2015 Catch Up

Its a long time between posts around here. Its also a long time between February and May!! Its amazing what you can fit in just a few months , and we have done our absolute best to fill our time completely. 

Time flies when you are having fun, but I have also had to farewell my beloved Canon camera (and it hasn't been replaced yet, I have to keep growing my money tree) and the ever important MacBook needed a trip to the doctors. These all contribute to not posting . But then again, so does trips away ( Coral Bay, Point Samson, Pardoo etc) , concerts in the big smoke (Stella and I flew to Perth with friends for the One Direction concert) and lots and lots of sporting and school commitments. 

The kids all helping Stella make her Poster for the concert

Stella  and I before the One Direction concert

Stella's favourite band member, Harry in the flesh (well on the big screen!!)

We all had THE BEST time in Coral Bay in April. We met my family there and enjoyed a sunny , glorious week at the best beach ever! 

Our caravan set up at Pardoo Station. Such a relaxing place, the kids are always asking to go back!

Playing tourist in Wickham

 Our new DOME cafe opened earlier this year!! What a treat and so exciting for us all! Now somewhere large enough to meet friends for meals/coffees, great for kids and convenient. Perfect !

Our girls enjoying a Dome breakfast!

I have added President of the school P & C to my repertoire and that has kept me well and truly busy. Lots of functions and fundraising events to organise and manage. 

The kids have taken up soccer and Auskick , as well as the usual dancing sessions. 

I've started a market stall business with a lovely girlfriend. We make a variety of jewellery (clay and wood ) and other home wares items. That has been a ton of fun, creating and playing!! 

My husband is still working a shift roster. Which seems to be working for us. The weekends he works aren't the best but the down time is amazing!

We survived another Pilbara summer!! Yay!! And our beautiful winter is upon us. These days are the ones we live for and make the terrible summer worth it!!  Lots of camping (glamping in our caravan more like it) to be done at this time of year. 

We have celebrated 4 out of our 6 family members birthdays already!! I turned 30 (oh dear) in March, Stella 7 at the start of April (while we were away) and Max and Lacey at the end of April (and they had a party this year , so a post on that is to come).

Heading out for a lovely meal and 30th Birthday celebration with my beautiful girlfriends, I like a bit of matchy matchy!

We have holidays planned for later in the year and hopefully family visiting soon enough so lots of things to look forward to! 

With lots of posts in mind, I have been taking snaps and trying to plan a few cool things for the blog, so lets see if I can make it all happen. Fingers crossed!! 

But for now, a catch up post and a ton of photos. Next up , a little DIY with instructions. Just cos ......

And just because they are cute! And I am loving being a proper 'soccer Mum'. Its so awesome seeing them run around, trying hard and enjoying themselves! 

Poor Max has been left for dust in the height department by his twin Lacey!  

Our Break away ..

I have had a little blogging hiatus lately, not by choice, but more just lack of time. So I guess I did make a choice, I chose to spend time and live in the moment with my family and try and make it up to you later!! So I promise, in the efforts of sucking up, I will have quite a few blog posts to come!

But for now, some snaps of our family holiday just before the school holidays started! We took the last week of term off, travelled about 760km south, while my parents travelled roughly the same distance north and we met in a gorgeous , small, seaside town for a week of rest and relaxation! 

We camped in a tent, while my parents had a caravan that they borrowed from friends and we had a ball! The kids were in heaven with their grandparents there and Dad on holidays. We spent our days at the beach , swimming, snorkeling , building sand castles. Our afternoons having some nibbles and beverages and taking the time to catch up and just chat. The things you can't do when you live 1300km from your family! 

So here is our holiday in photos .... 

The scenery on the way down was just lots of this. We have had a dry wet season and it is showing on the Pilbara soil! 

I made sure to pack lots of simple activities for the kids. Play dough, colouring in books, blackboards and the best of all - Paint with water books!! A cup of water and a paintbrush and its hours of entertainment! 

Fun in the sun , the bay is protected, clear and just stunning! 

Its not a holiday without a few G & T's !! 

Because we travelled south, the weather was much cooler than we were used to in the morning and at night so we felt it a little. Daddy did not complain when he scored more cuddles though!

This lovely friend was under my chair and my husband warned me not to move!! Who does that?! Of course I ran and jumped on the Engel fridge!! 

No summer holiday is complete without an icecream! 

I just wanted one nice photo of our 2 girls together!! 

Always dancing and prancing together! 

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Poor Angus was so worn out when we went out for dinner on our last night, he didn't get to eat his meal and fell asleep on the chair! 

Road side toilet breaks on the way home. One for the 21st book!! 

Doesn't it look terrible? All that white sand and the clear water? All of the big snapper and sting rays you can see while snorkeling? The tropical fish, the warm water, the protected bay? 

Needless to say it was a beautiful week, spending time with my parents and taking some time out as a family. We have re booked for next year and can't wait!! 

The kids favourite things? 

Building sand castles

Grandma and Poppy

And sleeping in a tent ! 

Easy to please aren't they?!

A seaside break

We have recently returned from our annual week long seaside holiday. This was our 3rd year of heading north and it would have to have been the best yet! Every year it is getting that bit easier (last year we took our surprised package Angus as an 8 week old so that was interesting)

The kids loved the beach and boogie boarding, the weather was gorgeous (in the 40's but perfect for a beach holiday) and my parents also stayed at the same cottages for 5 days . Perfect

There isn't much to do other than go to the beach , or take the kids to the park on the foreshore but that is exactly what we like after the busy festive season!

I'll let the pictures do the talking (photo overload!!);

Playing 'Duck duck goose' with other kids staying at the cottages

Vodka lime and soda, yummmm

And for New Year, the little town put on a wonderful Family Concert on the foreshore grassed area.

The kids had a ball and it was nice to have something to do. We were home by 9:30pm (the down side to having kids that go to bed early is that they want to go home early too!) but a lovely night was had!

The most beautiful children x

The final sunset of 2012, another year, another chapter in our lives and the best is yet to come!

We are booked in again next year and the kids are already talking about it.
The simple things.