Winter Break

Two enormous weeks with events galore and blessings abounding!

There is so much to share that I’ll run through it in point form to keep it brief.

I’ll start with teeth. Abbie finally lost her first tooth! She wibbled and wobbled it so much but was petrified to really pull it in case it hurt. It was so loose we thought it would never give, and then – plop! It finally let go. Abbie was so excited and the tooth fairy was called into action. Just a couple of days later, Abbie lost her adjacent tooth. It was barely loose but practically tumbled out. The tooth fairy took out an overdraft with the bank! Two teeth in one week!

Chanel went to the dentist for her second tooth extraction in a month. Last time it was a dream. This time was not so smooth. I held her hand as she silently wept from the pain of the local anaesthetic needle. The procedure took much longer this time, was more complicated, and caused substantially more pain. This time we had not prayed and Chanel had not received a priesthood blessing. Coincidence? I think not. Plus, the tooth fairy was called in to action again! Oh no!

We received an unexpected visit from one of the ladies at church. Beryl Tolhurst brought around a plate of tantalisingly tasty profiteroles! Wow, they were good. Mmm. Amazing. I have a sweet tooth. She reminded Kylie that even though she’s not family, she’s here and she loves us. Kindness – we’ve enjoyed it so much since we arrived in Wollongong.

State of Origin III was played in Sydney and I got an unexpected invite to go to the game. Murray Stewart rang out of the blue and asked if I’d like to go with him. I didn’t need much persuading! It was a terrific atmosphere and loads of fun. NSW got beaten, and it’s easier to follow the game on television, but I was grateful for the experience. Terrific night! But we arrived home super late.

I have begun a new schedule to enhance and optimise my time. I am in bed early-ish, and rise at 6am. That may not sound too scary, but doing it every day is tough, particularly with multiple wake-ups in the night, and the icy-cold weather, cold wooden floorboards, and chilly house. I read my scriptures before anything else, and then commence the day. My productivity has skyrocketed. I am getting so much done in all aspects that it is remarkable. And the quality of what I’m doing has been great! Plus, I love getting up early. It feels fantastic.

We sat in church last week and were surprised at how reverent the children were being. I noticed that Ella was occupied with something near her face. I watched carefully until I recognised what she was doing. Ella was attempting to put a pencil up her nose! That girl keeps us somewhere between barrels of laughs and the emergency room!

A quick visit to our friend, Deb’s, by Kylie and the girls one afternoon resulted in a funny incident too. As soon as they arrived Abbie complained that she was hungry. Deb offered a piece of fruit. Abbie declined. Deb offered some crackers. Abbie refused that too. “Well, there’s not really anything else I can offer you”, Deb responded. Abbie questioned, “Do you have Weet-Bix?” Abbie gulped down three Weet-Bix for her afternoon tea.

Wollongong is a remarkably windy place. A few weeks ago I mentioned the tree that fell in our front yard. It smashed through the Colourbond fence and flattened the neighbour’s shed. (It still hasn’t been fixed – our landlord is not one to respond to issues in a hurry). Well, I don’t know if we can blame this on the wind or not, but after one of the windiest nights I’ve ever experienced, our letterbox has gone missing! That’s right. Gone! We have no idea how it disappeared. I’m disinclined to think it was drunken louts because had they smashed it, they certainly are unlikely to have meticulously removed the wooden remains. It was screwed in, very well, to the top of a wooden retaining wall. I cannot imagine the wind blowing it away! But it’s gone. Hopefully the landlord will act quickly for us on that one.

The biggest news of the past couple of weeks is that we took around six days off and had a break.

Day one was Friday. We took the children out of school around 1pm and took them to Auburn. A brief visit with Nan and Pop Bunt was fun. We met my mum there. She took the kids (excepting Annie) back to Gosford with her. Kylie and I (and Annie) drove into Sydney. Some friends own a top floor apartment overlooking the harbour. They plan to sell it and invited us to spend the weekend with them as a final farewell to the property. What a place! We had a terrific evening talking, eating Thai, eating chocolate, eating sweets and ice-cream, eating Krispy-Kreme donuts, and eating just about anything else we could find.

Saturday began slowly with a huge breakfast, more donuts, chocolate, ice-cream etc, and then a walk and a wander through parts of Darling Harbour. We hijacked a tour bus while the driver was away! And generally enjoyed being out with good friends.

Then we farewelled them and drove to Gosford.

The remainder of our holidays included spending lots of time with the kids; taking them to spend time with their cousins; catching up with Nan Coulson & Auntie Jan (who happened to be visiting Gosford); eating good food, including a delectable dinner at The Cowrie; resolving family disputes (ouch – always a challenge); and generally relaxing. It was a nice visit, although less conflict and more relaxing would be great next time.

Uni is going great guns! I cannot believe how much I enjoy it. I’m starting to feel some substantial pressure with what I’m doing. The writing has begun in earnest, detailed planning is causing several re-thinks. But things are progressing, I am learning, and despite all of my fears I am pressing on optimistically (and no doubt naïvely).

Yesterday I returned to the temple for the first time in around a year. Dad surprised me by showing up. It was great to sit with him and share that experience. I enjoyed the blessing of being there.

Life constantly provides us with challenges, but it is amazing!

Planting seeds

Last Sunday I was pondering some spiritual things. I have been studying the sacrament lately. I had new insights about the sacramental prayers, and it was exhilarating. I felt grateful for so many blessings and gifts.

I enjoyed initial completion of a major project at uni this week, only 10 weeks early! In late August I am due to submit a report outlining my research and plans for the remainder of my Ph. D. My first draft is now ready for review and I’m extremely pleased. It’s a little long though. I have a 3000-word limit, and I’m currently at 5500. I know, I know. It’s unusual for me to have too much to say! My major focus this week will be refining the project and completing another important document; my ethics application.

For some strange reason (perhaps connected to my bike fall a couple of weeks ago), I ended up with a sore neck this week. I cannot believe how badly a sore neck or back can affect life. It meant more time resting and trying to get better, but only time seems to make an impact on this kind of trouble. Cold and flu, sore hand, crook neck! It’s been a rough time lately. On the plus side, I must be coming out of it soon! And we’ve had the BEST waves of the year in the past fortnight. I’ve missed it all.

During the week we had violent winds. Our house makes LOTS of noises in the wind. There are creaks and rattles, there are what Chanel calls “ghost” noises, and there was the wind itself. I was awoken at around 3.30 am and could not get back to sleep because of all the noise. When I went out into the front yard I saw one of the big trees on our fence line had been entirely blown down. Some of those borer grubs had been into the base and weakened it to the point that it toppled. The colourbond fence was totalled and the neighbour’s shed was crushed too – with all of his stuff in there.

Kylie is getting right into her crafts and things again. I love it when she’s doing those crafty bits. I don’t have a deep appreciation for that kind of thing but I’m gaining one. More than that, though, I have a great appreciation of seeing Kylie deeply involved in something that she loves and can be absorbed in. Kylie’s spent more time on craft than I do surfing! And I think she enjoys her craft as much as I enjoy my surfing. If only I had something to show for all my time in the water! The work Kylie produces is really worth seeing.

We ended up at Bunnings Hardware Store last week looking for some items for Kylie’s crafts. I got distracted while Kylie shopped and ended up in the horticulture section. I have always wanted to have a vegetable garden, and I decided that the time has come. I purchased two trays of seedlings: cauliflower and lettuce. The kids and I got out in the backyard with some tools and got things moving. We now have vegetables growing! This week I’ll collect some cow poo, and we’re getting the composter going too! In a few weeks we’ll plant some silverbeet, leek, and some herbs in the soon to be prepared herb garden. Kylie is skeptical, saying she doesn’t think I can grow anything at all! But… we shall see! When we’re munching on home grown lettuce, and eating Coulson-cultivated Cauliflower I’ll be able to relish it that much more!

A quick update on the children: Chanel is excelling at everything – including driving Kylie and I crazy. She is always organising events, gatherings with friends and so on. She is always wanting to “just make a phone call” or “just get on the Internet” and forever too “busy to actually help out. But now and then she surprises us and does an exceptional job of looking after her sisters (particularly Annie). Abbie, or Fabulous Abulous (or the Abster) has more nicknames than any child I’ve ever heard of. She is tremendous. She is showing courage and maturity in awkward situations (I’ll mention a quick incident shortly), and is doing an amazing job at school. Her reading skills are excellent, and she is performing better than many of the year 1 students (she’s in Kindergarten). Ella is wonderful most of the time. We love it when she is, because when she isn’t – wow, it’s a challenge. And Annie is so full of joy it’s bursting out of her, as you can see in the photo below. Annie is so happy that her smile hasn’t got enough room to show the extent of her joy!

Saturday was easily my favourite day this week. Despite the sore hand and neck I committed to having a productive day. It was one of those perfect winter days. The sun shone, the sky was flawless blue, there was no wind – it felt almost like Spring. The kids were up early and playing with the neighbours. I spent a couple of hours on the car: it looks perfect, and may stay that way for at least a couple of days before the kids destroy it all again! I spent a little more time on the garden, picked up sticks from the windy days earlier in the week, and emptied out the unused veggie patch. It’s unused because the previous tenants of this house used the space to dump their kitty litter. It was so toxic that even weeds wouldn’t grow in it! I’ve emptied it out now, and we’ll slowly fill it with potting mix, compost, and cow poo. In no time we’ll have a perfect patch for more vegetables!

All the while, Kylie was being crafty… and loving it. After lunch Kylie took Chanel, Abbie and Annie to Campbelltown for a church activity. Abbie was placed into a team where she knew no one. She felt isolated and scared, but she got involved anyway. Kylie said she was nervous but had a go. I was so proud of my little angel. While Kylie was at the activity I stayed home with Ella. We had so much fun.

I put Ella on her bike and we cruised around the top of the hill where we live. There is a small flat section amongst all the hills and Ella had endless fun. She has no idea how to ride, but I wasn’t allowed to help. She did it all herself. Other than a couple of very close shaves I was very impressed with her ability on the bike. We were out for about 90 minutes, and it was so much fun I think we’ll do it again this afternoon after church! Then it was home time, where we did some more weeding, and I cooked dinner. It was a productive family day, and it was the best day of the week.

Reality Check

The past week was a busy one… but not at school!

Monday I spent the first half of the day at uni, but came home at lunch time to try to sort out several “loose ends”. Little else occurred on Monday of any note.

Tuesday I was up early and at the doctor’s offices by 7.30am. She examined my hand and confirmed that it was unlikely to be broken. Instead she suggested that it simply has some soft tissue damage (quite a bit, actually) and that it will take at least two weeks to stop hurting and up to six weeks before I’ve forgotten all about it. It’s been nearly two weeks, and still hurts, so I hope she’s right.

Kylie and I took the girls to school when I arrived back at home, and then Ella was off to the psychologist so we could find out if there are any developmental or neurological issues. It was an expensive two hours - $260. But… we do these things for our kids, and it is crucial for us to know that Ella is okay and how we can best help her. Next we picked Chanel up early from school (midday) and tore up to Sydney so she could have her tooth removed.

The Children’s Dental Hospital is literally on the doorstep of Central Station in the City. So with nowhere to park – and knowing that this would be an issue but not wanting Kylie and Chanel to have to catch the train – I left Kylie with the soon to be ‘toothless’ Chanel and took Annie for what I was hoping to be a leisurely drive around the CBD. It may have been many things, but leisurely does not quite accurately describe it. Annie was awake and a little unhappy. I also struggled to find my way to my planned destination near Darling Harbour, although I got there in the end. I ended up parking illegally in a little side street in Pyrmont, feeding a crying baby, changing her nappy and desperately awaiting the call from Kylie to return and pick them up… if only I could find my way back to the dental hospital!

The call came much faster than expected, and I accurately navigated the maze to pick up Kylie and our little 8 year-old. I anticipated tears and a mournful greeting when I got to them. Instead Chanel was swinging around a pole and laughing. “Didn’t the extraction happen?” I asked Kylie. Kylie assured me that Chanel was, indeed, missing a tooth. Chanel was quick to proffer evidence. Chanel had inhaled her “happy gas” upon arrival, before application of a gel to numb the gum surrounding her tooth. Then a local anaesthetic was injected. Chanel was unaware that a needle had been employed. At this point Chanel attempted to convince Kylie and the dentist that the happy gas and the local were having no effect, unaware that she was speaking at the top of her voice and she was constantly inserting her hands into her mouth trying to feel her gums – and she was smiling the whole time. Kylie had to hold her hands to keep her still, the tooth was literally plucked out, and the whole episode was over. Chanel didn’t even know it had happened (and obviously the gel, needle, and gas worked very well indeed).

Around half an hour after we commenced our journey home to Wollongong the effects of the anaesthetic began to dissipate. Chanel became a little emotional and indicated some pain. She had a rest in the back of the car and by the time we arrived home she was a bundle of positive energy again. She confidently consumed a regular dinner and we have not heard a peep from her about the tooth or any associated pain since. It seems we were all a little more concerned that we needed to be. Chanel is a superb child.

Wednesday I was back in Sydney. I caught the train this time. Fuel prices are near $1.70 a litre here and one long car trip in a pay cycle was enough. I was running some training sessions at the Reserve Bank of Australia. They were the same ones I used to do out in Emerald or in Newcastle etc on relationships. The sessions did not go as well as they usually do. The corporate environment was never a target audience when the workshop was created, and it showed. It is a session put together for a blue-collar environment. These people were far more sophisticated. The workshop was still enjoyable and I knew that people obtained some helpful ideas. But it really did not meet their needs as effectively as I would have liked. As an unrelated aside, I was not paid as well as I’m used to being paid either, but I’ve indicated my discontent (politely) and won’t be working so cheap again. I had to take the entire day off uni and spend 5 hours on trains! Two-and-a-half hours each way on the train for two hours of work. The train ride drove me insane. It’s not possible to read for that long! But I was grateful for the work. We need it at the moment.

While I was in the city I was approached by a lady from Channel 7. She was one of the producers of the “Morning Show” which I didn’t know existed (and after watching it on Thursday morning I’m glad – I won’t waste my time on that one again). She put a camera in front of me (a little too close for my liking) and asked what I thought of swearing, and children swearing. I told her I find it offensive and I don’t swear – EVER. She was quite surprised and questioned me. I reaffirmed the fact, and then got to see it on the network TV on Thursday morning. It felt great to be able to say that and know it was fact. I was kinda proud of myself.

Thursday was Kylie’s day. She had a church activity to run that evening, and as always, was preparing intently, doing over and above what anyone would ever reasonably expect. It’s so great to see her fully engaged in something that is challenging and utilises her resources and talents. Her evening was not without small hiccups but overall, genuinely successful. In fact, at its completion about twenty women remained at the chapel to help clean up – something that is apparently unheard of after these activities. (My day at uni was somewhat unproductive and not noteworthy in any respect). As always, I took the girls to swimming in the afternoon. They LOVE being in the pool, and are doing really well.

Friday I had a reality check at uni. For six months I’ve enjoyed reading, thinking, and talking about ideas. But my time for that is up. I have begun writing. Talking is easy; writing is hard. Especially the writing I’m required to do. My supervisors met with me and we reviewed my plans. Things are looking as positive as ever, but now it is time for detail… and lots of it – the deeper the better. So this weekend I have been adjusting my mindset. I know that when I get back to uni tomorrow I must be more focussed than ever, and improve my work ethic significantly. I’m really looking forward to writing too, as foreboding as it seems.

Kylie went to her friend’s birthday party on Friday night. Another late night – but lots of fun! You can see the photo of the box Kylie MADE… that’s right – MADE! I’m amazed at the cool things Kylie can do with a piece of cardboard and some ribbon. Chanel enjoyed a special treat on Friday night too. A kind friend from church took her to Disney on Ice at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre. She had a tremendous time and felt utterly spoiled. Chanel was buzzing when it was all over. Her favourite parts were Lilo & Stitch, the Little Mermaid, and the Lion King.

Yesterday we had a meeting with the psychologist to discuss Ella’s assessment outcomes. It appears that based on her assessments, Ella is essentially right where she should be in terms of her performance compared with other children her age. Clearly her speech deficits are an issue but because of this, verbal IQ wasn’t assessed anyway. In all facets outside of her verbal performance Ella performs at appropriate developmental milestones (and in some cases above) for her age group. This was wonderfully reassuring for us, but also perplexing as we try to uncover ways to deal with the challenges she presents us. We have been very lenient with Ella over the past years because we have not wanted to be too hard if she had cognitive delays, and because of the speech difficulties. But as her speech has improved and we have received these results we know that we can lift our expectations of her, and be confident that she’ll get better with things. Of course, the psychologist recommended rewards and punishments as the keys to “shape” Ella’s behaviour. As we listened, several keys that I often teach to others came back to me though, and we’re already seeing some positive changes in the 24 hours since the meeting. We’re confident that this little angel is going to get her wings soon. She’s such a treasure.

A Day Out at Darling Harbour

Highs and Lows

The week began with a public holiday – can’t get enough of them!

So without really taking the time to recover from our trip to Gerringong and Berry, we had a big Family Day on Monday. A friend of ours works at Darling Harbour at the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World. She kindly and generously offered us some tickets for our family to visit BOTH places.
As we climbed out of bed, ready to begin another great adventure with the kids, Kylie moved Annie, but Annie didn’t slide across the bed as Kylie expected. Instead she screamed in pain. Closer inspection revealed that Annie couldn’t move her right arm. We had no idea how it had happened but feared that Annie’s shoulder had been dislocated. I walked her around the neighbourhood until she had calmed down. Then we tried a couple of little experiments, all ending with tears. So at 8am on a Public Holiday Monday, instead of driving to Darling Harbour, Kylie headed in the opposite direction – to the Doctor Surgery. By the time Kylie and Annie saw the doctor, Annie had decided that her arm worked quite well again and the doctor confirmed that all was well.

Our trip to Sydney began two hours later than expected, but it was SUPER! This wonderful friend has not only arranged for our entry, but even had bags of goodies from the gift shops for the children, and allowed us to enjoy photo’s with the Koalas. The Koalas are not allowed to be held in NSW (they can be in QLD), and slept through the photo’s, but the kids were thrilled to touch them.

We saw fish, rays, sharks, penguins, seals, starfish, eels, crocodiles and every kind of sea animal you could imagine.

We saw snakes, spiders, wallabies, birds, and even had butterflies landing on us in an atrium designed to replicate a tropical environment. The children loved it all and we stayed for hours. To our kind friend: Thank you.

Tuesday was quiet, with me at uni and the kids at school. Kylie worked hard on a church activity (and continued to do so all week).

Wednesday should have been a super day. I had a great time at uni again. I’m making super progress on my research, and am entirely absorbed by it. Late in the afternoon I exchanged a few emails with Timmy J (my little brother). The Rugby League State of Origin was on the TV at 7.30pm. I suggested that if he would like to catch a train from Sydney to Wollongong after work rather than going back to the Central Coast he would be very welcome. I also mentioned something about how much he would enjoy some excellent ice-cream with crushed mint slice biscuits as a topping. Tim didn’t need much more encouragement.

As I left the university it was pouring with rain. The traffic was banked up terribly and I was getting wet. It was on dark as I slowly steered my motorcycle around the cars to make up a bit of time and get out of the rain faster. Unfortunately someone was walking across the road in a non-pedestrian area and by the time I saw him I was about to hit him. I braked hard and, with the wet, oily road beneath me, the bike slid, laying down on the left side. My hand flew out to brace and took the full force of the fall. My helmet also took a solid knock. I was furious: furious at me for being where I shouldn’t have been; furious at him for crossing the road where he shouldn’t have been; furious at the rain for making the road slippery. But fury was no help. I lifted up the bike and rode away, only realising that I had hurt my hand when I got home. However, there was a big game on, my little brother was on a train to my place, and I wasn’t prepared to cancel my night and sit in a hospital waiting room. I put ice on it and ignored the pain.

I picked up Tim from the station and we enjoyed his visit for the night. The game was bad – NSW was annihilated – but the ice-cream was excellent, and so was the company.

Thursday morning I inspected the bike. Far too much damage for such a little spill. Close to $1000 if I get it all fixed. My hand still hurt too. By Thursday night it was swelling up and I went to the hospital. X-rays confirmed that there was no break.

Friday evening we spent some time enjoying an amazing meal with some friends. Kylie had cooked some stunning Thai pumpkin soup for entrée, stirfry for the main, and an amazing chocolate and pear pudding for dessert. Wow! During the course of the evening my hand began to expand again, and turn red. I returned to the hospital on Friday night for a second opinion. After waiting in the triage department from a little after 10pm until close to 2am I gave up.

The weekend has been quiet for me. I caught a cold by running myself down so much, riding in the cold and rain, and being out so late at unhelpful hospitals. So I have primarily been in bed. Humph. And my hand is still sore. Extra humph.

I have arranged for some basic repairs to the bike, and agreed to sell it. I’ve had quite a bit of pressure from mum – no surprises there! But frankly, while the bike may be cheaper and more practical in many ways, I have never really enjoyed riding, and it’s too cold, wet and dangerous for me to keep it up. Looking forward to it being gone. Just frustrated that it’s costing me more money to get it ready to sell. I hope to see it gone in the next 3-4 weeks, if not sooner. Then I’ll pick up a cheap little 4 cylinder car. It should serve the family better even if it costs a little extra to run compared to the bike.

The week started off so well. Alas, it didn’t finish quite so well. The great thing is, there’s so much to look forward to next week! I can't wait!

A Great Break

Monday of this week commenced in identical fashion to Saturday’s conclusion: Marking. I can categorically, conclusively conclude that I do NOT like marking! I spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday seated in my office reviewing 900 exercises that had been written by PSYC101 students. My range of thoughts about the students varied dramatically throughout the process. Those who understood their work and communicated it effectively were a pleasure to mark. Those who chose not to answer the questions were equally, if not more, pleasurable to mark as their papers only required a big red zero.

Some students, with varying levels of effort and diligence, attempted the questions – poorly. These were the tough ones. I found myself thinking, “How did these people ever get into university?” and “Did they listen to a word I taught them?” or any number of even meaner thoughts. Most of the material was quite simple… or so I had thought when I taught it to them.

After five days of marking papers between 7 and 8 hours a day (I’d rather do removals… oh, perhaps not. I shouldn’t complain to loud!) I finally finished late Wednesday afternoon. What joy! What relief!

Things were generally quiet on Thursday. I made some progress on my planning for my research, and that was really all.

Friday I took the day off. Kylie and I sent the children off to school and then worked like crazy for the next few hours, tidying the house and packing bags. We picked up the children at around 1.30pm and headed south. Some good friends of ours own a property at Gerringong and invited us to spend some time there on the weekend. The 45 minute trip went very quickly, and we arrived to a beautiful home about 100 metres from the beach, and with acres of land behind it.

The bulk of Friday afternoon was spent riding their four wheeler motorbikes around the property. Chanel, Abbie and Ella were in heaven! They wouldn’t get off! However, despite the thrill they had, whipping around on the back of the four wheelers, their enthusiasm barely rates a mention compared with the wild glee that overcame Kylie as she hurtled across the grass whooping and “yeeha”-ing like a teenager allowed of her grounding in time to go to a party. Kylie was more excited that I’ve seen in ages, and the grin on her face was so large it was all I could see! I got a little concerned as I watched her speed down the hill. She was riding like someone with 10 years of experience rather than 10 minutes! We chased cows, rode the bikes (I got on the trail bike and took Kylie for a double too) and generally enjoyed the fresh country air. Serenity. Smiles. Super.

Kylie and I cooked the ten of us (they also have two children) a wonderful stir-fry for dinner. Then we tackled that task of telling ten tikes it was time to retire for the night. It took over an hour before they finally fell asleep, well beyond their bed-time. Pretty standard if I recall correctly from when I was a child. I’m pretty sure that when I was a kid I’d stay up all night when I had friends sleep over.

Once the children were finally “out” we played some board games, indulged in far too many sweets, and then climbed into the spa. I say spa, but it was really something more the size of a small pool. My body doesn’t appreciate hot places for some reason, and after an hour of so I was very uncomfortable. However Kylie and Deb stayed in until close to midnight. Too late for me. I stayed up, talking with Trevor until then, before collapsing into the bed, completely overcome with exhaustion. I love that feeling of being utterly tired, and lying in bed feeling gentle waves of relaxation make their way throughout my body. I couldn’t enjoy it for long though. I fell asleep too fast!

We arose far too early Saturday, thanks to the children of course. They were so excited to be “doing” again. After cereal, bacon and eggs, and juice, Trevor and I took the children for a walk for a couple of hours. They chased cows some more, then ran down to the boat ramp to pick up rocks and explore. Meantime Kylie and Deb wandered into town (500m in the other direction) to do a spot of window shopping. We drove 20 minutes south, to Berry, just north of Nowra, and played in the park there. Kylie and I fell in love with the place. So quiet, and romantic. In the park we saw a motorcycle gathering or rally of some sort. It included bikes from as early as 1906! It looked more like a basic bicycle with a motor on it. I wished I was a bike enthusiast because I could have really appreciated the history I witnessed.

We completed our trip at Bombaderry where we ate far too much at a Chinese buffet-style lunch, before driving back to Wollongong, drowsy, drained, and over-indulged! It was obviously a very quiet night. We had an unexpected visitor at aroun 8.30pm. An older gentleman and his wife (from church) had decided to surprise us with a bag full of goodies (Tim Tams, Mint Slice, Maison, Corn Chips etc) for reasons we still don't understand. We are still shaking our heads wondering why, but grateful for the seemingly endless kindnesses and generosity we are shown here in Wollongong.
Once again we find ourselves being blessed more than we deserve, and finding friends who generously make our lives more exciting than we could ever do ourselves. We are grateful. To make things even better, we’ve had a week of rain and cold weather yet our break on Friday and Saturday, though, were beautiful. Oceans of blue above us, gorgeous sunlight, and warm days; heaven on earth.

I’ve been forced to contemplate the purchase of some wet-weather gear for the motorcycle. A few too many showers have caught me in the past week. I’ve been utterly drenched! We’ve also had some funny things happen with the children. Here are a couple of quotable quotes…

“Hey Dad, look at my Scottish Tartlett skirt.” Chanel trying to describe her tartan skirt.

“You MIGHT be right, but I don’t know my times tables.” Abbie responding to Chanel’s answer of 42. Abbie had asked what 6x7 equals, but then realised that no matter what Chanel said, she didn’t know the answer herself. I assured Abbie that Chanel got the answer correct.

Lastly, and perhaps most exciting of all, we’re watching our children grow and develop beautifully. This week Annie has begun clapping consistently. She has also started saying “dadad.” Of course, it’s just sounds for her at this point. But I love hearing her call me anyway! She has really begun crawling, and she’s doing it quite well. In the next week I’m anticipating that she’ll be able to move from one room to the next. And finally, after 9 months, we have our first tooth! It’s through! And as usual, Annie lights up all of our days with her endless smiling and laughing. She has the most wonderful temperament. Our Chanel is also showing signs of growing up too, although I’m not as enthusiastic about this development. I’m not sure that Kylie and I are ready for a little girl who’s not so little anymore.

A Wonderful LIfe

In four weeks the year will be half through. I cannot comprehend how quickly the time goes. We have been in Wollongong for nearly 6 months!

Some fabulous news in regards to my studies this past week. I have been in contact with a Professor at Yale (in the USA). It’s unquestionably one of the most respected universities in the world. Her name is Amy Wrzesniewski. Amy has reviewed the basis for my research proposal for my Ph.D., and thinks it’s really exciting. In the past few emails I’ve received she has been very enthusiastic, and quite helpful too. I have had discussions with several researchers throughout the world, and only since I came up with this idea and contacted Amy have I had this kind of response. It’s very satisfying, and comforting, to know that one of the world leaders in the field likes my idea. Here’s hoping it keeps going the way it has so far.

Some more good news too, with regards to my studies. I have been invited to lecture in the next semester. I’ll be lecturing on communication in intimate relationships to second year psyc. students (two lectures). I’ll be lecturing on adolescent and adult psychological development to third year students (two lectures) and I’ll be lecturing to fourth year health psychology students (one lecture) on positive psychology. So I’m really excited about that opportunity. It’ll sure boost the credibility on my CV!

My week began with lots of research and exciting progress on my studies. Unfortunately, by Friday I had been given a whole lot of marking to do. I tutor about 120 of 300 students in PSYC101. Between three tutors, we have 300 activity books to mark, each with 8 assignments. That’s 2400 activities to mark. So I spent all day marking, both Friday, and Saturday. It’s the first time I’ve been required to work on a Saturday this year, so I can’t complain too much. But it sure is frustrating having to do so much work. I just want to scream at the students – CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION!!! Doing the marking has given me a lot of insight into how I can be a better teacher too though. I have given them all the answers they need, but a large percentage have not managed to get the right answers down on paper. Next time I tutor I’ll try to be more helpful. There’s no point teaching if they don’t learn it properly, even if the feedback on my teaching is excellent.

I actually caught a few student cheating too. They’ve provided identical answers, having simply done a copy and paste job. That will be an automatic fail for them. Serves them right too. We warned them about three or four times through the semester, and told them we’d catch them.

Kylie enjoyed a quieter week than normal. There was a trip to the Buddhist Temple, just down the road. Some of the girls from church have lived here for years and always wanted to see it, but never been there. So Kylie rounded everyone up, and in the end four of them went down to see things. They had fun, and Kylie was glad she’d seen it.

She also said she really preferred the LDS Temples. Kylie went with Katrina, Kim, and Debs. Debs is a great friend, and we’re really enjoying getting to know other wonderful people in Wollongong.

Chanel and Abbie had their athletics carnival at school on Wednesday. They enjoyed it, but not to the same extent as they enjoyed their cross-country and swimming carnivals. Unfortunately, my poor children have the same athletic gene that I possess… zero! I remember losing every athletic event I ever attempted. So did Abbie and Chanel. I take some comfort in knowing that Kylie also did poorly. In fact, Kylie says she would begin the 100m race and quit halfway along, crying because she was so far behind. So I guess the genetic influence left them with no chance. Oh well, can’t win them all. They do well in their other forms of sport.

Chanel is growing up a little too fast for Kylie and I. She’s only eight, but boy, does she push limits. She’s getting increasingly frustrated with her little sisters. The maturity gap is really beginning to show. We gave her a glimpse of grown-up life last night. It was a Saturday and a movie was on that she really, really, wanted to watch; Spy Kids. It was on at 7.30 and went until 9.30. Too late for Chanel, but we let her watch it anyway. She thought she was the bee’s knees. It was a great treat and we all had fun laughing together.

Abbie is still driving us crazy with her ENDLESS talking… she never stops, ever! And when she’s not talking, she’s spelling, or asking us how to spell, or reading out loud. It starts every morning when she gets out of bed. We call her Abbie Alarm Clock. Abbie is the first one up every morning, at around 6.30am. She starts reading and writing and talking… and doesn’t stop until 7pm when her head hits the pillow at night.

As for Ella, more laughs again this week. This little girl has personality and spunk to burn. She has both by the truckload. When I have to leave Ella wants to be with me. She runs outside at the first sign that I have to go and climbs onto the back of my motorbike, sitting there expectantly. I have never, nor will I ever, take her on the back of the bike. But she gets down there anyway. When I lift her off, she tears up the driveway and down to the first cul-de-sac around the corner where she waves and calls out her farewells to me. Then I watch in my mirror as she scampers back up the hill and into our driveway.

A couple of nights ago Kylie had put the girls to bed while I was at a meeting for church. Kylie was downstairs reading by the fire, when Ella tiptoed into the room. In her all too funny speech, Ella said, “Mum, I sit with you.” Kylie smiled and patted the chair beside her. Ella then continued, “Shell (Chanel) thinks I going to get in twubble, but I not am I.” She was so cute Kylie had to cuddle her.

Ella also surprised Kylie at lunch one day this week. After wolfing down her ham, cheese and tomato sandwich she asked for another one. Kylie thought that was a bit optimistic on Ella’s part, but indulged her anyway. Ella gulped the second sandwich down and then inquired, “Mummy, I have ‘nuvva one.” She polished off THREE ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches. Wow! But we cannot get Ella to sit still when we say a prayer, or be quiet for that matter. Her speech is improving but still a long way behind for her age. She is beginning to do well in group time at kindy which is a sign of progress. And we love her to bits.

Annie has begun crawling! She has just made it to 9 months, and is pulling herself along the floor with gusto. Not a lot of leg movement happening yet, but the arms are going great, and we have progress. Very exciting. We have never had such a contented, smiling angel as this one. We love her so much, and she gets endless positive attention. Everyone wants to cuddle and hold her. Still not keen on sleeping through the nights though.

Today was Sunday. What a great day. Sitting through sacrament meeting was somewhat challenging with the children, but it felt great to be there. Really, really great. We heard some wonderful things, and felt terrific things too. It was good to be there. After church we were invited to someone’s home for a large lunch gathering. I ate too much (there’s something new… not) and at 8pm I still can’t fit in any dinner. Oops. After spending some time there we rushed home, arriving moments before mum and dad who had travelled the two and a half hours down from Gosford to be with us for the afternoon. Kylie cooked her best stew with dumplings (which I still can’t eat, but I’ll enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow), and mum and dad played with the kids. It was a really nice time. We don’t see my parents relaxed too often, but at our house there were no deadlines, no kids screaming and making a mess, no meals to cook or calls to make… in fact, there was nothing to do but spend time together. And that’s what we did. Wonderful.