Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal

This year, the boys and I volunteered to do the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal door knock. Ammon was keen to go; Tommy went along because he loves to do what his older brothers do, and Jacob – well I had to convince him to come along as he wasn’t thrilled about door knocking.

The Salvation Army’s  national goal this year was a staggering $79 million! Wow! That’s a lot of money! They needed about 100,000 volunteers to make it a success and I am curious to know if they reached their goal. 

We all met at the chapel at 3 pm, teaming up in pairs. Jacob went with Stuart Otto and raised about $150. Ammon went with the missionaries but unfortunately didn’t have that much luck- I think they raised about $50. Jacob and I went together, and we raised $220. I was pleasantly surprised at how generous most people were and the courtesy they showed us. It was also a good experience for Jacob to see how others lived and the meaning behind what we were doing. The boys have never really had to go without, so it was a good opportunity to teach them that raising funds can mean a roof to someone without a home, education support for a child at risk of dropping out of school or a meal on the table for someone who couldn’t afford to feed themselves. It also gave them a taste of what missionary work would be like.

AFL

 

This year after much coaxing, Jacob has decided to play AFL.  The last few years he has played rugby, however his father is not a fan of such sport - therefore the decision to make the change. To be honest, I think Jacob was tired of being pestered by his father! He loved playing rugby, and without a doubt has the build for it, nonetheless he is pleased he made the switch. I grew up with AFL, so I too am pleased. 

They train on Monday and Thursday nights and their games are held on Friday and Sundays. Jacob made the decision not to play on Sundays, and the coach is aware of this. I’m just relieved that he is still able to play. The kids wore black tape around their arms as a mark of respect for the Club President’s mother-in-law who passed away a short while ago.

I didn’t get too many photos as we turned up late to his game and by half-time, Jared was carting me off to the hospital as I was suffering a migraine of epic proportion and had to get it sorted.

Tasmania 2013

 Every year, we do an annual trip to Tasmania - this is the first time I have actually blogged about it. (very naughty of me) Natalie Otto looked after Ned for us while we were away, and did a fabulous job. Last time we left Ned he went into a severe depression and would't come out of Tommy's room for Alex when she was house sitting for us. I think he knew we were coming back this time!

 Last year when we visited Tasmania,  we had a lot more time to explore the beautiful countryside and visit the snow. This year, we spent a lot of time on the house building process - which I found a little daunting as I was concerned that the colours and fixtures I chose would not look any good once put into place. Time will tell.  Anyhow, after that was all sorted, it was time to catch up with family, do a little more exploring, and dive head first into some serious retail therapy!

It was so cold in Tassie. There was even snow on Mt Wellington!

 Jared's sister Donna took Tommy and Olea for a couple of days so they could spend time with their cousins. They had such an amazing time on their little farm, they didn't want to come home! We had planned to go horse-riding, however the weather was not kind to us and had to cancel. We were all so disappointed.

Cooking at Aunty Donna's. Olea, Olivia and Kristen.

 

On Saturday, we visited the iconic Salamanca Markets. It's a weekly outdoor market, held every Saturday, bringing Hobart’s waterfront alive with the colours, sounds and smells of Tasmania. I absolutely love the historic Georgian sandstone buildings of Salamanca Place in the background along with the yachts and fishing boats on the waterfront. This picturesque market is a favourite of ours, and the kids love it. 

Richmond is a small town about 25 km north-east of Hobart, in the Coral River region.
Present-day Richmond is best known as being preserved as it was at that time. It is a vibrant tourist town, with many of the sandstone structures still standing.

Richmond's most famous landmark is the Richmond Bridge, built in 1823 to 1825, around the time of the town's first settlement. It is Australia's oldest bridge still in use.

 

The St John's Catholic church below was built in 1836, and is considered the oldest Roman Catholic church in Australia. Love these old buildings.

 

On a wet and miserable Sunday, we drove out to the township of Snug to visit the beautiful waterfall. The drive was fine although by the time we were climbing the mountains, the weather had deteriorated and we were driving in fog, mist and rain. The hire car handled the narrow, wet roads very well although driving conditions did require a lot of concentration. We have done a lot of long distance driving in Australia over the years, but I have to say, Tassie's roads are quite challenging at times. They're narrow, winding and the locals (be they the massive log trucks or the local hoons or just ordinary locals) do tend to whiz along them at speeds well in excess of the legal speed limit. I don't like driving on these roads at night either, as it is so hard to see. Donna has rolled her car on the Judbry Road with all four kids in the car too. Luckily, no one was injured. 

The waterfall below is an impressive 25-30m, and in the summertime, people often swim in the creek.

The walking track is just over an hour return from the parking bay just off an unsealed access road. The track is all downhill on the way to the falls and all uphill on the way back.  The footing is a little rocky and uneven in places but generally quite easy walking. Jared carried Olea on his shoulders the whole treck. Such a princess she can be!

Tanner, Ammon, Jacob and Tommy.

Tommy, Olea, Jacob, Tanner and Ammon.

This photo was from last year when we were in Tassie.

Cousins, Ammon and Sheldi. Sheldi was about to give Ammon a big kiss!

Cousins, Olea and Regan.

I think Papa is going to be relegated to the front for photos in the future!

Nana Gard and Olea

Jacob's retail therapy

Jaclyn spent a night with us while Tommy and Olea were at Donna's. We took them out to their  favourite restaurant, Hogs Breath.

Jacob's face is priceless! 

Olivia and Olea

Ammon and Tanner at Kingston Maccas.

Cousins having one last play before we leave.

Kristen

Olea looks up to her older cousin Jaclyn.

The photo below is of the kids at UncleJimmy's grave. He passed away at age 18 in Papa's arms. Such a sad story. Here is the link for more information.

http://gardfamilytree.com/gard_james_robert.html

Hobart Airport. Such a hard life.

School Holiday Highlights - week 1

Keeping kids occupied for two weeks or more can be a daunting task, particularly for our kids for whom two or three extra-curricular activities a week are the norm. Highly-organised school routines come to a sudden halt during the term holidays, leaving the kids with too much time on their hands! And to whom do they turn to, to keep them occupied? Meee!

Some kids feel comfortable with the routines of school-life and can feel a little lost until the new holiday routine kicks in – not mine. I guess I’m a pretty relaxed parent, maybe too relaxed sometimes! I just don’t want to fall into the trap of being an entertainment officer. Whilst I want the kids to be occupied, I find it worthwhile remembering that kids need some downtime (they say it’s a pre-requisite for good mental health) and I’m good for that, because all mums need downtime too.

Olea would have to be my worst child forsaying “I’m bored”. She struggles to entertain herself – unlike Tommy, so I’malways trying to find fun ways to keep her amused - which are inexpensive!

Here are some highlights from the first week.

Baynton West Park

Shae and Tahlia are Olea's twin friends from school. They live just down the road, and they often come up for a play. This is Shae and Olea playing in the tree. They ended up having a sleep over and didn't end up getting to sleep until 3 am in the morning!

Two little bumble bees chatting in the tree.

Olea and Shae

Shae and Olea

Olea, practicing her reading

Jared drew up a calendar for Olea, which she has hung on her wall. She crosses off the days until we leave for Tassie.

I stole this photo from Karen - we went to Hearsons Cove, but I didn't get many photos as it was getting too dark!

Blurry photo but I love it! It really captures the beautiful water at Hearsons Cove. "How long till I'm taller than you, mum?"

Jacob is the bestest big brother a little sister could ask for! 

Olea, making yummy cottage pie for Adam and Gunda.

Tigger, helping Olea cut the veggies.

Boys will be boys!

Jacob, trying to pose for his crab catch! Haha

Jacob is hardly home these days. Mr popular is always out boating, fishing and jet skiing with his friends. A few months ago, I received an emergency phone call from Tom's mum saying that Jakie had been stung by a jelly fish, and they were bringing him in on the boat as fast as they could to get him to the hospital. I was so scared he had been bitten by a Irukandji - they are tiny and extremely venomous jellyfish that inhabit Karrather waters. He ended up being ok, but we never found out what stung him. They gave him numbing cream and sent him home to get some rest. Few.

The other night, Dale came up form Perth, (he now goes to Wesley Boarding School), and a few other friends of Jacob's came to our house for a sleep over. At one stage of the night, they had all disappeared. It didn't take me long to figure out that they were all running up and down the street playing in the rain. Yes, that's right. Teenagers playing in the rain. Only in Karratha! I really wanted to get a photo, but I think Jakie was too embarrassed! Haha