650 + 546 Weeks

This build up to Christmas has been so hot and humid, and busy, but fun.  on Friday lastweek Clint took Arley to play minigolf, but it was a total bust because he Arley didn’t start the game out well, and as soon as things don’t go his way, he is done.  Arley came back so mad, and Clint came back with his patience tested!  Arley said he is never going to go anywhere with Clint again, but he seems to have forgotten because we were just now discussing what they are going to do tomorrow.  Haha.

On Sunday Mum and Geoff came over early to look after the kids, and Jeff and I drove down to Brisbane to pick up our unicycles that were getting worked on, and then we spent the day in Brisbane, unicycling along the river.  We had a lovely lunch, then went for a swim at the manmade lagoon beach in the middle of the city.  It was very hot, and we dried off really quickly unicycling back to the car.  It was a fun day, and good to get away and some time to ourselves.

The kids had OT this week with their new occupational therapist.  Carmie set goals with her OT, her main one being to get better at talking to people.  She tends to be a bit of a deer in headlights in some situations.  Arley was introduced to his new OT assistant, a guy called Jordan who has tattoos all over him, so Arley thought he was pretty cool.  I have high hopes for these two, they seem to understand the kids’ difficulties quite well and are up for the challenge.

Poor Carmie has been feeling sick on and off for a few weeks.  I’m worried it might be iron deficiency.  She keeps getting nauseous and dizzy.  It happened on Wednesday when she was at her social group.  Arley had asked to go to, so Jeff and I were all set to have the afternoon off, but then the kids were picked up early because Carmie was sick.  During dinner tonight she stopped eating too, claiming nausea.  We have a paediatrician appointment towards the end of January, so I’m going to keep track and let the doctor know.

Last night I went out on a girls’ night out.  My friend Andrea organised it, and it was really fun.  Six of us, drinks and dinner down by the water - it was great! 

Today Andrea had organised to pick Arley up at 1pm and take him to play laser tag with Chayse and another boy, Tyler.  Arley was happy to go, right up until the point when Andrea walked in to get him, and then his anxiety kicked in.  He was stomping around and shouting, saying he wasn’t going to go, he hates laser tag, it’s so boring, etc etc.  Andrea got a glimpse of just how charming Arley can be!  In the end, Chayse came in to see what the hold up was, and talked Arley into coming.  And guess what?  The three boys had a blast.  Apparently Arley was chatting away on the way home, totally comfortable, and all smiles.  I’m so glad he went.  And now he has a new friend.  He is chatting with the other boy, Tyler, on Discord right now as they are playing a game together.  Sadly Tyler lives about an hour away on Bribie Island.  But still, he has a new friend!

Christmas is only a few days away, and the kids are excited.  We haven’t had much time to get our lights strung this year.  Jeffrey and I are hoping to get it done tomorrow.  Better late than never!!  I am really looking forward to next week when all of our activities are off and we have a complete week of rest.  I think we all need it!

649 + 544 Weeks

I have no photos this week, because who wants photos of us all melting??!!  OMG, it is so hot and muggy.  We have had a couple of swims in the pool, but it's been a really busy week as far as appointments and therapies go, so we've also been shuttling around in this heat.  I took Arley to the dentist for his mouthpiece to be adjusted, and the dentist told me that early in the new year he will be removing one of Arley's stubborn baby teeth, and after that Arley will be starting with Invisalign.  He showed me a 3d computer generated animation of Arley's teeth changing from where they were when we started, to where we hope to get them, and the change is so dramatic, I can't wait until we are done!

Carmie saw her podiatrist this week.  She has been fitted with very expensive orthopedic insoles to help her gait.  They make a big difference in the way she walks when she is wearing them.  Now we just have to get her to wear them more often in this heat.  They are in her sneakers, so it's not easy.

I don't have much else to report.  Jeff and I went unicycling on Saturday, which was fun, as always.  On Wednesday I had to drive to Brisbane to get some repairs done on our unicycles.  I left them there, and on Sunday we are picking them up and spending the day cruising along the Brisbane River on our wheels, while Lolo and Dida look after the kids.

Christmas is coming fast, and luckily I am pretty much done with Christmas shopping.  It is definitely getting harder as the kids get older.  They are still looking forward to Christmas as much as before though :)

Sorry about the lack of photos this week!

648 + 544 Weeks

It's been a good and busy week.  Arley was very sick last week but he was feeling a little better on Friday, and much better by Saturday, which was very good timing because on Sunday my Dad and stepmother (Opa and Oma) arrived on the sunny coast for a visit.  It would be three years this January since we have seen them, which is too long.  They came over for dinner on Sunday night - tostada night - and then we decorated our Christmas tree with them.  Our trees always look kind of shonky because Jeff goes out to the forest and cuts them down.  To get a live tree here you have to go on a waitlist in October, and I never remember.  So shonky trees have become our Christmas tradition!  This is the best shonky tree we've had, and it was really nice for the kids to decorate it with their grandparents they hadn't seen in years.

On Monday Carmie and I met Oma and Opa at the big mall for lunch.  On Tuesday we met them out for dinner at an Italian restaurant which was a hit, and then I had booked a river cruise for us.  We got hte kids gelato, and then we all hopped on a boat and cruised the Mooloolaba river.  The houses along the river range in price from $6-30 million, and many had incredible Christmas light displays, so it was quite the eye-opening and flashy experience.  It turned out to be a lovely evening.

On Tuesday morning I took Arley to the aquarium.  It is one of his favourite places to go, and he wanted to lead me around and show me everything he knows, as well as his favourite displays.  It was a real pleasure to have one on one time with him doing something that he is so engaged in.

On Saturday Carmie attended her teen group down in Caloundra, and Jeffrey and I took our unicycles down there for a spin.  It was such a fun afternoon, even though we were trapped under a shelter while it poured rain all around us for 30 minutes.  We have definitely found our new hobby, it is so fun.  We want the kids to get their own unicycles so we can become a one-wheeling family and cruise around everywhere we go.  Haha.

Trapped in the rain while we were unicycling :(