Disney Live!

One of Molly's Christmas gifts from Paul and I was tickets to see Disney Live! Three Classic Fairy Tales.
Well, today was the day!
We had actually totally forgotten about the show, then it clicked Friday night... oops!

So, it was a suprise for everyone, to be honest ;)

First, I could not resist these 2 yesterday afternoon... dinner was cooking on the bbq, I had filled water balloons for war, and a total blast was had!!! (plus, I had a glass of wine in hand!)

Jasper was not impressed at being made to attend this show... he secretly enjoyed it, but won't admit it in public! Molly was beside herself with excitement!

 Waiting for "our theater" to be ready!

 Hugs with dad.

 Barely able to contain her excitement!

 Being force fed some love!

 The show about to start..

 Haha, me in the Mickey Mouse crown. It came with a bag of fairy floss (cotton candy), and cost more than I care to admit!!

It was an ok show. A lot of money for what it was, but Molly LOVED it, and Jasper liked it, so it was money well spent.

I can't understand why people can't just put down their phones and enjoy what is in front of them... The glow of phones in the crowd was so distracting, as people wanted to get photo after photo of the people on stage. Why? I've no idea..

Snow White was followed by Cinderella, and that was followed by Beauty and the Beast.
They were very quick versions of the stories, and we were done in 90 minutes. It was just long enough for little kids... Although, there were quite a few people who were there sans kids! (That would be me... I love me a Disney themed ANYthing!!)

The weekend is over. Back to reality after managing 5 days off in a row for me!!!

Thanks for reading

Brooke

Christmas 2014

So much preparation, planning and time.. and it is all over, JUST LIKE THAT!
Click, blink, and it is done D.O.N.E.

We are on summer school vacation until the beginning of February, and the weather has been delightful.
My step-son, Brent, went back to Sydney for Christmas, so we celebrated a couple of weeks early with him..
Brent got Jasper X-Box Live for 12 months, with the head set, so this is my future for the next few weeks ;)

Molly got a flying fairy that she JUST HAD TO HAVE! (don't mind the feral hair, she had been outside getting water all over her...)

 He also got them a slip-and-slide, so that went into action pretty quick!

 Last day of school photos...

After the last day of school, it was all a bit much for the little one,,, asleep before we got home, and it was HARD to wake her up!

 A night at the beach for fish and chips with my folks (Grandy and Poppie) saw her right.. that and the party dress she got to wear!

Jasper wanted me to video his cool moves ;) 

Mum and dad wanted the kids to sleep at their place for the night... since the car accident (see last post), Molly has been SUPER clingy, so while Jasper went for a sleep over adventure, this is what happened at our place,...

Sleeping Beauty..

 The lad has been put to work in the gardens.. we have a huge back yard,. so it will be a long term project, but in one morning, he (with some help) dug through siol conditioner, planted all the ground covers, and watered them in. The next morning, he helped spread all the mulch around.
next off is the 19m long back stretch of garden...

I had an epic fail at Santa photos this year... I have the same photo every year - the REAL Santa, not an immitation.. But we never got there to see him... this is as good as it gets this year. Sorry kids :(

 Christmas Eve sees the kids able to open one present before bed,, after putting on new PJ's.
This year, Jasper was horrendous and rude, so missed out on opening the present :(
Molly got to open hers,,, learning books, flash cards, and a range of things to see her right for pre-primary next year!

 Christmas morning started at 6am, so quite decent for us!

 My mum and dad came over about 10,30 with more gifts, and we ate, drank and ate some more!!
It was a great day, so much in fact, I didn't take any photo!!! I was "in the moment" with my family, and loved every minute!!

Jasper is addicted to the X-Box, and since we can't really find any decent kids games for Molly, Santa got her a Dora game for the Wii. Here she is, loving it!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. My plans for New Years are the same as every year - bed by 10 for me! It is just another day, and I can't cope with reduced sleep hours ;)

Jasper has bloods on January 8th, so I will post again then!

Thanks for reading.

Brooke

Accidents are NO Fun for Anyone

Funny thing happened last Monday (December 1st).

Well, not funny. Scary and stressful. Not funny at all.

Driving home with the kids, and on the freeway, and the car behind decided not to stop when we stopped...

It is right at the end of the freeway, and the time of day we were there, everyone stops pretty quick.

It was a probationary driver behind me, so she just didn't have the experience. She didn't leave the breaking distance. This is the result.

For the last week, it has been very hard for me to see the positives. I have been very angry and stressed. I did nothing wrong, yet my car may be written off, and her car has not a scratch (4 wheel drive with a bull bar). I love my car. I want it fixed. 

I know I am lucky. The kids were not hurt. I was not hurt. The other driver was ok too. We have a rental car (covered by the other drivers insurance) to drive while the fate of my poor car is decided. 

I am fortunate.

Very fortunate. 

Jasper has his regular blood counts this week, so I am guaranteed to post again!There has been some quick bruising happening, but I am sure that I am just paranoid...End of year (school is out for 7 weeks on December 18) is upon us, and I know that Jasper is prone to cold sores and gets pretty tired and run down.

It is still interesting to see his counts.

I have had the delight to chat with a couple of new FA FAmily members in the last months. It is so hard when someone comes to you fresh from diagnosis. You feel like they look for an answer. Hope. Something positive to look forward to.
We will be 9 years since that diagnosis phone call come February 1 2015, but it still feels like yesterday. 

When you speak to a new FAmily member, it brings it all back.
There is no "right" thing to say. 

How do you comfort someone with this diagnosis? Hope is there.It is just SO hard to seeit sometimes!

Molly is doing great now she is out of her sling (fractured collar bone - see previous post for all the details ;) ).

She is very clingy and sooky, but she had a fracture, then a car accident, so I have to giver her a little leeway - sometimes! 

She is full time at school next year, so won't have my gal with me Monday and Friday.

While she will always be my Littlest Bug, she is 4 going on 25, and totally ready for full time school!

I will report back when we have Jasper's next blood counts...

These are from our dinner date tonight... Grill'd burgers for dinner!

Some days they drive me mental. Most days, they are a delight.

Every day, I love my babies.

Thanks for reading.

Brooke

xxx

it's been a while...

I haven't even looked at what my last post was about, I just know it has been an age!
If I rely on my memory to take me back, I would miss a lot.

Basically, it has all been quiet on the Jasper medical front (boring and quiet for the most part, just the way we like it), and it has been more about little Molly.

Our littlest bug has had her tonsils out in June, turned 4 in May with her first birthday party, and fractured her collar bone on Sunday (November 9th). All in all, she goes hard!

Here are some pics relating to her latest "incident".

Ok, so she fell off the hammock... loser mum for not watching... she has been on it 100 times, but always with her daddy or mummy helping... On Sunday, she decided to do it herself without telling anyone... lesson learnt, hey little bug?

On our way to the hospital, 5 hour after the "incident"

being scared, waiting for the doctor... 

home with a sling

evidence of the fracture

sore, but still with an appetite!

 sleeping beauty with a smooshed face and a sling

48 hours later, no pain meds, and coloring!

She bounces back quick - I just wish she bounced off the bricks instead of cracking a bone!!!
Just as a precaution, we have decided to take her out of school for the week, so she can rest and not be surrounded by 4 & 5 year olds knocking her about!
She is a tough cookie, and doing great!

Oh! Halloween!!
Jasper had a school disco the night before Halloween, and went like this:

I wish I could take credit for it, but I am not at all artistic or creative! He looked amazing! The photo doesn't do it justice!

 Molly had a Halloween party at a friend's the same night...

Then for trick-or-treat on Halloween itself, the costumes went something like this...

Looking back through my photos, there is a lot to report on, but by the same token, it is mundane stuff and seems irrelevant now!

I used to update on FaceBook a LOT, but have stopped the last few months.. I just think I got over it! Fingers crossed, I update here more often!
(I've said that before, right!?)


Ok, bye. thanks for reading.

brooke

Bali 2014, The First Family Holiday

The plan was made, the bookings done... everything ready... except for one minor detail..

We were ALL set to fly to Bali as a family (Paul, myself, Paul's eldest son - Brent, Jasper and Molly) on Saturday 29 April.. we get to the airport, and BOOM! Catastrophe!

Who knew you needed 6 months validity on a passport to travel internationally? I didn't! Paul did, but assumed that as Jasper, my and his passports were all issued at the same time, it was ok... turns out, it wasn't ok, and Jasper couldn't travel. His passport expired inside the 6 month marker.

After a few tears and stress, I made the decision to stay in Perth with BOTH kids, and get the passport situation rectified, and hopefully fly out Tuesday afternoon..
Fast forward a few days, and with a super VALID passport in hand, the kids and I set out for the airport to hopefully fly the 3 1/2 hours to Bali..

It was about 10.30pm when we got out  of the airport (we cleared customs and immigration very quickly - benefit of having hand luggage only, and 2 kids as a lone woman!), Paul and Brent were waiting for us with a lovely driver, and off to the bungalow we went!

Our first day saw Molly get all she wanted, and Jasper get most of what he wanted... Molly wanted her hair braided, nails done, and to eat camel brains (keep reading, I will explain!).Jasper just wanted to shop.. don't know where that comes from, I don't like shopping, and Paul avoids it at all costs!

Here are some pics of our little adventure

Breakfast Day 1

 Molly and I getting our feet kissed by little fish... it felt super weird, but once you get over the initial sensation, it was funny!

Princess Moo getting her nails painted, while she got her hair platited... it's hard being spoilt!

 Jasper didn't miss out, he asked for a shoulder massage, and got one! (he was super embarrased to have his photo taken, hence the face!)

 Plaited Princess

 My bogan Aussie girl - new bikini.

Me relaxing while Paul swims with the kids

 Some of our friends, Michael and Isher, who were in Bali at the same time, came by for a drink.

 Paul and the kids at the front gate of our accomodation, looking out into the Gang (laneway)

 Dinner at Yogi's (where the kids were going to get Camel Brains)

 The step-son with his ribs

 The boys being silly

 Molly with her Camel Brain

 Jasper with his Camel Brain

 Daddy with his Princess

 Jasper LOVES his big brother

 My bogan girl

 me with my bogan babies

 hmmm.. typical Aussies in Bali??

 How Molly got around most of the time..

 One of the Ogoh Ogoh from the Nyepi festival.. the kids and I missed this festival because of the delay in flying, but there were still some around for us to look at!

 On the beach...

At Circus WaterPark

 the chair of nails..

 brave lad!

 Jasper with another Ogoh Ogoh

 Looks familiar... kids in the pool!

 being watched by mum

 night time swimming with dad

 Jasper drinking his Sprite with a Bintang stubbie holder...

 Dinner at Poco Loco

 Mumma got a bit of deliciousness!

 Molly loved this little lady.. she taught Jasper and Brent a neat trick with cards to tell how old someone is!

 Boys again

 Molly with the camera -

 Me and my girl at our last breakfast

 back to the beach!

 walking walking walking...

 Our last dinner at the beach. One of the waiters made Jasper this prawn.. very clever

 and made Molly this rose!

 "look like you love each other"

 green tips in the hair

 Legian beach sunset

 Jasper ordered a pizza...

 jasper ate that pizza!! (oops, he is upside down!)

A close up of the prawn the waiter made.. it's made out of a straw... incredible!

 After the pizza, Jasper ordered (and ate) the hugest slice of chocolate cake!!!

 Molly after her icecream.. I think she liked it!

 The waiter who made the prawn and rose!

 Brent bought some "throw downs" little cracker things.. the kids had a blast blasting them at our feet!

 At the Bungalow on our wat to the airport.. this is Ketut.. he loved Paul (his very own Rhonda!) and was trying to convince Molly she wanted to stay and live there!
He was a very sweet man - like 99% of the Balinese people we met.

 On the plane, happy to be going home to her pups.

 Super tired boy, ready for his own bed!

totally wrong spot, and I'm too tired to move it.. Brent and Jasper on the first morning at breakfast!

Paul warned me that I would probably hate Bali the first time... I was well prepared though - he warned me well, and as a result, I really loved it! We can't wait to go back!

A great first family holiday - even with the rough start! Wont be making that mistake again! Check your passport expiry dates, everyone!!!

Thanks for reading (and viewing 80+ photos!)

Brooke