The older girls and I had a great day together in town recently. We went to the museum and on the clock tower tour (great views!), then visited Mummy's office and the interactive walls at QUT. We also read a few books in the city library and had a very yummy lunch at a little place near Mummy's office where there was much deliberation taken over the choices from the menu and some improved skills at use with our chopsticks as well!
We caught the train and took the city loop bus as well, but had to leave the ferry and/or City Cats for next time...there's so much to do and explore in the city!

Some recent family photos - our last ones were when Lauren was 6 months - oh how they are all growing!

Quick zoo visit

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to head up to the zoo for a few hours this afternoon (thanks Uncle Jason), and despite a couple of us feeling a tad under the weather we still had a great time. Crocodiles were the overall favourite animal in the discussion afterwards - Lauren was rather taken with watching them get fed.

Sept Hols Camping Trip

We joined a large group and went camping to what is affectionately known by them as 'Bonnydoon'. We had a fantastic week - lots of time in the water, swimming, kayaking, playing and behind some gorgeous ski boats on both biscuits and knee boards. The girls loooooved it (and so did we) so we're already booked in to join them all again next year (if they'll have us).

Greg spent time sorting out a far better way to set up our camp for future trips and that has been the focus of some projects on our return as well, so we'll be super organised for next time. He's even created height adjustable cooking, along with additional storage and some other clever ideas have been incorporated as well. Now to put them to use...

Next camping trip is after Christmas - looking forward to it already!

First ensemble performance

Ellen had her first ever string ensemble performance this evening and it was amazing given the relatively short time that she's been learning the viola. She is loving it - all music at school actually, and is keen to keep on learning and playing in the future.

Liv's sports day

Livvy-lou had her school sports day today. As usual the younger grades do more playing games and obstacle courses etc. apart from the standard athletics events. She had a ball and her enthusiasm and smiles were commented on by nearly every parent that I spoke to during the day. Liv loves to be part of it all and her enthusiasm is contagious - it was wonderful to be there and witness.
Great effort Livvy-lou!

One, Two, Three...

cheeky monkeys swinging in a tree.

From oldest to youngest here they are on a rather warm winter's afternoon after a game of tennis at Aunty Tricia and Uncle Jason's house. Growing so fast - eight, seven and two now!

Our weekend

The very brave girl with her sticker after seeing the doctor - the smile may be a little forced!!

Saturday morning we were up early for Liv's soccer game and when she came out for breakfast we noticed a few spots, further inspection revealed quite a few more - a quick trip to the doctor confirmed that she has chickenpox. Greg had them a few weeks ago, and a boy in her class has them as well, so they must be going around, so she's housebound for at least a week.

Then, Sunday morning the girls were up early and unfortunately there was an incident that resulted in Lauren sustaining burns to both her hands...a trip to the same doctor and a few metres of bandage and gauze later we were heading home again, with daily trips to have dressings changed scheduled for the next few days. Thinking we should lay low for a while...

Tryathlon

The girls have been waiting for this day for months, every since they first heard about it, and finally the day of the Weetbix Tryathlon arrived. The girls had so much fun and were so proud to have finished the event. The distances were all designed to be very achievable (100m swim/ 3km ride/ 500m run) - long enough to 'try', but not too long.
We were impressed with how well organised and well run it all was. The girls received their medals from a champion junior surfer and are already talking about doing it all again next year - and perhaps even training with the school team - we'll see how long that enthusiasm lasts...

Last good-byes

We finally sold our house in Toowoomba last week - for the older two girls it was a good opportunity to say 'Good-bye' when we headed up for a last clean out of some things stored underneath and in the roof. Lauren was amazed that the house had its own playground and had a great time playing there, but the other two spent some time reminiscing and then chose a rock each from the garden as a reminder of the fun times that we had had in that house. It was nice to see it all again, and to see how the gardens that we had planted had grown etc., but also nice to say 'Farewell'.

Train museum

Thanks to Grandma and Papa we headed to the train museum for a fun day a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect, there were few people there and the girls had a ball exploring everything. There were also plenty of great picnic spots - a really fun day out, with a great indoor play area that kept them all busy for ages.

Liv's Cross Country

Liv's still running in the Prep to 2 Carnival this year, so I had a second day of Cross Country to go and cheer along. The girls decided to do some training this year and it really showed on the day in their attitude, demeanour and result.
About halfway through the 800m run a little girl in front of Livvy fell over and in typical Liv fashion, she stopped to help the girl up and then ran holding her hand for a while until she felt okay again - that's just the kind of girl that Liv is!
She had a great time overall and was so proud that she didn't get a stitch the whole way around - well done Livvy-lou!

Buzz

 The girls went to the Easter holiday program and had a ball - these photos courtesy of Uncle Graeme who was there throughout - apparently he only ever caught up with our two at lunch time! They loved it and can't wait for next year!

She's seven...party, party, party!!

Livvy-lou finally turned seven...she's been waiting so long for this birthday to arrive, and to finally have a 'friend' birthday party. She chose a cooking party and it was fantastic!
The girls arrived to receive a home-made apron (thanks Nanna!), made apricot balls and chocolate balls to put in their goodie bags to take home at the end, then made their own pizzas and while those were cooking they assembled their own choice of salad on a skewer (not everyone managed to fit as much salad as Liv on her skewer!)
There were the usual crazy party games, lots of giggling and some very proud little girls who left a few hours later, taking the things that they had made home to share with their families. A great day for a beautiful little lady.

 On the actual day we had  the usual family get together with lots of laughs and lots of food. This girl just glows when she smiles, and brings love and warmth wherever she goes - such a caring heart and top attitude to life. Liv is a glass half-full girl, who brings a smile to a tired Mummy's heart.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Greg had a lovely birthday this year, with the traditional chocolate cake, with chocolate icing and as many smarties are can be squeezed on top. The girls loved making it for him themselves and as usual it was a day full of laughter together. We love you Daddy!

First day back

Off to school again - so much smoother and easier this year being at the same school and knowing how it all comes together. The girls are really enjoying their classes this year (Grades Three and Two), and have leapt into a myriad of other activities as well at school with a variety of clubs to choose from - art, dance, singing, craft, chess etc. I think between the two of them they are trying them all!
Haven't the girls grown...and yes, that's Olivia who has well and truly passed her sister to be the tallest at the moment.

2.5

Lauren is growing like the proverbial weed at the moment, and nothing can slow this girl down. Anything her sisters do she can do too....and sometimes that can lead to some hairy moments for Mum! Still, she's a bundle of joy and exuberance we life is brighter with her in it. Lately she's taken to cooking, dress-ups, and reciting lines from her favourite books.

This week she likes to say in a funny voice:
'There was a big HUB BUB'
and then burst into giggles afterwards....from the book You're too small in case you're wondering.

Cross country...

Ellen had her Cross Country at school today and put in a great effort. Don't be fooled by the first ribbon though - she didn't win, but she did finish in the first and fastest of the time brackets, which meant more points for her house, hence the first ribbon. (The overall winners received medals etc.) Ellen was most excited that her house group won the cross country day overall - and was nearly hoarse from all the cheering!

I like this...

Slip slidin' away

Fun in the backyard with the slip'n slide on a hot summer's day. Even
Mum and Dad ended up getting in on the action - thankfully there are no
photos of that. Greg came up with a new technique to ensure maximum
speed - which sometimes led to the girls flying off the other end -
giggling all the way!

Christmas Day

After spending time reading about the first Christmas Day and thanking
God for that, we trooped over to the Eigel's for our Christmas breakfast
(and lunch this year). Far too many presents and far too much food as
always, with lots of fun and laughs as well. Grandad was quickly into
the first of his new books while the rest of us hit the pool for a
while. Afternoon tea saw us head to the Luxford's for fun on the slip'n
slide for the kids, followed by far too much food and far too many
presents again (there's a theme here...). A great day filled with the
joy of having family around us - we are so blessed!

Christmas community celebration

A fantastic afternoon at Grandma and Papa's church enjoying their
Christmas celebration with all the different activities to try. Ellen's
highlight was the rock wall, reaching the top easily this year, a number
of times. Lauren's highlights were the animal petting and pony ride -
(they were a little concerned with her being so young, but she sat up
there like a pro and took it all in stride), while Olivia looooved the
giant slide and must have riden it dozens of times in the end. The face
painting, jumping castles, cake decorating, hay rides and little fire
engine rides were fun too. We were all exhausted by the time we got home
that night - even Daddy had a couple of turns on the giant slide with
Lauren (man did he get up some speed!!).

School's out

The girls loved their first year at their new school. They both applied
themselves very well, and enjoyed all the various activities that were
on offer. Apart from the lower primary choir, Olivia was in Chess club,
dance club, skipping club and craft club...I think that left one lunch
hour free to go to the library or actually play in the playground! Ellen
didn't do Chess club but was a regular at most of the others as well,
and she was awarded the award for Music for Grade Two for her
contribution to the choir - something they only introduced for the first
time last year.
They both worked very hard and their results reflected that, the growth
in both girls in terms of their attitudes, application and maturity, and
their hearts to help and serve others has been lovely to see. Well done
Ellen and Olivia!

Camping

We headed to Lake Cootharaba to camp for a couple of weeks over the
Christmas period - first outing with our new tent and it went very well.
The girls found a couple of good friends in nearby camps and spent a lot
of time with them as well. We sailed, paddled, tubed behind their
friends' family boat, swam, walked, rode bikes, made Christmas stars out
of leaves and so much more - it was fantastic to be away together
without interruptions - already planning for next year...

Carols

The Community Carols were great as always, and for the first time Ellen
and Olivia were allowed to sing in the kids choir. They loved it (as
expected) and Lauren made her debut as an angel in the little kids choir
- she was rather miffed that her older sisters had more songs and time
on stage....particularly as she knew their songs as well! An amazing
night where the sounds of worship filled the surrounding area - so good!

First week of hols

We stayed around home for most of the lead up to Christmas, visiting
parks, having playdates and enjoying all the pre-Christmas fun. Lauren
had her first kindy Christmas concert and to be honest we didn't know
what to expect - she'd only been at kindy for a month or so, and only
one day a week, so we thought she wouldn't really get into it, and I
didn't think she knew any words or actions to any songs....how wrong we
were!
Turns out our youngest loves to be on stage, and had memorised all the
words and actions to about 7 songs. When it was all over all she wanted
to do was get back on the stage and do some more....so there was no
question that she wanted to be part of our Church Community Carols
program kids section - just a matter of whether she'd make it up the
stairs in the slightly too big costume without tripping!

Eight

Our oldest daughter Ellen turned 8 - I don't know why, but suddenly that
feels so grown up for our little girl!
She chose a 'high tea' theme for her first ever party with friends from
school, and the challenge was set. No more 'little girl' cakes -
something a bit more refined was called for, and Daddy was up to the
challenge. He had a practice run at the family gathering a week or two
before, and then remade it as a miniature version for the actual party.
Ellen had a wonderful birthday - she has a delightful group of friends
and they had a ball playing ladies with the fine china cups and saucers
etc. and eating all the little treats, doing some craft etc.
A special day for a very special girl - we're so proud of the lovely
young lady that she's becoming.

Festive

The girls loved getting ready for Christmas and the angel costumes came
out straight after the tree and house were decorated. The beginning of a
really fun filled month in the lead up to Christmas!

Two

Lauren's second birthday was a lot of fun. Having had a lot of time
around sheep and lambs in NZ on holidays, Greg outdid himself and
whipped up a Shaun the Sheep cake for her, which she was delighted with!
This little lady is a great deal of fun, bright as a button and rather
thoughtful at times at well. Lauren is a keen adventurer, won't be left
out of anything, and when she's well rested, will given anything a
go...fearless most of the time, and ready to do whatever her sisters do,
regardless of her size. We're looking forward to seeing what God has in
store for Lauren!