motorbike...

E has had a fantastic day!Ben got the motorbike going this morning so she could have her first ride....my in laws have a motorcycle and small engine business and so sent 3 reconditioned bikes for the 3 girls (E and our 2 nieces)E was off and soon worked out how to increase the throttle speed even though Ben had adjusted it down so it would only go slow! We were wondering why it kept speeding up as she was going around the paddock!Ben had a lot of fun too!Our youngest niece came over for a ride on her bike as well!Now she is out swimming in the pool...Ben is yet to get the heating fixed...the pool is fully enclosed with fly screen to keep the leaves etc out and provide sun shade but it means it is cold so we have pipes on the roof to solar heat it...it needs some repairs...

A couple of kid's birthday parties to go to this weekend so pretty busy here...can't believe it is December tomorrow...I must get out that tree too and get E decorating while we are waiting for this baby!! I am guessing she will just arrive on December 5th or 6th now! So all good here if I could just shake this cough and cold...I hope you have a great weekend planned -Lissy

39 weeks....

Well I was hoping not to be here posting at 39 weeks...but I am...so here is the bump...my friend Susan says the baby is obviously not bored enough yet to come out! I had an appointment at Ob today...I had taken E along as she has been asking to go...but we got lost in the queue so it was a long wait...I was so tired and frazzled that I do not even know how much baby has grown...probably better off not knowing being that she was already 7 pds two weeks ago...but all is well so just back to waiting!

Other news...E had dance concert last night...no good pics on stage as no flash photography...but she had fun and did very well...she was very excited so it is amazing I got her still for a second to get any photos! 3 costume changes...crazy!

All the stage shots are blurry like this one!
She did her own impromptu encore after the last item...they were all running off stage and E ran down to the front of the stage around the curtain as it was closing and bowed and waved to the audience! The teacher had to come and get her off! She seems to be a bit theatrical!

Ben is flying back from Tasmania tonight..so has not missed the baby! The Ob seems to think the baby will just come on time like E did! And I still have a bad cold and cough so it is probably just as well there is no baby on the scene yet!

There was a market day at school today...the older kids had stalls selling things they had made, face painting and so on...E really enjoyed it...she bought some biscuits, a braclet and had her face painted...and still had change from $5! I bought some kangaroo paws which are now looking very nice in a tall vase!

So that is it for now - Lissy

already this week...

...things have been busy....

After the car club came to visit dad's collection (about 20 cars and probably 40 people turned up) Sunday, Ben finished cleaning the pool and E had her first swim for the summer...

..it is too cold for us so Ben will have to get the solar heating going!

And we went up to my Aunt and Uncle's house for tea as my cousin's wife was over from Melbourne...E had fun looking at tadpoles and such...
Yesterday Ben took off to Tasmania for four days training...so hopefully this baby will stay put for a few days...

Ben's dad has a motorcycle and engine business and sent us two little second hand four wheeler bikes for the grand kids to ride...E was trying it out even thought it had no fuel!I did manage one thing on the weekend...a button tree...but now need more pins and couldn't find any yesterday...sold out!
Last dance practice for E yesterday as the concert is this Wednesday night...Swimming and such today...

I am sick again...cold and cough...so is E...hope we can shake it before the baby arrives...so that is it for now - Lissy

dad....

...we think of him and miss him everyday...today would have been his 71st birthday... and it is very hard to think he is not here....he was such a great dad and loved the kids....family was very important to him...and so we are a close family

The car club are coming today...a kind of memorial run...to see all his cars and tractors and such...

The kids could always ride in the cars, truck or on the tractors and play on the ploughs and other bits...and E spent a lot of time helping him in the shed...as did the boys at the farm...They loved spending time with him and Dad loved being with them too...

Dad hated having his photo taken but I never took any notice and kept taking them - I am so glad I did as I have lots of photos...but we would sooner have the real thing...Lissy

and after....

A slow process....being that I need to sit down and take rests all the time....hot day here and I am feeling it...but I have cleaned my work space...

Still a few bits there but very clean for me....I always seem to have a few little piles of odds and sods that do not have homes...and that I keep there in case I need it....and ideally my tins of tools and utensils need to be hung on the wall some day...but if you look at the before pic on the last post you can see a BIG improvement!!

So now what...well time permitting this week I plan to scrapbooking wise:
A...work on E's birthday album
B...do some more pages in the baby's birdie album
C...start a big sister album for E ready for photos when the baby arrives

and craft wise:
A...start button Christmas tree decorations (the button ones like Ali Edward's made)
B...make some foam ball decorations using fabric...saw these somewhere too...but cannot remember where...I should be more diligent about noting things down
C...decorate the baby's Christmas box....to hold her decorations...E already has one...very simple one I made last year....and sewing wise:
A...a sleeping bag for the baby
B...a dress for E
C...booties for the baby

I need to clean my sewing table a bit too but it is not too bad at the moment!

There is way too much really on my list but at least it is a plan!

We shall see how I go...but really I am hoping to be otherwise occupied with a newborn instead!

Off out side now to water my garden...the retic is off so I am hand watering! Lissy

waiting...

Still waiting for the Baby to make an appearance....

E found a spider in her room today....so before Ben rehoused it they had a good look...it was eating a bug!

And Sharon is mistaken if her desk is chaos!!! This is chaos....I am now cleaning up as obviously I can't move to do anything!!
Other than that today...we have been to vote in our Federal elections.....and I have been cleaning...Ben is fixing the tractor...and E is now playing in her clean playroom! Lissy

cucumbers....

...are growing in our garden! E loves cucumber so was very excited to find some under the vines yesterday!And some fabrics arrived in the post today....These for some doll's bedding and such....from hightown fabrics on ebay... and for some Christmas projects....from eQuilter.com in the USAAnd Sharon popped in for a coffee today so I got her to take a photo...is this the last one??? Hope so!! Other wise we will be back next week with 39 weeks!And it is HOT here today...36C...or something so we are hiding out inside...hope you have a nice weekend planned - Lissy

oh dear...

...whatever possessed me to try and make some Christmas decorations this afternoon when I am feel less than average I do not know....I thought these were simple...and they are...but mine have turned out pretty wonky! I tried to hand stitch and it looked like E was having a go at the sewing...lol...so then I machine stitched...a little better but they are all wonky....I think I should just go and lay down! LESSON - do not attempt creative things when feeling very tired and worn out and plain rotten at 38 weeks pregnant...oh well...here the masterpieces are...lol...
I have a few other things I am hoping to tackle but shall have to wait until I am more with it! Lissy

when.....

"When is Baby coming????" E has been asking every day since her birthday! We have been telling her for months that it would be her birthday, then Baby will come and then Christmas...it is now a bit hard for her to understand that we do not really know when Baby will arrive! I have told Ben the baby's name....he is not overly keen but I hope it will grow on him...as I can't think of anything else!

I spent the morning at school today to help out in the class and take photos....it is great to see how much all the kids are learning...and it is all as they are interested and ready (as is the Montessori way)...so a fabulous way to learn for young children! They choose what work they do each day and the teacher also gives them individual lessons as needed.

E was very busy today....E started painting a ceramic Christmas ornaments, made bread to eat for morning tea, did some writing, and some work on beginning sounds, played outside, read books, did puzzles...and so onAnd that is all for today - Lissy

home again....

Ben turned up in a taxi on Sunday morning about 11 which was great :) He had been waiting on standby at the airport and got an earlier flight as we had not expected him until about 6pm!

We are at nearly 38 weeks now...so any day now...here is a bad photo (no flash) of E and I at home today making lunch...I really must get some more photos of E, me and the bump!My Canon 350D died on the weekend...so top priority today was to go and see about getting it fixed! First of all I found out it would take 4 - 6 weeks at least...panic started to set in...then it would cost about $300 and then it probably need a new shutter and other things....basically I have taken so many photos ( about 50, 000) that I have worn it out! So in the end we decided it was cheaper to get a new body...so I am now the very happy owner of a Canon 400D....early Christmas present ... and I cannot complain about that! Haven't really played with it yet...but I will!

But here is E at dance this afternoon! No editing on this photo...
Ben and E had fun on the trampoline tonight before bed...need to look at the camera settings...a priority for tomorrow in case the baby arrives!

So that is it for today - Lissy

party...

Well the birthday party was a great success...pony rides and plenty of space for lots of kids to run around....didn't actually count how many came but there was at least 30! They all had lots of rides. Mum iced the cake...the horse on it is actually one she has had in the cupboard for 30 years....it never made it onto a cake for my sister and I! All in all everyone had a good time including Evangeline which is what it is all about! And the weather was great...so here are some photos...click on the pic if you want to see it larger!
Ben just called and he flies home tomorrow! Pity he missed it all...can't think of much else as I am pretty tired so off to bed - Lissy

four...

Here she is...our four year old! Bit of a strange expression on her face! Lots of photos and details mainly for Ben's benefit as he is still at sea somewhere south of Bali heading for Dampier!

She loves her new lego....
The new pram and baby doll are very popular...ready for her to be a "mum" when the baby arrives...
Grandma gave her a little key board and she has been entertaining us ALL afternoon...

And she "wrote" some of her own music!

I made some cupcakes to take to school...E's teacher Naomi does this wonderful story about the earth going around the sun...and the child growing up...
The birthday child get to be the earth going around the sun (the candles) and each year the teacher says what she can do...up to their current age ( crawl, eat, walk,ride a bike, write their name and so on)
and then they sing happy birthday...it is fabulous.... Montessori education really is fabulous for E!

So happy happy birthday to our darling girl...party tomorrow! Lissy