[Nicole]

We are having an awesome weekend.

Its a long one for us, so yesterday the Fab Five went to work with Jed and cleared branches from a paddock that is to be worked up.

We took them to our camp site and are planning a bush BBQ on Sunday. My favourite cousin is coming down from the city and we like to show her a good time.

What are you up too?

[cybele727]

We’re picking up the puppy, and Tosca rehearsal. Laundry. Always laundry. 🙂

[Sarvi]

Aw, that all sounds so nice!

Aaron got a favorite cousin in town, too! We’re hoping to get everyone together for a few nice meals.

[Tamara]

I have just returned from a second day in a row trip to Geraldton (that coastal town I keep on about). I had to sort out a dilemma surrounding Noah’s glasses that broke (again!) and we ordered a new pair of frames. Plus I also sorted out a way to make both myself and Imogen happy over the angst of brushing the hair – she got it cut to a more manageable length and surprisingly both of us are happy about it!

We finished seeding last night and I had my dating scan yesterday – the kids are disappointed there is just the one! But I am stoked! Its really real I am not dreaming (despite the constant twin dreams).

[with love Heidi]

I’m so glad that all was well with the scan, I was wondering how it went.

We also have a long weekend! It’s a quiet one for us as my husband was sick most of last week and it has been a hectic last 2 months with a visit from my mother and then 2 weddings and an engagement party within the last 6 weeks! Basically I have 3 days to sew 🙂

[Tamara]

Happy sewing Heidi! That was the plan for our long weekend but it never happened! I hope to get something done today though. If I am lucky, I might get to stay home when Murray takes Noah to footy.

[Nicole]

I just had some rather unsettling news.

Two of Hugo’s mates were involved in a nasty car accident on the weekend. They are both alive, although one had to be cut from his car. Thanks to the quick thinking and heroic action of the oncoming truck driver, they drifted into a bank of trees. The truckie swerved and sustained quite a bit of damage.

The accident occurred at 4am, after a party, the driver was not drinking (his reading was zero) but he had fallen asleep.

So distressing as these boys all carry swags, why did they not stay the night?

With Hugo starting to drive on his own soon it has really hit home. I already encourage him to put his phone in the boot so he is not tempted to check it.

I am so glad they are okay. A local lad ended up in a wheel chair from a similar incident two years back.

[Tamara]

With a son the same age and on the verge of driving solo of course this would be unsettling! I can think of so many people I know that have close calls and not all of them teenagers! Some unfortunately were not so lucky!

But I am somewhat breathing a sigh of relief for you that they are ok and at least Hugo can learn from their mistake and not repeat it. Putting the phone in the boot is a very good idea. My nephew was done for texting and driving plus speeding in the one hit, all while still on P’s – we were mortified! But he has learned his lesson thankfully.

I don’t blame you for being concerned. It is a big step driving independently and the trust we put into them to be responsible is enormous.

[Nicole]

Hugo spoke to the lads tonight. One is fine the other a broken leg and a fractured cheek bone. Both feel very lucky.

On a happier note, Jenny, how is the new fur baby?

[Mama_Knowles]

How scary Nicole!

We spent the weekend taking pallets apart and building a fort with the kids (well mostly hubby was). While it’s not the fanciest thing it looks great and the kids love it. We are going to shingle the roof and I need to make a curtain door and lantern for it still. I am using an old mansion jar and making it into a lantern with a battery candle inside. I put a hook up inside the top of the roof on the inside to hang it from. I even cleared out a spot in the woods for it to sit and hopefully over the next couple of days I can get some walking trails made for the kids as well. The back yard is looking more and more like a nature preserve. 🙂 Oh and Wyatt and daddy are making a lemon-aide stand too with some left over pallets. It was great weekend for all us!

[cybele727]

Wow. That is frightening. If I am totally honest, I am terrified of my children learning how to drive. I should live in a big city with big public transport. I loved walking and subway in NYC couple of weekends ago. I admit my fear is 100% due to my father having been killed by a drunk driver when I was 8. Those things tend to scar. Hopefully Hugo will learn from someone else’s mistakes. Don’t drive distracted, drunk, drugged up, or drained.

Sometimes a touch of mother’s guilt is good for a child. Guilt them into safe behavior. Do you know how I would feel if I lost you? Do you know how my heart would stop beating and break? Do you know that in the chest of every child beats not their own heart, but their mother’s heart? The day you were born they stole my still beating heart and put it in your chest. That’s my heart in there buddy; don’t break it. Make safe choices.

The fur baby is wonderful. He’s fluffy and soft and for a golden retriever, pretty mellow. He sleeps about 18 hours a day in total, right now. Has a big play spurt from about 3 pm to 10 pm. Only a few accidents. He’s going to be a moose! The kids are doing well learning to play. The 8 year old, for whom this is his birthday gift, is going to go to puppy class, to learn how to play safely, and help train, and be responsible.

The 4.5 year old is into wrestling with the dog. There will be heart break in a few months when he’s too big to do that with her. But considering her fear of dogs normally, this is a great development.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cybele727/sets/72157644695477560/

I am, of course, inundating my FB feed with pictures.

Babies and puppies. Things that make you go awwwwww.

[meleliza]

I agree, Jenny, a little guilt. I still remind Charlie about falling over the bannister so that he will be careful. And even though the boys shouldn’t have been on the road at 4 am after a party, it’s a very sad thing to happen indeed. I’m very glad they weren’t more seriously injured and maybe we can all use the story as a cautionary tale to inspire more careful behavior!

[mcholley1]

Teenagers and cars are a very scary mix indeed! I’m glad they are okay. I had the experience of losing a high school friend in an accident with another in a coma for months and all the lifetime of disability that comes after that. I will say…not being in the accident myself, it made a huge impact on my decision making as a young adult. Hopefully, it will do the same for your young people there.

My parents just left from a great visit….a short trip to the beach over the weekend, some pattern adjustments for Mom and me (she’s making me some pencil skirts to wear to work in the fall!), and Hubby cooked a couple of fantastic dinners.

It is the first week of summer break here. My youngest is so very happy to have his big sister back!

And, Sharon that sounds amazing and SO fun!

[Nicole]

How lovely you are on Hol’s and that you had your mum/mom to stay. Getting patterns fitted is a bonus.

Mother guilt does come in handy, especially helps when coping with your own mother (mine is elderly and infirm). I remind myself I will be in that position one day.

Jenny, I am so glad to hear puppy is settling in and that you are such responsible owners. So very pleased.

I must check out that piccie.

A cubby in the woods sound perfect Sharon. Liddy is building one in a wood copse about 2 km from our house. Unbeknown to her, Jed was mending a trough nearby, so he has run some poly pipe and set up a tap outside it, so she will have running water. I think she will be very excited when she finds out.

The Social went off well last night. From 3:30 to 5:30 was the Junior schools Pyjama Social, with lots of games and dancing organised and some lovely healthy platters and popcorn served.

From 6-9:30 it was the Seniors schools turn with the theme of Fluro/Neon. The Twins went all in black adorned with glow sticks and Hugo wore his electric blue lurex fish costume. He had a great time hiding behind the smoke machine and leaping out at unsuspecting dancers.

The older Fab Four are on the SRC (Student Council) so were heavily involved with running the event. They didn’t get home until after 10:30 but I think they are very pleased with their efforts.

Its only a tiny wee school but they do organise some great events.

[cybele727]

Sigh. I need a mini rant. Please forgive and skip if you wish. People are mean.

Last Tuesday at dance, a little girl grabbed my wee one. It was harmless and without any intent but heavier handed and with her sensory issues, my WeeGee lost it. This is the problem with sensory stuff – she has this threshold, and once you cross it -meltdown. But you don’t always know where the threshold is. My mother, who takes the WeeGee to dance, tried to explain that sometimes touch, especially unexpected touch of strangers startles her and causes pain.

Today at dress rehearsal the little girl asked Gigi to sit next to her. Gigi says to her, “I don’t like you. You hurt me.” Of course I wanted to die. The little girl’s mother was right there and clearly angry. Nose in the air, dirty look. I apologized profusely, and told my daughter she wasn’t being nice. I asked, “is your daughter the one who my daughter had a meltdown over on Tuesday?”. I wanted to understand and talk WeeGee through the issue. This mother just glared at me.

WeeGee said she touched me and hurt me. I said she didn’t mean to, and she said she meant it because she didn’t apologize. I explained that she didn’t mean to or understand that she hurt her, and so she didn’t know to apologize. The mom was blowing steam listening to this. Because from her perspective, her daughter did nothing wrong and no apology was necessary.

(I later told my husband that I was smack dab squarely in the middle of the clearest Asperger’s conversation I have ever had with our daughter.)

Another mother then turned to me and said, “she’s the one with touch issues isn’t she?” The tone was like she was using her hands for air quotes. I said yes and moved ourselves away as this wasn’t pretty. You could hear the doubt in her voice.

Later I was stuck next to the mom of the insulted child. I again tried to apologize. She said, “oh that lady who you have bringing your daughter to dance told me she doesn’t like being touched. Whatever.” I said, “you mean my mother, her grandmother?”

At that point I was done. There was clearly censure because I don’t take her to dance myself, and there was disbelief at the problem. I walked away, because I had no graceful response. None.

There is also some jealousy. WeeGee is the class star. Not because she’s particularly talented, but because she 18 mo older than everyone and can follow directions better. She’s the only one who’s got the dance memorized. And she’s spent her life doing PT and OT, so she’s been primed to follow physical directions. But because she’s wee and uncoordinated, they think she’s 3 like most of them, instead of 4.5. She’s not allowed in the older girls classes yet because she’s got her sensory issues, with a motor planning deficiency and a gross motor delay. We are easing her in, and building skills slowly so she doesn’t get frustrated. But they are (ironic isn’t it?) jealous of her advanced ability to actually do the dance. Before the meltdown, there were the occasional glares.

Why can’t people show some compassion? I was mortified that my daughter said something hurtful. I offered apologies and explanations.

But from my daughter’s perspective it made sense, even if inappropriate to say what she said. I think this is just the beginning of a struggle with invisible disabilities and life on the spectrum. Sigh. Thanks for listening.