Part 1 - Before the trip & Wellington
Hi all.  We’ve been away on holidays and  I’ve got quite a few pics to put up so I’ve just added 4 entries so there isn't one huge novel.  So here is the first instalment.

The weekend before we left for our trip to NZ for a wedding, it was the AFL Grand Final and mum and dad drove down from Mooroopna to watch it with us.  John had the afternoon booked at a mates place from work.  The right team won and we had lots of yummy food to eat so all in all it was a great day.  Go the Cats!!

A few hours after Mum and Dad left, our friends Peet and Jess flew in from Holland.  Peet had just got a contract in Melbourne which we were pretty stoked about as we haven’t lived in the same city as either of them for a very long time.  It was also good timing as they could house sit for us while we were away.

The Monday morning we flew out we had to get up at 4.00am, pack the kids and our 25 bags (that’s what it felt like) in the car as well as squash Jess in the between the two car seats in the back.  What a circus.  But once we had checked in we were able to relax (as we weren’t overweight).  Lachlan was great on the plane as he pretty much slept for most of the flight.  Abby on the other hand protested immediately at having to put on her seatbelt.  So we had a few fun and games there for a while but things settled eventually.

We arrived in Wellington and once I stepped outside the airport I remembered immediately one of the reasons I had wanted to leave in the first place.  Wind.  And once we got up to Anne’s place we were up in the clouds.  It was great to see Anne and her little baby Amelia who was born 3 days before Lachlan.  Although it did just emphasise what a monster Lachy is   While in Wellington we got to catch up with a lot of friends plus our old antenatal group.    It was amazing to see how grown up everyone was.  Thanks to Christina and Bernadette for the pics they sent through.

We decided not to drive past our old place as we knew it had been bought as an investment property.  Seeing as we had put so much effort into the place, we didn’t want to see if any of our hard work had been torn out or was not being cared for.

We caught up with old work mates	and friends	The Cheritons	Cheeky girl	Squidge & Brittany
Abby catches up with old mates Logan & Jesica	as well as Samuel & Sasha	The whole gang

10/31/2007 3:27:37 PM (AUS Eastern Daylight Time, UTC+11:00)      Comments [0]  

Part 2 - Queenstown & the farm

After a few days in Wellington it was time to move south to Queenstown to stay with John’s dad and his partner Jan.  We love it there as it’s so relaxing and beautiful.  This was my first time arriving in Queenstown by plane and it was just spectacular.  Rows and rows of mountains capped with snow and the actual basin Queenstown is in is breathtaking with the Shotover River and Lake Wakatipu - quintessential NZ.  The day after we arrived Abby had a ride on Jan’s horse Vinnie – Jan has been having dressage lessons (with an Australian dressage champion no less) and while he is usually quite feisty he was pretty buggered and docile by the time Abby jumped on.  After that we drove up to Coronet Peak which has an amazing outlook over Queenstown. There is a photo below with John’s dad’s property marked on it. Although it was mid October, they had been having fresh dumps of snow - it even snowed a few nights we were there – so Abby had her first encounter with snow.  

John must have felt like a country boy again, as rabbits were playing on the front lawn and he felt the need to shoot them (yes he still has a valid NZ licence).  Thank goodness Abby was in bed is all I can say, so I didn’t have to explain what was happening to the cute little rabbits.  Quite ironic, John’s sister Sue pointed out, seeing as his favourite story when he was little was Watership Down.  I have to admit John has amazing eyesight.  He can spot something ‘shootable’ a mile away.

Another bit of excitement we had - Queenstown had some pretty big earth quakes.  The first hit at about 1.30am and measured 6.7.  I slept through it unlike John and most other people.  Shops and clubs all over Queesnstown had damaged goods.  But I certainly felt one of the aftershocks at 10.30am the next morning which was 6.4.  The whole house shook and Jan wasn't sure if it was the wind or not, but I didn't mistake the rumble that goes with the shaking wall units etc. 

A week later we were on the move again, and stayed the night at John’s brother's  farm at Te Houka, just out of Balclutha.  Abby was reunited with her cousins Hamish, William, Sophie and Bridget and they all got to meet Lachlan.  Abby had an absolute ball there, feeding lambs, chasing chickens, feeding pigs and splashing in puddles.  It was hilarious watching her bounce at the knees while she fed the lamb and laugh hysterically while the lambs chased her.   That night John and his brother got on the red wine until about 3.00 in the morning which John suffered for the whole of the next day……..

Abby & Vinnie	Going for a walk	First snow experience	The 'X' marks Johns dads house	Johns Arty Pics I - 'Track to the river'
Johns Arty Pics II - 'Boat in paddock near mountains'	Feel the serenity	Brrm Brrm	Abby and her biker bitch	To the lambs with cousin Sophie
Hamish and Sophie with their lambs	Looking like a local with William	Woolshed	Feeding Sophies lamb	Pigs
Puddles	Poor chickens	Bridget & Abby discuss 2 year old morning hair

10/31/2007 3:26:05 PM (AUS Eastern Daylight Time, UTC+11:00)      Comments [0]  

Part 3 - Dunedin
…….Yes well the trip to Dunedin was only an hour but it feels like a lot longer than that when you have someone barfing into an ice cream container beside you while you’re driving.

We arrived at John’s sister’s house Thursday afternoon and John tried to sleep off the effects of the previous night. It was great catching up with the Naylors – especially as Sarah and Rosie are great at amusing the kids   Abby became acquainted with Sarah’s pet rats and the family dog Maggie which Abby decided was ‘Licky dog’.

Saturday was the day of Like & Leah’s wedding.  When I reached the room for the ceremony John showed me the little pin Mike had made for all the groomsmen – it was tiny little spanner, each with their name engraved on it.  Mike is a mechanic and he even had his wedding band made into the shape of a nut.  That’s nice, different, it’s unusual as Kath and Kim would say.  Well there is nothing like a wedding to make you feel all warm and fuzzy about being married.  And everyone had a great time at the reception.  We even thought we would let Mike get some practice in holding a baby just in case they finish ‘practising’ themselves   In fact Lachlan charmed everyone by not crying the whole time and giving them great big grins all night.  He was passed around for a while which meant John and I got the opportunity to have a bit of a boogie on the dance floor.

The next day was a beautiful day in Dunedin and we had a morning tea with the Naylors and Sue.  It was very hard to leave but we said our goodbyes and headed back to Queenstown.  Now a lot of planes fly in and out of Queenstown and you can hear them from John’s dads place.  It was while here at Christmas time that Abby took a liking to planes.  She even has her own little toy matchbox plane she takes everywhere with her.  We have now found out that she may understand what tomorrow means.  She heard a plane overhead and as usual got quite excited.  John said ‘We are going on a plane tomorrow’ and nothing more was mentioned by John or Abby.  6.30am we get a wake up call of Abby coming into our room and the first thing she said was ‘Going on a plane’.  Obsessed I tell you.

So it was with great reluctance we said goodbye and boarded our plane………

One of Sarah's pet rats	Playing with aunty Sue	Sarah & Lachy	The nervous wait	The happy couple
John's pin	Mike & Lachy	Enjoying the Dunedin sun with Tom	Maggie 'Licky' dog	Liz & Abby
Kids with Sue, Rosie & Sarah	Not happy to say 'Cheese'	Causing mischief	'Helmet'

10/31/2007 3:22:19 PM (AUS Eastern Daylight Time, UTC+11:00)      Comments [0]  

Part 4 - Home again
Our flight home was uneventful.  For some time both the kids were asleep which was fantastic and for a change all 5 pieces of our checked luggage came out in the first few minutes – woohoo!  Jess, who had been house sitting for us, picked us up and told us how it had been 33 degrees in Melbourne the day before.  Even in driving back from the airport we noticed that already everything had begun to lose the green look.  Both days on the weekend were 29 degrees – just magical weather.  So summer PJ’s, sheets and clothes have been pulled out of the wardrobes.

Outside our kitchen window is a bird’s nest in which we have occasionally seen a possum.  On the weekend we saw it again – a cute ring tail possum with a baby.  John managed to get some pics before Sam, our cat, went up for look and got a claw to the nose before the possums ran further up the tree.

This weekend John and I have Maree and Sean’s wedding to go to in Leongatha which is about 2 hours east of Melbourne so we are looking forward to that.

S	M	I	L	E
N	O	W	Preferring colour now	Not happy at having to leave
The flight home	Possum	Digging for peg treasure	Abby 'helping'	Abby's favourite shoes

10/31/2007 3:21:11 PM (AUS Eastern Daylight Time, UTC+11:00)      Comments [1]  

Yes we are still alive...
Hi all.  Well a lot has happened since the last couple of months since the last entry.

Lachlan was 11 weeks on Sunday and is growing at a great rate of knots.  Each week we had him weighed he had put on 250g and in 6 weeks had grown 3cm.  In the 2 weeks after that he put on a whole 1kg and grew 3.5cm!!  The nurse kept re-measuring him just to make sure.  Although he has very chubby cheeks the rest of his body isn’t too Buddha like so the nurse wasn’t concerned with the weight gain.  He also started sleeping through the night last week which John and I are VERY grateful for.  He is smiling all the time now and has started ‘talking’ which is very cute to watch as he has such a focussed look on his face when he does.

About 3-4 weeks ago Lachy got pretty sick.  Started out with a bit of a cough but ended up becoming bronchiolitis.  This usually only occurs in babies and those usually under 6 months.  So we had to take him to the doctors every day so his breathing / lungs could be monitored.  We didn’t have to take him to hospital but were under instructions to watch him closely so if his conditioned worsened we would call an ambulance.  It also meant he was very tired and instead of feeding normally we had to feed him small amounts at half hour intervals so feeds would take an hour and a half.

At the same time Abby and I were pretty sick too so once Lachlan had the all clear from the doctor, I packed up the car and went up to Shepp to visit the folks for 8 days.  Mum was a star, helping out with both the kids and looking after me too .  John got to have uninterrupted sleep and get a lot of things done he had wanted to do for ages.

Abby attended her first big birthday party in August -  the 5th birthday of her friend Genevieve.  It was held at the golden arches of McDonalds and was a princess theme as it seems most girls of 5 love being princesses.  Abby was the youngest by far and it was a struggle to find a costume to fit her.  In the end we found one for a 3 y/o and the length was ok.  Apart from the crash tackle she got from the excited birthday girl on arrival, Abby had a great time and decided she loves McNuggets.  I even ran into a couple of people I used to work with over 10 years ago!!  

Abby is loving her 2 mornings of crèche a week.  The only problem I have with them is they decided to teach the kids how to take the lids off jars.  Why would they do that?  The whole time we were at mums, she was in the pantry, taking the lids off the Vegemite and jam.  Unfortunately this newly acquired skill has been turned to door handles.  She can now leave her room at will which is a bugger.  This has meant 6.00 – 6.30am wake up calls for John and myself – usually caused by our light being turned on.  She used to just lie in bed quietly until we got her at about 7.30am. We have put some toys up in her room and asked her not to come out until one of us goes up to get her but she ‘forgets’.  Abby is also Wiggles MAD at the moment.  She can recite the lines of her Wiggles movie as she watches it which is a bit scary, but very useful when you need to distract her for a while.

Saturday we went on a family outing to the Melbourne show and the weather was just spectacular. Abby got to ride on the train, pat some goats, sheep, calves and chickens as well as see some rabbits, puppies and some dog trials.  She also went on a few rides and knocked back a few chocolate koalas. We were all a bit exhausted and considering how tired she was, she wasn’t too bad on the train ride home.  Lachlan was the model child thank god.

Well we have a couple of weddings to go to over the next 6 weeks and one of them is in Dunedin so we are taking the opportunity to visit Wellington for a few days.  We are hoping to plan a very informal get together at Anne’s place so will get out the details to you Wellingtonians when we have made some plans.  I am really looking forward to the trip and catching up with John’s family down south.  Only 11 sleeps to go!!!!!  

Lachy at nearly 3 weeks	Lachy at 10 weeks	How long will the love last	Save me from the cazy girl mum	And so the damage is done
What	Woops	Chillin' with bear on the train	Brrrrmmm I	Brrrrmmm II
Hullo little chicken	This is Hilda	Tell me all about it Hilda	Goose	Helping with dads birthday cake
Zzzzzz	Zzzzzzz

9/27/2007 8:38:10 AM (AUS Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10:00)      Comments [1]  Baby

Settling in
As we expected baby #2 is a completely different experience for us.

With the benefit of experience and confidence its all hugely less stressful.  So far Lachy has been pretty chilled.  The pattern he's falling into so far is a cluster of feeds between 9 and 1, then sleeping well through till 4, then through till 7 or 8 so thats pretty good for us.

Having a newborn in the house makes us realise how grown up Abby is getting - she's a real little girl now, and not a baby.  She loves Lachlan, she pats his head very gently and always wants cuddles.  We've had no issues with jelousy or anything... yet...

You forget how fragile and helpless newborns are, and how fast they change at this age.  He already seems much stronger and more alert compared to when he came home on Monday.  He's had a little trouble with gas tonight - He cries and thrashes and is obviously in discomfort and then he farts and calms down.  We try and hold his knees up to his chest to help him pass it but there isn't a lot else we can do.  Just like Abby we are finding it hard to burp him after a feed, but he doesn't seem to have problems with wind - or spilling.

Shelli's mum came down on Friday to help out and look after Abby while the baby was born, and she left yesterday so we're on our own now.  Maree came over on Monday night and cooked us a yummy dinner and left a huge dish of lasagne so we haven't been too busy yet.

Next week when I'm back at work things will be a bit tougher  Abby goes to creche on Thursday and Friday from 9 till 1 so getting ready to get out the door on time will be interesting.

7/12/2007 10:33:50 PM (AUS Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10:00)      Comments [0]  Baby

Beer!
And now for something completely non-baby related :)

I've always wanted to give making home brew beer a go, but we never had the space in Wellington.  We've got heaps of room here (and also the beer is quite a bit more expensive) so I've taken the plunge and got a kit.

I never knew much about making beer, there is certainly a lot to learn - and everyone seems to give different, conflicting advice.  So I guess its largely going to be a matter of try it and see....

I got a coopers kit that came with everything you need, including bottles - even a cheesy instructional video. 
This page seems to have some good info, the author seems to know what he's doing.  He basically says chuck the instructions that came with the kit, and follow his directions.
One of the main points of contention is the temperature you should ferment the beer at.  The coopers kits say 21 to 27 deg, and most people say thats too high.  The best thing to do is to record the temperature I use for each batch, and see what I end up with :)

I brewed my first batch last week, and I bottled it on Monday. 

If anyone reading this has got any advice on brewing beer, please leave a comment or email me.

Wish me luck :)

7/12/2007 10:02:37 PM (AUS Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10:00)      Comments [2]  Beer