Christmas Has Begun.........

Yes it has.....

I always wait for December before i put up the tree, only because Ralf would get shitty with me for getting too keen. But he brought down the tree for me tonight, so that Jade and I could do the tree this weekend, but while I was cooking tea the tree was suddenly up, so I made Ralf and Jade dress the tree this year, which was quite funny!! Ralf did not understand that you do not stand back and throw it at the tree!!!

Then Jade took off to the bedroom and appeared back dressed as a fairy to dress the tree, she did not think it was a good idea to be put on top of the tree!!

Love this shot, might have to make her pose for it again without the couch and the crap on it in the way of the photo!!!
So I have scrapped as well between last post in now. Did a challenge for sketchbook, which is this one.Then I did a double layout, for our last weekend away with the 10d's. The challenge was to do a layout based on the mastercard "priceless" adverts. Was quiet funny and very easy to do when you started to think about it. When Mel and Jase came down a few months ago, we took our usual photo, love it! They were trying to look normal and well we were unable to contain ourselves from being totally stupid!!! On that note time to go and watch Outrageous Fortune!

I am alive

Yes I am! I have not been sucked into this horrible black hole. Is there an answer why I have not blogged, well who knows why, other than life itself!

So I have cracked open the diary so that I can recap what has happened since September!

Well the last time I wrote it was coming up to school holidays. Jade spent the first week at Highland Home Christian Camp, which is up Pohongina Valley. She loved it! It was a camp for 9-11 year olds, boy and girls. She did glow worming, caving, mountain biking, tramping, absailing and just lots of good wholesome things for kids.

Second week of the holidays my Mum came to stay with her two international students, one is from Japan and the other from Germany. We took them up to the Hawkes Bay to stay for two nights with Mum's very close friend Margaret and Dick. That was just fantastic. While Mum and Margaret spent the day together on Saturday catching up, I took the kids (yes students too) to Napier and we did the behind the scenes tour at the Aquarium. I have to say this was well worth the money. I am sure we were with the guide for about 3 hours, I think they highlight for Jade was getting to hold a turtle.

We also went for a trip up to the lookout to see the fantastic view and of the ice cream truck just happened to be up there!!!!

Well Mum and the students had barely left when Mel and Jase arrived to visit for the weekend. Well before they arrived I went down for a speed shop at SENZ!!! Fantastic! Well I am not sure to be honest if I would call it fantastic. Yes I got some great bargains, but SENZ was the smallest I think I have ever seen it. Good to catch up with some faces that i have seen on the net etc, but nice all the same.

Mel & Jase staying was very cool. Mel and I shopped and mucked around and shopped some more. We had great fun at Baby City which was very cool, looking at the great nursery stuff that Mel has already scored on Trade Me and what she still needs to get, never thought I would say I would ever get clucky, but by god and I clucky about Mel and Jase's wee baby!! I can't wait!!!

Alright span forward a couple of weeks and I scrapped, I know I can here you saying it now, what you did one layout!!! No your wrong I did 2 layouts!!!!!

So first up is a layout for when Jade's room did a duathalon, was quiet cool I even went to watch. Jade as you can imagine was completely nackered after it all, but she did enjoy it, they had to run, bike then run again.

Then I thought 13 years of marriage I had better do one about Ralf and I, 13 years married, wow that does just seem so insane! Anyway I do love this layout.So Ralf has been doing his resettlement training, working with the builder next door building the house beside ours. He did it for 9 weeks which he really enjoyed for something different. So Ralf has been back at work again for the last couple of weeks, doing real work back on 3 Sqn again. He seems to be enjoying that again.

School Cross Country last week, and our girl got 2nd in her age group, she was so happy! So happy, as was I, it was very cool that she did so well, and who came first but Nyah, which is pretty cool too!!

Right caught up, apart from this weekend just done.

Friday night was halloween and Jade has been so good every time when I have said no to Halloween, I mean it is not a NZ thing, but I thought why not this year. So it all started with Nyah coming to stay the night, then it escalated so that Papara (spelt her name wrong I am sure) also coming for the night. I collected them after work and they came home to make goodie bags, then off the went out trick or treating which they thought was very cool.

After that they came back home where I cooked them eye balls and worms for tea.

This was then followed by jelly cocktails with sour worms and dinasaurs in it. God what a great Mum!! Spooky programs and off to bed and sleep around 11.30pm!!! All three of the lined up along Jade's bed sleeping! Up early in the morning again waiting for pancakes to be cooked!

Then we went down to Chris and Yvonne's for tea and to stay the night. Sunday over to upper hutt to check out Matt and Strodie's new house, which was very cool, sat in the sun having a BBQ getting a little tanned. Amazing roll on summer!!

Anyway guys sorry for the longest post in history!