Our children are bringing us greater joy every day! But let me start with last night. Annie, our 6 week old baby, slept right through the night. She slept from a little after 8pm until just before 6am. Wow! Yet, as we look at her we can’t help feel a little sadness. Already, it would seem, she is out of the newborn stage. Our baby is getting bigger. We keep on asking ourselves why it has to happen.
Annie has been overflowing with smiles in the past week. A couple of weeks ago the smiles were more reflexes due to wind, discomfort, or perhaps feeling good. Now her smiles are purposeful, wide and heart-melting. I’ll try and get a photo and include it in the next blog.
Our little Ella is a bundle of energy. She hates going to bed, and endlessly wants to run, jump, scream and shout. “Play” is her favourite word! She’s also pretty good with “Pleeeeease” when she wants to play and Daddy is too busy. Hard to resist when she pleads with just the right amount of cheeky smile on her face. No one loves cuddles (she calls them “cuggles”) like Ella.
Abbie is the sweetest, most tender girl. She told us this week that because she’s nearly a big girl there won’t be any more sooky whining and whinging. Abbie loves cooking in the kitchen with Kylie, and can crack eggs like a pro. And she and Ella regularly fight over who will set the dinner table.
Chanel is growing so fast! Too fast. She is increasingly adult-like in her words and actions, yet she is so small and immature and young. It is incredible to watch her grow. Loves swimming, reading and doing! In fact, we call her the events co-ordinator. It is remarkable, how efficiently she can arrange who she’s visiting, where and when. Chanel is putting a calendar together with all of her friends’ birthdays just so she can be more organised. I think there’s a Karen Coulson gene in there exerting some influence.
Chanel turns eight on Thursday, and Abbie will be five. Both girls are tremendously excited, and anxious for their big day. Abbie will have a party with friends on the day. Chanel will have her celebration on Saturday the 27th with her baptism and the ensuing gathering of family and friends.
During the week we enjoyed a visit from Mum, Dad, Rachel and Leah. They came up for a holiday at Kingscliffe, and visited our family to celebrate Kylie’s birthday and my birthday. We ate Chinese. Yum. As usual, Mum ordered enough to feed far more of us than necessary, and so we ate Chinese the next day, and the next. Oh, and we ate Cherry Ripe Cheesecake. That was pretty good too.
I have experienced the joy of wonderful relief this week. I finally completed my thesis. It was titled, “An Investigation into the Impact of Praise on Theories of Intelligence and Goal Orientation.” All told, it fills 103 pages. It’s big. I will hand it in today (Monday). It feels so good to have it completed. The feeling is great. I just hope it garners a high grade.
On Saturday, to celebrate the completed milestone of my thesis, I went swimming. I’ve decided to get involved with Squad Swimming again. The only problem is, I haven’t swum for years – and years! In fact, I haven’t done anything for my fitness for longer than I can honestly recall. I couldn’t complete the session, but it felt great to be back in the water. I’m sure that with practice I’ll find my fitness again.
When I returned from swimming, I took to the barbeque. It was cleaning day. Hmmmm. I scrubbed that bbq for nearly four hours. My muscles still have not recovered. They haven’t had such a workout for years. The bbq was a mess, but it came up looking great. I had to throw away all the plates, burners and internal pieces and start again. $350 later the bbq looks like new. I can’t wait to cook on it. And to look at it, there’s no doubt all the hard work was worth it.
Kylie has been frantically working on church assignments. She completed a major event for about 30 or 40 women last week. By all reports it went extremely well. Now it’s preparation time for major events for Abbie and Chanel! I’m sure Kylie will have plenty more to work on when that’s done too. What a talent!
As for me, this Saturday I’ll be presenting a workshop for parents. I start preparing that today, and then practice like crazy all week. It’s for the Australian Family Association Qld State Conference at Parliament House in Brisbane. Then I have another major assignment due the following Wednesday which I really need to finish this week too. After that, exam time, and then… graduation. Lots to do between now and then. But it will be nice to finish!
Monday, 15 October 2007
Sunday, 7 October 2007
School Holidays
It has been an action-packed week!
School holidays have just finished and the kids are back at school tomorrow. We love having the children around, but with my endless and enormous study- and work-loads I haven’t had the opportunity to do as much with the children and I would have liked.
Kylie took Chanel to the cinema to see Evan Almighty. They came home raving about the film, saying it was one of the funniest things they’ve seen in a long time. I’ll look forward to seeing the DVD in a few months. Other than that, Kylie has been taking them to the shops for activities, to the park, and to friend’s houses. It has been a busy time.
Fortunately we have a baby who is very calm and comfortable most of the time. Annie is a gift from heaven. I cannot walk past her without pausing to stare into her eyes. I’m in awe of her. Everyone who sees her is instantly in love. She is a special little girl. And wow, can she sleep! Annie is only 5 weeks old but most nights she sleeps happily for around eight hours. Sometimes it’s a little more, other times it’s a little less. But it’s a good sleep!
Kylie celebrated her 29th birthday on the 6th. It was a quiet birthday this year, as mine will be on the 9th. I had a compulsory psychology conference to go to from 8am until 5.30pm on her birthday. Failure to attend the conference would mean failure to complete my degree. They take these things very seriously. This meant that Kylie had to spend the day on her own. I’m grateful that Kylie has good friends. She had a breakfast with her family in the park. Then a friend took the three older girls so Kylie could have a quiet and relaxing day. Shopping, and sleep.
I got home from my conference a little early and decided that we had to buy dinner. Kylie wasn’t going to cook on her birthday and I didn’t have the capacity to. So we had chicken, chips and salad. It was a hit. Then we had an early night.
My week has been a blur. Study, writing, study, research, study. There’s been a little bit of sleep thrown in, but this has been a heavy week. Most nights haven’t finished until close to midnight.
On Tuesday night I called Wally Goddard in the USA. We talked about positive psychology and parenting. We discussed what I might do for a PhD project here in Australia. His guidance and knowledge are gigantic gifts in my life. I was on the phone to the USA from 10pm til midnight. I hope he wasn’t late to work (that’s 7-9am Arkansas time).
And of course, as I mentioned before, I gave a presentation on Kylie’s birthday. It was to a group of about 40 or 50 people and described my research on praise. Knowing that all of the students would be giving similar presentations on their topic, it was important to me that I make mine worth listening to. So I made it fun, and energetic, and full of life. I provided specific applications of what my research meant. And people responded really well. They enjoyed it. In fact, I had several comments from people saying just how much they had enjoyed it.
Only a short report this week as I’ve done little other than study. My thesis is almost completed (if it is possible to ever complete something like that) and the holidays are over. Work is good, and I cannot do any more than I have.
General conference talks are coming out of Salt Lake City today. I heard some this morning on the Internet. I love hearing what our prophets teach us. Inspiring teaching from inspired leaders.
School holidays have just finished and the kids are back at school tomorrow. We love having the children around, but with my endless and enormous study- and work-loads I haven’t had the opportunity to do as much with the children and I would have liked.
Kylie took Chanel to the cinema to see Evan Almighty. They came home raving about the film, saying it was one of the funniest things they’ve seen in a long time. I’ll look forward to seeing the DVD in a few months. Other than that, Kylie has been taking them to the shops for activities, to the park, and to friend’s houses. It has been a busy time.
Fortunately we have a baby who is very calm and comfortable most of the time. Annie is a gift from heaven. I cannot walk past her without pausing to stare into her eyes. I’m in awe of her. Everyone who sees her is instantly in love. She is a special little girl. And wow, can she sleep! Annie is only 5 weeks old but most nights she sleeps happily for around eight hours. Sometimes it’s a little more, other times it’s a little less. But it’s a good sleep!
Kylie celebrated her 29th birthday on the 6th. It was a quiet birthday this year, as mine will be on the 9th. I had a compulsory psychology conference to go to from 8am until 5.30pm on her birthday. Failure to attend the conference would mean failure to complete my degree. They take these things very seriously. This meant that Kylie had to spend the day on her own. I’m grateful that Kylie has good friends. She had a breakfast with her family in the park. Then a friend took the three older girls so Kylie could have a quiet and relaxing day. Shopping, and sleep.
I got home from my conference a little early and decided that we had to buy dinner. Kylie wasn’t going to cook on her birthday and I didn’t have the capacity to. So we had chicken, chips and salad. It was a hit. Then we had an early night.
My week has been a blur. Study, writing, study, research, study. There’s been a little bit of sleep thrown in, but this has been a heavy week. Most nights haven’t finished until close to midnight.
On Tuesday night I called Wally Goddard in the USA. We talked about positive psychology and parenting. We discussed what I might do for a PhD project here in Australia. His guidance and knowledge are gigantic gifts in my life. I was on the phone to the USA from 10pm til midnight. I hope he wasn’t late to work (that’s 7-9am Arkansas time).
And of course, as I mentioned before, I gave a presentation on Kylie’s birthday. It was to a group of about 40 or 50 people and described my research on praise. Knowing that all of the students would be giving similar presentations on their topic, it was important to me that I make mine worth listening to. So I made it fun, and energetic, and full of life. I provided specific applications of what my research meant. And people responded really well. They enjoyed it. In fact, I had several comments from people saying just how much they had enjoyed it.
Only a short report this week as I’ve done little other than study. My thesis is almost completed (if it is possible to ever complete something like that) and the holidays are over. Work is good, and I cannot do any more than I have.
General conference talks are coming out of Salt Lake City today. I heard some this morning on the Internet. I love hearing what our prophets teach us. Inspiring teaching from inspired leaders.
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Weeding
The past couple of weeks have been quite intense and so I have struggled to find time to write. School is getting intense with only 4 weeks to go. It’s hard to believe that I will have completed a Psychology degree by mid-November. The workload is really intense, but I’m managing well and trying to focus on here and now. If I focus on November I’ll want to put my feet up, and now is not the time for that!
Chanel has given us lots to do recently, and lots to laugh at. For some reason she has started calling me Sire. When I call out to her, she says, “Yes Sire”, and when she wants something she’ll come to me and say, “Excuse me Sire”. It’s really funny. Yesterday Chanel was doing something to the DVD player that I had never seen. I asked her how to do it and she showed me. Shortly before that she had been demonstrating how to do something clever on the computer for me. When I commented to Kylie that Chanel grasped technology so well I heard a little voice behind me say, smilingly, “And I’m only a child and you’re a full-time university student”. I didn’t mention to her that university courses don’t equip people to use DVD remotes!
Chanel is back at swimming now, and loves it. She swims from 3.30 – 4.15 four days each week. Soon it will be five days. Her form in the pool is exceptional, with a gorgeous butterfly and backstroke. Swimming seems to energise her and she revels in any opportunity to get into the pool. With an increase in energy output there has been a corresponding increase in caloric input. Chanel eats as much for dinner as I do. It’s amazing. I should also add that Chanel loves Annie. What a helper. Sometimes her help is a little overzealous and we remind her that just because Annie squeaked doesn’t mean we need to pick her out of the cot. But Chanel is wonderfully helpful and extremely enthusiastic. In fact, a few nights ago Annie awoke at 4am. Chanel came stumbling, bleary-eyed, into the bedroom and said to Kylie, “It’s okay mum. I’ll look after her and you go back to sleep.”
Abbie has a new t-shirt. It says, “Everybody’s favourite.” Very cute, and she wears it well. Her other new one says, “I know I’m cute, I can’t help it.” Most of the time she’s right. Adorable Abbie has become our number one sleeper. She used to put up something of a struggle on occasion but recently we put her to bed and within 20 seconds Abbie is out. It’s wonderful, because Ella takes a lot longer. Hard work there. (I might add that Ella’s new t-shirt says “I love Drama.”)
Ella has given us lots to enjoy in recent weeks. Her talking has dramatically improved, although there is still a long way to go. At dinner time Ella loves to set the table for us. It’s very funny though, because when her dinner is served Ella will go to the cutlery draw and retrieve 3 or 4 spoons and forks. She then uses all of them to eat her meal. But it works, and she’s happy to eat so… no complaints from the dishwasher.
As for Annie: wow. What can I say? She sleeps beautifully, typically around 7 hours a night at this point. And what a cutie. In the last few days we’ve enjoyed a smile from her which is tremendously exciting. It’s hard to believe that she’s a month old today! We carry Annie in a sling when we are out. It goes around Kylie’s neck and shoulders and Annie lays in front of Kylie’s belly in the sling. It is amazing how many people come over and ask to peek inside! Yesterday I wore the sling and had strangers constantly coming up to me to peer in at our baby. She’s a heart stealer too! So cute. Endless cries of “oh she’s beautiful” from everyone who sees her. We love our little Annie Grace.
Kylie is going well too, somehow keeping the house running while I study and stress and be busy. I’m so grateful for her. Hopefully there will be a wonderful reward for her at the end of all of this. This coming Saturday (6th) is Kylie’s birthday, but unfortunately I’ll be in a conference all day for school.
I had a funny incident occur last week. My jaw was sore and began to swell under my ear. It enlarged quite significantly. Eating became difficult as did talking, and turning my head (such as when I was driving) became very painful. Kylie finally convinced me to go to the doctor and I was told that I had a blocked salivary gland! Antibiotics sorted that out relatively quickly.
While I was feeling unwell I struggled to study. I did what I could, but to keep myself busy I did something that I really haven’t done for a number of years. I weeded the back garden. It has been quite overgrown and was in significant need of a tidy up. I can see why people claim gardening is therapeutic. I really enjoyed it. There are still a lot of weeds to pull, but they can wait until November!
Chanel has given us lots to do recently, and lots to laugh at. For some reason she has started calling me Sire. When I call out to her, she says, “Yes Sire”, and when she wants something she’ll come to me and say, “Excuse me Sire”. It’s really funny. Yesterday Chanel was doing something to the DVD player that I had never seen. I asked her how to do it and she showed me. Shortly before that she had been demonstrating how to do something clever on the computer for me. When I commented to Kylie that Chanel grasped technology so well I heard a little voice behind me say, smilingly, “And I’m only a child and you’re a full-time university student”. I didn’t mention to her that university courses don’t equip people to use DVD remotes!
Chanel is back at swimming now, and loves it. She swims from 3.30 – 4.15 four days each week. Soon it will be five days. Her form in the pool is exceptional, with a gorgeous butterfly and backstroke. Swimming seems to energise her and she revels in any opportunity to get into the pool. With an increase in energy output there has been a corresponding increase in caloric input. Chanel eats as much for dinner as I do. It’s amazing. I should also add that Chanel loves Annie. What a helper. Sometimes her help is a little overzealous and we remind her that just because Annie squeaked doesn’t mean we need to pick her out of the cot. But Chanel is wonderfully helpful and extremely enthusiastic. In fact, a few nights ago Annie awoke at 4am. Chanel came stumbling, bleary-eyed, into the bedroom and said to Kylie, “It’s okay mum. I’ll look after her and you go back to sleep.”
Abbie has a new t-shirt. It says, “Everybody’s favourite.” Very cute, and she wears it well. Her other new one says, “I know I’m cute, I can’t help it.” Most of the time she’s right. Adorable Abbie has become our number one sleeper. She used to put up something of a struggle on occasion but recently we put her to bed and within 20 seconds Abbie is out. It’s wonderful, because Ella takes a lot longer. Hard work there. (I might add that Ella’s new t-shirt says “I love Drama.”)
Ella has given us lots to enjoy in recent weeks. Her talking has dramatically improved, although there is still a long way to go. At dinner time Ella loves to set the table for us. It’s very funny though, because when her dinner is served Ella will go to the cutlery draw and retrieve 3 or 4 spoons and forks. She then uses all of them to eat her meal. But it works, and she’s happy to eat so… no complaints from the dishwasher.
As for Annie: wow. What can I say? She sleeps beautifully, typically around 7 hours a night at this point. And what a cutie. In the last few days we’ve enjoyed a smile from her which is tremendously exciting. It’s hard to believe that she’s a month old today! We carry Annie in a sling when we are out. It goes around Kylie’s neck and shoulders and Annie lays in front of Kylie’s belly in the sling. It is amazing how many people come over and ask to peek inside! Yesterday I wore the sling and had strangers constantly coming up to me to peer in at our baby. She’s a heart stealer too! So cute. Endless cries of “oh she’s beautiful” from everyone who sees her. We love our little Annie Grace.
Kylie is going well too, somehow keeping the house running while I study and stress and be busy. I’m so grateful for her. Hopefully there will be a wonderful reward for her at the end of all of this. This coming Saturday (6th) is Kylie’s birthday, but unfortunately I’ll be in a conference all day for school.
I had a funny incident occur last week. My jaw was sore and began to swell under my ear. It enlarged quite significantly. Eating became difficult as did talking, and turning my head (such as when I was driving) became very painful. Kylie finally convinced me to go to the doctor and I was told that I had a blocked salivary gland! Antibiotics sorted that out relatively quickly.
While I was feeling unwell I struggled to study. I did what I could, but to keep myself busy I did something that I really haven’t done for a number of years. I weeded the back garden. It has been quite overgrown and was in significant need of a tidy up. I can see why people claim gardening is therapeutic. I really enjoyed it. There are still a lot of weeds to pull, but they can wait until November!
Sunday, 16 September 2007
Sleeping In
I’ve been doing my best to be supportive around the house in recent times, particularly given the changes to our family. Kylie is understandably more tired than usual as she is awake with the baby at night. So on Monday night I cooked dinner. It was Thai green curry with beef. I LOVE THAI CURRY! I was careful as I put the curry paste into the saucepan knowing that too much curry would upset everyone. The children won’t eat curry if it is too hot, and with Kylie breastfeeding Annie, she has the same concern.
The recipe stated that 300g of meat required 3 tablespoons of curry paste. Since I was cooking 600g of meat I decided that 4 tablespoons would be adequate. What I didn’t know is that the tablespoon is supposed to be a “level” tablespoon. I used a “heaped” tablespoon! As we sat down to dinner Ella was the first to dig in. She placed her filled fork into her mouth and chewed. Then she coughed. A bewildered look came over her face as she looked at me as if to say, “What are you trying to do to me dad?” Then her eyes watered as she attempted to swallow the curry.
That night I had Thai curry. I also cooked tomato soup for the children and made a ham salad for Kylie. My curry was delicious, but I was the only one who got to enjoy it. I also enjoyed it for lunch for the next two days as well! Lesson learned.
Our little Annie Grace is beautiful. She sleeps very well and is doing great. We stare at her endlessly. Her peaceful softness captures us and keeps us entirely absorbed. She is our little angel and we love her. Kylie is doing really well too, and keeping up with things remarkably ably.
During the week I have been extremely busy. Lots of work on, plus school galore. I am making good progress in all areas, but it has been hard to regain momentum since Annie was born, particularly with the school work. I stayed at uni late on Thursday just to get stuck into things and rebuild that momentum. It worked and I am now pleased to say that I only have my thesis and two other assignments left to complete (and one of those is 90% finished). Oh, some other good news too. I received a result for an assessment I handed in a few weeks back. Twenty six out of thirty. That’s about 87% which is a high distinction. That’s a nice way to start the semester. Hopefully I can keep it up.
On Friday I made a firm commitment to a particular direction for next year. I submitted my application to participate in a Masters of Psychology at QUT. The course focuses on Educational and Developmental Psychology and is for two years. I am only looking at part-time study so it may take three or four years. At the end of it all I’ll be a psychologist. Part-time study allows me the flexibility to earn money again, and to build up my Happy Families business which has really suffered this past 12 months. I anticipate finding out if I am accepted into the course in a little over a month. Let’s hope so because I don’t fancy applying for anything else at all.
It is a remarkably quiet Sunday morning for Kylie and I. We had a church meeting to attend last night (no children allowed at this one) and Kylie’s parents have Chanel, Abbie and Ella. This morning we did something we haven’t done in as long as I can remember. We slept in. When I awoke I guessed it might be 7.30am. Wrong. It was 9.00am! We have chatted and done a few small tasks. I miss the chatter of the children. The house seems a little empty without them. But it is peaceful. And our productivity is through the roof. Funny, I’d rather be less productive and have children hanging off my shoulders and legs than be highly productive but without the children.
Abbie has given us some gems this week. I believe she must be the happiest children I have ever seen. Her disposition and temperament are a joy. We bought some Kiwi fruit earlier this week. They are Abbie’s favourite food. But she doesn’t quite know how to pronounce it. On Wednesday morning she was pleading for some “Kooie” fruit.
On Thursday Abbie was talking to me about her friend James, from Kindy. He has all of the Star Wars DVD’s. Then she told me all about Dark Baiter (Darth Vader). And lastly, Abbie went to a birthday party yesterday. The theme of the day was based on the cartoon for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Abbie had not been exposed to the Turtles before and came home very excited about the “Injured Turtles.” Abbie gives us lots of laughs. She is beautifully soft-hearted and loves hugs.
Ella is still challenging. Her language abilities are very poor and this will be a concern for some time to come. Her frustration at not being able to communicate with us is a source of difficulty and we are constantly working to understand her better. We pray that she will improve soon.
Our star student, Chanel, was informed that she raised more money in the school spell-a-thon than any other student. Her total raised was $261.00. As such she won a whole lot of prizes including a KFC voucher, a slurpee voucher and a pass to the Wet ‘n Wild theme park. I’ll be taking her there in a few weeks, once my uni work slows down a little. There were several other prizes Chanel won, but on Friday she was also told that as the top earner she would receive $100 cash! She cannot believe it. In keeping with the savings habit we have worked on with her for the past two years she then informed me that 10% was tithing and 50% was savings. When I asked what she would do with the other 40% she smiled an excited smile. Dancing with delight she said she was going to go shopping. Kylie and Chanel are going to have a spending spree! And she deserves it. It has been well earned.
We were told last week by Chanel’s teacher that Chanel is bored. There is still one more term to go, but the teacher assured us Chanel has completed all there is to complete in the grade three curriculum. Chanel will be spending time in the grade four classroom in term four because her literacy in particular is so good. I am pleased for her, and also pleased that the teacher is looking for ways to continue Chanel’s development productively.
The recipe stated that 300g of meat required 3 tablespoons of curry paste. Since I was cooking 600g of meat I decided that 4 tablespoons would be adequate. What I didn’t know is that the tablespoon is supposed to be a “level” tablespoon. I used a “heaped” tablespoon! As we sat down to dinner Ella was the first to dig in. She placed her filled fork into her mouth and chewed. Then she coughed. A bewildered look came over her face as she looked at me as if to say, “What are you trying to do to me dad?” Then her eyes watered as she attempted to swallow the curry.
That night I had Thai curry. I also cooked tomato soup for the children and made a ham salad for Kylie. My curry was delicious, but I was the only one who got to enjoy it. I also enjoyed it for lunch for the next two days as well! Lesson learned.
Our little Annie Grace is beautiful. She sleeps very well and is doing great. We stare at her endlessly. Her peaceful softness captures us and keeps us entirely absorbed. She is our little angel and we love her. Kylie is doing really well too, and keeping up with things remarkably ably.
During the week I have been extremely busy. Lots of work on, plus school galore. I am making good progress in all areas, but it has been hard to regain momentum since Annie was born, particularly with the school work. I stayed at uni late on Thursday just to get stuck into things and rebuild that momentum. It worked and I am now pleased to say that I only have my thesis and two other assignments left to complete (and one of those is 90% finished). Oh, some other good news too. I received a result for an assessment I handed in a few weeks back. Twenty six out of thirty. That’s about 87% which is a high distinction. That’s a nice way to start the semester. Hopefully I can keep it up.
On Friday I made a firm commitment to a particular direction for next year. I submitted my application to participate in a Masters of Psychology at QUT. The course focuses on Educational and Developmental Psychology and is for two years. I am only looking at part-time study so it may take three or four years. At the end of it all I’ll be a psychologist. Part-time study allows me the flexibility to earn money again, and to build up my Happy Families business which has really suffered this past 12 months. I anticipate finding out if I am accepted into the course in a little over a month. Let’s hope so because I don’t fancy applying for anything else at all.
It is a remarkably quiet Sunday morning for Kylie and I. We had a church meeting to attend last night (no children allowed at this one) and Kylie’s parents have Chanel, Abbie and Ella. This morning we did something we haven’t done in as long as I can remember. We slept in. When I awoke I guessed it might be 7.30am. Wrong. It was 9.00am! We have chatted and done a few small tasks. I miss the chatter of the children. The house seems a little empty without them. But it is peaceful. And our productivity is through the roof. Funny, I’d rather be less productive and have children hanging off my shoulders and legs than be highly productive but without the children.
Abbie has given us some gems this week. I believe she must be the happiest children I have ever seen. Her disposition and temperament are a joy. We bought some Kiwi fruit earlier this week. They are Abbie’s favourite food. But she doesn’t quite know how to pronounce it. On Wednesday morning she was pleading for some “Kooie” fruit.
On Thursday Abbie was talking to me about her friend James, from Kindy. He has all of the Star Wars DVD’s. Then she told me all about Dark Baiter (Darth Vader). And lastly, Abbie went to a birthday party yesterday. The theme of the day was based on the cartoon for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Abbie had not been exposed to the Turtles before and came home very excited about the “Injured Turtles.” Abbie gives us lots of laughs. She is beautifully soft-hearted and loves hugs.
Ella is still challenging. Her language abilities are very poor and this will be a concern for some time to come. Her frustration at not being able to communicate with us is a source of difficulty and we are constantly working to understand her better. We pray that she will improve soon.
Our star student, Chanel, was informed that she raised more money in the school spell-a-thon than any other student. Her total raised was $261.00. As such she won a whole lot of prizes including a KFC voucher, a slurpee voucher and a pass to the Wet ‘n Wild theme park. I’ll be taking her there in a few weeks, once my uni work slows down a little. There were several other prizes Chanel won, but on Friday she was also told that as the top earner she would receive $100 cash! She cannot believe it. In keeping with the savings habit we have worked on with her for the past two years she then informed me that 10% was tithing and 50% was savings. When I asked what she would do with the other 40% she smiled an excited smile. Dancing with delight she said she was going to go shopping. Kylie and Chanel are going to have a spending spree! And she deserves it. It has been well earned.
We were told last week by Chanel’s teacher that Chanel is bored. There is still one more term to go, but the teacher assured us Chanel has completed all there is to complete in the grade three curriculum. Chanel will be spending time in the grade four classroom in term four because her literacy in particular is so good. I am pleased for her, and also pleased that the teacher is looking for ways to continue Chanel’s development productively.
Monday, 10 September 2007
Time Out - Soon
Our little Annie Grace is incredible. Having a newborn baby again seems so different. I do not ever recall our children being as small (although they were). I do not ever recall them waking up all night (although they did). I do remember the nappies though! And nothing has changed there with this infant. Annie has been stunning from day one. She really does little except eat and sleep. Most nights she sleeps from 8pm until midnight. She feeds and goes back to sleep until 5 or 6 in the morning. Amazing, and so breathlessly beautiful.
This week I have found myself spending massive amounts of time staring at Annie. I am in awe. That Kylie and I could be responsible for this little girl is staggering, and miraculous. Her features are perfect, her temperament is divine, and her presence creates wonder and calm.
Kylie, too, has been incredible. She is a mountain of strength, hard working, and self-sacrificing. Of all the choices I have made in my life, marrying Kylie is one of the best.
Yesterday I took some time with Ella and Abbie. I took them to Ratatouille, the animated movie. It was fun, but Ella made it hard work. She has been a little difficult all week. Part of it is due to her being unwell (although she seems to be getting better now). But I cannot help but wonder if part of it is related to her knowledge that she is no longer the baby in the family. She still speaks poorly, but we’re not giving up. She has a long and hard road ahead of her. Several times throughout the movie I was forced to take her outside. She simply didn’t want to sit through the whole thing.
I also took Chanel out for a treat. As she gets older, she gets more and more wonderful. I love dealing with her. We had a slurpee in the park on the river and watched the Citycat’s pass by. A perfect afternoon. I think we’ll take the family there for dinner when the whether warms up just a little more. Chanel is getting very funny. I asked her what she was playing when she spent some time with her friends earlier in the day. Her response: “Teenagers”. When I asked what she does when she plays teenagers, Chanel stated, “We go shopping.” So funny! They go shopping in their friends’ bedroom or backyard. I love the way they can amuse themselves by playing make-believe. I guess in some ways we do the same as we imagine what we would like to be able to do with the next tax cheque, or if we win lotto (have to buy a ticket to win, but I still find myself imagining now and then).
As far as my studies go, not a lot was accomplished this past week. Much of that has to do with a quick trip I made to Sydney to pick up a car that we bought. It’s a little Daihatsu Sirion. I think I got it quite cheap and it’s a terrific little car. So I flew to Sydney on Thursday and drove home on Friday. The trip home was terrific. I took my mp3 player with me and listened to 30 conference talks from church leaders. The topics were diverse, but all uplifting, and all inspiring.
I find it interesting that the closer I am to the finish line in my studies, the harder it is to stay motivated enough to cross it. My degree will be complete in another 6 weeks. That doesn’t really seem real. Unfortunately it is difficult to see beyond the mountain of essays, literature reviews and my thesis piled up in front of me. This week will be pretty huge for me. I plan on completing my thesis introduction for the last time (I’ve already rewritten it twice). I also hope to finalise two other assignments which are quite large. It’s interesting, because completion is only a heartbeat around the corner, yet there is so much to do first.
I have been reading a book called The Whole Child. Not one of the greatest parenting books I’ve read, but it is nice to be reading for the love of reading again, and not just because I have something assigned to read from school. I’m slowly making my way through a pile of books that Wally Goddard sent me from the US. I anticipate getting through a lot more in 6 weeks when school is finally over.
That reminds me. I have determined what I should do next year with my studies. Last week I fasted and prayed about it. In fact, I have been doing so for some weeks. I have decided to let go of the Ph.D. It was a hard decision, but in talking with potential supervisors, none were really what I was looking for. It seems that parenting is not particularly popular amongst academics, and so my direction has changed. I am applying for a Masters in Educational and Developmental Psychology instead. I will study part time and graduate as a qualified psychologist in QLD in 4 years. Oh, and it will cost me about $25 000. But I suspect it will all be worth it.
This week I have found myself spending massive amounts of time staring at Annie. I am in awe. That Kylie and I could be responsible for this little girl is staggering, and miraculous. Her features are perfect, her temperament is divine, and her presence creates wonder and calm.
Kylie, too, has been incredible. She is a mountain of strength, hard working, and self-sacrificing. Of all the choices I have made in my life, marrying Kylie is one of the best.
Yesterday I took some time with Ella and Abbie. I took them to Ratatouille, the animated movie. It was fun, but Ella made it hard work. She has been a little difficult all week. Part of it is due to her being unwell (although she seems to be getting better now). But I cannot help but wonder if part of it is related to her knowledge that she is no longer the baby in the family. She still speaks poorly, but we’re not giving up. She has a long and hard road ahead of her. Several times throughout the movie I was forced to take her outside. She simply didn’t want to sit through the whole thing.
I also took Chanel out for a treat. As she gets older, she gets more and more wonderful. I love dealing with her. We had a slurpee in the park on the river and watched the Citycat’s pass by. A perfect afternoon. I think we’ll take the family there for dinner when the whether warms up just a little more. Chanel is getting very funny. I asked her what she was playing when she spent some time with her friends earlier in the day. Her response: “Teenagers”. When I asked what she does when she plays teenagers, Chanel stated, “We go shopping.” So funny! They go shopping in their friends’ bedroom or backyard. I love the way they can amuse themselves by playing make-believe. I guess in some ways we do the same as we imagine what we would like to be able to do with the next tax cheque, or if we win lotto (have to buy a ticket to win, but I still find myself imagining now and then).
As far as my studies go, not a lot was accomplished this past week. Much of that has to do with a quick trip I made to Sydney to pick up a car that we bought. It’s a little Daihatsu Sirion. I think I got it quite cheap and it’s a terrific little car. So I flew to Sydney on Thursday and drove home on Friday. The trip home was terrific. I took my mp3 player with me and listened to 30 conference talks from church leaders. The topics were diverse, but all uplifting, and all inspiring.
I find it interesting that the closer I am to the finish line in my studies, the harder it is to stay motivated enough to cross it. My degree will be complete in another 6 weeks. That doesn’t really seem real. Unfortunately it is difficult to see beyond the mountain of essays, literature reviews and my thesis piled up in front of me. This week will be pretty huge for me. I plan on completing my thesis introduction for the last time (I’ve already rewritten it twice). I also hope to finalise two other assignments which are quite large. It’s interesting, because completion is only a heartbeat around the corner, yet there is so much to do first.
I have been reading a book called The Whole Child. Not one of the greatest parenting books I’ve read, but it is nice to be reading for the love of reading again, and not just because I have something assigned to read from school. I’m slowly making my way through a pile of books that Wally Goddard sent me from the US. I anticipate getting through a lot more in 6 weeks when school is finally over.
That reminds me. I have determined what I should do next year with my studies. Last week I fasted and prayed about it. In fact, I have been doing so for some weeks. I have decided to let go of the Ph.D. It was a hard decision, but in talking with potential supervisors, none were really what I was looking for. It seems that parenting is not particularly popular amongst academics, and so my direction has changed. I am applying for a Masters in Educational and Developmental Psychology instead. I will study part time and graduate as a qualified psychologist in QLD in 4 years. Oh, and it will cost me about $25 000. But I suspect it will all be worth it.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Father's Day
I hope I remember the joy this week has brought for the rest of my life.
Things were going really nicely on Monday and Tuesday. I did all of the things I needed to for work and school. Wednesday morning came and Kylie told me that her body was preparing to give birth to our newest baby. We knew we had quite a lot of time before the baby would be born so we went about our activities as normal, but with a heightened sense of anticipation. By evening we knew that it wouldn’t be long. After we put the children to bed we went for a walk around the block. Kylie’s mum was watching the children for us because we knew this would be “the night”.
Nothing much happened following the walk though, so we went to bed, hoping to rest as much as possible in between contractions. From 8pm until midnight Kylie had one contraction every 8-10 minutes, and the intensity only grew modestly. From midnight until 2am the pattern remained largely unchanged.
I called the hospital at 2am to notify them of our plan to arrive at around 4am in time for a 6am delivery. They wouldn’t talk to me, after all, what do husbands know? Instead, they spoke to Kylie, telling her to stay home until she was having one contraction every five minutes. This had been our plan, so they hadn’t enlightened us at all. But we decided to try and get some more rest before things changed.
At 2.20am Kylie woke me. She had a big contraction. Before she had finished telling me about it, another one hit, just as big. I bounded from the bed, and began to load the car. The contractions were coming fast, long and strong. Something had changed. As I drove towards the hospital I called mum. She provided some advice, and concluded by telling me to get there faster! I was reluctant to speed, but sensed the urgency of the situation and put my foot down. We sped to the hospital – fast!
Arriving at the hospital, I paged the midwives to open the door. They do it by remote as the nurses station is on level 2 at the far end of the building. The door opened, but Kylie wasn’t moving. As the doors closed I dashed inside to press the button which automatically opened the door again. I beckoned to Kylie, but she wouldn’t move. Kylie was glued to the spot, halfway between the car and the hospital door. If I walked back to her the doors would lock us out, if I stayed inside I couldn’t support her. The contraction was strong enough that Kylie couldn’t walk any further. I dashed inside and found a wheelchair just inside the entrance. I wheeled that out to Kylie and we rushed into the building.
A midwife had been coming down the stairs to see why we were taking so long. I saw her and told her Kylie was 7cm and had entered transition. I suggested we needed a birthing suite immediately. What do husbands know? She told me she would have a look when we got inside. Then she saw Kylie. “I think she’s in transition”, she stated, as if I had never said anything previously. “Take her to the birthing suites” she ordered. Hmmm. Didn’t I just say that?
By the time we had Kylie out of the wheelchair and onto the bed it was 3.05am. Kylie was exhausted. A quick examination showed that she was ready to give birth, but membranes were yet to rupture. The midwife wanted to know if it was our preference that this be done for us, or would we like to wait until it occurred naturally? Ummmm, let’s not draw this out any further please. The job was done. Kylie rested as best she could through a couple of contractions. At 3.25am she pushed. Four big pushes in one contraction, and our baby’s head emerged. I helped her relax as the next contraction pushed the baby’s body out. Our fourth baby girl was born amid tears of joy and unity from her mother and father.
Annie Grace Coulson had one serious set of lungs. Wow, could she cry? Fortunately she was a little hungry too, and within minutes was quietly enjoying an early breakfast as nature intended. We have a beautiful little girl. Our delight is unexplainable. By 6am text messages and phone calls were being made, and many congratulations received. We appreciate the kind wishes of so many wonderful friends and family members. Annie was 3.92 kgs, or 8 lb. 9 oz in the old scale. She was 52cms long and entirely perfect in every way.
Our joy is full. We stare at her as long as the other three children will allow. Their incessant demands draw us back to reality with remarkable regularity. We love them too though, so we enjoy it anyway. We are experiencing something that we have not had trouble with for some years though. Sleep deprivation! Wow. I cannot begin to explain how tired we are. I don’t remember being this tired with any of our previous children. I’m sure we were, but I don’t remember it.
Yesterday (Saturday 1st September) I brought Kylie and Annie Grace to our home. I haven’t driven so carefully for a long time. I found myself getting cranky when people drove to fast past me, or allowed their cars close. I took corners slowly. We got home safely.
Other exciting news from the week pales into insignificance, but I’ll share a few tidbits.
I bought a car yesterday (Sat). It’s a Daihatsu Sirion. Very small, just to run around in. We need two cars now. Someone is buying my scooter from me in around 8 weeks, once I finish university studies. I’ll miss it, but we could put the money from it to good use, and having a second car is better than having a one-seater motorbike. I fly to Sydney on Thursday to pick it up and drive it home.
Ella is getting funnier and funnier. Recently she has been learning about emotions. Happy feelings are her favourite. Ella was caught drawing on Chanel. When she was told to stop it Ella quickly drew on Chanel, then looked up and said, “I’m happy now.” She loves to play, and especially loves piggy backs. She’ll ask for a piggy back from the kitchen to the dining table which is about 3 metres.
I don’t remember if I mentioned this in a previous blog, but my friend Wally Goddard sent me a package of books recently too. What a thrill. The wisdom in the books is something I cannot wait to infuse into my brain. Unfortunately the next 6 weeks are so busy that I cannot read them, but when things slow down I’m full steam ahead.
Wally is the ultimate guru (in my opinion) on all things spiritual. I was so pleased to see that he is human. He recently wrote that he had been looking after a couple of his grandchildren during sacrament meeting at church and they distracted him so much that he was unable to get anything out of the meeting. And here I was thinking I must be a little bit dysfunctional.
Being father’s day today, we had lunch at the Jones’ family home. I ate too much. Is that possible? I certainly ate more than my fill. Kylie bought me a camping chair. I think that may be a hint. Plus I got a great new street directory which was pleasing too. Oh, and my favourite: some Darrel Lea liquorice. Yum!
Things were going really nicely on Monday and Tuesday. I did all of the things I needed to for work and school. Wednesday morning came and Kylie told me that her body was preparing to give birth to our newest baby. We knew we had quite a lot of time before the baby would be born so we went about our activities as normal, but with a heightened sense of anticipation. By evening we knew that it wouldn’t be long. After we put the children to bed we went for a walk around the block. Kylie’s mum was watching the children for us because we knew this would be “the night”.
Nothing much happened following the walk though, so we went to bed, hoping to rest as much as possible in between contractions. From 8pm until midnight Kylie had one contraction every 8-10 minutes, and the intensity only grew modestly. From midnight until 2am the pattern remained largely unchanged.
I called the hospital at 2am to notify them of our plan to arrive at around 4am in time for a 6am delivery. They wouldn’t talk to me, after all, what do husbands know? Instead, they spoke to Kylie, telling her to stay home until she was having one contraction every five minutes. This had been our plan, so they hadn’t enlightened us at all. But we decided to try and get some more rest before things changed.
At 2.20am Kylie woke me. She had a big contraction. Before she had finished telling me about it, another one hit, just as big. I bounded from the bed, and began to load the car. The contractions were coming fast, long and strong. Something had changed. As I drove towards the hospital I called mum. She provided some advice, and concluded by telling me to get there faster! I was reluctant to speed, but sensed the urgency of the situation and put my foot down. We sped to the hospital – fast!
Arriving at the hospital, I paged the midwives to open the door. They do it by remote as the nurses station is on level 2 at the far end of the building. The door opened, but Kylie wasn’t moving. As the doors closed I dashed inside to press the button which automatically opened the door again. I beckoned to Kylie, but she wouldn’t move. Kylie was glued to the spot, halfway between the car and the hospital door. If I walked back to her the doors would lock us out, if I stayed inside I couldn’t support her. The contraction was strong enough that Kylie couldn’t walk any further. I dashed inside and found a wheelchair just inside the entrance. I wheeled that out to Kylie and we rushed into the building.
A midwife had been coming down the stairs to see why we were taking so long. I saw her and told her Kylie was 7cm and had entered transition. I suggested we needed a birthing suite immediately. What do husbands know? She told me she would have a look when we got inside. Then she saw Kylie. “I think she’s in transition”, she stated, as if I had never said anything previously. “Take her to the birthing suites” she ordered. Hmmm. Didn’t I just say that?
By the time we had Kylie out of the wheelchair and onto the bed it was 3.05am. Kylie was exhausted. A quick examination showed that she was ready to give birth, but membranes were yet to rupture. The midwife wanted to know if it was our preference that this be done for us, or would we like to wait until it occurred naturally? Ummmm, let’s not draw this out any further please. The job was done. Kylie rested as best she could through a couple of contractions. At 3.25am she pushed. Four big pushes in one contraction, and our baby’s head emerged. I helped her relax as the next contraction pushed the baby’s body out. Our fourth baby girl was born amid tears of joy and unity from her mother and father.
Annie Grace Coulson had one serious set of lungs. Wow, could she cry? Fortunately she was a little hungry too, and within minutes was quietly enjoying an early breakfast as nature intended. We have a beautiful little girl. Our delight is unexplainable. By 6am text messages and phone calls were being made, and many congratulations received. We appreciate the kind wishes of so many wonderful friends and family members. Annie was 3.92 kgs, or 8 lb. 9 oz in the old scale. She was 52cms long and entirely perfect in every way.
Our joy is full. We stare at her as long as the other three children will allow. Their incessant demands draw us back to reality with remarkable regularity. We love them too though, so we enjoy it anyway. We are experiencing something that we have not had trouble with for some years though. Sleep deprivation! Wow. I cannot begin to explain how tired we are. I don’t remember being this tired with any of our previous children. I’m sure we were, but I don’t remember it.
Yesterday (Saturday 1st September) I brought Kylie and Annie Grace to our home. I haven’t driven so carefully for a long time. I found myself getting cranky when people drove to fast past me, or allowed their cars close. I took corners slowly. We got home safely.
Other exciting news from the week pales into insignificance, but I’ll share a few tidbits.
I bought a car yesterday (Sat). It’s a Daihatsu Sirion. Very small, just to run around in. We need two cars now. Someone is buying my scooter from me in around 8 weeks, once I finish university studies. I’ll miss it, but we could put the money from it to good use, and having a second car is better than having a one-seater motorbike. I fly to Sydney on Thursday to pick it up and drive it home.
Ella is getting funnier and funnier. Recently she has been learning about emotions. Happy feelings are her favourite. Ella was caught drawing on Chanel. When she was told to stop it Ella quickly drew on Chanel, then looked up and said, “I’m happy now.” She loves to play, and especially loves piggy backs. She’ll ask for a piggy back from the kitchen to the dining table which is about 3 metres.
I don’t remember if I mentioned this in a previous blog, but my friend Wally Goddard sent me a package of books recently too. What a thrill. The wisdom in the books is something I cannot wait to infuse into my brain. Unfortunately the next 6 weeks are so busy that I cannot read them, but when things slow down I’m full steam ahead.
Wally is the ultimate guru (in my opinion) on all things spiritual. I was so pleased to see that he is human. He recently wrote that he had been looking after a couple of his grandchildren during sacrament meeting at church and they distracted him so much that he was unable to get anything out of the meeting. And here I was thinking I must be a little bit dysfunctional.
Being father’s day today, we had lunch at the Jones’ family home. I ate too much. Is that possible? I certainly ate more than my fill. Kylie bought me a camping chair. I think that may be a hint. Plus I got a great new street directory which was pleasing too. Oh, and my favourite: some Darrel Lea liquorice. Yum!
Sunday, 26 August 2007
Rain
Still no news! The baby appears very content where it is and has not provided us with any reason to suspect its imminent arrival. Wednesday the 29th is the due date. We are waiting. Kylie is preparing our home for the baby’s arrival, and the rest of us are pacing the floor wondering why it all takes so long! All in good time.
A cursory review of my last entry showed my lack of faith in the possibility of rain given the extended drought we have experienced. I should not have doubted.
On Tuesday evening I ran my sessions at the radio school I have been teaching at casually over the past four years. At the completion of the evening I faced the dark prospect of riding home on my scooter in the drenching rain. The wind was wild, the rain was heavy, and by the time I got home twenty minutes later I was wet! And cold! Wednesday afternoon saw a repeat of that scenario. I have had some terrific soakings in the past week, and we have had some much needed rain. Not enough, it would seem, but it is a start for which we are thankful.
We received our tax refunds this week. VERY EXCITING! We now have enough money to buy our new car. It won’t be a particularly exciting event, and we are going to buy an older vehicle, but it will be welcome and we cannot wait. Additionally, we have some other income due, particularly when the baby arrives. When that occurs we will be building a fourth bedroom into the back of our house. Things are just a little too cramped, so this should be helpful. We had planned to build in the garage too, but the interior may end up being all that gets done. We plan on putting down some new carpet too. Mum and Dad have some carpet left over from the Karalta Rd shop they used to have. It is very good quality and will be great for replacing the mess that we presently have on our floor.
Kylie and I are really excited about the changes we can make to the house. There will be extra space, and the new room will help us tidy things up in ways we have only dreamed of for the past four years. Then we can save up to build in the garage and concrete the driveway. Then comes a shed, and some bikes for the kids. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.
My studies have taken a back seat to work this week. I have had appointments back to back most days. However, the coming week will see a return to study as my chief priority.
We have had some great laughs this week. I have been fortunate to be at home early several evenings this week allowing Chanel, Abbie and Ella plenty of play time. We have been reading Narnia too.
Chanel loves the TV program, Deal or No Deal. I think she loves it a little too much. Recently when we have asked her to do something that she doesn’t want to do she cries, “No Deal!” Her netball season is over now. Presentation day was yesterday and Chanel received a small trophy for participation in the team. When she arrived home triumphantly bearing the trophy Chanel proclaimed, “Dad, here’s my first trophy. I think we’re going to need a trophy cupboard.” That girl is a big thinker!
Swimming starts again in a little over a week for Chanel. We’re all looking forward to it. Chanel will be doing something she loves several afternoons a week, and we will have that little bit of respite. Of all our children, I think Chanel craves constant stimulation the most of all our children. She’ll be very pleased when it all starts again.
Anyway, the waiting continues. I'm sure there will be some news very soon. In fact, we're going for a walk right now. Kylie and the girls have suggested a walk along the Brisbane River. The sun is shining, my family is happy, it is going to be a wonderful day!
A cursory review of my last entry showed my lack of faith in the possibility of rain given the extended drought we have experienced. I should not have doubted.
On Tuesday evening I ran my sessions at the radio school I have been teaching at casually over the past four years. At the completion of the evening I faced the dark prospect of riding home on my scooter in the drenching rain. The wind was wild, the rain was heavy, and by the time I got home twenty minutes later I was wet! And cold! Wednesday afternoon saw a repeat of that scenario. I have had some terrific soakings in the past week, and we have had some much needed rain. Not enough, it would seem, but it is a start for which we are thankful.
We received our tax refunds this week. VERY EXCITING! We now have enough money to buy our new car. It won’t be a particularly exciting event, and we are going to buy an older vehicle, but it will be welcome and we cannot wait. Additionally, we have some other income due, particularly when the baby arrives. When that occurs we will be building a fourth bedroom into the back of our house. Things are just a little too cramped, so this should be helpful. We had planned to build in the garage too, but the interior may end up being all that gets done. We plan on putting down some new carpet too. Mum and Dad have some carpet left over from the Karalta Rd shop they used to have. It is very good quality and will be great for replacing the mess that we presently have on our floor.
Kylie and I are really excited about the changes we can make to the house. There will be extra space, and the new room will help us tidy things up in ways we have only dreamed of for the past four years. Then we can save up to build in the garage and concrete the driveway. Then comes a shed, and some bikes for the kids. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.
My studies have taken a back seat to work this week. I have had appointments back to back most days. However, the coming week will see a return to study as my chief priority.
We have had some great laughs this week. I have been fortunate to be at home early several evenings this week allowing Chanel, Abbie and Ella plenty of play time. We have been reading Narnia too.
Chanel loves the TV program, Deal or No Deal. I think she loves it a little too much. Recently when we have asked her to do something that she doesn’t want to do she cries, “No Deal!” Her netball season is over now. Presentation day was yesterday and Chanel received a small trophy for participation in the team. When she arrived home triumphantly bearing the trophy Chanel proclaimed, “Dad, here’s my first trophy. I think we’re going to need a trophy cupboard.” That girl is a big thinker!
Swimming starts again in a little over a week for Chanel. We’re all looking forward to it. Chanel will be doing something she loves several afternoons a week, and we will have that little bit of respite. Of all our children, I think Chanel craves constant stimulation the most of all our children. She’ll be very pleased when it all starts again.
Anyway, the waiting continues. I'm sure there will be some news very soon. In fact, we're going for a walk right now. Kylie and the girls have suggested a walk along the Brisbane River. The sun is shining, my family is happy, it is going to be a wonderful day!
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