THE jet box construction

Remember a few weeks ago Ben had to present to news a box construction and the evaluation? Well he finally brought the construction home. See it does look like a jet plane! It has a cockpit and everything!

 Even jet burners!

He really was right in his evaluation about the only thing that could make it better would be a pilot!

Engineer In Training

Ben's homework this week was to plan, build and appraise something that would be useful or a gift. Ben being Nathan's son designed a bomber. Complete with egg carton jets and juice bottle cockpit.

When I read this I hear Nathan! It was completely written, designed and constructed by Ben but it speaks volumes to me about how much Ben and indeed the other two boys idolise their father. It also speaks volumes on the level of Ben's confidence! I love how the only way it can be further improved is to put a pilot in it! I also love how it rates a 10 out of a possible 5 stars! Gosh I love this kid! When he brings the actual construction home I will take a photo of it because it was quite impressive!

In the blink of an eye....

Another day, another frustration.

But how well does this kids take it??? Two hearing tests this week. Results exactly the same and still no answers.  We need to find someone with a holistic approach to hearing. At this stage it is like the ENT is the left foot and the Audiologist is the right foot and they are walking in separate directions! If either of them would bother to read each others notes or their own notes for that matter we might feel like we were getting somewhere. All we want is someone to tell us what we can do to save his hearing, not what they can do for him when it is gone! For now Nathan and I are making up our own plan of attack and heaven help you if you get in our way. 

Despite all of this however, we need to remember that he is our greatest blessing and we need to admire how resilient this kid is! Perhaps we should take a page out of his book and just sit back and smell the coffee (or baby chino for him and chai latte for me!)

Blowout

Ben didn't just grow out of his shoe he burst out of them!!!! His toes have been seriously hanging out of them for the last week!

Another Mummy brag!

I'm not sure if Ben is a genius, I'm full of it or he is just the youngest brother of three very close together but Ben blows me away at times with his school work!

The other interesting things about the work I am about to show you is how much his hearing difficulties are starting to affect him. The subtle sound differences that you and I take for granted are really starting to make a difference for him.

I will type his story with his spelling and then interpret after!

 

The Thry Billy Goats Gruff.

Thry billy goats sat lonly no green grarss they ceept on rgyueinge about hue got the moast green grarss. Then they stoobd rgyueinge they dsidde we are going on a advencher down the lonly hill  ucross the narsty chroal briege "please due not mack me go ucros first said the litle billy goat"

 If you couldn't read the above bit (and we don't blame you!) it says

 

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Three billy goats sat lonely, no green grass. They kept on arguing about who the got the most green grass. Then they stopped arguing. They decided, we are going on an adventure down the lonely hill across the nasty troll bridge. "Please don't make me go across first" said the little billy goat.

Firstly, he is having trouble hearing the difference between  'b' and 'p' in stopped as well as 't' and 'ch' troll! Secondly I am betting Ben learnt about quotation marks this week at school seeing how he has chucked a few in! I am fairly certain I wasn't using quotation marks in my writing when I was in kindy!

The kids also prepared a puppet show to go with their stories and they performed them infront of the class using the new smart board attachment projector thingys that the school recently purchased!

Birthday Catch Up!

This year it was Ben's turn to have a party for his birthday and while he wanted to have a party at Tunzafun, Lets play, Kid city and bowling! I helped him settle on a bowling party.

 Which he was quite pleased with!

 He had lego blocks as his cake.

 His wife Alyssa came. Her Mum told me she was a pain getting dressed because she insisted on preening herself and looking her best just for Ben!

 His oldest friend Harry was there!

 He did really well at the bowling and apparently no matter the score you always get to be the winner when it is your party!

 I loved the card Alyssa gave him. She is the pink mate, he is the blue one!

 

 

The lolly tray was quite the attraction!

 On his actual birthday he got a powerwing scooter. Ryan and Matthew got these for Christmas. We didn't think Ben would be coordinated enough to use one but we were wrong and it has been a long 8 month wait from Christmas to his birthday so he could have one too! Thankfully we no longer have fights over the powerwings, now they are only over the razor scooter, of which there is only one!

 My boys are growing up!

 But before even Ben's birthday it was Cleon's birthday. She was in Brisbane for her actual birthday but she was lucky enough to still get a cake. we must really lover her or something! I made her an extra special rainbow cake. Which she love to pieces and insisted on taking the left overs to work the next day. She also took Michelle's left overs too!

 

 We had Cleon's cake a few days before they left on 4 1/2 month around the world trip so the boys had to give the girl enough cuddles to last them for that length of time!

And seeing how the rainbow cakes were such a hit I made rainbow cupcake for Ben class at school. His teacher thanked me sincerely for all the excess food colouring in the cakes. It really made her day!

School Photos 2012

 Matthew Rickard Year 3

 Ryan Rickard Year 2

 Ben Rickard Kindy

Our Big School Boys

Cross Country

It all started with the school Cross Country. All of the boys had been training with their classes.

 In Kindy it is all about participation. In fact, the serious racing doesn't begin until they turn 8, so Ryan is still yet to compete for a spot on the school team. Despite the "non-competitive' nature Ben still ran his fastest and informed me he came 2nd! The boy that beat him had been tousling for the first position for weeks with it being fairly even. I can see a very competitive "friendship" for these two boys in the future. They are very similar and currently it as a very friendly rivalry.

 The winner of the having the most fun race was absolutely Ryan!

 He was very impressed not to have come last this year. I very much think for him it is a case of the race being just a little too short! This kid is full of slow twitch muscle fibres. He certainly didn't get them from his father. His Grumpy ran a marathon so perhaps he inherited it from him......

 Matthew placed a lot of expectation on himself. He knew he came third last year and he wanted to equal or better it this year. He came third again! Which once again meant he was off to Districts. Do you remember what happened last year? His shoe came off in the first 100m and he ran most of the rest of the way in one shoe! Anyway so after last year we thought we had better have a practise to boost his confidence.

 So the weekend before the race we went out to Mt Stromlo forest where the carnival is held. Nice view hey! The little ants in the centre of the midground are Nathan and the boys.

 Funnily enough Ben won the practise. Although we did tell Matthew to not go flat out or he would be too tired for the real race! Daddy came last. He tells us his is NOT a land animal!

 The big day came around and Matthew was very confident. He took off like a bat out of hell and was coming fourth for the first 800m until he got tripped over! I'm not sure who I was prouder of, the boy who tripped him and stopped to see if he was ok or Matt who got back up and kept going even though he was definitely out of the places!

 In the end he came 16th. So very proud of him!

Now we only have to wait two weeks until it is athletics carnival time! Lets see if Matthew came make the treble, the swimming, cross country and athletics district carnivals? Good thing he is a sportmans because he told us after his writing NAPLAN test this week Sportstars dont need to be able to write expositions and when he grows up he is going to be a sports star!

A revisit: Kindy Assembly

The video was awesome but you just got a glimpse of the photos. So here are my favourites of the hundreds that Daniel gave me!

Please bear in mind that this was the last day of Ben's very first term at school. The weekend after we had driven to Brisbane and back in the space of 4 days. So that is why he looks super tired but also super cute!

Ben: A self portrait

One of Ben's first tasks at school this year was to draw his self portrait....

That is Ben at the front. You can tell from the brown eyes. Standing behind him in what i can only assume as the angel and the devil on his shoulders are his brothers!!! Ryan with the blue eyes and the same hair colour as him and Matthew with the green eyes and the blonde hair!
Now I have never met such a strong willed individual as Benjamin Leslie Rickard. However how interesting is it that he sees himself as being a third of a whole!!! I cannot decide if this is a good thing or something we need to work on! I love how much he loves his brothers. These boys seriously personify hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. They would fight to the grave for each other but can they be too close??? Before this picture I was certain that Ben knew his own identity but now I have questions....... Or was he just super, super excited to finally, in his mind caught up to his brothers and be at school?

Feb & March wrap up.

OK! So I have been MIA much of February and March but here is a brief rundown of what happened......

 Nathan turned 33 with no desire to have a Thirty Three and A Third party....Spoil sport!

 Ryan turned 7!

 I turned thirty-something-ish

 Ben got his first merit certificate in the social skills program He received it for being successful!!!!!

Matthew's year presented the assembly where he read a piece of his work!

It was super busy. I always thought that when they all got to school things would have a slower pace. Man was I wrong!!!

The last one! I promise!

I can guarantee this because Nathan has had enough of making them!

He also told me that i have to warn you all that they are big files. I don't think it really matters because they are so worth it!

This one is the kindy hosted assembly that was held on the last day of school. As we were driving to school Ben casually says "Mum I am reading today at assembly!" WHAT! We haven't practised! Turns out he didn't need to practise. He was perfect! Plenty of volume and no apparent nerves at all! He loved being front and centre! We were so proud of all of the kindy kids!

Disco Dudes

A couple of weeks ago now we had the school disco. Benny was busting to go because it was one of those things he felt he had been drastically missing out on by not being old enough. So he was super keen to go this year. The theme this year was something starting with R.

 So we had a Robot......

 A Rabbit....

 And Rich!

 These are some of their tamer moves!

Ryan did not stop. He owned that dance floor and he was going to work it for all it was worth! Ben followed him around busting out moves at random times!

Matthew got to participate in his first senior school event and went to the late disco. It finished at 9, two whole hours after his bed time! Unfortunately, it was like looking into the future for me at that disco. A group of four girls followed him around ALL night! He danced in a group of about 6 of his mates and they worked the floor too! It was interesting to see the difference a year makes. Year three is definitely all about the friendship groups and the cool kids are starting to develop! Eeeekkkkk!!!!

Anyway they all had a blast and were super excited and the good news is they all got their moves from their Mum rather than their Dad!!!