Michael is 4!! Wow! plus love getting freebies YAY

Wow, wow, wow - Michael turned 4 yesterday.

New Iron Man toy from Mummy & Daddy, Jemma, Rhys & Ben

Showing me how it works

How time flies.  It's hard to believe that my beautiful little baby is now a big boy of 4.

Look Mummy Look!

Greg took the day off work and took him to a Thomas movie (Michael's first ever movie experience) - Blue Mountain Mystery Movie.  I won tickets in a Facebook competition, which was so cool.

Showing his brothers his new toy

He has a great time and was very good.  He loved eating all Greg's popcorn and M&M's.  He sat for the whole movie too.  What a star he is.

Look what it can do Rhys & Ben

Our room was finished last week.  It looks fantastic.  I had our builder come out and we have decided what we are going to do to make it look a bit better.  In the interim, we can't really use the room because it has a concrete floor, which is no good for the babies to crawl on, is cold and just not suitable to use.

So, when Greg got home from taking Michael to the movies, he called up a local carpet place to see if they had any second hand carpet for sale.  They had removed some from a house that day and were going to put it in the bin, so the guy told Greg to come down and see if he wanted it.  He said it was in pretty good condition, not perfect, but not bad.

Greg went down to take a look.

OMG it is perfect as a temporary floor covering for the playroom.

Laying the carpet

Kids already having fun on the carpet

And best of all - it was FREE!!!

All done, just needs a good clean

Coming up nice and clean

It was very dusty, but overall in pretty good condition - not perfect but for what we need it for, it is great!!!  We got enough to put it down on the floor and it is fantastic.  The echo of the room has gone, it is nice underfoot and best of all, the kids can play out there.  

Bliss!!

Oh, and did I mention it was FREE!!!  

hehe

Wow, Ben loves the new carpet in the room.  Perfect for walking up and down

All in all a freebie day - free movie tickets and free carpet - noice!

Happy Birthday Michael, we love you lots big boy xxxxxxxx

Parties, Presents & Progress

Wow, what a couple of weeks!

Ben playing with a toy car

On Sunday, we had the combined birthday party for Michael (4yo) and Rhys & Ben (1yo).  It was a great success and the kids got HEAPS of lovely presents.  I put on a buffet lunch for everyone which included chicken wings & legs, bacon & egg pie, dip and bickies, fruit platter.  Greg's mum made sandwiches and my mum made sausage rolls and savoury pie things.  There was more but I can't remember what else LOL - oh and of course I was so busy I forgot to take a picture of the food!  I did remember to take a picture of the Dinosaur Cake though (see it at the bottom of the page).

Rhys opening some presents with Jemma looking on

Also, the card in the camera indicated it was full - yep, right when we were filming the singing of Happy Birthday & Michael blowing the candles out.  Typical!!! Grrrrr.

Everyone got a yummo gift bag of home made fudge to take home with them :-)

Vanilla & Macadamia and Choc Mint Fudge YUMMO!

The best present of all for me was Michael's behaviour.  I deliberately had a combined party, so if his social anxiety went through the roof then we had Ben and Rhys to focus on as well.  I also didn't have a "kids" party, but only family.

Michael opening his presents

When the first guests arrived, he ran into his room (this is normal behaviour when someone comes over - it is from the anxiety from having Fragile X).  However, Greg went into his room and told him that the guests had brought a Happy Birthday present for him.  Wow - he came out to accept his gift.  That was the point when he "got it" - it was his Happy Birthday and he was getting PRESENTS!!!!!

Action shot!

Not once did he run in his room again.  He accepted his gifts and loved opening them and playing with them. He even went up to people and SHOWED THEM HIS PRESENTS!!  (with no prompting from anyone!!!)

Uncle Richie helping Ben stand and cousin Max surveying all the presents - what great fun!

For him to interact with people of his own accord is so huge it's mind blowing!!!!

All my hard work of taking him to therapy, Lifestart and doing stuff is finally starting to pay off.  

I'm so happy.

The Dinosaur Cake

We have lots of progress on the playroom too.  The actual structure is finished and it looks brilliant.  I will do an individual post about that in a couple of days.........

xxxxxxxxxxx

Rhys & Ben 1st Birthday WOW

I can't believe it, Rhys and Ben have turned 1 year old today!

It has gone very fast and we survived it somehow.  I actually can't remember the first 6 weeks or so of their lives it is such a blur, but each week it got a bit better.

The best bit has been the cuddles and smiles.

The worst bit has been the screaming and sleep deprivation (will I ever sleep though the night again or have a sleep in?).

I am very glad I have my twinnies and very VERY glad I will never, ever have another baby again in my lifetime.  Five children is more than enough for this little black duck.

It still remains the biggest shock I have ever had in my whole life - "Rachael, it looks like you are having twins"  That statement changed my life forever.

Ben and Rhys playing in Michael's room this morning
Happy 1st Birthday xxxx

We are having a party next weekend - for Michael, Rhys and Ben.  A combined party made sense since they are 2 weeks apart and I didn't want the focus totally on Michael as it would probably freak him out a bit.

They enjoyed squishing around a little bit of cake I gave them today.

Yum this cake looks good

Intense concentration, whilst squishing up the cake

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY RHYS AND BEN  

We love you a lot

Mummy, Daddy, Alex, Jemma and Michael 

xxxxxxxx

The playroom has started!

I had hoped to write this on the weekend, however we have been having a bit of a bad time with the twins.  Both are teething and I think that Rhys may have reflux or indigestion and it wakes him up screaming, plus he prefers to sleep in the pram at night.  Ben still has no teeth, so I wish he would hurry up!  So poor Greg and I have really, REALLY been feeling the pain of babies X2 this week.  I'm so glad I NEVER EVER have to go though babies again LOL

Rhys and Ben (who had to have a little fringe cut as it was in his eyes.  Daddy did the bowl cut look)

They both have bad colds too, so it's a bit of a rough time at the moment.  Again, my mantra is - it will be better in time.  It will and I am trying not to wish it away (hard when you have had roughly 3 hours sleep for 4 nights in a row though).  Give me strength................

On the plus side, our new playroom has started to be built.  It looks fantastic and is going to be a wonderful space for the kids.

Here are the photos:

Putting up the beams and posts

Half the roof

Different angle of roof

Roof finished YAY

From the inside - looking down

From the other end (patio end)

Walls are up

From the patio end (inside)

From the wall end (inside)

It really is looking great.  Some of the negatives are that due to this area being south facing, the lounge room is very dark now.  We have solved this by getting some skylights from Bunnings and Greg has installed them (1 to go).  They are great and have made the lounge room brighter.

The actual playroom itself is also quite dark.  I am going to get some skylights installed into the roof but we will get a professional to do this due to it being a insulated roof - so a little tricker than a normal roof.  Plus, if it leaks it is their problem not ours!!!  I don't want lights to be on all the time and much prefer natural lighting.  I will update the blog with our natural lighting solutions when they are completed.

Due to the eave on the room, my hedge and gardenias in the pots are now getting NO sun at all.  I am going to move the gardenias because they won't survive with nil sun.  Not sure how the Murraya hedge will fare?  I hope it will be ok but if not, I will have to come up with another solution for a hedge/plantings along there - something that doesn't need light!!!  Clivias would probably go well there but would prefer a hedge.  Unfortunately it is a south facing area and one of those things.  Fingers crossed the hedge will be ok.

We should have the windows and doors next week YAY.  Can wait for it to be completed :-)

Have a great week.

Rach
xxxx