Its the Wedding week

Last minute preparations, Bucks and hens do's, making and painting, The family begins to arrive, extra last minute bits and pieces and it is all becoming very exciting.

Kim's Hens do with amazing cocktails at Raewyne's house, it was the only Hen's night that I know of that the groom organized his good mate to be the stripper for her. Poor Kim was quite embarrassed at first and Pommy Russ was a real trouper performing for us girls.

Sienna had been practising to walk, walk pinkle (sprinkle her flowers) all week.

Kim worked so hard to make sure that everyone was well looked after as she and Charles appreciated everyone making the journey to Norfolk Island to attend their Wedding.

Kim made up welcome packs for everyone who had arrived which included information on Norfolk Island, postcards and discounts that the local shops had offered for the week of the wedding, plus handmade guava chocolates and hand painted glasses(by Kim, in all her spare time).

She also made sure that all he guests had a welcome drink in their fridge in their apartments and an itinerary to follow.

After more drenching rains this month, we finally had a week of continual sunshine for the first time this year......and then....

Mum and my sister Jenni arrived last Saturday night and with them came another low and Summer returned the same way it did on the 1st of December when Mum arrived last year.

keep your fingers crossed for a sunny Saturday.

Kim and Charles also organized welcome drinks at Norfolk's two Chimney's Winery which was wonderful, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and a great way to get to know some of the family before the wedding and to catch up with some familiar faces also.

It was a very special afternoon.

Teddy and Sienna felt so grown up at the winery at their own table enjoying sparkling apple juice from a wine glass.

Only one lot of guests got delayed with the weather and that was my brother Mike, sister in law Kate, niece and nephew Jess and Jake, we were all very glad to see them and cheered when we saw them coming out from the plane, especially Teddy ( and a relieved bride, now that all the family were here).

*see http://www.hobbitshappenings.blogspot.com/ for arrival photos.

Jess was making the bridal bouquets which is a huge task for a 16 year old (I actually remember making bridesmaids bouquets when I did a weeks work experience when I was 16 too, after 5 hours of wiring baby rosebuds, I can appreciate feeling slightly frustrated)

To Lighten the mood, all the Lyle family rally around with champagne and a silly mood, we started playing with the flowers too.

It really was a family event with all hands on deck to help

* see Mary's blog for more wedding preparations.

http://devonhouse.blogspot.com/

I really liked this Photo on the morning of the wedding, as we were out at Simon's water decorating, Charles (the groom) and John (father of the bride) both mowing the grass on ride on mowers.


A huge Thank you to Mal Tarrant for making this beautiful wedding arch for us, Kim and I were going to attempt to make it ourselves, but Luckily Mal offered to help and it was just perfect (who knows what a disaster we could have had with Kim and I making it!)

We layed a carpet aisle to define the area, so there were no accidental trips over the grass, but as soon as Jenni, Chrissy and I put the carpet down, a multitude of Army grubs appeared and swarmed the carpet and we could imagine the Bride squashing them with her diamante shoes, luckily they had moved away by the time the wedding was on, hopefully some hungry birds had a good feed.

Mitti (my cousin Peter's dog who lives with him at Simon's water) also enjoyed the nice warm carpet in the sunshine.

And finally before the wedding begins, here is our very own princess fresh from the bath with her hair in curly rags, she wanted to keep them in as that is how she wants her hair for the wedding, lets see if she can at least keep clean today.

The next generation

I had to include these photos.

The first ones are of myself and my first cousin Charles ( we are born 5 months apart)

And then Sienna and baby Liam (who are born 18 months apart)

Pretty amazing isn't it!

Milestones

2008 is a big year in our family, there are some amazing milestones that will be reached.

Starting 2 weeks ago, my first nephew Joshua or JP as his friends call him(and proud Aunty Ti Ti's Godson), reached the magical age of 18 and is now considered an adult as he heads off to his new university life, best of luck Josh!

Today is the next neice's Sweet 16th, Happy Birthday Alyssa! followed closely by my other sweet 16 neice Jessica's birthday in 3 days time.

Next month will be Kim and Charles wedding day which will start off their memories every year when they celebrate each anniversary. A week later will be their son Liam's 1st birthday.

Brandt's Grandmother, Fay Mac would have had her 90th birthday at this time too.

In June, Teddy will have his 5th birthday, perfect school age (how did we survive the past 5 years of parenting and sleep deprivation? I honestly can't remember, probably a good thing!)
The next day will be Brandt's OH NO the big 4-0!

Later in September my Mum, Sally will celebrate her (ahem mumble mumble) 70th (sorry Mum....) With you, age is certainly just a number as you are so young at heart and as you have always said, it doesn't matter if you are 50 years old, you never stop being that 5 or 16 year old as well.

A big year, but a good reminder of each milestone is that life is rolling along so fast, that we all should stop and enjoy each moment, and each birthday & anniversary etc because each milestone is a cause for celebration of where we have come from and how much we, our family and friends have acheived together.

Iam leaving you with 2 of my many favourite images of my 2 special angels...... lets hope that they learn to celebrate everything too.

Fay Mac

Rest now in Peace Fay Mac.

Brandt's paternal Grandmother Ena McRitchie(nee Morrison) died this morning, a month short of her 90th birthday.

Ena was named as a shorter version of her Grandmother Christina and then she named her daughter Christine, so when I married into the family 13 years ago, there was an Ena, Christine(now Brown) and Cristina McRitchie.

But Ena was never called Grandma by her Grandkids as when Brandt's sister Kim was little, she knew one Grandmother was Fay, so to tell the difference, Ena become Fay Mac and has been called so ever since by her 2 children, Christine and Brandt's Dad Alan, and their respective husband and wife, Jeff and Patty and by her 5 grandchildren, Kim, Brandt, Leigh, Cameron and Michelle and 4 great grandchildren, Abbey, Lara, Teddy and Sienna.

I am sorry that at the moment I can't tell you much about her life except, she played the piano wonderfully, walked to Banksia almost daily when she lived in her house at Rockdale, made us lovely butterfly cakes that I never managed to get the recipe from her, but they were soft and airy, and even at 85 years old would get down on the floor and play with the great-grandkids.

Brandt loved visiting her after work, even when her big Grandson was 25, she would make him tea and toast and let him have an afternoon nap in her sunny back room before he went to T.A.F.E 3 nights a week for 3 years.

I am grateful that we got these photos of both kids with her a few months before we moved to Norfolk Island. Both Teddy and Fay Mac were being cheeky that day.

Have fun with Bill Mac, Ena, we hope to hear some of your piano music floating down here sometime.

'De Egg O' and more funny quotes...

I have been writing down children's funny quotes in a book since I started working in Childcare centres in 1996. I find their innocent language mistakes and comments are so refreshing and genuinely funny.
I left a few books of funny quotes behind at the first couple of childcare centres that I worked at, but kept the last one from my preschool class and added to it when Teddy started talking.
This book was packed away when we moved here, so it was time to start a new one.
While flicking through our Norfolk funny quote book yesterday, I couldn't believe how many pages that we have filled up in a year.
So, Now it is time to share some of our favourites.

* When we told Teddy that we were going to play squash, he look at us blankly, we asked him if he knew what it was, he replied"it's what you do to playdough".
Later we heard him telling Mary and Bernie, "we're going to play squash, it when we jump on each other(squash)"

* I changed Sienna and said"there you go, a nice, clean nappy" she got excited and said "ice ceam".

* When I dropped Teddy to his first day of preschool this time last year, he said Bye Bye Aunty Mary,I'm going now, see you next time, you may email me!"
Later in the year when I picked him up from Playcentre Ted said "Mum, something got stuck up a tree" I asked " what got stuck up a tree darling?" he replied "ME!"

* When Ted was crying once, Sienna gave him her book and said "here you go Ted" I said to her" that was very nice of you Sienna to share, what can I get you now to make you feel happy?"
She pointed to a bag of potting mix and said " DIRT".

* At the A&H show, Teddy asked the blacksmith who was demonstrating making horseshoes, if he could make some shoes for his ducks as he doesn't have a horse.

*Sienna was playing with some plush toys in the post office, my niece Alyssa asked Sienna what sound each one makes, we heard, moo, baa, oink, meow, woof, neigh, but when she got to the goat, she was quiet for a moment, then in a little high pitched voice said "Gooaaaaaat".

*I asked Teddy if he wanted some 2 minute noodles, he said " Yes, I would like too many noodles".
A few months ago, Teddy's friend Ada came to play, she told me she was hungry so I asked if she would like me to cook some 2 minute noodles, she asked "how long will it take to cook?"

*Brandt said to Sienna in September "it's your birthday tomorrow Sienna"
Sienna said "No, Daddy, No"
Brandt said " It is"
Sienna again says " NO, Daddy, NO!"
Brandt asks "Are you the no girl today?"
Sienna says "YES!"

*And lastly (for now) As you saw in Previous blog, our cat Jane scratched Sienna and we are looking for another home for her.
During a love wrestle, Sienna bit Teddy's shoulder. Ted told her " you're not my lovely sister anymore......... we're going to have to find somewhere else for you to live!"

So, what is De Egg O? I wondered that too, as Teddy keeps mentioning the word like a friend.
I thought it was the name that he gave to a Sea bird's egg that he found on a cliff top near Anson bay when Granny and Alyssa were here.
This egg was carried everywhere like a precious baby for a week or so until it rolled off his bedside table in the middle of the night. Splat!

I finally found out this morning what it means, when I was woken by Teddy who asked me to come and see Egg O.
On Tv was Dora the explorer which has been a favourite of ours for over a year now, since Sienna started walking, she became a wanderer that we nick named 'Dora the explorer'
Now on TV, Dora has an older cousin called Diego! ( De Egg O!!!!!!) Strangely Diego looks a bit like Teddy. So My own Dora and Diego(Sienna and Teddy) have been exploring all day and saving animals, like our plastic farm animals from the danger of the sandpit and the fig tree.
At least one mystery is solved, we now know who De Eggo is.