This is what my life is like right now....
We are still not moved (lucky, as we are still sorta not packed!!) bit of a domino affect really - we can't move into our house, because the old owners can't move into their house, because the owners can't move into their house etc etc! With three exchange changes, it has been a little unreal (and not in the 90's slang way either!) It feels like we are never going to get in there - we have our paint colours picked, some new furniture for the small ones ordered and a new(ish) 8 seater dining suite now squished into our garage that was suppose to go straight into the new house last weekend!
I can't complain though, we are so blessed to have been able to finally purchase our own home after years of thinking we'd never get there with four kids. I know so many other families that struggle with the rental crisis here in Newcastle, we have always been lucky to find properties that A: allowed a gaggle of kids and B: allowed cats, great owners that fixed things straight away, and gave us living space.
But I sure am happy that my girls are about to experience a real sense of security, and excitement of decorating rooms and planning backyard "modifications" (Oh! the plans they have!) and of course we will now endure the constant chatter of what breed of puppy Santa may just leave under our tree this Christmas - every day there is a new name discussion, and new argument over who will walk and feed said puppy and Christmas is still five months away!! :)
Our house has had lots of things happening apart from the great wall of boxes too!
This miss FINALLY lost her first (and two days later second) tooth!! The tooth fairy was generous, leaving a $5 note, and a toy along with a bucket load of glitter all over the bench, a letter revealed that as Amelia lost the tooth at school (and didn't even know till we were in the shower that night) the tooth fairy searched all over Newcastle and amazingly found it glistening in the playground :) Two days later, another school tooth story - this time eating an apple during fruit break, the tooth was saved and eagerly placed in the tooth fairy box before bedtime. It was lucky those blasted teeth fell out too - notice the photo?? That's the new "big girl teeth" already behind the others - we were fearful that Amelia would have to go the dentist to have the baby teeth pulled. She was a little disappointed that she doesn't have a big gap like many of her classmates - funny thing.. all five friends lost teeth in the same week!
and this one finished another term of baby ballet - learning to skip this term - super proud of all her efforts - now she is hounding us to do eisteddfods like her big sister! Every morning she wakes up and asks if it is Ballet day, and when I say no six days of the week she cries!! She is still totally into it, and pretty much lives in her spare tutu whenever we are at home.
Isn't this the cutest thing on the planet??!!
So I have been a little spoilt with some time outs of late too - last weekend I headed off the Sydney with my partner in crime, Lisa, to a little relaxing retreat organised by my friend Belinda, what a totally totally relaxing weekend it was! No pressure, no commitments, just a bunch of ladies, scrapbook supplies and a pile of takeaway menus!! Lisa and I got over 20 layouts done between and I came home sore from laughing.
**I must add here for my own records that amongst all the packing mayhem of my house right now, I came home to happy clean kids, a sparkling home and a loving husband, it really made me feel so loved to see that my family had made such a big effort for me (without me having to leave a list!) The clothes were washed, dinner was waiting, the kids fed and bathed, and no one had had time outs all weekend - they actually spent 48hours getting on well and playing nicely together! Just made me so proud!
There is lots more to share, but too much for this post so I will leave you with layouts from "this one time at scrap camp" ;)
Of course, this was my favourite layout of the twelve I did - thank goodness the lovely Kim had her sewing machine handy!!
