Bits and pieces

Max loves having Robert and Samuel sleep over - they move the mattresses into the lounge and watch videos till it's so late I can't stay awake anymore and insist they go to sleep. Last time they came Max made an obstacle course for them as well.

Mack came to visit. Here's when we visited him in hospital.

And here he is one month later - smiling and laughing I swear - not a baby smile - he locks on to your eyes and you'd better not look away - and then his whole face smiles and you wouldn't want to look away.

Peet missed him this time and is desperate to visit.

Max is having a matchbox car revival.

Lee, Joan, Thomas, Jesse, Louisa, Max and I went to our first ever protest. (Roger was at work - I think he was secretly relieved that someone would be available to answer our one telephone call if we were arrested!) (And Peet was on Young Mens camp on Fraser Island.)

We caught the ferry into town.

And joined the Free Palestine group - held placards and chanted 'free free Palestine' when we were told to. Lee took photos -but his camera was stolen a couple of weeks later - Roger says it was Mossad and we better watch out. (It was a lot of fun - and although we are all for the Jews returning to the promised land the treatment of the Palestinians is disgraceful and they really have no hope of ever changing it - and we can argue and discuss it endlessly - you'd swear we were Jewish the way we go on.)

Then to round out the night we went to a Korean restaurant. We all chose with a careful eye on the heat symbols - except Max who insisted he could cope.

It was perhaps a little hotter than he expected.

But he made it through the whole bowl of noodles anyway - no way could I have eaten that.

23

Tom turned 23!

I think this is a good thing.

Louisa and Max made him a dirt jar - different coloured dirt from all around our house layered in a jar and sealed with wax - he loved it.

It was a slack birthday on my part - I cooked Sticky Thai Chicken as per his request. Then he went to institute where they treated him royally.

Saturday

After reading about Elder L Tom Perry talking about work and teaching children to work and saying that he would spend Saturday morning working with children and Saturday afternoon playing with them - I realised we sometimes skip the second part. So this Saturday after mowing and so on at home and a working bee at Pine, we took lemon bread for afternoon tea and went to see the APT at GoMA. It's spectacular.

We love the APT because it's cheery art - usually.

Then - because we have afternoon church this year so it doesn't matter so much what time we get to bed - we went to Mt Glorious for a night hike. Just the rain forest circuit - 1.9 km - dense air, lots of frog sounds, a funnel web spider that Roger teased with a stick, a little mouse like marsupial , an so on. Lee and Joan came too - they were out checking the orientation of their house and fortuitously arrived just as we were about to go.

And Jesse, Peet, Louisa and Max slept on the front verandah - I think it's been a week since they slept inside - we could manage with a two bedroom house -one for us an one for the kids clothes.

Max is in the hammock.

Australia Day

Susie had left over fillet steak (from Georgie's farewell dinner) and a hankering for steak on a wire.

In droving days they would take some steak along, stop somewhere along the way near a fence, find some wire, start a little fire and cook the steak on a wire and eat it with white bread. It's hands down the best way to eat steak. When we first moved to Brisbane we were so desperate for steak on a wire that we drove out of town until we found an open paddock and cooked our steak there and assumed the owner would understand.

So we set up a fire with wire.

Hung festive bunting made yesterday by Jesse.

And had a great Australia Day breakfast.

Richard and Anna (friends - in Australia while he studies) came and brought the highlights of the morning.

Clarissa (who dressed for the occasion and who reminds us so much of LilyRhadika)

and Hyrum.

They are to-die-for cute and the kids spent the hour or so after they left talking about them.

We talked, and rested and ate steak, white bread and lamingtons that the kids and I made this morning.

(Roger was asleep after finishing a night shift - he managed to eat some steak - but couldn't make it out bed.)

FHE

We have a new system for Family Home Evenings - it's been on trial for a while now and seems to be working for the moment.

One person is completely in charge of FHE - everything - from running family meeting beforehand right through to the treat or game or whatever at the end. I like it this way because I only have one person to follow up every week.

This week it was Peet's turn - he was desperate for a turn. We also take one of the most recent General Conference talks as the theme for the whole night - we're all about easy.

Unsurprisingly Peet picked Dieter Uchtdorf's talk from the Priesthood session - of the infamous 'roll up their sleeves' comment.

He started the lesson by asking us each to draw the three things we most enjoy doing with the family.

Great start to a lesson.

Roger: going to the beach, reading the scriptures (he can be a bit of a goody-two-shoes), and going on long drives.

Kim: reading generally, eating dinner together, and working (I can be a bit of a goody-two-shoes too - though not as often as Roger).

Thomas: road trips, bush walks, and going to the beach.

Jesse: (she couldn't keep to three) sleeping in the same room, camping, having a fire at home and talking.

Peet: going to the beach, talking and walking over the Goodwill Bridge.

Louisa: talking in Mum and Dad's bed, driving a long way to set up a fire and camp (she kept herself to three by squeezing them in together) and swimming.

Max: driving in the rain, swimming and climbing mountains.

The lesson progressed from there as Peet talked about work and the joys thereof etc.

But the lesson for the parents was that the next time it rains we should hop in the car and go camping with a fire, and talk as we drive.

Sunday night 10.10 pm

Gorgeous sheet lightening and thunder rumbling. I was reading Beloved Bridegroom (which incidentally is a fantastic book about Christ as the bridegroom and how Jewish wedding customs shed a stronger light on that role) in bed - Roger was dozing.

Thomas - asleep in his shed.

Jesse - asleep in her bed.

Louisa - awake but a bit teary in her bed. (Hormones, high school and heat I think)

Peet and Max - having a water fight -- in their bedroom - 10 past 10 at night!!!

Ridiculous.

Four Thomas Family Stories

Jesse reckons that sad experience has taught her that she can tell about four Thomas family stories before she has to stop or people will start to look alarmed. (The Thomas's are Joan's side of the family.)

At the charming and delicious farewell dinner* for Georgie (she's going to Argentina) held at Susie's house we got the next four stories.

One:

When Joan was very little she had Rheumatic fever and the prescription for a full recovery was rest.

So Grandma Thomas did what she had to do to have a rambunctious two year old rest - when she was number three of four little kids. Her clever solution was to put Joan in a pram and wheel her about the garden.

When Grandma had to attend to some other pressing matter she put Warren in charge - I don't know why - maybe she hadn't figured him out yet - or maybe she thought she had spoken sternly enough to change Warren's usual behaviour - but she was wrong. As soon as her back was turned Warren took Joan in her pram and pushed her to the top of the mullock heap and pushed her back down again for a wild ride.

Joan loved it - but it wasn't what Grandma had in mind.

Two:

At Nambour Primary School Bob said he went to the office every morning to get the cuts - and they always laughed at home because Warren had inevitably just left.

Warren reckons he took pride in at least being first cab off the rank each morning.

Three:

Also at Nambour Primary School - Warren would catch little tiger snakes - sew up their mouths - safety first I guess - and then throw them in amongst the girls to watch them scream.

Four:

Because Grandad Thomas was a kiwi he was mortally scared of snakes. So naturally Bob caught a snake, sewed it's mouth up, and then hollowed out the salt shaker, stuffed the snake inside then put the salt shaker on the table. Then, of course, when Grandad picked it up the snake fell out and slithered all over the table. Jumping, screaming and a certain amount of swearing followed. Mission accomplished - never let your weakness show in the Thomas family.

For the record - I have never sewed a snakes mouth shut and I don't know anyone else who has either - except my uncles!

* We had beef casserole, baked ham, salad greens with balsamic, baby steamed potatoes with masses of butter and herbs, french bread and wonderful homemade cakes for dessert. It was a menu worth remembering.

High Tech

Max and Louisa and I were talking about fingerprints and Max was wondering if it was possible to change fingerprints - maybe with a machine or with plastic surgery.

When I said I didn't think so Max sighed and said 'I guess we'll just have to wait till we get some high technology'.

I suppose when you are only 9 all this stuff I call high tech is just life.

Sydney

Photos arrived today from Alec's Mission President's wife - I think a gracious wife must be essential to the call - along with a lovely letter.

These are the two missionaries who will be training Alec in Orange. (Note the rolled up sleeves!)

Setting Apart

Alec was set apart by President Gilkes to serve as a missionary the night before he left.

Louisa wept.

Max too.

Both loudly enough that I opened my eyes mid-prayer to see if they were going to make it - and saw Peet and Jesse wiping their eyes too. It was a hard night.

We tried to take the edge off the tears by looking at Christmas lights on the way home - and I had lots of fair trade chocolate waiting for dessert - but nothing really worked.

Only some of us could muster a smile for a photo.

Other Christmas Events

The night before Alec was set apart we squeezed in a birthday dinner for Anne at our house. (So that week went Saturday: Alec's farewell; Sunday: Bishops Youth Discussion at our house; Monday: Anne's birthday party; Tuesday: Alec's setting apart; Wednesday: Alec Leaves; Friday: Pine Christmas Concert.)

Max is mad for all things Mighty Ducks - and in the absence of ice has taken to playing hockey with roller blades and a golf club - in the house.

Helen and Gary and family arrived for a couple of weeks of family and sunshine. Dinner was at our house. Lots of fun with no photos.

We invited the Simpson family for dinner the next day and heard the best Santa Clause story. When Carolyn was in grade two her parents divorced - leaving not much ready cash for Christmas which meant that Santa was a bit skint that year. Carolyn was a bit surprised that her friend down the road had lots of Santa toys - so her friend told her 'you know Santa is really your Dad'. Carolyn thought for a moment then dismissed it because 'if Santa is my Dad then how come he gave you lots of presents and me none.' Thereby proving that Santa was not her Dad!

Christmas Elves came to our house. Samantha and Anastasia came with a basket full of presents and overflowing with Christmas cheer - they were too cute for words. These are good people for the big kids to have for friends. There were homemade treats and presents for all and they stayed and chatted and told funny stories too. Then left in time to climb Mt Ngungun with Thomas and Jesse that night.

And the Walkers (except Donald and Lisha an family) came todiner - and we got to meet Rex - who I like.

Christmas Day

Presents

Eggs Benedict for breakfast compliments of Jesse

Talking to Alec for an hour (he has a much more generous mission president than Tom who was only allowed 20 minutes)

Anne's house for family presents

Petie's house for a seafood lunch - with enough seafood for 20 people (we had 10 people)
and more presents.

Then a swim at Little Cove

And dinner at Warren & Helen's - with cousins, aunts and uncles, turkey and pudding.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve may be my favourite part of Christmas - it's the only part with fairly firm traditions. For everything else we pretty much go with the flow but Christmas Eve has become quite ritualised over the years.

This year we had dinner at Lee and Joan's with the Hugo family from Joan's ward - fish, special volkhorn bread, hummus, olives, feta and orange juice - and damper.

And we had an extra nativity at Joan's house.

Peter Hugo is more than a little bit musically talented and he brought his harp - that he made by hand - to play for us. And Joan joined him on the Cello for Away in a Manger.

Tom sang Angels we Have Heard on High - in Russian. (I think he gave a total of five performances over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.)

Thomas was Joseph, seated beside Mary, with Roger the wiseman and Lee as King Herod.

After rounding up that lovely part of the evening we drove across to Becky and Trav's where Becky had hung pictures of Christmas past all over the walls - lovely.

Paul and Lynn and Tahlia came this year too. We had the nativity play and the present game before Becky and Travis went back to work - leaving us with an enormous box of rocky road to munch on all the way home.

Finally, the kids all slept in the shed while Roger and I played Santa.

And this year beside our stockings we found a note and a chocolate from Peet, Lousia and Max saying that they were playing Santa as well this year for Roger and I - too sweet.

Pine Christmas Concert

Pine's Christmas Concert was a tough one for Louisa - her last.

There was singing by the whole school:

well almost (that's Mac and Declan mid song - see Mathilda's stern face). (See the little girl in the shiny two piece right under the microphone in the top picture - she's a mermaid in the little kids play - and is secretly pregnant - it's never mentioned in the play but she rubs her tummy every so often.)

And this is Max as a purple blob in the middle kids play. (It was an easy costume at least.)

And Louisa as a dinosaur made of shade cloth.

Then came the major event of the night - the grown up play - Alice in Pineland. With a twist. Katymae went into labour that morning so she and Maris were spending their night going to and from the hospital - which meant we were short two major characters. I became the white rabbit instead of Maris and Mathilda was the Queen of Hearts instead of Katy. (Tina took Mathilda's place.)

Jesse was Alice - and was amazing.

Tom was the rapping caterpillar.

And Peet stepped in at the last minute too - to be Tweedle Dum to Fraser's Tweedle Dee.

Drew was the Cheshire cat and Patty was a very cute dormouse.

Then came awards, goodbyes and quilts (made this year by Patty and Caryl - for which I am most grateful). The came the tears - we hurried to clean up and managed to distract Louisa momentarily by talking about Mack's imminent arrival.