What we have been upto!

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated this blog. It's been busy around here! The weather has been gorgeous (too nice, we need rain!) so we have been spending alot of time in the garden. We have been weeding, fertilising, painting fences and been to the nursery. We got a lemon tree and a nectarine/peach tree. We will grow the lemon tree in a pot for now, until the patio is finished. We also dismantled the swing set and took it up to Amie's house for Ruby & Jonah. So that has freed up alot of space in the back yard.


The girls sat their dancing exams last week and all did very well. We won't know the actual results for a while, except Kate got all her theory right in her tap.

New Zealand July 2010

the flight over from Perth to Auckland


We had a lovely time back home despite it being the middle of winter!
Our motel had central heating so we were nice & cosy at night. The days were a bit cool but not too bad. Some rainy days but we managed to find things to amuse ourselves.

The girls travelled well, sleeping quite a bit on the way over. Coming home Ella slept half the way after exhausting herself crying because she didn't want to leave. Kate on the other hand was packed & ready to go 3 days before hand. Funny kids!

We went over for my parents Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration which was a lovely lunch with family & close friends. The sun came out after a few days of rain, which was lovely!

We had a spa at the motel which the girls enjoyed most nights when we were back in time before it closed, it was more like a sauna though!

enjoying a spa

at the museum doing an activity sheet

Perfume Point rock pools

We drove a long way to the place with the longest name in the World!

playing in the park, Dannevirke

Kate chose rock climbing, which they both loved

Ella chose the Aquarium

Danielle with the girls in Auckland airport (she met us there after our flight from Napier) before we departed for Perth!

Three ballerinas ready
for their mid-year concert!

Ella with her new winter coat, ready to face the cold in New Zealand next week!
This was a bargain I found today $36 down to $18! Can't get much better than that!

Kate on her way to tap dancing with her new ipod she got for her birthday!
Should keep her entertained on the plane!

Happy 9th Birthday Kate!!!

Today our lovely Kate is nine! She has been so excited the last few weeks planning a disco party for tonight! As a bonus, she had a sleepover at school last night, so woke at school on her birthday surrounded by her friends. That's the best apparently.

Kalamunda History Village

King's Park

We made the most of the winter sunshine today and celebrated the Public Holiday (Foundation Day) by taking the kids to Perth's famous King's Park for a play and picnic lunch.
They all had a great time, and made some new friends to hang out with. We had to leave at 2:30pm though, as even though it was a public holiday,
Kate still had a tap dance class to attend!

Here's a few pics from our day!

Storing & culling toys

Yesterday I decided to clean out the toys in the spare room. Kate & Ella got in and helped me too. We culled lots of toys they had outgrown, ready for the local church Op-Shop. A few bags for the rubbish bin as well. Then we went to the shops and bought some containers and sorted what we were keeping. These aren't the right size for the bookcase, but I find the bigger containers just get loaded up with bits of everything and no one plays with it as it is all jumbled together. We labelled them all, and are really pleased with the results. We had to stop twice though as this is where Jonah's cot is and he needed sleeps!
Hopefully the girls can keep it this tidy!

Happy Kids

I found these pics on the camera that Kate must of taken as she isn't in any of them!

Ella & Ruby playing with the Barbie campervan is always a favourite.

Jonah loves anything with wheels
but he would rather turn the cars over and just spin the wheels!

Mother's Day 2010

My day started at 6am with 2 little girls gently waking me with breakfast in bed! This is a first time they have done this. Honey toast and a chocolate milk. It doesn't get much better than that! Followed by presents - plants and treasures and hand made cards they made at school. Amie gave me some winter sheets for my bed, Ruby gave me a box of Rose's chocolates and Jonah a box of scorched almonds! Yum!!!

Then we wen to Tomato lake to celebrate Mother's Day!
It has become something of a tradition to go there every year. I think we have missed one in the 8 years since we have lived here due to the weather.
I came here for my first Mother's Day in Australia with just Kate who was 10 1/2 mths old. I enjoyed it very much and have stuck with it. It was absolutely packed as always.
We didn't take a picnic this year, but enjoyed hotdogs from the park cafe.
We always take a walk around the lake (the girls took turns on the scooters)
Then an ice cream and home.
Well we actually stopped at the garden center and bought a Cyclamen and petunias for the pots.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there! I hope you've all had a fantastic day!