O Christmas Tree

The tree is up!

You know its a slow news week, if the best I can come up with is our Christmas Tree! H-man did most of the decorating himself, while Miss-M laid on the couch and criticised. Oh to be 10 again, and have such a hard life?!!

I love Christmas. I love the tree, the decorations, the lights, the music, the carol evenings, the parties, the food, the good company, the decorations/cards the children make, the fact that our Saviour was born, the children's faces when they wake up Christmas morning... I love it all. Just putting the tree up, has raised my spirits, and stirred the excitement ~ I have excitement and happy anticipation ~ that we may have an extra member of the family to be watching next year. At least, I hope so. And I refuse to think, it might not be.

Off and Racing

Well the big race finally arrived this week... and I'm now, officially, a Race Car Driver's Wife!!! Or as others like to put it, a Trophy Wife (I get to dust the Trophies)!!!



OK, there isn't a trophy, but he DID finish (unscathed) and he did get a silver medal! (no, he wasn't second either!) I'm not sure what his final position was, somewhere in the 30s I think... out of 160 - that's pretty darn good, I reckon!



Here's the low-down. Its a four day, road race. The racers drive on normal street roads (in traffic etc), to get to a "stage". The Stage is a blocked off part of a road (usually in hills, all windy, as in corners/curves, not as in lots of wind!) Each stage only takes about 5-10 mins to race. The racers have the entire road to themselves, and can go as fast as they like. Once they finish the stage, they get their time, then drive to the next stage (this is called the "transport" stage). Drivers come from all over Australia, and we even had some New Zealand entries - it's a good way to showcase our beautiful state, and see some gorgoues country.



It was T's first time ever, doing any kind of competative racing, I'm proud-as, he's amazing. I love you Sweet Cheeks!

And I forgot to mention, we're off to a fancy schmancy dinner in about 15 minutes... I'm dressed to kill, hopefully get a pic, so you can all swoon!

Lucky 21!

Logged In 21 Months....

21 is my favourite number. We were married on the 21st. My 21st year, was a good one. Our file was approved by our Agency on the 21st. 21 just about always comes up in Lotto! I know its alotta months to wait. But this Anniversary, I'm smiling. We are 21 months closer to Mini ~ that's good news! And like they say when you get married... and 2 shall become 1... we're here, she's there, and one day we'll be together as 1 family.

I forgot to post this when it first changed at the beginning of the month - so for all you "Adoption Community" folk, it's old news! But for friends and family - CC*AA have allocated up until 8 Dec 2005. They allocated 8 days last month. So - where do we stand? There are 76 "logged in" days ahead of us, if I divide 76 by 8 days (the amount of days allocated last month, as an average) it equals = 9.5 more months of waiting. Oooo, that's better than I was expecting! I was starting to think it wouldn't even BE next year!!! But I won't count my chickens too soon, as I'm sure the Olympics will rock the boat. But hey! 9.5 months is giving me happy thoughts!

15 or 8?

Happy 15/8 Wedding Anniversary to US! First married, in 1992... and just to make it crazy we got divorced in 1998 and remarried in 1999!

Here is "young" us... ahhh... young, dumb and full of?... (if anyone has seen Point Break, with Patrick Swayze and Kneau Reeves... you'll know the end of the sentence!)

Like the cake? The hot chick in the pic made it - good grief she's not only good looking, she's talented too!!!

EDIT: Yes we got married on the same day - T's idea! We decided no gifts, T's racing this week and I want a family holiday in China next year! But sweet-cheeks bought me some chocolates and a funny card! I've arranged a massage for him (don't go gettin all dirty minded on me, it's for his arthritis! No nasty business!)

Genetic vs Environment

vs

I met a lady at a school function today, and after asking the "usual" questions - "how many kids do you have" etc, I always tell the asker about our Mini in China. She may not be physically here, but she's been IN our family for nearly 3 years. The lady was very interested, and asked many questions. I shared with her that we met our sister-in-law 6 years ago, who was adopted at birth (won't go into the long story, coz you probably already know anyway). She asked if families get any "training" about adopting an International Child etc. I said, not compulsary but our Govt Agency holds several seminars. She was concerned if parents knew enough about raising a child from an orphanage etc. I touched on my views regarding our genetic make-up and how our environment shapes us. I tended to think our environment had more impact than our genetics. She disagreed... and she would know... she surprised me by saying she is adopted!

We had a very interesting discussion as to whether we are who we are, because of genetics or our environment. I have had this discussion with 2 other adopted friends, and funnily - one said environment, the other genetics!!! This subject facinates me. My opinions are merely based on what others have told me - not from personal experience, which will change, no doubt, when Mini comes home!

The lady said one very important statement, that has changed my thinking, somewhat - that we are all "genetically" born with our personality/characteristics. And our environment moulds and brings out certain personality traits/characteristics. Different enviroments will bring out different traits. Think of your personality as a seed, different environments give perfect growth for different traits. Very, very interesting - and I believe, very true.

What do you think?

Happy Birthday to my Father-in-Law!

Concert

The kids concert went great, on Thursday night. It was a very hot day, but it was nice to sit in the Airconditioning! The concert was based on the book, The tale of the three trees:

One of the Grade 7s read the story to the audience, then each class sang and danced to songs representing different parts of the story! It was very good, and a lovely story.

Thankfully, the concert only went for an hour this year, last year it went for over 2 hours - all a bit long, not only for children in the audience, but for the poor kids in the concert as well! 1 hour was just perfect!

It was a bit tricky getting photos during the concert, as we were sitting in the dark, and it was so bright on stage, I had to use the "night" setting, which you have to be extremely still, when taking the shot... which I'm not so good at! And the lady in front of us kept moving into the shot! grrrr! I took video of H's class song, and am too lazy to pull that off the camera and load into u-tube! M was a tree... in the group shot, she is behind the girl with the microphone, on the far left, M is on her right! (headband on). Hs class were dressed like little soldiers, that did alot of marching in their song! H wasn't marching, though, he was holding a ladybug prop!!! Thought that was a bit ironic?!!!

Summer is comin!

Its been over 30 degreesC (86F) for a week now, and by next Tuesday it'll be up to 39C! (102F) We're visiting the cousins on Sat, course we're going to see them... the fact that they've got a huge swimming pool... well that's a bonus! Conversations of warm weather should always find its way back to the discussion of shoes...

Just had to own these when I saw them in the shop a couple of days ago ~ of course, I never pay full price, so $16 was a bargain!

Warm weather, obviously lends itself to spending more time outside as well. Specially since it doesn't get dark til about 9! Miss M, is a Girl Guide, and part of her responsiblity as a Guide is to do certain things to achieve badges. She's done really well, and has about 8 badges, from a year of being a Guide! This week she wants to get her "Pet" badge, so she set about giving Chewy Dog a bath!

H thought he'd help by feeding him Schmacko's to encourage him to sit still! Chewy just LOVES Schmacko's, and if you've seen the adverts with the dog singing and doing all sorts of things to earn a Schmacko - that's our dog! We call it Doggy Crack!

The kids are home from school today, as they have their school concert tonight. It was my choice to keep them home, the school is open to take the kids, but H's teacher thought it'd be a GREAT idea if he had a quiet rest day at home!!! Gotta love that?!! She's right though, as we near the end of each term, H slowly loses the plot. It starts by a few tears when I leave in the morning (which is VERY unlike him), to whining non-stop as soon as I pick him up, and I've learned he does this all day, too! I can only put it down to the fact that he plays hard = he crashes hard! Last year, at Miss M's concert H was asleep on the floor by 8pm! I'm hoping he doesn't do that this year - as he's actually IN the concert!!! Oh, I've diverted a long way off what i was going to say! (surprise, surprise!) While M is home, she's vaccuuming my car! (of course, $$ are the motivation!) Who knows maybe she can convert it into a Guide badge as well?!!

Who would've thought, I didn't think I had very much to say, today?!!

Bizaare Dream

Don't know if I mentioned it early, but a couple of months ago, I had a really bizaare dream. We got a phone call to say our "birth mother" was about to have the baby. My Mother-in-law hops on a plane, and goes to China, to be with the birth mother while she's giving birth, and to bring the baby home. It was a boy! I remember thinking (in my dream) Why is my mother-in-law going over? We don't know who the birth mother is! And a boy... are you sure?!! I remember my mother-in-law got off the plane, and it was dark and raining - and we saw our tiny son. So another "weirdness" is, that we brought home a newborn baby, not a toddler, as we're expecting.

I've been thinking about this dream quite a bit, of late, as RQ has said, there are many more boys being allocated. First up, we'd love a son! We're not fussed either way, although we have definitely "prepared" for a girl (Shannon is right, if we're allocated a boy, we'll definitely have to do something about his clothes!!!) So what's your thoughts? If you are allocated a boy... will it make a difference?

Kris, I think the "english" way of spelling would probably be double n, on Quin. I only typed Quin, as I've seen a few babies referred and their given name is Qin. (Which I know is pronounced Chin... but I'd pronounce it as Quin - and add the u... so's not to confuse english folks!!!)
Hey, just ask Miss M, about her name - she cannot find it on any mug, keyring or toy! Poor thing. So if we had a Quin - I'm sure he'd be in the same boat!!! Yes, I'm a terrible name-giving Mummy! H-Man has his name on everything, which ticks Miss M off even more!!!

Her Name

T used her name tonight! (Mini's name!!! Just in case you thought he was calling his girlfriend's name out, in his sleep!) Yes - I am excited!!! We actually had a "civilised" name conversation at the dinner table - and the consensus is the kids love the name we've (that should probably read I've) settled on! T admitted he wasn't completely won over, but within the hour he was even making up nick-names for her!!!

Ahhh - it warms the cockles of my heart! (I'm not sure which warms more... the fact that he was making up cute nick-names... or that I've "won"!) hehehe! T pretty well chose our 2 children's names, and I agreed on them (although, I'm still not into H's middle name, which is a family name on his side)... so I figure it's about time I got to pick one?!! The good thing is, now that we have children, they can have a say (as long as it sides with me!) and MAJORITY RULES!

I've had 2 dreams now, that we have a son! Yikes! Here's a few names I've been pondering on:
Evan
Wil (T's Grandfather was Wilfred, not into that, but don't mind Wil! ~ I'm playing the "family tradition" card!!!)
Aiden
Jay
Luke (already have one in the family though)
Ben
Ky
Marcus
Jarrad (I don't even know how to spell it - is it ed or ad?) Maybe I should stick with Ben?!!
Aaron
Quin
Tom

OK, let me have it - which ones do you like, which ones should be scratched?

Where does it all go?

Chelley asked, "Where do I keep it all?" (referring to the Mini Treasures!)


So... I'm taking you, where few other people have been before... in the closet a'la Mini...


Ahhh... I love the floor-to-ceiling robes. The "baby sizes" are in the white drawers, and size 1 & 2, are packed into the plastic bags on the shelf. (yes, I know it's alot, my sis-in-law gives me all my nieces hand-me-downs, too!)


I'm so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family (including many of my "online" friends - and Secret Pals) that have sent things for Mini.

That's her new "ebay" pram in the box! Ohhh, what an exciting day it will be, when we get to see our daughter's face!!! SHE'LL BE REAL!!! And it'll mean I can start putting her room together and all her "stuff"!!!

Taste of China...

No! I'm not talking about food!!! I'm talking about every women's obsession... SHOES!!! Over a month ago, I ordered some "prewalker/crib shoes" off ebay, and they are handmade in China! Which I thought was all very ironic! Anyway, they took forever to get here, (coz I ordered them right before their Oct holiday), but they are home now! AND they are oh-so-cute! I love them to bits. And even better, they were dirt cheap (I think the most expensive ones were $2.86?!!! + postage of about $7!!!) I know, I know, don't lecture me on the fact that there are thousands of shoes to choose from in China - my friends got back recently and said they hardly saw any shoes!!! You've got to remember that we Australians, don't go to Guangzhou or Beijing and our schedules whilst in China are a little different to the American circuit!

So, back to the shoes - check out these babies!

And did I mention how soft they are? Soft as a baby's bum! I ordered 6-12 months size, and they seem a little big to me... but hey, without a 6-12 month old around - what would I know?!!!

The ebay seller's store name is RUJIs - if you wanna go have a look - they ship to US, UK & AUS, probably Europe too, but I noticed they sell in GBP, US$ & AUS$. They have lots of other cute designs, and I'm sure I'll go back for more - I just wanted to get one pair first (turned out to be 3 pairs!) so I could check out the quality! Which is excellent, by the way. R0bees are fantastic, but hideously expensive for what they are... these are just as good... in my opinion!!!

Pressies

What is it about pressies and shopping, that lifts a girl's (this girl's) spirits? I went to the shops today to peruse the "Preschool Toy Sale" at T@rget. 3 of our employee's partner's/wives are all expecting a child in the first week of Dec! Two are due on the same day!!! But wait... there's more! I know a sum total of 8 girls due to have a baby in April/May next year... EIGHT!!! I'm kind of figuring with this "Babyrama" that's going around, that SURELY my baby will be here soon, too?!!!



Sorry, I digress... back to the Toy Sale. I bought 3 preschooler toys for the new babies and thought, I grab a Sleepsuit (onesie) for each of them, since they were 30% off! I know one of the couples is expecting a boy, but don't know the expected sex of the other two, so I just got one more boy gift and one girl gift. To cover my bases I bought Mini a double pack of the sleepsuits, and if I need to, I can use it as a gift too!!! Check it out...

How much would you expect to pay for a double pack (extra cutsie!) of sleepsuits? $20? Even $10 would be a bargain right? Well, how about $7!!! That's right folks, $7 for 2 suits!!! (sorry the pics are a little dark, it even looks like the feet on the white one are dirty... but they're not!)

Of course, this one was purchased purely for the "Ladybug" factor! And about a week ago, I picked up this funky lamp, for $11!! It wasn't really what I was looking for, but I cannot walk past a good buy!!! There is dark timber furniture in Mini's room, so I thought it'd look quite snazzy! The room is currently used for guests, and everytime someone comes to stay, I have to leave my bedside lamp and clock in the room... and it drives me bonkers not having them on MY bedside!! Problem solved.

And Mr T got the Secret Pal gift this month, as it's "For Dad" - and our Secret Pal very generously indulged us with a beautiful children's book called, "My Dad" and a book for Mr T to pick up some pointers, called "The DADS Book, For The Dad Who's Best at Everything"!!! Heres a morsel, from the book:

(Dads) Then & Now

Then: In 1900 a "happy meal" was when Father shared funny stories around the table

Now: A "happy meal" is what Dad buys at McD0nalds!

Then: In 1900, fathers said "A man's home is his castle"

Now: Fathers say "Welcome to the MoneyPit"!

Then: In 1900s Father's shook their children gently and said "Wake up, it's time for school"

Now: Kids shake their Father's violently, at 5am and shout "Wake up, it's time for football practice!"

Then: In 1900, a father smoked a pipe after dinner

Now: If he tries that he'll be sent outside with a lecture on lung cancer!

Then: In 1900, Fathers could count on teaching their children about the family business

Now: Fathers pray their kids will come home from college long enough to teach them how to use a computer!

It also has lots of cool stuff like, how to make a bow and arrow (yeah! safety plus?!!!), how to make a kite, how to avoid changing a nappy, Dads night-in - how to make a pizza, and don't forget the "Teenager Talk Dictionary"! Its quite an interesting quirky book!!! I'll leave you with a quote from Bob Phillips "Teenagers complain there is nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it!"

Memories

This weekend was memorable... there were no amazing feats or the kids didn't do anything incredible. We caught up with good friends, had a good time.

The most memorable moment was Sunday morning, at a Memorial Service for people passed away in the past 12 months, from a little country Lutheran chruch. A candle was lit for Tricia. She's been gone now for 10 months. It still overwhelms me. She was way too young.

Forver young.

Thank God its FRIDAY

THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY!!!

I went into my computer, and sought out a "party" picture... I liked the colours in this one, and when I put it on the blog, I noticed the enormous pipe, oozing a smokey haze!!! Hmmm... psychodelic colours and a smoking pipe... Don't worry all - this eternal wait has not driven me to the pipe.. yet...

After a hard week's work (yes, I am on full-time duties for 2 weeks ~ TWO WEEKS!!!) I reckon I'll be crawling into bed by 830pm!!! Besides Tuesday (which was Sports Day) I've worked a full week!!! (Gosh, I sound like a friggin parrot!) Its just a bit of a shock to the system. I do work most days... but at my leisure ~ none of this clock on, can't leave coz the phone might ring-crap!!! I tell ya, our Secretary is worth her weight in gold! And I'm thinking that I'll never approve any more holidays for her!!!

Well, that's my (none-existent) week. Boring-snoring work.

Oh yeah - I finished "Peony In Love" by Lisa See. Took me a while to get into it ~ it's certainly not your "normal" love story!!! But Lisa is an awesome writer, and deserves all the awards she's won! If you're into a book that's not the "norm" and a bit "out there" - I recommend it, if you like historical novels.