The things they say.

On the way to the shops today Ella asked "Who am I going to marry Muummy" apparently something she was talking about a few days ago with Col. After much deliberation she decided she wanted to marry Huddy to which I explained that it wasn't really a good idea as he was her brother. We were then going through all of their friends names with me explaining that it was a better idea to marry someone their own age when Huddy piped up that he wanted to marry................wait for it..................................Uncle Andrew!!!!

I was floored and in tears of laughter, no idea where he got the idea that he wanted to marry Andrew, and after our call to Uncle Andrew tonight and Huddy actually asking him and then Andrew telling him he was already married to Auntie Sharon so he couldn't marry him he has decided he will actually marry Esta (hope that's ok Ruth,) lol.

Oh and Ella finally decided that she wants to marry Jack.

Total Exhaustion!!

I had a very last minute but totally exciting opportunity to go to SIA (Scrapbooking Industry Association) inaugural expo on Tuesday and Wednesday in Sydney which was fantastic and which I thoroughly enjoyed. I did some great classes, met some fabulous people and had a great time soaking all the fabulous products and talent in. It was really exciting to be a part of the first expo and I'm sure it will be a fabulous event every year for people in the trade. I was lucky to be able to go with Sharon for the Scrapbook Scene where she works and to meet some really lovely ladies, Michelle from Sissey and Marianne who is on her DT , Julie, Robyn, Rachael and Kim from Scraptacular and Helene and Devorah from Buzz and Bloom to name a few. Thanks Sharon and Janet for letting me fill in at the last minute, loved it all!! I will add some photos when I get a chance.

I got home late Wednesday night totally exhausted and hanging for a good nights sleep only to spend half the night up with a little boy throwing up! Thankfully he's feeling better today after a very quiet day at home on the couch cuddling his Mum. Needless to say I am totally and utterly exhausted and had to have Nana nap this afternoon to get by.

Looking forward to a quiet weekend at home, hopefully getting some scrapping done after all the inspiration I've seen this week :)

I am alive!!

Alright, alright, I know I've been worse than slack with the old blog here but it's been a very busy last few weeks spent in Victoria with family and trying to recover from the horrible pneumonia and flu I had prior to that. So here I am finally blogging again with lots to fill you in on.

We went to Melbourne to help my Dad and his twin sister celebrate their 70th Birthday and to spend a week with all of my family in a gorgeous house we rented in Phillip Island.

We went out for dinner on Dad's birthday with all the kids and took a cake that they had decorated. They loved it. The next night we all (the adults) went to a fabulous restaurant, Libertine with the rest of my Dad's family. It was a great night and it was really lovely to be able to go out with my family to celebrate.

My sister, Nicole and her husband, Rob and my nephew, Jake, all came out from London which was so wonderful and we all had a fabulous time together down at Phillip Island. The weather was brilliant and we spent nearly every day at the beach which the kids loved. We ate extremely well, drank too much and had a lovely time just chilling out with each other.

I've included a just a few photos from our week away which was very difficult as there was a over 3000 taken for the whole week between us all!!!!!!

At the koala park where Ella was very taken by a stuffed koala (not this one) that she really thought was alive and Col being silly at the Maze and funhouse.

We took the opportunity to take some family photos while we were there together.

Some cuteness.

Col:" What's your name?"
Ella: "Ella Jessie Crocodile Fletcher"
Col: "And where do you live Ella?"
Ella: (after much thought ) "In a pink room"

A Ballerina in the making???

Ella has been hounding us for her to do ballet for quite a while now, "not dancing Mummy, ballet" so after much whinging and needling she started last week and so far has loved both of the lessons she's had which is particularly good considering the first lesson she had was with girls about 2-3 years older than her. The teacher must of miss heard her age when I told her and told me the wrong group for her age so we followed her directions on the first day and went to the room she told us.

Ella did her class and although I wasn't allowed to watch her I could still tell that they were all quite a bit older than her but she still seemed to be keeping up with them as well as I could tell through the window. Anyway when the class was finished 'Miss Annette' asked me how old Ella was and seemed quite shocked when I told her she was only 31/2 years old and then proceeded to tell me that although Ella had done really well and kept up with the class she was in the wrong group. So yesterday we went to the right class and there were lots of little girls her age there and she still had a great time and came out after the class squealing with delight!

We hadn't taken her to get the 'class' uniform straight away in case she decided ballet wasn't for her but she is so excited about it all so after her class yesterday we went up the the ballet store and got her leotard, skirt, special socks and shoes (an expensive little outing I must say) and she was beside her self with excitement!!!

Ella was so excited she insisted on putting her new outfit on yesterday afternoon again and wanted to practice her ballet. So Col got her all dolled up and out she came with the biggest possible grin on her face, she was so excited.

She wanted music to dance to so Col got on the kids keyboard, Huddy the microphone and Ella danced to perform the first Fletcher Family concert!!! It was sooo gorgeous and one of those things that make you grin from ear to ear. :)

Here they are:

Changes.....

So in the first of new things for the Fletcher family this year, Ella and Hudson started Childcare last week which they both loved and had a really great time at. They were both so excited to be going and loved their new bags and drink bottles etc which just added to the excitement. I was quite apprehensive particularly about Hudson and his feelings about being left at the centre but he was fine, I think having Ella there was definitely a security blanket for him which helped a lot. He has had his moments but has been able to pop next door whenever he wants to check in with Ella and has even had sleeps at the centre without a bottle!!!! a huge thing for my bottle loving boy. I was so proud of how brave he was and how he has adapted to the change of going to childcare.

Ella on the other hand couldn't wait for me to leave, she is SO ready for some extra stimulation and has loved every minute of her time there. She has not blinked an eyelid about being left and has taken the whole change in her stride, just been extremely excited about the everything.


So here they are on their first day ready to go and looking so grown up.

TIME

For you Shaggers :)'

Just a couple of layouts that Sharon was hounding me to see. Nothing too spectacular but I really love doing Christmas layouts, probably because I absolutely LOVE the Christmas season. I have a few more in mind to do, as well as a mini book. Just got to find the TIME to do them.

Any readers of Ali Edwards blog will know of her idea of choosing a word to honour during the year. I decided to choose the word 'Time'. this year.
I need to make TIME to do the things I want to do for myself,
I need to make more TIME to catch up with family and friends,
I need to use my TIME more wisely,
I need to spend more TIME playing with the kids instead of getting caught up in the housework and everyday stuff,
I need to make more TIME to spend with Col, one on one,
I need to stop wasting TIME on the computer,
I need to stop wasting TIME procrastinating,
I need to make more TIME for the creative things in my life,
I basically need to find some more TIME, lol.






I've just realised that this last one isn't quite finished, I need to put something in the little name plate, forgot to do that. I think I might frame it and hang it in Ella's room (thanks Ruth for that idea), it's a lift of one of her t-shirts which I love. Any suggestions as to what to write in the little frame will be gratefully accepted. :)


"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived."
Captain Picard from the film "Star Trek: Generations"

A Year of Promise.....

For some reason this year feels like it will be full of promise, like things will finally fall into place for us, like good things will be happening and like exciting things will go ahead. I don't know why this year feels so much more like that than any of the previous ones but it does. Maybe it's because the kids are getting older and easier and they are becoming less reliant on me for absolutely everything. Maybe it's because I am coming out of the pregnant baby fog that has been clouding me for so long. Maybe it's because I've made a pact with myself to finally get myself fit and to lose weight. Whatever it may be the year is going to be a good one, I can feel it in my bones, lol.

We have had a few dramas at the business. The spare parts manager resigned the night before (yes, Sunday at 8.30pm) we opened again after the Christmas break giving us no notice at all. He said he wanted time to be with his wife who has been unwell but on Friday Col found out he is working somewhere else and had the job 3 weeks before Christmas!!!! That leaves us in a bind as he hadn't finished the stock take and we need someone to finish off that and try to keep on top of things. Col has decided not to get another spare parts person, he will take over the majority of the day to day things but instead we will be getting an apprentice to take up some of the slack off the floor. So that means yours truly is the one that is going to be going in to do the stocktake and try and get some things organised. I'll also be learning all of Emma's stuff as well so she can feel comfortable going on holidays and not come back to a huge workload.

I'm feeling a bit excited at the prospects of going to work and spending time with adults, some time to feel useful again will be nice. I've booked the kids into the childcare centre across the road from us and we have been a couple of times for them to see it and get used to what happens. Ella will love it and has had a ball each time we've been, she is so ready to have something extra. Huddy is not quite the same, he is quite shy and takes a whike to warm up to people but I'm sure he will adapt and will love it in time.

So a few big changes in the Fletcher household already. Keep your fingers crossed that it all works out.

Finally here

Well we arrived home safely from our big trip south for Christmas with 2 sick kids and 2 adults fighting it but we did have a fabulous time while we were there. It went way too quickly and we didn't have nearly enough time to catch up with everyone but we are back in March so hopefully we'll be able to then. I took a lot of photos, so I thought I would just add a collage of them instead of lots of seperate ones. They are from our 2 Christmas days, New Years Eve, Sharon's Birthday, the road trip, Ella's spots and just some of the things the kids did. I know it's small but if you click on it it will bring up a bigger version. I don't know why it doubled p on a couple of photos though.

We had such lovely Christmas days and were really happy we got to spend NYE with our very dear friends the Smiths. I had a great time at Sharon's 40th Birthday lunch, it was great to catch up with her girlfriends and we had lots of giggles. We spent a lovely day with Mum and Dad down the beach and then a few great days with Sharon, Andrew and the kids. The four of them had a ball together, they played really well together and had so much fun. The drive down and back was ok, Ella and Hudson travelled really well and except for the storms we drove through in Central NSW on the way down and the kids having tonsillitis on the way home it was uneventful. So that's a very short and quick update from us. Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year xx.