3rd Cavalry Regiment Plaque Dedication

My Dad is in Canberra this weekend because the War Memorial was laying a plaque for the unit that he was in, in Vietnam. We had the privilege of tagging along with him.

At the first service at the Vietnam War Memorial a flag was raised for every man of 3 Cav killed in the line of duty.

Dad was the only man there remaining in uniform. A fact that I (and he too!) is very proud of. The other return servicemen all approach him to have a chat.

I think it is very important that the boys learn all about their military heritage. They had a great lesson today with two services to get through. They stood fairly still through the last post and the minutes silence. Our only hiccup was when an ambulance went past and Benny had to point it out.

The boys got introduced to an APC (Armoured Personal Carrier) Dad's method of transport through Vietnam. Matthew was very impressed, although disappointed that they had to take the guns off it!

The plaque will now sit in the pathway at the war memorial.

Of course no visit to the war memorial is complete without a visit to see Uncle Teddy. There is a new exhibit open at he war memorial entitled 1945 - today. Which had an awesome Vietnam War display. It has a full size Iroquois helicopter complete with sounds, wind and lights. Dad spent a long time in there. There is even a quote up on the wall from one of his mates.

My visit to this new exhibition really opened my eyes to certain aspects of the war that I knew about but I have gained a deeper understanding of. For example the way the media was used during the war. Media should report the news not a political agenda. The media has alot to answer for the mental health of many return servicemen. One quote on the wall is along the lines of "I don't have many friends come around anymore. If you weren't there, you cant understand". I really feel the media really did a hatchet job on every soldier fighting in the Australian defence forces.

The Vietnam War Memorial on ANZAC Parade.

This wall on the memorial has saying used by the soldiers and quotes of the time. The one the brings me to tears every time is about the Welcome home march for Vietnam Return Servicemen that was held in 1987. Many, many years after the war had finished. I remember this march. It was something that I shouldn't have seen because it should have been held immediately upon their return. It breaks my heart that men and women who were doing what their government had asked them to do, got no respect when they returned. But in a way, it was a good thing because I got to see something that I otherwise wouldn't have. I remember it being a day of joy and pride at watching my Dad and Grandad march. I remember waving Aussie and Vietnamese flags. I remember Grandad swapping sides of the road so we would see him march past. I felt the same feeling I felt when I was ten today, watching my Dad salute when the last post was played. I am very proud of all of his achievements as a soldier. I hope some of his bravery and courage has been passed down to his grandsons. I will be doing my best to ensure they value his service to this country.

The iconic image of the Iroquois helicopter used in the Vietnam war.

Happy Birthday Grumpy!

We are so lucky to have Grumpy in Canberra today when it is his birthday! The boys waited patiently all day for him to arrive. They spent their time making birthday cards, wrapping his present and making his birthday cake.

We made a Camo army cake. At Matthew's request. Well actually Matthew thought Grumpy would prefer a tank cake but when I told him that would be outside the scope of my talents he settled for an Army cake.

When the boys were sent out to find all of their army men to put on the cake Matthew came back with one poor guy who had been chewed in half by Barkley. When I said it probably wouldn't be any good on the cake he replied with "Naaah, its still ok, that guy will just be the dead one!"

So happy birthday Grumpy. We are so happy that you are here!

Cousin Molly

We were very lucky (even if they weren't so lucky!) to have my cousin Karen and her 7 week old daughter Molly come to stay a few days. I was very excited to have an infant female in the house!

Miss Moo is very very cute and looks so much like her Daddy! And she is a dream baby. On the first night she was here she only woke once! At 7 weeks! I was then lucky enough to look after for a few hours so Karen could get her nails done. And she (Molly not Karen!) was absolutely gorgeous......until she woke up. And then she demanded her mother. And she refused to take anything else! But it didn't put me off wanting another!

The boys were so taken with her. She was absolutely taken with them too. Just not in this picture!

Growing up we always had lots of contact with our cousins. Unfortunately for my kids they live at opposite ends of the country so they rarely get to see them. So it is really nice that they are getting to know their second cousin.

SICK!

We have had an awful lot of fun this week with a tummy bug. It all started on Monday when we got home from school and Benny said to me he wasn't feeling well. I gave him very little sympathy as we were in a hurry to get ready for Auskick. 2 minutes later Benny was spewing all over Matthew's brand new colouring book that he had two minutes ago opened! So I rang Nath and said Benny wouldn't be going to Auskick but I would drop the other two off. As soon as I hung up, Matthew spewed all over my couch! So I called Nath back and said none of us would be going! From then on it was juggling spewing kids and my cousin Karen and her bub Molly who had just arrived for a visit. It continued on most of the night. And Matthew must have been feeling so unwell. I asked him if he need a cuddle. He looked at me and I could see him thinking "Awww Mum, I'm a big boy!" But then he thought about how sick he was and he decided he really did need a cuddle from his mum. So he crawled up into my lap.

But our sickest little boy was Benny. I took this photo just after I had to put him down off my knee to help Matthew. The poor bugger was so exhausted he fell asleep where I had left him!

But it got even worse! 2 days later guess who had her head down a toilet bowl! You guessed it!

Thank Goodness for gorgeous friends!

Well Nathan is away......again but when I look back it hasn't been that bad. And it is because I have gorgeous friends! At least once a week over the last three weeks we have all been taken in by friends and fed! Last night Matthew's best friend's family has us over. It was just Kirsty and I and the 6 kids between us. And it was noisy and rambunctious but it was great. Six kids spread around the table was just beautiful. Mind you, not something we would want every day. But alot of fun every once in while. Kirsty has a girl older than Matthew, Dylan Matthew's age and Alysa who is Bens age. We know our kids will be going to school together for the foreseeable future and really enjoy how well they all get along. Even Ben and Alysa have a beautiful connection. So much so I apologise profusely for the future! We decided last night as long as we are not too young when we become Nanna's that will be ok. It is quite interesting for me to be forming connections with people that my children will more than likely go to high school with. As an army brat you couldn't think more than two years into the future. My parents had no idea what kids would be around in my teens. But I am really, really hoping that the current friends in my life are the same when my kids are older. Because they are all beautiful!

Now here are some I prepared earlier!

Ben's first day at playschool Matthew's

Ryan's

How cute were they. I feel like in a blink of an eye i will be uploading the photos of them going off to Uni!

Ben's first day at Playschool

It finally arrived. Ben feels he has been waiting for it for three years and I have wanting to put it off for three years! But today my baby left the nest for the first time. And man was he happy about it! Today Ben felt he was equal to his brothers. He has watched them being dropped off for the last few years and it has built up a huge enthusiasm for his own schooling adventure!

He has been telling anyone who would listen he has a monster truck lunch box for playschool. He had a chat to me yesterday about how excited he was to be going to playschool but he would be a little bit sad. When I enquired as to why he would be sad he replied that he would miss me! I took him in today and he couldn't wait for me to leave! We played a few puzzles and then I asked if he was ready and he went yep gave me a kiss and cuddle, forced Ryan into one and then toddled off to play. As i drove past the windows I looked in to find him already playing with another child! I really really wanted him to be crying! It is funny, it is always my intention to produce independent children but just once I would like them to be insecure and cry for their Mummy!

When I came to pick him up he was so happy to see me. But he only missed me a little bit because he was having too much fun! The teachers said he was beautiful. He asked to go to the toilet and then asked Julie (the teacher) "May you please read me a book!" She was delighted by the request and his manners! The assistants commented that they have never seen a child so eager to be there! When i replied that i felt he had been waiting this for three years they agreed!

Any way here are the photos of my baby transitioning into boyhood!

Showing us his bag

That grin says it all really. Ben Loves playschool!

Showing us the stamp that Julie gave him!

A busy birthday

It was a very busy birthday for Matthew yesterday. I really tried hard to make up for the fact that Daddy wasn't there. So I probably over did it a little but isn't that what birthdays are for?

The card that Mummy made for Matthew with her own hands!

He got a Nintendo Ds. Which Ryan loves the most. I think I know what he is going to get for his next birthday!

I then took Matthew and a few of his mates bowling.

They had a ball. Although next time I might make sure I have Nathan to help me. 6 kids is a bit full on!

Ryan is so talented he threw a gutter ball! Over the bumpers! He bounced it over too! It then got stuck half way down!

With no Daddy it was left to Mummy to assemble birthday toys. I really look like I am having fun don't I!

Poppy and the boys playing with the monster truck crash cage. I wonder when the monster truck stage will pass???!!!

Treb and Eli putting together the monster truck lego Grumpy and Nana got him. Check out Eli studying the floor! He was copying Treb and Matthew's actions!

Just a little weekend get together! Poppy has built the marble run in the back and he wont pack it up because he is loving playing with it!

This year Matthew requested cup cakes with a race track on them. Doing individual ones was too hard so I did this instead!

Green icing = yummy! Apparently!

You cant see the icing down the side of his neck in this shot but it is there!

Dear Matthew

Today, on your 6th birthday I just wanted to tell you all of the things that I love about you! I love that there have been so many firsts that we have shared together. You are my first born. You are the first source of my wonderment at life. You made your Daddy and I a family. The last six years have been such an amazing adventure! The achievements you have had over the last six years leave me with such an warm glow. You started life as a tiny bundle of joy. From the minute you were born you have been learning. In the beginning it was just learning to suck, then what all the parts of your body did. You sorted that all out quickly and were walking by the time you were 10 months old. Physical achievements are obviously going to be a large part of your life as your father and I have watched your enjoyment in learning to swim and play AFL or any sport that some one suggest you play. The last few years your large accomplishments have turned to intellectual. It blows me away that three short terms ago you started school with no prior knowledge of reading and writing and today on your sixth birthday you read a book to your Aunty Teesh via skype in London! You can write a postcard and post it to your Nana and Grumpy. You are learning to spell the different sounds of our language on your own. Your interest in your world and your enthusiasm to learn all you can is astounding. I love that you are in a hurry to learn it all! Matthew I love watching the way your brain works. It is so similar to your fathers. And so different to my own! It makes me excited for what your future will hold. But what i love most is the person that you are becoming. Inside your small six year old body there is a beautiful person. One who has a genuine interest in others around him. One who wants to help others. One who strives for perfection.
My baby boy, your Daddy and I love you so much and are proud of you every day. We are glad you have had such a lovely day to celebrate being six and we really look forward to watching you develop over the next six and more!
Love Mummy and Daddy

Ummm Arhhhhh!

Poppy broke the lounge room light shade today! Playing wii! He went for a massive smash playing tennis and was much more successful than he planned to be! Light shade shattered into a thousand pieces! What was even funnier was Uncle Brenty had smacked into the same light shade the game before!
This wii just may be more trouble than its worth!

It gets harder and easier at the same time!

Once again Nathan is away! And in some ways it is getting easier when he goes. I have learnt to pick my battles. Not one vegetable will pass my children's lips this week as it is too exhausting to fight three of them to eat their veggies. So we don't! Bathing them is easier now that they are pretty much drown proofed. I guess the practical things are easier to deal with. I manage the washing and the cooking and the bathing and well the cleaning was never done in the first place!
But the emotional side is getting harder. It is hard to be the Mum and the Dad. I only have one set of eyes to catch the sneaking. So the sneaking increases in Daddy's absence! And i have come to the realisation that it will continue to get harder as the boys realise that their Daddy is away. Matthew sobbed for about an hour after Nathan left last night. It probably hurt both Nathan and Matthew knowing that when Nathan left he would be missing Matthew's birthday on Saturday. And a (nearly) six year old cant go "Oh well! I'm going to miss Dad but i can handle it!" So we were left with sobbing! And the reason I know that this side is going to get worse not better is that I myself was an army brat and i remember when Dad was away we were all out of sorts. There was always an increase in squabbling.
So for the next week my mantra shall be don't sweat the small stuff! As long as they don't kill each other we are doing OK!

My Favourite Tree

Kylie recently posted a picture on her blog of her favourite tree, which was beautiful. So I just wanted to show her my favourite trees here in Canberra.

This one is my absolute favourite. It is some kind of ornamental plum tree

This is my second favourite and i have no idea what it is. I just think it is pretty.

I do have a third favorite too but it hasn't flowered yet! I love Spring. It is the absolute best thing about Canberra. I find a beautiful spring makes me forget how horrid winter is!

It just goes to show how far they have come.....

20062007
2008

2009

Floriade 2009

It is my favourite time of year! Every year since i have been here we have gone a couple of times during the show to see the various stages of flowering. And this year is looking pretty good. It is so colourful this year. As it was just the me and the boys today i didn't get to look at all of the flowers there was too much other stuff capturing their attention!This is the view from the giant Ferris wheel they have this year.

Benny bock, bock, bocked around the whole petting zoo. I missed his chicken arms in this photo! But i do have video of it!

Ryan being very gentle with the kid goats.

Spongebob! A fav of the boys

Ben patting a python. The zoo did an animal display. Which was very interesting. They do some amazing tours that we might look into.

Ryan's turn. Matthew lined up but chickened out at the last minute!

The giant Ferris wheel. It took about 15 minutes to convince Matthew to get on.

And i have never paid $25 for a ride before but that is what it cost! 'Spensive!

Here he is being brave. Looks like he is having a ball, hey?!

The checker board from up high

Every year at Floriade Nathan and I have a competition to see who can take the best photo. This year the older boys joined in. This is Ryan attempt!

Matthew's attempt

Mine!

Aaawwww!

Pretty!

So colourful!

My Dad always love it when the wrong colour springs up! This year all of the colours are really jumbled but i did find one red one in amongst the purple and white ones. So this one is for Dad!

Pretty pink and white furly ones!