Boxing Day

Boxing Day saw Corin, Yin and Casper head back to Sydney.  It was time to put the house back together, clean up, and find cupboards for all the new toys and games. 

 

By midday Buster had succumbed to what had been a very big week for him.  It's not like him to fall asleep before lunch, but the little man was plain tuckered out.

 

 

With Buster asleep, Henry was free to play his new Wii games on his own and uninterrupted.

 

 

Milly was busy in her room playing with her new Hello Kitty Dream House and Lego Friends.

 

While I was busy fulfilling a promise to Buster that I would build his Mega Bloks Power Rangers Samurai Headquarters, and that it would be ready for him to play with when he woke up.  Sadly for Buster this didn't quite go to plan.  I made every effort to have this project completed before he got up, but it took me over four hours to finish it.  All I have to say is Mega Bloks could learn a lot from Lego and their instruction booklets.

Christmas Day

I have memories as a kid of waking on Christmas morning when it was still dark outside.  I'd creep to my stocking hanging on my door, if it felt heavy and bulky I'd know Santa had been and I had been a good girl that year.  I'd then get back in bed and go back to sleep. 

Henry was first up on Christmas Day (no surprises there).  It must have been not long after 5.00am.  I'd asked him the night before if he was going to wake early to not wake his brother and sister, and he could open his stocking downstairs and play quietly.  Like the good boy he is, he did just that.  Milly was next to wake just before 6.00am and she joined Henry downstairs.  I could hear them excitedly chatting away and comparing their stockings.  Corin and Casper were next to join them, so I got up as well, as did Yin.  Buster woke around 6.30am and then Michael came downstairs at 7.00am.  At last we could start Christmas and more importantly pop that champagne cork.  It had rained all night and was raining still, so it looked like we would be stuck indoors on Christmas Day.

Champagne breakfast:  scrambled eggs, bacon, turkish toast.

 

Just after breakfast Corin needed to get something from his car.  While he was gone there was a knock at the door and in stepped Santa Claus.  How lucky were we to have the man himself to hand out the presents?  Henry and Milly weren't convinced it was the real Santa.  They thought it was Corin.  Their reason being that Santa doesn't wear glasses all the time, he only wears them when he reads out his lists.  But in the end, they really didn't care as long as they could start opening some presents.

It had been a generous year.  Thank you to all family who send presents.  Once they were all opened it was time for the kids to play, while us adults enjoyed some more champagne as we started to put together the toys that needed assembling.

 

It was while I was putting together the Hello Kitty Dream House that I looked out the lounge room window and noticed a large branch from our red gum tree hanging lower than normal.  Michael and I went out to inspect it.  It looked like the branch had split and was being supported by another tree.  If the branch was to fall it was certain to damage our neighbours house, take down our adjoining fence, and depending on which way it fell possibly break some of our windows as well.  It was raining, it was Christmas Day.  What do you do and who do you call?  I thought about calling our State Emergency Services (SES) who operate 24/7 in storms, floods, and other emergencies.  However, I knew they were all trained volunteers and didn't want to disrupt their Christmas with their families.  After a few hours of procrastinating I decided to call them and let them make the decision on whether the branch could wait or have to come down immediately.  The risk of seriously damaging our neighbours house and ours was worth making the call.

 

Within 40 minutes of reporting our branch to the SES, four men showed up ready to take it down.  I couldn't apologise enough for calling them out on Christmas Day.  The head of the team wasn't sorry at all.  He said our call couldn't have come at a better time because his in-laws had just arrived for Christmas lunch and he was happy to be out.  As it turned out, they assessed the branch to be dangerous enough that it would need to come down.  It took them almost two hours.  It was a delicate operation of chainsaws and pully systems as they dismantled the branch in stages.  Buster and Casper were transfixed by the windows watching.  When the SES were finished our side courtyard was trashed.  Michael had worked so hard on clearing it up and having it visitor ready for Christmas so we could dine outside.  At least we and our neighbours were now safe from the branch.  We tried to thank the SES men with beer and wine but they refused and said they are not allowed to accept gifts.  So humble are these men, "just doing our job" is what they said.  We felt terrible, but have made a promise to make a good donation next time we see the SES fundraising.

 



 

 

Not long after the SES had gone Mum and Peter arrived for Christmas dinner.  The kids were all busting to open more presents.  So far it had been a very exciting day.  I was a tad disappointed about the weather.  I had so wanted it to be warm so we could eat outside.  I had fairy lights and lanterns all ready to set up around the courtyard.  Because it was cold and raining we had to improvise and have dinner inside.  I even decided not to do the frozen lychee vodka martini cocktail (I'll have to save it for New Years Eve).  Despite all this it was Christmas Day and there was plenty to be thankful for.  We were safe, happy, healthy, and surrounded by family.  After a few wines it was a very merry, Merry Christmas.

 



 





PS.  Our Christmas dinner menu:  salmon and avocado tartlets / roast chicken with a cranberry, pistachio and couscous stuffing / roast turkey breast with a maple orange glaze / roast pumpkin and goats cheese crumble / roast potatoes / broccolini and peas / Janet Hobson's homemade Christmas pudding / homemade brandy and vanilla bean custard.

Christmas Eve

Twas the day before Christmas and I failed again to put something in the advent calendar for the kids.  Oh well, I'll just have to try a lot harder next year.  I think I was saved from their disappointment because they knew their cousin Casper was arriving to stay, plus there was only one more sleep until Christmas.

 

Christmas Eve was a hot and humid one.  It was hot inside the house but it was too hot outside.  We were all sticky and sweaty, but the thrill of Christmas was in the air.  The kids had a great time playing together.  Buster took a little time to warm to Casper, but once he did they were best buddies and it was sweet to watch them have little chats and follow each other around.

 



 

Some cold watermelon to cool the kids down.

The toilet training boys.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round..."

I was busy in the kitchen most of the day, preparing as much as I could for the following days festive feast.  As soon as late afternoon hit it was time to really cool down.  Running through a sprinkler has to be one of the best things to do as a kid.  I'm not embarrassed to admit I still like to run through the sprinkler.  Although these days I do it with my clothes still on.  There's no need to scare the neighbours.

Our little streaker.

Sardines on the lounge.
 

Yin and Henry.
 

By dinner time it had cooled down a bit and there were weather warnings of thunderstorms for the evening.  It was shandy time for me, wine time for Yin, and beer o'clock for Michael and Corin.  We dined outside on some yummy pasta while some mosquitoes dined on us.  Then the kids sprinkled some reindeer food around the backyard, put out a beer and biscuits for Santa, and tried to get to sleep dealing with the heat and the impending excitement.




It wasn't quite early to bed for me.  There were still presents to be wrapped and other bits and pieces to do.  The heat was draining and when sleep finally came it was welcomed with the sound of rain and distant thunder.  I was also hoping the kids wouldn't get up too early.  One can always hope.

Preschool ends

Now that the end of the year is drawing to a close so has an important chapter in Milly's life.  Her time at preschool has come to an end and she will start school next year.  Her preschool put on a little concert to celebrate and they held a graduation ceremony, presenting each preschooler with a portfolio of their work and memories of their time at the centre.  It was lovely to watch Milly sing and dance with her friends, some of who she will be going to school with and some who she might not see again.  I thought I might have a little cry but held it together in the end.  For me it really isn't goodbye as Buster will be starting at the preschool next year.

Milly has been a bit anxious about starting school.  She has had a couple of orientations of the kindergarten rooms and the first one didn't go so well.  Thankfully, the second was the charm.  But with all things Milly we can never really predict how she will react.  So despite the nervous tears and a couple of tantrums I was surprised when we got home from her final day at preschool and she marched over to her special file holder on the bookcase where I keep all her preschool artwork and newsletters and started throwing it all out, declaring "I don't need this baby stuff anymore!".  I guess she has decided she is now ready for school.  Look out!

Milly and her bestie Annika.  Fingers crossed they will be in the same kindergarten class next year.

When you're tired, you're tired.  A noisy preschool concert ain't going to stop our little Boo from having a sleep if he feels like it.

Christmas is in the air



The tree is up, the house is decorated, we have fairy lights and candles everywhere.... could it be Christmas time?  You betcha it is. 

 

The first Sunday in December is when we put up the tree.  Now that Buster is a little older I treated us to some new Christmas decorations.  My lordy we needed them.  Everything we had was broken or falling apart.  I guess they've done well to survive the number of apartment/house moves we have made in the last 17 years, plus the ultimate survival test - three young children.  As always the kids loved decorating the tree, and this must be the first year in seven that the decorations have remained untouched and we've been able to put presents under the tree and have them ignored.

 

 

You may remember I started a new tradition last year - the advent calendar.  You can read about that here.  I have to admit I have been a bit of a failure at it this year.  The poor kids keep waking me up in the morning with glum faces saying "there's nothing in the advent calendar".  My bad, I keep forgetting to do it each night.

That's not the only thing I've been lazy about this Christmas.  Since Henry was born I've taken an 'official' Christmas photo to put in our Christmas cards.  Guess what?  Didn't do it this year.  Instead of the usual struggle to wrangle the kids and get them to all look at the camera at the same time showing something of a smile, I had taken some photos in November when the kids were playing in a cardboard box in the backyard.  (I feel a Monty Python skit coming on).  Michael had the brilliant idea of using one of the photos and superimposing "Merry Christmas" on the lip of the box.  Too easy.  Another Christmas job ticked off the list.

Despite my cavalier approach to Christmas this year, I am very much full of the Christmas spirit and looking forward to the big day.  We will be having Christmas at home this year, with my brother Corin and family visiting.  It will be the usual morning routine of stockings, champagne breakfast, then present opening (I wonder if Corin, sorry *cough* Santa will make an appearance?  Hint, hint Corin if you're reading this).  We will then deviate from our usual routine and opt out of Christmas lunch, instead choosing to do a dinner.  This will allow us to relax a bit more during the day, enjoy it with the kids, and not have to fuss about in a kitchen in the middle of the day when it is stinking hot.  I won't reveal our Christmas dinner menu here, you'll have to wait for that.  However, I will let slip that the adults will commence proceedings with a frozen lychee vodka martini and the children will have watered down cordial.  (Yes, I definitely feel a Monty Phython skit coming on now).

Our karate kid

 

 

It hasn't been that long since Henry started learning karate and on Friday night he was ready for his first grading.  Grading is the process used in karate that allows students to progress through the belts.  As Henry is a junior beginner he started on his white belt and his next belt to achieve is called a yellow stripe.

 

 

 

To grade he needed to show he could do some beginner stances, punches, blocks, a learned kata (which is a sequence of movements representing offensive and defensive postures), and kumite (sparring).  His grading was conducted with a large group of junior karate students all grading for their respective belts and was run like a giant karate class.

 

It was a very proud moment to see Henry presented with a congratulatory certificate by the head of the martial arts centre Renshi Hayes, who is also a 6th Dan.  It was a prouder moment when they asked me to present him with his new belt. 

 



A month of Hobsons

We have had a number visitors over the last few weeks.  It has been one Hobson after another and they have all been very welcome.

First to stay for a few days were Michael's parents, Peter and Janet.  We had a couple of birthdays to celebrate.  Buster, Michael and Peter all have birthdays in November.  So I needed no better reason than to bake a cake.  Plus the kids love playing with their grandparents.

The birthday boys.

Playing ice-cream shops.  Place your order at Buster's kiosk.

Next up was Michael's cousin Steve, his wife Anna, and their two boys Miles and Joseph for an afternoon visit.

Finally, Michael's sister Libby and her kids came to visit for a few days from Queensland.  We gave Henry and Milly a day off school so they could spend some time with their cousins.  It was really fantastic to have them stay and gave all the kids a chance to be together as one big family.  They all got on so well.  Phew!

From left to right:  Rory, Ciara, Henry, Milly, Aisling, Buster.

Two peas in a pod.  A mutual love of art and craft.  They made wrapping paper.

Steve and Anna and their boys came up again to visit, making the most of the opportunity to catch up with the Queensland crew.  We had a full house.  Eight kids, five adults, we were outnumbered.

Dinner time at the zoo.

While the Queensland cousins were visiting we took them to the local swimming centre.  It's fair to say the kids loved the water playground.  Buster even found something of interest.  Can you guess what?

Falling asleep during storytime.  He'd had a big day.

All the excitement of cousin time was starting to take its toll. Lots of late nights and early morning starts. The kids were getting tired but putting on a good show and making the most of their time together.  It will probably be another year or more before we can do it all again.