Dress Ups!

Charlie turns 4!

Charlie's kindy photos

Charlie is really loving kindy, a lot.

They recently had the official kindy photos taken.

ABC Photo

We are so very lucky with the kids and their childcare centre: this photo was taken a few months ago, just before Olivia finished up before starting school.

Famous

Olivia loves a park date with her little mates, and this photo was taken of her last week.It featured on the front cover of the Adelaide Review which Olivia was featured in in a segment regarding Adelaide Parklands........

Olivia's very first day at school.

Olivia started school!

She is in the Reception class of East Marden Primary School. Here are snaps of her first day.......

I am so so very proud of her.

Lucy turns 40

Olivia's Birthday

Charlie's first day at Kindy.........

Dress Ups again........

We had lovely friends around today and the kids all shared dress ups.........

Some Christmas snaps.......

We have had a wonderful couple of days over Christmas. Truly one of my best ever Christmas times.

The kids had an absolute ball, it has been gorgeous weather so their Chrissie Pressie of the "Wade & Shade" pool has been a huge hit.

No stress, just relaxed easy living and spending a lot of time with Olivia, Charlie and Lexie.

And Andrew and I too. He has been amazing over the past week or so.......wrapping, shopping, cooking.......it has been a Christmas of love, laughter and teamwork!

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas!

Here we are again! Another year coming to an end...........

We have had no babies this year, and have not moved house, so it has been peaceful and uneventful from that perspective.

We are spending a quiet and low key Christmas in Adelaide with just my Mum, which I am sure will be peaceful.

Andrew is still working for Editure and is still very much enjoying it. He has some long term projects and works long hours at times, but is generally home for bath time, for which I am eternally grateful.

I am working part time locally…..just two days a week, which is ideal. There is a new role that I have applied that starts in the New Year, so I shall be keeping my fingers crossed for that.........

Olivia has had a great year and has totally loved kindy, and is very excited about turning five in February, and also excited about starting primary school in April. She is bright, funny and bossy, and thrives in her role as the big sister. She has started “art school” this year which she has loved and is quite the “make and do” child.

Charlie, at three and a half, starts Kindy after Christmas, which he is desperate for. After a year of drop offs and pick ups he is dying for it to be his turn to stay and play. He has had a further lot of hearimg investigations this year, as well as a second lot of grommets put into his ears this year, and his speech has improved no end. He is delightful, affectionate and funny.

Lexie is now two, and is such a character. She is cheeky and naughty and an outrageous flirt and we all adore her. She has a wild temper and knows no fear, but is kept under control by her older siblings. She and I will enjoy some time to ourselves as Olivia and Charlie go to school and kindy, which I am looking forward to.

I have taken a little more time for myself this year and have lost a bit of weight and gained some fitness, which is great. I have made some wonderful new friends through a local personal training group, and even found myself taking part in the “City to Bay” fun run. So it has been a healthy year for me.

We are all content and happy, and I hope 2009 is a peaceful year for us all..........

Dress Ups.......

We are now on school holidays, so we're able to spend a bit more time at home.

This mornings shenanigans was dress ups........

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing..........

Well, it has been too many months since I added photos to this blog: our camera is on its last legs!

But we have celebrated Charlie's third birthday this week, so I cranked the old brick up, and took some snaps this morning of the Captain!

Between kindy drop offs and working and play dates, Fridays are our only day at home, so this morning was spent making "Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes" & dressing up.

Olivia and Charlie and Lexie are all very well, very happy and very healthy, so life is good for us.

Olivia the artist..........

Easter

Here we are on Easter Monday. The end of a blissful and peaceful 4 day break for Andrew and I and the children.

We have not been away, but we have pottered around, seen friends, had people over. It's been lovely.

The children are all fine. They drive me mad.....being so close in age they fight loudly and can all screech the house down, but I suspect that would happen regardless of age gaps.

Olivia is at the age when she LOVES having her photo taken, and so we have loads of her, and not many at all of Charlie, who conversely is at the age where he runs away from the camera. He is always too busy, I think, to enjoy being a "model".

We have had a recent very long heat wave here in Adelaide: two weeks worth of temperatures of over 40`c, and it got draining and unpleasant. Much cool relief was found in the paddling pool and under the sprinkler, particularly for Lexie.......

Fabulous February

Well, last week saw the anniversary of a year in this new home of ours.

As well as Olivia's 4th Birthday. She has been proudly telling anyone who will listen that she is now the grand old age of 4. We celebrated her birthday with a low key morning tea with her little friends, as well as a special treat trip to the movies to see "Alvin & the Chipmunks" which was her very first trip to the cinema, and she is still talking about it! We also spent some time with Granny Lissie, and it felt like Olivia's birthday spanned a good few days.

Olivia is in full fairy mode, and a lot of her presents reflected this..............as do the photos below!

Charlie goes from strength to strength. His speech is much improved, and he spends his days singing and performing and jesting.....now he can actually talk he takes great delight in doing "impressions" of me and thinks he is hilarious. Which he is, to be honest.........

He is also now pretty much done with the toilet training. He is in "jocks" all of the time apart from sleeping, which is great. He has taken to it quite amazingly well and I am very proud of him.

Lexie is walking and we are off to buy her first pair of proper shoes this weekend. She is a whirlwind of cheekiness and attitude, and is quite a character. She is also beginning to talk and constantly says "Wotszat?" and is picking up new words daily.

Andrew & I are both fine. I am scheduled in for a small operation next month but nothing serious. Andrew continues work on the garden which has seen a glut of tomatoes which he has duly preserved.

So all is well........

Happy New Year

I have just realised that this blog has been maintained for over a year!

We are all fine.

We all had a great Christmas, but it is nice to be "back to normal" again.

Andrew went back to work last week, and I start a new role this week, and the children are back in the routine of childcare, so it is all back to a nice bit of "hum drum".

Olivia is great........her 4th birthday is coming up soon, & she starts pre-kindy in February, which she is looking forward to desperately.

Charlie is contrary in the way that only a two year old can be. He lurches between extreme affection and extreme temper. He is also amid the toilet training stage. But still utterly gorgeous.

Lexie is nearly walking. She has taken a few odd steps (to then plop back onto her bottom) but I imagine it will only be a week or two off. She is 16 months, and quite the entertainer!

Happy Christmas......

Well it’s that time of year again. Christmas chaos.

We have had a good year. We moved house last January, and now have no intention of ever moving again ever again! The new house is very retro in as much as it all harks back to the 1970’s, but is large enough for us to all have room to swing a cat, and the plan is to renovate as time and money allow. The garden is gorgeous and Andrew spends much time maximizing the effect of his green fingers. We have enjoyed much home grown produce and look forward to his mighty crop of tomatoes…..

Olivia is now heading towards her 4th birthday and she continues to delight and amaze us: she is an affectionate, bright and bossy little girl. She starts kindy in February & she is incredibly excited about it all, and I am looking forward to spending a little more time with Charlie and Lexie without her knowledgeable interruptions! She will attend 3 sessions of kindy a week, as well as the two days she already does in childcare.

All 3 of the children do 2 days at childcare whilst I work………I started a part time role back in April of this year, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It is a fairly low level job with the SA Chamber of Commerce (Business SA) but it provides me with some much needed mental stimulation, adult company and the opportunity to find some balance in my world!

Charlie is coming up to two and a half, and has had some hearing issues diagnosed this year, and is coping amazingly well. He doesn’t realise he has any impairment so just charges through life regardless. His speech is developing at a slow but steady rate……..I doubt he will become as linguistically advanced as his elder sister, however his humour, his laid back demeanor and his gusto for life more than make up for his lack of verbosity.

Lexie is now 14 months, and we have nicknamed her the “all terrain baby” because she can crawl anywhere despite obstructions, on any surface wet or try, gradient no issue. Like Olivia she is a petite and tiny little thing, but perfectly proportioned, happy and healthy. She is cheerful and funny and there is a great deal of mutual admiration between her and her siblings, and of course her parents…..as our final little baby, she is destined to remain “Baby Lexie” her whole life, and she brings us much joy.

The year has been chaotic but uneventful……..the domestic hurly burly of three small children has meant that we have not had much time for anything else, but swimming lessons and park dates have prevailed.

We enjoyed a stay from my nephew time during the year which was wonderful, and his little cousins miss him greatly.

We had a holiday in Kangaroo Island in September which was wonderful. It was our first family holiday with all 5 of us and it was a treat for the children to all sleep in the same room in our little holiday house and restful for Andrew and me simply to “get away”.

This year Christmas is again spent in Adelaide, along with Andrew’s sisters family, as well as his parents and his brothers family who are coming over for a week or so from Sydney. It’ll be good to spend time with all of them…….so 8 children at Christmas lunch!

I hope this letter finds you well and that you have a very safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Lots of love,
Lucy xx

It has been ages since I managed to sit down and write a monthly update........and it makes me realise how slack I have been with getting the camera out too!

We have been busy, but we are all well.

Olivia continues to amaze and delight us, as well as drive us crazy.....people talk about "the terrible twos" but there should be a phrase for the "Little Madam Three's".....she is constantly gorgeous but also a constant trial........

She and I had some wonderful "just girls time" last week with a trip out for lunch prior to going to the Christmas show of "The Fairies" which was enchanting. Olivia was nearly bursting with excitement from the moment we arrived at the Norwood Concert Hall and the minute the house lights went down she was int he Fairy Mosh Pit dancing her little heart out, complete with wand.......it was very "panto-esque" so I felt like a good mummy for indulging her.......

In turn, Andrew and Charlie are off for a treat too, in a few weeks, to see the Wiggles, live at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Charlie will no doubt wow the Wiggles with his perfect renditions of "Toot Toot" and "Rock-a-bye your bear".......

Charlie's speech is coming along well and whilst he learns he constantly amuses us.........

He is addicted to all things water and has been getting into trouble at school and at home for constantly finding taps and hoses and playing in water and creating floods. We have had a few weeks of very hot weather and I think the obvious connection for Charlie is to get wet and cool.........regardless of location!

Charlie has started toilet training himself and objects very masterfully when we attempt to encase him in a nappy, so little boy jocks have been purchased and I find myself asking "Charlie do you need to go to the loo" about 60 times a day to avoid puddles..........

Lexie, our little peach, has become a character.....crab crawling with her bottom in the air all over the house, including garden and fishpond exploration....it makes for interesting times. She has acquired the habit of her siblings of trailing loo paper around the house and using the loo to pull herself up to a standing position. Bless her........all this done with a smile that lights up my world.

Lexie appears to be getting new teeth practically daily, with no apparent distress.......she truly is an easy baby, and one that I delight in.

Only a few weeks until Andrew breaks up for Christmas, when I will post again...........

Lexie finally crawls!

Lexie has been bottom shuffling, a little bit, for a month or so, but she has finally got up onto her knees and crawled!

Below is a little 1 minute clip of her struggle and triumph!

Excuse the state of our sitting room......shoes and toys & books everywhere!

(Daddy's sunglasses were evidently the incentive she needed!)

Five Go On A Holiday.......

Well, for the first time ever, the five of us have all been on a holiday! I was nervous about the whole business, but it is 3 years since Andrew and I had a holiday away from home, so we decided it was time to bite the bullet, so for the October long weekend, we packed the car and headed off to the beautiful Kangaroo Island.

It took us around 2 hours to drive down to Cape Jervis to catch the ferry, and the crossing was rough with plenty of swell. Olivia adored the ferry trip and remained calm and happy as her siblings and her mother spewed the whole way over! Thank you Andrew, for looking after us all.




The weather was beautiful, our little holiday house was ideal (we stayed in American River, on the beach.) The children shared a room and this was considered a great treat. Much giggling to be heard for a few hours after we put them to bed. And Charlie was in a "big boy bed" for the first time ever, and bless him, he didn't get out once!




We had picnics, went and saw the hoards of pelican being fed on the wharf at Kingscote, went to a wildlife park on the north coast of the island at Stokes Bay, and of course, indulged the children with buckets and spades on the beach.

We also had a gorgeous brunch with Barb Ewens (my Aunt, who has recently bought a stunning B&B on Kangaroo Island, after moving lock, stock and barrel from Darwin.) Barb is the most generous of hosts, who appeared unflustered by the children making a mess of her beautiful new homestead, and it was lovely to spend time with her.

We had a wonderful time. It is a mammoth amount of hard work, getting us all packed and organised for a small holiday away, but more than worth it. Despite the mounds of chaos that need to be sorted out now we are returned. But it was a wonderful break, and I look forward to going back one day.

Our Little lexie Lou Turns One!

Well, the news here in the Mulvany family is that our Little Lexie Lou has just had her first birthday.

From my perspective I simply cannot believe how my little one has grown so fast, and that it is 12 months since she was born.

She is a gorgeous peach of a thing, who is such a happy and content little baby girl, and she endears herself to us all so easily.

She is saying lots of little words, particularly "Mum Mum Mum" which I am especially pleased about.

We had a little birthday party for Lexie, which was a dream and a riot of pink sugaryness!

Think pink

Think sugar

Think beautiful 26` spring day

Think little girls in pink frocks, and cheeky little boys in shorts

Think freshly mown grass and balloons (thanks Andrew!)

Think chilled out relaxed morning where everyone behaved and everyone had a great time!

Charlie continues to thrive. His speech and his hearing have seen some remarkable progress over the last month, since his hearing operation and insertion of grommets. He has a follow up appointment soon and I am interested to see what a n audiology test will now show.

The photo above is of Charlie in a red fairly costume of Olivia's.....he does not generally go for the drag queen look, but Olivia bossed him into it!

Olivia is at a lovely age and stage. She was most excited over the whole concept of Lexie's birthday and threw herself into helping wrap presents and create pink party food. She adores her baby sister, and is actually really helpful, bless her!

Spring is in the air!

Well, here we are in August and at last there is the promise of Spring and warmer sunny weather! As such we have been enjoying more time outside and a selection of home grown veggies from Andrew's ever enlarging vegetable garden!

We are all fine. Olivia is greatly loving all things craft and we have been all going along to the library in Walkerville with Granny to do a story and craft session each week....she lovingly brings home all manner of clever craft things she has made, ranging from octopuses made from bubble wrap to flower gardens made from egg boxes and pipe cleaners. All of which get diligently taken to "Show and Tell" at childcare, where, I am told, she does an awful lot of "telling"......bless her......

She is loving swimming at the moment and spends the whole class underwater doing "unders" and "diving"......

Needless to say she is adorable and cute and funny and we love her.....

Charlie is booked in for his ear operation and ear investigations on Monday 27th August. The plan is for the Dr to insert a grommet into his "good" ear and investigate the left ear to see where the hearing problem stems from. Charlie, of course, is oblivious to all of this, and continues to be a happy, affectionate and chuckly little boy.

Charlie has moved up a room at childcare and after a few agonising mornings of him being "homesick" for the nursery, he has now settled into the toddler room.

Charlie recently showed HIS artistic bent by drawing all over our kitchen wall in permanent green texta. For anyone that is interested, acetone appears to be the only thing that will remove texta from walls, as we have discovered. It also strips the paint off the wall, so we now have a fairly large patch......but certainly easier on the eye than green scribble! Little monkey.

Lexie is adorable and the eczema is starting to improve on her face with massive and continual applications of lanolin. She is also sprouting new teeth practically daily, with 3 having come up in a week! To my horror, she also grinds her teeth....it drives me batty, but at least she can now start chomping on a few lamb chops!

She has become a little mobile, in as much as she is starting to bum shuffle around a little bit. She attempts to crawl, but like Olivia and Charlie before her, seems to think that the bottom shuffle is a better mode of transport. It will be interesting to see how that progresses over the next month.

She is still sleeping in the hammock, but the hammocks days are numbered I fear, so a cot is all ready and waiting for her, freshly painted, for whenever she is ready.

July

A busy busy month...........

We had the arrival of Tim, my nephew, from WA, which caused much excitement, and a lot of hero worship from Olivia! He is a delightful & very funny eight year old, and I find him a pleasure to spend time with. Olivia adores him, and Charlie took to starting his day by calling out for "Timmoooooooo" from his cot.

Tim, similarly seems to enjoy spending time with his baby cousins, and takes great delight in drawing up graphs based on their behaviour.....luckily Lexie's crying graph is showing only the odd blip!

Lexie cut her first tooth this month with minimal fuss, bless her. She has had her first real stonker of a cold, and also has some bad excema on her face, but amazingly is still cheerful.

This month has also seen us get Charlie's hearing tested. He has some hearing loss, and is now booked in for a small procedure on one ear, which will hoepfully compensate for the loss in his other ear. It is complicated business, but no dount it will all resolve itself. He is comminicating really well, considering. Now that we have had it confirmed that he has some hearing loss, a lot of his adorable but quirky behaviour falls into place........

Charlie turns 2 this month, and we are having a little party for him.......sausage rolls and fairly bread and of course a lovely big cake.......

June.......chilly chilly chilly!

We have been offline for a while this month, hence this latest enrty is a bit tardy........but better late than never!

We have had some cold cold weather, but to be honest, I am enjoying the cold........it's great to see the kids running round with pink cheeks & grinning faces from the very fresh air, all wrapped up in their winter woolies!

We had a visist this month from Grandma and Grandad, who flew from Sydney to spend some time with all of their Adelaide grandchildren.....a great time was had by all, with Olivia in particular proclaiming "Grandad is silly" and she loved having some alternative bedtime stories read to her.....

Our first bit of painting and decorating on our new house is finished.....Lexie now has a proper little baby girls nursery. I love it: Andrew did a fantastic job of chipping tiles off walls, replacing skirting boards, plastering and painting. It looks adorable.

Olivia is delightful........I am really enjoying her very much moment: she is hilariously funny with all of her imaginary games, and I love her company. She continues to love school, and has recently "clicked" with the joys of colouring in without going over the lines and all sorts of other craft, so she and I can spend many a shared moment hunched over a box of textas together.

Charlie melts our hearts. He has learned how to shout "I love you" to everyone, which of course is incredibly indearing, as well as dancing and singing his way around the house to any music that is playing. He can sing but not talk.........go figure.........but as he polishes his Wiggles renditions, I am sure that his vocab is gradually increasing. A bit.

Lexie is now sitting up well and eating like she was born to it: it is hilarious to see her gum and chew on a finger of toast despite the fact that she still has no teeth! She is a peach.......I cannot believe how quickly she is growing up.

Andrew and I are well, and very happy. Andrew appears to be thriving at work. We have had friends round for dinner this month, which makes us feel like we are gradually regaining a semblance of a social life around the chaos of small children. My job continues to give me a nice balance in my world, and glorious child free lunchtime shopping opportunities!

May, and Winter is upon us.........

Here we are in May. The weather in Adelaide has turned distinctly chilly and we even enjoyed a meaningful amount of rain a few weeks back, so the garden and indeed the general landscape is all looking a lot greener at last, and our little rainwater tank has been slightly replenished.

The children have started the next term of swimming lessons and that is going well. It is chaos to get us all out of the house, dressed and organised for the lessons so early on a Sunday morning, but it is so worth it, especially when we see how excited they get as we arrive at the pool........

Our very good friend Marica spent a long weekend with us last weekend, so was indulgent enough to come and cheer Olivia and Charlie on in their swimming lessons, so that was a lot of fun. We had a fantastic weekend, and Marica now travels West to start a new role and indeed a new life on a mine site in Ravensthorpe. We wish her all the love and the luck in the world.

We have also had visits from the Paul & Jack MacMillan which has been fun........Olivia has a crush, I am sure, on Jack, and hero worships Paul.

Olivia has started in the Kindy class and is loving it. She has special "Show and Tell" days as well as allocated time for computer studies, which I find amazing.

Charlie continues to be cheeky and naughty, but charms everyone so effectively we are probably letting him get away with murder. He is an incredibly affectionate little boy, so despite the fact that he demolishes everything in his toddler wake, we forgive him, as he is quick to say sorry with a multitude of kisses..........

Lexie has finally got the grip of solid foods, and is getting more and more vocal as the days pass. She is nearly 8 months, and I realise that this is now the longest time that I have NOT been pregnant.......so I am not wishing her baby days away. She is beginning to sit up by herself, and shuffles along in in odd crawl. But she is still very much our wee baby girl.

The Mulvany Easter Weekend........

We decided not to go away this Easter, but we holidayed at home and took the children on all sorts of days out instead. A wonderful long weekend was had by all.

I was especially glad of the long break with Andrew at home, as I am now a working Mummy! I started a part-time role with Business SA very recently and will be working two full days a week. It has been an interesting challenge, with me and Andrew managing to both get showered, dressed ready for work, along with getting the three children breakfasted and ready for "school" to all be out of the house by 8.15am!

On Easter Saturday we had a day at the beach and whilst I had anticipated a chilly morning and a brisk beach walk, the day was magnificent and sunny and within minutes of hitting the sand, Olivia and Charlie had stripped off and were splashing in the sea! We had an absolute ball, all topped off with an ice-cream on the jetty........

Easter Sunday's main event was a barbecued breakfast brunch of bacon ands eggs, and of course the Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Bunny was far too generous and Olivia pronounced that "I like chocolate. It is my favourite........." and has been asking for "more chocolate egg please" for breakfast ever since!

Charlie has entered the terrible twos and is making massive headway with his talking.....he talks all the time now, and it is all becoming more comprehensible.........

Lexie, whilst she missed out on the Easter Egg fun continues to be placid and happy. She has taken to solids like a duck to water and has started to sit up, which is a wonderful stage. With me returning to work, Lexie has started at 'school' with Olivia and Charlie for two days a week. I felt nervous , but her first few days have gone without a hitch and apparently she has spent the days at school either laughing or sleeping, which is very reassuring for me.

March

This entry is a little late in the month, but we have been busy with the move and trying to get the house sorted, as well as simply really enjoying the house and the children!


They are all beautiful and gorgeous and funny. It is nearly the end of the swimming lesson term and both Olivia and Charlie have come on great guns, and we all have a lovely time every Sunday morning getting up at the crack of dawn for their swimming lessons.



Olivia continues to amaze us with her affection and her speech.......she picks up a frightening level of vocabularly daily and told me the other day that "I need some time to reflect on that Mummy"!

Charlie has just had a case of "Slapped Cheek" (Parvovirus) with a very high fever and a rash all over his face and body but after an evening at the hospital was declared perfectly OK. Luckily Marica was in town to she helped me entertain young Charlie, as he attempted to trash everything in the the hospital!

Lexie has just turned six months and is such a happy and placid little baby girl who now rolls at every opportunity. She is still sleeping well, and over the past couple of days has enjoyed her first attempts at eating solids! She looks so grown up in her high chair and I cannot believe how quickly time is going......

The new house is a delight for us all and despite the 1970's decor we are all loving it. The garden has survived the Adelaide summer and Andrew's green fingers have created a lush and green lawn despite drought conditions and water restrictions. I can't wait to see what Autumn brings us, as we have what promises to be a glorious array of roses.....



Andrew has hung a hammock in the garden for us all to enjoy, which is one of lifes simple pleasures........

February

February is a busy month for us......we are celebrating birthdays and moving house! (We moved house on February 16th, and Olivia has her 3rd birthday on February 21st)

Below are some photos of the children in their Fairy dress ups.......we all went to cousin Annabelle's birthday party and all dresses up.......

Olivia, of course, was in her element and insisted upon a purple fairy dress with silver stars all over it, with the obligatory matching wand, as well as purple fairy wings, and a delightful purple faux fur handbag.....

Charlie is a bit too much of a "boy" to dress in fairy wings, so he opted for a Buzzy Buzzy Bee outfit.

Little Lexie (who is often called Princess Fairy Cakes Lexie LouliBelle as a nickname!) looked like perfect fairy baby in her pink taffeta with matching pink glittery baby fairy crown. And, of course slept blissfully through the whole party........

New Year, New Home!

The Mulvany's are on the move again.........

We have been living in Rostrevor now for nearly two years, and since we have lived here have had two additional babies, so it is high time we moved!

We have become, in recent years, addicted of all the window shopping you can do with regard to real estate on the internet and we have had all sorts of alerts and notifications set up to keep us aware of suitable houses.

We have looked at many houses that fit our "criteria", but none of them were quite right in terms of location, price, size, floor plan or "feel".

However, with 3 small children and Perry the Dog in the house and never enough space (or indeed enough bedrooms!) our searching became more earnest. This, coupled with the fact that we sold our houses that we built on our old block in Windsor Gardens, meant that my "need to settle" feeling was strong.

Just before Christmas we found the ideal house. It is big: 5 bedrooms over two levels. It is in a peaceful street about 10 minutes from where we live now, and only 10kms from the city. It is in a high, quiet position, and it has great views over gum trees, the city and the gulf. The garden is perfect for the children and it has a gate from our property that takes you into the conservation park with is full of walking tracks and gums......

It is a 1970's house which will need some modernising as we go, but nothing urgent......all cosmetic things that can be done gradually.....for a full set of photos, please see this link HERE

So, I am now in full "de-clutter" mode and am surrounded by boxes to pack, chuck and donate.......all in preparation for "the big move".

The new house settles on January 31st (My late brother Bill's birthday, so I think that is Karma!) and we move in on February 16th.

Christmas 2006

Hello,

Christmas is upon us again…..this year has gone so quickly, and hear I am, writing another years Christmas letter. 2006 has been, yet again, another busy year for the Mulvany’s. As you will see from the enclosed photo, we had another baby this year: Alexandra Gillian was born on September 21st after an incredibly quick labour. Olivia quickly started calling her Lexie, and this of course has stuck. She is thriving and is adored by us all. She is a very easy baby, and feeds and sleeps beautifully. So I am finding three under three less crazy than I imagined, thank goodness.

Olivia is now nearly three, and is quite adorable. She is funny and articulate and affectionate. She is besotted with her baby sister, and it warms my heart to see them cuddling with each other. Olivia is still enjoying “school” and goes for 2 full days a week at our local child care centre. She has also been taking swimming lessons and has graduated to the “Turtles” class.

Charlie is now 18 months and is delightful. He is walking, and stomps around the house trashing everything in his wake: typical toddler, but he gets away with murder as he is so charming about everything. He is not showing any signs of talking….he seems to realise he can get what he wants by grinning and chuckling, as well as the fact that he is very independent. He had a terrible bout of chicken pox in October, but was stoic and remarkably cheerful throughout, bless him.

Andrew has now been in a new role at a new company for about 6 months and is thoroughly enjoying it. He works hard but still manages to get home in time for bath time for the children, so they eagerly await the sound of him arriving home at six o’clock!

I had a fantastic trip to the UK this year, for the wedding of my brother Thomas, which was lovely. I took Charlie with me and he traveled beautifully, and cut his first teeth without much hassle whilst we were away. It was great to spend time with Charlie, Bev, William and Katie, and of course to be able to see Thomas and Diana get married. I didn’t manage to catch up with as many friends as I would have liked, but it was only a short trip and complicated by having an infant with me!

Tragically, my beautiful eldest brother, Bill, died at the end of November. We are still finding it very hard to come to terms with. As such, I went to Kalgoorlie at the beginning of December, with Lexie, to attend his funeral. Whilst it was a terribly sad occasion, it did give me the opportunity to spend some time with Mum, Charlie, Claire and Tom, as well as my lovely cousin Kate, who came over from Hobart.

Christmas this year will be spent in Rostrevor, with Lissie, along with Andrew’s sister Alison and her family, and Andrew’s parents, so we will have a chaotic time I’m sure, but I am looking forward to it.

I am not sure what 2007 will bring for us. A year of peacefulness, I hope.

I hope this letter finds you well, and that you have a lovely Christmas and a safe and happy 2007.

Lots of love,
Lucy xx