Our little Hot Shot

I love tennis.  It was the main sport I played at a competitive level when I was a kid.  I loved attending my coaching lessons, captaining Saturday morning comp teams, representing the school, playing local comps, watching it on the TV.  I still love it and I've taken it up again, attending a weekly ladies coaching session and being a regular reserving player for competition.  So having a child that enjoys the sport as well, you can imagine I'm pretty excited.

Buster really enjoys his tennis.  He's not that interested in playing competitively yet or ever, but he loves attending his coaching sessions and having the opportunity to travel to Sydney, representing our tennis club at the Sydney International tennis tournament.  As an official Hot Shot kid he got to play demonstration tennis on Ken Roswall Arena (centre court), then form a guard of honour to receive high five's from the players entering the court.

Buster's day started very early.  He and the other Hot Shot kids needed to be at the tennis centre earlier than the bus organised by our tennis club could get them there.  He had a sleepover at Nanoo's, and Nanoo and Buster caught the train down to Sydney.  I caught the bus separately and we met up.

Apart from seeing Buster play and have fun, I was really looking forward to watching a day of tennis.  Because it was school holidays, I had moved a few mountains to have the opportunity to go.  Michael had arranged to work from home, Henry and Milly were on a playdate.  The stars had seemingly aligned for a golden day of tennis.  Alas, the weather had other ideas, and when I arrived in Sydney, I arrived to an overcast day with wet drizzle, relentlessly sprinkling down.  Boo hoo.

We sat for hours in the stadium (because there really was no where else to go) waiting out the rain.  When the rain finally stopped, it took at least 30 minutes for the court to be towelled down and deemed safe enough for play.  I'm amazed in this modern day and age that there has been no innovation in keeping a tennis court dry or drying one quickly.  Even in cricket they have covers to protect the pitch when it rains.  Meanwhile, my mum was dismayed they were using white towels to dry and clean the court.

With the court finally dry, Buster and the other Hot Shots could welcome in the players.  The match to be played was Camila Giorgi (ITA) vs Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS).  The Italian player didn't give much of a high five to the kids, but the Australian player made sure to touch every hand and even gave them a smile.  Then it was on to warm up before the match.  Three games in to the first set the rain started again and play was suspended.  And that, was that.  It didn't stop raining until our bus arrived to take us home.  All we saw for the day was three games.

It had been a long day for the little man.  The bus ride home had him asleep on my lap but his head was full of happy memories.  While I watched him sleep, as disappointed as I was that I didn't get to see more tennis, my head was also full of the happy memories watching Buster on his big day out as a Hot Shot kid.

Christmas 2018

There is such a long lead up to Christmas, then it's the 'big day' and it's gone just as quick.  I packed up Christmas yesterday.  The tree and all decorations have all been put away in the loft until next year.  The only remnants of Christmas are some leftovers in the fridge and some new toys, still not yet put away.

We were at home this Christmas, with my brother and family, and Mum and Peter.  The morning begun much earlier than anticipated.  I woke up at 2.18am to the sound of voices and rustling, then soon discovered Henry was up and going through his stocking.  I told him to go back to sleep, but that didn't last long, as he was waking me up at 5.30am as the excitement was too much.  Milly and Buster soon followed.  It was going to be a long morning.

The kids all opened their stockings, which are meant to keep them busy until the main present opening when Santa arrives.  This year they had also gotten each other gifts, so we let them exchange presents between themselves.  Then it's breakfast and getting dressed and waiting for Santa.  So when you wake up at 5.30am and Santa's not due until 9.30am, that's a long wait.  Given I was up so early allowed me time to get ready myself and prepare the salads for lunch, while Michael enjoyed a well earned sleep in before his hot day in the kitchen.

It was all systems go when barefooted Santa arrived.  As usual my brother missed seeing him.  Apparently, he had witnessed an old lady fall over across the street and had rushed to her aid.  Oh well, maybe next year he'll finally see Santa for himself.

After lots of photos the present opening ceremony began.  There were lots of "oos" and "ahs" for the anticipated gifts and the surprise ones.  Then we said goodbye to Santa and not long after my brother returned.  He said the lady had broken her arm, which is why he was gone longer than expected.

The next event of the day is of course the lunch.  Michael had made Citrus Brined Chicken, a Sticky Soy Pork, homemade pickled cucumbers, the crispiest roasted potatoes, roasted sweet potato, and I made the Carrot, Feta and Mint salad, and the Quinoa Four Bean Salad with Turmeric and Honey Dressing.

I didn't manage to get a photo of the desserts.  My mum had made a Lemon Meringue Pie and a Flourless Chocolate Cake.

We ate and drank well.  

As the sun went down, the kids were still full of energy and played tips in the backyard and laser tag.  It was so hot and we were all so tired, we then collapsed into bed.  Christmas 2018 over.

Our goal setting girl

It has been quite a big year for our girl and we have to hand it to her, she sets herself a personal goal and she goes for it.  She is brave, courageous, she bounces back from disappointments, and she always tries her best.  Underneath is a volcano of emotions that can explode without warning, and I'll admit we are fearful of when hormones and the teenage years come in to play, but she is a girl who strives and we are proud parents of this wonderful girl.

This year she has auditioned for three musical theatre productions and was successful in being cast in all three.  The first was Alice in Wonderland, where she had a role in the ensemble.

The second production was Elf Jr, where again she was cast in the ensemble and given her first individual line.

The third show is Madagascar Jr, which is in pre production and rehearsals kicking off in full next year.  She will be Lynn the Lemur and has a couple of lines and an extra ensemble role as a Lioness.

She also stuck her hand up to be part of a Year 5/6 singing ensemble that appeared in an adult production celebrating the songs of Sondheim.  It was her first time performing with a live orchestra.

She ended her year by performing with her drama class in a Jamboree (class showcase), where she had a role with lots of dialogue and we got to see her shine on stage.  The showcase also acted as a presentation day and she was one of two students in her drama class chosen for the Principal's Award for Outstanding Effort in Drama.

Aside from her theatrical pursuits, she has also had a great year at school.  She put herself out there to be a school leader heading into her final year at primary school. She first had to prepare and do a speech in front of her grade, grade teachers and the current school leaders as an expression of interest for captaincy.  Her Year 5 grade of 110 students voted her one of six girls to be in the leadership team.  She then needed to prepare another speech and present it to the whole school assembly of over 630 students to convince them she should be school captain.  She did a wonderful speech, speaking confidently about the schools values, being a role model and how she wanted to inspire as a school leader.  She wasn't successful in being voted captain, but she is a prefect for next year and she is thrilled.

Then to top it all off, at the school's end-of-year presentation day she was one of five kids in her class chosen for a class award and medal.  Her award reads for Outstanding Effort and Citizenship and her medal reads for Excellence, Respect and Responsibility (which are the school's values).

So, yes, it has been a great year for our girl and she has ended the year grinning from ear to ear.

Little man turns 9

When your birthday is at the end of a year, when you're young it can feel like an eternity until you get to celebrate it again.  Nonetheless, the day of birth does come around and we celebrate it with lots of food.

Buster loves to eat out.  He started his ninth birthday at his favourite cafe which is located across the road from his school.  His class sang him birthday wishes and his teacher let him wear a birthday t-shirt gifted to him by his best friend and classmate, Leo.

As Buster wasn't having a birthday party this year, he had his bestie Leo come home with him from school for a playdate and cake.

Don't think for one minute the birthday celebrations stopped there.  When the weekend rolled around we went out for a family birthday dinner and introduced the kids to Greek food for the first time.  Buster didn't steer away from his favourite calamari and chips, but the other two tried new foods and weren't repulsed, so we consider that a win.

Boo and Nanoo - school holiday fun

During the recent school holidays, Nanoo took Buster on a little trip down to Sydney.  They saw some famous landmarks, went to the aquarium and Sydney tower.  They even managed to have lunch with my brother.  It was a long day for the little man but he loved his special outing and from the photos Nanoo took, he looked like he was having fun.