Christmas Eve

A most unusual Christmas Eve - we were at home - with just the seven of us - missing Alec of course, but peaceful knowing we would talk to him the next day.

Traditional dinner of fish, orange juice, olives, hummus, feta and volkhorn bread - followed by Tom's 'log'. It's a Baltic mission creation made by melting ice-cream and mixing it with condensed milk, cocoa, crushed chocolate bars and crushed biscuits - yep!

We read the nativity again, talked, and then all the kids took swags and mattresses up to Lee and Joan's house and slept under the newly fitted roof. Roger spent the night in his shed finishing my present - sure am glad he did that! And the early hours of the morning fixing the oven - sure am glad he did that too.

Stockings made by Jesse were laid out carefully and filled in readiness for Christmas morning.

Fire & Nutella S'mores

Fires for FHE are a favourite. This time we tried nutella s'mores - it wasn't too bad actually - a bit drippy but in a good way.

.

Tom was in Melbourne, Roger at work.

And that night Brenton went to hospital in an ambulance.

Christmas Parties

We do love a party - we especially love a party at Susie's house. We always feel like the guests of honour even though everyone else feels that way too. Instead of our usual Christmas Eve at Becky's house Susie hosted a Christmas gathering a week before Christmas.

All the essential elements remained - food, present swap, nativity play, laughter, reunions, and this year Harry!

The to round out a happy weekend we went to Petie's place for a pre-Christmas celebration since we would not be together on the day itself. More food, more presents, more laughter, more love and views.

Richard III

It's become a yearly event for us to attend the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble's production - much less highbrow than it sounds - they are geniuses at making Shakespeare accessible and with a few readings of Max's condensed version we had no trouble with Richard III this year.

We had all of our family (except Alec - although I did think this one might be a bit intense for Max - but since he started to cry when I suggested he sit this one out he came anyway), Anne, Joan and David, Beth, Monica and Simone, and Samantha Gilkes.

I, of course, would never take a photo in the middle of a live production - but I did hand my camera to Max - after all who is going to complain about a ten year old?

War & Peace: A Mormon Perspective

Jesse accidentally ended up speaking at a conference in Claremont Graduate University, CA, in March 2011.

She was procrastinating an assignment and found the conference and thought she might as well send in an abstract. And they accepted it!

After a few minutes of hysterical crying and laughing she is now really excited - about the conference of course but also because she gets to explore a topic she finds really interesting - Mormon responses to non-violent activism.

It will be a fascinating conference with some super interesting speakers and I get to go with her.

Useless Cares

Following a Family Home Evening lesson based around Wilford S Anderson's talk in the April General Conference we made a list of useless cares.

Max's contribution was: When I arrive at church and the Fulcher's car isn't there yet I worry that Robert & Samuel won't be coming, and it's a useless care because I will still be going to church and they are almost always there anyway.

Lunch

Running late for school Louisa asked Max to: grab me an apple and a cookie for lunch.

Max was adamant: I will not.

Louisa looked disconsolate till Max finished: An apple and a cookie is not enough for lunch - I will make you a sandwich too.

The Planets

Max has a thing for the Planets. After an evening of reading and talking he made a mouse pad of the Solar System and then went for walk outside to look at the stars.

"You know what Mum, I think that space is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

Dolly

Contrary to appearances Lee & Joan have a new puppy. Peet just melts at the sight of her - so do Lee & Joan for that matter. She is very cute - and very young - Lee & Joana nd Louisa have the bite marks to prove it. Her name is Dolly.

Harry's Blessing

Harry was 3 and a half weeks old on his blessing day - and bright eyed, strong of neck and beautiful to look at. We are all a bit enamoured.

Roger blessed Harry - assisted by Tom - with all that is important in life - health - wisdom - family and friends.

We all took turns - Becky and Trav coped well with hardly seeing their baby for a couple of hours.

Now we can look forward to seeing the rest of his very beautiful and blessed life.

Max ...

..slept with us last night. I am not good at teaching children to sleep in their own beds - I think Roger would be better if left to his own devices - at least he would try harder.

He would have turfed Max out last night - but that is only because he didn't have the conversation I had with Max before Roger came to bed.

It seems that Max would like four kids - or at least he definitely wants an even number. Two boys (named Wolf and Fox) and two girls (Pheasant and Finch). It would be weird to call your kids some animal names - like Dog or Horse. Wolf should be the oldest because that way if Max dies there will still be a priesthood holder in the family.

They will have a cool house too - there will be scaffolding around the roof so that you can play on the roof - which will be flat and there will be rope ladders coming off the roof that finish about 2 metres above a foam pit so you can jump into it. Except that when Wolf and Fox and Pheasant and Finch are little they'll make the rope ladder longer.

Also Max is going to make sure that there is always work to do at the house so that the kids learn to work.

If Roger had been there for that conversation he would have tucked him up in bed with us too.

And to top it all off Max saw a snake on the road when he was on the way up to see Robert and Samuel - they weren't home so he ran down to Granny's and phoned us in tears to come get him - but it was ok because Granny gave him Tiny Teddy's while he waited. He broke into tears when he saw me again. It was very traumatic.

He absolutely needed to sleep with us last night. And that's why I am not very good at teaching children to sleep in their own beds.

48 km

Because Max swore he would not be seen in public with them, Jesse and Roger wore lycra to the Pine bike ride. (Roger only wore the pants - but since Tina commented on his 'muscular legs' it may not be the last time!)

It was a long one - 24k each way and Max was the first kid back.

Thomas

A quick Thomas update - he's been going to Melbourne whenever time and funds allow - Kathleen is visiting us this weekend.

The funds are mainly from a labouring job - and the rest of his time is used up around our place - planting a mulberry tree for example.

He is serving as the stake YSA rep and loves it.

Reading and writing fills in the rest of his days - he has a remarkable talent for writing. The script he wrote for the YSA film festival won best screenplay. The film was cute and funny - all about sock puppets.

He also tells great bedtime stories and is in great demand from Max and Louisa.

All of which is to fill in time before he embarks on his honours year at university next year.

The Bovilia's

We spend a lot of time talking and reading about families who have different, often less advantageous, lives than we do. We've been working on this for many years. We spend many Sunday nights talking about war and it's results. We try to understand the causes and the affects on everyday people. Trips to Laos and the middle east have helped too of course.

We often talk about Africa - it features heavily in Jesse's studies and it's a fascinating and though provoking place. But as Louisa said - it's different when someone you know tells you about what happened to them.

The Bovilia family arrived in Brisbane a bit over a week ago. They had spent 6 years in a UN refugee facility in South Africa having left the DRC (the Congo) as refugees. It was pure good fortune that the Department of Immigration put them in a house in our ward until a permanent house is found.

There are 9 people in the family and for many years they were living in one room - not one bedroom - just one room. They joined the church 3 years ago and a member of the church worked to get them a two bedroom flat. They were frequently without food and were always scared to sleep because their flat could be broken into.

When we suggested they go for a walk, Lucie (the Mum) was scared because there was no-one on the streets - which is a bad sign to her.

We took the kids to the park for a play one afternoon - I think they had never been to a park - they didn't know how to swing, or how to play with any of the park swings and climbing stuff. Louisa, Peet and Max demonstrated and they caught on quickly - laughing and screaming with excitement.

The climbing frames were extra hard and they needed help to work out how to climb the tree - but they sure did love it.

But after an hour or so of really hard work playing on the swings they asked 'can we race?' Of course. 'Where can we race?' Anywhere. 'But in South Africa there are many strangers in the park.' It took just a moment for the kids to show them they could race anywhere in the park.

Their family story is so interesting but hopefully from now on it will be less eventful - they will be sent to a permanent house this week which is unlikely to be in our ward - but how lucky are we to have had them in our ward this week.

Lucky

We can't believe our luck - the day before Harry joined us Lindsay Jane's new baby boy arrived. Lindsay is a pro at baby boys and has produced another beauty. We can't wait to see him in person next week.

Harry Thomas Hall

Harry has arrived - we are head over heels. He's peaceful and perfect and we wish he lived next door.

White pages

It's that time of the year again.

Lycra

Becky and Trav had a bike clothes clean out and passed on a heap of lycra to Peet - there was a lot of laughing and teasing going on - until Peet tried on one set and declared them the most comfortable thing he has ever worn. So Roger and Jesse gave it a go and at last Louisa tried a set. The consensus is that Peet is right.

Peet wore a set riding the next day and now says 'don't knock it till you've tried it.'

Fathers Day

We rarely do 'big' presents - our theory is that birthdays and so on are celebrations of the person not a nest feathering exercise. Once in a while though we make an exception - and it's heaps of fun because no-one expects it. So Roger had no clue that we were giving him a swag for Father's Day.

Jesse bought herself a swag too - and set it up on the verandah.

There was also a book, a Perry the Platypus made by Louisa and an episode of Fineas and Ferb (?) from Max. And 7 hour slow cooked lamb for dinner.

Kelvin Grove Spring Concert

Kelvin Grove concerts are always a treat. This time Louisa sat right in front of us - her group performed Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Iron Horse Express.

Peet was far away and so we have no photo - his group performed two pieces - Fanfare for the Fair Plant and Celtic Bridge. Simone is in the same group as Peet and Monica's group opened the night with two beautiful pieces.

Lovely night.

Pine Art Show

Two great things happen when Pine holds an art show - the Pine kids and teachers and some parents spend weeks producing all sorts of amazing art, and lots of old friends turn up for the show.

And as a bonus Mathilda and Patrick brought Toby. Mack was there too - they were highlights.

Jesse works as a teachers aid on Thursdays - which is the main art day. So there was Jesse art work on display too. She loves those little kids.

My favourite piece is a work in progress - lots of kids have already contributed but families are invited to make a junk creature too - eventually it will hang in the library.

Max also had three line drawings in the show - but we have no photographs. Eventually I will scan them.

School and Louisa

So just when we thought everything was getting better Louisa came home from school in tears. The HPE (Health and Physical Education) teacher yelled at her. At Louisa! Good grief.

I phoned Amanda, the year 8 co-ordinator, and said Louisa wouldn't be going to that class anymore - I know that sounds like I over reacted - but this teacher has already had one swearing episode and regularly walks out on the class. (He also lost three of Louisa's workbooks with nary a word of apology.)

Amanda talked to Louisa the next day and arranged for Louisa to work with her during HPE, then she phoned me to give me the run down.

She said that she told Louisa 'we'll come across lots of different situations and we have to learn to deal with them.'

I told her I agreed - and one of the ways we can choose to deal with things is to say no.

Louisa is thrilled - for one of the weeks this term she will be supervised by her very favourite teacher.

Now usually my approach to a child being badly treated is to leave the villain to his or her own devices (or his or her own mother) and teach my own child to deal with the situation. But sometimes, when you are young (or not), you just need to know that there is someone big and strong and powerful in your corner who can take on all comers and make things right for you.

It's true that Roger and I won't always be able to make things right - but this time we could, and with a bit of talking in the next few weeks we hope that Louisa can learn that although the results may not be as immediate as they were in this case she can count on us. And she can count on Heavenly Father to be there - because He loves her as a Father too.

Snuggies

Jesse had snuggies waiting on Louisa and Max's beds when we came home from Sydney - gee willikers that went down well. There were shouts of joy and Jesse now enjoys most favoured sister status. (Those two kids had been begging for snuggies ever since a couple of sick days resulted in daytime tv viewing a few months ago.)