February to March 2011 Update

Driveway!!!

The big news is that we now have a driveway! I've been meaning to write this news for ages but was waiting for a photo I never got time to take. Instead, I'm posting a photo of the incomplete front yard (just imagine there's grass there - because there is now). Of course, some of the grass is dead now because we got a whole bunch of super hot and super dry days immediately after it was laid.

Sadly, the week that we got our driveway finished was the same week that the council decided to resurface all of the roads in the area so we couldn't use it for fear of putting black marks on it. As it is, there might be one on there.

If you're super-observant, you'll notice that we've got gates at last too but sadly they're not enough to keep Panda around the back. I think she has that cockroach-style ability to flatten herself and get under anything.

We still haven't put either car in the garage though - there's no room.

Camping

In March, we had the first family camp for scouts where it didn't rain. The kids had a great time and went sailing and rafting (the cubs built the raft by themselves). While on camp, Kaelan led his grey wolf bushwalk from Nords Wharf to Catherine Hill Bay.

MiloBear

Sadly Milobear lost her battle with a stomache infection (from an unknown cut) last weekend. We weren't really sure that she was sick until she refused to eat some fresh grass (it's never happened before). The very next morning Joey took her to the vet who injected her with some anti-biotics. We had high hopes but she died only a few hours later.

Both of the kids were upset and Tristan was particulary sad. We had a short ceremony in the backyard but the shoebox proved to big for the hole and we had to bury Milobear with just the lid.

Near the end of the ceremony, Kaelan said "we'll have to remember that she's here so we can see her again" and Joanne replied, "Yes, if you remember her, you can see her in your head". I had to step in and correct her; "No... the kids are saying that they'll remember where we buried her so they can dig her up later". We established that as a big no-no.

Chewie hasn't been too perky lately and is spending a lot more time under the paper - obviously missing her friend. Even Panda isn't her normal self at the moment.

Tidying Up

Last weekend, following several weeks of constant refusals by the kids to tidy up their rooms and the toy room, we've removed ALL toys from their rooms and the toy room. Now they're tidy.

Of course, this means that we have all these boxes downstairs with nowhere to go and no room in the garage.

Kaelan has improved amazingly since this change and is getting changed in his room without distraction. Tristan is still finding distractions in his room, his stamp album, his computer etc... We've now changed his password so that he needs an adult to logon for him.

More Canoeing

The other big adventure we went on was a joint cubs and scouts canoe trip up Lane Cove river. It was a lot of fun but it rained a lot too. Coming home, the cubs decided that they were already wet so it wouldn't matter if they got wetter.

My phone still hasn't dried out enough to work again.

A Kiddie Weird-ism

Kaelan did a great job setting the table earlier this week. In fact, he went so far as to add placemats (which he designed and drew himself). I think he was basing them on a restaurant or something because it looked like he made up a name with Joey's name in it.

Each was emblazoned with "cock r Jo" with a secondary line of well come.

We (the adults) all had a good laugh about the connotations of his misspellings but it was a lovely thought on his part.