First leg.

We did manage to hit the road on Boxing Day- which we had been hoping for but with high levels of disorganisation we didn't know if we would pull it off. So hurray!! Holidays have officially started.
First stop Yass for a quick lunch of Christmas left overs. If was freezing!!! Campbell had to rug up & the younger boys warmed up in the playground. Our first day was a long one with a section of the Hume Hwy closed we had to detour through Wagga Wagga. We finally collapsed in Wodonga & opted for a motel for the night. We were all too tired to set up camp & still had to sort out some dinner. A swim with the Christmas snorkelling gear completed a full day.
Onwards towards Bendigo today with a stop over at Kid Town in Shepparton for a run around. This place was surprisingly free!!! Totally FREE & lots of fun. There was even a Liberty swing for Cam's wheelchair!
We managed to set up camp in Bendigo with time to roam town. So much to see & do so we have decided to stay an extra night.

Christmas 2012.

Christmas fun over, cleaned up & packed away.... Lets hit the road :)))

Excitement levels are high. The camper trailer is out and unpacked. Eric is pottering about fixing bits and pieces. The smell of canvas reminds me of the sound of surf crashing in the still of the night, fresh seafood and watching the sunset over the ocean. I am actually more excited about our adventure than Christmas this year.

 Kangaroo Island is on the top of the list. I hope this is what we find when we get there:

Christmas Party!!

More partying today- my favourite thing to do!!

Special friends, delicious pizza, awesome presents, swimming & summer rain just in time for the dinner that had stretched on from the leisurely lunch- perfect :)))

Christmas party baking- what clever boys :)

Eric's new pizza boards ready to go- I forgot to get photos of all of the beautiful pizzas ready to eat. Thanks to Deb and Sam for all of the pizza oven gear- Eric looked quite the expert today :)

The gluten free pizza bases were just as delicious as the standard 'a la Eric' bases. Hard to pick my favourite toppings but the caramelised onions and buffalo mozzarella were pretty perfect.

Wow those bon- bons were special. Joe (who managed to crack a high proportion of them) is now set up for all sorts of personal grooming. He has snagged nail clippers, tweezers, a nail brush and an eye brow comb!!! Hahaha just what every 6 year old wants. 

Yes Campbell- it is finally time for the presents!!!!!!

Make sure you notice Andrew's reaction in the background- he finally got the new 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' book!!

And then the rains came..... just as we all decided (after our lovely and lengthy afternoon swim) that we might as well finish off the left over pizza and salad for dinner. Not to mention the wealth of delicious fruit and treats- Lis and I are experts at over- catering.

Delightful rain on a scorcher of a day. 

\

Our gorgeous brood- growing up way too fast!!

Party, party, party!!

I have some catching up to do! Just like the rest of you I have been pretty busy lately- it's Christmas/ end of school year craziness time!
We've been doing a lot- there's so much to tell you. Drew had some friends over for a pool & pizza get together. With a birthday on the 21st December it is best to get in early before everyone fills their calendars with Christmas frivolity.




Getting ready- stamping thank you cards to attach to the goodie bags.

Filling water bombs for a mammoth water fight.

Getting the fire going for the pizzas.

Self- serve sundaes!!!

I think they enjoyed them :)

Awesome cake made by Nanny- exactly as requested by Drew too!

Panic! Panic! Panic!

I am the absolute master of the unnecessary panic! Is it any wonder that anxiety runs in the family? The very thought of getting to St. Leonards by 4pm in two separate car loads from separate destinations caused me quite a bit of panic. It turns out that I was there by 3:30 & the remainder of the family met me before I even had a chance to get a coffee. Panic!!!! Who was in a panic? I admit that it may also the general stress that exacerbated the panic. My doctor informed me that I am in the 'extreme' range on the stessermator (well it was just a form she completed actually). So I will blame that on my irrational panic. Although the fact that Joe's appointments this fortnight have cost us $440- (not including the $40 in parking charges & the cost of 2 missed but paid for swimming lessons) does make me get that hot & tetchy feeling. I had better not even remind myself that it is costing me $55 in Chiro appointments each week now that I have exhausted the health insurance allocation.... Goodness my neck just tightened up a notch thinking about it.
So the good news is that Joe was fabulous at the Selective Mutism Clinic today. He was willing to talk to me out loud while the therapist sat outside with the door open. It took a few trials to get to that point but he did get there. I am so proud of him! I could see the colour rise in his cheeks, his tummy was gurgling the whole time & there was a desperate dash to the toilet while we were waiting to go in. Suddenly my unnecessary panic sounds so pathetic compared to my brave boy who pushed through his panic today.
Besides Jonas' brilliance today I got the best present in the world from the sweetest little girl. It is just about perfect...actually it is perfect because it came with a beautiful letter. How's that for a stress eliminator?

Christmas planning!

My Jonas is my little carbon copy.
As soon as I walked in the door this afternoon (completely drained and exhausted- I wish I was exaggerating) he said "lets go Christmas shopping!"
So we bought a brand new tree and a few little treats- shopping when exhausted is great soul food by the way.
He then opted out of his bedtime story to make a list!!!! I promise I did not suggest this- he may have seen me make a list or two in the past though.
He insisted on writing it himself and also insisted that it should have 10 points!!! (see why I call him my carbon copy).
So here it is:
1. pick a spot (for the tree)
2. get some lights
3. get the stockings
4. set up the tree
5. get some stuff (hmmmm that could be expensive)
6. get some decorations
7. get some food
8. cuddle up together (this was also discussed as part of a christmas movie night and the afore mention food may be included)
9. decorate the tree
10. open the presents (he had tried to incorporate this in from point 3 onwards)

Ahhhh what a boy! So proud of his determination to write the list himself- I wasn't allowed to help! I have adjusted some of the spelling though.... stuff was 'staf' and lights were 'lits'. He is my little party planning side-kick. Hurray to that.
He picked out a pretty awesome new tree too- it has lights attached. The old one went in the bin last year after I spent so much time sneezing that it took an extra hour to get it up.
Joe and I can't wait to get it all set up.....and to some more very necessary shopping that is bound to follow.