an update....

It's about time I popped in and posted an update on us and all we have been up to! Life has been pretty crazy this year but I think we are slowly starting to settle down and return to a new kind of normal..

Lachlan



Lachlan has been through a lot this year. On top of the losses we have had to deal with he has also been working hard on figuring out what is going on with him at school. After his test results have come back from dsf. we have gotten a formal diagnosis of inattentive type ADHD and also possibly another learning disability (yet to be diagnosed). We have started him on ADHD medication and he is adjusting really well. I am hopeful that he is going to be able to sort himself out now and focus better at school, in turn helping him to be able to catch up to an acceptable level and to fit in better with his peers.

Cody



Codes is going fantastically at school. He is already learning to read and write and just seems to really have a love of learning that I hope to be able to encourage through the years.

Niamh



Neevie is sooo ready to go to school! Just one more school term and she will be off to Kindy two days a week - she is going to love it! Until then I need to find something to keep her entertained at home, lol! Tormenting her younger siblings seems to be a favorite at the moment so I guess that will continue for a while yet ;)

Max and Blake




Are as cheeky as ever! They are almost two and a half and keep us entertained constantly. I am really starting to enjoy them a lot more as they get older. We had a rough start with them and things have been challenging ever since, but they are getting older and gaining little personalities that make me laugh so much lately. They are still very stressful when they both whinge and whine at me but I just keep reminding myself that it's not their fault they are two years old, that there's two of them and that they are babies 4 and 5 out of 6!

Isla



Is such a little poppet! She just makes me smile every time I look at that cheeky face and in a lot of ways she has been what has gotten me through the sad days. She has been such an angel and is now sleeping through the night most of the time. She is 10 months and not yet crawling properly (though she does this 'commando crawl' thing and certainly gets where she wants to be) I am finding myself thinking about planning her first birthday and that is a hard thing to think about.. I can't imagine going through all my kids birthdays and christmas this year without mum but it's going to have to happen..

And as for the day to day 'what we've been up to' news....

We are in the process of doing up the backyard for the kids. We have bought a massive fort/cubby/slide and it's going in near the pool, then we are doing a concrete 'race track' for the little kids bikes up the other end of the yard. It should look a bit like a daycare centre when it's done but I figure.. why fight it? we almost qualify as a day care centre anyway! Might as well make the most of the tiny amount of space we have and let the kids enjoy it since we are not moving anywhere now for 5 years or so. I'll post some photos when we get it all together.. at the moment it just looks like a bit of a mess.

It's the end of the long weekend here and we've had a nice time. The weather has finally broken and shown us a little taster of sunshine (very nice!) We went on a picnic to Whiteman Park with the Lacklisons yesterday and the kids had a great time (the photos above are from the picnic). I am looking forward to getting some more sunshine and enjoying some more fun times with my family - it's about time we got to smile :)

That's about it for now.. I'll try to post an update on the backyard soon :)

M.