The Royal Adelaide Show 2012

Last Thursday we went to the Royal Adelaide Show with Rebecca and Joash. Last year I insisted on bringing Jayden but he was so little that he did not really get into it, but this year he really enjoyed himself. It was seriously so much fun to see him Ooh and Aah-ing over everything, and there was so much to see and do. For me going to the show with a kid is a totally different experience than going by yourself. For one you find yourself Ooh-ing along and even trying to take pictures with mascots (yes the ones we try to avoid when they come right up to you, wave and try to hug you).

 And yes I finally got around to borrowing my father-in-law's NIKON d3000 camera. Here are some untouched photographs. There was seriously so much to see and do. Bubbles, Giant Tractors, Sheep Shearing.. even Becca was enthralled.

On a separate note, I have finally downloaded Photoshop and have started playing around with the program. I am still a complete noob at this - do not know most features, and all I did was change the background a little on this one but I'm pretty excited... so here's one of Jayden smiling on cue (he smiles when you tell him to), courteousy of my father-in-law. It is too cute not to share.

Anticipation

Am trying to blog more regularly, so here goes..

I absolutely cannot wait for next week, to be mroe specific, next Tuesday night. Or the end-of-year holidays for that matter. But back to today's topic: Anticipation.  The excitement that builds up in you and renders you unable to think of anything else.

I have 2 tests on Monday and Tuesday in Anatomy and Physiology, both of which are hard and both of which I think I wont do very well in. To be honest I havent been working very hard at all this semester and I am dreading these assessments, but its going to be such a massive weekend come this time next week..

For starters, the husband is taking next Thursday and Friday off for a long weekend! We are going to the Royal Adelaide Show on Thursday with Jayden, Bec and Joash. I am so excited to be going to the show with Jayden, this time last year he was barely aware of anything, and I think he is going to really enjoy himself! I have even picked out his showbag - the Cars one (yes what else is it going to be aye!). Am even going to borrow Dad's camera (the nice DSL one) and start taking pictures!!

On Friday as my birthday present, Josh is taking me to IKEA to buy an organising system for our kitchen, and a few other knick knacks for our house that I want  need... am sooo excited and have already made an ikea shopping list (its such a nifty idea because everytime I get to IKEA i tend to get starry eyed, and forget what I need).. Sigh. Call me pathetic but everytime I close my eyes visions of my new shelves and organisation come, and excitement builds up just thinking about how nice my house is going to look...

But for now its back to study.

Reflections.

I was always very good at starting things. There's something about a 'Fresh' start. Makes you so motivated to get up and do things. Well, me anyway. But finishing them is a whole different story.

I used to have big aspirations. Big dreams. Be a singer. Be Famous. Successful career.
List goes on and on.

Now my dreams are still big, but boy have they changed. And all of them tie into the first one.

To be a loving mother, and wife tops the list. I dont want to be famous, I just want and need my kids and husband to know me.

To stay fit, healthy and in shape. To enjoy my life, to keep up with the kids, the dog and the husband. Yes, the dog rates a mention because when I take him for a walk I can't up when he decides to run off (which he does alot). Besides it never hurts to look good.

To keep a snapshot and record of life as I know it. Yes this is where this blog comes into play, when I have time to update it. I want to be able to be an awesome photographer so that when Jayden turns 22 and says "remember when we were growing up and I used to bathe in a pail" and I can actually pull that cute photograph of Jayden being naked and actually bathing in his pail to embarrass remind him. I have billions of cards, wedding invitations and things that need organising, and have started putting them into scrapbooks (well, will start after exams in December that is!!).

To always stay thankful and grateful to God, and be grounded in Him. I have so much to thank God for - family, friends, a wonderful life on this earth and there is nothing I can ever do to deserve this save His Grace.

So anyway, Jayden is now 20 months old and is on his way to becoming a toddler. How quickly do they grow up?!!!! Its the first day of Spring, beautiful weather and a new dogpark has just opened up near our place which we have been taking Charlie to. Will blog more about this and hopefully post photos up too. In the meantime its back to hitting the books as they call it.

Engine Trouble

And by that I do not mean our cars. Okay I admit in the past month we have had to replace both batteries in each car. I dont know, maybe they both decided to become friends and start losing everything together but let me tell you it was a blow. But thats over now so now Im going to concentrate on today's topic.
I will be the first to admit it.

This semester is not going well for me, mainly because I cannot find the motivation to start studying really hard once again. How do you say this.. when you've tasted the icing there's no way you're going to plow through the entire cake.. when you've experienced the fullness of 1 month of beautiful holidays, who wants to go back to the hard slog???

Because I am really, really behind my uni work, and its only week 1. Am starting to stress about it really hard.


Not to mention the fact that I am sick. Sick as a dog. Who knew the human nasal cavity and sinuses could produce so much mucosal?!! Not to mention I have red eye (conjuntivitis, thank you, Jayden) and a cough that makes my voice sound deeper than Josh's (well okay, maybe Joash's because Josh does not inherently have a deep voice at all). In short, having a man voice, bloodshot eyes and a persistant cough does not make you want to study at all.

I hope this passes soon.

In the meantime, here is a clip of a song, “Thank you’ by the Katinas. It just helps remind me that I have so much to be thankful for everyday, and especially not to forget God in all this.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJEPg7fKOtc

School holidays

Its been so long since I have blogged. Main reason is because of exams, everything had flown out of the window. But since then I have had an entire month off.

An entire month off to spend time with my son. My precious, very cute, loving and cheeky son. I love that he is cheeky and I love that he is mine. I love his sudden and passionate hugs before he runs off to play with something else. I love that cheeky grin that crosses his face everytime he thinks he's done something wrong and now its time to run away from Mum and Dad.

An entire month off to spend time with my husband.

Also my brother and sister-in-law as well as my mother flew down to spend some time with us.

All in all these holidays have been fantastic. I have never needed a break more than I have now.

Now that I've come up for air, its hard to voluntarily submerge myself back into the uni life.

Semester 2 starts next week, and already readings have been assigned.

If anything, last semester taught me that it is okay to spend more time with Jayden.

Heres to the next semester.. 4 more months of pure hard work...

I can hardly wait for the end of year holidays, where we get 4 MONTHS off.. whoo hoo..

My First Haircut... on Jayden.

In the words of my husband "No, you can't even blame it on him because he doesn't yet know how to hold a scissors, Deb".

I remember the time when my brother returned from the barber all upset because they didnt cut the hair on top of his head uniform to the rest growing around it (yes think short all around and long on top). I managed to convince him what a great prospective hairdresser I would be, and we ended up using a just a scissors (no comb at all!!) to 'correct' this seemingly unsightly haircut. The result was fantastic - at first. Did I mention that my brother is the tallest person in the family so no one noticed the patches until we went to church and all his other friends did. For the next few weeks he was known as 'patchy boy'. We can laugh about it now, but it was so not funny then. Especially to my brother.

Fastforward to present. The thing I realise about impromptu haircuts is that it all starts innocently enough. All I wanted to do then was help my brother. Genuinely from the heart. Jayden's hair was getting longer and touching his neck, so all I wanted to do was to trim the ends. Really. So I stripped him naked, got him into the tub and started snipping away. This is a snippet of the conversation between Josh and I.

After the back part was done:
Me: "Hey look it doesnt look too bad doesnt it?!! "
Josh: **long pause** then "oh yeah its okay."
Me: "I think ill trim the top too okay? I mean how hard can it be?" (Famous last words)
Josh: **even longer pause** "Erm Deb it is a rash decision, do we really want to do this now??"
Me: "If not now, then when? Oh yeah it'll be fine i think, hair is just hair it will grow back"
Josh: "Um... okayy... i guess..."

Looking back at this i think every fibre in my poor long suffering husband was wanting to scream at me "NO NO NONONOOONONO WHAT ARE U THINKING WOMAN GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN (lol)!!!" but Josh being the nice/gentlemanly(ha ha) person he is, held back.

I then take one biggg snip off the top of Jayden's hair
Me: "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!! WHAT HAVE I DONE AW MAN!!"
Josh: "DEB oh NO!!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!"

My son now looks like a vagabond (a socially not accepted person). The line of hair outlining his forehead is now ragged and zig-zagged. Hair is everywhere in the tub, clinging to his body and getting into his eyes. He is not a happy camper. Me? I am holding the scissors and freaking out. Not in a good place at all. Josh is staring at his once formerly perfect son's hair and shaking his head.

The rest of the haircut pretty much went like this. Suffice to say at the end of it I was a wreck, Jayden was crying and Josh, well HE was fine. Afterall, it wasnt HIS hair that I butchered. Neither did HE do any butchering. I think he was able to see the funny side of it first. I was unable to look at Jayden's hair for the next few days without surpressing the urge to burst into tears.

Okay enough talk, here's the hair. You may think it doenst look too bad but, it does to me.

We (and by we i mean Josh) finally shaved it all off. He didnt do a half-bad job either. Hence here is my cute little botak headed son for you:


Not saying that I will never attempt this again, I will at some point, but it will be when I have finally gotten over the trauma of giving a bad haircut.

Negotiations in bathtime

As most of you probably know by now, the Bath is one of Jayden's favourite places to be. Every night without fail there is a massive struggle to get him out of the tub, which usually involves me bending down, trying to grab and wrap him in a thick towel all around so he doesnt catch a cold, all this while having to fight the thrashing, squirming, wriggling about not to mention the loud, loud screams and cries. Ah the cries. Did i mention my face/eardrums are about level with his in this struggle? Dont even get me started on avoiding the flailing punches he tries to throw at me (See my previous post). Aww cute?? Not.

Its taken me sometime, but I've finally figured the key to not breaking my back and him not catching hypothermia is... wait for it... for him to come willingly out himself!!! (pretty genius I know). So from last week I've come up with a multitude of bribes for him.

"Jayden!!! Do you want to see Aunty Becca's room and mess it up??" YAAAYYY!!"

"Jayden!! Time to get out!! Quick lets go watch the Wiggles on youtube!!"

"Jayden!! Don't you want to turn the lights on for mummy??"
(He's worked out that flipping the switch brings light and its the best thing since sliced bread, so this bribe is tops).

Each of these will result in him cocking his head, smiling and reaching his hands toward me.

Until last night.
Even after going through all 3 bribes (and many more), he cocked his head, took one look at his bath and then...

shook his head.

Suddenly it occurred to me.

He is 1 and half years. What the heck am i doing negotiating with a 1 year old?"

So I just picked him up and resigned myself to my fate.
SIGH. Back to the drawing board.

On another note, here's a quick update of Uni.
I have made it through first half of the term and we currently have holidays up till next week. Am happy with how I am going studywise, but am seeking to definately do better. Thank you to all of yous for all your prayers love and support!