Ice Skating

Early in January, we got some tickets to the Mackay Entertainment Centre to go ice skating. The event was funded for children with disabilities and their families. Go Zemmy! So off we went and had a fantastic time! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Okay, here are our excited boys! Just thrilled to be doing something different. They actually surprised me with how well they walked in the ice skates. Especially Zemmy. He had no trouble balancing.

 Zekiah wasn't so impressed with his skates and even less impressed that mum wouldn't carry him.

 Zemiel quickly found something to use to help him stay upright on the ice. Couldn't wipe that smile off!

Azariah also eventually managed to get a penguin and tried a lap or two around the ice rink. It was all fun and games until he realised that his legs were getting further and further apart and he didn't know how to bring them back!

 Sharlene eventually took the pram on the ice with Zekai and Liana-Rose.

Meanwhile, Azariah and Zemiel had found the snowball making (and throwing) area and were very busy learning how to make good, solid snowballs.

Both boys caught on fast. Here Zemmy is warming his fingers after making and launching a snowball, while Riah is just winding up.

Even Zekiah got in on the action.

Ultimately, a very satisfying evening. We absolutely loved the family time together and what a great experience for the boys! I hope they don't forget. 

Christmas 2013

We had Christmas with a difference this year, not in the sense that we somehow got the snow that Trev and Roni missed out on, but rather that we actually stayed home and had the relies come to us for a change! Dan's mum and step-father came up for about 5 days and camped in their little caravan on our front lawn - which was only just wide enough!

On Sunday, when they arrived, we headed out to Mau's farm. There were some lychee trees there that needed to be relieved of their fruit and our family were more than happy to oblige! We ended coming home with enough for ourselves and enough to share with just about all our street! We were also given two bags of mangoes. Bonus!

On our first full day, we went fishing out at the mouth of Baker's Creek and both caught some quite decent fish including two big grunter, a golden trevally and some butter bream. Dan caught a diamond trevally and the boys also caught some small stuff. Another perfect day in paradise.

The next day (Christmas Eve), Zemiel took sick again with yet another ear infection. Sharlene left with Zemiel for the emergency department and Daniel spent the morning making treasure maps and hiding chocolates. It is one of the boys' favourite pastimes at the moment. Dan's made a rough sketch of our house and yard and then placed small x's where he's hidden the 'treasures'. Then he's given the map to Azariah to see if they can figure out the map. Lucky for them, Grandma Mac was nearby to help them out and between them, they soon had rounded up the wayward chockies. Then it was Dan's turn to go Christmas shopping, so leaving the boys with Grandma, he went out and returned before Sharlene did. Then it was Grandma and Malcolm's turn to shop. Sharlene returned home with ear drops and oral antibiotics for Zemiel.

During the afternoon, Dan had been working on levelling out a bit of ground in the front yard for the boys' big Christmas gift - a trampoline! And not just any trampoline either - A Vuly 'Thunder'. Once the ground was level, Dan used the remaining daylight to begin constructing the framework around the base and putting in the leaf springs. It was definitely a two-man job, and Malcolm came over to lend a hand. Together, he and Dan connected the mat to the springs. It was Sharlene's job to keep the children indoors and away from windows. Dan had made out that he was digging for treasure when he was levelling the yard. So we wondered what the children would think in the morning when they saw this beast of a trampoline sitting there. It was time for dinner, and we took a break.

Christmas Eve was  a lovely time. The boys each were allowed to open their present from Grandma and what delight when they saw their gifts! Three shiny new skateboards! Of course, the boys all wanted to sleep with them. Earlier in the day, Zemiel had asked to sleep in a tent beside Grandma's caravan. Dan set up the two-man tent and all the boys tried to sleep in it - with their skateboards! Only Zemiel remained until morning however.

After the children were asleep, and with help, Dan continued the construction. The whole thing was finished after an hour, including net, skirting, additional hooks to hold the mat and springs in place. Dan had the first jump on it to try it out. WOW!

Christmas morning was exciting. Zemiel came racing into our bedroom and told us that a jumpy thing was outside. What was that? We asked. Then he opened out curtain and told us to look outside. Oh! Look at that! Where did that come from? Goodness! Merry Christmas Zemmy! Shortly all three boys were on board and bouncing away like they'd always had it.

Then it was all inside to open some more presents! Riah received a glider, Zekai obtained an orbit tennis set, and Zem now owned a bow and arrow kit. With these and many other wonderful gifts, our boys certainly had a fun Christmas morning.

About mid-morning we left for Sharlene's parents' house. With more presents to open - including a tin of various balls, a wooden builder toolbox for Riah and new shirts and shorts all-round. We shared our meals with Piotr's brother, his wife and her mother and brother. We also enjoyed playing a new game, 'Pentago' that we had been given. There we stayed until 5:30 in the evening. When we did move on, it was to Sharlene's aunt's house and to another party! This time we had secret santa gifts to enjoy. Whatever was found in the present, could be swapped with another, or could be taken from you by another who came after you. Dan came away with a bucket of car washing items and a bag of beer nuts. Sharlene took home some chocolates. The men hardly swapped at all, but the ladies...well...the grass is always greener....

We finally made it back home and collapsed into bed about 10:00pm and hardly stirred until the sun was up. The boys were already awake, but mercifully, they had gone to the trampoline and Grandma's caravan rather than our bedroom! Grandma and Malcolm planned to leave that day and so they set about packing away their items. The word was that there would be a good tide that day so Dan decided to take Azariah fishing again. Grandma Mac and Malcolm also decided they would come as well.

The fishing didn't turn out as well as previously. Dan caught some good fish, but nothing that he could keep. Grandma and Malcolm caught a small fish each and then decided to make a start on their journey home. Poppy Brian, Nuna and Mark were hauling in fish quite regularly. Mark caught a decent Oyster Cracker which really gave him an adrenalin boost, while all caught some very big Grunter. Poppy Brian caught a Barramundi with his last cast of the day. With a photo to prove the catch but no fish to take home (being out of season).

In the afternoon, We headed over to Sharlene's parent's house for some games, to find that her uncle Paul had arrived - with Alyse and Alyse's new boyfriend 'GVD'. He did tell me his name twice and if I had a tape recorder I might be able to write down half of what he said. Suffice to say, his first name takes about 6 seconds to say. We'll stick with GVD. Alyse was so excited, she gave us all a detailed account of how they met, what they thought when they met, each event leading up to their being together and how they felt through every step. GVD (surrounded by family) looked more and more sheepish as the narration continued. But he survived and I'm sure is a little wiser about letting Alyse to all the talking. He and Dan were able to condense about 20 minutes of high-speed prattle into three simple steps. They saw each other, went to a party together and then held hands.

We did eventually play some games - and so ended Boxing Day.

Photos of Liana-Roze

Now that I've got a bit of time to myself - and also that Christmas is over - I've downloaded all the photos on the camera. Some gypsies from Europe said they wanted to see some more photos of Liana and the boys as they grew. So I've sifted through the pics and come up with a few shots that I hope will please. First of all though, one for Trev and Roni, just before they left for London...or was that Wales...or was that Germany...?

Alright, now Liana-Roze was only about 3 weeks old or so when these next photos were taken.

Jump forward a couple of weeks to when she is about a month old. We have a few pics of Liana and the boys...

This photo of Liana reminded me of a video we took of Azariah 4 years ago. Have a look here to compare. What do you think?


The next photos are some pics that I managed to snap of Liana and her early smiles. In these photos, she is about 8 weeks old. At that stage, she would only smile for dad. Much to mum's chagrin. 

CHUBBY!

Front and Centre

Today, Cental Church had their Christmas 'Extravaganza' program. There was a variety of items performed including a play, stories, poems, prose, quartets, solos, instrumentals, and congregational singing. It was a lot of fun to be a part of.

Sharlene and I joined in with the performance. We signed 'Silent Night' while two of our friends played flute and clarinet. We were shaking so much by the end of it but received several encouraging comments by some people who particularly enjoyed it.

Here are a couple of pics of the item that I found on Facebook.

Party time!

The year is almost at an end, but that doesn't mean that the work is winding down. Actually, it is getting more intense! I've just spent half my weekend sorting photos for the families to take home. Then there is the Christmas break-up to organise as well. I asked the model train engineers club to host our party again this year and they were very kind in agreeing. The original day that I wanted (today) was booked up though, so we've settled for next Sunday. It is all probably just as well actually, because one of our children had a birthday party on today and the clash would have been terrible for our break-up. As it is, we should have a decent turnout.

Today, I split my native bee hive and tried to kickstart one of my old hive boxes. Not only that though, because the ply separator on my good hive has been eaten by fungi and is no real use any more. So I decided to replace that also. It all meant a lot of disturbance for the bees but the real surprise was the amount of honey they had stored. Once they've recovered a little from the split, I'm coming back for that honey! Sorry, I was covered in sticky resin, honey and about 5 000 angry bees so no pictures.

Shar's down in Brizzy at the moment and having a blast down there I hear. Zem's had eye tests and ultra sounds on his kidneys and he is yet to have some blood taken. Last week, Shar and I went and had some blood taken just to show Zem what happens - what it looks like and that it isn't all that scary after all. We'll wait and see if it has helped in any way.

Zem, Liana and Shar have been all over Brisbane - from what I've been told. Off to Garden City on Friday, South Brisbane SDA Church for Sabbath and then a bus trip out to Wynnum to visit her sister. Today was spent at the museum, which is always a favourite for Zemiel. One of the current exhibits was a robot that mirrored his face expressions, smiles, frowns, eyebrow raises and gurneys!

Well, it's getting a bit late. Best say good night until next time.

Family Photos and a Trip to Brisbane

A couple of weeks after Liana was born, we had planned to get a photo taken. It was a little too quick to be great for the baby but take a look. I think the older boys did a really good job.

Last weekend, Shar and I went to Brisbane for a conference about 22Q.11 deletion. The speaker was a researcher from America and he had some great insights into what to expect from Zemiel in the future. What we got out of it most was: 22Q kids score lower on IQ tests not because they are 'dumber' but rather because most things are delayed. One father at the conference had an 18 year old daughter who (he said) was acting like a 12 year old.
Another interesting aspect was a discussion on anxiety. Zemiel is beginning to show quite a high level of anxiety in some situations. Generally, these children avoid stressors, but need some sort of stress in order to learn. We, as parents, have to try and strike a balance between under stimulation and over stressing. There were reports of children being scared of all sorts of crazy things. One child was scared of hills!
Further information involved the concept that these children do not learn by observation. They must be explicitly taught everything. They do really well with ROTE learning, but generally their working mathematically skill, comprehension and time and space skill will be severely inhibited. Because movement through space and time causes difficulty, some of these people may not learn to drive a car - or it may take much more practice to learn.
Anyway, on that day, Brizzy got a hailstorm at 2pm. But it wasn't a patch on the storms that encircled the city on the Saturday night. It was amazing to see the lightning strikes and constant flashes in the sky. I took some video with a little camera. I'll put it below when I've finished editing it.

Liana's First Bath

Liana loves having her baths. Her first bath was on the first Sabbath with us. It was a family affair with the boys wanting to be involved.

Later, Sharlene wanted to take a few pics of Liana all dolled up. We grouped together some of our soft teddy bears but she didn't look very impressed.

 Here is Liana-Roze all dressed up for church and giving a hint of the smile that we will enjoy in a few more weeks.

 Zekiah has made the transition quite well we think. He is demanding a lot more of dad's time but is very gentle with hub and excited to hold her. Not to be left out of the teddy-bear photos, here he is - cheeky as ever.

Flowers and Bear for Liana-Roze

Liana-Roze was only a few days old when we received these lovely flowers and cuddly bear named 'Georgie' from Grandma Mac and Malcolm - all the more special because we didn't expect anything. Thank you!

First week with four

So one week has passed with our family of four. It's been a fairly quiet week with not a great deal of involvement with the outside world. I took a few days off to help Shar get back on her feet, but it seems as if it wasn't enough, as now she is getting a bit sick. It looks as if I'll be having a few days here and there in the coming weeks to help her out. She got in a bit of trouble today from the mid-wife who is telling her that she hasn't been resting and relaxing enough.

Last Friday, we got Liana's heel-prick test and then waited for the patient travel people at the hospital for Zemmy, who will be travelling to Brisbane in a few days for a check up on his heart. Not that we think that anything is wrong with his heart, it is just a precautionary measure due to other people with his syndrome having heart defects. From there, we popped into the courthouse and lodged Liana's birth paperwork, and then to Medicare to add her onto our card. Finally, to Souths Bowls Club to celebrate Shar's grandparent's anniversary.

So far, Liana is feeding quickly. She is struggling with her wind but only fusses, rarely cries out. She soothes to touch and will go very floppy after feeding. She could sleep for hours if held and commonly sleeps well up until midnight. But between 1 and 4 in the morning, she struggles to feed well and and is quite restless. Poor Shar is up a lot of that time.

I've received a lot of interest from parents at work. Heaps of congratulations and half-a-dozen gifts of georgeous pink dresses. (I have a great group of parents this year). Everyone is so excited that we 'finally' got our girl. The next comment is: "So, are you stopping now?" Wait and see...

Some Amazing True Stories

Tonight we had a games night at Sharlene's parent's house. Sharlene's aunt and boyfriend came over as well. During the course of the night, Sharlene's mum brought out a set of mugs with cats printed on the side. These were mugs that had been purchased at our local ADRA shop. Well, Shar's aunt recognised the mugs as her own that she had received from her deceased sister a few years ago (also Sharlene's dad's sister). Sharlene's dad had gotten them for the purpose of giving them to Sharlene's mum's sister, who loves cats.
What a wonderful way to reunite the siblings with a piece of family heritage.

Another awesome story is one from a couple of years ago. Shortly after Fiji had some large flooding. A call went out for donations of sheets, clothes and other items. Sharlene's mum reluctantly gave away a particular table cloth that was part of her glory box when she got married. Later, Sharlene's parents went to Fiji for a fly and build. At the village where they worked, there was a shelter where they had lunch. There, Sharlene's mum noticed the table cloth. After asking where it came from, one of the people serving them said that she bought it from the ADRA shop on the Fiji mainland. What a wonderful blessing of God to know where something so special ended up and to know it was in safe hands.

One last story. Sharlene's aunt (the same one as above) took another set of mugs to the ADRA shop. They were designed to look like a pig. Later, her mother went to the ADRA shop and bought one of the mugs and gave it to her daughter. So, in that way, Sharlene's aunt got her mug back through her own mum.

Just a few stories that I thought quite amazing.