Trip to the Farm

LONG OVERDUE!!!!

We have just had the most amazing holiday.

It was relaxing, exciting, busy, adventurous & just plain simple fun.

Although Grace has been on plenty of planes (about 10), she was still so excited about being at the airport. Her and dolly spent ages gazing out the window, watching all the planes coming in and taking off. She was so eager to get on the plane and go up, up and away.

Both kids were great on the plane. I had predicted a bit of restlessness and had prepared appropriately with food and activities. Grace was given a new activity book that you write in with a white board marker and then rub it out. I thought that might be better than risking pen on everything. I also gave her a Maisy book that had lots of magnets in it. She did however spend most of the flight on my knee gazing out the window.

We flew into Newcastle airport, getting in at 6pm. I had arranged a hire car, so after organising keys etc, we set up the kiddies car seats and were ready to head off in our bright green Kia Rio.

Now I had advised the farm stay that our flight didn't get in until 9pm, but Jetstar being Jetstar had changed the schedule at the last minute, so we got in at 6pm. The lovely hosts of the farm stay had said that because we were getting in so late they wouldn't charge us for the first night, and me being a tight-bum thought we would just kill the 3 hours before checking in.

So we made our way into Salamander Bay shopping centre to pick up supplies for the next 3 days. I was planning on making full use of having self-contained accommodation, making lunches and yummy dinners to keep costs down.

We then headed back to the farm and tried to find where to check in. We did have a little bit of trouble locating the place, we found the farm but couldn't find the B&B that you check in at. We drove up a narrow driveway which then opened up to reveal a beautiful old farmhouse. There were 2 cars outside, but no lights on. We stopped the car, as we did a possum jumped off a guinea pig cage and went scampering back into the dark bush. We were both still unsure if this was the right place or not, so I tried to call. No reception. I sent Duane in to knock on the door, it took a while but then 2 people came to the door. After a bit of chatting Duane came back to the car and explained that they thought we were going straight to the cabin. The heater would be on and the door was unlocked with the keys on the table. The hosts would catch up with is in the morning.

The kids were both asleep in the car, so we got to the cabin changed the kids into their jimmy jams (they stayed asleep) and put them to bed.

The cabin was nice. Just a little 1 bedroom cabin with a kitchen, lounge room and bathroom. Xavier was in the cot in our room and Grace was in the bottom bunk in an alcove off the room. She was happy because her doona had all the playschool characters on it!

Somehow through the night Duane and I acquired 2 little hot water bottles. It was a tight squeeze in the double bed, not like at home in the huge king bed.

We did get to wake up to the quintessential farm sound, the Rooster. We were already awake though, the kids had us up at the crack 'of dawn.

So up we got to survey our surroundings in the daylight. Oh, and how beautiful it was. We were smack bang in the middle of paddocks, surrounded by all different farm animals. There were chickens in a coup over the back, a donkey behind us, sheep one paddock over, some cows and a pony at the front and a black lab waiting at the door to greet us. It was perfect.

So after having some breakfast, we all headed out for a wander around the farm.

After a chat to Scott (the farmer), he told us to head over to the main chook shed and he would meet us there. We fed the chickens and collected the eggs for tomorrows breakfast. Grace & Xav were in awe of all the animals, Xav showed no hesitation in patting every furry thing that passed by him. Grace was eager, but a little reluctant at going into the chook house with about 50 chickens. She ended up going in, and even picked up a few.

After getting a quick run-down of what can and can't be done, we were told by Scott to be back at 4pm to help feed all the animals and have a ride on the back of the tractor.

We then headed into Nelson Bay to check out the beautiful beaches. We stumbled across some markets which sold lovely home-made sauces, jams etc. I picked up some chilli relish and some lemon butter to have on our toast. It was absolutely freezing, the icy wind was coming straight off the water. I was a little worried about Xav's ears, so we bought him a knitted beanie (which he wore for the rest of the trip!)

After the markets we went for a walk around the little town. It wasn't really busy, but I could imagine it in summer to be packed. There were beautiful views over the bay and it would be a great swimming spot in warmer weather. Pity it was so freezing now!

We headed back to the farm for lunch and a midday sleep. We all have a nice 2 hour snooze, and woke just in time to get our warm clothes on for the farm tour.

There was a variety of different sized gumboots out on the verandah. I really didn't think that we would get as muddy as we did, so didn't really dress the kids properly. Oh well, I learnt for the next night and we just wore the same clothes. Mud and all.

The tour was so much fun. Scary, but fun!

First off we watched as all the cows came in to be fed and 1 (Sheryl) to be milked. We helped break up the bread and hand fed the cows and the bull. Grace loved doing this, except she was bit hesitant with the bull. He had the hugest, thickest tongue that would curl around your hand as you passed him the bread. He also insisted on being hand-fed, refused to pick up any food from the ground to eat. There was also Daisy the cow who was a sweetheart, albeit a guts. She always hogged all the food, but took it from you so gently. I found out the next night that she was actually pregnant, so that explains the appetite!


The Pony hung out with the cows, so she was waiting to be fed too. Although she didn't want the bread, she only wanted carrots. Grace was happy to do this for her, she spent ages hand feeding "Jenni" her carrots.

After the cows were all fed, the resident "Mummy" cow (Sheryl) needed to be milked. Grace was eager to do this after seeing an episode of Hi-5 once where Charli did the same. She found it a little hard to get the milk out, but with a little help from Farmer Scott, she got it flowing. After they had enough milk, it was all put into bottles for the 2 calves. This is what Grace loved the most. She was so happy to be feeding the calves, the look of amazement on her face was priceless.

Xav & Grace both got a ride on Ernie the Donkey. Such a placid animal, except for early mornings when he liked to wake everyone up.

Next on the tour was the tractor ride. Oh, this was scary, especially for Mum and Dad trying to make sure the kids didn't get hurled off the trailor.

We were bundled onto a trailer which was on the back of an old Massey Ferguson Tractor. The tractor looked old (it was) and slow, boy was I wrong. We were taken around to the pig, I'm not sure who had the most mud on them, us or the pig. It was such a rough ride, Farmer Scott hit every mud patch and pot hole that he could. Duane was trying to stay upright and hold onto Xav at the same time. I was clutching on the the outside of the trailer with Grace clamped between my knees. It was frightening, especially when we were flung from one side to the other. I was sure that we were going to loose a child at some point. We came away bruised, muddy and laughing our heads off. Grace loved it, I liked it and Duane hated it, volunteering to give it a miss next time!.

After the tractor ride I got chatting to Scott's wife about the different accommodation. Duane had said that he wouldn't mind paying the extra and spending our last night in the cottage. When I mentioned this to Louise she told me that the people has just moved out of 'Cow Cottage' and we were welcome to move our stuff straight over if we wanted to. Well that was enough go ahead for us, the car was packed high and we made the move to the 3 bedroom cottage. It was so spacious and luxurious compared to our humble cabin. It had 3 large bedrooms, full kitchen, dining room, comfy lounge room and bathroom including nice big spa. We also found out in the morning it had a beautiful, big deck where all the farm birds hung out.

After a yummy BBQ dinner, the kids fell in to bed in an exhausted heap. It seemed that the fresh country air mixed with farm activities was conducive to a good night sleep for both kids. Which left Mummy and Daddy to have some time alone to chat. It was a lovely night, should have organised it better and bought a bottle of red!

The next morning we were all wide awake before the rooster started crowing. Except this morning there was a different noise after the rooster. Ernie the Donkey was "Eee-yoreing" and making a complete racket. Grace and I headed over to the chook pen to collect some eggs.

On the way over I noticed the baby lamb was bit muddy, which I thought was a bit strange. Grace and I stopped to watch him have a feed of milk from his Mum, Grace is amazed every time she sees a baby animal feed. It wasn't until on the way back that I realised it wasn't the same lamb that I thought it was. It was a new one. By this time Farmer Scott was down feeding the animals and asked if we had seen the new baby that had been born overnight. I couldn't believe it, a baby lamb had been born just outside our cottage. We hadn't heard a thing. how special was that. Grace was eager to go give the baby a pat, but Farmer Scott just picked him up and placed him straight into Grace's keen arms. The look of amazement and excitement on her face was beautiful. She would have held that lamb forever and been happy, not sure how happy the lamby would have been though!

We all got ready early and headed out. We were going up to The Hunter Valley to spend the day. It was a leisurely 1 1/2 hour drive away and both kids slept soundly the whole trip. It is such a beautiful drive, the amazing landscape of wineries is just gorgeous and so stunning. We drove around a few of the wineries, secretly wondering why in the world did we bring the kids? How good would it have been to just wander around the wineries, having a taste at all of them and then stumbling back to our accommodation. But that wasn't' to be, so we did the family version of Hunter Valley. We went to the village and wandered around the quaint little shops. We wandered over to the Botanical gardens, but didn't go in. I would have liked to but both kids were getting hungry and a little grumpy. So instead we went to the playground and had our picnic. The kids had a ball running around and playing on all the equipment. Xav looked adorable toddling around with his new knitted beanie on. Grace of course spent most of the time on the swing, in between trying to make friends with all the older kids.

After lunch we went for another drive around to look at the Vintage Golf Course and some other wineries. They really are stunning. It is such a picturesque place, just devine.

We were planning on doing a winery tour at Tyrells but after finding out that it took 1 hour we decided not too. Didn't think that the kids would be that excited about learning the art of wine making. We also visited the Roche winery, which is ultra modern and cool, then headed home. I wanted to get back to the farm by 4pm so I could take Grace on the Tractor ride again. We made it back with about 5 minutes to spare. We quickly got changed into yesterdays muddy clothes, pulled on our gumboots and headed up to the cows.

Grace and I got gloriously muddy again then went back to the cottage where Duane had run us a nice warm spa bath. Xav, Grace & I all jumped in and cleaned up. Duane had also lit the wood fire, so everything was toasty warm and inviting. As much as I hate the idea of burning wood (it just seems so archaic) I do love a warm open fire in a cold climate. We grew up with them in Tassie and there is something cosy about warming up in front of a fire, or getting your pj's warmed before getting out of the bath.

I made a yummy pasta dinner with garlic bread, and then the kids crashed for the night, leaving Mummy and Daddy once again with some quiet time.

The next day was to be our last day so we spent the day wandering around the farm, just relaxing and enjoying our time together. I wanted to clean the whole house as a thank-you to our hosts, so Duane took the kids for a wander whilst I busily cleaned. I hurriedly cleaned the whole place, eager to join in the fun outside. I mopped my way to the back door, stepped back admired the cleanliness then raced off to join my family who were feeding the sheep. Stupid me didn't think to shut the back door leading out to the deck. We came back to the house and were greeted by the most horrid stench. I stepped in the door and immediately knew where the smell was coming from, bloody duck, geese and turkey poo everwhere....All over my nice clean floor. So I had to re-mop the whole house and try to get rid of the fowl(!) aroma.

We packed up, sadly said our goodbyes to the farm and its animals, then headed back to Newcastle airport.

Sadly our wonderful holiday had to come to an end.

It really was a great way to reconnect as a family and also enjoy the simple things in life. I definitely want to look into doing a farm stay again, we all enjoyed it so much.

The only thing wrong with great holidays is that they end.

Ah, the serenity

Gosh I love the middle of the day.

The kids are tucked up in bed, resting after a busy morning. The dogs are even having a snooze, no doubt re-charging their batteries for the daily afternoon event of being teased by the high school kids going past.

I get to sit down and enjoy lunch in peace, with no little seagulls pinching bits off my plate. Today was a big bowl of homemade chicken & vegie soup, I even made the stock from the leftovers of Sunday nights roast. It was beautiful with a yummy crusty roll. I did scour the cupboards for a sugar boast afterwards, but as we haven't done groceries this week, it was slim pickings. So I have managed to quench my sweet tooth with one of Duane's flavoured coffee things.

Geez I hope that the day sleep last a while in this house, hopefully Grace won't be giving it up for a while. And even if she does, enforced quiet time in the bedroom will be encouraged.

Anyway, I have been fiddling with my blog over the last 2 days. I was trying pretty it up a little, so I went searching on the WWW. It's a scary place out there for a novice blogger like I. I found a beautiful template, but it seems I don't know my html's from my .xml's and ended up with a H.U.G.E mess to fix up. Widgets were lost in cyberspace, never to return! Lucky I did predict that it would turn disastrous and I had saved a copy of my original.

I am happy with it now though. It's not perfect yet, still needs a few things added, but workable. I really wanted something with butterflies and flowers and in nice feminine colours, so I'll keep searching, but in the meantime this will do.

Duane is still really keen on getting chickens and a vegie garden. he has cemented in the posts for the fence, so once that is up we can start organising a coup. I would like to attempt to build one, but he's not real keen. he has picked out one for $600, but there is no way I want to spend that kind of money on it. We might go check out some salvage yards and also the tip shop. I am confidant that we will find something there. Then it will be on to making the raised vegie gardens. I am hoping to make this out of colourbond, to match our fences. We have also decided to get the chickens as babies. Raise them inside for a bit and then put them outside. Duane has been talking to guys at his work and they have all suggested doing it this way, instead of getting a hen that is already laying. I guess it is to maximise the laying time, and also not scare them with an environment change. I can't wait!

Ok back to fiddling with the blog, and finishing of some long-overdue posts.

Cluck, cluck

I am going to have more babies.

2 little girls actually & I am so excited. I am already daydreaming about potential names.

I really didn't think that Duane would ever agree, but he is busy making room for our new arrivals. He seems more excited about it than I am, which is strange because he has been dead against it for ages. Today he wandered around, trying to work out in his head what had to be prepared for the big day. He measured & sketched out plans, trying to use all our space wisely. After a while he sat back and declared that he had a plan, everyone was going to fit in and have a comfy bed.











Yep....we are getting chooks! Not sure when, it all depends on when we can have their little house built.

I have been nagging for ages to get them, I dream about going out in the yard with the kids and collecting our own eggs that have been lovingly layed by our pampered hens. I have fond memories of feeding Nan's chooks, and always getting so excited when I found an egg. We'd then take them inside and Nan would soft boil our 'googey eggs' for breakfast. Pop would always finish his off then flip the eggshells upside down and put them back into the egg cup, then give them to us kids to eat. We'd go to crack the top then realise that it was already empty. He did this for so many years and I remember just pretending I didn't know what was happening, then always putting on a big surprised face.

Apart from the obvious bonus of nice, fresh eggs, I actually think that they will make great pets for the kids. Now I don't expect that they will be the touchy, feely kind that sleep on you lap, but they will be good for the kids to watch and also help feed, clean etc.

We are going to build a coop and run for them out the side of our house. It is an area that we don't use, so it won't be missed. The added bonus is that it will be right outside the kids playroom window, so they will have a good view of them even from inside. Duane has already dug holes and put 3 posts in for one of the fences. He bought some cement today, so tomorrow will be spent cementing them in. Then we just have to fence the other side and organise the coup.

I plan on keeping them in the run for the majority of the time and just see how the dogs react to them. I'll let them have an hour or so in the afternoon to fossick around the front yard. Good way to aerate the lawn and to also get rid of weeds.

The dogs have both been around chicken before and haven't really shown an interest. They do have a love/hate relationship with a magpie that visits daily though. The smart thing stands on the other side of the fence, strutting around the yard & flying up to sit on the fence. It drives the dogs nuts, but if the chickens don't fly I am sure that the dogs will be fine.

Also, as if getting chickens wasn't a big enough win for me, Duane has also given the go ahead for a huge vegie patch. It'll go beside the chicken run and will be big enough to have everything in it I want. I had a vegie patch before that I got lots out of, but then I grew some stuff in pots and it just didn't work. So not only are we going to have free-range (well kinda) eggs but also home grown vegies!

Now to have Duane not only agree, but be excited about these 2 things is H.U.G.E. He has never been interested in growing vegies, or trying to be more self sufficient. He has never shown any interest in fixing or improving things on the house, most things get initiated by me. So for him to actually show enthusiasm for this venture AND to start digging holes etc makes me so happy. Finally I feel like we are on the same page in regards to our home. I have been thinking for a while now how I would love to buy acreage, so I could do this and that. Unless we sold both houses and I started working it just wouldn't be possible though, but I am ok now knowing that most things I wanted (chooks & big vegie garden) we can have here.

I can't wait to get some happy hen's in and to start collecting some yummy eggs!

Balls of laughter

Oh dear, one of the absloutely funniest things I have ever witnessed just happened. Well I am sure, actually make that positive, that my dear husband does not share the same humour in the moment.

I'll set the scene:

Xaviers has had a bit of nappy rash lately, a lovely side effect of the erupting molars, so I was giving him a bit of nappy free time. Duane was laying on the floor, being crawled all over by both of the rugrats. I noticed a fly swarming around Xav's naked bottom, so I told Duane to shoo it away. Duane however took it upon himself to grab one of the kids HARDCOVER books that was laying beside him. He was still laying on the ground when he pulled his arm back ready to whack the fly that was now resting on his upper leg. Well I guess he didn't really think about what else was up in that region. I watched him swat the fly and then coil, scream and go flat to the floor.

I was pissing myself laughing, I really couldn't help it and it took everything for me not to just say "Suck it up princess, my genitals have copped a bigger beating than that giving birth to YOUR kids!!" But I couldn't even get that out between snorts of laughter.

It was only after a few seconds that I realised he wasn't saying anything. I looked down and he started making a few grunty noises, I thought he was laughing too, so I didn't really take much notice. Then he started moving slowly, I kept asking him if he was allright but he could only manage a weak "No". I told him to lay down (mind you I was still couldn't stifle my giggles), so he layed there for a bit then got up and went to bed.

I followed him up to the bedroom, but first I went into Grace's room to try to compose myself. I just kept thinking, "How stupid is he to whack himself there with a hard book", everytime I thought about it I would break into fits of laughter. Once I had gathered myself together I went in to see if he was ok. It was only then that he started talking. Then he explained that as he was swatting the fly he has clipped one of his balls and from the pain he had actually blacked out for a few seconds. That was when he was laying there grunting, he had actually fainted. He also said that he was trying to say to me to call an ambulance but it wouldn't come out.

And all the time I just laughed, giggled and snorted. Sympathetic wife that I am.

Oh, and after he was feeling better he went to assess the damage. All ok, but I guess we will have to wait to see if everything is working normally!

Grace talk

Grace is coming out with the funniest things at the moment. She is really starting to think about things and you can see her little mind tick over as she absorbs everything.

Here are a few of her funny thoughts:

A conversation we had in the toilet the other day

G - "Mum, girls have a 'gina?

Me - "Yep, girls have a vagina"

G - "Mum, Are girls happy with their 'gina?

Me - "Err, yeah I think every ones happy"

G - "Mum, is your 'gina happy?"

Me - "Umm, yes sure it is"

G - "Mum, I love you SOOOOO much"
This one is usually reserved for when she has done something naughty and I have just reprimanded her, makes staying mad at her hard!

Hoparoos - As much as we tell her they are called kangaroos, she looks at us blankly and keeps jabbering about the 'hoparoos'

"Good house finding Mummy!" - This was said to me as we drove to Mothers group, to a house that I hadn't been to before. Thanks for the positive encouragement Grace

"Oh....that's perfect, how exciting" or "Such a good idea Mum, very clever" - She throws these little pearlers at me when I have just suggested a fantastic idea, like getting a jumper because it's cold outside or brushing our teeth. Just normal everyday stuff.

"Mummy....you are breaking the rules" - As a treat (read: a way to keep her entertained and quiet when out), I sometimes let Grace have a lollipop. She asks every time we go to the shops if she can have one or not, 9 out of 10 times the answer is no. Anyway yesterday she asked again, I said no. She started to chuck a wobbly in the store, I stayed calm and explained to her that she couldn't have one now, but maybe next time. She calmed down and was fine and we talked about not getting one every time we go out. So we were doing the groceries today and she asked again. I firstly said no, but then she said "Grace go shops and get lollipop this time, no crying, Mummy promised" So it seems she remembered what I had said yesterday. So I got one for her and I. I always tell her that she can't chew it, just to suck and I always make sure the she has a drink of water when she finishes to wash away all the sugar. We were both enjoying our lollipop, but I was getting a bit sick of just sucking it so starting crunching into it. Grace looked at me and said, "Mummy, you are breaking the rules....no chewing only sucking"

What could I do? I had been reprimanded by a 2 y/o and she was in the right!"

"Mummy, Gracie not eat her nose bits"
"Mummy.....Gracie playing with it now"
We were driving home when she said to me the first part of this sentence. I glanced back just as she said the second part. Yuck, yuck, but I guess it is an improvement on eating it!

She has taken to carrying around a book and pen lately. The notebook happens to be a sudoku book, she loves trying to copy all the numbers, but mostly pretends that she is writing up her recipes.

She is developing such a wicked sense of humour, I can't even begin to imagine the things that she is going to get up to in later years. She will sure keep me on my toes!

Hear, hear

I have just gotten back from Xavier's hearing re-test, after not so good results from the previous one and everything is OK!

So it seems he has full hearing in at least one ear, but still has a loss of hearing in the other. They are not sure which one it is, but I have been reassured that it shouldn't cause him any concern. Last time there was a pressure build up in his left ear, but this time it was perfect. He did have an ear infection last time so it could have been from that.

I mentioned to her that if we are standing behind him and call out he doesn't realise where the noise is coming from. She explained that with the amount of ear infections he is getting he would definately experience a slight loss of hearing at that time, and would not be able to localise the noise. It is not something to worry about, he may work it out over time.

So now it seems we will be referred to a Ear, Nose and throat specialist to work out why the recurring ear infections. Touch wood, he hasn't had one for a while.

I also dont think that I have mentioned the Xav is now on ventolin. He was having trouble breathing of a night, with a slight wheeze. I took him to the Dr, my Dr wasn't there so I had to see one that I can't stand. He is just so abrupt and just likes to get you in and out. He checked him over and just said, "Yep the start of Asthma, so do you want Ventolin or steroids?" Now I have no idea about either of them so I asked him to tell me about them both. He just said that it's up to me to choose, one was the conservative approach (Ventolin) and the other was aggressive (steroids), so which way did I want to go. I understand that Dr's are qualified and all, but over the years I have learnt to still question them and not believe whatever they say. I think he was getting a bit pissed of with me that I wasn't just going along with what he said. In the end I just said I'd go with the Ventolin, and I would go back to see my normal Dr. I was just so angry and frustrated that he wouldn't take the time to explain the difference and also how they would help Xav. I ended up getting a better explanation from the pharmacist. The stupid Dr was also supposed to give up a treatment plan for the Ventolin, but nope, nothing.

Anyway I did go back to my Dr, who I trust immensely. She said that the Ventolin was the way to go and to only use it when he seemed to be struggling. We have had to use it a few times, mainly at night if it gets really cold Xavier struggles to breath and sometimes coughs so much he nearly chokes. I am hoping that he does grow out of it and it doesn't turn into full Asthma. I had it as a child and grew out of it, so lets hope X does the same.

We are off on our big adventure tomorrow. Flying out of Brisbane to Newcastle,picking up our hire car and then onto here:
http://www.kcfarmstay.com.au/index2.html

Grace is going to love it. I have just checked the weather forecast and it looks like we will get highs of about 17, but very chilly lows of 4. Brrr, brrr. Lets hope there is good heating.

Hubby to the rescue

It's seems the dreaded gastro bug has invaded our house again.

I have been feeling queasy since yesterday. I haven't vomited yet, but I am nervously waiting for it to happen. I am trying my hardest to avoid all triggers, but this is not being helped by my son's rotten nappies. It seems that Xavier has a touch of diarrhoea too, he is also a little grumpy and constantly clawing at my top trying to get to the milk.

Grace was a little off yesterday, so we stayed home from playgroup so not to share anything around. She started getting warm yesterday afternoon, so after dinner and a dose of panadol she went to bed in an exhausted heap. I checked on her just before I went to bed, she felt clammy so I fully expected her to pay us a visit overnight.

I went to bed early, hoping that an early night would perk me up a little. Duane had other ideas, but after I gave him a graphic rundown of how I felt he quickly turned over and gave me his back!

So last night both kids spent in with us. Thankfully we have a king size bed, and even then the room is tight. I had a relatively good sleep, in between Xavier pulling my top down for a feed every 5 hours or so.

Today was suppossed to be Grace's first day in her new school. She has been moved up to the 3-4 year old room, seems she was getting a little bored with the younger ones. Either that or they got sick of her! Anyway we were laying on the couch this morning when she started coughing and complaining of a sore throat, then it all came up. Vomit all over me, her and in every crevice of the couch. It was disgusting too....real, chunky smelly vomit. How I didn't heave myself I'll never know. Cleaning up was not much fun, it has been raining her for the last week and the washing is piled up. Lucky I guess that my practical husband bought me a dryer for Christmas one year, and that was even before kids!

So it was no school for her. How was I going to cope considering I was feeling so crap myself? Super Daddy to the rescue.

Of course considering the crappy weather Duane was quite willing to take any excuse, so within an hour of my distressed call he was home tending to us all.

We all went to bed together for a lovely sleep and now the boys are out getting some groceries. Grace is lying on the couch munching on some apple in between joining me for some cuddles. Although she is sick she is still insisting on wearing her pink fairy skirt. Cant imagine all that tulle is very comfortable to sleep in, but oh well.

Oh and after Xavier's party on the weekend my camera decided to conk it. I'm glad it made it through Xav's first birthday, but I hate not having it on a daily basis. I love just taking random photos of my kids every day. At least it is under warranty, but wont be back for a week or so. Lets hope its here in time for out holiday on the 2nd August. I am so excited about this. We are going to stay at a farm stay in the Hunter Valley. Will be lovely to get away together as a family. Kids can watch the animals and Mum & Dad can sip on wine!