Community Garden Competition

The school that Pobj works for had a display in a recent competition.
We helped pick and then we helped display.
They called our display the Chelsea Garden Show display.
We won the People's Choice Award.
We brought home an Olive tree for our efforts.
We are slowly but surely getting to know more people in the area that are outside of our church. I love it.
The presentation was made at a dinner in the Community gardens where we ate all the fresh produce that had been grown and entered in the competition. Totally great and fabulously fun.

Every December

Last year while we were driving we decided to start a tradition with the kids.
We asked them 17 questions.
It was interesting to ask them again this year at the same time and see what has changed. These are not deep and meaningful questions. They are merely questions that we are going to ask every year in December until we stop asking.
We wanted to share both this year and last year with you.
Settle in.

Connor 2011 and 2012
1. What is your favourite colour?   bright blue               gold
2. Favourite toy? Star Wars                       ps Vita
3. Favourite fruit? Mango&Pink Ladies     Mango & Pink Ladies
4. Fav tv show?     Cricket               Almost Naked Animals
5. Fav lunch? strawberry jam or peanut butter sandwiches lettuce mayo & chicken wraps
6. Fav outfit?Threadless T's            stripped shirt and green shorts
7. Fav Game? Cricket     tennis ball and bat outside
8. Fav snack? Chocolate      milo
9. Fav animal? snow leopard        guinea pig
10. Fav song?  Any Adele songs       Fireworks
11. Fav book? Rangers Apprentice, Brother band          2nd world war stories for Boys
12. Who are your friends? Lachlan w., Tobyn, Griffen, Matt & Bryce   Lachlan W. Bryce, Griffen Matt, Tobyn
13. Fav cereal? Honey Nut Cornflakes        Choc Pillows
14. Fav thing to do outside? Play       Play cricket
15. Fav drink? Apple and Mango juice     Cordial
16. Fav time of year? Summer, because there is cricket.       Summer
17. What do you want to be when you grow up? Playing cricket for Australia.  Cricket player for Australia and the IPL.

Kenzi 2011 and 2012
1. What is your favourite colour?   green               pink
2. Favourite toy? Mermaids from Calli and Andrew                       Big Dog
3. Favourite fruit? Mango     Mango
4. Fav tv show?     Deltora Quest & Clone Wars              Animalia
5. Fav lunch? Butter and strawberry Jam sandwich white bread with butter,lettuce, tomato & salt
6. Fav outfit?The green dress that you gave away           Mummy's gold and yellow dress
7. Fav Game? Swimming    All games are great
8. Fav snack? Butter and strawberry Jam sandwich     White hot chocolate
9. Fav animal? snow tiger        snow tiger and phoenix
10. Fav song?  The sun comes up by Kenzi       Fireworks
11. Fav book? Rangers Apprentice         Animorphs
12. Who are your friends? Olivia, Connor, Brid, Ebony, Calli   Luka, Christina, Ebony
13. Fav cereal? Coco Pops       Choc Balls
14. Fav thing to do outside? Play       Play Battles
15. Fav drink? Fizzy with orange juice    White Hot Chocolate
16. Fav time of year? Christmas       January 18th
17. What do you want to be when you grow up? Famous Irish dancer, song artist, book writer, vet, nurse, dog walker, baby sitter, wife.   Vet

A White Christmas

The only white thing around for our UK Christmas was Langlan's cast but it was a good (but different) one anyway.





Langlan got discharged from hospital on Christmas Eve so we were all pretty zonked Christmas morning although the Christmas elves perked things up.





The celebrations stretched across 2 days, shifting around the waking and happy hours of Mr L.











My photos are pretty dodge, keeping one little crippled boy and one little hungry girl happy was my main priority. And that was the best Christmas present, two kidlets, one husband, one extended family and a leg of lamb. Perfect.

PS
The break:





And the new wheels:



Had a docs visit today and the ortho is really happy with how it's all gone. Yay!

I love my new trousers Mummy

So do we, Little Boy, so do we.

Merry Berry Christmas to all

Big Love, Joy, Peace and Christmas wishes from everyone at the farm

xxx

Our Little Boy

No kiddy splints so the ambos wrapped him like a Christmas present.


Traction (aka torture for a 2 year old little boy).


Sleep, at last.


Bedside vigil.


Balloon soccer with the good leg. You can't keep the boy down.





Decorating cupcakes with Oma.

For those who don't know, Langlan fell off a trolley at IKEA on Saturday evening and broke his femur (thigh bone). He's still in hospital in traction but fingers crossed he'll be getting a cast on today and coming home soon. It's been awful ( for more reasons than the broken leg, hospital policy and the NHS are not always my friend, and neither are doctors who won't prescribe the needed and Liz-approved pain medication) and it's not over but hopefully today is a new day and I really don't think it could get any worse than yesterday.

Thank you to my family for prayers and texts. They've been helping keep me going. Keep them coming. I know every single one of you would love to be physically here to help out but you have to know that what you've been doing has been so, so helpful. I love you guys (and I love hearing my phone buzz and seeing it's one of you). (This includes you, Ash and Rohan.)

Thanks to Rach, Stephen and Rupert for their 4 mile detour to visit. I needed a cuddle from blood ( sounds weird I know) and Rachey, thanks for knowing that and coming. And offering to come back. Wow.

Thanks to Sarah for humming a beautiful song while I laid on the bed and held my little boy. It calmed us both down. And thanks for the cups of water. I really needed them, they were a really thoughtful little thing that actually made a huge difference. They kept me feeding Liefie, gave a second of pause while I drank, and made me feel loved. Thank you.

Thank you Liz for being a paediatric pharmacist. The best person to have around when your little boy is writhing in pain and asking for more medicine. Thanks also for the little bell you put by my bed so I could call you during the night if I, or Lief, needed you. It reminded me of Mum and assured me I was not alone. A little bell may not make a big sound but it made a big difference to me.

Thanks to Mark for pacing the halls with Liefie and passing her over when she needed feeding, only to take her back and pace the halls again. My little girl was in good hands and meant I could focus on Langlan, it meant the world to me to look over and see her curled up on your chest. Thanks also for the late night car ride and listening to my slightly hysterical chatter, it was hard leaving the hospital but I knew I was in good hands.

Thanks to Dave for being a goofy uncle who buys the BIG airplanes. Every little boy with a broken leg needs an Uncle Dave who gets as much pleasure from sending balloons and planes hurtling across the hospital bed as the little boy does. Distraction helped Langlan so much and Dave, you were good!

Mike, thanks for looking after the chooks and thinking of their well being during our extended stay! I'm looking forward to having you around to help entertain a little, immobile boy. I think you're going to have your full of book reading in the next few weeks.

Thanks to Liefie for happily being passed from hand to hand, feeding in awkward and bizarre positions and just being a total trooper. For an 8 week old baby we've put you through a lot and you've just kept on smiling, eating and sleeping. Pooping too. Lots of pooping.

Andrew, I didn't realise when we got married the full extent of your marvellousness. You are the only person I would want bedside me (and off harassing hospital staff) in a situation like this. Thank you for everything. And I really mean EVERYTHING. We've still got a long way to go but we make an awesome team with you safeguarding our family like the protector you are. I think the hospital will be happy to see the back of your polite, but very firm, head. I don't know how it's possible but I love you a little bit more every day. Ummm, and that's not because I think you're hard to love (!) but because I love you so much already.

And lastly, Langy-Lou. What a trooper. Everyone who has been involved has commented on how amazing you've been. You even had the ambo fooled because you were such a star. I'm hoping things will only get better for you from here but I also know that no matter what happens you'll be ok because you're strong, resilient and keep telling me you're getting better. You melt my heart every time something happens and you quietly tell me to 'Never mind.' I love you little boy.

I know that a broken leg isn't a big deal in the great scheme of things and it's going to make a funny story one day but keep praying, keep loving my little family, and thank you everyone!

Happy, Silly and Strange Faces for Someone who needs to get Well Soon

We love you Langi G. and hope you are feeling better really soon.

AHhhh Holidays

In which flowers from our garden grace our table and make us smile.

 In which a girl grows a sunflower from a seed and takes photos of herself.

 In which our manger is set up with our giant family colouring project above it.

 In which our door is decked with holly and JOY.

 In which our manger scene made entirely from egg cartons is begun.

 In which we write Bible verses on our colouring project to remind us just why we celebrate. 

In which Upwords is played....everything always comes back to bodily functions when you have a 12 year old boy!

Holidays...a time in which we catch up on each other, family, friends, tidying, craft and stop to remember the reason for this Christmas Season.

Opposites

This one loves ice cream.



This one doesn't. (Not on her forehead anyway.)

And we've now left here:


To go here:


To hop on this:


And happily arrive here:


I've been feeling completely unChristmassy with the lack of decorations/carols/presents but having our December filled with beautiful, beautiful friends and family has more than made up for it. And now we've got Oma's tree to decorate, yay!

Still here

Our stay in Amsterdam has been unexpectedly prolonged. It's been great spending more time with our beautiful Amsterdam friends but also a little frustrating because all our plans have been messed up and now we're not sure what's happening.


(on the train back from Haarlem with some toys that have been live savers, thanks Fl!)
Andrew has been going to work everyday and I've been meeting up with friends and trying to de-jetlag Langy G and Liefie.


(all rugged up ready to hit the town)


(our house is just around the corner in the background)


(playing in the wet, cold sand because this little boy is an outdoor one

Hopefully we'll know what's happening by the end of today. So, I'm going to enjoy my hotel breakfast and freshly made bed while it lasts!