19 March 2011

i'm grateful for 'my big one & little one'

Greetings all,
Ah, my first born, she was off on high school camp this week, i missed her.  She packed strictly to-the-list with the recommended day, cabin & camping bag must-haves (no hair straighteners like some girls!!)  No wonder some had huge suitcases on trolleys??  Her Infantry Daddy would be very proud, we follow the soldier's mantra "only pack what you can carry".  Even with 4 children under 5 i had the world's smallest baby bag & we've been overseas as a family of 6 with 1 suitcase, not kidding!!  Get it, we pack light.
 She went off looking like she was sponsored by The North Face.  Please take note of her shoes, handsome soldier took her shopping for hiking boots & seeing he's used to spending big bucks on footwear for you know, important things like patrols in desert war zones . . . i considered $300 (after 20% off) was a tad pricey for high school camp shoes??!!  They will last all 4 children though (twins have different sized feet) so we'll squeeze every cent out of these family heirloom solid gold hiking shoes for years!!
I like this image from dawn Wednesday morning - bossing me around 'til the last second.
 
 I cleaned her room & left a new pair of jeans & her new typewriter key necklace as a surprise on her desk.
 My happy camper is home.  She told me every single moment & detail on what they ate, how they slept, where they swam, the groups, the conversations, the new friends, the private jokes, the sand flies . . . even said "you can tell me to stop talking if this is getting boring".  OMG, i was loving it, a high schooler who talks, please stay this way!!
 While we were waiting for the coaches for a couple of hours, oh yes, mischief was found!!
 Look at this cute soft furry possum's big gorgeous eyes, now look at the claws!!
 What else can i say, a 7 year old boy in his natural habitat.
 Possum's curly tail for balance & hanging out in the school grounds.
 My son found a few other little boys waiting for their big sisters, he was showing them the amazing 'hover' leaf (yellow leaf near his left shoulder) i know, AMAZING!!
 Perhaps time to move on when our friendly possum climbed onto the ground??
 So we found a wall to defy injury on.
 When our possum went back up his tree . . .
so did my son, my very own Bear Grylls.
Spending my Friday night tucked up on the lounge with my big one & little one, while their twinnies are off horse riding on a friend's farm this weekend - what a lovely way to soak up my precious first & last born.  We Skype'd Daddy the moment we got home too, had to show him all the sand fly bites, share the stories & show him just how big the backpacks are!!
For more 'Gratefuls' check out Maxabella Loves.  Love Posie
Oh oh oh, great giveaway over at my 300th post, good luck, only 10 days left to enter!!

35 comments:

Naturally Carol said...

Hi Posie, I've enjoyed browsing among your camping, tree climbing and possum photos..while being loved to death by a big brindle and white dog who wants pats! She is missing my middle son who is looking for work in Brisbane.

The Moerks said...

Lovely post. Some boots! She looks so tired poor pet, I bet she has a great sleep. Have a good weekend Posie.

Susan said...

What precious family moments you have captured in this post! And memories of mine when they were that age!

Romina Garcia said...

Love the photos and your little people are gorgeous!!
Awesome blog :-)

Kylie said...

:) have a great night.

All For Love said...

Awww this is a lovely weekend grateful Posie. What an awesome Mum you are, cleaning the room AND leaving a surprise for when she gets home :o)
I love the parallels drawn between Mr Possum and Mr7, they're both so very cute ;o)
Yes I agree, a chatty teenager is a VERY good thing, hold onto that for dear life... I was always a chatterbox with my Mama too and never gave my parents too much cause for concern! Have a lovely weekend with your big and small :o)

Hot Fudge said...

Precious times, aren't they? Did the boots make it home?

Anonymous said...

You always give me the biggest smiles when I come and read about you and your beautiful family. Wishing you all a lovely weekend. And the surprise presents - just the loveliest Mum you are. xx

Anonymous said...

You always give me the biggest smiles when I come and read about you and your beautiful family. Wishing you all a lovely weekend. And the surprise presents - just the loveliest Mum you are. xx

Bron said...

Your right a teen that wants to tell all...great that she a had a fab time away...we have our tween at camp in a few short weeks too. Have a great weekend.

Unknown said...

Ah what a lovely post to read on a Friday night. Sounds lovely and LOL on the shoes, my husband would do exactly the same.

Sydney Shop Girl said...

Oh, the first day of school!

Your children will have such an amazing and personal record of the day with this post.

SSG xxx

Sydney Shop Girl blog

Brenda said...

A stunning necklace and a pair of jeans, way to go mum. Oh and Bear Grylls would be proud, Boy Vs Wild.

Have a lovely weekend.

Beck said...

Glad that camp was so fun! How lovely to have some time with your biggest and littlest too. Loved all the possum shots, and your gorgeous monkey boy!! xo

Knicky Knacks said...

Yes, we should all learn that Dad's and a fist full of cash is a dangerous combination, particularly when they are buying for thier daughters! She looks so content and happy. Wonderful to hear so was brimming with excitement on her return. That's great. Love her desk by the way. Looks really homely and pretty.

Mimi said...

You bring tears to my eyes! You are a gorgeous Mum. Enjoy your weekend. Mimi xx
P.S. I was going to ask if I could have the Red Kitchen Aid but I thought I may of been pushing the boundaries.

Ruby Star said...

oh how nice when you get to spend time with just 2 of your babies.

Felicity said...

May your weekend be full of more of these wonderful snuggly moments and lots of happy chatting.

xx Felicity

Maxabella said...

Why am I not surprised that she's a talker?!?!?!

Your children are all so gorgeous, Posie. x

Sarah B said...

'a teenager who talks' - I just love that!!
Aren't possums so cute!

Anonymous said...

Our girl is off to camp next term and I am sure she will talk our ears off on her return...it's so precious that they are still willing to share all isn't it?
Gorgeous photos :)
xx

Brenda @ 13 Acres said...

love it Jennie - beautiful post!! Your kids are just wonderful and it sounds like your daughter had an amazing time !!

Lauren said...

oh fun! I love that she was telling you everything...and oh just tell me to be quiet if it's boring! a lot of teenagers just go home and grunt when their parents ask them about camp! :)

Stacey said...

Packing for camp! It drives me crazy! Can your big girl come and help my big boy pack for camp? He's off to Canberra so she could even get a ride home....
Did everything come home? I know in previous years even things that were clearly named (i.e. everything!) went missing.
Glad she had a good time. How lovely that she wants to tell you every detail.

Vic said...

Aw, I wish you were my Mum - new jeans & a necklace suprise? Melting heart over here...!

Cathie said...

hi Ms Posie,
I have had your post, no jokes, up all day & waiting for a quiet moment so I can read it properly.
finally I have & love the solid gold new shoes. A bit pricey for me aswell.
so glad your kids talk to you, I wish the very same for us aswell.

hope you got some wonderful squishy cuddles upon her return.

thanks also for the sweet words...you are a gem ♥

Nic said...

Oh my gosh, did you really go on holiday with ONE suitcase for 6 of you?? I seriously need you to help me pack for England! I am trying to squeeze everything for me, Marcus and Luca into one suitcase and not doing very well... I've always been terrible at packing light, I like to be prepared for every eventuality! I even backpacked around Africa with 14 pairs of undies and leave-in conditioner...no ghds though ;-P

Unknown said...

Fabulous! I love all the photographs of your 'possum' and all your lovely treasures. You are truly blessed! xx

Luisa said...

Wow you do have a dare devil!
The possum is beautiful

Heidi said...

that is one ugly what ever it is in the tree... Wow that was a haul from North Face....there gear is wonderful!

Unknown said...

You have a beautiful family :-)

Off The Peg said...

What an adventurous brood you have :)

Corrie said...

awwww rory you're too cute hanging from a tree!

oh school camp! exciting!

corrie:)

MichelleTwinMum said...

HI, Visiting form Reasons to be Cheerful. What a wonderful gratitude post. Looks like your big one has a fabulous time. My husband is a scouter so my boy loves to camp already too.

Mich x

Jen (Melei) said...

Hi Jen

Thanks for your email :)
I didn't mean that you had to send a reply but i just wanted to make sure you got mine. I do panick about it a little when i think that people think that i don't reply to their comments. Anyway, enough about that. I was wondering about the pom pom ball string thingies hanging in your oldest daughter's room in this post. Did you buy/make them? I would love these in my daughters room. Love Jen xxxx