Nearly Up To Date

So, that's a very quick overview of June. Some good photos are in the wrong format 'cause I snapped them on my phone. I'm not sure how to change them, but when I work it out I'll try to upload those.

With holidays this week, we've been busy every day. Photos to come.

Bethany turned 15, wow, how did that happen?

Matilda turns 11 tomorrow. Pizza and birthday cake - yeah!

Stay tuned...

A Day at the Park

26/06/08

Yet more pictures of Benjamin

Benjamin received a winter coat from Grandma, in case we go to the farm soon. We thought we should try it out. And we were right; he looks really cute in it.

18/06/08

Benjamin covered his face with the blanket, but continued to contentedly coo and goo. But wait...

Ah-Boo!

26/06/08

Billy At Church

Remember those cheeky little boys who would always want to know what's going on in the pew in front. Not necessarily naughty, just very curious. That's our Billy. By this stage he was posting something through the slats and retrieving it, yet to post it again.

15/06/08

In You Go Little Puddy Cats

In you go little puddy cats; into the dolly house...

Are you listening to me, little puddy cat? Are you having fun yet?

The new litter of kittens kept Billy very busy and very happy this day. All afternoon he 'helped' the kittens into the doll house, then out of the doll house, then into the doll house, then...

13/06/08

Addressed: To My Daddy

"I miss you so much Daddy, I thought maybe Mummy could post me."

11/06/08

Two of Daddy's Pretty Girls

Jessica Anne

Lillith May

10/06/08

Mmmm... I wonder....

I can't stop taking his photo. He's just so cute.

10/06/08

Oh! Benjamin

"Why are people always dressing me up?"

03/06/08

Willem - reddy for an edjakashun??

Lilly brought Willem out to the loungeroom yesterday after some preparations in the bathroom. He wanted his hair done like a big boy, and to wear Elsie's school bag. He put his own preschool activity books in the bag after dumping all Elsie's work out. He skipped all the book work and wanted to go straight to the yearly class photo shoot. The book shelf backdrop makes him look quite the academic.

Such a Gutty!

Prince Benjamin

The girls set Benjamin up in the Bananas in Pyjamas throne and dubbed him Prince Benjamin. He certainly doesn't mind being fussed over. He's a very compliant little baby brother. I can see him being dressed up by the girls, just like Billy was.

On another day Benjamin found a lot of comfort in flopping on Tildy for his afternoon nap. Matilda made the most of this 'confinement' by ringing her friend.

Shopping is SOOO Exciting!

Here are two of the littlies enjoying shopping. They decided holding hands would be the safest and most fun way to walk the isles. Jessica is always willing to point out interesting window displays. Ooooh! They're so cute!

Elsie reckons shopping as a family is outrageous. She says we take up the whole of the walk way, often stopping to consider things and waiting for me to make a decision of what to do next, and believes that everyone has a second look at us. Maybe these are the reasons she tends to walk some five metres in front of the main group.

AhhhBoo!

Benjamin, now ten weeks old, was checking out the kitchen counter with all its busy-ness. The children just want to take photos of him, all the time. Sometimes (many times) they catch me unawares and get a shocker of a photo of me in the process. Benjamin is so photogenic - I don't think there's been a bad snap of him.

"I Can See!!" says Tildy

Matilda has finally been fitted with spectacles. After pestering me every day for a very long time, I took the plunge and we visited the optometrist. A rather painless experience, actually. Something we should have done a very long time ago. Tildy is on top of the world. She keeps remarking how she can see everything now. Her clear vision, apparently, only extended half a metre.

Last night she wanted a video on so she could watch it sitting on the couch rather than on the floor in front of the set. And this morning she climbed into Josiah's tree house to really see the view for the first time.

Tildy is seeing the world through rose coloured glasses now!!

Belated News from Jessica's Birthday

Here's Jess at her Birthday Meal Table. We had roast chook for mains and traditional cake for dessert. The second photo was taken after the candles had been blown out. Now that was funny! She simply could not extinguish the flames, so she blew, and blew, and blew. She blew so hard that she began to shower the cake with spittle. The big kids and I chose pieces of cake from the 'dry' side.

Jessica was heard to say many times, "It's my birthday, I can have as much white chocolate as I want!"

All day was spent at the kitchen table doing, colouring, cutting, pasting, drawing and creating from Jessica's birthday craft box. The older girls were quite taken with her new supplies.

Snapshots of Benjamin

Just out of a bath.

Checking out Aunty Leanne.

Sleeping soundly.

Feeling pretty good about waking up.

Our Sunday

Whilst listening to an mp3 sermon this morning, the children drew on whiteboards, played some games of memory, and I continued to knit Beth's cardigan. Benjamin cuddled one of us most of the time. With the weather being so cold and windy this weekend, to cozy up on the couches with the heater on was a delightful way to spend some hours.

After our morning together, we decided to get busy.

Beth, Matilda, Lillith and I (with spasmodic efforts from Emily and Willem) peeled, cored, cut and preserved 12 bottles of pears. We got bread made, and yoghourt fermenting, and even a batch of jam setting.

Josiah thought a clean up in the garage would be a good way to spend half an hour, and the littlies went from job to job inputting to their ability.

The strong winds have made a mess of the patio but there's no use trying to do anything about that until the winds subside.

We finished the day with pasta and tinned fruit, and by enjoying an Australian Geographic documentary. (The older ones snuck in a bit of Willy Wonker after the littlies' bedtime.)

We all felt good with our efforts today.

The Start of Jessy's Big Day

Today Jessica turns 5. She has been waiting for this day rather impatiently. Counting down the 'sleeps' until she was able to open her masses of presents. Longing to be the centre of attention for the whole day.

This year Jessica received a box of goodies. New crayons, coloured pens, craft scissors, stickers, activity and colouring books, a scrap book in which to store her work, a laptop whiteboard and markers, and a stack of brightly coloured card. There was also a hard cover book of 101 favourite stories which has beautiful colour pictures. Lillith decorated a paper doll and a wardrobe of clothes for Jessica to play with. It took Lillith all week to colour, laminate and cut out the pieces. Jessica is playing with them now (under strict supervision from Emily).

Here she is waiting for the proceedings to begin.

More photos to follow throughout the day...

Hey Benjamin!

Hey Little Benjamin! Look over here!

That's better. Would you like to say something to Daddy?

"Uh-hu. I wuv you Daddy! Here's a smile just for you."

"How was dat, Mummy? Do you fink Daddy will fink I'm cute?"

The Problem With Chooks...

The problem with chooks is that they find tiny little breaches in the wire fence of their pen, go walkies all around the yard, and find my vegie garden. Then they dine on my choicest asian greens, celery and green beans. And tear infant rhubarb from its fertile bed and throw it aside with a thoughtless flick of their tiny little pea brain heads. Sigh...

What I Do In My Spare Time

These items were the little somethings that I gave to Robyn to thank her for the help she gave to our family during Benjamin's birth. (The lace doilies were crocheted using my great grandmother's hooks - Lillith May Senior)

Robyn and 'her boys'

It was time for Benjamin's 6 week checkup, although he was 7 weeks by the time Robyn and I could finally match up a free night.

Robyn brought her granddaughter for the evening. All the little girls love to play with Eleana; dressing up and having tea parties on the patio. But she only has two sides, and four children wanted to sit next to her at the dinner table.

Snapshots of the Babies

Benjamin Russell

Willem John aka Billy

Jessica Anne aka Jessy

Emily Joy

Lillith May aka Lilly

Aren't they just the cutest?!

The Boys Watching a DVD

Josiah and Benjamin having a cuddle in bed whilst watching something on the portable player. Smiles all 'round.

Anzac Day 2008

We've just arrived home from the service at the base. It was a very simple, quiet service, with no flashy dramatics. The Lord's Prayer was recited, prayers spoken for the soldiers who are deployed, and for the families of the soldiers that never returned. The morning was solemnly emotional.

The cawing of the crows at the base always get to me. They begin as the stars fade and the sky turns to a pastey grey blue. Their calls correspond to the rising of the morning breeze and the tap, tap of the flag clasps hanging at halfmast. The Last Post trumpets its invitation to those assembled to remember. Silence follows; thick with thoughts, memories, emotions and, perhaps most importantly, hopes. We stand as the national anthem draws all eyes upward to the Flag that is now atop the pole.

As we joined the crowd for breakfast in the compound we passed by wreaths laid beside the unit's plaques, and could read the battle history on the wall. The group of a hundred or so gathering for a meal were huddling in small scrums, drawing coats and blankets up around their chins to keep out the biting wind. And on the air wafted that ever familiar Anzac coffee smell (the heavily laced with rum coffee smell!).

Standing fast against the cold wind.

Benjamin's first Anzac Day Service.

The sun peeking over the barracks.

Morning mishaps... Jessica set fire to the ends of her hair with the candle she was holding, while she was emphatically telling Willem to be careful with his candle or he might set fire to his hair! Breakfast consisted of spilled teas and juices, soggy shirts and a dripping tablecloth. Oh yes, also took us 40 minutes to get from the lights at Samford Rd to the base gates. Then there were no parks up at the unit so we had to create our own tricksy parking space.

But now we are entering that foggy, 'I got up too early' stage of the morning. The TV is on so we can watch the snippets of parades and Aussie history, and at 10am we will be able to see the city march.

Anzac Day ................................ LEST WE FORGET!

Pics That Elsie Picked

Elsie didn't like my choice of photo in my introductory post. These are her pics.