gorgeous...

Here is one of Sharon's photos she took for us on Friday for Morganne's first birthday...I am "patiently" waiting to see more! Ben gets home tomorrow - YAY!I shall update more soon as we have been very busy! Lissy

one...

Our littlest bug Morganne Isabella has turned ONE today!She loved her presents...we gave her a silly musical chair which she loves....E gave her a wheel barrow...and she has plenty of other gifts to enjoy...E and my nephews has fun helping her open the presents... We had a lady bug party for her....I took a few mediocre photos but... Fortunately Sharon came and took photos for me so I will be keen to see them soon!

I cannot believe that one year ago today she was born! She is a precious happy little thing who loves music and bops away to classical FM in the car! And bops to any musical toys! She ties to put her socks on and puts her arms in her tops when getting dressed...she climbs and sits on the lounge chairs and is standing up holding the furniture...

She loves to bang things and put toys in and out of things and anything musical...she will take your hand and get you to do something if she cannot...she can blow a whistle!

She is letting me spoon feed her again finally after many months of refusing to be fed...she is also starting to eat better again after being sick...she weighs about 10.25kg but shall get that and her height checked this week...
And she loves balloons of course!
So Happy Birthday Morganne! I am sure there are lots of other things she is doing but I cannot think at the moment! I have lots of other news but that will wait until another day! Lissy

photos...

I tried another photo shoot...no reindeer ears but some nice photos of my girls...And so this is our Christmas Card photo...couldn't get M to smile but still cute anyway!And then E and I took photos of each other ( another one of our advent activities!) I love these ones E took of Morganne and I...This is Evangeline and me when she was about one...the girls are quite different...and I look a lot younger...lol...it was only four years ago! She had more teeth and was walking by 11 months...They have similar hair but different coloured eyes...and I am sure their personalities will be quite different!Anyway here is hoping we all have a good week! Lissy

and so...

We have had a busy week including Market Day at school where the classes make things and have a stall...E's class had play dough and bubble mixture to sell.... They have been learning about money this term including an excursion to The Mint...they have been "banking" money each week at a school which they then spent on Market Day...

And the school had Open Classroom on Friday when we go to see what the children are doing and can visit the other classes too...I love to see what Evangeline is doing...she has been working with Fraction Puzzles learning whole, half, thirds, quarter and fifth...all very practical and hands on learning developing their mathematical and literacy concepts plus lots of great practical life stuff...E has learnt to tie bows and shoe laces this term! They have a little washing machine in class and do all the washing them selves including hanging it out and folding it when it is dry...I should get E more involved at home! Sadly I forgot my camera!

We have been making Christmas decorations...and glitter has now been added and these string baubles hung on the tree! She has made some lanterns too...And she taught me how to make snowflakes...lol...oh and we painted toe nails and finger nails!Evangeline loves salad and likes to help prepare it too...it's a bit chunky but tastes the same! We have lots of stuff growing in our garden which is great...the lettuce is going well and the tomatoes are starting to ripen...Morganne loves the moths E made and hung from the ceiling!She is standing up holding the furniture all the time now...and she likes to try and put socks on! She is starting to eat again after being sick...and I can even spoon feed her! She is a happy little soul mostly! She turns one in a few days! We had E's dance concert on Friday night which went quite well! They are always cute...E isn't really into dance any more so we won't be doing it next year. I thought we might try gymnastics instead. I tried to take Christmas photos yesterday! Not very successful! Oh well! I babysat Lara today so E had fun! And I managed to mow the lawns and do some much needed gardening...And even some cleaning! I was so tired yesterday that I went to bed with Evangeline! So I felt a lot better today so managed to get some jobs done!

Anyway I think that is about it! Ben is due home in about 7 or 8 days! YAY! He has only been home for about one month out of the last four months! Lissy

tree...

We have put up the tree....only a little one this year so we can put it up out of the way of our littlest one! Evangeline decorated the tree all by herself...My favourite decorations are the ones E has made over the last couple of years at play group and school...
and Morganne threw baubles around!
I have made a list of advent activities...I have put one in each advent stocking that I made a couple of years ago...We will do one activity each day...some of which we will be at the farm so the boys will join in! Plus we have quite a collection of Christmas story books to read each night at bed time!

Here are our activities...in no particular order...
Set up the Christmas tree
Bake Christmas cookies and decorate them
Have a picnic for dinner in the lounge
Purchase a present to give to charity
Write a letter to Santa
Eat fancy ice cream sundaes after dinner…with smarties and sprinkles
Watch a Christmas movie before bed with popcorn
Make paper lanterns
Paint everyone’s toenails
Make Christmas decorations for the tree
Make Christmas Cards for the family
Put on Christmas Tattoos
Wrap gifts for the teacher
Have a camp out around the Christmas tree
Fancy dress for dinner time
Pack a picnic dinner and have it at a park
Go out to see the Christmas lights
Making paper snowflakes
Have a treasure hunt
Make a great hide out and then hang out with flashlights
Take photos of each other
Play board games
Have hot chocolate with all the fixings (or milkshakes if it’s too hot)
Christmas Eve Picnic Tea up the Rock

I have done all the shopping except a couple of small things...and everything has been wrapped mostly too! I sent most of the presents and "the Santa presents" to the farm with mum on Monday...We have a Santa Stop Here sign ready to take to the farm as Evangeline wasn't sure he would know where she was...so we might add that to her Santa letter!

We read "Six White Boomers" tonight...E decided it wasn't real as kangaroos can't fly...only reindeers can fly! Christmas is coming! Lissy

much better...

Morganne is much better now...she is being her usual bubbly happy self which is great!Evangeline loves her baby sister and Morganne loves her too...Here is Evangeline in her costumes at the rehearsal for the dance concert this week...And here is the very cute moth she drew yesterday!And one last pic just because...I hope you are having a good weekend! Lissy

hospital...

I was thinking recently I had been lucky never having been to hospital with the kids....well Monday night that changed...

Morganne has had a cough and cold for a couple of weeks. I took her to the doctor last week but she was fine...just something viral as her glads were up. Then Sunday her temp started going up getting to 39.5C...it would go down after some paracetamol but go up again...she was a bit wheezy and her breathing was a bit laboured (she was grunting)...she slept in my bed that night...then Monday morning I took her to the doctor and she said she had a chest infection and an ear infection and to watch her breathing...her breathing was worse by the afternoon and so I went back to the doctor and she sent us to hospital...so we spent the night in Princess Margaret Hospital for Children...not much sleep...mostly M sleeping in my chest in the reclining chair...but by morning she was improving so we came home...

She has been up and down since yesterday with some wheezing, temps and grunting but not as bad as Monday. She slept with me again last night as I wanted to keep an eye on her. Her temp did go up but her breathing was pretty good. It was tiring being in hospital but reassuring to know help was on hand. The staff were all fabulous. I hadn't been sure on Monday if her breathing was so bad and if I was just being a paranoid mum which is why I went back to the GP...as it turned out I am glad I did...better to be safe than sorry as they say...

Mum had been out to see us on Monday afternoon ( she spent Sunday with us too) so I was able just to leave Evangeline with her for the night and go which was great as Ben is at sea.

Other than that we have had a good week! E had her dance concert rehearsal...M clapped and kicked her legs around as she loves music. The concert is next week.

I have fixed some reticulation - I am very impressed with myself!!lol...Here is my handy work! This photo for Ben! I haven't filled in the hole yet so he can see it in real life when he gets home!!Evangeline had Lara's birthday party on Saturday to go to... And we babysat Lara on Saturday night and went to the school dance...Morganne loved the music too!
And Evangeline has taught herself how to blow up a balloon...she is very pleased with herself! Morganne has learnt to climb up onto the lounge chairs...she loves to climb in there with a book...but twice she has fallen over the arm! I have put the cushion on the floor to make it lower but still she went over the arm...So she had a big egg on her head on Friday which is now just a bruise...the triage nurse thought I was at the Emergency Dept for that! Ben may be changing onto another boat...so he may or may not be home a bit earlier...and then going back to work just after new year...so we will see what happens...Lissy

she's up...

Yes Morganne is standing up holding the furniture!
This is her chucking a hissy fit when I would not give her the spoon when feeding her some banana!
Evangeline is loving having "cups of tea" with the tea set my sister and family gave her for her birthday...it is a Pippi Longstockings one...I loved these stories as a child and E likes them too! I had plans to build a house on our farm and move in with my pony...lol..

We had swimming this morning and Lara come to play this afternoon.

Tonight we had the dance dress rehearsal for the end of year concert...E did her own thing....lol...but was cute anyway! She missed a lot of classes this year and was partially deaf at most of the rest so really she has no idea what is going on! Poor thing was so tired by the end of it all.

Morganne loved it all and clapped and boogied and waved her legs around! I didn't take any photos but tried out my camcorder which I have just bought....I have wanted one for years! My filming skills are pretty limited but it will do!

We have had a couple of nice warm days with about 26C but now rain is coming and about 20C for rest of week. A couple of sprinklers are broken so it is just as well as I cannot put the reticulation on until I work out how to fix them!

I have been trying to sort out the girls clothes and toys this week....a mammoth job...and that is about it for now...I hope you are having a good week! Lissy