Ballard Xmas 2011

Well the Ballard Xmas was a lovely day again this year...
perfect weather & perfect company!.  Mind you, it is still too hard to catch up with everyone in the short amount of time that we have together.  Ultimately we really need a couple of days to really  have a good ole' catch up with everyone.  One thing the Ballards are never short on, is a good yarn!!  We definitely know how to talk!!  The kids are all growing up so fast....and so are we...

this year the girls received a lovely keepsake box made by their grandmas with photos of themselves and their families decorated over the box.  They loved them...(nice idea ladies)...

And the eldest great grandchild was welcomed into the world of adulthood by receiving, for the first time,  her very own crochet hand towel...a beloved Ballard tradition now lovingly kept going by Aunty Mickey.  

Che' was chuffed!!

And I am devastated, because I misplaced mine...no seriously, DEVASTATED, I have to wait a whole

year for one of these...and it's really needed by the end of the year.  The best gift ever, I tell ya....

A big thankyou to Mickey & Pete for their wonderful hospitality...hanging out with the two of you feels just like home... x

P.S Now Aunties... don't be angry at me for using that classic shot for my 
blog banner....it had to be done!.
Seriously...if that is not Merry & Bright, I don't know what is!!.  Love you all dearly xx

Pre-school xmas concert....

Wow, how hectic do things get at the end of the school year hey? There is so much going on for the kids at the moment...lots of fun stuff like rewards days and concerts and things,which means lots of times and dates and information going around in my brain at the moment!!. It's nearly all over though, yeehah!!. Finny had his Christmas concert the other day. Santa came on the fire truck, and Finn just sat there intently staring at him, I don't think it was suspicion, or maybe it was!!. But he seemed pretty convinced that Santa had just come to the school to give the kids a book and some lollies for being great kids. So glad he wasn't frightened of him !. I captured it on video, and when Santa was leaving, and all the kids were saying goodbye, Finny tried to remind him, over all the noise of the kids shouting, not to forget that we will be camping over Christmas. Bless Him, he was worried that he wouldn't know where we are. I reassured him that I had told Santa we would be camping and that he knows exactly where to find us!.

They sang a few songs and did some sign language also.  He was so cute trying his hardest to sing all the words and do all the actions.  Such an adorable age, watching them develop their personalities, and interact with other kids.  I am so glad I made the decision for him to go one day a week.  It has been something for the both of us to look forward to every week.  So the countdown is on....14 more sleeps!!

Lucky to be here....

Hi all, as I write this my heart is fluttering and I feel sick in the stomach, and I just want to lay down and cry, because of how lucky we are and because of how close we came to something that I don't even want to consider.  On our way home from our trip to Brisbane,  Shane fell asleep at the wheel about 15 minutes away from home.  The kids and I were all asleep, the radio was on, and we woke to the sound of the car slamming into a bank on the side of the road, and trees looming in the view of the windscreen, we were going pretty fast because I think Shanes foot was still on the accelerator as he was trying to wake up and figure out what was going on.  I grabbed the wheel to push the car back into the road, and we were able to just avoid the bigger gums.  Summer was screaming with fright, and just thinking about it now,  I can't get the sound of that metal slamming, out of my head.  I think we were very lucky that it happened where it did, and that we are in a big four wheel drive car, with bull bar.  We are all fine, no injuries, and considering what we hit,  quite minor damage to the car.  We are all in shock.  I awoke at about 3.30 this morning and could not get my mind to stop repeating the scenario, as I experienced it, I can't get it out of my head.  I am still frightened.  My biggest fear is a car accident, and although we are all safe, it is hard to not play over those what ifs.  I thanked  the universe, my grandparents, god, whoever was looking out for us, that we did not die, kill or seriously injure ourselves or anyone else yesterday, and how close we came is something that we will not forget easily or quickly.  But most of all I feel so bad for Shane.  He is devastated, at what he could have done to his family, when he knew he was tired.  He didn't read the signs his body was telling him, even though he said he knew he should have pulled over, because he was struggling to stay awake.    But today we are here, at home together, a normal day.  This day for us could have been so different, our lives could have changed irrevocably forever. 

Finns xmas wish list....

His big sister helped him make his list. I think he might just get his wish!....