my happy place...

This is what I am looking at right now. I'm at my desk scrapbooking and I overlook our deck and spa into the backyard. It is a beautiful, crisp Autumn day. It is so quiet here you could hear a pin drop. This is my happy place...

five months (and 2 days) old...

Taylor is now five months old. She is delightful. She smiles and laughs at everyone who looks at her. She thinks Jordan and Mackenzie are the best dancers/singers/actors in the world. Everything they do is entertaining. She thinks I am hysterical. Apparently everything I say is funny and makes her giggle. I am enjoying this while it lasts. She loves to play on the floor and thinks that she is so very clever because she can now grab her feet. The funniest thing is that she lets go of them and they hit the floor with a giant thump and she scares herself silly. She is starting to roll from side to side and reaching out for toys, so I imagine she will be rolling over in the next few weeks. Fun!
Our friends, Nicci and Natasha came down for a visit on Saturday. It was great to see them. Jordan, Mackenzie and Tash had a great time playing dress ups (note the lovely picture of Jordan and Tash). Yesterday we went to the park with the usual gang and the kids had a great time playing and going to the beach. All in all, a nice weekend. Today I am enjoying the silence as J & M are at pre-school and Taylor is asleep. Bliss!

and a few more from the beach...

happy easter...

The kids were so excited about the Easter Bunny coming. We ate chocolate easter eggs and hot cross buns for breakfast yesterday....yummmmmm. My kind of breakfast. Fortunately (for the weight loss efforts) it is only once a year. Vic's parents came down on Saturday and then we went to Mum and Dad's for lunch yesterday. It was a beautiful day and we all went down the beach in the afternoon. Taylor got to have a "swim" at the beach for the first time. She loved the wet sand squishing between her toes. Here are some pics from the weekend. Hope everyone had a lovely Easter.

and a few more...

this is why we moved...

So that the kids could enjoy going to the beach and playing. Of course we had to wait for summer to end for it to be hot enough to do this :oP Last night Vic got home from work a little earlier, so we surprised the kids with a visit to the beach, instead of the usual "Dad walks in the door - it's time to have a bath" routine. They thought it was great. Taylor hadn't been to the beach before, so it was a bit of an adventure for her. She came home with sand in all the wrong places...lol.
I took my camera along and took a few (ok, over a 100) shots. It was just sensational. The light was golden because of the setting sun and I was just in photography heaven. Even managed to set the camera on the self timer on an upside down bucket in the sand and jump in a few shots myself. I know....scary! Anyway, here's some of my faves....

look what came in with the washing...

no more tonsils...

Last Monday Mackenzie had her troublesome tonsils removed. We checked in at the hospital at 7am and by 8am she was undergoing the surgery. After the longest hour of my life they came and got me to see her in recovery. She was sleeping and seemed fine. She had her Buzz bear (that Uncle Darren gave her) with her throughout the operation and he still has the arm and leg bands from the hospital attached. Everything went very smoothly with the surgery and by all accounts she was back to her old self within a week. I'm amazed at how quickly she has recovered. She was such a great patient, she never once compained about having a sore throat. I have noticed a real difference with her sleeping. She doesn't snore like she used to and seems to have a more restful sleep. Let's hope this puts an end to all of the sickness and antibiotics that she has endured over the past 18 months.

my future's so bright...

...i gotta wear shades.