Holidays are nearly over ~

Dallas has sent a text to say they are back in the country. Overnighting in Christchurch and coming home tomorrow. Then Ricki has one day home and on Monday is off on Biology Camp for week!

Rex's funeral has been arranged for Thursday. Everyone arrives here on Monday. I've been trying to hire, borrow, steal (ok - maybe not steal) fold out couches so I have somewhere for people to sleep.

Josh, Paul & Hayden went to the movies this morning. Lava girl - or something like that. Sounded pretty rubbishy. They've all spent the afternoon playing tennis, ball tag, etc, outside before the rain started.

Tomorrow we have Michelle and Scottys wedding. It's down the sounds but the weather will need to improve - it's currently raining. I had to go and buy a nice black jacket because I think it's going to be cold, and I don't have one. We have to head to Picton to meet the boat at 10am. I'm looking forward to sitting back and relaxing for a few hours.

Sometimes life just bites!

Had planned to write about the fun time the boys had in Christchurch, and also about the exploits of Dal and Ricki who are still in Australia. But real life got in the way . . . and it sucks.

We have had a death in the family. My brother in law Rex - my sister Anne's husband. He went into hospital in Sydney last Friday to have a hip replacement. About an hour after coming out of that he had a heart attack. He was put on life support, and passed away on Monday with most of his family by his side. Now he gets to come home . . . but not to share retirement here with Anne as they had both planned.

To Anne and Rex's family - Veronica, Peter, Luke and Jodee; Chris, Janice, Mikayla & Jordan; Donna, Shane, Courtney, Taylah & Jake; Natasha & Dion; Pamela & Eddie and Nicola - thinking of you heaps and love you all.

One week down ~

and one to go . . . already!! This first week of the holidays has just flown by.

I have spent it child minding in the morning and then going into work for a couple of hours in the afternoons.

All boys and I have had haircuts. We've been to the Library. Been shopping for boxers and socks LOL. Oh, and I bought my first Christmas presents too!

Today - we'll do something different ~ Dallas and Ricki are off to Australia with the soccer team. Picking up some extra boys and leaving home around 8am. Fly out from Christchurch this afternoon for some fun in the sun. Only playing a couple of games on one day, and spending the rest of the time at theme parks, the zoo, shopping, the beach etc etc. (They are going to the Gold Coast).

Liam, Josh and I are following them down to Christchurch and are going to have a long weekend there. We will probably be spending most of our time finding teenage type stuff to do ~ go karts, Hydroslides at QEII, vertical bungee, laser strike etc etc. Hope to throw a little bit of shopping in :-)

Wish us all safe travelling . . .

Schools out ~

Only one more term left before the end of the year!

ONLY 92 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

Time is rushing by. Just as the past few weeks have.

The world hasn't stopped revolving because we don't have a government. I thought this week would be a lot worse than it was. Life just goes on!

Our most exciting news of the past couple of weeks . . . we have a section!!
Here it is ~
















The driveway . . . yes, it's another back section :-)
















This is looking south east. Doesn't look much, does it. But it's ours! We hope to be built and living there in six months.
Still waiting for the title to come through, then hopefully building can start Dec/Jan.

We have a house plan, now just have to get the sizing right. Working with Endeavour Homes. I'm sure they will be quite sick of us by the time this little adventure is over LOL


Had both Liam & Ricki to the doctor today. Ricki for his allergies. Ian wouldn't give him the allergy injection until all other avenues had failed, so we have come home with Prednisone, eye drops and nose drops. Fingers crossed that they will do the trick.

Liams growth was checked last year, and Ian wanted to see him again this time this year. He has shot up 9cm and put on 9kg in weight! Still well under the normal percentile for his age, but he always has been, so I'm not worried at all. His voice is a little bit croaky/squeaky these days too. Sounds really funny when he laughs. Love to hear that sound!

Have nothing much planned for the school break. Dallas and Ricki are off to Australia next Friday for soccer. They are away from 30th September till the 8th October.

Liam, Josh and I decided that we would spend next weekend in Christchurch, so hope to head away on Friday, too.

Karls final semester this year ends on 8th October. Then he has four exams over the next three weeks and that's his first year of Uni finished. He's still talking about having a gap year next year. That may change if he thinks he has to spend a year working in a supermarket full time though. He has to get his CV updated and out to the places where he thinks he might like to work. It's going to be an interesting few months.

I can't believe I'm saying this ~

But we are sitting here, absolutely glued to the election results tonight! Only switching over to the rugby in the ad breaks. That is unheard of!

Oh well, I'll check in tomorrow and update :)

A sure sign that summer is on its way!

Winter sport is finished! Thank goodness for that. We only had Ricki playing a sport this year, but that was enough. He had a pretty good season playing soccer for Redwood Colts. At the prizegiving yesterday he won the trophy for Most Improved Player. He was a bit surprised to get it.

Dallas and I spent some time yesterday afternoon after the soccer looking at a couple of show homes. We are trying to get a house plan sorted, and trying to chose between two building companies. I thought it was going to be easy! Hah! I think we are trying to cram too much into the house. Need to sit back and look at it more simply.

I have had enough of seeing the devastation in New Orleans. It's just too much. The horrors of illness, death, rapes, murders. It makes me so sad. It makes me so angry. Do you realise that the area affected is the size of the whole of New Zealand? Can you imagine what that would be like? We would have nowhere to run; nowhere to hide.

My biggest question is why did it take so long to get help in there? FIVE whole days?!?

And now the petrol prices keep rising. Interestingly enough, George Bush was telling all Americans not to buy gas, unless you really need to. Good thing he told them that. I'm sure many routinely buy gas when they don't need too! What a dipstick!

Time sure flys by ~

Especially when you are busy LOL

Thanks to Susy for the reminder that I haven't been here and updated for a while.

Lots to update on - will try and do it in order~

Yes, we did get moved into the rental house. That was on 12th August. Spent that Friday with a friend doing a final cleaning Howick Road. Couldn't have done it without her, that's for sure.

Then spent Saturday and Sunday pottering around here, getting things in place, making sure TV, Sky, computers were going - which just wasn't happening! Telecom stuffed up the change over! Was meant to be done on Thursday, but ended up with no phone until the following Monday - and then they tried to charge us for it!!! Not in MY lifetime would I be paying for their stuffup!!!! Much frustration for all involved - and plenty of mumbles and grumbles from the boys in the cheap seats!

Vinnie seemed to take to the move OK, but he still wasn't eating much, and was drinking lots. Rumblings of a problem there, so got him into the vet. Turns out he had kidney disease and after that he went downhill really quickly. We ended up having him put down last Monday. We were all so sad - much crying was done. We are still missing him snuggling up to us and the boys especially as he would get under the covers in bed with them - moving from bed to bed throughout the night.

RIP VINNIE


We are now in the process of buying a section. Documents are at the lawyers as we speak (or as I type as the case may be!) A new subdivision has opened off Redwood Street, and we are buying a section there. Not the first choice of where we want to be, but the other area isn't coming up for about two years.

Checking out house plans, too. There is so much to decide. How big, how many bedrooms, how many living areas, what kind of kitchen, where can I save some money so I can buy new furniture . . .??? The list goes on.

Doesn't help that I've been working almost full time for the past five weeks, and that is set to continue for at least another 6 weeks. We are learning to make the most of our lunchtimes and Sundays.

Karl has been home for two weeks, went back to Uni last weekend . Has end of year exams in about five weeks, I think. He is considering coming home and working for 2006 to get some money behind him before going back. Let's just say he's not been handling his finances very well -- much to his mothers (and fathers) consternation!!! More frustration!!!

Liam had a sleep over at a friends birthday last night and is asleep on the couch - think I'd better go wake him or he'll won't go to bed tonight!

Think that just about gets us up to date.

GO THE ALL BLACKS!!

The move has begun . . .

Got the key to the rental on Friday afternoon.

Started moving things over on Saturday - the garage was cleared and went; also all the kitchen stuff that's not needed between now and Friday.

Yesterday I had work - but Dallas and the boys moved all the outside furniture and the trampoline in the morning, and in the afternoon we got all the bookcases moved, lots and lots of boxes that are going into storage, plus our waterbed. Got the w/b put together again and will start filling it tonight. We are currently sleeping in Joshs double bed - the waterbed is a king size . . . quite a difference!!

On the last trip we dismantled our dining table, took that around and reassembled it.

The kids worked really well the whole day. Ricki had spent the night at a friends birthday and didn't get home till about 11am, but still got stuck in even though he'd had no sleep. Might be fun trying to wake him up this morning for school. LOL

Don't know how Vinnie is going to take the move. He is 10 this year, and knows that something is up. He's not eating well, and is being very quiet. Not like him at all.

Yesterday I kept getting the runaround ~

and I am SO damn angry about it!

Ricki has a tooth that is bothering him. The local hospital used to deal with secondary school dental care, but we got a letter a couple of months ago to say the a local practice will be taking the school kids on.

So - I ring the dental practice . . .
"Oh, I'm sorry, we've heard no more about taking the childrens dental care over".

OK - so I ring the hospital . . .
"Didn't you get a letter to say we were closing"
"Yes, but the other practice has heard nothing more"
"Oh, no, they haven't signed the contract yet . . ."

So she tells me there is an emergency dentist to call. OK, I call them, but it's not a real emergency so they won't take him!

My choices - it has to suddenly become a real toothache emergency (wonder how good an actor Ricki is), or I try and get him into my dentist and pay for it.

Why do these sorts of things always happen when you are already stressed to the max?



On the other hand - a good thing about yesterday . . . Liam came home from camp :-)

Life is certainly not boring ~

In our clean out to prepare for our house move we took a HUGE trailer load of rubbish/cr@p/old/broken stuff to the rubbish tip yesterday.

Still have a pile of clothes to recycle, things in good condition to take to the op shop and a couple of items to auction.

We get the keys to our rental this coming Friday, and have a week to move things over and clean this place.

On top of that, my boss has an operation tomorrow and I'm working every day for the next six weeks, instead of part time. Wish me luck in keeping my sanity intact!

Oh, and Liam is off on school camp today. His tramping pack is almost twice the size he is! AND he was diagnosed with shingles yesterday, so has these itchy clusters on his back and has to take five pills a day for a week! Yeah right - like a 14yo male on school camp is going to remember that!