Learning about the goldrush

Abby and Tim have been learning about the goldrush at school.  Today they had a special dress-up day as a part of this section of their curriculum.  It has been the most exciting thing at school for several weeks.  Abby tells me that it was the only thing anybody would talk about at recess and lunchtime.

We recently found some old clothes of Abby's (from when she was about 18months old) and Abby wondered if Bethy could fit into them just for the trip to school.

Here they are.  Tim is dressed as a miner and Abby is dressed as the owner of a boarding house.  Bethy is dressed as a cute baby...

Last night I suddenly had a brilliant idea for how to crochet a bonnet for Bethy.  After the kids were in bed I pulled out some yarn to see if my idea worked. Unfortunately I forgot to put it on for the photo with Abby and Tim, but we remembered for going to school.  She fell asleep in the car on the way home so I got a picture of her then.  I'm quite pleased with how the bonnet turned out.

Beanies...

I've been inspired to create beanies lately, and once I started I've had requests for more.

My first attempt at a beanie for Elizabeth

A second blue girls beanie

Beanie for a little man I hope to meet in a few weeks time when he makes his arrival in my neighbours family

 Pink pompom beanie for Bethy

Bethy being a little un-cooperative in modelling her pink pompom beanie.

Family Fun Mothers Day

Today is Mother's Day and I have had a lovely day.  Bethy woke me to wish me a happy day several times in the wee hours, but she smiles so adorably that it's impossible to be grumpy with her.  The other children piled in to my room not long after 7am to present their Mother's Day gifts for me.  I received vouchers for breakfasts in bed, massages, cups of tea and babysitting for Bethy along with their handmade cards.  There was also the obligatory chocolate, mugs, pens and aprons, but all very nice ones that I really like.

After church and our monthly church lunch we decided to have a family fun afternoon.  We were going to go into the city on the train, but the children were not enthusiastic about that idea, so instead we went somewhere I have been wanting to go for quite awhile.

Elizabeth Farm was originally the home of John and Elizabeth Macarthur, famous for their merino wool (although it seems they may have promoted themselves somewhat more than was really justified).  The oldest part of the house was built in 1793 and it has been largely unchanged since 1830.  Tim had already been here on a school excursion and Ben is coming here later this year, so they were both quite excited to go.

The kids had fun pretending they lived here.

Ben at the writing desk

Abby washing clothes

Ezra relaxing on the front verandah

Tim playing with a stick and hoop

Bethy, just being cute (and Simon).

As for me, I fell in love with this little study.  It is bright and sunny and looks out onto the garden.  I'd love a room like this in my dream house.

Writing...

I realize my blog has been a bit slow lately.  (Well, okay, since you mention it, I'll admit, it has been VERY slow lately).  I could list a whole lot of reasons why I haven't been writing, but they would just be excuses, so I won't waste your time with them.

To help make things a bit more interesting, I have decided to occasionally repost a story that I have written as an entry into the FaithWriters (an online Christian writing group) writing challenge.  I haven't entered any challenges for a very long time, but I looked up my own profile tonight and made myself cry with one of my entries, and realised that (in my opinion) some of the things I wrote were quite well written.  Feel free to ignore it when I drop in an old story of mine, but I am hoping that by sharing I will begin to feel inspired to get back into writing, so I am really sharing for my benefit more than yours.

The way the writing challenge works is that we are given a word or phrase and have to write something about that topic, between 150 and 750 words.  The first one I'll share is the one that made me cry tonight.  The topic was 'Siblings' and I wrote this in 2008.

Warning: Contains heart breaking themes for some mothers.

I wanted a twin brother!

Being a big brother didn’t turn out quite how I’d expected it too. I mean, I didn’t even want to be a big brother in the first place. I told my Dad quite clearly what I wanted. I asked him for a twin brother, just a tiny bit older than me and as like me as two peas in a pod, just like the Miller twins. They always have a heap of fun playing tricks on folks and I’ve noticed that generally in families with more than one kid, the older kids get in a heap more trouble, even if the younger kids did the same thing. I didn’t want to be the oldest, no sir-ee.

That day in the shed when dad asked if I would like a brother or a sister, I told him straight out what I wanted, but I guess he just didn’t listen close enough. I could hardly believe it when he and Momma came home with a tiny little baby wrapped in a fluffy pink blanket.

Now, I don’t deny she was a cute little baby, but she wasn’t a twin brother. I reckon it would have been quieter around the house if Dad and Momma would have just listened to me in the first place. She was one noisy little girl. I couldn’t understand why all of a sudden I wasn’t allowed to make a sound around the house, and yet that little baby girl screamed all day and all night.

My poor Momma seemed like a different person. Her beautiful blue eyes were always full of tears and she hardly ever brushed her hair. When I was just a little boy, I remember Momma used to let me pass her the hair pins as she carefully piled her hair up on top of her head. For ever so long after Emily-Sue came to live with us, Momma’s hair just hung down her back, looking tangled and sad.

I remember the first day Momma did her hair again. It was the same day Emily-Sue laughed. Momma and I were kissing her little wriggly toes when all of a sudden she let rip with a big baby giggle. Momma laughed too and when Emily-Sue finally fell asleep, Momma brushed her hair, piled it up on top of her head and then came and held me in her arms for the longest time. She told me she was sorry she had been busy and then she let me help her make sugar cookies. We ate most of the dough before they got cooked, so we had to make a second lot so Dad could have some too.

I guess after that I didn’t mind so much about Emily-Sue not being a twin brother. As she got bigger, she got more fun too. When she started crawling, we played chasing games around the table legs. Momma would laugh and laugh at us as she did her chores. One day we dragged the toy box out in the middle of the room and Emily-Sue started chasing me around it. After a bit, I was getting sore knees, so I just went and sat nearby and watched. She didn’t see I had stopped and she went on crawling around and around that box for ages. Momma and I had a good laugh about that one.

I still remember the morning Momma found her laying still and blue in her crib. We tried and tried to get her to breathe again, but she just wouldn’t. Momma lay on the floor and cried and cried until I ran next door and got Mr Thompson to come and see what had happened. After that the house seemed all full of strange people and they took my beautiful baby sister away. Now Momma’s eyes always have that sad far-away look in them. I can always tell when she’s thinking about Emily-Sue.

Sometimes we just sit and hold each other and cry. I don’t want a twin brother anymore, but I’d give anything to have my Emily-Sue back again.

More Grandparents

Today we visited Simon's Grandparents.  His Nanna has been in hospital for about 8 years with Alzheimers.  Papa visits her every single day.  He is a living example of faithful love in sickness and in health.

Nanna was very alert and quite interested in Bethy.  She smiled several times when she saw Bethy and seemed to be trying to speak to her.

I hope my children realise how blessed they are to still have four great-grandparents still living and setting such a wonderful example for them.

Grandparents

I love my Grandma and Grandad.  I have SO many memories of them and of holidays spent roaming around their 300 acre farm in Gippsland.  In my mind, they will always be the fit, acitve, healthy and perpetually busy people from my childhood memories.

BUT...

They have grown old. (People tend to do this, and it is a good thing really, as the alternative is death.)

Over the last few months my Grandad has been overcome by Alzheimers and Dementia.  For some people it is a slowly progressing disease, but for Grandad it seems to have overtaken him rapidly and intensely. 


My Grandparents have just celebrated 69 years of marriage. Some family members want Grandad put into care to ease the burden on Grandma.  This brings a whole range of problems and concerns for those responsible for making this choice.  If they are seperated, or he is in a strange environment, he becomes distressed and unmanageable and Grandma feels like she would be breaking her marriage vows to desert him in a time of sickness.  And yet... she is exhausted beyond belief just surviving through each day. 

I find it hard to visit them.  I want to remember them as the fit, healthy people I knew, and yet I also want to treasure every moment I have left with them.

Anyway...

Today we went to visit them and had the opportunity to introduce Elizabeth to them.  Grandad knew us (most of the time) and was glad to have a cuddle with Elizabeth.  Bethy is the youngest of approximately 35 great-grandchildren (I don't know exactly how many great-grandchildren there are as I have 21 cousins and I have not kept in touch with which ones have had babies in the last couple of years).

I love my Grandparents and am proud to be a part of their continuing legacy.

Crazy Hair Day

Today is crazy hair day at school.  My four big children have had very different feelings about this day.  Ezra has been dreading it for more than a week, even asking to stay home.  Tim and Ben spent a long time last night planning and practicing exactly what they would do with their hair, and Abby shrugged her shoulders and gave me permission to do 'whatever' with hers.  This is what we ended up with:

Instead of 'crazy hair', Ezra chose to have 'handsome hair'.

Tim and Ben with their carefully planned 'crazy' hairstyles.

Abby with my creation inspired by a comment Simon made about Star Wars movies.

All together, ready to go.