Been too disorganised and busy to do Xmas cards this year so am just posting our Xmas letter here for all to see!
So what has happened with us in 2006? Heaps! The start of the year was reasonably uneventful with the kids settling back in at school and me growing fatter by the day being pregnant with Jack. As the end of my pregnancy drew closer it became obvious that I would have to have a c-section as I had a condition known as placenta praevia (low-lying placenta). Was booked in for delivery but then on 9th June I had a second bleed and it was decided that I needed to get our little man out there and then. So at 7:16pm on 9th June we welcomed a 7lb5oz Jack Adam Bradley into the world. He is just a gorgeous little man and loved dearly by his 3 big sisters, as well as all that meet him. Took him a while to start putting on weight but now at 6 months of age he is 14lb - still little for his age but definately becoming bigger by the day. Jack is generally a happy bub (tho seems to have a habit of being grumpy on Thursdays when his Oma has him lol) and sleeps quite well at night. Just starting to roll everywhere and is also now eating solids. He had his first modelling job this month and hopefully this leads to much bigger things for him. Moon just hopes that Jack will be paid as well as he gets older and moves into the real workforce!
Riley is now 2 and becoming cheekier by the day. She is such a funny character but the past week or so she is testing the limits. Her biggest problem is that she thinks she can do whatever her big sisters can and they teach her some bad habits. Generally she is an easy kid and keeps us all in fits of laughter with her funny antics. Riley is an awesome helper when it comes to Jack. She just loves playing with him and making him laugh. She also likes to feed him his bottle and is great at getting nappies and spit rags when they are needed. She is also getting much better at talking and is saying more and more words everyday. Riley loves to draw, and gets right into music and dances along to any she hear.
Georgia is great. Excelling at school with her reading and story writing and is pretty much about a year ahead of her classmates. Her only drama at school is that she doesn't like being the centre of attention so doesn't like speaking in front of everyone. Anyone who knows this kid would be thinking what???? as she is always performing but I just think it's cause she is a perfectionist and doesn't want to let people see her doing anything other than her best. She has heaps of friends and will tell stories about her happenings of the day for hours. Georgia and Riley are very similar and get along great. They will just go and play happily for hours, either outside mucking about, or inside drawing. Georgia is a drama queen tho and sometimes you think she must be seriously hurt from her carry-on but no, Riley has screwed up her drawing or something else as harmless.
Michaela is a beautiful kid. We have dramas with her in that she won't take no for an answer and likes to have the last word at all times, but when she is being good she is just gorgeous. A perfect example is the other week when they had a fair at school. Michaela did lots of helping out around the house to earn money and then on the day Georgia forgot to take hers. But of course without even being asked Michaela shared hers with her sister so she wouldn't miss out. Am hoping next year school is better for her as this year was a waste with teacher problems. She needs a bit more help with her reading but she does try and thats all we can ask. Maths seems to be her stronger point and Michaela loves it when I give her worksheets to do after school. She is also loves to be useful and will help out with chores around the house. I think we might have to give her the vegie patch as she thinks it is brilliant and was shaped as an "m" just for her.
Moon is as busy as ever with work. Business is going well tho some weeks are quieter than others, and some days are more stressfull too! Ahh the joy of being the boss LOL Unfortunately he still doesn't take too much time off but at least being around the corner he can do school pickups occaisionally and calls past home every now and then for a bit.
The biggest change around here is the new house! We moved in on November 18 and there are still lots of boxes to unpack - wish I could get motivated to do it but with 2 babies still at home it's not that easy. The house is just fantastic. We are on just under 2 acres and the main house has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2 living areas. It's soooooo nice to be able to go to the loo when you need to and not have to wait till someone else has finished! There is also a big shed for all Moon's toys that also has a "bachelor pad" in the rear that has a bathroom, bedroom, and living room. Behind the house is a 2 bedroom cottage that will be used for when we have guests, and also as my office. Already people are asking to move in but I think we'll just leave it with a 2 week stay limit LOL. Heaps of lovely gardens and have got the vegie patch going so a lot of time is spent outdoors. Have not had to move schools or anything as we are less than 10 mintues away from the old place.
We had Mum's wedding the week before we moved and it was lovely. The three girls were flowergirls, with me as bridesmaid. Everyone looked gorgeous and it was great to catch up with the many people who came from interstate. And start booking your holidays as Moon and I are planning to finally tie the knot in 2008, especially now we have the perfect place for it - home!
I'm good as always. Just flat out with looking after the kids, trying to keep the house in some kind of order, and working one afternoon a week at the yard (the boss whinges that I'm not there enough) with mum looking after the kids whilst I'm there. Hopefully trying to keep this place clean and the gardens tidy will help me lose some more weight in readiness for putting on a wedding dress lol. And for those who were wondering, there will be no more kids added to this family as I had my tubes tied whilst they were doing the c-section. I think 4 is a perfect number anyways.
Hope everyone is happy and healthy. Have a great Christmas and a safe New Year. Hope 2007 brings lots of joy to you all.
with lots of love from Amanda, Moon, Michaela, Georgia, Riley & Jack
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Xmas 2006
Santa has been!
Georgia's "snow angel"
"snow" all around!
