I cannot believe that I am sitting here "rounding up the year"! Where has it gone?? I know the saying goes that the older you get the faster the years fly by - but am I that old already?? 2012 has been our first complete year spent in Sydney and has certainly been action packed. Here is a quick summary of our best bits.....
January
It was a lovely start to 2012 having mum and dad stay with us for a few weeks. I loved having them around so much that when I dropped them back at the airport to catch their flight I sobbed the WHOLE way home. Luckily I had been warned that this would happened and after a few days I was back in the swing of things and waiting for their next trip to Sydney.
February
Master J started Kindergarden his month. It was an emotional day for me as he looked so grown up, yet so small in his school uniform. I may have shed a tiny tear, but managed to hold it together very well. Miss H also started her little Kindy and looked so grown up. As they both started on the same day (very strategically planned) Mr D and I decided to take the opportunity to enjoy a lovely kid free lunch. We were having such a great time that we almost forgot the kids and ended up being late to pick them up........on their first day! Such bad parenting!!!!
March
March was a big month for Mr D as he was promoted at work. On the 18th March we also celebrated making our first year in Australia.
April
This month our Miss H turned 3. She celebrated her birthday at Steve Irwin’s ‘Australia Zoo’ in Queensland. We spent the easter school holidays in Queensland, exploring some of the stunning Australian coastline. It was our first loooooooong drive with kids and a very pregnant me, but it didn't put us off and we'll defiantly be doing it again.
May
On the 29th of May our beautiful little Miss L arrived into the world. We had a couple of slightly stressful false alarms on the week running up to her birth, and when she finally arrived we only JUST made it to the hospital on time!! (and gained a speeding and parking fine along the way). I had the most amazing 5 night stay in the most beautiful hospital (or hotel) getting to know my new little munchkin. It was hard being so far from my family at this time but I am so grateful to all our wonderful new friends that went out of their way to help us settle in as a new family of 5. Miss H and Master J was SOOOO excited to have their new baby at long last and we had to visit both schools to show her off. It really is amazing to see how innately strong the sibling bond is.
June
This month was a bit of a blur for me to be honest as I was a little sleep deprived to say the least! I did however manage to get a huge parking fine and crash the car! Fortunately no one was hurt (apart from our bank balance) but it was a real lesson for me, that I can’t do EVERYTHING on my own and that it’s ok to accept help. But on a more exciting note – we got news that my little sis and her Mr are expecting their first baby girl next year and I’m going to be an Aunty!!!
July
Mum arrived this month from England (just in the nick of time) to meet our little Miss L and to help us all get through the first school holidays with three kids. It was an absolute godsend having her here and even though it was the middle of winter, the weather was beautiful and sunny and we had a wonderful couple of weeks. It made me realise just how much we miss not having mum and dad down the road.
August
This month I decided to turn my blog writing into something a little more permanent. I initially started writing it as a means to keep family and friends up to date with our lives in Sydney. I enjoy writing it so much that I’ve decided to go a little more public with it. I suddenly have found myself immersed in a new world of social media and had no idea how ‘big’ it was out there! I’m learning so much all the time and want to keep going (even thought I’m hard pressed to find the time sometimes).
September
School holidays again! Can’t quite believe we are two‐thirds through the first school year! We headed up the north coast on our first road trip as a family of 5. It was only a 4 hour drive but we had to make several stops for feeding and wee’s and leg stretching. Thank god for ipads – I don’t know how my parents survived without them! We stayed in the beautiful Port Stephens Bay for a week and did nothing but chill out at the beach. I even managed to read a book!!!
This month our Miss H turned 3. She celebrated her birthday at Steve Irwin’s ‘Australia Zoo’ in Queensland. We spent the easter school holidays in Queensland, exploring some of the stunning Australian coastline. It was our first loooooooong drive with kids and a very pregnant me, but it didn't put us off and we'll defiantly be doing it again.
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| Crikey! It's my birthday! |
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| Enjoying some of Queensland's spectacular beaches |
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| Beautiful Byron Bay and a big bump |
On the 29th of May our beautiful little Miss L arrived into the world. We had a couple of slightly stressful false alarms on the week running up to her birth, and when she finally arrived we only JUST made it to the hospital on time!! (and gained a speeding and parking fine along the way). I had the most amazing 5 night stay in the most beautiful hospital (or hotel) getting to know my new little munchkin. It was hard being so far from my family at this time but I am so grateful to all our wonderful new friends that went out of their way to help us settle in as a new family of 5. Miss H and Master J was SOOOO excited to have their new baby at long last and we had to visit both schools to show her off. It really is amazing to see how innately strong the sibling bond is.
June
This month was a bit of a blur for me to be honest as I was a little sleep deprived to say the least! I did however manage to get a huge parking fine and crash the car! Fortunately no one was hurt (apart from our bank balance) but it was a real lesson for me, that I can’t do EVERYTHING on my own and that it’s ok to accept help. But on a more exciting note – we got news that my little sis and her Mr are expecting their first baby girl next year and I’m going to be an Aunty!!!
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| Settling in as the new dB5 |
Mum arrived this month from England (just in the nick of time) to meet our little Miss L and to help us all get through the first school holidays with three kids. It was an absolute godsend having her here and even though it was the middle of winter, the weather was beautiful and sunny and we had a wonderful couple of weeks. It made me realise just how much we miss not having mum and dad down the road.
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| When Granny came to stay |
This month I decided to turn my blog writing into something a little more permanent. I initially started writing it as a means to keep family and friends up to date with our lives in Sydney. I enjoy writing it so much that I’ve decided to go a little more public with it. I suddenly have found myself immersed in a new world of social media and had no idea how ‘big’ it was out there! I’m learning so much all the time and want to keep going (even thought I’m hard pressed to find the time sometimes).
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| Mr D takes the kids on a tree climbing adventure to give me some time to write! |
School holidays again! Can’t quite believe we are two‐thirds through the first school year! We headed up the north coast on our first road trip as a family of 5. It was only a 4 hour drive but we had to make several stops for feeding and wee’s and leg stretching. Thank god for ipads – I don’t know how my parents survived without them! We stayed in the beautiful Port Stephens Bay for a week and did nothing but chill out at the beach. I even managed to read a book!!!
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| Road-tripping with 3 |
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| Family time on the beach |
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| Miss L's first swim. What a cutie x |
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| Beautiful Hawkes Nest Bay |
This month Master J turned 6 – at last!! I say that because he asked me at least once a week from the beginning of the year ‘how many sleeps until I’m 6?’ He seems to have grown up so much this year and bringing with it a whole new set of parenting challenges for us. Especially now that he can read – nothing is a secret anymore. The other day he managed to get onto the school canteen app on my iPhone and order his own lunch!!!! Telling me he didn’t feel like my sandwiches that day. However we are so proud of how he has settled, not only into his new life in Aus but also into school. (Not sure how I’m going to cope next year when the homework starts to come home). We also spent a long weekend away with my cousin LCJ and MT in a beach house up the North Coast of Sydney. I love it that I have one family member that is ‘almost’ around the corner. It was an awesome weekend with lots of laughs! The boys were on a fishing mission and even ended up knee deep in mud just to get to a great fishing spot!!!
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| Master J turn 6. What a bunch of cheeky riders! |
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| Mr D and MT relaxing with some ocean fishing. Unfortunately they didn't catch anything we could actually eat! |
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| LCJ with her newest niece |
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| All this mud was Miss H's idea of HEAVEN! |
The Sydney weather kicked up a gear or two in the heat department this month and has given me an indication of what’s to come in the summer!! HOT HOT HOT!! We’ve had some extremely humid days making my daily job of getting in and out the car a hundred times (well not quite hundred but it feels like that sometimes) not so pleasant! Roll on the school holidays. Master J also started nippers (junior surf life saving) and ocean swim club this month. He has taken to the water so well and I think we might have a little swim star on our hands. Miss H did her first ballet recital on stage this month and was absolutely beautiful. It brought a little tear to my eye (yes, another one!!).
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| Master J swimming his awesome 25m race in the big pool! |
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| Miss H and her beautiful ballerina friends waiting for their turn to go on stage |
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| Ice-cream at the beach after school - you know it's summer time!! |
This month we will have our first Christmas ever with just the 5 of us! We’re going to be house sitting for a colleague ofMr D's, so will spend Christmas and New Year at a lovely Beach House just kicking back and enjoying all the festivities.
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| I have had loads of fun taking Candy Bows to the local markets over the festive period |
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| Have a good chat with Santa x |
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| Miss L meets Santa at the beach. It's strange to think she'll never know a cold, wintery Christmas. |
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| Master J's school Christmas concert. It was so cute I might have welled up just a tiny little bit. |
With that I’d like to thank you all, my lovely readers, for following Mrs D this year. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an exciting 2013.
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