Finally got some paper work i was wanting on Friday, just at the last minute, as school was breaking up i had to race up there with some papers for the teacher.  My eldest is having some problems with concentration and focusing in class, and to cut a long story short i have decided to have him assessed through a Qld health unit. 

It's all rather slow though, with the questionnaires taking more than a week to arrive and then they want them back with in a fortnight...that's great but school holidays go for two weeks so that is why i was racing up to the school on last day of term!  Anyway the teacher and deputy principal filled them out while i waited, even though it was rushed, it is all good.

Today we hung around at an inner city park which is near the water, great park and the kids had loads of fun, right now i'm trying to psych myself up to go to the supermarket with this lot!

Our weekend was rather quiet, we just ate way to much take out asian food and had a brekkie on Sunday morning to.   Bit naughty.

Well, better go and get up to the shops before i run out of 'essentials'!!....

Daddy and Tahnae at the entrance

Watching the seal show

 Zane at Shark Bay (check out the Fin)

Around they go again!

The amazing dolphins, they were truly awesome!

Had a massive weekend which was awesome, my friends birthday, got really drunk and fully excepted a hangover the next day.......not something i do very often but it was worth it.  I had such a brilliant time, and it was really good 'cos she started out early 5pm and i was home before midnight....just!

Sunday we had a work (David's) BBQ and also caught up with friends at New Farm Park.  I was so tired last night, couldn't even stay up to watch Outgraous Fortune, about the only thing i watch every week...still all good!

Cool!!

Last week , as some know, i met Arna when she came to Brisvegas for her scan.  I couldn't let a Minti Mum rattle around Brisbane for hours by herself so I picked her up from the station and we went to Spotlight so we could get some 'supplies'.  That worked out good  because i was able to get some fabric to re-cover the highchair.  It's not that old but not long after i got it it ripped, yeah i should have taken it back but i didn't.....i thought something from Toys R Us would have been better quality.  Anyhoo....after that we had some lunch at the park and then i dropped her off at the hospital for her appointment.  She is really nice and it was really lovely to meet her and get to know her a bit better.

After the rellies went back to their corner of the globe we went away, over a long weekend, to the Gold Coast.  I must admit we had a shit time, and things have been a bit tense since then.  The kids are driving me nuts and i'm sick of routine....you know we all have it, no matter how many times you pick up or do dishes, laundry etc there is another pile waiting for you the next day.

Kaelan is a real handful right now, climbing on EVERYTHING and getting into EVERYTHING.  I'm forever running trying to get him down from a table or chair, or to stop him heading off down the stairs or going into the bathroom - he chucks things (my hairdryer) down the toilet!  Tahnae decided to 'help' him down the stairs yesterday, of course i'm telling him not too and he let him go.  Yes, he fell to the bottom, 8 stairs - he was OK and didn't cry for long, so very lucky! 

 Tahnae is also a handful, terrible threes or something.  I don't know but i'm over it!

Kaelan is still rather small and when we were away was pooing about six times a day, and i got worried about it but now it has gone back to two to three times per day.  He seems to be starting to fit into his size one clothes (he's nearly 15 months) so i think he is growing , albeit slowly but it is happening!  We'll see what the Dr says at the end of the month about his weight.

Zane is still not enjoying his teacher and she seems like she just does what she wants.  I talk to her about an issue and she's all agreeable but from what Zane relays back to me it sounds like a different story.  Anyway she's gone for three months at the end of this week - hallelujah! - for an operation....maybe she wont come back.  Every one says her teaching abilities are great but i feel it takes a bit more as well, she just seems so rude to the kids!  Last week Zane told me she said to him the new teacher is 'on to him' - wtf?  I was over it, so i went to the Deputy Principal and on Monday i got to meet the new teacher, who is LOVELY!  She is a retired teacher and Principal and just fills in now and then.  I'm so hoping that Zane starts to do a bit better at school with her encouragement and support.

It is so upseting when Z comes home and says he's always last for things in class or doesn't get stickers......i know better than anyone that he's not the most academic kid but aren't the ones who struggle suppose to be the ones who need the most encouragement?  Even for the little things, it just doesn't happen.

Well, that was such a cheery wee blog, now you know why i haven't for a while...lol.....

Zane had a music camp this week, he is learning the Cello, so we rock up to a school which is about 20 min drive from us on Wednesday and find out it has been changed to a one day camp from a two day camp.  Oh, but someone forgot to tell me that a note was sent home and was left in a pocket and is probably very clean but unreadable right now, let alone AWOL!!  To top it off i accidentally shut poor Tahnae's fingers in the car door and had him screaming and crying.  It was rather horrid but no damage done, just a scrap knuckle...Phew!

So he arrived 1/2 hour late to school and missed out on Free Dress Day, and god knows what else because we only prepared for the music camp....lol....i had very little sympathy for him that day!  The camp was on today and it seems it was a success and he enjoyed it - thank goodness for small mercies!!

School holidays next week and it should be a busy one as i have family coming from all corners of the globe.  My sister and her crew from Japan and my Dad and Niece from NZ.  Excitement plus!  Families seem to have too many personalities in them but i'm hoping the boys get to hang out with their cousins.

Some of you know David jacked his job in a couple of weeks ago - well he has started a new one this week.  Doing the same thing but has some training in a different software so he seems pleased with that.

We have started to tidy up underneath our house putting up a retaining wall and garden. I've been getting into ebay to try and clear out some junk and get ready to sell our house.  The auction for the house i mentioned last time is on Saturday so i'm hoping to get along to it.  We wont be bidding but i'm keen to see what it reaches to see if what i want in a home is pie in the sky or not..... and as they say tha's all Folks.....

I don't know much of Sinead O'Connor's work, apart from the obvious - Nothing Compares 2 U - but still it was enjoyable enough.  She had just done the Byron Bay Blues festivial, which might have been more rocking.  It seems gone are the days the we all stand at a concert.  The whole seating arrangement was seated all the way up to the front.  Our seats where about 10 rows from the front so not bad really. 

It was a rather crusey show and i didnt mind it,,,it didn't make me want to rush out and buy her cd but i did get curious about some of her lyrics and stuff.  Anyhoo.....

Things are rather quiet around here.  We looked at a beautiful house which we considered buying but it will auction for more than we can afford i think.  We may go along to the auction and see but i doubt we will bid....we're not quite ready to sell.  I would deparately love some more space for the boys though.  They are just so loud and boisterous, it really does drive me insane somedays!  Anyway, David is inbetween jobs right now so i think we might need an income before we move!  LOL!!

Ciao for now.....Julie

Elmo Cake

The Birthday Boy....

 sleeping peacefully after bit of a rough start.

Here I am with my brothers, I am the youngest of three, they sure are bigger than me but i keep up quite well......

It's been a year of many firsts, first bath, first ride in the pram, first smile, first solids, first steps and now i am 1!!

I can't show you all my firsts (cause the computer has eaten some of my photos) but here are a few....

Here i am with my brothers having some tummy time...

Here i am in my Pram....

First solids, oops nearly didn't get it all in!...

First steps......

I'll be having a party on the weekend, so if the computer behaves i'll be able to post some birthday pics.

Now i am a big boy the world is my oyster......

And he sure is one little Pearl...

1. What do people usually call you? ~ Mum, Julie,Jules, sometimes Kiwi

2. Do you have freckles?  no

3. Have you ever been to another country? Yes

4. Do you feel comfortable dancing in public?  Yeah, why not

5. Have you ever kissed a mirror?  Yeah, when i was about 12!

6. Do you still talk to your bestfriend from when you were 14?  Yes
 

7. Can you skateboard?  No

8. Do you own an iPod?  No

9. What was your favorite tv show as a kid?  Bewitched

10. Do you still have feelings for an ex?  No

11. Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive? Bungee

12. Who is the hottest celebrity?  Johnny Depp

13. Who was the last person to call you? My friend

14. Do you like to text message?  Yes.

15. What kind of music do you listen to? Mixed bag - Rock, Pop, indie, alternative anything that takes my fancy
 

16. Did the movie Titanic make you cry?  No

17. Have you ever punched someone? Does my husband count?!

18. Has anyone ever punched you?  Yes

19. Have you ever been dumped?  Yes, can you believe it?!!!!

20. Big dogs, small dogs, or cats? Cats

21. How many cars have you owned? 4

22. Do you call your bestfriend everyday? NO

23. What do you live in?  a house

24. Have you ever gotten drunk?  Hell yes!

25. Have you ever stolen anything? maybe when i was young

26. Who do you think about the most?  my kids, they are in my face all the time!  It's hard not too....

27. What is your most prized possesion? My sanity, but if you mean material things probably my photos

28. Do you like to watch tv? Not just for watching sake but yeah

29. When is the last time you went to the movies?  School holidays, saw Alvin and the Chipmunks
 

30. Do you wear glasses or contacts?  No

31. What country would you most like to visit? Iceland  or Antarctica

32. Do you think anyone could ever really be satisfied? Yes

33. Are you religious? Spiritual

34. Do you live with your parents?  No...lol

35. Would you like to live to be 110 years old? Depends if i had my faculties.  if i did then yes, I'd love to see what my kids would be doing that far in the future but realistically, No

36. Have you ever approached someone of the opposite sex? yes

37. Do you kiss on the first date?  yep

38. What hair color do you like most on the opposite sex? Dark

39. When is the last time you took a shower or bath?  Last night

40. Have you ever been to a concert? yeah, a lot

41. Do you talk to your parents? Yes, sort of.....my mum is dead but i still talk to her.

42. How many siblings do you have? 3

43. Do you like to have your picture taken?  I don't mind

44. Do you have more girl friends or guy friends? Girls

45. Have you ever played in the rain? Yes

46. Ever seen a tornado? No

47. How many meals do you eat a day?  Two or three

48. Who do you most resemble in your family?  my Mum

49. What kind of accent do you have? depends who you are talking to, some say Kiwi, some say Aussie

50. How long have you known your bestfriend? 37 years

Now, I'm not going to tag anyone because i don't who's done this but feel free to be next ......... Julie

Zane had a few mates over and they played some silly games like bobbing for apples and pass the parcel, and generally just ran riot!  Dad brought him an electric guitar and , of course, I spoilt him with some Ben 10 gear that he loves so much.  Tomorrow i'll try and post some photos that i've taken of the birthday boy.........

Photos as promised....

Bobbing For Apples

The Cake

The Guitar.........all done, we are now offically 8 years old!

Today Zane started grade 3.  He doesn't have a proper class yet and we are not sure what teacher he will have for a couple of weeks yet.  There are two grade 3 teachers and his teacher from last year who was suppose to move over hasn't - it's appears there wasn't enough enrollments or something.  It's all so confusing as most of my friends children know what teacher they will have at the end of the previous year.  I actually think it has been a bit stressful for some of the kids not knowing because one of the teachers is a hag and no one wanted to get her.  One poor little girl was in tears because they have put all grade 3ers and both teachers into a composite class to begin with! I think she must have though she has this teacher for the whole year and she's petrified!!  It was really sad.  I'm sure it'll will work out - I've told Zane that we sometimes get teachers we don't like or work with people we don't like so it's a fact of life and I'm sure he'll deal with it in the end.

Today is my birthday and being the first day back at school the focus has been on everyone else really....that's OK, i probably shouldn't be making too big a deal of it at my age!  Ha ha.  Zane said he wasn't able to get me a present because he wants to save his money to buy some more Ben 10 aliens.....lol.......but he did make me something out of blue tac, marbles and one of those plaited friendship bracelets!!  I think it's an elephant.

Sunday night i went out with the girls and had a no boys allowed birthday celebration.  We scoffed some Thai and then went on to Chalk  (Club/Pub) afterwards. 

Here we are all looking LUSH.......

Also during the holidays i got the chance to catch up with Ngairi and her kids..  We went to a park near the city which seemed to suit all of the kids as their ages really varied - from teenagers to baby!  I had a couple of ring-ins that day so all of these children aren't ours.  It was nice catching up for a chat and putting a face to the name.  Her kids were great, especially her oldest boy and he was kind enough to go off and get coffee for us!!

Ngairi has already posted in Virtual to Reality but I'll put my photos in here even though there probably very similar!

The Kids! (photos a bit blurry couldn't upload other photo).

US

Here are the rules for this tag.

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website

1.  I hate Tupperware, Mary Kay, Lingerie or any type of Party Plan...i don't go to them if i can help it.

2.  I love Organics and Homeopathy

3.  My favourite colour is black, i'll wear another one when they invent a darker colour.

4.  I love Chocolate, it could possibly be an addiction....heehee

5.  I believe there is more to life than here on earth

6.  I had a fancy dress party for our wedding.

I have tagged ravenheart  boredmum  newman  hermy   arna   kristen

His first word is ah, ah, ah (OK not technically a word) which is what we have been saying to him when he's about to get into mischief!  He can use it in context - it's funny watching him telling himself ah, ah, ah as he's about to pull something off a shelf.  Very cute and so smart!

Yeah, alright enough already but I'm his mum and please indulge me by just nodding and agreeing!!!

Tonight we were going to go out to dinner since the two big boys are at a sleep over, BUT David txt me from work and cancels!!  He's sick!  Ah well, the best layed plans...........

David has started his new job this week and seems to be doing OK, lots of meetings and trying to get a team together for the new project (I've forgotten what they'll be working on...a tunnel link or something ....).  At the moment they are recruiting new staff, i don't think too much drafting is going on.

Before New Year Kaelan had a poo sample taken and tested to see why he's not growing much.  Well, i guess he's growing but he's not putting on weight.  Funny thing is he looks really normal and healthy but it has taken him months to put on one kilo.  He started out on the chart in the 75th percentile and is now in the 10th.  I know those charts are a bit arcadian and i wouldn't live by them but it gives you an idea.

The results came back and everything seems fine, no bacteria or blood, food is being digested and no intolerance to lactose.  If he starts to go down any more they are considering doing some bloods for coeliac.  They'll check that out when he's one in February.

The good news is he is nearly walking....i think that's good news....lol...because he is only 10 months and i don't want to rush these things!  He's started to do the mad dash between furniture, so still quite unsteady but getting the hang of it all the same. He's just so cute.....i could pinch him!!! 

 Poor Tahnae has a school sore so had to have some cream, but the doctor gave him the all clear for kindy which was good because i was able to have a day with Zane yesterday.

We went to the movies and saw Alvin and The Chipmunks and then brought him some new clothes.  All his long sleeve shirts are nearly 3/4 cut now!!  Unfortunately for me Kaelan squirmed through the whole movie until i got some sense and put him down!  I won't be doing that again in a hurry, it's hard work when they get to that stage.

Today is rainy so it's a blob out day.  This weekend we will be having my brother and some friends over for a shindig, another BBQ....I'm just about bbqed out these last few months and I'm refusing to do sausages, I've had enough to last a life time, my stomach is looking like a big sausage at the moment....lol!   I've been doing lots of walking so I'm hoping to get more motivated to keep it up and start up swimming or yoga again this year.  I swam up until Kaelan was born but haven't done anything since then and it's nearly been a year!

Well, i could blab on all morning here and bore you to tears but i wont , i'm off ......catchya