Something to keep the "magic" of Christmas alive...

Here is such a cute thing I did for Lil S. I hope she'll be amazed and love it!

Quick Update

It's calmed down here about 1 degree... I'm getting A's in all my classes, so that's good news, and we're still unpacking, but it's coming along.

S is loving school and doing very well. This week is Red Ribbon week, and we've been talking about what that means.

M loves being in a MOPS group. She loves playing with other kids her age, and I love the little break it gives me with grown-ups.

Dennis is good, just busy at work. And he's still doing the whole mountain biking thing, it's good for him, so gotta make time so he can go and do it...

Sorry it's a short update, but that's all I have time for tonite!

Such a busy busy time!

Sorry for the lapse in posting.. it's been a busy few months.

We've moved trans-pacific, and finally have a moment to catch our collective breaths.

Lil S just started kindergarten, and it's SO incredibly quiet around here, well almost.

M is missing her sister, but she's adjusted well!

I'm in school in the evenings. Taking 14 hours of classes and balancing my family and dropping off and picking up S from school is exhausting, but it's definitely keeping me busy.

We're just waiting on our things from Oz to arrive and oh the joys of MORE unpacking will resume... Hopefully I'll post again soon, but otherwise my classes end Dec 11, and you'll see more posts more frequently then :)

Hopefully everyone is doing well out there in blog land :)

Ugh... update (going private, log in if you want to read!)

I decided to keep my blog only accessible to readers via logging in... Since we're about to move back to the US, an be in a major city again, and since we have a family etc.. I'd rather not be as accessible as I was online. If you know someone that would like to see the blog or something, please have them email me at ska1ser79(at)gmail(dot)com.

Hope everyone (Stateside) is having a wonderful summer, and everyone down under is enjoying the cool brisk winter! :)

Moving on...

Here is my photo blog. I'm slowly working with the camera and learning new things, and I think I'm slowly (and I emphasize slowly) becoming a bit better. My goal is to be able to take a better photo than I did the previous day. Not sure I'm there yet...

Quickly we'll be moving and I know I'm going to have to shelve photography on the backburner for a while. Going back to school and balancing 2 kids, as well as getting settled into a new house is going to take a LOT of work. I'm excited but nervous as well!

It's just really hit me that we're moving back, and while I'm super excited I think I know I'll be really sad to leave my friends here. It's been like a family here made of all the friends we've made. We've had to celebrate holidays and birthdays together, but it's been a lot of fun. Three years have gone by so quickly! Before I know it the time when the girls are young will be gone and we'll be going to see them graduate from high school and college! I feel some days like I'm still 18, but know that I'm not!

Ugh.. nostalgia.. it's bad right now I guess thinking about the past when I should be preparing for the future.

I'm excited though, can't wait!

SO much going on... where's the time gone!

SO much going on lately!

I am an aunt of a sweet baby girl! She's home now and being thoroughly spoiled rotten! I can't wait to go and help with that process!

We move from Oz in a little over 2 months! It's exciting, but also such a long and involved process. I can't wait for about 4 months from now when we'll have all our stuff and be pretty much settled into our new house! I will miss all the friends I've made here in the last few years, so it will be a little bittersweet.

Lil S will be starting kindergarten this fall and M will be taken to MOPS and library storytimes, and she will have lots of little baby friends I am sure, and I'll be finishing up my pre-requisites for nursing school.

Right now we're just looking at potential houses, and just counting down the days til moving day!

Here's a few photos :

(Photo taken by ME of Baby M and Lil S - Easter)





(Photo taken by Jennifer Garnett of me - April 2010)



and Just so he's not left out.. Here's Daddy with his girls

I'm an aunt!

A Very happy day!
I became an aunt! My baby niece is so adorable!!!

Tragedy down under

Lil S's pet fish Dory has passed away. She (even though it was a "he") was brought home in May of 2008, and passed away today on Feb 10, 2010. She had a good long betta life, and now is in fish heaven. Lil S will miss her always.

We have buried her.


We all said prayers for her.



RIP Dory. You will be missed.

Photography and Mama news

I've started yet another project, but it's a good one!

I'm trying to work on taking better photos!

Here's the link!!!

I'm hoping that I get better and better, and can take superb pictures of my family. I love having a DSLR, but I know that I have to really learn the "proper" way to take photos. :)

All's well out here in our neck of the woods. The lil one just turned 6 months, and I can't figure out where half a year went! It seems so fast that they grow up.

On Monday the older one starts preschool here in Oz, and she will be in school every day! EVERY.DAY.!!! (WOOOOHOOOOO!!) I think she really needs it, as I think she needs an outlet that's not about her sister or being mad at D and me because we have to take care of little sister. I think she'll adjust, just needs time. Lil S is really excited and totally LOVES her teacher whoms she runs up to and hugs each time she sees her!

Can't wait to see the pictures I get for her first day of school!

Hope everyone out there is having a good year so far!

Weather Haiku

(a view of the Todd River here in Central Australia flowing for the first time in 2010 - Picture taken by D)



There has been a flurry of insane weather activity across the globe.. with colder than average temps across North America.. and lotsa rain here in Central Australia... So I got inspired and asked my friends (they are the initials below) on FaceBook to give me a glimpse into their weather via a haiku.

Enjoy!

And if you'd like to submit one, add one in the comments (I do moderate comments, so be nice) :)


My Haiku :

Rainy days are cool
Too many hot days are foul
Drops that cleanse the soul

PC
Beer you are so good
I drink you when it's raining
and all other times.

MB
Fog lowers her veil
the calm before the cold gale
Time for one more ale

JTG
I love rainy days
Few and far between they are
Enjoying the treat

AM
A winter snow falls
Not really but in my heart.
Glad be the penguins.

JG
Sun where have you gone?
Clouds rolled in and snubbed you out.
Now its cold and dark.