Vomit and ancestors (who would have thought they would go together in a title!)

If there is one part of my job that I really don’t like, it’s the ‘being in charge’ bit.   This week I have had to step up and ‘be in charge’, sorting out a couple of differences of opinion.  I don’t like doing that, I hate conflict and I hate being the one to make the call.  There were tears, there was ‘I-don’t-wanna-go-to-work-anymore” whining, there was grumbling.  But I got through it with God’s help and a lot of prayer warriors.  And I came out the other side this week feeling encouraged in what I am doing, appreciated and feeling a bit stronger in my leadership skills. 

And then there has been the drama (sickness) on the home front.  Luke got up late Monday night for a cuddle and then vomited all over Marty and our (waffled texture) couch.  We managed to get him to the sink or over a bowl from then on, knowing the vomit cues well by now having been through this with the girls!  But our couch was not smelling that flash the next day.  He woke up right as rain Tuesday, but I had a killer migraine.  Marty was good enough to take the day off work and give me a day in bed.  I used it well – a book, a couple of movies, and a lot of sleep.  Bliss.  I felt much better by that evening.  This morning (Thursday), Jaimee woke up and told me “mummy, I have a sore tummy and my poos are like wees”.  Marty and I shared a look.  I had the Ministry of Education visiting playgroup that morning, and he had already taken a day off work.  We rang my mother but Murray was taking her into hospital for an eye operation that morning (what a terrible daughter I am, I had no idea!).    So poor Jaimee was locked away in a side room at playgroup with her computer and a book.  She did very well until we were in the car on the way home, when I turned around to see her clutching her tummy and moaning.  Think fast mum!  I grabbed Luke’s lunchbox, dumped the contents on the passenger seat and handed it to her JUST in time.  Good save, clean car. 

What else in our home?  Marty had his first food challenge last week, and we have discovered that yes, wheat is a no-no in his tummy.  He felt pretty gross that week.  This week the challenge food to re-introduce is onion, and I have (literally) been PRAYING that he will not react to it.  Onion is in so many sauces, satchets and meals.  We had onion last night….and so far, no reaction! YAY!  I am so excited about this.  At least I can make bread and bake for him using spelt flour (wheat free but not gluten free so still tastes ‘normal’), and wheat free/gluten free is so normal these days, its not an issue eating out….but onion?! Cooking separate dinners for the rest of my life was not something I was looking forward to.  Let’s hope the garlic challenge next week goes well, then I can get back to some of those yummy Thai and Indian recipies I had been trying before this whole diet.

As for me, I have indulged in a bit of escape time this week through movies and books - something I find that I really need when I am stressed out with work or other challenges and commitments.  I have just discovered that the kid’s new tablet is also a wonderful e-reader, so downloaded the kindle app and purchased my first ($4) book, one of those books on the top of my long list of recommended reads by ‘goodreads.com’.  I am loving reading a good book again, I just love fiction and thanks to the internet and a world of reviews freely available I need not download a dud book again.  I’m considering Dan Brown’s book next, its half the price to purchase it as an e-book!  Luckily my reading time is only when the kids are in bed or at school, so we can share this toy easily. 

Luke got his first haircut from mummy this week.  It was a bit of an impulsive decision, although I had been considering it at the back of my mind for a wee while to do.  I used the clippers on the highest setting we have (1”), I figured it was safer than the scissors to get even.  I am pretty happy with the result too, and it looks pretty darn cute with a bit of product in it spiking it up!

Speaking of my cute kids, this week at the dinner table Luke made me smile as he said 'grace'.  He put his hands together just like the girls like to do, squeezed his eyes shut and babbled something quietly to God, before saying a resounding "May-men!".  This follows up Kate's declaration the night before after we read our Bible together: "Mummy, nobody is perfect.  Only Jesus".  (Smile moment).

And lastly, I have been getting back into my family tree after purchasing an updated version of the software I use.  I panicked the other day when I realised that my FTM software was from 2006 and might not work on the constantly changing world of technology for much longer.  After moving my file across to the new software I breathed a sigh of relief as it all worked fine!  I am really proud that I have over 4,000 names in our family tree (both our sides) thanks to some wonderful work that our parents have already done.  I really pray and hope that one day one of my children will continue to keep this up, I find it really fascinating to learn about our ancestors stories and see their photos.   Check these gems out that I have found along the way....

Thats my great-great grandfather on my dads side: Alfred Towns, his wife  Fanny and their family.    Check out the Indian servants.  I could do with a servant occasionally myself.  I love the outfits. And the dog.  This photo just makes me want to know more about their life.  

This is my great, great, great grandmother on my mum's side.: Margaret Mathie.  She travelled to New Zealand from London in the late 1800s on the ship "Oxford" with her 5 children.  Brave lady!  There was a big storm and two of the masts snapped, leaving them adrift for 5 days before another ship sighted them.  

This distinguished looking man is Hart Udy, (my 4x great grandfather!) who came to NZ in 1984 with his family.  Luke's middle name is Hart, as this was a popular name in the Udy family history - it was this Hart's fathers name too! Hart was a carpener and a lay preacher, and founded the first Anglican church in Lower Hutt.  He was the Mayor of Greytown twice over too.  Claim to fame: his son (Hart Udy) had a son (Hart Udy) who was part of the first ever All Black team (then it was "NZ National Rugby Team")!

This good looking man is my grandfather and my mum's daddy...Onslow Thompson.  I reckon I would have had a crush on him if I knew him.  It's no wonder he fell for my grandmother though - she was just as beautiful as he is.  

Check out the mustache on Philip Linyard, Marty's great great grandfather!  Marty's middle name has come down 4 generations now with Luke taking it as one of his. He sailed to NZ in 1913, but went home to England eventually.  He was a sewing machine mechanic and was one of the first people to ever be cremated, because he thought it was a healthier way to bury remains!

This is Frank Trowbridge, Marty's  great grandfather.  His parents died young and he was raised by his big sister.  He managed a general store after he got married, and was called up to serve in war in 1941.  Thank goodness his wife and him had one child, a son, or we might not have our current Trowbridge line!

This interesting looking couple are Marty's great, great, great grandparent: Charles and Ann Gilberthorpe.  Ann is a name that has come down strongly through both our family lines, and my girls have claimed this as a middle name proudly for at least the 5th generation in a row!  These two came to NZ from England in 1859 for the grand old fare of 66 pounds.  If only it was that price now!

This beauty is Marty's great great Grandmother Hettie Maidment.  This is one of those photos that leave me wanting to know more about her personality.

...There are hundreds more amazing photos, and I am hunting more down all the time.  And this is one of the reasons why I write a blog - I am preserving our story, our photos, our family for the generations to come.  I wish these characters had written blogs.....

Party Boy!

Today we celebrated (5 days late) Luke's 2nd birthday.  Luke is getting so big, so fast, but is such a delight to all of us.  

What do we love about our newly 2 year old Luke?  Everything.  He loves to play hide and seek, whispering "hiding....hiding..." and then yelling out with a laugh of delight "FOUND YOU!" when he spots you - making you laugh along with him because it's all just a bit too cute.  Luke is picking up words and social skills quick as can be, counting "1...2....4" on his fingers as I do his domes up and yelling "plane" as he cranes his neck on hearing one fly by.  Luke makes me laugh even when he has poos - he spits out "Poo - YUCK!" with such a disgusted tone and look of 'gross', and then walks to the nappy area with his legs as far apart as possible - I don't think he will take long to toilet train!

He just loves sirens too, and will say "weee-eww-weee-ewww" whenever he spots a siren, or what he thinks is a siren but is actually just a taxi, a car or a tow truck!  So i had to make him a siren cake of course, and topped the simple design off with one of his presents - matchbox NEW ZEALAND police cars and St Johns Ambulance!  It was worth the silly cost of the cars to see his face when he spotted the cake.  "WEE-EWW" he said with a shrill laugh of delight to everyone who was nearby.  

Gramps started the festivities off for us, by turning up early with hot cakes and muffin splits for breakfast, getting me out of bed in my flannelette PJS to join everyone at the table.  Marty whisked everyone out to swimming lessons next, giving me a quick moment to prepare for the party.  

I love having everyone over at my place, the house feels so warm and everything is so relaxed (normally!) as the kids run off together and us adults sit back with a coffee for a good chat.  We had all the family round today, including our closest friends who are family to us.  Luke loved it all, calling out "BRIANNA! 'NONA! NANA! GRANMA!  GRANNY!" as he pointed to everyone he loves all in one room, making them all feel welcome as he gave them a grin or a cuddle. 

He was spoilt for presents, setting him up for a new era of play with duplo and dress ups.  Check his face out when he discovered that the police car toy makes real siren noises! Once that toy was opened, he wouldn't put it down.  He pushed the siren button and then went "oh!" in surprise, then looked around the room at everyone, laughing and laughing in his delight.   

He also went very wide eyed to see the box DVD set of his all time favourite movie "The Wheels on the Bus" appear.  He has watched the original several times a day for months now, I was almost as excited as him to have 2 new  versions of this awesome toddler movie in the house! He turned around and checked that it hadn't disappeared when daddy popped it down behind him.

Happy Birthday my little Lukey-Duke.  We just adore you and hope you enjoyed your day of YOU. I had lots of fun watching you dress up in all your new fun clothes:

Luke loves dressing up.  He calls it "Show you!" Just yesterday, Marty came home to find him as a Knight, slaying the mummy dragon with his sword (wand!).  He thought this was the funniest thing in the world, Marty captured just a little of our fun on my iphone video....

And lastly, because I am crazy (well yes, just look at my behaviour in that  video!) Jaimee had a friend over straight after the party to stay the night.  Actually, maybe I am not crazy but rather sensible  - three girls kept each other very busy and happy for the afternoon while Marty was out at Wild Alpha.  We finished off the day watching Aladdin in our PJS over popcorn.  

Wearable Arts: A Modelling job!

Last month, my baby sister was announced the winner of the "Dreamgirl 2013" modelling competition.  I was so proud of her! This month, her niece is following in her footsteps by being one of four models in her class in the "Wearable Arts" competition!

Jaimee's class have all been working really hard on these outfits over the last term, and I had watties cans snatched out of my hand to take to school like they were gold.  Her outfit is entitled "Miss Watties Waimarama Beach" - and doesn's she look the part!  Her first modelling job was to pose for photos for the class.  It didn't pay well, but looks good on the portfolio.    Next she was employed to model for the school assembly, where she twirled like a pro (ok, so she almost broke the surfboard, might need to practice that turn a bit!) for her adoring fans (sister and mum).  She did that shy little pursed lip smile she does when she is told to smile.

Her fellow models gave stiff competition.  Jordis looked amazing as "The Old Tuatara" from the Joy Cowley book.  Hannah shone as a Princess, and Matthew looked the part as a kiwi farmer.  I reckon they all have a shot of getting into the finals.

Coming up on June 1st is the big job - the early start is something models must get used to, and she is being challenged to be ready to get up on that stage at 7.30 AM!  This will be the regional heats, with a real paying audience at the Opera house, and a fancy MC to read their entry out as they take to the stage.  Gold coin donation, come along if you don't mind getting up early!  If they are picked to be in the finals, it is a pretty big deal....modelling that evening for a sold out audience...and if they win - the grand prize is a trip to Melbourne, which their class would auction off and use the funds to get some awesome resources (ipads I reckon!).

 As Murphy's Law predicted - my battery ran out on the camera just as she took to the stage.  Here is what I DID capture before it ran out of juice, it gives a little peek of her work anyway!  I think she was a bit shy about getting on that stage, hence the slow start with beckoning from her teacher at the start.

Birthdays and Boys

Yesterday we celebrated Marty's birthday.  My husband is the best kind of man - like fine wine, he just keeps getting better with age.  Last weekend he began a 7 week 'wild alpha' course, getting out on the farm with some of the guys from church, having fun as well as chatting about some of life's 'big stuff', the kind of stuff blokes best discuss over a campfire in the dark.  The fact that Marty even signed up to do this course is a pretty big deal.  It shows me that yep, God is working in his life, and yep, he is pretty amazing stuff.

We celebrated his birthday by going to the same Thai restaurant that we enjoyed on our wedding anniversary.  Marty had to take a night off his new special diet for the occasion, and we were both a little nervous about garlic and onion reappearing for a meal - but thank you God, he wasn't sore or miserable as a result!

The poor man had come home from work after a crazy day - they had new computers installed and it was a bit of a nightmare trying to sort stuff at work.  Follow that up with both our parents, his nana, his sister, our best mates and 5 small and VERY excited/loud children in the restaurant - it wasn't quite the relaxing dinner he probably needed!  I was very thankful that we were the only patrons that evening, the kids were yelling at each other happily at their own table, in between taking turns grizzling and crying over some drama.   Some of the family found the exotic choice of restaurant a little bit much, but coped rather well considering.  The gluten free cake for dessert went down a treat for everyone too.

When we got home, we decided to watch Skyfall, the Bond movie I had brought Marty for his present to complete his full set of 007 DVDs.  It confirmed that nope, I am clearly NOT a Bond girl.  I fell asleep.

NB: the bear on the front of the card was from Rawanda!

Today, Kate received this delightful little card from a wee 4 year old boy in our church.  He got his big 6 year old sister to write it for him as he dictated.  MELT?! Much!!!! She read it, then discarded it in her breezy way, leaving mum and dad to do the gushing.  Meanwhile, Jaimee was in tears because SHE didn't get a card.  (And so it begins.....)

....by the way,check out Luke in his flash new sweater vest, knitted by Marty's amazing Nana.  The girls are attempting to start a 'knitting' journey too, busily at work making pompom after pompom to thread onto a scarf each.  It is quite a 'smile on the inside' moment to see them on the couch together, balls of wool spread out before them, busily working away!

A trip down memory lane

I have strong memories of being home sick from school as a child.  My dad used to do his "in the real world, you can't have sick days for every sniffle" - so when we were allowed to stay home sick, we had to be sick enough to be bedridden.  Hmmm, looking back, maybe the 'bedridden' rule was just to make sure I stayed out of mum's hair all day!  Either way, it was pretty special to be sick, because our big old TV set got wheeled out of my parents room and into MY bedroom for the day.  And what did I watch?  Well, I remember some pretty dramatic but boring "Days of our Lives" episodes, and some ridiculous "Ricki Lake" shows...but I used to most look forward to 2pm, when "The Love Boat" was on.  It was such a fun show to watch, and I remember making sure that I was still sick the next day when it was one of their "to be continued" cruises!

This memory came up when Marty let me know about a new channel that was going to start airing on Sky yesterday.  I was just about jumping up and down with excitement to hear that "The Love Boat" would be back on tv (and I wouldn't have to wait for an odd sick day to watch it).  I swooned when Marty read out more shows of my childhood memories: MacGyver, Doogie Howser, The Wonder Years and Cheers.  Dare I admit that I have set them all up to record?  Who knows when I will watch them, but sneaking a peek down memory lane sounds like fun, and who would pass up the chance to see the pilot episode of these shows!  Marty and I had such a giggle watching these shows last night, and shared fond memories of other childhood favourites.  Do you remember Full House? The Cosby Show?  Home Improvement?  Beverley Hills 90210? Saved by the Bell?  Ah....I do hope that these classics get a rerun too, although I am aware that The Wonder Years is not quite as fascinating to watch as a 31 year old as it was as an 11 year old.....

Anyway, speaking of this nostalgia journey,you may recall a blog I wrote several months back, whinging about the lack of quality shows for the girls to watch?  I was quite appalled by Hannah Montana and icarly - these shows are way too old for my girls! What happened to the good old family sitcom that we could all watch together?  I did a bit of hunting around on the internet (really, its an attic of surprises isn't it?!) and found the first series of Full House, one of my favourite shows as a girl.  Ok, so Uncle Jesse was a bit of a player when it came to the ladies, and it may be a little weird these days to watch 3 males raise 3 girls together...but the girls in this show didn't wear ridiculous tight skimpy clothes, and boyfriends is in the distant future for the very young DJ Tanner.

Jaimee was home sick with a cold yesterday, so we snuggled up on the couch to make some TV memories for her very own.  Jaimee loved that we were watching something 'grown up' together, and mummy loved catching all those jokes and storylines that probably flew over my head as a child!  Full House had my girl captivated, with 5 year old Stephanie dancing around the place and Joey's silly voices.  Baby Michelle was 'so cute' and mummy noted that tween DJ was wearing a full length loose denim dress!   Jaimee didn't say a thing when Uncle Jesse made sly comments about a girl (although I cringed a bit as a mother), but she did tell me she felt sad that the girls mummy had died.  At the end, she begged me to let her watch more.  She watched two more episodes that day, before I said enough is enough.  14 year old Katie watched one with her, (I think I may have intrigued her with the fact that that baby was actually the famous Olsen Twins) and concluded that it was quite funny.  So Full House still passes the test of the child, the teenager and the adult, making it an ideal family show to join our other family favourite: The Zoo. 

Mothers Day

Mothers day.  A day all us mum's look forward to.  A whole day of "behave - It's mothers day" and "Can you do it dear? It's mothers day" excuses while we enjoy our breakfast in bed and a day off cooking.  Nice! 

It started off well, with coffee and toast after a wee sleep in (not too long, we had church and I have to be there an hour early to get ready for the kids programme).  I was showered with homemade cards, pipe cleaner flowers and a coke bottle gift basket full of avon samples.  Even Marty remembered to get me a card this year to my great surprise and delight!  What more could a mother ask for?!  

After church, we were in for a big treat.  Our friends, the Reed family, had invited us, along with some mutual friends, along to their place for a buffet lunch.  Buffet lunch? I wondered if this was some English way of saying 'pot luck", which is what we normally do if having a group for lunch here in NZ.  But no, our lovely UK friends had really meant a buffet lunch - a spread that could rival Christmas dinner and left us so full that we didn't even eat dinner that night.  Debbie, you are amazing.  With a new baby girl strapped to her chest, and 2 preschoolers running around her feet, Debbie put on a three course meal for us on Mother's Day.  

Super mum!

We barely saw our three once they got in the door.  It was so lovely watching all the kids run around outside together and enjoying each other's company.  I believe that as parents we need to be quite intentional about helping our children develop good friendships at a young age by giving them opportunties like this to 'hang out' with families that we know and trust.  We were able to sit back and chat, and chat, and chat.  

The kids had a great time together

But the day was not over yet! We were hosting an afternoon tea for our own Mothers (and also Marty's sister's family and their Nana), so managed to get home just in time to get the kids out of the car before they showed up.  Of course, we were put to shame by Debbie, and stuck to our traditional "everyone bring a plate and the load will be shared" format.  

Sausage rolls, jaffa cake, mini eclairs and more kept everyone happy, and with a new kitten and two living rooms, we didn't see the cousins/ best mates once they were fed.  Us adults settled down for some great conversation and sharing that led us through well into the early evening.  The kids were in bed by 7pm, and Marty and I snuggled up on the couch to watch American Idol together.  Time flies when you are with those you love.  Thanks for a wonderful mothers day!

Introducing Twinkles!

Yesterday we visited the SPCA as something fun to do in the school holidays, and to take the girls friend, Ella, who is animal mad! Gramp Muz is on the committee and volunteers there regularly, so it was fun to arrange a "behind the scenes" tour. We got to see some very cute wee puppies, a friendly white rabbit, lots of cats (Jaimee told me she almost cried when she saw one that looked like our missing cat Birdie - awww) and of course...the kittens.

THIS ONE MUM!

 I had no intention at all of getting a kitten when we organised this trip. It was for the kids fun. Marty had said that morning not to come home with a cat. I laughed at him.
And then we met the homeless kittens. Drat, they are cute. And with one cat missing from our family, we had a vacant spot.

Marty said "for the record, I never said yes". I kissed him and phoned to put a hold on my wee tabby girl, a friend for our Bogie girl.

So today, we adopted a kitten. We chose a tabby girl because that's what our other cat is, and we adore her. We also wanted a slightly older kitten who would cope with the kids and another cat. She was chosen also for her friendly disposition, the kids all held her easily.

She had settled in great to her new family. With a bit of a first scared wee hiss at her new sister cat, they did sniff each other out tentatively, with bogie giving her a friendly welcome meow. They have watched each other from a distance since then, but they will adjust I am sure, they are both so friendly!

The kids chose the name "Twinkles" - what more could you expect from 5/6 year old girls! Marty had pushed for "eagle" to continue the golfing theme, but I put my foot down.  He wrinkled his nose at their choice, but ah well. hehehe.

So far, Twinkles has come up to me with big meows, climbed up to my face purring like a truck, and given me lots of kisses and snuggles. She likes to stay with me, but is not sure about those excited bouncing children yet!

Welcome Twinkles!