Bugs, Babies & Life Stories

We have been slowing trying to tame the gardens, Verlie has been up a few times and we have worked very hard pruning, digging, raking, moving really heavy big rocks, and bucketing mulch from the trailer to the garden bed as we do not have a wheelbarrow. The roses are starting bud and are covered in leaves. The 2 Maples (1 out the front and 1 out the back) are covered in leaves now. Still a bit to do especially out the back but that will be a slow process as we want to move the vegie garden and change the garden beds to reclaim some of the yard back. But for now the front is looking really great.

On Saturday we had the Church Garage Sale which was a good day a little quieter than the last one apparently (they have 2 a year) but they still made $1,300, which is great. Without the hard work and many hours of sorting and pricing done by Christine and Elizabeth it would not have been possible.

Church on Sunday was good, Andrew has had alot of good feed back on his sermon "What do we believe about Jesus", lots of stories which seems to be a style of sermons these guys enjoy.

Monday Pip and I headed into Orange to get the final Hen's Night things and NAdrew a new pair of jeans. Then home to start to get organised for Me to go away on Saturday for Lizzie's Hen's Night and then Andrew on Sunday for his Pastors Renewal Retreat for 4 days. Andrew spent a long day in the office trying to get as much stuff done with him being away for most of next week.

Tuesday Pip & I headed to the gym. Pip went to the child minding, she loves going and it just shows me how much she is missing Preschool and confirms that 2 days next year will be good for her. I did 30 minutes in the gym and then into my 'Abs & Stretch' torture class.

Wednesday is usually Andrew's day off but this week he did a swap cause I was on Canteen, so it was my cleaning, washing and packing day, which was done by 9:30am, so then it was a relaxing morning, which is always nice to have. Then at 12pm I headed into Bathurst to get my nails done for the wedding. It is so nice to have them back on again after so long. I know it sounds funny but this was my one thing, I don't go out, I don't do courses, my one extravagance. I just have always liked having nice nails and never feel dressed for a wedding of special event unless my nails are nice, so its lovely to be able to have then back on.

Thursday was Canteen day, which was really easy as we only had Years K, 1 & 2 as 3, 4, 5 & 6 are all on camp till tomorrow. We have come to the conclusion that its is the older students that like the canteen as we were packed up and counting the money before the lunch bell rang as the kids just were not interested. I know that in Caitie's case it is, I've eaten my lunch and now I just want to play and then they forget they can eat some more. There are some kids that just eat constantly and are at the counter 5 or 6 times but mostly they just want to play.

Tomorrow, Caitie starts Swimming for school, which will be interesting. Pip & I will go down to the pool for a swim and to help supervise then it will be back to make sure I have all my things sorted for me to leave early Saturday morning to head down for my final dress fitting and then into the city for the Hen's night. Also I need to make sure everything Andrew needs for his week away is washed and clean and ready to go.

It is the Carcoar Show this weekend so Andrew will be taking the girls on Saturday, they have been looking forward to it all week, I just hope the weather is good and that he can do it just him and the 2 girls, it is always difficult when 1 wants to do this and the other wants to do that. Oh well I will be too far away to worry and have too much to concentrate on. We are doing a Treasure Hunt in The Rocks followed by dinner and then night clubbing!!!! I fell like I am so past night clubbing, I didn't even do it when I was their age, but anyway its only 1 night, just as long as I don't get lost in the city (I hate driving in the city) and that I get a enough sleep to drive back home Sunday morning. Pip is so funny she keeps asking me when am I going on the 'Bear Hunt'.

Pip was singing beautifully until we got the computer out and then it became a performance and a chance to see how much she could play up. She is certainly the performer and is quiet happy to be in the background and be a support for her sister. It will be interesting to see what it is like in 10 - 15 yrs time.

1st Night at the new house in her 'Big Girl' Bed

1st Week at church - not shy at all this one

Playing in the garden

Happy 3rd Birthday Pip

1st Night in New Bed

1st Breakfast in the new house

Andrew :- is doing scripture in 3 local schools now, Blayney, Errowanbang & Millthorpe and is enjoying getting back into the schools. He has also started arranging Youth activities and this term they are joining with the local AOG church a few times, heading down to Lithgow Bap's for their evening cafe church and a few nights up at Martha St (the church property). We had a Church family picnic last Sunday (Australian MOTOGP at Philip Island was on so it was not a long one) which was well attended and a nice way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. He is meeting with the elders once a week and is really valuing these Men and their hearts for the church and the community, he always comes home really blessed. He is getting a lot more opportunities to ride the Ducati which is great as 3 minutes from our front door he is in 3 different 100km zones and out on the highways.

Caitlyn :- Survived her 1st Term at Millthorpe and is now into her last term off Kindergarten. Other than some slight nerves on her first day she loves her new school and her teacher Mr Morgan. She has made friends in her class however I think it will be a very long time before she has any close friends like she did at Windsor, but that was because she grew up and Tahlia, Brianna and Hayley, where here she is the new kid. She has not started up Gymnastics again and we are not sure if she will, she would like to have piano lessons however we have been told that at the moment her fingers are still too small so we will see. She has grown up so much and is doing really well in her reading and learning. Millthorpe PS have paid for students to have unlimited access to "Mathletics" an online maths program and she loves to get on there and earn herself Awards that are presented at school assemblies. She has received a merit award for class contribution and 2 home reading awards. The entire school holidays every day she would ask how many days till I go back to school, she just thrives on learning and loves it. She also lost her 2 bottom teeth during the holidays so had something cool to tell for news when she got back to school.

Philippa :- has grown up so much since the move, she was not exactly happy about the new house/church/life and for the first few weeks spent every day asking to go back to here real home. But all is good now, she has adjusted to sleeping in her own room with out Caitlyn, but now visits us on a nightly basis sometimes more than once. She is enrolled in Preschool for next year and will be going Tuesdays with the 3yr olds and Thursdays with the 4 - 5yr olds which I'm hoping will extend her a little. She is very intelligent and somedays craves extra stimulation and having grown up with a big sister she loves playing with older kids. Her eyes recovered from the operation back in June fabulously and are now perfectly straight, however he vision has gone backwards so we are back to drops and patching till we see Dr Rowe again in mid November. She got her first big girl bike for her birthday and powers on it, as she has longer legs than Caitie she has been able to reach the peddles and has the strength to push them.

Both girls are loving having a toy room where they can play when they want and also a backyard where they can play on the swings or trampoline or ride their bikes in the driveway. They have spent more time out there playing in the 3 months we have been here, than the entire time they were at Windsor. They both also love playing with the dogs and the dogs love the attention most times.

Me:- I'm really enjoying the slowness of life here, there is no more racing from here to there, we get back from school and the girls head straight outside and it is just lovely to not have to rush. I have been trying to get to the gym as much as possible to kick start my weightloss again as I would really love to loose atleast another 10 - 15kg, but it is so much harder when you don't have the constant accountability that doing 'Super Shape Me' with the girls did and the incidental excerise of walking every morning with Merrillie and Lauriann after dropping the girl at school. I have made a good friend in Alison the church secretary which is nice, we have been doing canteen together twice a term and see each other every afternoon when picking up the kids. Her youngest is in Caitie's class. I have been really busy with Lizzie & John's wedding which is less than a month away now, so I have done lots of trips back down to Windsor for catch ups, dress fittings, kitchen teas, I will be back down on the 31st for the Hen's night and then I will be picking Caitie up from school on the 11th Nov and heading back down till Sunday 15th Nov. I'm hoping to get to church that Sunday to see everyone before Christmas. The local AOG ministers wife arranged a 'Welcome to Blayney Jo' morning tea for me last week which was lovely and a chance to meet some people from the other churches. I also had a 'Meet Me on Queen' (our house is on Queen St) Ladies coffee and dessert night back in Sept and it was really great, we had 19 ladies come and they all enjoyed themselves which is always good. I have also orgainsed a Ladies Christmas Dinner for the 28th Nov which everyone is excited about, now I just need to arrange it, should look at doing that this coming week, I'm just trying to get all the Hen's stuff done and Andrew is off to his renewal retreat the day I get back from the hens for a week.

Well that is kind of it for now, its late and Andrew is home so I will sign off. I will try and upload some photos to this tomorrow.

I have come to the conclusion that I need to set aside an actual time every week to sit down and update this blog other wise it will never happen.

I'm thinking Thursday nights is a good option as Andrew is at Bible Study and other then watching the shows I'm recording there is really not much on TV.

So this is my plan. Thursday nights is blogger night :)

Better get to it.