Camping trip to Hervey Bay

We have just spent a week camping at Hervey Bay. Steve and I think we have found our camping style and we call it 'Camping with Facilities.' I liked having a camp kitchen, showers, bathroom, laundry and shops close by so I didn't need to stress about anything. There was also lots of interesting things to do around town with the girls so they didn't need to be entertained by us so much. I got an awesome king single size air mattress, which meant I actually slept well for the first time while camping. It makes a big difference when you're well rested. Unfortunately Steve and Lizzie both had the Flu but they soldiered on and we had a great time.

Amita and Lizzie are going to share their camping experience now.

We're inside the tent while Mum and Dad were setting it up. We had to stand in the tent because it was really windy and we didn't want the tent to blow away.

I liked flying the Butterfly kite and I had to run in the right direction to make it fly in the air.

Daddy caught me from the wave.

I got a towel and got a cough. I was sad.

I collected shells on the beach to make my sand-castle tower.

We were making sand angels. It was so fun.

I buried Sleeping Beauty in the sand. I made her into a mermaid. 

At night we played in the tent. Lizzie was throwing her toys at me.

This is me (Amita) at the Jump Park. I did a flip into the big white pillow. I also did the big obstacle course and I was very brave because I had to do a big jump from on top of a wall. There was a wall made out of trampolines and I liked crashing into it.

Lizzie liked jumping on all of the trampolines.

 This is Lizzie and Dad playing checkers. Later Mum and I played and I won! I trapped Mum's piece so I could jump over her.

My family went to the China gardens. It was so pretty. 

This is my family.

I can see me doing a funny face ~ Lizzie.

I am sliding on the little slide. (This is at the free water park in Hervey Bay - we loved it!)

Lizzie is standing on the stingray and I am standing on the octopus' head!

This is me running through the water fountains.

I was doing a funny face with Dad. 

We found Santa at the shops and took a photo with him. I told Santa I wanted a lot of stuff but Santa said we'll figure it out ~ Amita

I wanted a doll ~ Lizzie

We went on a riding animal. When I started it moving Lizzie fell off the back but Daddy caught her. So Lizzie went on the front of the Angry Bird. 

We played giant chess near the park. I got the most pieces out and Lizzie stole my Queen.

End of Year Celebrations - The Dance Concert

Amita was a wonderful dancer at her concert. She was always smiling and had lots of enthusiasm! Here are some photos and videos from her concert. 

My favourite dance move of the night is the hip wiggle right near the end.

She was very spoilt and received a certificate, medal and trophy for being a shining star!

Steve was a shining star too! He took care of all the lighting and sound for the concert. 

Lizzie showed off her skills during intermission too...

End of Year Celebrations - End of Prep

My little preppy is going to be a big grade 1 next year! She is so excited to be able to have free roam of the school at lunch time. Amita did extremely well with her report card. She is top of her year with reading. At the end of Prep they are expected to be at a PM level 5 and at the end of Year 1 they need to be at level 15. Amita is at level 20! There are only 30 levels for reading.

The Prep cohort put on a show for the parents and sang 'Summer Holiday' for us. Amita is a little groover!

Here she is getting her graduation present from her teachers. 

End of Year Celebrations - Gymnastics

The girls have finished gymnastics for the year. They have worked hard and really enjoy going. Lizzie is devastated that she has to wait another 8 weeks to get into the gym. Amita is going to be able to try out for the WAG 1 level class (this is the competitive stream of classes) as long as there are vacancies and Lizzie is being moved to the Senior Kidzgym class next year.

I'm also getting into the gym and will be coaching WAG 1 and 2 classes.

Amita on the bars - this is her favourite apparatus.

Lizzie on the rings.

They both received a certificate and medal/ribbon. 

Christmas Decorating 2016

I was feeling particularly festive yesterday so we put up our Christmas tree a little earlier than usual. The girls did not mind one bit - though Lizzie was a bit sad that there were no presents under the tree this morning.

Here is Lizzie showing off our Snoopy Christmas decoration - I remember this one from when I was a kid. 

Amita the Christmas Fairy trying to fly away. 

Lizzie and Dad put the star on the tree.

We have glass sliding doors that face the road so I got some liquid chalk and we made a Christmas mural for our neighbours to enjoy. 

Here's Lizzie drawing her bit with the famous 'Buckle Concentration Tongue' hanging out. 

The finished product. It's almost like a Look and Find picture. Can you spot a gingerbread man, a gingerbread girl, baby Jesus, an elf, Santa - whose hat looks like a candy cane,  Humpty Dumpty (Lizzie went a bit off the Christmas theme!), a vampire and Daddy with crazy hair?

We are trying out a new tradition of learning about and adding a new person to our Nativity each week. Last night we added Joseph. We were also having meat pies for dinner and it seems that Lizzie has put the two together. Whenever she tells me about the Nativity story, she says Mary has a big tummy with a baby in it and Joseph (Dofes as she pronounces it) has a big tummy from eating pies and bananas!

Lizzie's gift for Dad

Lizzie and Steve were sitting together on the couch watching a movie.

Steve: Lizzie did you do a stinky on me?

Lizzie: No! I did twoooo!!!

Well at least she told the truth haha!

Pippi Longstocking

Lizzie has just been watching the Pippi Longstocking movie. It is the one from 1960 something and the English is dubbed in. There's a scene in the movie where Pippi has a bucket of water in her house that she tips out all over the floor and then cleans the floor with brush shoes. I had just been mopping the floor and had left the bucket of water out. Lizzie went upstairs and got on her 'Pippi' socks and 'Brush' shoes then came back downstairs and was just about to tip out the bucket of water all over our floor when luckily I happened to turn around and catch her! 

I let her tip out the water on the front porch instead.

This girl has a very active imagination!!! :)

Halloween

This year we decorated the house and had a bowl of lollies for trick or treaters. Amita and Lizzie were expert at opening the door and offering the bowl to the kids. Amita was particularly good at making sure everyone said 'Trick or Treat' first and only picked out 1 lolly (she'll make a good teacher one day!). I think we would of had about 100 kids come over.

Here are the girls with our decorations.

Amita is Mal from the Disney Descendants movie and Lizzie is Ariel. 

I've already picked up some heavily discounted decorations for next year.

Amita's Parenthood Predictions

Amita has been telling me some wonderful things that she is going to do for her kids when she is a Mum. She usually makes these announcements after I tell her she can't have or do something. I thought I'd keep track of them here so that I can remind her of these when she is a Mum!

• I will let my kids have tuckshop every day.
• I will put a sticker of a pokeball on my car.
• I will make my kids eat ALL of their dinner.
• When my kids are naughty I will say in a sweet voice, 'can you please stop it?'

Amita is 6!

Amita has celebrated her 6th Brithday.
Here is her birthday Interview 

1. What is your favourite colour? Pink and Purple

2. What are your favourite toys?  Barbies and stuffed toys like my Beanie Boo dragon.

3. What clothes do you love to wear? My Rey costume (Star Wars)

4. What do you like to do outside? Blow bubbles and be Tigger by jumping up and down.

5. What do you like to do inside? Work - school work like writing and colouring-in.

6. What songs do you love? A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Away (by Weird Al Yankovic).

7. What are your favourite foods? Apples (especially ones cut into a slinky), Rockmelon, Grapes and Chocolate. 

8. Who are your best friends? Everyone in my class at school. 

9.  What do you love to do with your family? Play with Lego and playing What's the Time Mr Wolf.

10. What do you want to do when you grow up? Be a teacher and a Mum.

11. What are your favourite books? Green Eggs and Ham and 5 minute Star Wars Stories.

12. What makes you happy? Being silly.

13. What makes you sad? When Lizzzie pushes me over and when Mum has to leave.

14. Where are your favourite places to go? The Ekka and Dreamworld and White Water World

15. What are your favourite tv shows/movies? Glitter Force (it's kind of like Sailor Moon), The Avengers and Star Wars.

16. What is your favourite animal? Leopards

17. Who is your favourite scripture person/story? Joseph Smith

18. What is your favourite ice-cream flavour? Rainbow

19. Who is your hero? My Cousins and my Grandparents and my family!

20. What do you like about Mum? Going shopping with her

21. What do you like about Dad? He tickles me

22. What do you like about Lizzie? When we be crazy together. 


So this year Amita has been a little bit Star Wars crazy. She received a lot of Star Wars themed presents and had a Star Wars party on her birthday with her school friends. She had a great day!

Amita opening her gift from Gramps and Gramsi.

 Opening her present from Nan,Pa and the Katenes. She's very excited to go to the pool soon to try out her snorkel and flippers. 

All dressed up in her Rey costume with Princess Leia Lizzie. 

Dad and Amita working on her Rey Lego racer. 

We played lots of games at Amita's party. The kids were sad when the games had all finished and it was time to go. Even the ones who didn't want their parents to leave them at the start, were hiding upstairs at the end of the party so they wouldn't have to go home (they eventually all went home). I think that makes it a success.

Here's Amita whacking the Pinata. We only got through half of the kids before it broke open. I'll need to do more than 3 layers of paper mache next time. 

All of the party-goers playing musical statues. 

The donut game... I Love Lizzie's face!

This one was Amita's favourite game. They had to free Han Solo from the block of ice with a spoon. Once he was free they got an ice-block. They also played the chocolate game, pass the parcel and did an obstacle course. 

Amita with her cake. She set up the good guys on one side and the bad guys on the other so they were having a battle.