Busy Crazy Times

Lately things have gotten just a little bit CRAY-ZEE. Sometimes in a good way and mostly not.
Unfortuntely, the reality of being pregnant brings with it the need to rest... while I feel great (when not sick from the most recent of viruses bought home from preschool by my darling children!), I seem to be more exhausted than I remember the last 2 times... although Lee tells me he remembers when I used to work and was pregnant with Owen and would be in bed by 8pm and all I would do ALL WEEKEND was sleep sleep sleep - oh what LUXURY! No wonder this has been wiped from my memory!
It would mock me otherwise - I am sure!
Our 2 darlings are demanding as always, but mostly in a good way.
Imogen is 2 and definitely experimenting with this whole idea of asserting one's self over your parents. We have a lot to be thankful for really, as when she does not wish to do as we ask she usually just hides (under a blanket or a piece of furniture - like as if when we can't see her we wont keep asking her to put her shoes on or toys away!) or runs away to her room or some other place where we aren't!
She still relishes the opportunity to sing and dance and has really got the hang of riding her DORA tricycle. She can make it all the way to the dairy and back so long as an incentive "bakery good" or icecream is involved. She definitely has my sweet tooth.
On the up side, we had our first visit to the dentist this week for both the kids and the Dental Nurse said the Aussie teeth were very lovely (only one tooth that needs ot be remembered to be brushed a little better!) and the Kiwi pearlers were lovely too! Amazing! I thought there would be issues for sure! They must have got Papa's strong healthy tooth disposition and not the Mummy and Granny crazy teeth that fall apart and get holes all over them thing. I am thankful regardless - and they were both excited about the chair and opening up and not scared at all - mustn't have got Daddy's hate of dentists fear factor thing either!
Owen and Imogen have been relishing the warmer weather (for Australian readers, read mid teens here, not mid 20's ok!) and have been busy out in the sand pit and riding their bikes from as early as I will let them out there (not too keen on them waking the neighbours too early!) and until night when Daddy gets home. We have been enjoying the longer days and sunshine when Palmy permits. The garden got a good hacking back on Monday and the hydranga's are shooting out nicely now. We've pulled all the old veges past their useful ness and are getting ready to plant all the fun spring summer crops - zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, corn, snow peas, strawberries, beans and whatever else I have room for! We still have some spring onions, caulis, broccoli and spinnach producing nicely for me - and the lemon tree has a little crop of ripe ones ready for use in our cooking too!
Owen is half way through his swimming lessons (his birthday present from Nanna and Pop!) and is being very brave. Last week he even accidentally put his eyes under the water when he tried to swim all by himself! He has very long strong kicking legs and can swim the length of the little lesson pool with a noodle tied to his waist and a kickboard or a second noodle ot hang onto. And he is getting better and better at his "chipmunk cheeks", essential for stopping the water from goign in his mouth or up his nose when he submerges his face! He likes to practice in the bath at night with his goggles (BLUE ONES) and searches for money underwater that we drop in. Daddy like to use this as an opportunity to teach him about reading bigger whole numbers too like twenty and fifty!
Owen is busy at Preschool and is looking forward to Imogen joining him for Friday afternoons next term (to give mummy a chance to do house work and study and maybe have a nap!) - it's a short one so only 7 weeks. Owen LOVES Wednesday at Preschool these days as Wendy and Amanda have started doing their prac placements for school at the centre since the start of this term. He loves having them there, but struggles to share them with the other kids! It has certainly helped him be more settled, although he is sure that Manda will come to school with him next year (a near improbability as Manda plans to move to Wellington to study tourism and air hosting).
Owen has been doing the Lidcombe program this term as well with Mum and Dad and the speech therapist, Judy. He has been making good progress with his dysfluency and is much smoother now, although we are still working on correcting some sounds like 'c' and 'g'. We are thankful for the support through the Ministry of Education, and pleased that they are trying to address his language barriers early. It certainly seems to be boosting his confidence as well.
What else?
We have had a MAZILLION functions recently and a few more things coming up - Manda turned 18 last weekend so we had her party, shared with her sister Nicole's 16th on Saturday. It was a gorgeous sunny day so we enjoyed the outdoors and got a little sunburnt if you can imagine that in 17 degree heat! Last weekend we also had the Preschool's 20th birthday celebrations so a church service on the Saturday (it is a Seventh Day Adventist school and they worship on their sabbath, Saturdays) (before we rushed off to the party!) and then an epic Sunday afternoon celebration that I catered for: feeding 200 with just 2 helpers was not a small task and my body has requested I not do this again for the remainder of the pregnancy - 7 hours on my feet, not a chance to sit down once and my muscles have been sore all week!
Next weekend I am presenting some teaching sessions at the Kogudus retreat focusing on Discipleship: I re-wrote the material for them, and will come along to see how it is recieved, in order to make suggestions for future work on the material.
Lee will have the kids Friday night and then Saturday night they are having a sleep over with Carol and Paul so Lee can be free to go to church early on Sunday morning. I'm sure I'll enjoy a few nights solid sleep and the solitude and quiet that the retreat promises to offer!
I still have my assignments/study on the go and have one to write this week before Kogudus (argh!) - I am enjoying it though. Lee is busy in the parish and District, and has Church Workers conference late in October and a trip to Melbourne in early November too for Board for Youth and Family Ministry. No doubt the run into Christmas will go all too quickly!! We are looking forward to Papa and Granny joining us for Christmas this year, and Nanna and Pop when the baby is due too. There is even talk of other family making a visit too in the new year so we will be kept on our toes and busy no doubt til MARCH! If you don't hear from us or see us, you'll know why - we are busy entertaining international guests and keeping up with the housework! (Hahahaaha, that a dream too really - the dishwasher broke this week just to add fuel to my fire!).