Christmas Party

We had our annual Mothers Group Christmas party at our house this year - I have avoided it for many years but finally the excuses had run out and it was well and truly my turn to host.  Fourteen adults and fifteen children aged 1 - 5 = controlled mayhem!  It was noisy and unruly, and there were a few bumps and bruises from the kids playing in close proximity and being in a state of extreme excitement, but I just had the frozen peas at the ready for any injuries, poured myself a champers and enjoyed watching the chaos unfold.  A great night was had by all.

Me and my girl

My lovely friends Tracey, Emma, Katherine and Kate

... and their other halves

Ella couldn't believe her luck when she found this empty juice box

that one of the big kids had tossed aside

Some of the boys managed to sit down for two minutes for a sausage!

Randoms

Just wanted to show you a picture of Ella in the beautiful dress Grandma sent for her birthday.  Pretty in pink!  Yes, that is a syringe she is sucking on.  Teething woes, again...

Most people who read this blog probably already know that we've had a student from Korea staying with us for the past couple of months.  She goes to school in the mornings and helps with the housework / childminding in the afternoons.  Her name is Elisha, and she is a very nice, courteous, friendly young lady.  We are all enjoying having her here, and I am loving the extra help.  Here she is with the kids:

We took Elisha sightseeing her first weekend in Brisbane.  Here we are at the top of Mt Koot-tha.

Liam had his last day at the day care centre he has been going to since he was two.  On the last day all the kids wore their new school uniforms for the day.  It was also the day of the Christmas party, a great chance to have a bit of fun and say goodbye to the friends we have made along the way.

Liam in his Wilston State School uniform, with James proudly standing alongside.

Liam and his buddy Wil.  They have developed a great friendship over the last couple of years, and although they won't be in the same class next year, they will still be nearby.

"The best teacher ever" - Cathy, she is everything you wish for in a teacher.  She is kind, caring, attentive, considerate, fun, I could go on and on.  Liam has forged a very strong bond with Cathy and will miss her next year.  Lucky James is in her class next year.

Moving on the kindy end of year celebrations !  Here is Liam proudly displaying the decoration he made to hang on our tree.

The kids put on a Carols concert for us.  It was heaps of fun, the kids loved being able to stay up late and run wild with all the other kids.

More on Ella's birthday

I put Ella's birthday blog on in rather a hurry, and there were a few nice pictures that didn't make it to that blog.  So, here they are:

Liam and Ella, wearing the gorgeous outfit Aunty Leigh sent for her b'day.  Don't you think Liam and Ella are two peas in a pod?

Before Ella's teeth started appearing, this was her 99% of the time - she is (or was) such a happy bubba!

Liam and Ella having some no-shirt time.  James is too cool for such shenanigans.

Having a cuddle with Great-Grandma Mavis - who is around 93 I think.

A lovely one of Ella and Aunty Kerrie (with Lorraine - Zane's Aunty)

Ella wasn't keen on opening her presents, but the boys were more than willing to help out!

James especially loved Ella's new pram and nappy bag.

Extreme close-up of the cake.  Yes, that's right folks, it is dripping out of her nostrils.

I just love this picture because I think it captures the innocence of a baby ... soooo cute.  I just want to smother those chubby cheeks with kisses.

Paul's 65th birthday celebrations

Paul (Zane's Dad) turned 65 last month and in true Knight fashion, decided to spread the celebrations out over a few days. 

The first event on the calendar was a cruise on the Gold Coast broadwater on a luxury catamaran, at twilight, followed by a party at their place at Mermaid Waters.  This was a surprise organised by Jacki.  Apparently organising surprises for Paul can be a bit dicey, but luckily this surprise was very warmly received by the birthday recipient. 

Kerrie was once again my guardian angel and agreed to look after the kids so Zane and I could go down and join in the fun.  Thanks Kez!  I didn't get any photos of the cruise and after-party, but there was a family lunch the following day, and here are the pics.

Ella was only just walking here.

Enjoying her new-found independence (with Uncle Brent)

The birthday boy and his brother Pete.

James just loves having a dip in the ocean.

Zane and Ella checking out the jet-ski.

This is the view from the end of their jetty, looking back up to the house.    The Riviera is parked behind me, right next to the jet ski.  Oh, how the other half live...

Time for birthday cake.

Ella and Uncle Brent having fun

Happy 1st Birthday Ella!

We had a party on Sunday to celebrate Ella's first birthday.  It was a great afternoon with all the (Brisbane) family here.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday presents / cards  / birthday wishes !!! 

Spring Cleaning

With Spring in the air, it's that time of year to turn my mind to clearing out the old to make way for the new.  I can hardly keep up with the kids, they grow so quickly that by the time I have reorganised their wardrobes with the right sizes, it seems to be time to do it all over again.  Liam has grown about a foot in the last month!

After tackling the kids' rooms, my next job was to empty out the "wine cellar" (read: junk closet).  Next on the list, the cupboard under the stairs.

Phase One: complete!

Another job I have been putting off for ages was re-covering our dining table chairs.  They've had a lot of loving from the boys and it was getting to the stage where you couldn't sit on them without fear of picking up a greasy souvenir from a dinner eaten not so long ago.  I opted for indestructible, stain-proof, water-proof, bomb-proof fake leather/vinyl.  Classy.

They are soooo much nicer than the previous!

After completing my domestic chores, and feeling very virtuous, I had a sudden urge to bake.

This is a honey-spiced fruit loaf.  It's got walnuts, dates, almonds and a few other things in it.  The recipe is on the back of the White Wings Wholemeal Self-Raising Flour packet.  Very delish, I highly recommend it!!

This one is an old fave that gets cooked often here.  It's a zucchini and bacon slice.  A great way to get vegies into the kids.  It's really nice with a dollop of Mrs Ball's chutney on the side and a sprinkling of salt and pepper on top, for lunch.  Note the onion on one half only - at the boys' request.  I am a very accommodating mummy!

Here we are enjoying the bake-off.

Ella has had a very busy schedule this week, what with mastering walking, and managing her swollen gums.  If you zoom into this pic, you will see that she now has two teeny tiny teeth!  She's quite pleased with herself, and fancies herself as a big girl now.  No more vegie mash for me please Mum!  I'll have what the boys are having!

Check out the look of dogged determination here.  Ella is not letting go of her walker for anyone!  It's hot work slogging it out with the big kids, so a bit of shirts-off time was called for.

James was too cool for the shirts-off shenanigans.

She's Walking

Sandgate Promenade

We had a very pleasant diversion last weekend when we took a drive out to Sandgate for a bike ride and a play in the playground.  It was a perfect sunny day, after a few days of rain, so there were loads of people out there enjoying Moreton Bay.  What a great way to while away a Sunday morning!!