January 2012 - part 1

Lots of photos in January.  And what I have for you is just a selection.

We took the kids to Melbourne to the museum.  We drove to Geelong and then caught the train to Melbourne.  This gave them the experience of a train trip (which was exciting for them), but also strung the day out a bit longer.  Plus, we didn't have to pay as much for fuel and nothing for parking.

The MAIN attraction as far as Tom was concerned!

This was a bit of a cool pic

Christmas 2011

I thought that I would keep this post separate from the rest of the December posts...

Christmas-time at Craiglands.  Becoming a more exciting and much anticipated day of the year as the kids get older and work out what is going on (ie presents).  This year Bernie, Bret and Monica came and spent a few days with us, adding to the chaos that is our normal lives.  The kids were way too spoilt but everyone was well and truly blessed.

The kids received a trampoline from mummy and daddy this year.  A very popular acquisition to the backyard play equipment.

Bret.....being Bret! 

Bernie

Mum and Bella

Mark

Mum and Mark

Mum, Judy and me.  Getting ready for lunch. 

Carving the turkey.  Bernie and Tom

 Can't forget that Christmas day is actually Biddy's birthday.  Here she is with her birthday cake aka our 2nd dessert! (coconut and strawberry pavlova stack).

4 years old today!!  Happy Birthday little girl.

Our 2011 family Christmas photo

December 2011

Mum turned 70 on December 7th.  She looks good hey?  Every year my mum's extended family get together for a Xmas BBQ in early December, so we took the opportunity to also have a cake and to sing Happy Birthday to her.  The cake was a white chocolate bourban cake....quite more-ish.

Mum's b'day cake

 At the Xmas BBQ, the kids get a present out of the Santa Sack.  Tom was absolutely delighted with his present this year - an Angry Birds game.  He is just soooooo into Angry Birds at the moment.  It was the best 0.99c iPhone app we ever spent!!

A warm day in December....

 Last day of daycare and school.  Next year, Biddy leaves daycare behind and moves into 4yo kinder.  She is in the same complex,, but will have different teachers.

Biddy with Vicki

What a difference a year makes.  This photo of Tom makes him look like he is in about grade 2!  His first year of prep done and dusted!

With Judy Carr - one of the prep teachers

With Nicole McNamara - his prep teacher

With Angela Kelly, St Mary's school principal

At the end of the year, we lost one of our cats.  Felix was about 16yo and was on a steady slippery slope of health.  In fact, he had an abscess removed from his neck that he never really got over and in the end it was all a bit much.  However,  living on a farm means that you really need a cat and our other cat - Spare - is also getting on in age.  The kids and I thought that it would be good to give Mark a new cat for Christmas.  Problem: kittens are few and far between at this time of year.  Luck was on our side when a St Mary's school family had an unexpected litter.  The kittens were far too young to be picked up prior to Chrissy, so we went out the week before, took a photo and gave this pic and a sachet of kitten food to Mark for Christmas!  We were only going to get the orange one, but the tortise-shell one was just so damn cute.  Mind you, there was another one there as well that the family tried to give us!  But I think 2 is enough!

Fred and Ginger....except the sexes are the opposite way around!

 After a significant period of time with no poultry on farm, it was time to get some new chooks.  Mark's sister got onto a free range business that was closing up shop and had chooks for cheep (!  get it?!), so we grabbed 5.

October & November 2011

Silage season

 Mark's sister babysat a pony for her sister-in-law for a couple of months prior to Christmas (pony was a Santa gift and needed a hideout for a while!).  The pony was bombproof, but it was good to be able to have a little one ride it every now and then.  Biddy was MOST accommodating and was asked on Christmas Eve to go up and show the new owners how easily a child of 3yo could catch and ride him.  I was sort of sad to see the pony go because he was just so good and exactly what we are looking for.  Maybe the recipients will get sick of him??????

Friends of our's got married in November.  Despite some average weather, the wedding was beautiful...as were the invites and thankyou's which I made!! LOL.

Huthy and Bec

 Biddy turned 4yo on Christmas Day, but as per our custom of holding her party early, she celebrated it at the end of November.  This year, we had a circus themed party and Mark even got into the spirit by dressing up as a clown.  Mind you, some of the kids were scared sh*tless by him (6'4" strange man with funny hair and war paint on....I can understand!).  A terrible day weatherwise, but we had various games and prizes for them all plus all the usual party crap that you have!

The Birthday Girl

The new bike mummy and daddy gave her

Bella getting in on the action!

September 2011

Fathers Day

Footy day at school

Footy day at daycare

We took the kids to Ballarat for the September school holidays, mainly to catch up with family and to visit Sovereign Hill.  Three days there and it bucketed down for 2 of them!  Fortunately, the day we went to The Hill, it was sunny.  Been there before in the rain and it is not a kind place!

First casualty of the holiday