442 + 338 Weeks

It has been a very smokey Christmas!  No beach trips for us, it's just been too smokey, with a lot of burnt leaves and ash in the water and washed up on the sand.  The highway has been closed on and off.  The Bambers left early this afternoon to go back to Bowral, but the highway was closed so they had to turn around and come back.  The fires are well over 200,000 hectares, and still out of control.  It definitely has put a dampener on Christmas, but the kids have been pretty excited all the same.  They have had lots of family time with their aunt and uncles and cousins.  We did a family Christmas Eve dinner at Lolo's, and then a casual lunch there too on Christmas day.  There was no drama, and all went well.  The kids were unbelievably well behaved.  I hate saying that, like they are just these automatons to be good or naughty, but it has to be said, they were amazing.  They patiently waited for late dinners and late lunches, they were polite and engaging, total champs.  I wish we had other kids their age in the family.  Christmases are so much fun when you get to hang with cousins the same age.  Carmie definitely felt left out of the adult conversations a lot, but she did get to play a lot of games with Mark's mother, Granny, so that made up for it.

I am quite relieved Christmas is over.  As much fun as it is, it is so disruptive and expensive, I just want things to go back to normal.  The kids have built a massive spy base in the family room, so that room is out of commission, and the lounge room has the Christmas tree in it, as well as presents I am yet to find a home for.  I think I need a clean house and a routine as much as the kids do!

We had a couple of park plays this week, which was greatly needed because we just don't get out much any more because of the smoke.  The kids have been spending a lot of times on different screens,  but I just have to tell myself they are learning.  Arley loves his music apps, and they both love their coding apps, and those are good, right?  Arley has been doing a maths app a lot too, which is random but I can't complain!  And Carmie has been practising her guitar every single day, and has learned three cords so far.  She is stoked!  We also got haircuts this week, and Carmie went and had hers chopped really short.  She loves it, I love it, and it is completely pain and hassle free!

And, our business had it's first sale today!  Yay!  And we haven't started advertising yet.  Fingers crossed it's the first of many!

 Carmie's angel.  I love her.

 Family keno at the golf club

 Christmas at Lolo's

 Carmie and Uncle Sting

 Christmas morning

441 + 337 Weeks

These fires - we are so over them!! We had a couple of days with clear skies and we thought we were out of the woods as far as smoke inhalation.  The fires won't be out until it rains properly, which probably won't be until February, but we still thought things were on the up and up.  Until today.  We woke up this morning to smoke and ash everywhere.  We were totally housebound today, even though we were supposed to meet friends at the park.  The fires are at 105000 hectares, and another has started north of us.  Mum and Geoff drove up to Sydney today to pick up Jay from the airport, and they are lucky they made it back home as we didn't know if the highway was going to be closed.  And conditions are supposed to get worse on Saturday :(

During the week when we could go out, we did.  We made a trip to Collers Beach, but we didn't go exploring because Carmie had fallen in the shower and hurt her back.  Another day we drove south so we could show the kids the fire-ravaged area, and it was so sad to see.  We need to go back in a few months after the rain when the new shoots have come up and there is some life coming back.  It was really eerie to see all those black trees for miles.  We saw a lone echidna wondering around in the blackness.  But it soon cleared, we happened upon a market, and then we took the kids to a park for a play.  The kids also got to their last horse riding lesson of the year, as well as their last tennis lesson. 

The good news is that the kids have been playing together so well, with barely any fights.  I can't quite believe it, because it has been consistent for almost two weeks now.  It seems that Arley has chilled out enough, and Carmie is responsive to him enough, and they are becoming really good friends.  They are still playing spies, they have been building forts and 'spy hideouts' in the family room.  They are both into designing t-shirts, because I spend so long doing that now, and it's really cool to start teaching them Illustrator.  Arley has an insanely good eye for spatial recognition, it's tripping me out.  Oh, and Carmie started guitar lessons again tonight!  Jeff has been waiting for her to ask him, not wanting to push it.  Then we saw a busker a few days ago, and Carmie asked Jeff that night.  Fingers crossed she keeps it up.

So, Jay is in town as of today, all the way from China.  Georgia and family are coming down tomorrow and are renting the townhouse next to Mum and Geoff.  And then Sting is coming down on Sunday.  The kids are so excited to see everyone again, they have been busy making presents and cards.  They actually spent an afternoon making these bags for everyone, and then Arley put them on the floor in the study.  The next day we were all in there and Arley noticed something on the bags.  Bella had thrown up the most massive amount of vomit on the bags. She never throws up!  At least she spared the carpet, but it was all over the kids' Christmas presents!  I took the bags outside, hosed them off and threw them in the washing machine.  Luckily they came out clean, and after an iron, they look as good as new.  The receivers will be none the wiser!

Arley rocking his NeuroCool tee :)

At Collers Beach

 Kisses!

 Big Foot

Driving through the Tabourie where the fires ravaged.

 Rocky love!

Morning workout

 ND Renegade tees

 Jeff took this photo from work today

This is the fire map from this morning.