Yearly Post!

I'm still alive and well considering its been about 3 months since my last post. I always have such good intentions at the beginning of the year when work is quiet and the kids head back to school. Alas, my good intentions are obviously not good enough!

And now I sit - trying to think how I'm going to try and cram 3 months into one interesting post. Not happening!

Instead I shall talk about what I talk about best. No, not shopping - the kids!




This is Ross: firstborn son and heir. Quiet and calm boy, very rarely in trouble except where siblings are involved.
Whenever my mom and I speak on the phone she always asks (like any good grandmother) how the children are. When she gets to asking about Ross I never have any hair-raising stories to tell. I sometimes try and imagine what life would be like with Ross as an only child and I'm thinking it would be a very calm, laid-back kind of life. Don't get me wrong, he's no angel but compared to the other two he's pretty easy going! I love the fact that he is so into his sport! He's mad about footy , cricket, tennis and pretty much anything that requires a ball!

I love you Ross (even when you dawdle in the morning)!

Time to spice things up!!!!




Add to the mix: Madam Maddy
Oh boy - she is the complete opposite of the above. Never a dull moment with her around. She's been giving me a hard time this year and I'm sure I've more than earned my Mother's Day present this year!
Some of it is not her fault and then the rest, shall we say, is just Maddy! She decided at the beginning of this year that daycare was not for her - too boring and really just for babies. She's a big Kindy girl now and has no need for daycare! Big problem! Since Kindy is only 2 days a week we still have 3 days spare for daycare if I work and she did not like this!!! Day after day, I would have to drag her off me, kicking and screaming! Believe me, it was enough to give anyone high blood pressure.

This behaviour then spilled over to swimming lessons and dancing until everything just became too much! I've never been so close to wanting to just give up all my good mother ideals and let her have her merry way, just for peace and quiet. Anyway we persevered through the tough times and after many tears (hers and mine), stickers and rewards we are making progress and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In my darling princess' defence, she does probably have the most disrupted schedule this year and its just taken her a little while to settle into a routine.

I love the way she's so eager to learn and has started reading on her own without any "pushing" from her teacher mom.

I love you Madison (even when you're throwing a wobbly)!





Last but not least, we have Gethy boy! My little baby who seems to be a combination of the above mentioned. He's a little less feisty than Maddy with some of Ross' calmness mixed in! As long as its doesn't involve lego men!
For those who know me well, you will also know that potty training is not my parenting forte! So I've been putting off this task with Geth for as long as possible until daycare recently took the situation out of my hands. To cut a long story short - they basically did the hard part for me in the first 2 weeks and I'd say he's pretty much sorted with very little hassle for me. Phew! I really don't like that job!
So my precious baby will turn 3 on Friday and really be a big boy in all senses of the word "big".
His new favourite activity is talking on the phone - regardless of who it is! He recently insisted on talking to the telesales guy who was ringing from India! I thought it would be a good way of getting rid of the annoying telesales man but he was more than happy to chat with Geth if it meant I stayed on the line for a few minutes more.

I love you Geth (even when you're screaming over little tiny lego men)!

And that folks, is the 3 little personalities that make up my world!
xxx

Lego Men

Lego has been causing some serious issues in our house recently. Its not actually the little blocks but the lego men in particular. You see, Gethin is completely and utterly obsessed with them! He doesn't put them in his mouth or ears or up his nose - he just spends ages playing with them!
Given that he is only two and a half years old he doesn't actually possess his own stash of lego men, wherein the problem lies. In order to get his lego fix he has to sneak into Ross' room and sift through the big box of lego for all the little men. Unfortunately this does not go down too well with the "big brother" of the house! And then we have much crying and fighting and gnashing of teeth!
Gethin does not understand the concept of age-appropriate toys! Why should he play with those big, clumsy duplo blocks when he can have little men who you can pull apart into a million little pieces and then put back together again. It really does test his patience as he struggles for ages trying to get the visor back onto the man's helmet. I'm sure he must have the mostly finely tuned fine motor skills ever!
Due to the increasing tension which has subsequently resulted between "big brother" and "little brother", we have now resorted to buying Gethin his own little stash of lego men!

Kindy Girl!!!

This day could not have come quick enough for Maddy!
She's been waiting ages to go to "Big School"!
There was great excitement in the Evans household this morning and for once it wasn't the usual morning madness.



It was all smiles as we ate, dressed AND she even sat perfectly still for the brushing, plaiting and clipping of the hair. Oh boy, I wish it was that easy every morning!



And so, off we all set for "BIG SCHOOL".



I think thats when the nerves set in and she crept a little closer to me and mentioned that her tummy was sore. Once we were in her classroom, she settled down and was quite happy for me to leave.



At hometime we were greeted by a very happy little girl! She'd had a ball and proudly presented us with her pasta necklace and regaled us with tales of her day.



I pray all her days of school are as joyful and happy as this one!

Look what the stork brought!

Tyler Dean Irving - isn't he cute?

I'm his very proud aunty and the children are very excited about their new cousin. There's just one problem - he lives in London!
So if there's any rich airline company directors out there who happen to accidently land on this insignificant blog - here's one lady who could do with a few freebie tickets so she can cuddle her precious "nephew" before he gets too big.

With my parents return to South Africa and this latest addition to the family, it makes me sad that we don't live in the age where everyone stayed in the same town all their lives and never ventured much further than the next suburb, let alone a whole country away.

Be warned Ross, Maddy and Geth! You may not live more than 5km. away from your mother at all times. There will be no exceptions!

Merry Christmas and a happy 2011!!!!

Sorry - no time for stories because we're TOOOOOOOO BUSY, BUSY, BUSY..........

Opening presents.....





Eating......



Celebrating birthdays.....




and the New Year.......



Sightseeing.......







and relaxing!

Priceless

Dance fees for a term $90
Costume for dance concert $65
Tickets to watch dance concert $65
DVD of said concert $30
Watching your 4yr up on that stage dancing .................PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!



As you can see, there wasn't a lot of "dancing" but it was just soooooo cute, especially when Maddy didn't get a teddy. My heart was pounding when that happened, as we were so far away and I knew that she would get upset and probably start crying. Thank goodness the teachers were on the sides and could "fix" things. Can't wait for next years concert!

And so ................

The silly season is upon us! I LOVE IT!!!!!
Schools out this week and we're really getting into the festive spirit.
Last night we went to a Christmas event at a local church called Road to Bethlehem. It wasn't a concert or nativity play as such - more like a journey leading up to the Birth of Christ and the meaning of Christmas. It was excellent as they had real camels, sheep and even Baby Jesus was a "real" baby. The children really enjoyed it and I'm hoping that some of these activities will be carried on as family traditions in the years to come. Tonight we're heading off to Mandurah for a boat ride along the canals to see the Christmas lights and then on Sunday we'll finish off the week with Carols by Candlelight.

Sorry I don't have many pictures to share but my camera is not very well and has not been taking the best pics lately. My new camera will be arriving next week along with my parents from South Africa so I'm sure I'll have loads more to share with you then.

I'll leave you with some pictures from October when Paul's parents visited us.

Dear Ross, Madison and Gethin

I am writing this letter to apologise for "shouting, screaming and basically carrying on like a mad person" in the mornings. I hope that one day, probably only when you have kids of your own, you might understand why our morning routines were so much fun!

You see, after about the 500th time of asking you guys to get dressed in the morning I start to get a little annoyed. Add to that, some fighting over which chair you want to sit at or your indecision over what cereal you'd like (even though I have told you 300 times whats on the menu) I get a bit more annoyed. Getting the picture?

Not yet?

OK! And while I'm asking you for the thousandth time to brush your teeth and find your bag I'm also trying to dress myself, dress Gethin (if you're awake)and get a certain little girl to let me brush her hair. I then have the wonderful job of making a healthy, tasty lunch box for you, my oldest darling!I'm lucky if I manage to rustle up a sandwich for myself at the same time. Once it seems we're all half decent and semi-dressed, I then ask you all to make your way to the car,(which seems to be the code word for "Go to your room and look for something you haven't seen for 5 months!)While I struggle with bags (hoping and praying that everyone has a hat and water bottle at least) I call again for my precious darlings to "get in the car"! Nicely at first but gradually raising my voice as it seems like you have all been abducted by aliens.
Miraculously, you appear and disappear again in search of a library book, and then we start the totally foreign concept of strapping into the car! Oh boy, Gethin, if anyone saw me wrestling you into your car seat I would surely be on a child protection list somewhere.

Phew! I'm nearly done! Off we drive to school and daycare whilst I begin my usual speech about "daycare is fun and you're going to have a wonderful time there" to which I get the reply from you, my precious baby, "I no go school!" I drag you two in and run away while you try and cling to my legs.

Relief! You'd think! For a second until the guilt kicks in and I begin to feel bad for the way I've shouted and screamed and ranted and raved! AND ALL THIS BEFORE 8am!

I then drive to my school to relieve 20 something frazzled mom's of their precious children and try and educate them in some way. Why did I choose to be a teacher again? oh yes, because I love kids! LOL.

Do I like the way I carry on? No
Do I wish I was super(organised)mom? Yes
Do I love you 3 more than anything else in the world? Yes, yes, yes!!!!

I hope you can find it in your very kind hearts to forgive me!

Lots and lots of Love and Kisses
Mom
xxxxx