First days...

Today was the first day of Kindy (which is the term here in Australia) for 3 year old preschool. M absolutely loved it! It's 2.5 hours per day and she goes twice a week. They do a lot of crafting and are read to and get to get their energy out! She loves that she gets to be this independent little girl!

Meg at Kindy 2/19/2013

Here is a photo of big sis on her first day at Kindy (circa 2009)

Big Sis is a 2nd grader and in dance and gymnastics and Girl Scouts and is SO busy!

And here's a nice and random photo of the little big man

So far we're all doing well, just missing family and friends a lot!

I can't promise timely updates, but I WILL try!

SO here is it 2013. Life with three kids moves by at a breakneck pace and it's hard to find time to blog! I wish I could. I've become an Instagramaholic! That's where most of my memories and photos of the kids and hubby come from.

I keep the blog around as a way to TRY to keep up with what's going on.

So many things have happened since Baby #3 was born. He just turned 1 on Jan 14, he is just about walking, holding everything and walking and has been crawling up a storm for the last 4.5 months or so. He can say Uh-oh anytime he does something naughty like throw toys. He's a joy to be around and his big sisters fight to play with him.

Meg has really grown up in the last year. But the biggest improvement has been with her eating habits. This girl was only want to eat things she decided to eat. Now she's willing to try new things. Yesterday we had cauliflower and I was prepared for her not to eat a bite of it, yet she CLEANED her plate! She said it was so delicious! It gives me hope she will eat more veggies. We keep offering and it's starting to pay off that she's interested in it! In other news she will be starting school soon!

Shivani is in 2nd grade... but before I get to that... We moved back to Australia! YES... over the Christmas/Holiday break we packed up and moved out!

Dennis is very happy being back! WE all miss being so close to family and friends in the US, but we knew the time to be overseas again was while the kids were young.

Shivani is in 2nd grade here in private school. I love it because there is no fighting about clothing choices, I love uniforms for that. They still get days they can pick out what they want to wear, but it's so much less stress! She has friends and loves to go to the canteen (cafeteria) here to eat lunch. She is pretty relaxed here, apart from some anxiety from the move itself. She still misses her friends back in San Antonio, but overall is doing well here.

I'm back in the swing of things, re-met a bunch of friends we had here, and made some new ones! It's good to be back here because things are so laid back and very low stress! I'm in some groups to learn a new hobby and will report on that in another post!

That's it for now! Head over to instagram for photos.. I'm ska1ser, but I have to add you as it's a private account, or go over to flickr... again most photos are private as well, just send me a message!

Hope all is well :) 

Project 52 - Week 4 and 5

Exposure	0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture	f/3.5
Focal Length	18 mm
ISO Speed	400

This photo above was brought on by not having her baby brother in her lap and not being allowed to handle the DSLR. The age of 2 has been soooo wonderful!

Exposure	0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture	f/5.6
Focal Length	130 mm
ISO Speed	400

A closeup of Baby H. I love how perfect his mouth looks in this shot... babies are so wonderful, til they turn 2!

Project 52 - Week 2 and Week 3

Exposure 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 3.9 mm
ISO Speed 500

Exposure	0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture	f/2.8
Focal Length	3.9 mm
ISO Speed	1000

So instead of posting on Friday the 13th, I was going to post on the 14th... but instead I went into Labor at 3:30am, and well here's the result! Here is Henry with me on his birthday, and another of him with his paternal grandfather! He was named for his great and great-great grandfather's on this grandpa's side.

He weighed 4 lbs, 13 oz, was 19.25 inches, born on 1/14/12 at 12:14pm.

Other than being an itty bitty guy, he's great!! Eats, sleeps and poops like a champ! :)

Wow! at the end of the 2nd week of the new year we have a new addition to the family! It's pretty awesome!

Project 52 - Week 1

Project 52 - Week 1

Metadata: f/5.0, 1/8, ISO 400

Photo info : I cropped the original and used Pioneer Woman's Seventies effect for this look via (Adobe Photoshop) Elements.

Inspired by Styleberry Blog's Project 52, I too wanted to get back into photography, but I knew doing it daily would be tough. Baby #3 is going to be an adjustment and I want to be back into photography as I know it would force me to take and hopefully be in more photos with the kids and husband. I shy away from the camera for many reasons, but I don't want to look back at this time and see virtually zero photos or photos where many of us are not together.

The above photo is of my Meg peeking around the corner after she stole out of the "mudroom" with her big sister's umbrella. She is a very mischievous little imp and this photo captured her as best as I could in the one second she actually stops moving!

I've titled my theme for my project 52 "Peeks". I think it will/can be a peek into my life, or the kids or family or into whatever we're doing. Should be fun and hopefully can keep it up for the year!

Thanks Shawna for opening this up and letting us be a part of it!

Any comments/constructive criticism re:photography is welcome.

Trying to get back in the saddle!

On the left hand side of my blog here will be a link to my Project 52, which will be a weekly updated (hopefully) photo of what's going on in life... I want to get back into photography and hopefully this will give me the push to do it! We'll see! Come back and visit often!

Yeah I know I haven't updated in a million years...

So yeah... it's beeeeeen super light on posting for like EVER... lemme catch up here...

Since last Winter/Spring, we've gone from a mild spring with planting and new trees, to the HELL that was the summer of 2011. It was over 100 days of full on 100 degrees plus (40 Celsius) here. Horrible. It was just bad.

D and I went to Hawai'i while the girls got to spend time with their grandparents. It was a nice vacation, and while we did miss the girls it was nice to go on a vacation with no children... well almost...

We found out in late May/early June that we are expecting baby #3. And in September it was confirmed that baby is a boy! So that's been pretty exciting!

Lil S is in 1st grade now, and absolutely loves it, is enjoying her class and new friends she has made. She is reading at a 2nd/3rd grade level, and overall just has been really doing well in school.

Baby M, now gonna be called Lil M, is just a full on toddler. She has just been talking up a storm, this happened later in age with M than with S, but I've been told many times that 2nd kiddos usually wait to talk. She has a definite opinion on EVERYTHING and isn't afraid to share it. She's very sweet when she wants to be though saying loudly, "I LOVE YOU!!!" Too cute for words!

Baby Boy is due end of January, and we still don't have a name, that's the only issue at this point, just have a few that we kind of agree on, but nothing that we're totally in love with... but once we see him I'm sure we will pick one and that will be it!

Oh I also took Chem 2 and A&P2 in Fall of 2011, and got a 4.0, so that was wonderful! Hard work and studying really do pay off, but it's only because I have a wonderful husband!! :)

For now that's it, we're all just waiting for baby to arrive, and then I'm sure we'll have more posts...

Now to update the girl's letters blog... need to get on that!

Hope everyone is having a great 2012! Happy New Year!

Springy Spring

Here it is about a month and a half later. So we spent most of February on and off sick with allergies, the kids were sick as well. It was so not fun. We're doing better as spring has sprung. Planted and really got the front and backyard looking good over spring break, and went down to the beach in Corpus Christi for a few days. It was good to get away. It's almost April and before too long SUMMER. This will be the first summer we've been in TX in 9 years. That's craziness! I'm not too excited, because I hate humidity, and compared to Australia and Colorado, I know it will be humid on top of the heat. Thank goodness for pools and A/C.

M is having a lot of fun with separation anxiety and S is still in love with going to school. Hopefully M gets over her issue and S never gets over hers... That's about all for now from here.

Ahhhchoooo!

Whoa.. it's been a crazy past few months... some sad craziness in mid-December, and then the holidays which were fun! The new Year has been good, but quite cold. I can't remember Texas ever being as cold as it has THIS year.

Above is a picture of the girls this morning. They didn't want to stay out too long, and there wasn't too much to actually play with.

Been trying to keep up with the blogs, but it's been tough. :) Will try to do a bit better now that I'm not in school this semester. We'll see if/when I go back.

Not too much else. Just trying to keep warm, and looking forward to spring, just no mountain cedar or other allergens I hope!

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.

When plans go awry

What a heck of a week!!

We celebrated Christmas on the 24th this year since D was working on the 25th. But like the old adage goes... when you plan, God laughs... well D and Lil S got very sick with a stomach virus. They have since recovered, very tired, but overall much better than on Christmas day.

The baby and I remain unscathed (so far). She had a good first Christmas despite all the running around I had to do to help D and Lil S recover.

She played and got a lot of one on one time since the other 2 were passed out sleeping.

Lil S was very happy about Christmas, and she said the prayers at dinner (which are so simple and sweet)... All in all it was a good Christmas, but just not exactly what we planned for...

Hope everyone out there had a good Christmas (or holidays!)