quote of the week

Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun.

~George Scialabba

graduation day

Friday the 3rd December 2010 was another huge milestone in the Sheppard-Morris household. Shanice graduated year 6.
The school put on a beautiful presentation assembly for them and all the parents and family were invited to attend with a morning tea afterwards.
The primary coordinator, Mr Lack, called all the students one by one onto to stage to receive their certificate and graduation year photo by the principal, Mr Cockrem, and then their class teachers presented them with a medallion. It was such a proud mummy moment.
I was so pleased when I looked at Joh on one side of me and Mum on the other, both had tears in their eyes, so I didn't seem so silly crying on my own.
I still cant believe that my baby girl starts high school next year.

Shanice receiving her certificate from Mr Cockrem
The school hall takes crap piccies

BFF's - Shanice and Britney

The 3 of us - me, shanice and anthonyShanice with Nan - when did my big girl get so tall

camping

With summer now here we thought it would be great to hitch up the camper and go camping on the weekends. I did a little research for some national parks that allowed camper trailers and found a tops one up the central coast right on the beach. I rang Dal to see if they would be keep to bring along their camper too. And the date was set!
So, last weekend we were packed and on the road at school pick up. Freeway was clear of traffic and we arrived with heaps of light to set up. Dal & Stu arrived a little later. Once the campers were done and kids in bed it was time to crack open the lollies and vodka! Let's just say I was a bit under the weather the next morning.
Saturday was definitely a beach day. It was sunny with not a cloud in the sky and not too hot. The kids lathered themselves in suncream and i put some on my shoulders and back (forgetting my arms and face, so now you know where i got burnt). It was a little windy, but that wasn't stopping us. Birdie Beach was calling us this morning. The kids took their boggie boards and had a great time using them in the water and sliding down the sand dunes. Stu took the kids out on the surfboard and Shanice stood up on her second wave! The kids a natural..... I wonder if she'll be a goofy foot like her mother? Connor had a go to but was to busy enjoying the ride than trying to stand up. And I have it all on video
We stayed a couple of hours then went back to the campers for lunch and a rest. When it got a little cooler we drove around to Fraser Park to check out the beach there.....blue bottles! But that didn't stop the kids. this is when I cracked out the camera and went a little crazy taking photos.
Dinner time came and went and then the kids all crashed from their busy day.... and the adults weren't too far behind, lol.
Sunday morning we had to pack up early cause Connor had to be back home for a birthday party by lunch time. We had such ba great time camping with Dal, Stu and the girls, we cant wait to do it again.

Shanice hanging out the trucks window

JUMP!!!! go Connor

Connor, Abi, Makayla and Shanice

Connor - I wonder if the water was as cold as he looks

A windblown Shanice

Makayla, not as windblown

Abi, really didn't want her photo taken

Going boogie boarding

Connor almost loosing his board in the wind

Shanice, just a natural in the water

Love this pic of Makayla building sand castles

Stu giving Shanice surfing lessons

Double Digits

I cant believe my baby boy, or aka Monkey Man, has turned double digits.....10!
How fast the years has slipped by.
Turning TEN in the Sheppard-Morris household is a pretty big deal, and along comes a pretty big birthday present. Shanice got a laptop for hers, and cause Connor already had my old one, he got a Sony EReader! and not a day has gone past since that I have not seen him carting it around with him. He loves it (and Ant & I both love ours too!).
He got to have a birthday party too, with 3 friends for a sleepover and then I took them to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 the next morning.
What a TOP movie.... we loved it!
We had our family birthday lunch at the Alroy, which is becoming a little tradition. It is such a great spot for the kids and the adults and is so relaxing.

I wonder what the next 10 years will bring

here are a few pics from Connor's birthday lunch

The handsome birthday boy with one of his new toys

If on for the 8 year age gap, these two could be pass as twins

It seemed like i took photos of these two (Shanice & Britney) all day cause they were being extremely cheeky for me and letting me take their photos - stupid faces, bum dancing and all

YEP, I love this face!

Impossible! I can never get just one photo of these four smiling at the same time.

And one with Hunter

And we cant forget this gorgeous girl, baby Mackenzie...... she is so perfect and slept all day

quote of the week

"Be who you are and say what you feel

because those who mind don't matter

and those who matter don't mind.”

~ Dr. Seuss

quote of the week

Immorality: The morality of those who are having a better time.

~H.L. Mencken

Lighting of the Christmas Tree in Martin Place

Last Thursday I got the kids out of school at lunch time and headed over to Mandy's place to meet up with her and mum. We had all decided it would be lovely to take all the kids to see the Lighting of the Christmas tree in Martin Place.
My gorgeous friend Dal, takes her family every year and mentioned it to us and we thought it sounded like a great idea as we had never done it before.
Once we arrived at Mandy's we got her kids all dressed ready to go and headed into town. We parked at the Entertainment Centre cause we thought we could catch the monorail round to Pitt St which the kids would like. Well, hindsight is great. Hunter hated the monorail and screamed the entire way. I thought it was because he was in a carriage with me and my kids and not Mandy, but the return journey proved he truly doesn't like them:)
We headed up to look at the windows at David Jones which were very cute, and I remember going into town as a kids with mum and dad and seeing them, which was very nostalgic of me.
Then it was a quick trip in the lift up to the David Jones Christmas Cave, of course that just happens to be in the toy department. I knew that my two would not have their photo with Santa, but Hunter and Mackenzie were going to get theirs taken...... well that was up untill we found Santa in a cubicle! And Hunter screamed the place down (and I do believe he set the kids off in the other cubicle with another Santa, lol).... so there was no photo this year with Hunter and Santa only Mackenzie. I know have come to the conclusion that it must be the Wright gene that comes out during Santa photo times as we all seem to hate them!
As it was getting close to 5pm when we were meeting Dal, we headed up to Martin Place to grab some dinner and a spot to sit to watch the show.
We were a little early but we got a great spot right in front of the stage. I do believe we were actually on TV too, but have not seen the footage yet.
Justine Clarke was the MC for the night, which I just cant get my head around as I still see her as Rue on Home & Away, lol. But the kids know her from Playschool now. There was also Curious George and Yo Gaba Gaba and the Sydney Girls Choir. The whole show was great and then finally when it was all dark they lit the tree and then the fireworks started.
It really was a wonderful night that I shared with my family and everyone enjoyed it. I am so pleased that we went.

"Lala, this is where I'm going to wear my reindeer ears!"

And Mackenzie wearing the too

How cute is this face?

Curious George

Yo Gaba Gaba

The lord mayor of Sydney, Justine Clark and Santa

Some of the kids - a friend of Makaylahs, Shanice, Connor, Mackenzie & Nan

Hunter and Makaylah

And the tree

spitfires and blue skies

On the first weekend of this month (November that is, lol) Anthony wanted to take the kids and me on a "family fun day" to Temora to see the Spitfire fly.
Personally I dont have much interest in staring at some old planes fly around in the sky, but you know we have to do these things as a family!!!:)
So we left the farm at around 8am on the Saturday morning and drove about two and half hours to Temora. Is was long but a beautiful drive. That part of the country is just gorgeous.
We arrived in time to see the first of the three planes fly. And there was plenty of time to check out the other cool planes on display in the museum. Anthony was in his element and the kids had a great time....... I just needed coffee:)

Connor with a Tiger Moth

I've forgotten the one in the front (Anthony will know) but the one in the back is a Spitfire

And I'm pretty sure this is the Spitfire getting towed out ready to fly

Oh, this is me yacking on the phone, lol

The Kittyhawke and the Spitfire doing some pretty spectacular flying

Connor was excited cause Grandpa took a few spare digi cameras for the kids to use

double didgits

I can hardly start to believe that my monkey man turned 10 on Friday!
This photo I took of him on Thursday night and told him it was going to be last one of him at the age of 9.
He is growing up so fast and I am so proud of him.

I have lots to catch up on so I will be back tomorrow to fill you all in:)

these two today

Today this girl goes to her Year 7 orientation.......
Next year she starts high school and it only feels like yesterday that she started kindy!
I'm so proud of my big girl


And this boy said the funniest thing to me very late last night
After coming in to me with growing pains in his knees that needed rubbing only by mum, he went back to watching tv then thought about his knees growing, came back into me and said "Mum, do I look taller"
LOL