'Me' time

It's my second (and last) week of having a childless day in... Oh I don't know... 10 months! 

The kids are with a fabulous carer who they adore after a single week. Noosh loves anyone who will craft with her and Tad loves to be with his sister... Wee Gump however struggled last week (bless her) and their carer ended up calling me and asking me to come back to settle her. She's at that age that she just wants her mumma... And I must admit.... I'm good with that!

But moments like now sitting in a cafe with a coffee and silence are very rare so I am basking in this moment.

Next week I start work... An hour away and I'm feeling positive.  This move to our little seaside village is good. Hubby and I have room to breathe and to be a family.

Introducing...

It's been many months since I've been here but the reason I started this blog has not changed.  We are away from family and close friends and our cherubs are growing, making us chuckle, assisting in adding to our grey hairs and we miss having 'kin' around!

3 months and 28 days ago we welcomed our Bubba Gump into the world. (Isn't she gorgeous?)

As our time in Cairns comes to an end and we explore other opportunities I will endeavour to keep you posted on what those opportunities might be (yip we're totally in the dark about where and what we're doing come December 20).

Our gorgeous Noosh is growing so quickly. She is so intelligent and I sometimes catch my breath and slowly exhale as I think how can she been nearly 4!

Tad is all boy... In a matter of months he has broken the cartilage in his ear, chipped his 2 front teeth (fortunately baby ones) and permanently has a scape, bruise or graze somewhere on his body! But he is delicious. My baby boy is 2 and growing just as quickly as his older sister!

Both Noosh and Tad ADORE Gump... Just adore! They fight to give kisses and huggles.  I am so proud of them welcoming this little person into their world.

So that makes up life with us... A teaser as I have decided no more excuses! I'll be back... A little sooner than last time I suspect! 

Xxx

Bless!

Does anybody remember Psalty the singing psalm book?!? I do! ... And have fond memories of the songs and musicals. Sigh.

Any who...

Every night when we put the children down to sleep and say our prayers we have a little song that we sing as a lullaby. It goes a little like this...

'I cast all my cares upon You,
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet,
Anytime, I don't know, what to do,
I will cast all my cares upon You'

I remember it as a Psalty song and it is a song I remember singing to myself throughout life when I was scared, anxious, sad... And it gave me reassurance!

My wee noosh has started singing it with me with such seriousness and commitment. It was so difficult to stifle my laughter as she sung...

'...
I lay all of my bottoms down at Your feet,
...'

Our little princess... Our treasure and our unbelievable joy!!

Xxx

A weekend away!

It's been a while! Much has happened and I am trying to work out life's best balance!! (Work in progress!)

So in a nutshell... Bubba gump (baby number 3) is due beginning July!! (Hoping end of June! - like I get a say in that right?!?)... Moved into our first stand alone house in our entire marriage... Noosh has given up day sleeps (sigh)... I am back working 2 days a week... Kids started nursery... Noosh started ballet lessons (too cute)... Tad is such a boy - into body slams, emptying cupboards, playing in toilet water, active active active! Christmas came... Christmas went... How's that for a paragraph catch up!

So my wonderful parents flew into Cairns last weekend so Hubby and I could take a belated wedding anniversary weekend away. Note: our first time leaving our children with anyone other than us!!!! Our first time away from children in 3 1/2 years!! We went up to Port Douglas for 2 nights... And slept in 2 mornings (my first sleep in beyond 6am in 3 1/2 years!) it was lovely!!!

 

Hubby took me out Saturday night to an amazing restaurant. We ate under the stars and I crossed off an item from my bucket list... I did a 7 course tasting menu!!! AMAZING!!! Sadly my camera battery died after the second course so I didn't manage to get photos but man did I savour the experience!!

 

  

 

We returned to 2 very happy children and 2 very tired grandparents!!

It was lovely, and we missed the kids lots but was so nice to regroup and talk (uninterrupted) and eat when I was hungry and go to the toilet alone!

It really is the small things!

xxx

Absence makes the heart grow fonder???

So many apologies for my absence! It's been crazy and I hope in just over a week the craziness will be over... At least the craziness unrelated to Christmas anyway. (I've just worked out I can use my phone to post blogs... More time consuming... But I feel like I'm communicating!)

We have a 4 bedroom house with pool and playground (?!?!)... Fully air conditioned so gotta love!!! Plus we can move before Christmas!!! The first stand alone house that husband and I have ever lived in. Too much I know!!

Wee tad has decided that he now wakes numerous times over night so imagine my surprise when we discovered he had cut 3 of his molars. I chastised myself for not assisting with bon Jela or neurofen and then thought 'hurray only 1 more to go!' Not only that he is now spontaneously walking and today has worked out how to stand from sitting... Boy that back yard can't come soon enough!

Noosh is definitely her own woman. Only wears princess dresses currently... Talks all the time and likes to exert her authority... At least the perceived authority she thinks she has. We wrote to Santa last week (as she refuses to have anything to do with him in person). She was very specific wanting to tell Santa that she wasn't grumpy and that she and tad wanted scooters and she would teach tad! (We'll wait to see what Santa brings!)

On the Christmas front, I have been spoilt by my mum being here for the past week. She also went over the top and subsidised a nativity set I've had my eye on for a while!! I can't wait to move so I can put it up with Christmas tree also!!

There is so much more to say but suffice to say cairns is lovely... Comes with its own set of challenges including starting all over again on the friends front but I think it will be lovely (in another 6 months!).

And here is my cry for visitors!! I know it's a horrid time to visit over the next few months (due to humidity and temps) but we'd love to have you come hang... Assist me in looking forward to things. (I am a little aimless at the moment).

Moving

So my absence from blogging has not been intentional but rather brought about by our big news!!!!

We are moving!!! ... to Cairns!!!!

So the last 3 weeks have seen Hubby be offered the job, accept the job, moving companies contacted for quotes, scouting trip to Cairns for 5 days completed, my resignation handed in, children's nursery resignation handed in... and now we have farewells, Noosh's 3rd birthday (which we are celebrating early so she can have it with her friends), and last days with the dear people that have made Sydney home for us for the past 20 months.

On our way to Cairns. Noosh being ever so much the grown up girl!!

Its bittersweet.

Hubby's job is an interesting change. On paper it looks like a demotion, but he has wrangled a pay increase into his offer.  His new boss is FANTASTIC! He sees the value in Hubby and sees the potential for where he can end up.  He is a big promoter of family (in fact him and his wife have already offered their babysitting services!).  I'm so proud of my husband... my heart is bursting with pride.

Life style will be awesome too.  We'll be moving from a 2 bedroom apartment (+ study) to a 4 bedroom house with a swimming pool.  We'll get that backyard. And the kids will get a trampoline for Christmas.  And for all this... cheaper than the rent we pay in Sydney!!  It also means we have loads of space for visitors!!! Great barrier reef up this way so plan your visits over the next 12 months!!

Outdoor water play area in Cairns.

I'm sad about leaving the kids nursery though!  They have been nothing short of STUNNING! Wow!  Even now... I get really emotional about how the kids will cope not seeing their favourite carer's on a weekly basis... Sophia, Mimi, Rachel, Natalie, Sue, Mandy, Jenny have just been amazing.  I don't want to say goodbye.  I'm sad for our little people that I'm very happy to relocate myself but what does it mean for them.  I don't want to do resettling into another nursery.  I don't want the torture of hearing their cries for weeks on end as I drop them off...

Who says this is out of order? Especially when Daddy can create the virtual motion anyway!

BUT...

In a twist of events, the job I thought I might have, may not happen.  I was offered a job within 24 hours of emailing my CV.  It turns out that she may not be able to pay me a 'breakeven' salary (as childcare is more expensive up in Cairns than in Sydney - crazy!).  This initially was upsetting but my little people are growing far too quickly and why shouldn't I take a year out to hang exclusively with them.  I can embrace playgroups, mainly music groups, enroll Noosh in ballet lessons (be still my excited heart!!!).  Plus, I have a business idea.  I floated said business idea with one of my Sydney besties (who is a graphic designer) and she said she would do all the design work for advertising for me.  So who knows... I've always had a hankering for working for myself so why not give it a go?  The other option for me is starting my masters!! Decisions decisions!!

Daddy and Noosh exploring the creek in Cairns.

So can you understand my excitement... my reticence... my sadness... my eagerness???  And can you also understand my absence???

Party Time

So I've finally downloaded photos of the big occasion for you to see - Tad's first birthday (aka Zebe!!)

Just a small occasion really... a couple of other families who we really like came along to assist us in the eating of the cake and have a BBQ in the park.

It was so nice... nice to see the sun... nice to see friends.... SO SO SO nice to have family here for the special occasion and just oh-so-extremely-nice!

The cake (as always) was a joint effort. Hubby 'engineered' it all creating levels and iced the yellow block.  I baked strawberry, vanilla and chocolate 'layers' and iced the rest of the blocks, cut out icing shapes and letters and did the piping (a skill that I have yet to refine!!).  We are so impressed with how it turned out... I actually think that Hubby and I enjoy the challenge of setting a task and seeing it come to fruition.  (You can all eagerly await the 3rd birthday of our little lady in a few weeks to see what we manage to do!!)

It's a pity you all weren't here to taste the cake... one of my finest might I say... a true neopolitan cake flavour.... mmmmm. Pity there is not any left for afternoon tea today.  But family and friends who didn't make it.... know that you were missed!

Number One

I have been instructed by Husband that I need to write a blog... that I have not blogged in a while and that I need to update everyone!!  (I love that him 'instructing' me, gives me a little insight that he indeed likes to read my blog and dare I say he has missed it(????) this past few weeks!).

nyway, I do have a subject matter for todays blog, but get very limited time with the computer now.  We are doing life at the minute in a 2 1/2 bedroom unit.  More than caters for our needs to be fair, but we have had to put our wee Tad into the computer room to 'teach' him better sleeping habits... or maybe we are 'teaching' Noosh... not sure... but for whatever reason they are now separated for everyones 'positive' sleeping experience.  The moments that I would like to sit down and chat with you all via blog space are now the moments when wee Tad is sleeping which in turn means I cannot sit down and tap-tap-tap away at the keys for fear of disrupting him.  It is but a season however!

So the wee boy in question turned 1 on Wednesday! OMG! Where did that time go? How on earth do I have a nearly 3 year old and a 1 year old?? Only yesterday Noosh was born and now we are a family of 4. Oh my!

 We did what all fabulous creative mothers do on their son's birthdays... and went to McDonalds!! Creativity is not a strong suit at the moment! Anyway, the children both got happy meals, Noosh ate her chippies and sauce, had a token nugget and was off on the playground... Tad on the other hand ate his 3 nuggets and his chippies, devoured his sisters remaining nuggets and polished off a few chippies from Mummy... nothing wrong with his appetite!!!

Tad is just delightful. Full, and when I say full I mean FULL(!!) of mischief. He has only been crawling for a handful of weeks and yet he now unwinds all the toilet paper from not only the holders but the roll... trailing toilet paper behind him (just like the Roly dog!!); he is drawn to the x-box (probably because he has boy genes or is his fathers son!!) and could quite happy push the on-off button for hours either on the console or the remote(!); no cupboard and no drawer is safe from his curiosity (I really do worry about his little fingers!!); he torments his sister who he ADORES... but obviously doesn't play all most games by the rules of a nearly 3 year old which causes endless amounts of frustration on the part of Noosh!

He is simply devine though and has embraced his place in our little family with such gung-ho-ness (totally not a word but so appropriate to use right now!) that we would miss anything less.

He is brave... he is boy... he is love... he is uncomplicated... he is tough... he is hungry (all the time)... he is chatty... he is mischevious... he is cheeky... he is monkey... he is happy.

We think he is totally inestimable... totally priceless... and totally irreplaceable.

xxx

Gilmore Girls

This ones for you Aunty Dina!! Came across it the other day and it made me smile.... think it might do the same for you.

Oh how our wee Noosh used to love Gilmore Girls (the music theme anyway!!!).

Hilarious!

(Can you tell I've been going through the archives sorting out photos etc etc... very cathartic!!)

He's mobile...

Yip... finally.... Tad has decided to cease 'just' sitting and branch out!! How cheeky is his smile below!!!

Our 11 month old (+ 2 days) has had enough on relying on big sister to bring him toys (which she does so unreliably and only after she has played with the toy).

So on the one hand, I am so proud.... on the other hand, I am thinking, I will never be able to have a shower longer than 10 seconds now.

 Look at them side by side at the same age. (10-11 months)

Our wee princess Noosh was such a dream at this age, having mastered crawling and moving on to walking, she was trustworthy and I could leave her to have a shower for a few minutes (with doors open).

 

(ahhh, so nice looking back at photos of these people.... gosh this feels like yesterday!!!)

Somehow, I don't think our wee Tad is going to be the same. He has months of not moving to catch up on so I believe I will need eyes in the back of my head!!

 

But so proud of my wee boy... and my wee family!