Updates..

So after 18 months or so Ive changed the picture on the blog, the picture is of James Bond Island off the coast of Phuket in Thailand. It really is a beautiful place and maybe when Im older I can convince Allen to retire there ;)
Its getting closer to "back to school time" here with school due back on Febuary14th for the young kids and University back on the 27th. Its going to be a big year for everyone. I am back full time this year which means alot more work for me Yikes! Allens job is progressing.... Jasmine is moving to Victoria for University so she'll be on her own for the first time, allthough we have lots of family in Melbourne Im still not wanting her to go :(
Xaviour has his last year of highschool and is a prefect this year so ON goes the blazer as he is a representative of the school and all its values. He also has his leavers dinner at the end of the year which is huge for the kids, its basically a senior high graduation dinner and dance, which I hope he finds a date to before the big night!
Gabriel is starting Prep this year so he will be at school 5 days a week so hes going to be very tired for a while when he gets back. Prep is the grade between kindergarden and grade 1. Everyone goes through it its alot of fun for them.
Niamh is starting kindergarden this year and will be at school 3 whole days a week! Im sure she is going to love being with Mrs Neal who is amazing :)
Hezekiah is going to be going to daycare this year for the first time, one day with Maranda and one at the uni daycare with me... Its going to be busy and Im sure we are all going to look forward to the Easter break as soon as we go back :)

Luke Rad

Last week Jasmine reminded me that her friend Luke was leaving for his mission. My reply was yes I know... Then she very casually informed me that he was leaving a day early (the 9th and not the 10th) and that I had to drive her to the airport at 5AM!!! Im sorry what? 5am as in before I have breakfast, and when its still dark outside? That 5am?
*long silence*...Umm yes says Jasmine.
*insert unhappy face*
Its always the way that when these young men leave that it has to be at some obscene hour of the morning. So I set my alarm got up and away we went.
Luke seemed pretty calm, relaxed, he even smiled a few times ;)
Jasmine and Luke have been friends for ages and she bought him an awesome pressie its a voice recorder that he can talk into then download it all onto a computer and send it through cyberspace. Jasmine had the idea that she wanted to type up their "mission letters" and experiences and then have them bound in a book for when they get home. Jasmine being who she is has even contacted a publisher about having them printed!
Jasmine has allready sent him a letter at the MTC via a group called DearElder.com.
Im sure he is going to have an amazing 2 years away in Serbia and when he gets back he'll have some great stories to share.







Lukes parents watching the plane take off

Luke going through to the plane

Luke and his mum

Jasmine and Luke... love the red tie

Luke and his step-father Matthew

72 hour emergency packs

Ok so we have been told to keep a 72 hour pack for each memebr of the family, there should be enough food and a change of clothes, as well as basic medical supplies plus some things such as reflector blankets, candles, matches. We aslo have a copy of our marriage cert, passports, credit cards, insurance details. Ive been updating ours again I do ours once a year. I found a whole heap of nappies that wont fit Hezekiah anymore plus clothes that none of the kids will fit in! Also the cereal that was in them is wayyyyy out of date so they went in the bin. So for the next few weeks I'll be doing more updating of our packs. We have them for emergencys such as flood, fire, earthquake. Its so that we can just grab our packs and go no time wasting trying to grab all the stuff we might need. Id love to get some freeze dried food because it lasts 2 years and I wont have to worry so much but the cost gets to me (ouch). Still it is on my "wish list" :)

Christmas at the Robins house

It just didnt feel like Christmas this year with Xaviour in Melbourne and knowing that Jasmine is leaving soon for uni. I just couldnt get into it, I still put the tree up decorated it in gold and blue this year ( yes I colour co ordinate each year). I bought new lights (that didnt get put up) and I made Christmas lunch. The kids had a ball with all their new things Niamh couldnt believe that she was getting pressents again! Her birthday being in the same week just makes for an extra fun day :) Hezekiah who is almost 2 had fun ripping the paper taht id been telling him for 2 weeks to leave alone.
Xaviour is due home tomorrow from Melbourne so he gets to open all his pressies when he gets back :) Next year ill be better with Papa, Nana coming down and my "0" birthday following that.

Gabriel enjoying his ramp
Niamh in love with her new doll
Jasmine and her GPS that she will need when she moves next month.
Yes we got her a TV Grundig so it will last and yes she was excited. We have had a rule which I have stuck by , that no tv's are to be in bedrooms. So now that Jasmine has hers set up I feel Ive caved but its only for a month.
After the unwrapping comes the cleaning up.....
Gabriel is our car fanatic he loves them so this ramp taht goes on the wall thereby aliviating the steping on cars all over the floor.
hmmm I wonder whats in this one?
Allens job is handing out the pressies
whats in this ?//
Jasmine looking more excited about the Duplo than Hezekiah
Jasmine helping Hezekiah open his pressents
Nimah and Hezekiah checking out the new car mat
Hezekiah being a bit chessey
Allen and the little kids
WOW! Niamh and her new doll and Gabriel with some new little people.

Garden update :)

When we begain building 5 years ago not only was it exciting it was very daunting to think I had to fill alot of space with plants, trees, flowers etc.. It was something that I hadnt done before we had renovated 2 houses but they had a garden to start with! So all I had to do was add, subtract some and then groom what was left. To start from nothig needed a plan. I know what I wanted to do and I knew that it was going to cost HEAPs! Not to mention that I was going to do most of it myself (Allen isnt a gardener). *SIGH*.

So I thought well I'd start out the front as I see it all the time when we drive in to the house, made sense. Im not patient when it comes to getting things like this done Id rather just get it all done in a week and then maintain it. Nope cost again...... grrr. Little by little Ive added and replaced cause things just die or are in the wrong spot.... less sun, more sun.... Still I keep going. I took some snaps today so have a look and tell me what you think. Maybe you have some ideas I havent thought of yet :)

View from the side of the bock before we started building barren.. nothing except from the blackwood trees (2) and the wattle trees(3).

What it looked like before we started...



some of my herbs, lots of different ones they are all growing really well :)
more herbs..and pansys. Ohh and thats the rock that Hezekiah hit on New Years sedning us into the hospital...
Some of the deck and more plats in hanging baskets
more herbs on the edge of the deck
what do you do with a borring spot? Find a pot (which has lavender in it) then plant another hedge.
some of the vegies growing I have 3 patches plus a garden bed full of fruit and nut trees.
some of the ducks and chooks in their pen, one of the ducks is nesting so maybe we'll have some ducklings! That will add to the 3 chicks we have had this year.
This is the nursary pen for the baby chicks and the mums, the net over the top is so they dont get hit by the plums from the tree above them.
3 native trees that I planted after we took the eucalypt out because it was dead from ants
The trampoline 16ft round and my awesome path under the trampoline and around it I have more sunflowers,pansys and some succulants. Im hoping they'll spread out under there.
some of the raspberries covered by the netting to keep the birds out
more raspberries
one of the eucalyptus trees and one of the wattle
see I have been gardening, wheelbarrow as my evidence :)
the kids sandpit with sunflowers grwing in front and some native daisys on the side ,Ive got some iris growing at the back of it as well.
some of my hedge that I planted about 6 months ago they have almost doubled in size.
some of the plants at the front door
one of the patches that I love with the pansys, iris lavender and roses and the solar light :)
a few of the silver birch I plated 6 moths ago they are doing great can't wait to see how big they'll be this time next year :)
don't laugh...this is my chestnut tree..yes that a brick next to it so it doesnt get mowed over.. it'll get bigger

My yummy blue pots by the shed (ignore the weed growing next to it)
Near the front door standard white roses and then there are some hydragers, and some lavender, iris, pansys, dahlias.
one of my roses
view from the very end of the driveway
more dahlias

Well alot has changed.. I still want to do alot more, my goal for the year is to add more to the garden.

Beach activity

Yesterday promised a nice warm day of 31C so I decided a trip to the beach was the way to go. So after collecting all the things you need for a beach day eg towels, sunscrean, food, drink, beach toys, and Jasmine who is house sitting for some friends. We drove to Hawley Beach as its the closest to us and its so nice :) It was Hezekiahs first time in the sea swimming and he had a great day playing in the sand and eating a fair amount of it too. We made sandcastles, and played cricket, we sat and read books ( well jasmine and I did) and yes we even went in the water ;)
It was such a nice day and when we got home I was tired though the kids didnt seem to be! Bother!
Im planning on a trip to Gumleaves in a few weeks, a friend went there recently and had a great time so after checking it out Im keen to go :)