day. Speaking of picnics, we've had a few this month. About once a week we have been taking our dinner and to one of the nearby parks and having a picnic in the evenings. We've all really enjoyed doing this.

Australia Day found us trekking up to Redcliffe to pick up a Gumtree purchase and we made the most of it by stopping at the local waterpark for a swim and a picnic morning tea followed by lunch at Hungry Jacks. It was nice to see another part of Brisbane.

This month saw me start reading and writing lessons a few times a week with Abigail. Jon and I had a bit of a look at other rental properties in the area, but we eventually decided to sign on for another year at our current address; we've now been here 3 years. I have 'rejuvenated' the front garden by putting in some new plants - the weather has been perfect by providing lots of rain and overcast days, so the flowers are still alive at present. Jon and I are still listening our way through Bonhoeffer. And Caleb has moved into a big bed and both cots have been packed down (we have our room to ourselves again!).

I have enjoyed looking back to this time last year and seeing how far we have come, especially Jon and I as parents. One of my MOPS sessions a year ago asked us to describe our family in 1-2 words (tired and grumpy) and then use 1-2 words for what we wanted to be (fun and loving), and it is quite amazing looking back to actually see us transition over the year to being that! I am reminded of and will end with a verse we read recently from Philippians 2:13: "For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose."

Christmas in New Zealand

We recently spent 10 days in New Zealand with my family over Christmas and New Year's. Five days in Auckland staying at my parent's home, and then five days down at Port Waikato on a campsite with all my immediate family. It was a great time of connecting and making memories together. The kids had a blast too (we barely saw them - there was so much to do and family to see that they were happily occupied without us most of the time!). 

All the 'new' babies - all born within 6 months of each other

Story time with Little Grandma

Shekinah and Caleb - born just a few weeks apart

Tasha - the much loved dog; Caleb was especially fascinated with her :)

Sliding down the sand dunes was a literal drag....

Sarah crash landed while pretending to be an airplane at the airport - hitting the corner of a glass shelf just before our flight home