Family Goulding

All sorted

2008-03-11T21:52:00.002+10:30

Rightio... our new website is well and truly up and running.

www.fangornfarm.com

see you there ;)

Not whether to blog, but where!?

2008-02-29T21:58:00.002+10:30

I was blogging on Fangornfarm.com, using iBlog, until that stopped working. It doesn't support leopard yet, so it was just crashing whenever I tried to publish anything. Now I am using WordPress and Ecto, so I can blog offline as well. And the reason I am writing here is to say that I am trying to work out how to move my posts over there (I think it can be done fairly straightfowardly) and then I will write some more.

So hopefully now you can visit me at Fangorn Farm - the website, and maybe even the actual farm, some day!

Camping...

2008-02-26T21:03:00.000+10:30

Over the weekend we took the new truck camping. Monte wanted to pick up his peteroid motor thing that will be our new backup generator. We drove up north and camped in Sprent. The forest was very pretty, although it was terribly windy (and cold, and wet) and the trees croaked and groaned all night. We weren't very comfortable in the cold, and we didn't sleep much, as we all lay (in the same sleeping bag on the same mattress) looking up to the tent's ceiling, wide-eyed, waiting for the tent to blow us away in manner of wizard of Oz.

It took us 9 hours to take the west route back to Geeveston from Wynyard. It was a pretty drive, albeit long and frustratingly slow at times in the truck. It's a bit boring doing the highway thing in a big car, but it was good for Monte; he got used to the car and I am rather fond of his excellent driving, and the way the gear changes showcase is muscly arms! The dogs, who came with us, were perfectly behaved, as were the chilblains, who slept most of the way.

Lots of poems about logging the forests came to my mind, including phrases like "Monsters in the woods" and "My pretty drive through the forest" and "Death becomes not the forest." I didn't think I'd feel so uncomfortable seeing the logging, but I actually felt ill seeing all the logged forests, their debris heaped in menacing piles. The machines eating away at the beautiful trees was sickening - it just looked so unnatural. And the strange thing is that all this is going on at the side of the road that tourists travel on! It's sickening. I don't know what is worse - the propaganda strips or the naked logging for all eyes to see...

We also have another rooster. He is a light sussex. I am trying to think of a male form of Lily, but only came up with Lucifer and Vanilla-Ice (Lily and Nilly?). So at present this young rooster is called 'Dickie' as well. Speaking of Dickie, he is really crowing a lot more now. It's almost annoying. I like waking to the sound of his spooky song.

There is lots more news, but time is short and I have other things to do today, like rest while Matty is sleeping and Georgia is at school. I went to spotlight on the weekend when we went through Launceston, and I bought some wool and a pattern book for knitting toys. So that's got me occupied for now. I have no intention of working at this stage!

OK!

2008-02-19T19:25:00.002+10:30

Yes, the new website is now up and running. It was up and running before, but it had to be recognised by databases worldwide etc.

So, again:

www.fangornfarm.com

See you there! :)

Swimming and Stuff

2008-02-18T21:01:00.000+10:30

Today was quite warm - hot even! With temperatures reaching 30 degrees, we all went to the local pool and had a lovely swim! We're thinking about getting a season pass, so we can go whenever we want to. Georgia had a fabulous time and is a natural in the water. She "swam" at least 6 laps, with her noodle. She even beat me most of the time! ;) Matty was not so sure. I think the water was too cool for his liking. He clung to us tightly. He liked being lifted up and then splashing down again. It was fun because we all had the pool to ourselves. We think we might even go tomorrow because it's going to be 32!

We've run out of our bandwidth, so I'm not going to post any photos onto this blog for now. We have some great shots, taken by Georgia, of the animals. She loves going around the farm, taking photos!

On Wednesday we'll get our wind-generator, which wil be great! Monte cut down two trees today and it has opened up our 'backyard' (a small secluded, sheltered area behind the house, where we often eat dinner). He intends to chop more trees down because we will need to have 20-40 metres of cleared land in case a fire comes through (and we've already had some threats!). I am sick of running the generator, but now everything is on the batteries and we will only need to run the generator to supplement the wind and solar generators. Monte has done a wonderful job, connecting everything up! He's had a lot of help from his brother too!

Monte is asking me how much he is "allowed" to spend on his tractor. Then there's the new car and a trailer that we have our eyes on. Tomorrow we want to catch up with the architect. Things are not progressing as fast as we'd hoped; we had given him instructions, which he seems to have forgotten. The house will be great though. And I am looking forward to having more space, although there are a lot of things I like about having less space. It's helpful that we have a shipping container that is storing a lot of our things. However, a smaller place is easier to clean; it's easier to organise (you must!); it is easy to be power/water savvy; and we are always nice and close by each other. Yay! The bonus of having 23 acres is that when that 'close' becomes 'too close,' we can just go for a walk! It's always calming (I have already tested that theory!).

Bonnydoon renamed to Fangorn Farm

2008-02-14T21:09:00.005+10:30

The name change came about this evening during a BBQ dinner outside, looking at our forests. We are Lord of the Rings fans and we talk about it a lot so because of our forests, we thought this name works well. Plus, it has the advantage of alliteration, which all good names have, of course!

We now have a new website: www.fangornfarm.com

Why Fangorn???

2008-02-14T21:04:00.000+10:30

Why Fangorn? Without going into too much detail, our property consists of several - 6-7 - acres of forest. The forest is noisy and it seems to be alive! We hike in there and are reminded of the ents in Lord of the Rings. We keep expecting Treebeard to appear and lead the way! So, our farm is named after Fangorn Forest, as our forest seems magical, like that of Tolkein's.

Things are happening at this farm. We feel that we can actually call it a 'farm' now because we have a few animals to make it so. The goats and the chickens are keeping us entertained and occupied, having to move the goats in the morning and the evening, and letting out the chickens in the morning and putting them to bed at night. Not to mention cleaning up after the animals, feeding them etc.

Georgia is in charge of the chickens and she is doing a good job so far. She needs our help a fair bit; she cannot open the chookhouse door (a deliberate invention of Monte's) and she can't get the food for them all by herself (something we will have to rectify).

All our animals have names. There's d'Artagnan the kelpie, Naigee the cat, Lucy the Cavilky, who's nearly three months old and very rambunctious but sweet. Anna and Giddy are the goats. We did not name them; they came with those names. Queen Anna has a mild temperament. She is Giddy's mother. Giddy was so named because she ran around in circles at first, apparently. Now she is more placid, and she has come from running away from us as we approach to only backing away a bit if we don't have food for her. She likes apples. They both munch on them - loudly. The chickens are Dickie, named after Richard Gere because he is so handsome - at least he was, until he was attacked by a quoll. Now he is a bit dishevelled. Henny Penny is a plain old pullet who we got from a seedy poultry farm (never again!) but she lays an egg almost daily and she is very tame. Rose 1 and 2 are Rhode Island Reds. They are pullets and they are already bigger than Henny Penny. Georgia calls them the babies, and she loves holding them! Lily 1 and 2 are Light Sussexes. They are big birds and we would like to get a rooster in the same breed. We would like to breed them; we think they will make a good table and egg bird.

Georgia starts school!!!

2008-02-12T21:13:00.003+10:30

a grown up Georgia in her school uniform

Right, so, my firstborn Georgia Rebecca May has grown up and wears a school uniform and goes to school and learns stuff... I can deal with this! It's only two days a week. It's only for a few hours. It's nice to have some time just with Matty (can't wait till he gets childcare though, so I can work or clean or write books :0). Yes. This is a wonderful change for our family.

Georgia excited about going to school. Look at our view!

Her first day was a great success, which doesn't surprise me. She has been to childcare since she was 6 months old. She has been to occasional care at the local kindy since she was 2. She was doing pre-entry in term 4 last year, and she is ready for school! She started the day playing playdough, and from second hand information, I know that she rode a red bike, wrote her name by herself, painted a picture, decorated her name on a poster and heard a story about a vicious rabbit or something. She ate all her food (hardly surprising) and drank all her drink, and the teacher told me she had a "lovely" day and she even wrote it in the school diary. I am impressed!

Georgia has grown up so much. She has blossomed of late. She and I have wonderful conversations together and we enjoy bird watching together. I love her, which just goes without saying.

Her current favourite hairstyle - a 'bum'

More Animals at Bonnydoon - now Fangorn Farm

2008-02-11T20:42:00.005+10:30

We now have four more girls - two light sussexes and two rhode island reds. The white ones are called Lily and the red ones are called Rose. Georgia named them because of their colours. Dickie should be prancing around more but Henny Penny has the upper hand. We've actually taken her out of the coop because she was being too bossy! Hmmm... I should go get her before another quoll does (we think it was a quoll or a devil that took henny penny #2). We like the light sussexes. They are big white birds and we are thinking that they will be the ones we will breed. They will be good egg birds and good table birds, because by the time they are a pullet they are big! Monte talks about roast chicken right in front of them! How inconsiderate and rude!

Georgia with Rose #1 or #2

Georgia with Lily #1 or #2

Georgia's job is going to be to look after the chickens. She goes into the coop in the evening and feeds them, pats them, cleans up a bit and looks for eggs. I asked Monte how many types of animals he wants. He wants "heaps." I thought that maybe we should have one child per breed of animal we have, so that the kids can look after the animals. But I won't be doing a Brangelina and have a dozen or so children! In fact, since coming here, the only thoughts I have had about having another baby are: "Gosh, no way, not yet!" I am busy enough!

Tomorrow Georgia, my baby girl, goes to school for the first time! She will be in kinder. We have bought her uniform and her books. I spent today labelling everything. I was quite frustrated with some of the brands of contact that I bought for covering the books; some just went so bumpy! I named her clothes and put little pink ribbons with beads on them on each item so she can tell hers from everybody else's. She recognises her name, but I want to be extra sure. So, my little girl is growing up!

And then there's Matthew. Well! He's growing up too. He is so tall now, and independent. He wants to play with everything. He takes things apart, opens anything, pulls things out of boxes, drawers, doors - whatever. He keeps saying "No" too. I am trying to 'wean' him now. I would like to just do the two feeds a day - morning and night - but he seems to have the power in that domain. He gets his milk when he wants it, and the truth is that I fear that that is all I am to him - a milk machine! I see the cows, their eyes big and wide as they chew the cud whilst feeding their calf. I know how they feel!

Wedding Anniversary

2008-02-07T22:20:00.000+10:30

Yesterday Monte and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. Here's us when we were married - aged just 21 and 22!

We celebrated with a scenic drive followed by a family picnic at Margate playground aka Du Pont Bicentennial Park, where we 'fed' (under duress) ducks that made Matty cry; watched boats on the water; ate smoked salmon and cream cheese and Tasmanian yogurt; and played in a playground that is accessible to all members of the community as well as being educational!

My chick magnet

Me and the kids - Matty wearing his childcare hat

Monte and the kids

Monte and Me

The kids playing

Exploring, laughing together

Love!

My boys, the loves of my life

So, we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to celebrate. We're both really happy and more relaxed as we endeavour to achieve our dreams.

Georgia wins Pet Parade at Middleton Fair

2008-02-04T10:28:00.000+10:30

On Saturday we went to the Middleton Country Fair. It was a superb day! We saw animals, visited lots of stalls of homemade crafts and produce and Georgia took Lucy in the pet parade and they won!

Georgia won a scarecrow badge and some lollies because she had the cutest pet - and quite possibly she was the cutest person. She was beaming and I got teary.
Georgia had to speak to the crowd as part of the parade. She had to talk about Lucy.
"What is your name?"
"Georgia"
"And what type of dog do you have?"
"It's Lucy"
"Do you know what sort of dog she is?"
[prompting from mummy] "A cavalier-silky"
"And can she do tricks?"
"Yes"
"I think her trick is looking cute! And what is your favourite thing about Lucy?"
"Cuddles"

Matty was a good boy too. He sat in the pram a lot of the time, but when he was 'let out' he loved to look at all the animals. In the background you can see Georgia looking at a white miniature pony with her 4 week-old foal!
Georgia pats a mini pony, and asks for one. Monte considers it and takes a card from the owners. What the?! He is also considering buying a new goat.

Win some, Lose some!

2008-02-03T10:58:00.000+10:30

Early Saturday morning I heard a commotion by our door, so I checked outside by the chook 'house' to find something rustling around with the chickens' laying box paper. A little black thing ran away, and I was sure it had taken a chook. In the morning, the headless chook lay helplessly by its laying box, and thus our first loss for this farm left us feeling sad all day! Henny Penny #1 is left alone with Dickie now, and might not be enjoying all his attentions.

But with losses come wins, and we were granted an egg in the laying box the next day. Georgia was so excited that she walked around the property with it for about an hour. Eventually, inevitibly, she fell and the poor egg smashed, and so another loss - but not as great. In actual fact this was not our first egg; we have found three others smashed around the place. We are not sure what has taken the eggs, or the chook (wasn't d'Art), but today we will fiish making the proper chook house so our livestock and friends are safer!

Just to add to this dilemma - last night (Sunday night) something attacked our Dickie. He has lost quite a few feathers and did not crow this morning. We have caught him and he is sleeping in the workshop, where Henny Penny has been sleeping since her friend was decapitated. We are praying that he will recover, and we think that he will, for he is a tough bird, and a beautiful, randy bird too. Maybe Henny Penny can have a rest today LOL

A day in the forest

2008-02-01T10:38:00.000+10:30

On Friday I felt rather low, being rather claustrophobic and lonely. Monte, being the great man he is, would not put up with my crap, and insisted that we all took a walk into the forest to look for the creek. I agreed, not reluctantly, and I felt so much better afterwards that I wanted to do it again (after I have recovered, of course!).

We walked across a few acres of pasture and stopped by some blackberry bushes, where we gorged ourselves and collected more berries for the journey. It was so much fun picking all the berries, and if we really wanted to, we could harvest a gazillion of them to make all sorts of goodies to eat and maybe even to sell.

Georgia and me picking berries

We then spent a few hours hiking in the forest. We were constantly amazed by the beautiful thing that we own. d'Art was kept busy chasing God-knows what around the braken and wot-not. Lucy got tired pretty quickly so I just 'had' to carry her. Georgia was an excellent hiker, and we are so proud that she is tough, with great fitness and stamina.

Monte and the kids in the forest

I just had to carry Lucy; she's just a puppy afterall ;)

Overall it was an enlightening experience. We did not find the creek that we were searching for, but that just means we'll have to have another family adventure on our farm another day!

Update

2008-02-01T09:07:00.000+10:30

As MG stokes the fire (yes, in February) I sit listening to Lucy whine at the door and Matty playing in the playbus. It is cold but beautiful and I am happy, although I am waiting for the kids' room to be ready. I am grateful for the genny so we can make our lattes each morning. I have already had 2 but I want another, and I am still in my jarmies! We really are going to have to get more logs ready for the fire, but this beaut stove burns nice and slowly and it is quite effective.

Today d'Art got headbutted by a goat. I think Georgia took her too close to them. The new chickens are laying eggs, but we don't know where - some animal got them and ate them yesterday. We blamed d'Art. The goats are entertaining when the pick the flowers off the thistles. They use their lips to eat and it looks hilarious. Dickie is 'in' with the girls and that has been interesting, learning about the mating habits of chickens. The girls are so tame they try to roost on and near us, so each night we put them back into their coop to roost. They are now free range birds and are looking better than when we purchased them from the poultry farm. There is a niche market for organic chickens (live) so we are going to breed some hens to sell at the many markets around here. Hopefully we can breed some other animals too, and that way they can earn their keep.

Lucy is so sweet and is growing every day. She is looking quite cavalier now but with mostly the colouring of a silky. Matthew and Georgia are quite happy in the playbus and Georgia periodically puts a 'cape' around her neck and 'flies' around the property - so great it is to have all this marvellous space, and, yes, even some rain!

Animal Farm

2008-01-29T21:35:00.000+10:30

Feeling happy!

Me and MG at Dover beach on Aussie Day. I now know where Georgia gets her gorgeous hair from!

"look at mummy! doesn't she look funny" (ha ha) - lovely kiddies giggling

Bonnydoon - serene despite ol' Genny* running on Jerry's** good juice. We have names for everything now. This is how we manage with all this *time*. I say this as I listen to Georgia's sleeping breaths and Genny's low rumble. Little Lucy nibbles at my toes and her soft dark curls tickle my feet.

Let's talk about animals.

Richard aka Dickie aka Fabio

Giddy - daughter of Anna - lovely natured goatAnna - mother of Giddy - lovely natured but a tad skittish

Georgia with Lucy-lou - Cavilky puppy age 9 weeks

We are pleased to welcome to Bonnydoon some bonnie lasses and a handsome lad. Anna and Giddy are two (dairy) goats who are currently chowing down on some thistles. They are eating our weeds before we put them to a buck so we can get some milk. I bought some goat soap on the weekend and that would be fun to make. Handsome Richard (so named after the handsome Richard Gere) - aka Dickie is our cock-shaped alarm clock who crows at 6:20, 7:20 and 8:20am (we usually just ignore him and we wake up around 9am). He really is quite charming and roosts in a bush down in the forest. Today we acquired (bought) some pullets from the most dodgy chicken farm (actually a free range farm but dodgy all the same) and Dickie is doing a funny mating dance for the two girls, who are not interested in him in the least. They are chickens like the last ones we had (bitsas) and no, there are no plans to eat these ones - perhaps we shall eat the sons when they are around 15 weeks old. Want to come for roast chook?

Lucy-Lou (Lucy) is my new Cavilky pup. She is a cross between a cavalier and a silky. She is very sweet and affectionate and fun. I'm already training her. It's a bit odd that we got the farm dog when we lived in suburbia and the lap dog when we arrived on the farm, but since when have I been normal? My plan for Lucy is to find a cavilky mate and breed the pair.

The house is coming along - at least we hope it is. The architect is working on the drawings and I am hoping and praying and being really good in the hope that the house might be ready by next winter because all the locals are telling us how very freezing it gets here. Our neighbour even showed us photos of the 2004 snows on our hills. Eeeek! Monte is lugging wood around the place in the hope of getting a collection ready by winter, but going by most of the neighbours' wood piles, we're way behind and will most probably have to endure the winter on a tropical island like Tahiti or something.

We are settling in well and we are so happy to have some chickens now. They really are very entertaining and Dickie just makes it even more amusing! The children are very happy. Georgia can't wait to start school in 2 weeks. I can't wait either! She needs the structure and the learning. She is doing a kindergarten level workbook at present and is working through very quickly. She's a bright spark like her father. Matthew is really cheeky and finds everything funny. He is being particularly gorgeous and I am still feeding him 3-4 times a day. He is growing a lot and is quite tall and solid with a very cute face and a big smile and a cheeky laugh. He says "ta" repetively when he wants food, but if we have chips he yells "TA" in an agro tone because he is chip mad like his mum! must. not. eat. chips. or. drink. beer. (that's me, not Matty)

I am blissfully happy and excited about this life we have chosen. I love to sit at the table near my hillsy*** overlooking the hills and greenery and the cows. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and I am really proud of mg who has taken everything in his stride. He seems able to do everthing and he knows so much! I am learning a lot too. So is Georgia - she drives up the driveway everyday.

SO much to say and so little time. It is late now so my incoherent rambling must come to an end.

Georgia cuddles up to Anna. Very sweet!

I wouldn't kiss the dog, it's just a pose. But I do find her very cute! My own little Ewok!

*generator
** jerry can of petrol

***hills hoist

Yay!

2008-01-22T21:19:00.000+10:30

LOL for the first time in 3 weeks, we have internet up and running at home. No thanks to Telstra, whose wireless broadband doesn't support leopard! We installed a mac version of vista so we can be online. Monte's brother Chris has been a great help in sourcing info for us regarding internet and our power supply. You go man!

So, here I am at long last - internet widow for one. Blogging in the comfort of my own home too! Monte's chai tea has gone cold, and I miss our candlelit supper tonight! :(

I have no more to say; perhaps now people might catch me on ichat or skype! With the webcam on, I should attempt to fix up my relaxed appearance. Go trackies! Go messy hair! Go makeuplessness!

ciao x

Wow, I didn't mean to look glum when this photo was taken. I remember it was bright, and I was mesmerised by the views and the clouds. No, really, I AM happy! In actual fact, yesterday I had an epiphany. I sat on a blanket alone, looking over the hills (in backgound of this pic) and thought to myself that I live in the best possible spot on the planet!

Update

2008-01-21T15:09:00.000+10:30

Possibly the best picture I have ever taken. Matthew is a real country feller in his overalls, with his trusty companion d'Artagnan.

When we arrived at the property, the first thing we did was walk the top perimeter. That's everybody, including the cat.

It was Monte's birthday the day we arrived. We celebrated midnight with a cake and some Moet! And yes, Georgia did stay up late.

Monte is building a power station. Here, the children are thinking that it is a cubby house, but in actual fact, their cubbyhouse will be down in the next paddock, under (or in) a 150 year-old blackwood tree!

This is me on the day we arrived. I am standing in front of my very own forest. It is divine.

We are thrilled that we sold our house at the price we wanted at auction last weekend. We are looking forward to getting things moving with the building of our new house. I'm sure it will take time! Life is good. We are very happy. In a moment we will go for a little drive in the country. It's all so relaxing and peaceful here, although cows are quite noisy!

Finally an Update!

2008-01-18T12:46:00.000+10:30

Ok, so we're here in Tasmania. We don't have internet at home yet. Actually, we have the internet, but the internet doesn't support Mac OS10.5 yet, so poo to Telstra. We're all sitting in the local online centre, which is very flash. Georgia is playing games and Matthew is feeding a baby dolly with a toy bottle!

I have SO much to say. I just don't have the time to do it. So I will use lists at this stage.

Highlights:

evening cups of tea by candlelight with my husband, as we debrief the day etc
rigging up the coffee machine and enjoying my two lattes before I can function
sleep ins! Don't know why or how, but we all sleep in till about 8:30-9:00!
Outdoor dining. We have two set-ups - one for cool days and one for warmer days.
Beautiful cool-warm weather
Seeing friends the Smiths a few times a week
Our views!
Getting to know cows. They are pretty cool!

Lowlights:

none, except for poor phone reception, no internet, no tv. But these are not really lows! They're not even inconvenient!

What we have done on the 'cabin.'

cleaned a lot!
put in a toilet
putting in a kitchen sink
set up our furniture - it is all comfortable and feels like home. Washing and dishes etc are all easy and it's going really well.
We have set the bus up as a playroom - very cool - and have put the leather lounges in there too. It's comfy enough.

How the land is doin':

We're getting in cows soon to chew the grass down.
We planted a vege patch but wallabies and rabbits ate the lettuce (no derr)
We've planted citrus, olives, avocado and some other fruit trees

The house:

We've met the architect and it's coming along. We've chosen the house site. It's going to be a big house! I am loving the smaller cabin but more rooms will be good so we can fit in more kids and more books! We've opted out of strawbale for several reasons and we will be using hebel blocks on a waffle-pod foundation.

How we are all feeling:

We're all feeling great. I am really happy but I have certainly had a few flat days, when it seems a bit hard to unpack everything and settle in. I think I miss working but am too busy to consider it at this stage. Monte is loving the hard work and he is losing weight and looking fantastic! He's really tanned and is making me feel so happy. He is going out of his way to make a home for us all. Georgia is tanned too; my little porcelain girl is going brown. She loves the farm and the dog. She is helpful around the farm. She follows Monte around and helps him as much as possible. She loves putting things away and helping me with the jobs too. Matty is gorgeously happy too. His hair is getting long and is very curly. He is talking a lot. He plays very nicely. We're all a bit nervous about the auction tomorrow but we are assuming all will go well. We are also all excited about meeting our new baby girl "Lucy" who is going to be either a border collie or a king charles cavelier spaniel!

TTFN (tata for now!)

Christmas Day!

2007-12-26T11:54:00.000+10:30

We had a marvellous Christmas day yesterday. It was great celebrating the special time with family and friends.

You can check out my photos of Christmas here. I will post some photos to my blog when I have some free time. Like, in 2023, according to my BIL, Russell...

Freaking out...

2007-12-23T20:13:00.000+10:30

Our house is on the market. It's on the web now. We have done a lot of work and we're just finishing it off before we leave. You can see it by clicking here.
We even put lawn out the back. This photo of Georgia watering the lawn could go in a time capsule. We have a permit to water the lawn, but it has been raining lately, so we are happy :)

We're leaving for Tassie in 6 days. The house is being packed up. There's a bit of mess, but it's just stuff that needs to be packed, given away or thrown out. We have 97 boxes so far - of various sizes - and there is more to do still. I have been feeling quite sick and stressed all day today. Thank God for Monte's dad and my friends Andrew, Jules and Amanda who were here today to help.

Matthew is not 100%. I am not sure what his issue is. It might be teeth, but he didn't sleep well last night and I am exhausted. Georgia senses that something is different, obviously, and has been really out of sorts. I give the children as many cuddles and attention as I can, but boxes need to be packed, and there is a lot to do, and I can't wait to have all the time in the universe to give just to them. I am looking forward to not working.

So that's us... we are hoping for a joyous Christmas, and we hope to be more relaxed. I am expecting to enjoy the day and I want to be almost low key about it all.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Angels

2007-12-16T07:47:00.001+10:30

First, get an angel...

Georgia is one form of the Christmas Angel: excited, happy, joyful, full of life and energy and beautiful in every way.

Matthew is another type of Christmas angel: gorgeous, happy and gets into everything. Loves exploring the world.

How to make a Christmas Angel

First, get a paper doily.
Draw a head and arms like so:

Cut a quarter off the doily as pictured, but don't throw it away!
Turn the doily to make a cone.
Cut the cutt-off in halves and attach as wings.
Voila!
We thought we'd write people's names on them and use them as table seating cards this year. These are fun and easy to make, espcially for little hands! Georgia decorates them with glitter, stickers and pens and pencils.

Christmas Wishes

2007-12-12T07:29:00.000+10:30

Wishing you all a Happy and Safe Christmas Season!

It has been a busy and eventful year for us this year, with the sale of our first home, the purchase of our property in Tasmania, plus a few holidays in Tassie to 'test the waters.'

Georgia continued at occasional care at the local kindy, and even started pre-entry in term four. Matthew has been at childcare, with Georgia, one day a week, but at the end of each day he is very clingy and needs lots of cuddles with mummy!

Rebecca returned to work, teaching English at Westminster, part-time. Now she has resigned and is looking forward to spending more time with the children. Monte has been busy, running his business, plus renovating the two houses and looking after the children when Rebecca works. He makes dinner most nights!

Our plans for the Festive Season are not very festive, I'm afraid! We're busy packing and completing the final touches to our house. We will be putting it on the market in early January. After Christmas, we will pack our belongings into a shipping container, which will arrive in Tasmania a week after we arrive. We are leaving Adelaide on December 30th, arriving on the 31st, Monte's Birthday, so we can celebrate and bring in the new year on our property. If we don't open a bottle of Moet I will scream, but on 23 acres, who will hear me?

How I feel: relieved to have finished work. I have already got things more organised at home. I love teaching, but I am excited about not 'having' to work if I don't want to! I am really sad to be leaving my family and friends here in Adelaide. I will really miss Amanda especially, as we see eachother a few times a week, and we watch 'Greys Anatomy' together, and I will miss that. I will miss being able to just 'pop in' to see our parents too. But I am really excited about having people to stay, as spending some quality time with people will surely beat a few short visits here and there.

I am exhausted; packing things, organising things and thinking about it all is tiring. thankfully, the children are being wonderful. They play beautifully together and are mostly well behaved. At the end of the day, Georgia sometimes gets ratty, but is easily distracted with 'schoolwork' that I give her, or crafts (she always wants to make stuff). Matthew is learning to throw tantrums, but as long as I let his head land on the ground softly, I just walk away. He'll grow out of it.

Our house is a mess and I am anxious to tidy it and get some photos taken for our real estate agent. We are giving away a lot of things. We are hoping all our stuff fits in the shipping container (it will).

For now, Merry Christmas to you. I think this Christmas will see mixed emotions in this Goulding Family!

It has begun!

2007-12-04T20:17:00.001+10:30

The Christmas Season, of course!

Georgia awaits patiently for the big day, eager to "spend time with my family because I love them," and to see the 'surprise' that Father Christmas might bring! She dances and sings for the Christmas tree. She even hugs it. She tells stories with the ornaments. She is loving making cards and decorations for her family and friends. She reminds me of the joy I had (and have) when it's Christmas.

After dinner each night, we cross off the current day on our calendar in an effort to count down the days until Christmas, and, more importantly, the day we leave for Tasmania (December 30th)!
In our house, we traditionally decorate the Christmas tree on the first weekend of December. It so happened that that weekend fell on the first two days of December this year! Here, Georgia and Matthew decorate excitedly. Matthew enjoyed his first experience of tree decorating and was very helpful (no, really), and Georgia loved making up stories for each ornament! Yes, their t-shirts match. I can't help myself.

Matthew decorates (and undecorates) the tree. No matter what he does, we find him adorable!

Georgia poses near the tree, next to her favourite ornament, a pink ballerina that Auntie Sophie gave her for Christmas last year.

Uncle Fran, Dad and Monte decorate the big Christmas tree outside Nanny and Gramps' house. Georgia was fascinated when the lights went on. She stood and stared for a while, then danced and sang for the tree. Gorgeous!

Nanny reads a few Christmas stories to Georgia.

A hot and curly-haired Matthew eats his dinner. And the mozzies ate him, but he doesn't complain.

Finally, a view I will miss. This is of the tree above my parents' deck. I like to sit on the deck and look at this tree, which occasionally houses a koala. But, I am thinking that soon, I will create my own view from a deck. And that is very exciting.

I can't wait to have my own Christmas, with food from my own property. I hope to one day do my own ham! I want to make salads and lush vegie dishes from the food from my own vegie garden. I want to bake and cook in my big country kitchen, and decorate the Christmas tree in a sun-filled lounge.

For now, I will continue to pack boxes, wrap gifts, sort papers and clothes and try to relax, for I have just 26 days left in Adelaide and I want to survive them!

Playing Cars

2007-11-27T21:14:00.000+10:30

If I get some time for just Matty and me, I like to play cars with my boy! Matthew is showing lots of interest in playing cars, although he does also like dolls and barbies. He loves blocks. He loves taking things apart and working out how they fit together. He wants to learn how everything works. He is great fun! Anyway, he and I were playing cars. It was great fun. I enjoyed it as much as he did.

Matthew and his new favourite toy, Thomas. Thomas is a pull back train, so he gets lost easily. Like asking d'Art "Where's the ball?" We ask Matty "Where's Thomas" and he gets excited. Note the cute navy sandals!
This is piglet in a helicopter. It makes a cool noise and the piglet spins around.
My favourite - bobble head fire engine. It used to run along when you pushed the bobble head, but it stopped doing that one day. Probably the cost of petrol.
Freaky-looking Scoop. A favourite, albeit a large toy that doesn't fit into the cars box. It makes a cool noise and is great for walking around with.
Here's little Thomas. His eyes roll around. Personally, that smile freaks me out. Nobody should be that happy!

One thing you may not know about this gorgeous lad is that he is very good at, and rather obsessed with brushing his teeth. This photo was taken just after he went to the bathroom cabinet, put toothpaste on his toothbrush, and began brushing away. This is a great shot of a little dress up that my dearest friend, Mandy, gave to Matthew. He's a little dinosaur, doing dinosaur things like reaching up to the kitchen sink to ... get stuff.

It was a warm day. Georgia and Frances wanted to go swimming. So we put them in their special swimming gear and they had a paddle in the new, big, white bath!

Finally, in the spirit of Christmas, Georgia and I baked some cookies today. I iced and she decorated. Very clever! Note the "Alien" which is the star with a big eyebrow (blue jellybean) and the special man with blue shoes. It almost makes me feel guilty eating them, when they are all assigned special characters! Think they look deliciously, sickly sweet? They are!

For an update on our property in Geeveston go to http://gettingdowntoearth.blogspot.com/

Christmas Pageant

2007-11-10T21:32:00.000+10:30

Today mum and I took Georgia to the Christmas Pageant. It was great fun! It was a very warm day and we did lots of walking, but everything was worth the excitement to be seen on my daughter's face.

Christmas is about Jesus being born, but to me, what makes Christmas extra exciting is the happiness found through children, and I love making Christmas special for my children. I remember my parents making Christmas magical for me, and I hope to do the same for Georgie and Matty.

Georgia at Mum and Dad's house, before leaving for the "Christmas Thingy"
Georgia, with flag, at the pageant
Georgia and mum (nanny), inspecting the booklet to see what floats will be in the pageant
Excitement on a child's face as the parade begins
A happy girl, enjoying the paradeGeorgia and mum at the pageant. Both beaming!

In other news :) we are now booked to move to Tasmania on December 30. We are going earlier than we originally thought because Monte wants to celebrate his birthday and the New Year on our block. We are finishing up the work on our house before putting it on the market at the end of this month (fingers crossed). We are really excited. Bring it on!

Matty and Georgie in their stripes. Happy together as usual!

Matty and mum having a cuddle and a giggle before bed

Matthew is really walking/running now and is being a 'real boy' in that he is playing ball and cars and all those things that boys like to do. He also enjoys reading books and drawing, and is very content. He is really happy :)

Georgia turns Four!

2007-10-20T21:37:00.000+09:30

Singing 'Happy Birthday' to Georgia - she beamed the whole time!

I love being Georgia's mother!
We started the day with presents,
after which Georgia and I went out together to get our hair cut.

I have been a mother for four years now. Most of what I do as a parent comes naturally - the rest is a bit of trial and error. One thing is for sure - my first child is a dream (so is my second, but this post is about Georgia). It is fun and easy to be the mother of this pearl.

Today we gave Georgia some presents and a party to celebrate her fourth birthday. The party was a wonderful success. The girls played beautifully and the adults drank champagne and chatted happily. It was a lovely lovely day and the last guests left after 7 pm - the true signs of a great party! Thank you to Chris and Lori, for you lovely company and for helping to clean up! Thank you to my mum, for helping me in the morning, and for helping me ice the cakes. Your words of wisdom and encouragement are dear to me.

A serious moment as the cake is eaten

The family

Georgia and Matty opening presents in the morning - Matthew was most interested! He kept sayng "Ahhh" whenever Georgia opened something

Pretty cupcakes, thanks to mum, who helped! Very girly!

The butterfly cake. Again, thanks to mum who helped! And again, very girly. Could we have it any other way? Not with our Georgia (and me!)

The party girl

Four years ago, at 1:10pm, an 8lb baby girl was born. She was ruddy, had good lungs and was the prettiest, best behaved baby on the ward - and that's what the experts were saying! The parents were new at the whole thing; the father was ecstatic, his eyes gleaming, and the mother was tired yet in disbelief at her 3 hour labour! No drugs, no stitches - just a good long bath and three pushes (hah - makes it sound almost enjoyable!). And there was Georgia - squeaking and hiccupping through the night, her mother unable to sleep for fear of missing a precious moment of her new daughter's life.

And now here's Georgia. Auburn hair, blue eyes and porcelain skin. She is tall and slender and she loves dancing and singing. She loves abundantly and is generous with kisses and hugs. She smiles all the time - how happy we are to have such happy children!

Today I am celebrating my daughter. For when she came into my lie, I learned the things that are important, and she taught me to live and love.

First Day

2007-10-16T21:00:00.000+09:30

Georgia, ready to go to kindy on her first day

Georgia had her first day of kindergarten today! She started pre-entry, and she was very excited. She started off by doing some puzzles. She is very good at puzzles, but she was telling me that she was feeling shy. She wanted her Simpsons figurine to keep her company. She warmed up when she saw her friend Grace, and got very excited when she saw the computer! When I left, she was playing a 'Finding Nemo' game with Anthony and Grace, and she didn't need her Simpsons toy anymore, so I put it in her bag as I left.

I got a report from the director as well. When I brought Georgia in, he told me hat she is "great, capable and confident." It certainly is to Georgia's advantage that she has been going to occasional care at the centre for 2 years now.

I'm so proud of her, being so grown up!

Another Tassie Trip

2007-10-12T16:44:00.000+09:30

Georgia and me at Hartz National Park

Monte and Matthew at the lookout at Hartz Mountains, overlooking Wellington Gorge

Matty outside Big W in Kingston. The largest in the Sth Hemi. We were having a donut after picking up Amelia from school.

Amelia and Matty grew a special bond; they love eachother

Harry and Georgia also grew close in the time we stayed with the Smiths. She loved getting up to mischief with this gorgous, darling little boy

The Tulips at the tulip festival

Milly and Georgia, ready to hear a fairy story in the fairy cave

Milly and Georgia, looking for flower fairies after the fairy story. It was so much fun; they are so sweet!

SNOW on Hartz mountains. In October. There is SO much water, particularly in the south. The Hartz national park is a short drive from where we will be living soon.

My hunk of spunk cooking a BBQ lunch at the hut at the lookout at Hartz national park. There was an open fire and an excellent views.

Our most recent Tassie adventure was very busy and very productive. We bought a 23 acre block of land. It consists of good pastures and 5-6 acres of rainforest. There is power and water supplied but we will need to organise more. We have been in touch with the builder and we are planning our home before starting to build early in 2009. The land has a beautiful view. You can read more about it at www.gettingdowntoearth.blogspot.com

We stayed with ben and Jill again. The children played beautifully. we really feel like family, except better than that because we are also friends. The children play like friends/cousins/siblings, which means fun and the odd bickering. They were very busy and were always tired at the end of the day.

A highlight of the trip was going to the Tulip Festival at the Botanic Gardens. It was fun. There were lots of activities for the children. The flowers were so beautiful. I had fun taking the girls to the fairy cave, where they heard fairy stories and looked at fairy treasures. The girls got fairy wishes and fairy sparkles, and afterwards we looked for fairies in the tulips. I thought I saw one but it was a bee. The other girls didn't see any either.

The other highlight was visiting Hartz National Park, which is very close to where we'll be living. We saw snow on the mountains. Sometimes there was snow on Mt Wellington too, which is near Kingston, where we were staying. At Harts NP we went to a lookout after having a nice sausage sizzle. We saw Keogh Falls and looked over Wellington Gorge. It was a lovely family day.

We feel like we had a very productive time in tassie. Georgia is enrolled in a lovely little Catholic school, not far down the road. School in Tassie starts in Kinder, so she will have a uniform and all. The staff know I am a teacher and have suggested I come in to be their relief teacher! We've also done other important stuff, like open a local bank account and get a PO Box. We met the mayor and his Dep, and had a little chat about our plans. The town is a lovely place and the townsfolk are lovely. There are lots of tree-changers there, and they all say it was the best decision they ever made, to move there.

There is so much Water in Tassie. Flying over, you see many many dams, flowing rivers etc. It was quite wet when we there there. It is different being back here, where it 'rained' about 10 drops this morning.

Bubbles, Bathrooms and Oranges...

2007-09-25T21:25:00.000+09:30

Dear adult.

You probably came home from work or whatever today, feeling a bit stressed. You might not have really enjoyed cooking the evening meal. You might not have patted the dog or fed the cat without a grunt. You're feeling pushed for time, money, space... It seems like you'll be happy once you achieve x, y or z.

Take heart, my friend. Look into the laughing face of a child and remember what is important in your life. Think now, of the things that make you happy. These things are what drive you and they are what matters: the rain, birdsong, children playing, Mozart, Pink, Crocs, Socks, clean sheets, the scent of jasmine on a warm spring e'en. A kiss from your loved one in the morning, children's toes pinching your calves in the night, the smell of a baby's breath. The cat purring, the dog lying still and quietly at your feet. Coffee with a good friend. Crying with a good friend. Loving a friend, holding hands with your spouse. Seeing your spouse as if it was the first time you met.

And if those things don't get you thinking, have a look at these photos of a certain young boy taking joy in the simple things:

Who thought bubbles were so wonderful?

. . .

Life is fairly exciting at present. I have made my plans to move to Tasmania known to work now, so I feel free to talk about it and share my excitement openly. Each day I wake up with new energy, inspiration and drive. I feel motivated and excited. I am having fast-paced dreams and I feel great. THIS is what it is to be achieving a lifetime dream.

When Matty was born, Monte and I stopped for a moment - we had achieved all our goals earlier than we expected. So we set out to achieve a bigger one - the one to move to Tassie. And now that it is happening, there is much chitter-chatter and excited planning going on in our little abode.

Now that the other house has sold, and I have put in my resignation, we need to get our house ready to sell. At present, I am busy busy busy sorting and giving away whatever I can find. Monte has now demolished our main bathroom and is fitting a new one. It has been a lot easier to design a new bathroom when we don't have to live with it for ever. Having said that, it's going to be lovely. We bought a kitcsh mirror with a clock in it today.

This is why I am glad there are two bathrooms in our house.

Georgia at Abby's party. Complete with jelly on face.

Georgia is being delightful. She talks beautifully and cares deeply for her family. She talks of Tasmania with confidence and pride. She seems so mature, knowing that she is leaving friends and family here, but that she will make new friends when we're there. She is excited about starting a new kindy. There are many things that I hope for my daughter growing up in this world. One of these things is that she will be confident and secure. She is certainly these things. She is a beautiful girl: generous, loving and kind.

Matthew loves oranges so much, he doesn't have time to get somebody to peel them for him!

Matthew loves his oranges. Have you had your 2 fruit servings today?

The house...SOLD (at first open)

2007-09-12T13:08:00.000+09:30

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=104268208&f=0&p=10&t=res&ty=&fmt=&header=&c=11702328&s=sa&tm=1189569243

Ahhh. On November 25, 1999, Monte and I moved into our first house. Over the next few years, we transformed it and made it our own home. Our first child, Georgia, was brought home to the house. As a family of three, we left it in early 2006, when I was pregnant with Matthew. We tennanted it for nearly two years, before deciding that now is a great time to sell.

And, after the first open inspection, it has sold. Just one week ago, it was put on the internet. Today, the contracts are being signed and we are surprised and overjoyed with the price.

I don't want to let go of this house. It was my first home and we worked hard to make it the way we wanted it to be. It has many scars of our toil. I don't like to see it go, but the buyers are so pleased, and we are pleased with the price, so really it is the best thing.

So, now what? We are getting our current home ready for sale too. Monte is already renovating the bathroom and toilet. Next, we will landscape the gardens. We will also render the house. Our plan is to sell it at the end of the year so we can move on in January.

So, Rebecca, how do you feel right now?

I feel sick. My stomach is churning and I feel a bit like crying.

If you could describe this feeling in one word, what would it be?

Don't be ridiculous.

What do you really feel like doing right now?

Eating a lot of chocolate and cuddling my children on my bed in the sunshine.

What do you have to say to the buyers of your home?

Hope you are as happy there as we were. There is a lot of love in that house. And enjoy the garden that I made and that I covet.

What are you going to do with the money?

I plan to live mortgage free for the rest of my days, spending those days with my children, breeding dogs (and humans), writing and growing my own food.

Fathers Day 07

2007-09-04T16:53:00.000+09:30

We had a wonderful Fathers Day, once we had spent the morning working on the other house, which is officially on the market this week.

The weekend of celebration began early on Saturday morning, when Gordon and Maxine visited us for breakfast. They brought danishes and we had a lovely chat over sticky, sweet food and hot, fresh coffee. Georgia had slept at her friend's house the previous night, so she had lots of stories to tell of her first sleepover!

On Sunday we went to my parents' house, where we sat on the front lawn and drank nice wines and had a delicious bbq. The collage above shows some happy moments, such as my dad with the children, Monte chillin' out and Georgia having a wonderful time strapping Barbie to the toy dog, before pushing her down the sloping driveway. It's worth watching this video. My camera doesn't do sound, but you get the idea that Barbie is having the time of her life.

Happy Fathers Day to my dad, and to my wonderful husband, who I love more than myself; who loves us more than himself; who gives and gives and gives - the most beautiful person in the world, Monte.

Getting better all the time

2007-08-21T13:31:00.000+09:30

Thank God the children are better now. They are sleeping beautifully. Matthew has finished his antibiotics and is back to his happy self. Georgia is being obedient and happy. She is saying all kinds of things that blow me away. She works things out all the time; her mind must be racing so fast.

We have decided to start off by renting in Tasmania, so we can get a feel for where we want to live, without being rushed. We found a huge home in Geeveston, but we're certainly not ready to move yet! We're in the process of getting the other house ready to sell; that should take place in a month or so.

My Dad

2007-08-17T20:35:00.000+09:30

Dad came for dinner tonight. We had a lovely time. I made a scrapbook page for him.

This is for my dad, who I love.

When things aren't that great...

2007-08-14T15:03:00.000+09:30

Matthew is suffering his first ear infection. He is grizzly and very clingy. I have not done any dishes today because he wants to be cuddled so much. He is sleeping now, so I have some time to write this post. Yesterday was a bit dramatic because the doctor prescribed some medicine for him, and when I went to collect it, I was told there is a supply shortage. Last night Monte phoned nearly ten pharmacies before we found one that had some in stock (thank goodness), and it is helping him already.

Georgia is also not very well. She is coughing a lot and seems to only want to rest, draw quietly and cuddle mummy or daddy. Last night she had a nightmare and slept in our bed - all four of us cuddled together, fogging up the windows!

We're starting to move some things out of our house and we have a few things to give away. We're drawing different designs for our dream house. We've been looking for land in Tassie and we're planning to travel there again this Spring.

That is an update from us - until happier times!

Cherish

2007-08-10T21:59:00.001+09:30

My loved ones, I can hold you in my arms.

I feel your body warm against my palms

I smooth my hand over your golden hair

and nuzzle against your cheek so very fair.

You grew inside me and came from me -

no gift can quite compete.

Each day as we are far apart

I know I grow more weak.

My babies when I hold you nothing matters

Except the love I feel inside my heart

I love it when you giggle and sing beside me

We are the many pieces of one part.

You cuddle me and I feel myself grow weak

Even though I'm meant to be so very strong

I want the world for you my darling treasures

And in my life you really do belong.

My babies I just look at you and smile-

Those labour pains were certainly worthwhile.

You bring a joy to me you may not know

I want to be beside you as you grow.

Becky Goulding August 07

2007-07-29T20:50:00.000+09:30

Since my last post, Matty has hardly done any walking; we are about to put the house on the market; I have created a facebook page and both kids have been sleeping beautifully.

First Steps

2007-07-26T12:45:00.000+09:30

Matty-moo can walk now too! (mostly)

Matthew took his first steps last night, walking from daddy to mummy and georgia in the bath. It was very exciting for all, except Matty didn't seem to realise what he had done! I think he still prefers crawling, because he can move a lot faster, but it is great that he has started the journey on his own two feet!

In other news, we have begun the process of selling the other house. We've contacted the agent and it's only a matter of time until we're on our way.

You can read about our move to Tasmania at http://www.gettingdowntoearth.blogspot.com/, where you can also vote for us to move (or not). Monte would just like to point out that we're going anyway!

More celebrations (and why not?!)

2007-07-14T21:21:00.001+09:30

The cheeky smile

This afternoon we had our family come over to celebrate Matthew's first Birthday. It was very lovely and relaxed, and he was showered with loving attention. I liked the set of "Birthday Boy" napkins, cups, plates and hats that I got for the day.

I thought that it was very special to be surrounded by family at his birthday party. We won't always be able to be around family at birthdays, so this was treasured. We had my nanny there, pretty in pink, and sweet and attentive. I love her so much.

Opening Uncle Fran's card

Matthew is wearing this cute outfit; I got a pink one for our neice, Angelica. Georgia is finding it interesting that Matthew gets presents. She took a while to believe that, yes, actually, Eeyore does belong to Matty! (Eeyore is the blue and black fuzzy toy in the foreground).

The Boat Cake - isn't it great!

This cake was quite easy. I made a large slab cake, then cut it into pieces and stacked them. I made a butter cream icing and iced it - it was easy - and then decorated it. I am stoked with it, and everybody loved it. It tasted great too. Can't beat chocolate! Matthew 'chose' the butch pink love-heart marshmallows. He couldn't stop looking at and grabbing the bag, so I bought them.

Singing Happy Birthday

Here we all are singing "Happy Birthday" to our Matthew, who couldn't stop grinning the whole time. I love this photo; we're all linked together. The candle was singing too.

Eating Birthday cake with an unusually serious Gramps

I think Matty and Gramps have a lovely bond. He is always cuddling with Gramps, who adores his grandson! I like the paradoxical seriousness on these blokes' faces.

Matthew and Mummy

More cuddles with Gramps
Mum and kids

I call this photo "slightly happy." I love having the little dudes cuddling into me. I can't explain to sceptics that it's not hard being a mum. It does make everything else in the world a bit more challenging, but if you are organised and don't mind the mess (eek) then it's just a joy and an adventure. I would roll around on the floor with them over a crisp suit and a sophisticated latte any day.

And that's enough birthdays for now. Over dinner, Monte and Georgie kindly worked out that there are 97 days until her birthday; then Monte asked Georgia what kind of party she will have. Apparently it will be a fairy party, although Monte suggested 'Dora the Explorer' might be a good idea.

But for now I am going to spend the next week relaxing, enjoying my holidays.

He can't be one already!

2007-07-10T13:36:00.000+09:30

...But he is!

Today our boy is one year old! He was born at 10:35am on July 10 2006. My labour was 2 hours and 5 minutes. I was induced at 38 weeks because of my antibodies. I am pretty clever, having a 4kg baby with no drugs, no stitches - after no fricking sleep! Below is a momento - taken just moments after the birth...

And here is Matthew, on the last day that he is 0 years old. Doesn't he look cheeky? He was investigating his presents, which were wrapped and sitting in the sitting room.
Here is Matty this morning, after opening his presents and playing with fire engine and 'Scoop,' while daddy puts the giraffe together.Here is Matty playing with 'Scoop.' He really likes pushing cars!
And here is the birthday boy in a moment of shock (?) as he eats some birthday cake. We sang 'Happy birthday' and blew the candle. I opened a bottle of champagne - blow it - my son will only turn one once!

Here is my beautiful (x) eyed boy. We're still not sure what colour those eyes are going to be, but does it matter? They're so gorgeous either way!

Here are proud parents, not quite believing how quickly time goes, and how rapidly a child grows.
And here is Nanny with Matty. Matty was feeling tired after his cake.

So, what are my reflections over the past year? I remember Matty being a very easy baby who grew quickly, but I loved every moment. He seems to become more and more interesting as he grows up. He is so close to walking, which is exciting, but I am not ready for him to be a toddler yet. I reflect that he and Georgia play beautifully, and he has just made the best addition to the family that we could hope, wish and pray for.

Happy Birthday Matthew

07 07 07

2007-07-08T12:44:00.000+09:30

Me and my lashes

(they're fake btw)

Well, the birthday is over and I have almost finished cleaning up after the party. I'm pleased I didn't drink enough for even the slightest headache - although some people tried to encourage me to drink a lot last night!

The party was a great success. Some of my friends pulled out at the very last minute though, and that really dampened my mood. I really missed them. BUT lots of my friends came, and they gave me some really generous gifts. I guess the secret is out - I love my photos (photo frames and photo albums) and I love my coffee (lovely tea and coffee cups!) and I love flowers (flowers and vases). I opened some of my gifts this morning; it was fun!

It was great seeing people dressed up. There was a Saturday Night Fever dude (Chris H), a family of hippies (Michele's), a very swanky Wayne in an orange floral suit. It was so much fun. When you open your door and find a friend dressed up and just cack yourself laughing, it's a good sign. Well, it's fun at least! Mum wore a dress she wore when she was pregnant with me. Emily wore a dress mum wore when she was pregnant with her. There were some very interesting outfits.

And, there was dancing at my party!!! We did the nutbush and the hustle (sort of) and danced to several numbers. It was fun.

People looked great in their 70s gear. Georgia wore genuine vintage:

And my dad is genuine vintage, wearing genuine vintage, and holding almost 1-year-old Matty (not at all vintage and in his non-vintage orange tigger suit)!
I am wearing genuine vintage too. I bleached my hair for the occasion (just kidding, it's a wig). I really enjoyed dressing up. My platforms hurt my feet though; I was running around all night playing host.

I got to catch up with my lovely friend, Susie, who I haven't seen for ages. She looks radiant.

I had a great cake. I shared some of it.

And I married a porn star. Well, at least a star! Monte was wonderful, cooking food, serving, hosting, dancing and just being great! He's having the day off today, fishing with Wayne. I'll manage the tidy up so he can take it easy. His platforms hurt his feet too. I should have taken a photo! "How do you girls do it?" he wonders, after wearing his heels all night.

Ahh. Now I can almost get back to normal. I am on holidays. I can catch up on my washing, if the weather fines up. I can prepare for Matty's birthday too. He is being so wonderful, sleeping well at night and mostly having a decent sleep in the afternoon. Sometimes he doesn't have any sleeps - that's just crazy.

Georgia loved getting ready for my party, and she had a great time at the party. The kids stayed up late but Georgia went to sleep before guests left (which is a good thing, since people stayed late!).

"Thank you for coming to my party even on such a wonderful, horrid winter night. [Thank you for the generous gifts.] I am in two minds about being thirty, but I am happy with the things I have achieved in the past thirty years. Thank you to Monte, for the party, and to Amanda, for all her help and support [and just being wonderful] and to mum and dad, especially mum, for you help in the morning. Thank you all..." excerpt from an impromptu speech (I think I nearly cried actually. It was all a bit overwhelming, and then Georgia cried because I forgot to let her blow out my candles, and we did it all over again).

And I am excited to go back to work because I found out they are putting plasmas in my classrooms :0

Recently Added Pics:

I got some photos from mum's camera. Here is a photo of me with Emily, dad and mum.

Here is a photo of my cake. It was a great cake. What I find funny about this photo is the background. There's the photo of Georgia at 12 weeks, which could be either of my children. There's the statues of mother and child (which could be me and my three kids) and the photo of Monte and me at my year 12 formal (!94!) and lastly, the beer bottle (enough said!).

Here's a pic of Emily, me and mum. I think we look hilarious (in a seriously cool way) - basically, a bunch of oxymorons.

Mum took this photo. I am opening a present from my nanny. It was a couple of ancient tea cups from her prized collection. I am SO grateful and lucky to get them. You can see by the look on my face. I think this is the nicest photo of me I have.

And here is Georgia, my angel. She is so great. She is saying the best things at present, but just when I sit down to write them down I realise I have forgotten them. Let's see: "When I am sick I like to cuddle with my daddy." "Can I please eat in the TVD room?" Classic.

The week I turn 30

2007-07-03T10:40:00.000+09:30

My wonderful husband and me on my birthday

My birthday is looming and I am very excited. People tell me I don't look thirty. For a while I enjoy being told this, and even feel flattered - until I realise they are telling me this because they think that 30 is old! It's not old! I am young. I am at a very good spot in my life, thank you very much!

Lots of people are coming to my party. There is a lot of excited chatter about what people are wearing. Amanda is coming over on Thursday to help me do some cooking (bless her). There will be lots of kids there too! We're having a few kids treats for their part of the party. They'll be watching some dvds too.

I have organised the 70s music but want to get more Bee Gees. I love the BGs! I have already got out my collection of wooden bowls and platters. I bought some indoor ferns too. I am looking through recipes from the 70s and find some of their ideas hysterical, and others are quite cool. I get the impression that elaborate, colourful dishes were all the rage. Dips were in, as were punch, quiche, fruit kebabs and anything on a skewer and poked into innocent fruit. Pizzas were popular too. I guess there's nothing too crazy on my party menu! I have my dress. I have Georgia's outfit too. Monte has organised his outfit but I am yet to work out what the baby wears. I'll do a web search on baby clothes from the 70s. No doubt I have something useful.

Confessions of a shopaholic

2007-06-19T19:59:00.000+09:30

Having a go at digital scrapbooking:

I have taken Matty to the doctors 3 times in 6 days, just to be told that he has a virus and will get well soon. Today I was given an ointment for conjunctivitis though, which he developed today. Poor little mite. He has never been sick before, and has really been out of sorts. He still smiles and laughs occasionally, but he really is grumpy and very needing of mummy. So, I have been cuddling him a lot, and feeding him a lot, and being there for him, which cheers him up. I really enjoy looking after my family all day. It makes me feel very valued.

Today I took the kids to the shops after the doctor's. They were so well-behaved that I didn't realise that we'd been there for two hours! The length of our expedition was stated further with the total on my shopping docket. Oops! I really did think that Georgia needed more clothes, and that the size 2 Bonds sleepwear was necessary for this year, albeit way too big. And then there's all those scrapbooking things I needed, and gifts for children for next year! And then there's, well, chockie bickies which I like to enjoy with my hot chocolate at night! Hello big tum!

This brings me to another thing. Dora the Explorer. Georgie hasn't seen that much of the tv show, but she loves it nonetheless (ok - we have one of the dvds). She has the Dora jarmies and the Dora gumboots. She threw a packet of Dora undies into my trolley today. I have no restraint and spoil her rotten: "Oh, okay," I said with a sigh. Besides, they're cute. And she probably needs more undies anyway. But wait, that's not all. There's the Barbie slippers. I wanted Georgia to get some new slippers. Hers were a bit old and small. I thought some plain old slippers would do, but NO! They had to be Barbie ugg boots! It's not Georgia's fault though. It's all they had in her size. It's really hard to find plain stuff. It's also hard to find unisex clothes. So I have bought Matty some navy girls' pants. I have bought Georgia a fair amount of boy's t-shirts (they're cheaper too). I'm trying to buy generic unisex things where I can, but I do love the boyish clothes in blues with the trains on. And I love the pretty girl's clothes with butterflies.

I have been doing a little mini scrapbook of Matty's first year. I have really enjoyed it. I should have made it bigger; it was so hard choosing between all his cute photos. One thing I have discovered though is that he is simply the baby of my dreams and soon he will not be a baby but a little boy, and I can't wait! He and Georgia play so beautifully. He loves it when her friends are over - he tags along and gets such a kick out of being included! He's almost one now. In 3 weeks. I am having a family do for afternoon tea on the weekend, and a little kids' tea party on the day. I remember being slightly over myself this time last year, at 35 weeks pregnant. That is so many weeks isn't it! But wait - there's more! If I have 4 children, that'd mean I'd have been pregnant for three years of my life. Ok, that idea I just had about having 4 kids - that's gone now. Besides, I'd spend way too much money on their clothes. Jeepers.

It is hard being a working mum. It is hard because yur house suffers a lot of the time. You need to make the most of your time with your family, so housework goes by the wayside (well, mine does). I am behind in my washing. Then there's the kids - I just miss my children when we are apart. Is that normal? I feel like part of me is lost somewhere. I need them! Then there's the attitude at work. I am teaching part time, so I am not there much. I get a lot of: "Oh, you're only part time" crap. It makes my skin crawl. Firstly, dude, I already have an overtime job, where I am on call 24/7 and I am underpaid. Secondly, dude, this is the 21st century! What about women's rights? So when you say "oh, you only work part time," I'll say "Well, my paid job is actually a restful pastime at present, and I work full-time from home for free."

I'm nearly 30.

Well...

2007-06-02T14:31:00.000+09:30

I have just finished designing my 30th birthday party invitation. I am very happy with it and I feel slightly clever. Why did I choose the seventies as a theme? I'm not really sure, except I was born in that era, obviously. I think the 70s were cool. I just love the music! Star wars came out, Led Zep was huge. I think that's pretty cool. I love the fashions of the 70s. Pretty cool. Did they even use that word back then? Cool? Now I've just got to tackle the menu. Any ideas of seventies foods?

This morning I vacuumed the house. Big deal, you may exclaim. I think it is a big deal, as it does not get done that often. When I was pregnant with Matthew, feeling very sick, I decided that I wanted to move house. TIP: if you are pregnant, don't make big decisions. Although I love this house, I don't think we had to move. For one, this house is huge, and takes a long time to clean! Secondly, moving house in the throes of morning sickness just sucks! It took me a long time to settle into this place. Luckily, I am well settled now. Anyway, the point is that I vacuumed the house and got some time to think. And it was good exercise. There's nothing like a good sweat - although I can think of more fun ways of doing it. For example, running.

I can't remember now what I thought about whilst vacuuming. The odd incredulous shudder as I came across an old jatz under a chair comes to mind. I was thinking about moving to Tasmania, and how much I will love the life. Oh yes, I was thinking that the house we build will be smaller than this one. I'll need four or five bedrooms and a few offices. Maybe just one living area though. The kitchen will be wood. My style: country classic. I was kidding myself that I won't need to clean in Tasmania because life will be so wonderful. But that was just silly! Monte reminds me that life will not be a bed of roses over there, so to speak. I'll have to get up early to milk Molly or Daisy or whatever we call the goat and/or cow. I'm beginning to wash my dishes by hand after each meal because I don't necessarily want the negative environmental impact of a dishwasher.

Enough of that. Matthew took a step yesterday! However, he can't actually be bothered walking because he can crawl so quickly. He is always standing up though, and until he realises he's not holding on, he's quite happy about it. Georgia is dressing up as a fairy princess (called Sophie) every morning - tiara and all. I am grateful that I have such a girly little girl. She's into Barbies and all that too. It reminds me of what I was like once. It's fun.

So, what do I hope to do when I am 30? Don't ask me that. I have a huge list. I'm thinking of taking on a Master's in Education, but I'm not really sure how long I will be teaching for. I'd like to have a few more children but not before Matthew stops feeding! I don't think I'll ever get him to stop. He's practically lifting up my shirt these days. I'd really like to start a business that uses my craft skills. That way I can work in a light, airy studio, with bowls of beads, pots of paints, folds of fabrics, reels of ribbons and piles of paper surrounding me. Ah... and children playing perfectly peacefully whilst I work, looking out large windows, feeling the morning sun soak my skin.

I feel like writing poetry. It's a good time in my monthly cycle. Don't talk to me in two weeks though!

Update

2007-05-19T15:36:00.000+09:30

I feel like I am always updating. Something is always happening around here!

Georgia is the cutest. She is looking so pretty. Her hair goes very ringletty sometimes, but she wants to brush it straight all the time. She likes putting her clips in - usually just all over her head. She's still wearing her princess skirt all the time, doing dancing. Just now we were drawing on the blackboard. She was telling stories like 'Pink Dinky Doo.' That is a favourite tv programme at present, as is 'Charlie and Lola.'

I must list some classic Georgia-isms:

Come here Dart Onion! (d'Artagnan the dog)
This is Dickless! (ridiculous)
Mummy, I love you so much. I don't want you to die. I want to stay young for ever and I want you to stay young too. Let's ask God to let us stay young. "Dear God, please let mummy and me stay young for ever. Amen."
I want to dance on the moon and touch the stars!

And today Matthew cut his seventh tooth. A bottom right Incisor. Matthew has recently had a bit of a growth spurt. Yesterday I had to put away a size 0 jumpsuit, and I imagine soon he'll be fitting into his size 1 clothes. He crawls very quickly. I am not sure if he is near walking, but he timidly walks along with the walker, and he is cruising like a pro (cruising = walking along furniture whilst clutching it). He is clapping hands and still loving the oooohs and aaaahs it gets him. Recently he has begun waving. He waved to Maxine, he waves to himself and he waves to us. Today he reached out to me from the high chair, saying a clear "cuggy." Other words that resemble real words are: Georgie, daddy, mummy, ta, dart, cat. And there is a distinct "I'm hungry so bloody well feed me!" kind of screech that makes me jump sometimes! He loves the television and he loves making 'boy noises."

Today I took my son to watch the footy. I felt so proud of him sitting in his huge pram, watching the ball and the boys so intently. He laughed. It was so cool. I felt so cool going there with my boy, and so proud to have my boy. When I found out I was having a boy, I sort of panicked, thinking "how can I be interested in boy toys?" because it is no secret that I am very feminine! Now I am interested in toy cars and so forth. I shove them in front of him, but he still prefers to play with Georgia's toys: dollshouse, tea set, barbies, dolls and pushers. I think that is so cool. My boy plays with everything and he likes dress ups too! Currently he is sporting two lovely lovelt t-shirts that mum gave me. He looks like he is swimming but he seems very happy (also waving to himself!). He suits pink too! LOL

As for me...hmmm. I am feeling a bit stressed because there are so many things I want to do but I am not sure what to choose. We are planning a 30th and a 1st birthday party, which is fun. Monte has declined my offer of him taking the kids for a few minutes so I can do some blogging, and has gone to bunnings. So I best be off.

Mothers Day

2007-05-14T14:25:00.000+09:30

One of Monte's gifts to me was this painting he did. It is of me, pregnant with Matthew.

I had a lovely day. Monte and the children showered me with presents. A painting, a magazine (craft), a magazine subscription (scrapbooking), a pen, a bookmark, a statue of mother and child. I felt so spoilt. And all I really wanted was to be with my children and my husband on the day...

The 'trad family' Georgia, Monte, Becky and Matty

My mother's day began with coffee and presents in bed. Then we went to church. Church was very special because nanna, mum, georgia and I went up to light the Christ candle and open the Bible together. I felt overcome with emotion with the four generations together. It felt so powerful - the important women in my life doing God's work. It was a moment I will never forget, from my nanna hobbling up to the alter to Georgia smiling widely as she blew out the match.

Four generations: Me, Nanny, Georgia and Mum

We went to visist Maxine and Gordon after lunch. We didn't have very long but we gave her some presents and she walked around her garden with Georgia, pointing out herbs, flowers and autumn leaves whilst Georgia listened with intrigue. Gordon cuddled Matthew; he certainly adores his grandson! He seemed to be in awe of how beautiful the kids are. We gave Maxine a framed picture of them both. They looked at the picture and exclaimed: "They're our grandchildren you know. How did we get such beautiful grandchildren?"

We then had lunch at my house. Mum, dad, Uncle Fran and Nanny came along. Mum and dad supplied the food. we ate roast lamb. I loved it. It has been a long time since I ate roast lamb and it is the only meat that I have missed. I never call myself a vegetarian because I eat fish. I don't think I can cut out meat completely; I've felt so sick and tired lately. Maybe sometimes I will eat meat. I will listen to my body anyway.

Matty and Georgia watching the rain

I am a mother because God chose me to be the mother of Georgia and Matthew. He created them, grew them inside me, enabled me to birth them, feed them and watch them grow. Children are a blessing. Each child is made and chosen by God. Our mothers are chosen for us by God. Mothers are given special gifts so they can be mothers. On Mothers Day this year, I felt these things strongly. Motherhood is the biggest thing I will ever do. I love my marriage, I love my career, and I love motherhood more than the world. I love my children more than life itself and I have God to thank for that, so thank you, God.

Me and Matthew (good photo, Georgia!!)

Georgia took the above photo. She has an interest in photography already! I love this photo. Matthew and I share a wonderful bond. I love the bond between mother and son. You cannot put it into words. I love him dearly. He is the son I have dreamed of all my life.

How blessed am I!?

Happy Hands

2007-05-10T10:07:00.000+09:30

A week ago today my son learned how to clap. It's so cute. Firstly he tentatively placed his hands together. Sometimes he forgot to unclench his fists. He would look at us to make sure we approved. Now he claps his hand on command and when we clap hands. We say "Clap Hands" and he claps. We clap and he claps too. And when I come into his room in the morning, when he is calling out for me, he sits up, gives me a huge smile and claps his hands. I tell him that he is clever, that he is my lovely boy and I give him warm cuddles and I kiss his cheek and neck. It's a nice way to start the day.

Today I dropped my kids off at childcare. I hate doing that. But they are happy there. Georgia has just graduated to the kindy room: "Seahorse Room." She is one of the big kids now. The leaders keep telling me how quickly time has gone; they remember her as a baby! They don't need to tell me how fast time has travelled over the past 3 1/2 years. I know. I have a three year old daughter. When she gets cranky she tells me she won't play with me or invite me to her party. Yesterday she told me she would cut my 'nibble' off with my nail clippers (I was feeding Matthew and she wanted to play with him). At present we are trying to educate Georgia that speaking to us like that is not okay. She gets sent to the back door. Frequently.

Georgie plays beautifully with her baby "brovvy" and I am confident to leave them playing in her room whilst Monte and I have a coffee in the morning. Matty just dotes on his big sister. She makes up songs about how much she loves him and how she wants to look after him, and how she never wants to grow up - she wants them to stay young for ever. She makes up dances and her dancing face is so pretty and graceful.

She is at such an interesting age. She dotes on her family but also gets cross with us. We explain that it's ok to be frustrated but it's not ok to be mean to other people. She feels bad when she's mean and sometimes cries because she loves us and she's sorry. She loves art and craft and being with us but she is also learning to be sneaky, and take things without us knowing. Like yogurts from the fridge and mummy's favourite notepaper (I confess I am a stationery junkie).

I would not swap this for the world. I am very happy with my work and home life. I adore my children and love watching them grow. But geez it happens fast.

Tasmania

2007-04-25T20:18:00.000+09:30

We have just returned from a marvellous holiday down in sunny Tasmania! Firstly, we'd like to thank the Smiths for having us to stay. Pictured below is Harry, our guardianee, Milly, Georgia and Matthew. Oh, what a coincidence. I bought the same outfits for the lot of them! Oops!
How cute is that!?

Our holiday began with an early flight to Tassie. We drove straight to Port Arthur. On the way we stopped off at Eaglehawk Neck. Pictured here is Georgia commenting on the dry, white sand. You can see what a gorgeous day it was. This beach was particularly wonderful, with cliffs on either side. Let me tell you a story. Port Arthur's boundaries are natural. The only entrance on land to the area is through Eaglehawk Neck. Guards used to patrol this area. Once a convict was trying to escape, hopping along, dressed in a kangaroo skin. His plan didn't work that well, because the guards were hungry. When the prisoner noticed he was about to be shot, he made is name known, and was returned to prison, where he received 100 lashes with the catonine tails.

The cabin we stayed in at Port Arthur was idyllic. We looked out to this bay. Here, Georgia and Monte are investigating the creatures in the rock pools. I wish I could be bothered including all the artsy photos we have of anemones and the cliffs, and dead, white wood contrasted to the glorious blue sea and sky. Monte took a lovely photo of the scene and the sunlight peters through...no doubt it will feature on our walls soon. I loved watching these two explore together. They are so in-tune with each other, so loving and so close. They were chatting away and I was clicking away as I watched my husband and daughter.

A very lucky little girl got to sit in this helicopter, which had landed outside the hotel we ate at on our first night. All I did was take a photo (how uncharacteristic of me), and the pilot beckoned us to him. Georgia grinned and that little excursion made her day!

Here is the view at Port Arthur, showing the mill which later became the quarters for prisoners. On the third floor there was a library, containing 13000 books so the prisoners could be educated. There is a little girl in red in the foreground; you can see how imposing the ruins are. What a wonderful place! We took a guided tour, which was very informative.

We also took a boat tour around the port, looking at places like the Dead Isle, where thousands of bodies are buried, only one of whom is a woman. We also saw Point Puer - the prison for young boys. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time.

We had a picnic at Port Arthur because we were there all day. Here's mum with kids.

We met Ben and Jill at the Salamanca Markets. The markets were fun. My favourite parts were the fairy shop, where little girls and little girls at heart become awestruck by all the little nick nacks. "I'll have some fairy hairclips for Georgia and some for me... and a glittery bangle for Georgia and one for me." Georgia bought a pink glittery, fluffy wand (I restrained myself). Amelia and Georgia even got to meet SnowPea the Fairy, who told them stories, showed them her treasures, gave them fairy dust and let them make fairy wishes! The girls were thrilled, as were their onlooking mothers. My other favourite part was the scallop pies. The most delicious pie ever. Here is Georgia and Milly at Salamanca Place, where adults had a coffee and blissfully normal catch up, whilst the girls splashed around a bit too much (Uncle Ben to the rescue).

It was wonderful that Harry and I are still so close after all our times apart. Here is Harry pictured with "Jacky" (Becky too hard to say thank you very much). Isn't his smile gold? So bright and charming. Harry is a beautiful boy; so cuddly and sweet. He is so happy too. He loves his keys, and to show how much he adores our Matthew, he even gave Matty his keys!

We went to Hastings Springs and swam in the warm water. Here I am with Georgia and Matty. It was fun swimming with my babies. The last time I donned my bathers was when I was pregnant with Matthew. In the water then he would kick and turn; he loves the water still! Unfortunately our pleasant picnic was made rather hectic due to a swarm of approximately 1001 wasps. Jill, Milly and Georgia ate their lunch in the toilets because it really was so bad. But I'm glad we went.
We stayed at Southport for a night. We stayed in a cosy house and drank lots by the fire (the drinking was normal; the fire a luxury). Pictured below is the kids and dads trekking along the beach (which we could enter from the steps in our backyard), on the hunt for shells. There were lots of shells, including abalone. We even found a half-alive abalone, and it was so gross I took a photo of it before I chucked it back into the water.
On our way back to Hobart, we stopped at Geeveston, where we had lunch and a look around. There were carved people all about the place, which I thought was a bit disconcerting. Here are the children with a carved couple, which the girls named Georgia and Milly, but I thought they were George and Mildred. Apparently they are having "a typical cup of tea." We also stopped of at the miniature village in Glen Huon. I took a photo of Mr T waiting for a train. We explored the village and rang the bells of the cathedrals. Harry kept pressing the button which made the church choir sing. The kids played in the Old Shoe with the Old women and all her naughty children. We explored the back of the little old man's property, where we found some elves and fairies, as well as a partridge in a huon pine tree! I can't fit all those Kooky pictures in my blog, so I thought I'd share this photo of my boys. I think they are so handsome. I love Matty's cheeky grin and Monte's peaceful smirk.
Whilst in Tassie Matthew acquired a dummy. He was so impressed with Harry's dummies that he kept stealing them for himself. I bought him some of his own and am relieved, because settling and soothing him now, especially during teething (which is not fun at present), is much easier.

We had a day trip in Richmond. Here Georgia is standing in front of the oldest bridge in the country. We had a great day. We picnicked in the village green; looked in a cosy little teddy bear shop; strolled down to the Richmond Gaol; played with autumn leaves; had a coffee at the world class bakery; bought lollies in the old lolly shop and Georgia and I bought new sunnies. Overall a wonderful day.

On Friday we visited Gordon's cousin, Bernadette. We had lunch there with Bernadette, her daughter Judy, granddaughter Chloe (2) and cousin Marjorie, from Swan Hill, who was also holidaying there. It was very special to be welcomed by them. We had a really lovely time and we all got along very nicely. I talked at length with Marjorie about travelling to Bali, as she is about to go there again. Georgia and Chloe played beautifully. Bernadette, Judy and Marjorie could not contain their admiration of our Matthew! They thought he was the most happy and beautiful baby ever, and his presence inspired Bernadette to show me as many photos of her 12 grandchildren that she could mustre!

After Bernadette's, we went up to Mount Wellington. The view were obviously awesome; my little camera could hardly do them justice! The drive up there was scary; I kept fearing the heights, and once I got to the top I was tingling all over. But it was worth the trip because we saw so much of the surrounds. Georgia had a bit of a hissy fit up there; she was tired because she had been woken up to see the views. Here's Matty and me on top of the world!

On Saturday Jill and I went into town for a shopping excursion. I bought the kids some clothes and a new jacket for myself. Of course I could have waited to go shopping back home but Jill is in Hobart, not Adelaide. We had a great lunch together too. Later that day, we minded the kids and the boys got together to make this contraption which is otherwise known as the half-assed 101 (Khasakstan's finest). The actual creation gives off good heat and is perfect for drinking beer in the rain.On Sunday we went to the Botanic Gardens, despite the rain! Monte was in his domain when exploring Pete's vege patch (the dude from Gardening Australia). The gardens were very beautiful. Here is a picture of the children watching the autumn leaves falling from the beautiful golden trees.

When it rained we stopped in the Conservatory, which was very beauitful, with a lovely fountain and flowers of almost every colour. The girls found the door to the secret garden (see below). This is my favourite photo from my whole holiday.

What, home so soon? We flew home on Tuesday evening. As you can see here, the children were exhausted, and flying from Melbourne to Adelaide was actually very relaxing, as they both slept on me!

Easter 07

2007-04-10T20:31:00.000+09:30

"Happy Easter! Have you tried these buns? They're delicious! I like chocolate too, but don't tell mum - I'm not supposed to eat that yet!"

"Is that an egg? Can I have an egg, please? I asked nicely so I can have an egg now."

For us, Easter means new life. We believe that Jesus rose from the grave.

We started our Easter with a sleep in. We woke up at 8:15am! Georgia found the eggs that the Easter bunny had left, then Monte put the buns in the oven and made some coffee. We ate breakfast out in the front yard as Georgia hunted for some Easter eggs! Then we raced to church, and managed to arrive on time (a record in our home). Church was fun. Rod, the minister, was happy to see that Matty crawled over to the front in time for the children's talk - as if he knew what was happening. I helped in Sunday School. I don't think I could teach young children at school, although I just loved it so much. I love being surrounded by lots of little ones. I feel like Ace Ventura, when he sings with all the animals all around him.

We had a picnic with Monte's family in the park near our house. It was a really lovely afternoon. I've put a range of pictures of our day, including a visit from Auntie Susie, one of my bestest friends ever.

Georgia starts the day with an Easter egg hunt. Nice new fence, daddy :)

Sister and brother share a blowy tooty party whistle thing
This is how Matty smiles at me. It melts me all over. Maxine with Georgia and Matthew on the egg hunt
"I love playing with Auntie Lori," says Georgia!

Auntie Marie gets some cuddle time with Matty

"Mummy's squeezing me again!"

Auntie Susie and Georgia happy to be cuddling, making a beaded necklace and reading stories together.

As I write this I can see a family photo that was taken at Easter last year. Georgia is smaller and younger, at just 2 1/2. My belly is big with child and I look tired. Monte is wearing his old sunnies - I am so glad he has new ones now. I think of all the things that have happened in the lst 12 months, and I wonder what will happen in the next 12. Matty will surely be walking and talking. Wow - time goes so quickly. I am really noticing how fast it is going with Matty. With Georgia, all the new milestones were so exciting, but with Matty it is all happening too quickly. It is still exciting; he is starting to wave, and form words, and cruise around on the furniture, but to me, his development is too rapid. I love it though. Oh, what's that on my shoulder? A bit of baby spew? I hope it hasn't been there for too long (bet it has!).

Happy Easter :)

Georgia

2007-04-01T21:28:00.000+09:30

Georgia's smile lights up my day :D

So, with Matthew being so new and little, sometimes Georgia gets left out. Never by me, but by others, wanting to hear how the baby is going. So this post is dedicated to my special angel girl, my fairy girl, my "Bunny," Georgia.

About The-G

name: Georgia Rebecca May
favourite colour: pink
favourite toys: Bella, trainset, computer, dolls house, sandpit and cubby house.
favourite books: (depending on the day) Nemo, Bella's midsummer secret, Ferdinand, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Bare Bear (my fav)
favourite films: Monsters Inc, Nemo, Fairies
favourite outfit: white fairy leotard, fairy dancing skirt, anything that is a dress (she always wants to wear a dress)
cute things she says: "Don't panic mummy," "I'll look after you honey," "I'll make you feel better mummy," "I love you more than anything in the world,"
Cute things she has said recently: "Give me a sister mummy," "When I am bigger I'll grow wings and we can fly up to the sky and touch the clouds," "Look, fairies [dust motes]"
Cute things she said in the past: "Oh I spilt my wee"
Things you may not know about Georgia: she has the same birth mark on her back as me - same place, shade and all. She does not like sleeping with her toys. She makes friends as easily as breathing and she gets along with everybody. Her arsenic hour is between 4-5pm. She eats anything but has recently decided that she doesn't like corn and beans. She was conceived on Valentine's Day, 2003. Her eyes are the same colour as my nanny, Audrey Kenny (nee Matthew) and her hair is the same colour as Monte's nan, Millicent May.
Weight: 19kg
Height: 107.5cm
Favourite pet: at present, it's d'art, with Benjamin close second.
draws: flowers, fairies, mummy and daddy
writes: in squiggles
knows and can write the letters: G, O, M and is learning more.
Cute habbit: dancing to any music wherever we are, looking after babies
Annoying habbit: can't think right now but I'm sure I can list a few. Maybe her loud whine when she wants me and I'm busy. Spitting out her food she doesn't like.
Things I don't find annoying: talking to me, cuddling and picking up her brother, thumb sucking etc

How Georgia began

Firstly, I desperately wanted to have a baby for two years before she was born. When I am clucky for a child, it hurts from the middle of my being to the ends of my hair. It burns in my blood and fires me up from the inside! I had to wait for things to happen though, like get permanency in my teaching job and get a bit older - and Monte had to be ready too.

We were blessed that she was conceived straight away, and apart from morning sickness the pregnancy was great and I felt marvellous. I had to have two amnios because I have a rare antibody. It was pretty scary seeing the needle go into my tummy where my baby was growing, but I was confident that God was protecting her. To this day she has a scar on her leg that has been there since birth; I think that it is from the first amnio, when she kicked the needle! I was very surprised when I found out we were having a girl. I always thought I'd have a boy first. I was so excited. Every woman wants a daughter, like every man wants a son. I knitted a tiny pink jumper. I keep it in my dresser.

Because of my antibodies, I was induced 3 weeks early. My labour was 3 hours and 20 minutes. I used gas for 10 minutes. I pushed twice. It hurt a lot!!! When she came out I held out my arms and gasped in awe and couldn't stop smiling. I felt euphoric (until the baby blues set in the next day!) I didn't need stitches. She was 8 pounds 1 ounce or 3.665 kg. She was red and she cried. Monte bathed her and he was nervous but she loved the bath. I often tell Georgia about the moment she was born. She loves the story!

Georgia was a very happy baby. She grew and developed very quickly, sitting at 5 1/2 months, crawling at 8 and walking at 11 months. She was talkative too. She was so confident; she went to other people so easily and was so easy a child that I we began to think that we are these natural, gifted, amazing parents! It's very healthy to affirm each other on what a good parent you are; it doesn't mean we're perfect!

We took GG to Bali in 2005, when she was 20 months old. She was very well behaved. It was hard eating out all the time because she didn't want to sit still. She loved travelling and making friends and she still talks about the crocodiles from Bali Zoo and the squirrels at the hotel.

The terrible twos weren't terrible. She has been pretty easy. If she had a tantrum it was rather quiet. These days it's different. I think 3 year olds are more demanding! She has whoppa tantrums between 4-6pm, but not too often. Chances are, you know our Georgia, and you know that she loves cuddles, stories and attention. Take the time to talk to her and you will learn a secret or two about happiness. If only adults could see things in that way.

Yes, maybe the dust motes are fairies after all.

Childcare

2007-03-31T13:42:00.000+09:30

Matty plays happily at childcare - showcasing his gorgeous smile

My children go to childcare and sometimes I feel guilty. I do not feel guilty about working; I love my career and would never give it up, but I have made the sacrifice to cut back my working hours so I can be with my children. I feel sorry for the children who are in full-time childcare and I wonder what is the point of having children if you want someone else to look after them every day. I guess there are people who have to work, to pay the bills and all. But many people choose to have their kids in full-time care and I think that is a bit sad :(

So when I feel guilty for putting Georgie and Matty in childcare for one day a week, I am glad it is not all day, every day. Having said that, I put them in care so I can work in the morning and then have the afternoon to myself. I know I should have some rest and some 'me time,' but I miss them so much I find it hard to enjoy myself!

I had to record some things that childcare has recently said about my gorgeous baby boy. These are the same things they have said about Georgia when she was a baby not that long ago. The centre really loves our kids so I am happy that they are there, in good hands. I have heard terrible things about some childcare and family daycare centres!

Things they say about Matty-moo:

He's the most beautiful baby (I already knew that ;])

He's such an easy baby

Everybody loves him

All the children want to kiss him

He is so friendly/happy/cuddly

"Can I keep him"

"Can you have more babies and bring them all here so we can look after them" (can they pay?)

Ahhhh
"I just want to kiss him"

"I want one like him" (so do I. several in fact)

He's no trouble

He plays beautifully

Oh, the list goes on. I am so proud. I suppose that is rather obvious; I feel the glow from within whenever I am with him. Ever since he was born I have felt euphoric (and exhausted). I never dreamed that I could have another "angel baby" but here I am with another one. Georgia has been and is so easy; even those pesky three-year-old tantrums have been quite reasonable!

Last night I explained the love for my children like the pictures of the sun that kids draw. You know, the big shiny round yellow sun, surrounded by many many triabgles in red, orange and yellow, radiating light. Sometimes the sun has a smile on its face. That is how I imagine the love for my children. It fills me all up and surrounds me and guides me and is the reason why I breathe.

Just an Update

2007-03-23T16:54:00.000+10:30

Matty's first swing!

Matthew has been doing all the normal baby things lately. He now has six teeth (luckily for me he doesn't bite when feeding!). He is also crawling around very quickly; often getting lost, or finding us when he has been left to his own devices in the playroom! As you can see he is rather cute. He smiles all the time! Last night was very unusual because he could not get to sleep and he cried a lot, until 12:30, when he must have exhausted himself. We thought it could have been the humid weather, and the fact that he'd been at childcare all day and had a lot of hugs to catch up on! His latest sounds are "Da" and "Ga" as well as "Mumumum" so I am wondering if he is learning our names...

Georgia and Matthew are best of friends

There is no doubt that Georgia and Matthew are best of friends. When driving in the car they hold hands. Georgia has been known to carry him around the house, bringing him when we need him or taking him away when we need him - whatever she feels like at the time. Matty loves her and laughs with her. Talk about stimulation.

Naigee rolling in the hay in the vege patch

Naigee is one of those cute sorts of cats who likes being around the action, albeit from the sidelines. I just thought this picture was cute.

One of the henny pennys on the loose

I don't think the chooks are that cute but I love them nonetheless. Four of our girls are laying now, and we got a big double-yolked egg today. We get 3-4 eggs a day now. Let us know if you want some! We're making our own mayonnaise and we have great quiche recipes. The eggs are delicious! This pic was taken when we let the chooks out. Except only one was brave enough to 'escape.' She spent the next twenty minutes trying to get back in. The thing I love is the noise they make whenever they see Monte!

Another typical GG and MM moment

Georgia jumping

I took this photo when we went to the local park a few weekends ago. It was really windy so Monte went and bought a kite. Georgia is really growing up, obviously. Her curls come and go and she likes wearing her hair down and in her face; she sweeps it back indignantly. She says lovely things, like, "When we grow wings we can fly up and pat the clouds;" "I love you more than anything in the world;" "You're my angel girl;" "You're my best daddy."

Georgia adores her grandma

Recently Georgia's Grandma, Maxine, celebrated her birthday! Georgia loves parties and she raved about this for a long time - before and after the occasion! You can see that Georgia and her grandma have a lovely bond. Recently GG had a holiday at grandma and poppa's. She went to playgroup and had a marvellous time. They certainly keep her busy and she just loves it.

As for me, I am finding work hard. Not the actual work hard (I love it) but the other bits that work around work. Like the children, the housework and err... me! In the pst 2 months I've had mastitis twice and tonsillitis twice! I know I should be sleeping more, but when the children are in bed I get a chance to have some ME time! A fortnight ago the kids started going to childcare all day rather than just the morning a week, so I have Thursday afternoon to myself now (spent being bored and missing my babies!).

Matty got his first lolly bag at Zoe's green party, and mummy ate the choccies but he got a finger puppet and a toy - how cool is that! Zoe is Brooke's daughter. Brooke and I have been friends for a gazillion years, since 1991! We're both ancient but it's so fantastic that our children are close in age.

It rained today (proper rain) so I sat with the children on the front porch and we watched the rain, smelt the rain and felt the rain. We sang songs and I held them tightly. You never know when an even such as this downpour will occur again. Georgia got wet playing in the rain; the pond filled up and the air smelt fresh!

7 Reasons not to rush your baby into Crawling

2007-03-04T19:22:00.000+10:30

Crawling babies tend to collect ALL the dirt, pet hair and food crumbs from the floor onto their bellies, so if you have a dirty floor, watch out!
Crawling babies disappear without telling you where they are going.
Babies who crawl usually are overly curious, opening pantry cupboards and the cupboards under the sink - none of which is safe!
Crawling babies get trodden on, and they yell loudly
Crawling babies slow down the cooking process, because they have to be constantly moved from the food prep area
Crawling babies put even more things into their mouths (god only knows how long that mushroom has been there!)
A crawling baby means that the next step is not that far away, which means that they are even closer to asking for pocket money!

Matthew update: This crawling baby has two bottom teeth and some top ones on the way. He says 'dada' as well as a lot of other sounds that I never knew existed. He is eating all sorts of vegetables but is still having 4-5 milk feeds a day, so I am still pretty exhausted (but strangely euphoric).

Things we learned today

2007-02-25T19:33:00.000+10:30

Learning is fun

Ballet

Georgia is such a girly-girl. She is learning ballet - from her rather hopeless mum! This weekend she roped her mother into numerous ballet dancing sessions, complete with toe-pointing and tulle. Do I love it? Of course I love it. She has so much fun!

Yogurt

Mix 1/2 cup yogurt and 2 cups milk in milkshake tumbler. Leave in thermos container, covered in boiled water (We have a yogurt maker). Leave for nearly 24 hours. Voila - yogurt!

Pesto

Ok, this is not *real* pesto, but we bought a big bunch of basil at the market and we improvised.
Mix bunch of basil with olive oil, garlic, parmesan, sunflower seeds (didn't have pinenuts), pepper, salt, balsamic vinegar. Make a thickish paste.

and finally...

Glad Matthew's not a whale!

Baby whales drink 500 litres of milk a day.

Eggsellent!

2007-02-19T20:57:00.000+10:30

Today, as I was about to prepare dinner, Monte came in excitedly, holding two eggs! He had been to feed the chickens and he found their first two eggs!

YAY!

To celebrate, we ate them. It felt kind of weird! We ate red-lentil burgers.

Here's the recipe:

What you need: 1 cup red lentils (soaked and cooked), garlic, 2-3 eggs, moroccan seasoning, cumin, 1/2 cup wholegrain flour. Mix ingredients. Form into patties. Fry in canola (or other) oil. Makes about 18.

We served ours on sourdough bread, homemade hoummus, mayonnaise, cheese and salad (lettuce, avocado, spring onion and homemade dressing). Yum! It was a very pleasant meal. The children were asleep. We drank some of Monte's homebrew.

It is very empowering making and producing so much of our own food. As we become less and less dependent on other corporations, we feel stronger in our own survival. Not to mention we are feeling so healthy!

The fruits of... a chicken

Puppets

2007-02-14T21:32:00.000+10:30

Georgia rapt in her puppet making

I make time to play and create with Georgia by being behind in the housework. Honestly, when I am eighty I would rather remember the times I spent with Georgia making toilet roll and peg puppets than how tidy my house was...

Anyway, looking for a simple kid-friendly way to make puppets, I gathered some fabric scraps, pipecleaners, rubber bands, textas, toilet rolls and wooden pegs. Basically, you can 'dress' the puppets with fabric and rubber bands. Draw faces with textas.

It's so much fun and it's terribly easy. Georgia loves getting out her 'puppet box' to 'make puppets.' We make them, dress them and play with them. It's great fun. It entertains Georgia and makes her happy, which makes me happy, and also makes Matty happy because he can be left alone to learn how to crawl!

Mrs and Mr Molly, our toilet roll puppets
A peg doll puppet
Georgia loves her puppets! They are dolls for her to play with.

Breaking News:

Matthew cut his first tooth on Monday! He is almost crawling. Today he took one 'crawling step.' He can pull himself up and stand with support. He's growing up so fast!

In true Goulding fashion, Matthew LOVES his meal times!

Wedding Anniversary

2007-02-04T21:12:00.000+10:30

Oh my gosh! We're married!

On February 6th Monte and I celebrated our Eighth Wedding Anniversary. We were pretty happy! We went out for lunch and then took a stroll along Norwood Parade. I bought some books and some beads, as well as some wire for a crocheted piece of something.

It is wonderful to be married to somebody with whom you can laugh about things. For example, Monte told me in the morning that he loves me more now than when we were married, but some days he doesn't love me much. We laughed, because it is true. Some days we love the people with whom we live, other days we don't. He said I am more beautiful now than the day we were married, which is pretty nice of him, seeing I am noticing little wrinkles around my eyes these days.

I have included some old wedding photos. To remind those who were there, and educate (?) those who weren't.

In love at the church
The toast

The bride
The waltz
The laugh

More about Us

2007-02-04T20:50:00.000+10:30

These are my blessings

I am back at work. I don't have as much time for my hobbies, like beading, crochet, knitting and scrapbooking. I am cherishing my time with my children, and each day I make time to sit them on my knee and sing to them and read them stories. Georgia is playing 'mums and dads' with me all the time. I am always big sister. I am always feeling sick and she needs to make me better with her doctor's kit. This is when she changes from 'mum' to 'dr seuss.' She said the most hilarious thing today. We were sticking some wall stickers up in her room - lovely princess ones I bought before I would have thought they were hardly necessary - and she called Sleeping Beauty 'Sleepy Bruce.' I think that will join the list of Georgieisms that have become part of our vocabulary (Witsies, fishied, abcd kids... the list goes on).

I feel so tired! But I feel so alive at the same time. I fit so much into my day. I start with a coffee with Monte (and usually a pair of children jumping around on the bed). Sometimes mg brings me breakfast in bed, because I hate getting out of bed on a sugar low, and when I do I am cranky! So I have my relaxed morning, plus I am working, plus I play with the kids, plus I am breastfeeding, plus I do one creative activity with Georgia each day, plus I make time to do one of my hobbies, plus I 'aim' to keep the house relatively tidy, plus I cook good meals, with the help of Monte, who has taken over the washing duty because he enjoys it (!?). But I do not iron. And I watch too much television and I eat too much chocolate and I don't exercise as such.

Matthew is almost crawling. He'll be 7 months this weekend. He is on hands and knees, rocking to and fro, with a huge smile on his face. He is comando crawling around the floor! Noooo! I do not have a baby-proof kitchen, although mg and I decided that perhaps Georgia could police the law that Matty is not allowed into the kitchen. She'll be good at that.

Post Script

2007-02-04T20:26:00.000+10:30

I've been thinking about my last post. I was thinking, 'ok, so what can I do now?' Monte and I have become regulars at our local food co-op. We buy local, organic produce. We get our vegies and our other staples, like flour, eggs and peanut butter :/ from there. This weekend, at the comunity market at the same hall, we signed up at SisLETS - Southern Inner Suburbs Local Exchange Trading System. This is where we can exchange 'units' for products and services, instead of money. We can trade things like computer skills, web pages, heavy lifting (Monte) and ESL and English tutoring and editing (me). I am also going to 'sell' some products, like beading and crochet.

I heard somebody say "rather than try to change, we should just adapt to climate change." I thought that sounded rather absurd! I think that we have no choice - we must adapt to climate change, but we also need to change our lifestyles to prevent more bad things happening to our world.

Scary Stuff

2007-02-02T20:56:00.000+10:30

Georgia, cultivator of the earth, loves her gardening.

We're all hearing so much about Global Warming at present. The recent report suggests that by the summer of 2050, the arctic ice will be gone! Just hearing this brought tears to my eyes as I looked at Georgia and thought of her children, missing out on something my generation has been taking for granted.

Temperatures will rise; wildlife will leave its habitat or die. Some countries might like it to be a bit warmer! Sea levels will rise. There will be more storms that our architecture cannot withstand. There will be less water where it's needed, and more flooding where it shouldn't.

So, we're hearing about this a lot at present, which is great. And there is a lot of debate about what governments should do (it's a shame it's all up to them!). But what can we do about it!?

We, as households, need to reduce our impact on the environment. We need to make serious changes. Value changes. Here are some things that we are changing:

we have switched to 100% greenpower (check that the greenpower supplied by your supplier is actually green-renewable)
we use cloth nappies and biodegradable disposables. IF SOMETHING CANNOT BE REUSED IT MUST BE RECYCLED!
I have made the change to reusable feminine hygeine products, such as 'The Keeper' and cloth pads. Before you think "gross" remember that fertility rates and the environment are much worse now than when women used cloth pads. And it's much healthier for women.
I have a bike to ride to work (but am still too scared to use it!)
We are growing our own food.
We are getting a big water tank.
We water our garden with recycled water from the washing machine, kitchen, shower and bath.
We are growing a permaculture garden, complete with chickens, banana circles and a pond with swale.
We don't eat meat. Growing meat is contributing to global warming. There are many ways we can get nutrients without meat, by eating lentils, tofu and lots of other great veges from the garden!
We recycle ourselves, reusing products where possible. EG, chickens and pets get leftover food, paper is recycled into paper or kitty litter for the rabbit, Benjamin. We keep toilet rolls and scraps of card and other items for craft activities for the kids. Basically, try not to throw anything away! Last week we had just three bags in our weekly rubbish bin!
Another form of recycling I am trying out this year is clothing. I am learning to make new clothes out of old ones! There are lots of things we can do with our clothes, like rip them up and crochet with them, and cut them up and make pants and dresses out of them, as well as quilts and hats and toys! Exciting!
We're trying not to buy much stuff, unless it has more than one use. Our contribution to a consumerism contributes to global warming. For me, this is the hardest thing that I have had to change, as I love shopping! I have had to learn new passtimes, such as crochet, beading, knitting, scrapbooking and just playing with my children.

I hope this inspires you in some way to make changes where you can.

Georgia and Matthew, whose experiences on this planet will be so different to mine.

Monte's 30!

2007-01-18T22:18:00.000+10:30

Birthday Cake

It's almost hard to believe that Monte is 30. I remember when I met him. He was a cute 16 year old boy! He had a crew cut. We liked the same music. His eyes were (and are) captivating. His smile was (and is) illuminating. Ah! He's still cute, but he's a man now. And he is a great guy. He is very interested in his family; he is passionate about the environment and he loves gardening. In the last 14 years since I met him, he has been my rock and I will cherish him for all of my days and for ever after that.

We had a lovely family dinner to celebrate his birthday. Our families gathered for an Indian feast. I was a bit flustered (what's new) but it was a really lovely night and Monte was stoked. We also had a lovely dinner together to celebrate. It was a magical evening but we got home a bit late, and my parents, who were babysitting, were a bit peeved.

Family Dinner
God Bless you Monte

Matthew's First Christmas

2007-01-18T20:40:00.000+10:30

Matthew ready for his Christmas Lunch

This year's Christmas was so much fun. We were all so happy!

It all began with the Children's Christmas service at church. Georgia was an angel and Matthew was baby Jesus! After Church we had a lovely meal of Atlantic Salmon. The next morning, after a sleep-in until 9am, we opened presents and enjoyed Georgia discovering what Father Christmas had left her in her stocking. She also liked going through Matty's presents. It was very exciting! We had Christmas lunch at my parents' place before coming home for a rest for a few hours. The day ended with a lovely Christmas tea at Monte's parents' house.

Matthew, Georgia and me, with Matthew's new Christmas Bear from Nanny and Gramps

Such a beautiful boy!

Georgia and Matthew, matching bibs and all, ready for Christmas tea at the Gouldings

Georgia on Boxing day at Harry's naming day

Nearly Christmas

2006-12-19T20:32:00.000+10:30

Christmas Letter 2006

2006-11-10T21:55:00.000+10:30

Georgia and Matthew at Carols (Dec 3)

It has been a wonderful year for us. We have many blessings, for which we are thankful.

This year we experienced several seconds. Our second child arrived in July and we bought our second home.

We are very happy and comfortable in our new home. Since moving in in February this year, we have made some changes, including painting the walls and polishing the floors. More changes will be made in the near future.

Matthew snuggles up for his first Christmas Carols (cute)

Matthew Montague Gordon arrived after a very quick labour on July 10. Matthew is named after his great grandmother, Audrey Kenny (nee Matthew), his father, Monte and his grandfather, Gordon Goulding. Matthew is a very happy, alert, delightfully easy baby. It was a special day when we celebrated his baptism on October 29th. Family and friends gathered at church early that morning and then joined us for a brunch afterwards.

Georgia was very grown up singing carols by her own candlelight!

Georgia is living up to her name – cultivator of the earth – and is doing a great deal of gardening with Monte in the garden. We celebrated her third birthday on October 20th with a delightful fairy party. She is talking beautifully and is very tall for the average three-year-old. It will be exciting when she starts kindergarten next October.

Rebecca is enjoying her time at home looking after the children, and has been spending some spare time knitting and sewing, as well as meeting with other mothers for playgroup and reading group. Her plan is to return to work part-time, teaching English.

Monte continues to run his business, Sweat Technologies, from home. Monte’s passion at present is gardening. He is growing a productive vegetable garden, as well as growing new plants from seeds and learning about permaculture. Other activities Monte has been taking part in is renovating our home, including building a new kitchen and renovating the existing extension to contain a home office and a home theatre. One of the most enjoyable projects was to create a playroom in the sunroom.

We have had a busy year, and no doubt, the New Year will be similar. We wish you a very happy Christmas and a safe and happy 2007.

Warmest wishes for the festive season,
Monte, Rebecca, Georgia and Matthew Goulding

Georgia, Rebecca, Matthew and Monte...

Merry Christmas from all of us!

Matthew's Baptism

2006-10-29T20:53:00.000+10:30

Matthew poses, wearing the beret made by my mum

We had a marvellous day today as we celebrated the baptism of our lovely Matthew Montague Gordon. The church service was lovely. What stands out in my memory was Matty's attentive gaze as the minister (Rod) explained to him the blessing that his baptism brings. Then Matthew smiled at Rod as he prayed that Matthew's ears would hear the Gospel and that his mouth would proclaim God's love. I felt that Matty knew in some way what was happening. He smiled when I made the sign of the cross on his forehead.

Matthew with his Baptism Bear, made by the sewing group at Church Matthew with Rebecca and Monte, and the Baptism Candle Matthew and Georgia

I read a poem that I wrote for Georgia and Matthew. When I wrote the poem I cried, because I just poured my heart out, as best I could with words. It is possible t love your child to bits but still be frustrated when the three-year-old is too excited to sit still to have her hair done!

The Family Photo

I am blessed to have my family. As Georgia often proclaims: "I love my family!" I am blessed to have Monte, who I have known almost half my life. He is a wonderful man. He does so much for the children and me. He is a better person than I am!

Matthew with Grandma and Poppa GouldingMatthew with Nanny and Gramps Turner

We are blessed to have our parents, who offer support and help and lots of love. We thank them for their help for the baptism party, and for being there in our ups and downs, always. They really love our children, and it brings so much joy to us when we see them loving Georgia and Matty, and the children loving them and raving about them. Georgia: "you're wearing nail polish like nanny!" They certainly have an impact!

Matthew with Uncle Russell, cousin Isaac, Auntie Lori and Uncle Chris

Matthew with Auntie Emily and Uncle Arthur

We are blessed to have our brothers and sisters; we are blessed to have so many uncles and aunties for our children.

And I thank my very good friends for being there too! Thank you for coming to see our baby be blessed!

Our prayer is that Matthew will bless other people's lives like he blesses ours. You only have to see his smile as he engages your eyes to know that he will touch many lives for the better.

Birthday Girl

2006-10-24T13:17:00.000+09:30

Georgia preparing for her fairy party, waiting for her guests.

We had a lovely time celebrating our daughter's third birthday last weekend. The weather was perfect for a fairy party, and Georgia was so excited. Six of Georgia's friends came to the party. We played fairy dancing, parachute and some other little fun games. Mostly the children wanted to eat, and there were only a few squibbles over the food (twisties, pies and sausage rolls, jelly cups and, of course, fairy bread!). My good friend Kristen brought along her makeup and painted the fairies' faces (except Sankkit, who was painted as a tiger!). I was so exhausted by the end of the day, I slumped into a chair and fed Matthew for a long time; my feet too sore to stand up anymore.

Special special thanks to the people who helped us on the day: Amanda for making beautiful cakes, Kristen for her face painting, Brooke for lending us lots of chairs, and MAXINE AND GORDON for doing ALL the cleaning up at the end, thus saving our sanity and our lives AGAIN. Without these people the day would not have been so great. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts.

Georgia, complete with face painting and a special necklace from Grandma and Poppa.

Georgia with the birthday cake, which was a success. (I tried to hide the broken-off Barbie legs!)

Georgia and Matthew with the cake. She just adores her baby brother. Several comments were made about Matthew enjoying Georgia's 21st more than her 3rd! ;)

VERY proud parents.

And the little fairy was tuckered out, so she slept for most of the following 24 hours, and lived happily every after.

Until next year - or next weekend, when we celebrate Matthew's Baptism (I'm buying the cake!).

Additions

2006-10-16T18:22:00.000+09:30

Oh my gosh, it looks good enough to eat!

Yesterday we added 5 new ladies to our family. We got some chicks: Ava, Bessie, Chloe, Daphne and Ella (yes, we can tell them apart, at the moment). We can't keep Georgia away; she really loves them! We must admit that they are really cute. Our cat hasn't noticed them yet!

Cloth Nappies

2006-10-13T22:34:00.000+09:30

I am proud to say that I use cloth nappies! I used them with Georgia, but I am more strict about using them now. It's partly to save the $3000 we would spend on disposables, but it's mostly to save the stress on the environment. Disposable nappies took 2/3 of our rubbish bin each week. People suggest that perhaps, with the current water restrictions, it might be better to use disposables, but I disagree. Disposable nappies are bad for our environment, fom the moment they are made until they lie for ever as landfil.

I do, however, use biodegradable nappies during the night, and when we go out, some times. I have heard that if you use an incontinence pad with a cloth nappy they absorb a lot more. I will try that when I run out of disposables. One package of nappies is lasting a lot longer when you only use 1-2 a day.

Using cloth nappies is not hard. It doesn't take that long to do an extra load of washing every 1-2 days. It is good to reuse the water from soaking or washing; the garden loves it. I use the fitted/shaped nappies. I just love the fat nappy-but. And I thought that they might restrict Matthew's movement, but he is rolling around just fine!

Changes

2006-10-12T10:18:00.000+09:30

Matthew is changing. Growing, changing. He's three months now. He is getting a tooth. If he's not getting a tooth, he is just dribbling more, gnawing more and being more grumpy. He is trying to sit up, and when we hold his hands, he pulls himself up and smiles and giggles with glee. He is really into his toys, particularly the ones he can hold and chew. He likes a little "noodle," which is a long stripy fish, that he can hold and chew. He also likes his cooled teething ring, my fingers, my shoulder and any other toy he can grab.

Georgia is changing. She will be three on October 20. She has skipped size 3 clothes and is right into size 4. What I thought was a cold is actually hayfever, but she is calmer, happier and more gentle with the baby now. She adores her baby brother (nothing much there has changed though!). I love talking with Georgia. She says the cutest things! I've learned that her brain reallys is like a spnge, as she really does soak in everything we say! Occasionally she will pat me and say, "it's ok honey!" or "come over here babe." We're looking forward to her fairy party next week. Maybe I am looking forward to it most of all. I can't wait to play games with the little fairy friends! I am changing. I am so calm and happy these days. We've got a routine in the house. I feel like I usually get enough sleep! You know what? Monte does all the cooking. I think he's great. He makes my life so easy. Monte, Georgia and Matthew just make my life great :)

Angels make us smile :)

2006-10-04T04:00:00.000+09:30

As Matthew has settled into a sleep routine, I am returning to my old insomniac ways! I enjoyed the 7 weeks I had of feeding my baby in the night; it gave my night wakenings a purpose! Now, Matty is sleeping 8-10 hours a night. He is such a good baby! He smiles and giggles all the time, except when he is hungy, which is often, when he sort of calls out for me. He rarely cries. I thought that after Georgia, who was also such a great baby, I'd be in for a shock with this one, but no, I have been blessed twice! At 12 weeks, Matty is 7.5kg! He's 62-63 cm. He is learning to suck his thumb, and gnaws on his fist a lot. I am wondering if he is feeling ready for solids. No way! I think his teeth are moving up. He is well out of newborn phase. Goodness, that phase doesn't last long! Never mind if the bunny-in-a-rug phase has ended; we're getting giggles and more communication, and seeing changes in his development each day, which (to be honest) is more exciting!! He's pictured here, having tummy time at 11 weeks. He loves his tummy time. He's also trying to sit up. He pulls himself up a lot. He is very strong.
Georgia isn't very well at present. She has had a persistent cold lately, and is having a fitful sleep as I write. She is only sleeping 11 hours a night, so she gets very tired and cranky at the end of the day. She is in childcare two days a week. We found that she was pining for company, always asking for her friends to come over. It seems that sometimes her parents' company is not enough, what with daddy working a lot and mummy endlessly feeding the baby. We recently put shelves in the playroom cupboard, and packed her toys away neatly. Now there is more space to play. Georgie and mummy play shops and tea parties in there often. The morning sun warms the room up delightfully. We are learning about packing things away too.
We were lucky to catch up with Monte's sister, Sarah, and our nephew, Isaac, some weeks ago. It was very special to get the cousins together for their first group photo together. It was Sarah's first meeting of our Matthew, and she approved of the bundle. Soon, Matthew will catch up to Isaac in size, and they will be running around together before we know it. People keep saying that Isaac and Matty will be able to play cricket together, and we always remind them that Georgia is very capable of playing cricket thank you very much!Our neice, Angelica, is pictured below. My mother is still in America, at present touring around New York. Actually, a text message from mum is the reason I'm still awake (thanks mum). I'm glad mum was able to visit Sophie when she had her baby. I'm slightly envious that I never received that much help when I had my babies, but that has made me realise how strong I really am. Soon after my babies were born, I was back into 'normal' mode. I just cope well. It helps enormously having my husband home with me all the time, even if he is working hard in the office. And having mum away now has made me realise that I cope well with the demands of being a mum; I have learned a lot and am independent. When I think about moving interstate I can remember that, so I know I could cope if I had to. Anyway, it's good to have a neice and hopefully we'll meet her soon.
There's not much I'm doing apart from being with my children right now, and I love it. I miss teaching a bit. I really love the students and I love teaching and I love English. I am enjoying my time off - who wouldn't? I know I will return to my career when the time is right (in a few months!). I am contemplating studying photography. I really enjoy taking photos and editing them and collecting them and telling stories with them. If I could do it more seriously, I think I'd really enjoy it. I enjoy knitting too, but I don't get time to do it much. I love writing, but my blog is my only writing at present. No, I tell a lie. Monte's parents gave our children loose leaf folders to collect stories in, and I have written a few for the collection. I love writing short stories, and I had never written for children before. I enjoyed it. After reading children's books all the time, I'd have to say I know what makes a good kids' story! I'm looking forward to writing some more.

We're planning a fairy party for our angel (are you my angel? no, I'm your fairy girl). I am planning an exciting cake too. Last year I made a tea party cake, complete with dolls that the girls could take home, and a mini tea set on a round cake table. The chairs were cupcakes with timtams! This year - well, we'll see. It might be a flop!

We're also planning the baptism of Matthew. I haven't thought about that cake.

Life Is Beautiful!

2006-09-13T10:00:00.000+09:30

The stereotypic family is pictured here. Mummy and Daddy and son and daughter. Girls in pink, boys in blue, proud parents, sleepy children...
Family life is really quite wonderful at present. Now that the first 6 weeks of Matty's life are well out of the way, we are developing a routine AND getting more sleep, as he has been sleeping for at least 7 hours a night for over 2 weeks now! Georgia is waking up early too, so our house is up and bustling by 6:30am each day (parents more likely to be trudging than bustling!). Matthew is weighing in at 6.5kg and Georgia is 102cm now, so both our children are well above average in size (err, probably related to parents' similar plight). Matthew arrived on July 10 this year, after a rather short and violent, but uncomplicated labour. Matthew is pictured here on Father's Day, smiling his way into my heart at 8 weeks. He is a typical little boy: wanting to always be in the action and see everything; wanting his mummy; wanting to eat; doing loud pop-offs and belches; being overly gorgeous; and sleeping. I am so blessed to have this angel in my life. I've never felt happier!
Georgia, my life started when you were born. I will never forget the exhilaration I felt when they handed you to me on October 20 2003! It has been a wild journey for the past (nearly) three years. Here, Georgia is pictured holding a 1-day-old baby chick at the Royal Adelaide Show. Going to the show was a lot of fun. We couldn't belive how quicikly you can spend money, and we didn't even buy showbags! It was a hot day, so we bought lots of drinks, and I bought Georgia a fairy on a stick, because I can relive my childhood through her if I want to!

Our family is growing! On September 9th, my darling brother, of whom I couldn't be more proud, married Cassie, who I adore. They are truly a wonderful couple and their wedding day was testimony to that. They are deeply in love and deeply generous to their family and friends. What a stunning couple!

My sister, Sophie, has just given birth to an 8lb6 girl, Angelica Grace Gennari, in Baltimore USA. My heart aches as I want so desperately to be near her and give her a hug (and cuddle the little bundle).

Life is Beautiful. Don't forget it.

Spring Events

September 7 - nephew Isaac turns one

September 9 - Alex and Cassie's wedding

September 12 - our niece, Angelica, born to Sophie Turner

October 13 - mum comes home from USA

October 17 - Nanny's birthday (Audrey Kenny [nee Matthew])

October 20 - Georgia's 3rd birthday

October 22 - Georgia's birthday party

October 29 - Matthew's Baptism