What we've been up to...

Life has been busy for all three of us. I'm busy studying for my Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education and Row has been training for his first half marathon (21km) and Justin....well, Justin's been busy growing up. 

It was quite difficult to get back into study mode and it took me a few weeks to get into the swing of things but now I'm halfway through my first credit. Just submitted my first assignment, an essay of 1500 words, last week and have a PowerPoint presentation to submit in two weeks. It's been quite the challenge to fit my studies into our routine but I have managed to find time and thanks to Row for looking after Justin on the weekends so I can squeeze in a few hours. 

Row decided to set a goal for himself and registered for his first half marathon that happened this past weekend in Hunter Valley. He was doing really well, being his disciplined self, and almost reaching his target of running a 21km stretch, so he would've done really well. Sadly, Row's grandfather passed away and he flew back to South Africa so he missed the half marathon but there will definitely be more to train for!

And our munchkin....well, he's been very busy, definitely making us toe the line. Justin's vocabulary has exploded and sometimes he'll string together 4-5 word sentences, not complete sentences but we know what he's saying. He loves repeating things over and over and needs some acknowledgement to what he's saying. We were going through a very long phase of watching DVDs but that thankfully, seems to have tapered off. But in that time, our DVD collection increased marginally and we now have the Toy Story trilogy, Megamind, Up and Kung Fu Panda. Potty training has not been progressing as he now refuses to sit on the loo at home, he only wants to sit on the mini-made-for-kids toilets at school so he'll happily tell the teachers at school that he needs to wee and will sit on the loo there which doesn't really help cos he only goes twice a week. Drop off at school improved to the point where there were no more tears and he would tell me to leave after giving me a hug and a kiss. He loves coming home and telling us who he played with and what they did at school. His friends at school are Sarah, Ugo (Hugo), Charwe (Charlie) and Woody (seriously)!!! A few weeks ago, Row borrowed a safety gate from a colleague to put on Justin's door to keep him in his room. It was getting ridiculous, Justin was waking up like 5-6 times a night and some nights I would be so exhausted I would sleep with Justin in his bed to avoid him sleeping with us. After we got the gate, Justin was ill so we held off until he was better. One evening, Row asked, "are we going to do this?" and I said yes (with a twinge of doubt). We put the gate on, Justin thought it was so cool, and we thought okay, at least he won't get a fright when he wakes up tonight. Bedtime rolled around, we read stories, tucked him in and walked out...the tears started. Justin was sitting by the gate screaming and crying and I almost caved cos he looked like a caged animal :(  The crying lasted for 45 mins and when he stopped and we went to check, he'd climbed back into bed and was fast asleep. That night he woke up at about 2am and cried for half an hour...we waited and waited and then went to check, he'd climbed back into bed. Thankfully, the next night, bedtime was easier, no crying AND he slept through. We promise Justin he'll get 2 stickers every night that he sleeps through in his own bed....sometimes I'm feeling generous and will give him extra stickers. It's been 3 weeks now and I'm hoping that this lasts, no more night wakings from Justin. Cross fingers, hold thumbs, touch wood!!!!

Always the helper

The sticker post 

Developing his gross motor skills

Justin and dad have a roar-off

On holiday in Port Stephens, while driving to the Shark and Ray Centre, Justin and Row had a roar-off in the car.

Sending emails and surfing the web

Justin received this laptop for his birthday from aunty Gill and Chris and he loves it, it makes him feel important that he gets to walk around with his very own laptop and has full control over it.

Justin the chatterbox cowboy

This zebra was a birthday present from Karen, Trevor, Ethan and Jenna. It took Justin a couple of days to get use to the zebra but as you can see, he's now quite comfortable with it and can ride it like a pro.

Justin shaking his booty

This video clip was taken while we were on holiday in Port Stephens.

Family Holiday

After our visitors left, we decided to go away and spend some quality time alone, just the three of us. We drove up north to Port Stephens, about a 2.5hour drive. We left on Monday and took a slow drive, stopping in Terrigal to have lunch with Louise's mom. We rented a little cabin, villa is how they described it on the website, but it was a cosy, self-catering cabin with a heater, flat screen tv and Foxtel (our version of cable tv). Our cabin over-looked the beach so it was a very nice view but also probably the reason why it felt like the windiest spot. Port Stephens is an area made up of little towns called Nelson Bay (which is where we stayed), Lemon Tree, Bobs Farm and more. Tuesday was quite nice weather-wise, the sun was shining but it wasn't too cold and there was just a slight breeze. We decided to go to the Shark and Ray Center where you can get into the pools with the sharks and rays and feed them. They supply waders with boots for those who want to get in and wetsuits for children. Row said he would go in with Justin and I opted to stay out the water, Justin also decided not to venture into the water so it was Row all by himself. He enjoyed it until he discovered his boot was leaking which left his shoe and pants wet and unpleasant. For the rest of the week we actually didn't do much; Port Stephens has so much to offer but definitely better to do it in the summer. The weather turned freezing and windy which made us not go for a dolphin cruise as the water was so choppy. We did take a drive out to an area called Tea Gardens which turned out to be not as interesting as the name might suggest. On our last day we stayed close to home and went up to the lighthouse to have tea and scones. We did use this time to try out new recipes; Row was a star chef! We also spent our time reading and having two hour afternoon naps with Justin. We left Port Stephens feeling rested and rejuvenated so it was a fantastic holiday. On our way back to Sydney, we stopped in Umina to have lunch with Diona and the kids. 

We've been back for nearly a week and the holiday feeling has already worn off. Row is back at work and he says it feels like he was never away. I'm hitting the books again and already have an assignment due for 3 weeks time, just before our next weekend get-away!

Feeding the baby sharks

Row in the pool Dolly, the sting ray

Row in the pool with 3m long sharks

Justin was absolutely fascinated by these pelicans

Going for a walk with dad

Our family portrait

The month of May

Generally, May is a very busy month for our family and this year was no exception plus there were a few extra celebrations. My mom and dad came out to visit us again to celebrate mine, my dad's, Justin's and Bg's birthdays. It was a whirlwind month that came and went in a blink of eye. We were really looking forward to our parent's visit and now they've gone home already. I know we made a conscious decision to leave our family and friends behind in South Africa for a life here in Sydney but it's never easy (and it doesn't get easier) saying good bye. 

On a happy note, Justin spent some real quality time with his grandparents and they all had a ball as he is so much more interactive and talkative than he was a year ago. My dad definitely had a brilliant time spoiling his grandson, ie bribing him with ice cream to go to bed, have you ever?!?!?!? Well, at least when we got home Justin was sleeping and not running around the apartment on a sugar high which is what we envisioned. Mom also spoilt her grandson by playing with him ( Justin riding his car and mom riding his scooter and even wearing the helmet), bathing him, drawing with him and just spending quality time together. Justin really made them smile and their hearts melt when he could call them, Popo (grandmother) and Gu-Gu (for Kung-Kung/ grandfather) and Kau-Kau (uncle) for BG. It was nice having mom and dad cook for us some night, especially for me as I learnt how to cook some new dishes. Dad was also on hand to advise and assist me in starting our own herb garden. Let's hope these herbs survive! I've already used some fresh herbs in my cooking and it feels so good to be "self-sufficient" hehehehe. Our buk choi has started sprouting so yippee for that. 

Making music with Kung-Kung

Popo bathing and dressing Justin

Our herb "garden"

Another cause for celebration this May was BG and Louise's engagement. Congratulations to you both, hope that it has sunk in by now ;) It was also a milestone birthday for BG, his 30th! Welcome to our decade, it's so much fun!  Just to add to the already long list of May birthdays, my cousin Jason and his wife Cindy in London welcomed baby Hayden, congratulations to you both, we can't wait to meet the cutie!