Put to good use

This week is Book Week, which means dress up like a book character at pre school. So Matthew decided he could be Bottomly Potts from Hairy Maclary. Which was great as we just happen to have a spotted dog costume (2 sizes too small for him but that's another story!) So this morning he got all dressed up and i painted his face with black and white spots and whiskers then I realised his Bottomly Potts costume was tailless! So I sacrificed my wedding stocking (complete with lace tops!) to become Bottomly Pott's tail! And i couldn't think of better use for them!

Apples

If you are considering the cost of children you need to know this! The cost is directly in proportion to the price of apples! Today at the fruit market i bought around 4 kilos of apples. In every colour! In many shades! My boys like apples (would much prefer that than chocolate!). They like granny smith, Nathan likes pink ladies (no surprises there!) I like red delicious. Our fridge is full of apples. Including pineapples (Two of thoses!) What is really sad is by next Tuesday they (and all of the other fruit!) will be all gone and it will be back to the fruit market for more apples! I'm thinking about getting an apple tree!

Olympic Expert

And his name is Ben. He is an expert commentator too. today watching the diving I hear him saying "Bounce, bounce bounce, jump, round, round, round, splash!" Followed by applause! On like the 2nd day of the Olympics he was watching rowing saying "Backwards! Backwards!" Then at the gymnastics a girl was on the uneven bars and we hear "Wee! Wee! Wee!" If i want the boys to get out of my hair for a few minutes put the equestrian on! They can't get enough of it! And do you know where they get it from? Their father! He walks in the door, turns on the TV to 7 and will remain there until I come over to him and greet him and say how was your day? The response i get...... "How many did we win today?!!!"

***** 2 SILVER *****

Congratulations for your two silver Olympics medals Brenty. It doesn't seem enough just saying those few works. There should be music and bells ringing! I am so proud of you but it doesn't come anywhere near to the pride that Nathan has for his little brother.
This whole experience had been a lesson for me. Brenty has written in every profile in many different places that Nathan is his number 1 inspiration. I had seen Brenty write it before in other profiles. His Australian swimmer profile has had it since Brenty first made the team. I had never thought much of it. But every time Brenty is required to write a new profile (the latest being his one on the Australian Olympics Team) he ALWAYS lists Nathan as his inspiration. His defining moment is having breakfast with Nathan when Nath was the Australian record holder for the 50 and Brenty was just starting his swimming career. I say I find this interesting because I was involved with Nathan all those years ago and I never thought much of it. I have to be really honest and say in those early stages I thought very little of Brenty as he was just a pimply kid with braces! And i have always compared Nathan and Brenty's relationship to that of me and my sister Jackie. Jackie and I are very close. We shared a room for our whole childhood. When we moved out of home we moved in together. When we have had dramas in our lives or have needed help we have always been there for each other. One of Jackie ex boyfriends battled with his jealousy. He used to be jealous because he felt Jackie's eyes lit up when she saw me after school (we went to different schools) and he wanted to be the one to light Jackie's eyes up! I'm sure she would agree getting married and replacing each other with our husbands has been a long journey for us. But one that has been completed quite successfully over the last few years. And we are still close but we realise that our husbands are the first to hear our news closely followed by each other!
But as close as we are, she is not my main inspiration in life. I have greatly underestimated the influence Nathan has had in Brenty's life. Just because they don't talk a mile a minute when they are together doesn't not mean they care any less for each other. Boys show their emotion very differently. (Something I will be an expert at in about 20 years i am sure!) I remember talking to Kata (Brenty's girlfriend) once and she told me how much Brenty admired Nathan and i couldn't believe it. I believe it now. I can see it. I admire it. I don't think I am the only one now who realises the magnitude of Brenton affection for his brother. I can see the reciprocated feelings from Nathan. Brenton has achieved something that Nathan desperately wanted to achieve and couldn't. And if there is one person in this world that could make Nathan so unbelievable proud without jealousy it is Brenton.
But i think Brent will be surprised with the impact he has had on his nephew lives. They only grasp a little of Brenty's achievements. But i can see as they age their hero worship of Brenty will only grow. And it is not going to be just that their beloved uncle in an Olympian. It will also be that their uncle is an amazing person, who loves them and takes an genuine interest in them and sets guidelines and enforces them. Brenton takes a huge role in raising our children. One that i believe he doesn't fully understand yet and probably wont until he has his own children. But give the boys a few more years and they will be listing Uncle Brenton as their greatest source of inspiration!
As i said in the beginning if i am proud of Brenty and the boys are proud of Uncle Brenty then Nathan is 1000 times prouder. And i can't wait to see Nathan see his brother when he returns from Beijing because it is sure to be one very emotional reunion!

Sunrise

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Our last week was a hugely emotional week! We were exhausted by the end of it because not only did we feel as if we has swum every stroke with Brenty we had the added emotional pressure of feeling like you couldn't control what was happening. (Brenty more than in control but you know!) We also had the added pressure of an appearance on Sunrise last Thursday morning. It meant spending a night in Sydney as we had to be at the studio at 5.30am. The boys were happy as usually at that time of the morning we are telling them to go back to sleep and this time we had to actually wake them. So we arrived at the studio and we greeted with a free McCafe (well drinks only!) We were then lead into the studio where we were placed in the front row as Koshie and Mel wanted to interview Nathan. Then we spent three hours trying to keep the kids quiet! Although apparently we weren't overly successful as my Dad rang at the end of the show to say he could hear Ryan talking the whole way through one of Nat's news bulletin. But then they couldn't have been that bad as Mel, Koshie and Nat complimented us on how well behaved they were. I only had to take Ben out of the studio once and while we were out Pete Blasina (the gadget guy) had a chat to him! It was an amazing experience to see how live television is put together. It is a fast pace interspersed with moments of relaxed moments (Ad breaks!) I found it really interesting that Mel and Koshie aren't as chummy off camera mostly because they are working, either reading scripts or redoing makeup. But they are lovely!

No doubt if you saw the show you would have seen what a great job Nathan did in his interview! I on the other hand was being painted with chuppa chups. Ben had one firmly in his mouth and another rubbing through his hair! The yellow feather boa that i was given to wear was covered in chuppa chup. I felt sorry for the person who had to wear it after me!

Thank you to Cleon, Bob and Maureen our next door neighbours who taped it for us! The boys have sat down and watched it a few times. Hooting every time they see themselves!

Nathan actually got a call back to be interviewed the day after Brenty swam from the Canberra studio. He was thrilled (although if you saw it, he was on his way to work and dressed in a shirt and tie and looked like a pollie!) But he felt like he was able to lift Brenty's profile in Australia while he was overseas bagging medals for the country. Hopefully we will see some sponsorship and kudos come Brenty's way now!

During the second interview the boys were watching it from home and when Nathan waved at the camera they boys thought he was waving at them personally and were so chuffed! It was beautiful to see!

Below is the link for the second interview that Nathan did.

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/index.html?autoplay_id=9289896#embedded-video-top

And finally a few photos!

The birds and the bees!

Today Matthew asked me why Busta and Barkley hadn't hatched any puppies yet!!!! I explained very patiently that doggies don't "hatch" puppies. (Last term at preschool the kids hatched eggs and learnt all about the hatching process.) Matthew then wanted to know how the puppies got out of the doggy. So I explained how the mummy doggy pushed the puppies out of her tummy, the whole time thinking please don't ask me how they got in there! I must have done a fairly thorough job of explaining because he didn't ask and was very satisfied with his answers. I also explained to him that you needed a mummy doggy and a daddy doggy to make puppies and as Busta and Barkley were both boys there was no possibility of them having puppies. He was a little disappointed!
Meanwhile, I have been thinking of my response when I do get the how did the puppies get in there mummy. It will be "Ask your father, darling!"

SILVER!!!!!!

Congratulations Brenton! 2nd in the 200m Breaststroke at the Olympics Games. We are so proud of you. No one more so than Nathan. We were talking today about what it takes to be an Olympian. Nathan has achieved so many things but he isn't an Olympian. He was a hardworking and dedicated athlete but he unfortunately didn't have the "it" that takes you to the next level. What the "it" is we couldn't work out. We both wish we had "it" but we don't! We do however, realise what you must give up to achieve "it". And that is why Brenton has our admiration, adoration, respect and appreciation. But i am sure if you asked Brenton right this minute if he would prefer his silver medal OR all the KFC, sleep ins, pain free body, pruney skin, chloriney smell, lack of social life and putting aspects of his life on hold. He wouldn't even hesitate in answering the medal, the medal!
And that is why I'm not an Olympian! (I'm off to have a burger and a sleep in!)

Well done Brenty! We are beyond proud of you! We can't wait until you are home so we can see in person how well that medal fits around your neck!