Stats

Blogger has added a function that shows me how many views my blog gets and from what country the view was from. It is awesome! Someone from Malta read my blog!!!! Hi Malta! I get most of my hits from Oz with the US second. I had 28 views in one hour just after Ben's birthday.
Blogger that is one cool application!

Federation Star

Dad and Mum recently came to Canberra for Dad to receive his Federation Star from the Chief of the Army. Dad has served our country as a soldier for 42 years. His reward for doing so was a tiny little silver star, no bigger than an earring to put on his medals. Whilst it is only a tiny little star it was a huge deal to Dad, Mum and all of his children. I was fortunate enough to be in the same state where it was presented and got to go and get teary eyes as dad together with Mum received it at a special morning tea. Dad was the only full time soldier to receive one. He was also the only return serviceman to receive one.

I am always very proud of my Dad as I couldn't have asked for a better father but I am especially proud of his service to his country. And as the Chief of the Army said there would have been no way Dad would have served his country for so long if he did not have the vital support of his wife and family. It was very much an award presented to both Dad and Mum. I am sure they would both tell you they both deserved such a great accolade!

The sign welcoming them to the service.

Dad receiving his award.

I was a fair bit teary by now! So was Mum!

Then this is Mum chewing off the ear of the chief! He invited anyone with any problems at all to come and talk to him as he would always listen. Well you don't need to tell her twice. She got all ready to launch into a discussion on why such an experienced soldier was being forced into retirement when he was willing to stay on. However, the chief is in exactly the same position, therefore very sympathetic to Mums plight!

And hahahaha Noddy! I got to hold the Federation Star before you!!!!!!!!!!!! Sucked In!!!!!!

Spider Park

A few weeks ago we went for a walk and lunch with the family that lives at the beginning of our street. Lillian is in Ryan's class and Ben and Violette will be in the same preschool class next year. It was the first reasonable warm and sunny day since autumn! So we ended up at the spider park which is very close to the school. Nathan helped all of the boys climb up to the top.

Matthew and Daddy

Lillian preferred staying close to the ground!

Ryan getting started

Two gorgeous blokes

Daddy and Matthew

Spring is Springing!

Finally! It has been a long wet and cold winter. It is nearly over. Thank goodness. Although as we are heading for the tropics in a weeks time we don't mind if it stays cold here!

As long as it is warm when we return!

Experiments

Ryan is going through an "Experiment" stage. It started with 500 grams of sultana poured into 3 litres of milk.........
Method: Sultanas poured through a funnel! Pushed through with the end of a tea spoon! (Appears to be a very time consuming operation. I should have guess mischief was being made with the deafening roar of silence!)

Conclusion: A lot of wasted milk ans sultana because no one wanted the milk or the soggy sultanas!

He then moved onto a concoction of cut up banana, coffee, ripped tea bag and sugar.
Method: Involved mixing in the fry pan soaking in detergent on the sink.
Conclusion: A very big mess! And a mad Daddy who drew the short straw in the cleaning up stakes!

Bennyisms

Apparently Mummy did not give birth to Ben! Daddy had him sucked out of his tummy because Mummy is far to small for Ben to have fit!

Ben has never been a baby and was born as a big boy!

Ryan and Matthew were getting a lecture after a recess play fight in which girls were involved. Benny pipes up with "You don't hit girls because when they get big girls are very important!" Excellent lesson to learn Ben!

Discussing with the boys the animals we will be seeing on our trip to the top end. Matthew says Kangaroos. Ryan suggests Emus. Ben thinks we will see Lions!

Happy Birthday Ben!

So my baby turned 4 today! It is so hard to believe he is 4! Although if you were to ask him he would tell you it is taking forever! That boy is in such a hurry to grow up. Ben greatest wish would be to catch up to Matthew!

So the day started early and noisily with a new guitar. This boy was born to strum and boy has he got the moves!

Check out the look of anticipation on all of their faces!

So Ben got a reconditioned bike. Now the reason he got a recon one and not a new one is we couldn't find an appropriately sized bike! So we were given this one by a neighbour and Nathan sprayed it.

He is still having problems holding it up as it is heavier than his 30cm bike!

But once he get moving, nothing can stop him!

As one could only expect from Ben he had a monster truck birthday cake. It was rather symbolic that the monster truck is crushing the big red car. There are no more little boys in this house. Only big boys occupy our house apparently!

This monster truck is called "Our Black Thunda" This name has been invented by Ben as it is a cross between "Outback Thunda" and the radio stations "Black Thunder"!

Now the birthday boy got a bit sooky for the birthday cake.

But Mummy talked him around.

Until he managed to blow out his candles.

We didn't have a party for Ben as this year was Ryan turn for a party but we did have the usual crowd come over for cake and a cuppa. Nathan got roped into reading to Harry. Harry hero worships Nathan as Harry believes Nathan knows everything about everything!

Daniel, Violette, Eli and Lillian making a city.

Cleon and Michelle giving Jonah cuddles. Jonah was trying to figure out what the hell they had put in his hand!

Juggling

This week I dropped the ball. Now usually I am a fantastic juggler but this week I have had far too many balls in the air and i am so sorry to say i dropped the most important ball. My Mummy ball.
Now the Community centre ball was in full flight all week, with not nearly a wobble. Preparation are well under way and the day is looking bigger and better than last year. This ball has become quite important to me over the years and it has been through my volunteer work here that I have found a possible future career path.
The school ball was juggled reasonable well all week. We attended the writers notebook night on Wednesday night. Which was a lot of fun and i can see what a really useful tool it is to get kids writing imaginatively. I also made it to the Book week parade which i blogged about earlier. Thank God!
I remembered my niece, Hannah Rose's birthday this week. Which with all I had to do this week I was sure this was going to be the one thing I forgot but thankfully I didn't and we had a gorgeous skype chat on Monday Arvo.
I did reasonably well with the wife ball. I met my husband for coffee with a university friend of his. I assisted in the purchasing of gifts for a colleague who was leaving. I picked him up from work several days this week as we only have one car at the moment and he believes it is too cold to ride his bike. (I will agree with him on that one but don't tell him that!)
I did well with the birthday ball. Just! I was up until all hours making cupcakes for Ben's preschool class. I am making his birthday cake today, the day of his birthday! But that still counts as it isn't past his birthday! I bought his birthday present the day before his birthday. Only because i had spent all week thinking of the things i had to buy for the community day and the things we need for our Top End trip. I still have to make cupcakes for his Playschool class by Tuesday. But in the end the birthday ball was not dropped just left to the last possibble minute!
The ball I dropped was the Mummy ball! :( This week receives a massive FAIL! Which upsets me greatly because I pride myself on being a stay at home Mum. For me that means my number one priority is my children and their needs. Not the housework, not my volunteer commitments. First of all the tooth fairy failed to visit poor Matthew. Which kind of turned out to be a great lesson because Matthew's behaviour this week has been less than stellar so it was suggested that perhaps that was the reason for her failure to deliver. Interestingly enough we have had a model nearly 7 year old yesterday! And the tooth fairy did visit the following night. (And I believe she once again paid guilt money because he got a buck for the tiniest tooth!)
Next I failed to feed Ben lunch on Friday and on Tuesday he had to ask to be fed lunch at 1pm! That is one and half hours after his usual lunch hour! Now forgetting to feed a Rickard boy is the worst torture that they could possible receive!
And the final thing that ended with me in tears was I forgot it was the fathers day stall at school and failed to send the boys with money to buy their Daddy as present. Now while that was a definite fail I did take them to a craft class last week to make daddy a card and present. So don't feel too sorry for Nathan because he has got heaps of presents hidden for fathers day. But still no one wants their kids to be the only one without money to spend on a present.
So please next week go a bit better. I have just as much on with getting ready for our trip (we leave on Sunday!), The community day on Saturday, Matthew's school assembly on Friday, being parent helper at playschool on Tuesday and an exam on Monday!
Please give me the strength and organisation!

I think this kid has a future with the Carlton Football Club!

Matthew got player of the week at Auskick two weeks ago. He basically got it because it was his turn! But we were very proud of him and what is more he was very proud of himself!

Then he played his last game for the season on the weekend but for the other Cats team (There are two and Matt plays on what ever team needs another body!) And this week he got the Player of the Week AGAIN! But this week he actually deserved it. He kicked his first two goals ever! The first was a screamer, a huge kick right through the middle of the posts! The second goal was brilliant because he picked the ball up on the run, juggled it then booted it on the run. It then dribble along the ground to just barely make it through the posts. But it was brilliant! He then got the award for his 2 goals, brilliant balls skills, a couple of good hand balls and playing a third for the opposition with great sportsmanship!
So now the season is finished! We have had a great time playing and are so proud of all of his efforts!
And I am sure most of you will agree he will look mighty fine in the Navy Blue Jersey!

Photography

The boys have just discovered the joys of photography. Here are the photos i have discovered on my camera recently......

An extreme close up of their LED torch.

Someones booger free nose and gaping mouth.

Half of breakfast

Barkley keeping an eye on the mischief. He is thinking "I'm not too sure what they are up to..."

I had better take a closer look....

Oh! I don't like it.....

Nope really don't like it. I bet I get into trouble for this.....

Oh! I betcha I so get into trouble for this!
I always get the blame!

Ben. No doubt saying take a photo of my mouth!

Inside someones mouth!

Sprung NOT brushing his teeth in the bathroom!

Ryan self portrait

Inside the piggy bank (I quite like this one!)

The sea animal being BBQ'd on the heating vent

Matthew self portrait

Hey Ryan!

There were about a thousand of Matthew's first trophy!

Matthew's lunch box

Nathan thinks we have many more of these drunk like shots to come in our future!

I'm guessing its Benny's turn with the camera

Cheese

Book Week Parade

Today was Miles Franklin Primarys' Book Week Parade. We had huge discussion in this house over what they could dress up as. Ryan settled on Terence the Pterodactyl from Harry and his bucketful of dinosaurs. Matthew wanted to wear his transformer outfit. Which i explained wasn't from a book but a TV show. He then wanted to be a cowboy but believe it or not we do not have ONE cowboy book in our huge kids book library. (We don't have a tiger story either!) So in the end Matthew decided he could wear the hat Uncle Brenty gave him and go as a character from Tikki Tikki Tembo. So we got out the hat, the beard and my black satin robe! In the end he looked like a great little china man! He thought he looked great and had had a really clever idea in his book and dress up choice!
However, when he got to school his some of his peers gave him a hard time! I saw that he was getting upset but I had to get Ryan to his class and then myself to netball. So i told him he looked awesome gave him a kiss and left.
Now I hadn't planned on going to the parade. (Mainly because I thought it was going to be outside and there was snow on the mountains and it was bloody cold!) But I had a nagging feeling so i debated with myself and Ben and in the end we went. Now the good thing was the parade was moved into the hall! (Yeah! Heating!) But as I was leaving Matthew's teacher came and asked me to meet her. Apparently some boys had been teasing Matthew and he had gotten very distressed. The thing that got up the teacher's nose was one of the kids doing the teasing didn't even bother to dress up! The good thing was Matthew's teacher handled it very well and took the same approach as me that book week means you come as a book character and not a commercial character.
I remember book week when i was a kid and you came as a book character. Kids these days are so commercialised i don't think they often think that books have characters. They are so tv focused. And i think that is really sad.
But anyway here is how the boys looked dressed up for Book Week!

Next year we are thinging we are going to give a Tashi costume a go!