The Crazy Adventures of the Ness Boys

Wow does life whiz by!  I announce I’m pregnant then next thing you know I have a 2 month old little boy!  It’s been a fantastic experience having a little one in the house again.  He’s a very sweet little one, and quite handsome.  Kristopher has made for a terrific baby tender and seems to really enjoy the ability to carry him around and play.  We’ve nick named the little one “Puggle”, after the local baby monotremes (meaning echidnas and platypus).  Occasionally we call him “Barbalute” after the Brown Barbalutes in their barbalute suits from The Lorax (Fletcher’s favorite book).  His real name, though, is Alexander.  He was born Friday, December 2nd at beer o’clock (6.50 pm).  I’d like to say it was an easy delivery, but it was quite intense!!  Thankfully, though, short and complication free.  He came out weighing a nice 9 lb, 1 oz and was the shortest of the three boys at 20.5″.  Still, quite a good sized and beautiful newborn.

At this point little Puggle is holding his head up on his own and is cooing.  You can see the determination on his face when he tries to roll over.  It’ll be any day now!

The family came and went. We met Mom down in Sydney and had a fantastic weekend, then dragged her to Tamborine Mountain. That place is amazing! The boys left here with Mom to meet Dad and Aunt Tabi in New Zealand and Wade and I got some much needed work in. The family went back to the States just in time for a massive thunderstorm to kick and and for Fletcher to get a cold. Couldn’t have asked for better timing than that.

Life here has definitely become a beach one. Less wearing of shoes, more sand everywhere. It’s been very relaxed and fun. I’m down in Brisbane 2-3 days a week now and am finally earning a paycheck. Now to get Wade rolling too!

Anyhow, today has been a fantastically foggy, overcast day. Perfect for playing in the rain and drinking tea. I can’t complain.

Cheers!

Both the boys love school. Fletcher has settled nicely in to 1st grade, and Kristopher in to 4th. We’re hoping to bring Fletcher up to 2nd grade mid year, but there’s no push (especially considering technically Kristopher skipped a grade, it wasn’t Fletcher who was held back). They both have their at school routine well worked out and enjoy Friday’s Tuckshop. Kristopher singed up for Choir and Fletcher is contemplating Cross Country running. We’ll see!

Every Sunday morning at 8.30 am is Nippers. The boys definitely enjoy the beach. Nippers gives them a chance to become stronger swimmers, more ocean aware and get to play with other kids. It’s an all around win/win. It’s also forced Mom and Dad to get in shape as we have to chase the kids!

I’ve started my dissertation research and now have the 3.5 hour commute a couple times a week. Wade, thankfully, is finally able to work!! He’s fully licensed to be a substitute teacher and once he has reached 40 hours as a sub he will be a fully licensed teacher again. We can’t wait!

All is trudging along nicely and we’re busy bees as usual. Hope all is well back in the States.

Cheers!

The boys started school today! Fletcher is in a 1/2 combined class and Kristopher is in a 3/4 class. Both the boys seem quite happy that their rooms are right next door to each other and share a courtyard. That makes walking to school a lot easier, too.

And so the year begins! My orientation is today down in Brisbane so off I go!

The rain hasn’t stopped for months now.  With all the flooding that surrounds us we’re shocked how safe we are.  Towns within 30 miles all around us have been severely flooded, but life here hasn’t changed.  We’re just a bit more remote than usual!

The last 2 days have been sunny so grocery trucks are coming back in to town and roads are starting to become accessible again.  We’re going to start venturing out to assess the damage around us and to show the kids what flooding means.

What a way to start out in Queensland!

It’s been a busy time Down Under! The rain has been pouring down like mad, but it hasn’t slowed the kids down any. They’re both riding their bikes on their own up and down the street. That makes Dad very nervous! Kristopher is still moving along with his Math program and Fletcher read a book on his own! Next we’ll work on swimming and Fletcher getting a few more books under his belt!

Our family has a new little addition as well. Abelard Rex joined us a week ago. He’s a rambunctious little Abyssinian that the boys are really enjoying. It was a hard decision to get another kitty with how much we still miss Missy, but the choice feels like the right one. Welcome Abelard!

Our “stuff” finally arrived and we’re mostly unpacked. We didn’t ship much, but there were quite a few important creature comforts in those boxes. The kids were quick to unpack their favorite blankets and their stuffed animals and I was quick to make sure my rocking chair was put in a good corner for reading. Wade was just happy to have his computer back!

Spring time has begun here in Rainbow Beach. We’ve had some amazing thunderstorms that shook the windows and scared the kids. The rain comes and goes almost daily in dramatic phases. It’s hard to describe just how loud the rainstorms are!

A power converter for my sewing machine is on it’s way so here soon I’ll be back to quilting. In the meantime the kids still need their home school lessons, I still need to catch up on a lot of reading and Wade needs to enjoy this brief period of unemployment. Life will get hectic soon enough!

On a great side-note, Wade’s Dad is recovering against medical odds.  We’re very happy to hear his voice and know that he’s at home and doing alright.  Hopefully we have many more laughs with him to come.

Cheers!

This afternoon we went down to Seary’s Creek. It’s a quiet little spot right out of town that is well loved because of it’s super clean swimming holes. With the schools currently on holiday, there were lots of kids running around having a good time. Ours were no different!

Both the boys fearlessly entered the water as they usually do. That’s fine and well as the water where we were at is shallow (about knee deep on me). They were playing around when Fletcher got in the water and started swimming! Not far mind you, but a solid breast stroke all the same. He’s definitely become a sea turtle. Hopefully the great progress will continue and Fletcher will finally be able to take a ride on a surf board (swimming is a prerequisite for that).

Great work little man!

The news reports keep reminding us that this year is on of Queensland’s wettest on record. We couldn’t agree more! It’s been raining off and on since we arrived and the newest storm started today and is expected to last for about 5 days. Rain, rain and more rain! What is nice is that the rain is warm and the temperature is still pleasant.

The kids are still active beach bunnies and have asked every day rain or shine for their body boarding time. On days when there’s no lightening they still get some time. The ocean here doesn’t get as cold as Northern California, so the water is always warm to us!

In other news, I have my first research appointment in early October. That’ll start my madness and commute. Thankfully, the research program is very flexible so I won’t be under as much stress and travel time as previously assumed. I’m very pleased about that!

For now, though, it’s listening to the rain on our tin roof and watching sunsets with a mug of tea. Here’s our favorite sunset so far!

Things keep trucking along! The pets are settling in well and the kids are finally calming down and not chasing them relentlessly anymore. The weather is slowly heading in to Spring and we’re getting a lot of rain and wind. It makes for some gorgeous days around here.

Wade’s Dad is doing well and we’re more than happy to hear his amazing progress. That’s been quite the spirit lifter for all of us. From original prognosis to now has been a journey beyond belief.

Wade is currently awaiting his QCT registration so he can start teaching, and I’m awaiting my COE so I can get my schedule together (granted, I don’t start until Jan). In the meantime we’re homeschooling the kids (that’s an adventure) while we still wait for their final paperwork. It’d be easy to stress on everything but what good would it do! We’re dotting all our i’s and crossing all our t’s and, in the meantime, enjoying time on the beach as a family. All too soon that time will be scarce!

It’s interesting living in a small town. You get really used to driving the one road in and one road out!