March 2013

The past month saw us celebrate my birthday, camp at Mt Tamborine, reach our 100th geocache the day before our 1 year geocaching anniversary, and spend Easter up in Bundy.

Tent up, now for lunch

As is his custom, Jon took holiday leave on my birthday, and as it fell on a Friday this year we made a long weekend of it and went camping at Mt Tamborine. It was a bit of a wet weekend, but it was dry for when we put the tent up (well, there was the lightest of rain) and when we took it down. We enjoyed the sound of rain on the tent at night. I took frozen meals with us for the weekend so I barely had any cooking to do. We explored Gallery Walk (Jon bought me a German cuckoo clock - something I've been wanting; and some specialty fudge), visited the Botanic Gardens briefly for lunch (there was a cache there), went to the art and craft market, and did some geocaching. We didn't do any of the bush walks - it was too wet and there was plenty of other things to do.... and the girls are still not over our Bunya Mountain bush marathon :) They enjoyed jumping on their air mattress and playing frisbee with daddy. Caleb enjoyed hanging in his jolly jumper :)

Swinging in between rain showers

Getting rained on at the markets

Mummy thought Abigail might enjoy a pony ride - I think the petting farm would have been enjoyed more...

A couple of days after my birthday is when we found our first geocache a year ago, and Jonathan was keen to make it to 100 finds before then. Well, a couple of days out we still had 9 caches to find, but we did it - we found our 101st cache on the anniversary! I think he has hopes we'll find another 100 this year.....

Jon signing our 101st cache's log

For the Easter long weekend we went up to Bundaberg to see my Grandma. I was keen to travel during the kids' sleeping times as much as possible so we left at 5am on the Friday morning and came back home Sunday night after dinner. It certainly helped as far as travelling with children goes, but Jon and I were somewhat tired. However, our visits with Grandma are always relaxing (for me anyway!). The girls had a blast with the new array of toys for them to play with, and Jon and I enjoyed a good game of Cluedo with Grandma one evening.

Breakfast at Curra

Running around Grandma's yard

Watching Jon and the girls play

We had a young man over for dinner one night earlier in the month - he and his dad helped Jon with the audio at Philip Island and has just started uni near us. For the week after, Abigail's toys were named Amos (sorry uncles - Jachin, Andrew, Jono, and Philip - you were displaced for a while there). We've also been up to Caloundra to visit (Great) Grandma Randall, visited (Great) Grandma Sheehy, and had Uncle Jono over one night for dinner.

Caleb is rolling and can sit unsupported for short periods now. He enjoys playing with toys, sitting in the high chair, and watching the girls playing - won't be long before he's up chasing after them!

Sarah lost a fingernail earlier in the month after getting her finger shut in a door. The nail isn't getting much chance to grow back because it's on one of her sucking fingers and she keeps sucking it off!

Abigail has informed Sarah that her name is not Abby. She has taken to Richard Scarry books after Jon found some at the library, so lots of his stories have been read (over and over).

And that roughly covers our happenings for the month of March.

February 2013

Caleb is now 3 months old. He loves to sit up. The bouncinette just doesn't cut it anymore! On a lap, in the highchair or on the couch, he likes to sit up (I think he likes the vantage point). This morning at the library (for storytime), I sat on a couch with him on my knee and he sat there cooing and looking around eagerly for ages (until he got tired and wanted to feed and sleep). He no longer needs the baby insert for the ergo - he feels so small without the bulk of it; and putting him in is so much easier now. I wonder whether I'll need to fashion him some dribble bibs, as he sure seems to drool. He's discovered his hands and tries to eat them all the time.

I started going to MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) at our church this month (it's on fortnightly). The girls go to a creche while I (with Caleb) spend a couple of hours with other mums - hearing a short talk, discussion, craft, etc. I am enjoying the opportunity to connect with other mums at church. It took me a while to come to the point I was happy to leave the girls in a creche, but I felt we were all ready. The first time, I told Abigail (Sarah didn't come - she stayed home with an unwell Jonathan) that she could ask to come to me at any time - she assured me that she wouldn't need me. And when I collected her afterwards, she let me know that she hadn't needed me :)

Sarah's vocabulary has been widening quickly. She loves playing with LEGO (micro Megablocks, actually).  Her night toileting hasn't been going so well (I had to wash 5 sets of sheets in 2 days!) so we've put her back in nappies. After having the cloth ones leak a couple of times and in light of all the rain and an upcoming camping trip, I've bought some disposable nappies for her for the time being. We'll try the night toileting again once I'm getting more sleep and the sun is out to dry our washing!

Abigail is absorbing all sorts of information! I've started teaching her a Catechism for young children. She enjoys me asking her the questions and she rattles off the answers. She's memorised the first 5 so far (out of 145!). We've started some reading lessons with her, and she's working on her writing skills. We'll see how it goes - for now she seems to be enjoying it and comes to me asking for her 'lessons'. Sarah sometimes sits in on them and joins in too. And we always end with colouring - which I enjoy as well :)

Both girls still love being read to (ALL THE TIME!!!). Jonah and the big fish is the current favoured Bible story. I love watching all their imaginary play. And we continue our Saturday night routine of watching the David Attenborough series on TV with the girls. (The current series is on Africa, previously Mammals and Oceans.) And they are making the most of the rainy days by playing in the rain :)

I've been doing lots of research into homeschooling methods and resources. I am quite excited about when we 'start' (Abigail is only 3 1/2 so we have a few years before we'll need to register). Currently, I am drawn to the Charlotte Mason methods. I've ordered a few books off Fishpond which I am keen to read and hope will help steer me in the direction that will work best for us. And I am praying God will guide my research to that which is helpful and beneficial to us as there are so many options nowadays!

Jon and I are currently listening to an audio book, 'Sarah' - a historical fiction on the life of Abraham and Sarah. I am really enjoying it. Jon washes the dishes and I usually fold washing while we listen. 'The Hiding Place' and a couple of CS Lewis' shorter books were other recent 'listens'.

And that is an overview of February.

After church on Sunday, we made the 'big drive' to the northside to buy a new swing for the girls. After our swing purchase, we bought some hot chips from a nearby takeaway and went for a picnic lunch at Kalinga Park (great park - we all had fun) and then visited the Andersons (and Grandma Sheehy) before heading back home. One of those spur of the moment decisions that led to a fun day out!

Lunch time!

Meeting Rachel and Sharn

Relaxing on the new swing after a big day out

Watching a short animal doco together :)

I'm not sure how regular my posts will be from now on - it seems time to myself is not as long as the list of things I want to do in it! And since I feel I'm getting better at keeping in touch with most of you regularly, the need for regular blog posts isn't so important?? That said, I will keep the photos coming, but at this stage I'm thinking I might cut back to posting once a month. We'll see how things eventuate! For now, here's a few photos to show some of the things we've been up to recently:

At Dennis Pond with daddy while mummy runs up and down stairs

As far as Jon and I got after 2 days work on this 1,000 piece puzzle while the outside world was wet  and windy

Our growing boy, 10 weeks old

Wild Horse Mountain Lookout - stopped in on our way to Caloundra to find a cache and  found a very steep 700m walk uphill!

Great Grandma  Randall  finally meets Caleb

Caleb, about 6 weeks old, trying out the jolly jumper

It's hard to believe but Caleb is already 2 months old! He's now entered that engaging age - smiles and sounds being shared back and forth. As of today he will start having regular spells in the jolly jumper - he loves the vantage point and I like that it helps to tire him out! He's not yet jumping in it - just 'stands' there looking. He is starting to sleep longer some nights (first feed often not til 1 or 2am since switching to using disposable nappies at night) which is nice for me, though he still feeds 2-4 times a night. But for the most part, I get pretty good sleep (starting back into exercise is tiring me more than disrupted nights!). His toilet training is going well still - except for one dirty nappy while at Philip Island (I had him in disposables while there) I haven't had a poopy nappy in over a month! It is so much easier to swish a bowl out than scrub a nappy, I can tell you! We rearranged our room last week and set up the portacot for Caleb - so now I can have my bed space to myself if I want.

Sarah decided these lids made good 'knee caps'

Something I want to do better at this year is loving my children, rather than focusing on training them or improving my parenting. So I have been spending more time playing and having fun with the girls. We continue to have our 'mat time' (though it could more accurately be called 'couch time' now) most mornings. This now consists of Bible stories and short prayer followed by Virture Cards practice (it's incredible how much of them they've memorised). I want to do better at Deuteronomy 6:7 with them, and it's been interesting the opportunities that have arisen. The children and I went to our local Koorong for the first time last week, and I thought the girls would enjoy the playground while I shopped. It seems they didn't, for when I finished shopping and went to get them they were both crying up on the second level (similar play area to the McDonalds structures) going on about being stuck 'in a dark and scary place' (they didn't like the tunnels that led out of where they were, and the step back down was a bit deep for them). That line is out of Psalm 23 in one of our children's Bible books (which was Abigail's favourite book at the time), so in the car on the way home we were able to talk about the rest of the verse 'I will not be afraid. God is with me.'

The girls putting away the dishes/cutlery

I wanted a fitness event of some sort to work towards now that Caleb is born so that I don't get lazy and put getting back into shape on the back burner (being fit and strong is important to me - I feel better emotionally, and I'm better able to deal with the various demands of raising my children!), and since I have a thing for stairs I have registered for Brisbane's Climb for Cancer in May. It's a THIRTY SEVEN floor stair race. I'm going to die. But I have started stair training once a week on the weekends and have started my home workouts again (my neglected kettlebell workout DVDs have been given a dust off as I'm finding it hard to motivate myself through my once-loved written workouts).

Breakfast - Abigail usually requests weetbix; Sarah, porridge

The girls continue to grow into their own personalities. Sarah has taken to calling Abigail 'Abby' (something we have never done). She is affectionate with Caleb - often stopping to give him a pat or a cuddle (whereas Abigail doesn't usually go near him). She often surprises me with her letter recognition and phonics knowledge, and her counting is very cute - "1,3,5,6,7,8,9". Abigail remains very inquisitive and talkative - her ever expanding vocabulary and understanding produce some fascinating questions and conversation from her! Jon has a lot on his plate with work still, and keeps getting it filled higher. He'll be working on recordings from the Supercamp over this long weekend. The wet season has finally arrived, and the cyclone is supposed to reach us tonight, so our weekend is supposed to be wet and windy. I think I might try out a caramel marshmallow popcorn recipe I saw on Pinterest...

Our time at Phillip Island

As some of you know, last week we were at Phillip Island attending the Creation SuperCamp - Jon was in charge of the audio for it and we had gone with him. We flew to Melbourne and had a coach ride to the Island (and vice versa for getting home). Our time there was all spent on the camp grounds.

For Jonathan, the week was stressful due to some unanticipated audio issues. A lot of prayer was offered up! Things got better over the week but it was a stressful time for him, and he was very glad when the conference was finally over. He is now overseeing the editing of the recordings made of all the speakers' talks.

I'm not sure how to describe my week. The first night I wished we were home (don't worry, things got better)! Getting three young ones through that first night's chaotic dinner was hard. The lines to the servery were endless so it was quite a while before we got our food. By then the noise was just too much for Caleb (on top of a big day of travel and out of routine) and he just screamed and screamed. Jon's work colleague, Lorelle, was a huge help - she got the girls their meals and when I got mine she took Caleb away so I could eat. We then beat a hasty retreat back to our room (forgoing dessert). Caleb settled as soon as we got out into the quiet.

The girls enjoyed going to Miss Lorelle's 'playgroup' (the creche) for the first half of each morning. The rest of our time was spent mostly in our room (so Caleb could sleep). We explored some of the grounds (it was an adventure resort). A lot of time was spent in the dining halls - thankfully by the third day order came to the meals, and mothers and children were able to get their meals first! The Thursday was warm enough for the girls to have a splash in the pool (Tuesday and Wednesday were cold and blustery). And that was mostly it. Oh, and I didn't have any cooking or dishes or cleaning to do! The daylight savings threw the children's sleeping routine out (especially Caleb's) so they were up late each night. Once they were all finally asleep I enjoyed reading Corrie Ten Boom's 'In My Father's House'. We saw little of Jonathan - he joined us at most meals, and we got some quick hellos in here and there, but he was kept occupied manning the sound system etc until late at night - which is of course what he was there for.

The Conference ended midday Friday and after Jon had finished packing all the sound equipment up, it was back on the coach to the airport. We had some time to pass before our flight, but that was easily taken up getting 3 little ones through the airport without a pram (which was checked in with our luggage)! Sarah has acquired Abigail's fear of flying (they don't like the sensation of climbing/descending or any of the bumps along the way) so as the plane took off she was asking to get off. I had Caleb on my lap and held Abigail's leg (I wasn't allowed to take my hand off her!), while Jon held Sarah's hand from across the aisle. I'll need someone to hold me eventually - I'm starting to feel nervous when flying now!

A very hot Brisbane greeted us late Friday night. The Saturday was Jonathan's birthday. As is our habit, we went to Sizzler for it and enjoyed their air-conditioning for a couple of hours (and their food of course! I'm loving their rocket, pear and parmesan salad and laksa soup!). Sunday, after church and stair running (for me; probably not the smartest thing to be doing in 35 degree heat), we spent the day under the air-con in our lounge. Today finds Jon back at work, the children and I happily getting back into routine, and the temperature much cooler (it's overcast and there is a nice wind blowing).

Big Grandma and Little Grandma Come to Visit

My mum and grandma came to stay with us the past five days. They got to meet Caleb (the first of my family to do so) and spend time with the girls; Abigail, particularly, has enjoyed the extra attention and energy (Grandmas are so much more fun than a tired mummy!). I have much appreciated the extra help around the house, with the girls, and with Caleb - having two extra sets of arms to pick him up when he grizzles has been very helpful!

Now that our family of five fills our car, out and about-ing with extra family isn't so easy; but on the Sunday we all caught the bus into Southbank for the morning to go swimming there. Though I thought we'd gone in reasonably early the place was already pretty full! However we found a place to park the pram and had a bit of a swim; the girls enjoyed playing with the sand. Our trip home wasn't straightforward - the bus we caught took us on a long scenic tour; our lunch stop at Garden City ended with me losing the nappy bag (thankfully someone turned it in at the Concierge Desk); and then we had a 45 minute wait til our final bus home! So the last leg of our outing was prolonged, but we got home in the end for much needed rests! :)

Jon worked all of New Year's Eve on a gig (9am til after midnight) so having mum and Grandma with me that day was wonderful (he worked Christmas Eve eve on a gig and that was a little trying - a long day/evening at home with the kids). Grandma and mum made the beds with fresh sheets and took care of the washing; mum took the girls to the park in the morning, and wore them out playing in the afternoon; she then cooked dinner. I spent my morning sitting and the afternoon sleeping :) Because of that, I couldn't get to sleep that night and nearly saw the New Year in; thankfully sleep came by 11:30pm; Caleb slept 7 hours straight that night!

Jon and I have wanted to have a child-free meal out together so one night we went out (with Caleb though of course) to Sunnybank to do just that. I was amazed at how lively Sunnybank was on a Sunday night! We ended up at a Malaysian place Jon had been to for a work lunch and I was very happy to find laksa on the menu (I only recently was introduced to laksa and I love it!) - so we had a HUGE bowl of Malaysian laksa and a plate called Nasi Lamek. Good stuff. I am sure we will be back, and hope to take various family there in the future if possible! Caleb slept soundly for the whole time we were out, snuggled up under a blanket in the pram (maybe his way of shutting out the noise? and a very nice God-gift). We went for a walk afterwards to help our full bellies settle a bit before getting some dessert at the Coffee Club. I had a great time. Thank you very much mum and Grandma for 'babysitting' the girls!

Today we are on our own again - mum and Grandma both flew out yesterday and Jon is back at work today. Funny how quick the clean washing is piling up now that my 'laundry fairies' have gone! (Thank mum and Grandma for keeping on top of it while you were here). We went to the library this morning (and Caleb finally fell asleep in the car on the way!); and all 4 of us napped this afternoon. It is so wonderful when all 3 kids go down for a nap at the same time! Mum and Grandma's visit was a great way to see out the old year and see in the new. Happy 2013!