From May 26th...

Friday May 26th

Today was like most other day's, we all did the usual. Jamieson & I spent some time at the pool, no one was there so he got bored. Conner came home from school, we all did some homework.

The boys went out toplay with their friends, they came in late cause it was Friday. Bruce went out to play basketball with ALfie (John's dad) & the boys watched some TV.

I was on skype as usual. It was another fairly typical day.

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Saturday

We woke up to another Saturday morning, we all slothed around for a while. Conner decided that he wants to start training for basketball, can you believe that of all things we didn't bring a basketball. So we all got in the van & headed off to Costco. Promising Jamieson a slice of pizza so he wouldn't complain. As it was a Saturday, the place was packed. We walked around & bought a few more things. Not that much more can fit in my cupboards after last weekend at Sam's club. I won't have too much to buy when I go to Safeway this week or next week etc.

Grabbed a basketball & some other things & made our way out. By the time we got home it was getting on in the afternoon.

****

Bruce told Jamieson that he wasn't coming (to training), it was something that he & Conner were going to do together. As expected, a tanty ensued & lasted around 15 mins. They went out to play hoops & Jamieson came with me to the gym. Until he saw some of the other kids & off he went. Everyone was back to have a late dinner. While we were waiting Jamieson & I were on messenger with Rhys. Jamieson was on the webcam so Rhys could see us. They were having a nice conversation, Jamieson typing & dancing around when the boys got back from basketball, red faced & stinky. Bruce put the basketball on & I put the webcam infront of the TV so he (Rhys) could watch the last minute of the game. (Not sure how much he could see, but it was a laugh)

Had a late dinner, spoke to Trudy & the kids on skype. Had a catch up which was nice. Then Raels called & had a chat. A couple of hours past & it was time for bed. Around midnight.

And that was our Saturday.

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Sunday

We woke up to a beautiful Sunday morning. I went out to get some things for the bbq tomorrow. I am making a plate of stuff that I made at home. So I have a bit of cooking to do before then. I have the choc chip bics, anzacs are done. I went out around 10 & got in around 12. I went to the dollar tree (fantastic place) as the name says everything is $1.00. I got some things for the raffle basket for Jamieson's class for the ice cream social on the 16th. I got some lays for us to wear to the ice cream social. A few things for the kitchen & bathroom. So that's always a fun place to go. There are also big Memorial Day Sales on, so there were people out everywhere. I went to the supermarket to find the other stuff I needed for my cooking later. You can't get pastry here, so I had to get puff pastry (sausage rolls), all the sausage meat is flavoured (Italian etc) so I ended up getting some normal mince as well. So they will really be sausage rolls, kinda of. I grabbed a bottle of wine to take. Jacob's Creek, no Victorian wine at the supermarket all South Australian. Got some Cadbury chocolate & other bits & headed home.

******

We had some lunch & headed down to the pool. Bruce was in the middle of some work so he arrived around 30 mins later. Angela (complex manager) & her friend were there with their kids. We stayed for a couple of hours then it was time to go home. My back had seized up again, so I have to stretch it out. While I was there the girls asked me to go out with them, which would be fun. As the day went on my back got worse. I cooked sausage rolls, truffles, iced biscuits. By the time that was done my back was stuffed. So I went down to the spa & sat with the jets on for a while. As you can imagine I didn't go out. A bit bummed. By the time I cleaned up the kitchen, then we all spoke to mum on the phone as there were 3.7 million people using skype so the connection was crap.

Everything was done by 9.30, & I sat down and watched TV while Bruce finished up some stuff on the laptop. We crawled into bed around 11.00. A big day tomorrow, need a good sleep.

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Monday

Memorial Day

Woke up with lots to do before we had to be at the Charles House at lunchtime. (12.00 sharp)

I had to go out & get a platter for the food, Conner wanted to do some training as well. So around 10am Jamieson & I dropped Bruce & Conner off at a basketball ring & went off to grab a platter. We were all done by 11.00. So in the next hour, I prepared the plates, sausage rolls, vegemite sandwiches & fairy bread & iced biscuits, truffles, choc chip biscuits, honey joys & Anzacs on the platter. I washed & dryed hair & tidied up the apartment. Packed bathers, camera etc & all jumped in the van at 12.00. So we were only a few minutes late. We arrived, they have a beautiful home, large backyard & pool. We chatted in the kitchen with Kristin & Alfie & their friends Shaun & Paula, while the boys played outside 6 of them. They were having a great time. With little baby Cooper (6 weeks) getting cuddles from all of us adults. Just chillen, he's cool. Everyone calls him super Cooper cause he is a big (tall) boy for 6 weeks. Kristin had made baked Brie with Sun dried Tomatoe's, Beautiful! Then the boys went out to start cooking the BBQ. They had the BIGGEST, MOST GIGANTIC, chicken breasts you've ever seen. It looked like a turkey breast ON STEROIDS, that's how big they were. Bruce & I shared one. But it was the most tender meat we've ever tasted. We had chicken, steak, ribs & salad. Very Yummy!!

We all sat around then after lunch the big boys got the water balloons out & filled them up. Then we had a parents versus kids balloon fight. Which was very fun, especially when Alfie threw one at Bruce & got him in the rude spot. We all nearly wet ourselves laughing. So Bruce grabbed the water gun & had some fun too. So now, we were all quite wet so everyone changed into their bathers & jumped into the pool.

*****

The boys all got in the pool, & the cannon balls (bombs) started. Then the big boys got in the pool & the water started flying. All the kids were having fun, big ones included. We sat around the pool for a couple of hours talking. Around 5.00 we all came inside (the basketball was starting). We had the dessert Paula had made called Berries on a Cloud, (Pavlova) go figure. She makes a beautiful Pav even if she didn't realise it. We left around 6.00, all the kids had school the next day. We got home, had not really much that you would call dinner ( after lunch) & the kids went to bed. Conner had a red face from spending too much time in the sun & not putting more sunscreen on. So that was out first Memorial Day in America, what a great day we had. I think Bruce has found a great friend in Alfie (very similar) & Kristin & I get on really well. They are a great family. We had a great Memorial Day!!!

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Tuesday & Wednesday

(Happy Birthday Maxy in Australia)

The usual for mid week, nothing much out of the ordinary happened. Bruce went to office for work & the boys went to school. We spent a couple of hours in the afternoons at the pool. Chatting with the girls while the kids play in the pool. It's always alot of fun & the time just flies. I have been using the spa on my back & it seems to be helping. It's still sore but not as much, I can get around fine, so that's better. I've been doing some email research for Bruce for the PE gear accounts for the Australian Market. I have to admit, I'm used to everything here being on the net, gathering infomation is easy. So going back to the net in Australia when everything is not on the net, this job is getting very frustrating. Also the hours that I can use the computer are limited because of the kids school time & allowing for others in the business centre, I can't get as much done as I would like. Conner's friend Elliott has invited him to his birthday party in a couple of weeks. They are going to a Theme Park for the whole day. 9.00 till 7.00. That is a big day, he is going to be tired, but he is really excited. So, things here are getting pretty normal.

We had some dinner then spoke to Maxy & Alex & Trudy to say a quick Happy Birthday to Maxy before they went out to lunch. He is very excited about being three, just gorgeous!!

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Thursday

We woke up to another beautiful Thursday morning. The kids went off to school & Bruce started working while I tidied the apartment. Did some washing etc, all the usual stuff. Went to pick up Jamieson, on the way the new apartment manager was making some changes by the pool. There are some changes happening in the leasing centre here. The manager Angela, has been promoted to regional manager, the ass't manager Larissa is going to manage a smaller complex & the manager has been promoted to this one as is is about double the size. The Leasing agent Rhianna is being promoted to Assistant Manager. So there will be some new faces. It will be interesting to see how/if things change & to what degree. We will see, time will tell.

Jamieson & I met Millie & Lexy down at the pool and stayed for an hour, it clouded over so we came home & I did some more washing etc. Around 1.30 Bruce said that he would watch Jamieson so I could go and do some of my work at the business centre. He needs this stuff ASAP. I spent an hour or so there, I saw Angela while on the way. She & Nicole are staying and living here so I will catch up with her to find out the goings on, on the weekend not doubt. Bruce had to go to the office to pick up papers so the boys and I came for the ride. After that we went to the outlet mall & I got some birthday presents to send home. YEAH!!! I was having the guilts. I have not got one birthday on time yet. So Oscar's is my aim.... I just have to wrap them up & take them down to the post office. It seems like from most of the stuff that we have recieved that it usually takes a week on air mail. Which isn't too bad.

****

Anyway, we had a look around, I got a couple of things to start Conner's present's for his birthday & had a look around then we started to make our way home. We got home around 7.30 (late for a school night) Conner hadn't done his homework, so it was a late night for the boys all around. They were still coming out at 9.00 saying they couldn't sleep. So tomorrow night will an early one , hopefully!! It wasn't a late one for us, Bruce went off to bed around 10.30 & I watched TV for a little while after that.

****

Well, that was yet another week in Northern California. The weather is warming up so I'm sure that we will be spending some time by the pool, & we are aiming to go & see Old Sacramento this weekend, so we'll see. I hope everyone has a great weekend, stay warm.

GO SUPERCATS, CATS, WEST, NEWTOWN, JOEY'S, GROVEY, AMATEURS!!!!

Stone Lake Elementary Open House

Conner & Mrs Howe

Jamieson & Mrs Gleason

Jamieson - Claude Monet - The Bridge

Conner's Ayres Rock

We had to find which child was Jamieson by the clues ...

Conner's silhouette & poem

Our afternoon trip .....

OUR DAY OUT TO VACAVILLE

(45 MINS AWAY)

20 minutes out of Sacramento

Beautiful - those mountains had snow caps only 3 weeks ago.

From 19th May

Friday

We woke up to an overcast day. The boys went off to school & I went to work out at the fitness centre. I finished up the blog for the week & asked Bruce to check it before posting.

went to pick Jamieson up from school, went to the business centre & came home & had some lunch. In the afternoon I went out to the supermarket to grab some stuff so I could make choc chip biscuits & to a place called Trader Joes (I was told they have things that other supermarkets don't) I found rice flour (for biscuits) & Wheat Bix, Yeah!!! Then I went to another place called World Market to buy some Tim Tams to take to Jeff's later. I got back & Kris - Conner's friends mum was there. They left around 5.30 & we got ready to go over the other side of town so Bruce could go to his dinner & we were going to Jeff & Lisa's place. Ross rang to confirm that the kids are coming and date & time of their arrival & his a week later. That is going to be a fantastic 9 days. Wooo Hooo!!!!!

*****

On the way down the highway (in the rain) we realized that the battery was not going to make it to our destination, so we called Craig (who helped us with the van the day before) & asked him to meet us to fix the car. The new battery was not connected up to the new alternator & the battery was running the whole car. So we got off the freeway (peak hour) & stopped at a dodgey petrol station in a not very good part of town. FUN, not. We had time to kill, so we went inside & had a petrol station dinner, which wasn't AS bad as you would think. Not great, but not to disgusting, although the homeless people asking for money wasn't the best thing to watch. Anyway, Craig arrived & an hour or so later and we were off. Still raining, we got onto the right freeway, thought we were on the wrong freeway & turned onto another one. Halfway down we realised we took the wrong one & had to go through the map & find a new way to get there. By this time we were about 1 1/2 hours into a 30 min trip. We finally arrived at Jeff's at 8.20 & Bruce took off to his drinks & we settled at Lisa's for the evening.

****

It was a good time, the boys all played, hide & seek, Xbox, TV etc & Lisa & I chatted. The big boys got home around midnight. Jamieson was asleep on my lap & the older boys were conked out with red eyes. We all had a chat & we were on our way home around 12.30am. We were home around 1am & very quickly into bed.

So that was another experience to add to the list. What an interesting Friday we had.

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Saturday

As you can imagine, we slept in, especially me. Another overcast day. The boys went off in the morning to watch Elliott (Conner's friend) play basketball. They got back around lunchtime. We had lunch & decided that the boys could invite some friends over for a movie on the wall. (Projector) So about an hour later there were 7 boys & a couple of girls lounging around our lounge room floor watching Narnia. It was quite amusing watching them all doing their thing. Some were watchcing, others were in and out & others just couldn't sit still. (It's not just my boys than goodness) I was baking ANZAC biscuits & then went out to tidy up the van a bit. Pig Sty!!!!By the end of the movie, some had gone, others were kind of watching & Conner was asleep on the couch. After that they all went outside to play while the sun was out. They stayed out until around 7.30pm. So that was good for them & us.

*****

I made some choc chip biscuits & chatted with Rael's & Mum on Skype for an hour or so each. YEAH!!! I must say the new headphones we got are worth every cent. (thank you Tory for the tip) for anyone else the tip was to buy some that have a USB plug. The sound is fabulous & I didn't have any problems with the web cam, that I have been having. All gone!!! So I gave Raels a web cam tour, me holding the webcam & Bruce holding the laptop behind as I was walking around the apartment. Pretty funny I'm sure. Rael's was laughing. We had a late dinner & the kids went to our room & watched some TV & chilled, Bruce did some work & I went off to the fitness centre for a quick 30 mins on the treadmill. I increased the incline, so ouch on the legs, but it felt good. Have to say that the first couple of weeks with the stress etc, a lot of chocolate was consumed, so we are trying to get it off. Came home & Elise signed onto messenger. So we had a chat, 3 days till sweet 16 girl.... Happy Birthday for then chicken. And 18 days until the kids land at Sac airport..... BIG YEAH!!!!! I chatted, then Bruce chatted to Al Bell on Skype for a while. (honestly, don't know what we would do without Skype & messenger, it's saved us a fortune in phone bills) We went off to bed around 12.30, so another late one. Who cares, when we are talking to home.

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Sunday

We woke up after a night of rain, it was still drizzling. We had breakfast and decided to go out & get Conner some new runners for basketball which starts in a couple of weeks. We drove down to the outlet mall, Conner found some runners (so he was happy) On the way down we past the Jelly Belly factory & found out that they have tours. So hopefully we will get to that soon, the boys are very excited about watching 'candy' being made. I took some pictures on the trip, down, the mountains, road signs the kids. Not a bad trip at all. We didn't get all the way through the stores cause the boys had enough. Although - Calvin Klein store GREAT!!!!! There was a whole lot of great stores we didn't get too, next time. It's definately a place I will be taking the kids when they get here though. We ended up a Sam's club & looked around & grabbed some stuff, not used to this buying bulk yet, but it's deinately worth it $$$ wise. Jamieson is in heaven, I got 120 slices of cheese for $7.00. It's like Campbell's at home but on steroids!!!! We got a few things, & we headed home so Bruce could watch the NBA Finals. But it's not till Monday night, so he gets 2 games 7's, so he's pretty happy.

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That was when the fun (not) started. Jamieson deided that he didn't want to do his homework properly & after arguing with me until I was ready to explode, Bruce took over & the tantrum really begun. (I know my mum's are really enjoying this) so they started going at it, Bruce was yelling to do stuff & Jamieson was just looking at him, (you know the look) & talking back. So he went into the bathroom with the soap, nothing, then the room, he came out. FUN HUH!

Finally he gave in & walked around crying for the next 20 mins. He wasn't allowed in the kitchen so he stood on the very edge of the kitchen leaning in, well, Bruce, Conner & I were nearly wetting ourselves. Bruce said that if he came into the kitchen, no pool. The whole thing took about 45mins, before he stopped & did what he was told. Now he just has to get through the week without having friends over, or going to their houses for a play, the good thing was that

he knew better than to argue. The boys had their dinner & went off to bed. They were tired after a long day & late couple of nights over the weekend. I watched the Series Finale of Charmed

While Bruce did some work. Charmed finale - was good, not a fan but they tied it all up really well. It seems like a lot of shows are finishing for good at the moment. I was on messenger with Rhys after he got back from school for a hour or so, chatting about when they get over here, which was fun, there are a few things happening while they are here add a couple of day trips in with the usual pool time etc. I think it should be fun, not too boring for them. The kids being in school is a pain but that can't be helped. Anyway dropped into bed around midnight.

That was our Sunday, saw some new places & things to do, so the day was a good one.

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Monday & Tuesday

Another week & the days are about the same. School, work, homework. On Monday afternoon we got some surprises in the mail. The parcels that she sent arrived. Very excited!!

We got vegemite, newspaper clippings (supercats), wheat bix, chocolate, photos & coffee.

So that was some excitement in a usual day. The weather was still overcast so there was no pool. Jamieson finished school & we went & some time in the business centre, emails etc.

Otherwise they were pretty normal days, have to admit I am getting bored!! Bruce is giving me some work to do which will be good for me.

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Wednesday

Happy Birthday Elise (back home time).

The day started like any other, and the day progressed along as per usual. We sent Elise a text to say Happy Birthday. The weather was warming up & Jamieson & I were about to head off to the pool when Millie called to say not to bother as the pool was too cold to swim in. So we had to amuse ourlselves for the afternoon. The kids ended up outside playing at the playground with the kids. Bruce went out to look for Millie's kitten that had run off, & found him, so he is Millie's favourite now. (She hadn't told Lexie that he'd gone) We dragged the kids in for dinner etc. I'm not sure what time the other kids go in cause we sometimes have them at the door asking about the boys after 7.30. Anyway, the boys went off to bed & I got online/skype with rael's & the boys, (they are growing up like mushy's) especially bubba Felix. We chatted for a while, then she had to go. Waiting for mum to put the computer on so I could ring but nothing. (hint, hint, mum) It hit around 11.00 & Elise logged onto messenger, so while we were chatting Bruce called on the phone to say happy birthday. He used an amercian accent & freaked her out so much that she hung up. (Very Funny!!!!! - sorry Elise) So we called back & Dylan answered. She had a lovely birthday so far, & hopefully a great family dinner to come. We finished on the phone & went back onto messenger, then we realised that we could use our webcam so she could see us (DER!!- can't believe it took that long to realize) Anyway I gave her a small virtual tour of the apartment, well the bits I could reach without moving the laptop. The birthday phone started so we signed off. Hoping to catch up with her tomorrow & find out how the rest of her day was.

Got to bed around midnight. It was a good Elise's Birthday day.

******

Next MAXY!!! birthday.

Cutest story, made me sad but laugh. Apparently my little Maxy Boy has had enough of his cousins being away (don't worry about his poor auntie/godmother) and stated that, that was it for them being away wanted to go to the house to visit NOW!! So, gorgeous, just means that I have to get my butt into gear and make sure they see the boys on the computer more. Poor thing hasn't figured out how far away we are yet!!

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Thursday

We woke up to a beautiful Thursday. The boys went off to school & Bruce had a meeting, so he was gone at 7.30. I dropped the boys off at school & decided to go for a walk outside. I know the area a bit better, so I followed the streets that I knew. It was a nice morning & the area around here is beautiful. I got back, tidied up the house & called Millie. Around 10.45 I went to the business centre to do a little work before I had to pick Jamieson up from school. Jamieson & I walked back from school after having our usual chat with John's mum Kristin. We have been invited over to their home for Memorial Day on Monday for a BBQ, so we are looking forward to that. Bruce is going to get a pick up game of basketball with his Dad (Alfie) Friday night. I think he's looking forward to it. It's a good chance for him to meet some other guys. We came home & had some lunch, Bruce arrived home with a lot in his head so he had lunch & went to the laptop. Jamieson & I went down to the pool, the water was cold, but it didn't seem to worry him too much. Bruce went & picked Conner up from school & then Conner came for a quick swim. We didn't stay for much longer as Conner didn't want to swim in the pool- too cold!!

So we came back and the boys went outside to play with their friends.

********

We called them in around 5.30. Open House at school tonight from6-7.00. Much to Conner's disgust. We wandered over about 5.50 & started in Jamieson's room, we went around (although Bruce had to run home & get new batteries for the camera) Jamieson showed us all the work that they have been doing on the last few weeks. It was a lot of fun, we met a few more parents, mostly from Jamieson's class but it was good to see their work. Bruce has basketball with Conner's class in the morning, & Conner is actually looking forward to it.

(More to show his skills off too everyone, he asked Bruce if he could do the Billy B Pro Program, cause he's good at that & it's hard)

***************

FUNNY - not sure if I've mentioned it before, but Jamieson has a new word. Not sure where it came from but it's still at the funny stage for us, at the annoying stage for Conner.

Whenever he needs a filler word so to speak you get "OH Snap"!!!

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We got home from open house around 7.00 & had dinner, Bruce made pancakes for the 1st time since we've been here. (whilst the basketball was on, good thing the TV swivels or we'd be stuffed) The boys went off to bed & Bruce went to the gym. Trudy, Rael's & the kids called on skype & Maxy got to see Conner. His face was priceless!!! The smile was worth waking Conner up for. Sorry Conner!! Whilst on skype Elise messenged to say she got her L's.

Congratulations Girl, Look out everyone!! Another day & week has come & gone. We all seemed to have experienced new things this week again.

That's why we're here, so this week was a good week.

****

To everyone at home, have a fabulous weekend. We have Memorial Day (long)

weekend coming up. So anything could happen, good luck for all the sport.

GO EVERYONE!!!!

Pictures.....

This is their new trick. (until one of them hurts themselves) Lexie's Party Photo's Millie & Me

Friday 12th May .....

Friday

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We got up and I took Jamieson to school. I let Conner & Bruce sleep as they were up very late with Conners tooth ache. Met Millie at the fitness centre then went home. Conner woke around 8.45 & had some breakfast. Bruce got up & called a dentist. Conner had an appointment at 1.00pm. So he got dressed and Bruce took him over to school. I picked up Jamieson & we came home & had lunch. We went down the pool when Bruce left to go and get Conner from school & took him to the dentist. They got back and Bruce said that Conner absolutely freaked out when the dentist tried to give him the needle. Hyperventilating etc. Apparently the tooth at the top is pushing it down & it was pushing on the nerve. Only a couple of days of pain left. Thank goodness. The boys went down to the pool for a swim & I started dinner etc.

After dinner we went out to get some birthday presents for Saturday. 2 parties, so that should be a fun day. Then Jamieson decided it would be funny to throw a penny at his father (while he was driving) so his punishment was that he didn't get go to the party for conner's friend in the morning. Which of course started a tantrum in the car. Luckily I had the threat of the other party to stop that in it's tracks. We went to toys r us, the boys thought they were in heaven.

got a few things & made our way home.

The boys went off to bed, Bruce not long after & I stayed up spoke to Raels

on Skype and messengered with Elise. It was a late night, but who cares.

Saturday

(Happy Mothers Day - Australia)

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We woke up to what was going to be a busy day. Not so much for Jamieson & I anymore. I went out to the fitness centre & when I got back had to hurry the boys up to get to their party on time. Off they went happily looking forward to the morning ahead. Jamieson & I potted around cleaning up & doing washing etc. Usual morning. Around 11.00 we walked over to the business centre so I could print out some receipes off the web. A couple of my receipes I can't use here as they don't have some of the ingredients. I found a good website & I think I have a couple of good substitutes. I still have a couple of things that I HAVE to find, eg. Marie biscuits for truffles. They don't use biscuits in the US to make truffles.

Jamieson & I were about to leave as Conner & Bruce were due home when He called & said that they were going to Mark's place for pizza, so Jamieson & I went to the pool. We were just about to leave when the boys arrived home & Conner wanted a swim. They said that this place was fabulous, like the play centres home but on steroids,free video games & all. I guess we know where Conner will be having his party. So Conner went & got changed & Bruce went off to look at cars. Millie & Lexie dropped by the pool for a little while. They had been out doing things for Lexie's birthday. So the kids had swims together & then we all left the pool to chill for the rest of the afternoon before the party. (pictures on blog) We came in & Bruce called his mum on the phone.

We arrived at the party at around 6.00. This place was a huge room with 4 GIANT blow up things. Slide, enclosed, open & games to play as well. We met Millie's husband Scott, so the guys chatted for a lot of the night. The kids all ran around for a couple of hours then we went in had pizza & cake. We helped them clean up & got home around 9.00pm. We got home & the boys went to bed & I got onto the computer & spoke to mum on skype. That was great, I haven't spoken to her for a while. Got to bed late, Mothers Day was just starting.

Sunday

(Happy Mothers Day - US)

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Woke up around 8.00am to Jamieson supposedly whispering about whether he can give me his present yet. I sat up & the boys bought in their pressies they made at school. Jamieson had paper mache'd a bottle & put plastic flowers in it.

I got a book from Jamieson..... did you know according to my 6 year old.

I am 33

My height is 2'11

I am 25 kg

My favorite food is "VEGBLS" (his spelling)

My job is doing "LONGRI" (Laundry)

My favorite colour is blue

He loves me because I give him vegbls & stuff he likes.

His favorite thing to do with me is play ohwno (uno)

Something amazing about me is I make penkas (pancakes)

If he could give me anything it would be a book of Harry Potter.

So if you didn't know any of that, that is me in the eyes of a 6 year old.

Conner made me a paper vase with paper flowers. It was actually quite clever the way they put it together. Also I got a poem of sorts..

The important thing about my mum is that she cares for me.

She loves me

She cooks for me

She pays the bills for our water & electricity

And she coach in my basketball teams

She even says "she" is the cats mother

but the important thing about my mum is that she's my mum.

So as you could imgaine, we had a few laughs. I also got a new pair of headphones for my Ipod. The ones that fit around the ears, so they don't fall out of my ears anymore.

We all got up & Bruce made me a cuppa, I tidied up & did some washing to put out as it was going to be a beautiful day. I may have a dryer, doesn't mean I have to use it. Especially when it's going to 25-30 outside all day, not a cloud in the sky. We pottered around for the morning, then the boys did their homework, I went down to the pool & they all came down when they were done. We spent some time at the pool & then headed back in for the afternoon as it was due to get quite warm, what made it not nice outside was the hot wind. So we spend the afternoon inside. It was nice & relaxing, a really good mothers day. Nothing flash, just relaxing.

Monday & Tuesday

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The same as usual. Did work, school, homework, pool, dinner & bed.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Spoke to Elise on messenger, (Rhys & Elise are coming over with Ross in June.) Bruce & I were doing the happy dance around the apartment.

That is going to be so much fun. Still working on the car. Has to be one of the more frustrating thing we've done here. It's not like we want a $huge mortgage, it's only a second hand car.

Tuesday night, we went out to get a couple of things & grabbed a quick dinner. I got new bathers & Bruce got some flash new headphones for the computer, so we can talk better on skype & messenger. Then Bruce went out & got us a bed. We are off the floor, finally!!! Poor thing, he was up till midnight putting it together. But it was the best sleep we've had since we got here. So that was a good day for us & our backs.

Wednesday

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Again, the usual routine. School, tidying,work, workout etc. Although, I did bake for the first time this morning. I made Honey Joys. Which were a hit at the pool, with the kids & the girls. There seems to be a group of us that end up there most days. Milly & I. Kayley she comes down with her friends after school (studying to be a court reporter), Nikki - who moved in with her boyfriend a month or so before us & Misty, who moved here with her husband (fireman) from Alabama. So we have a good time chatting while all the kids are playing in the pool. It's lots of fun for everyone. We had some dinner & went off to bed. Another usual day.

Thursday

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The day started great. Woke up & the boys went off to school, Bruce started working & I went out to get a few more bits & pieces for the apartment. Jamieson is going to John's after school so we have until 2.30. YEAH!!! I got home, dropped in on Millie & had some lunch. The afternoon was the great part. Bruce signed the agreement for Billy Bounce with 5 star this afternoon. So YEAH!!!! THEN....Bruce went off to get his Californian drivers license & later he called to say that a van had broken down on the off ramp from the freeway. So you can imagine how that phone conversation went, him yelling, me yelling, both of us freaking out. Finally he said Jeff was on the way with someone who could fix it. The boys were out playing with thier friends till later than usual. We did the usual dinner routine (without Bruce), he got home around 9.00pm. SO that little adventure took about 4 hours. Not a good time was had. It ended up being a late night, Bruce had some work to do, chatted to Rhys on messenger. They chatted about when they are coming over. WOOO HOOO!!! I watched the Series Finale of Will & Grace. Not bad!

So it was a really bad & really a good day.

You are all waking up to another weekend, so I hope it's a good one for everyone.

GO Supercats, Cats, West, Newtown, Joey's, Grovey & Amateurs!!

KICK BUTT!!!!

Family Pics

CONNER (AUSTRALIAN) HULTGREN

Left is say "Cheese" - Right is say "Chocolate" Look at my Muscles!!!

HULTGREN FAMILY PICTURES

Friday 5th May.....

Friday 5th May..... Another week has come & gone. We have been here for a month. Sometimes it feels like it's longer & sometimes it feels like no time at all. We did alot of the usual today. The boys went off to school & I went to the fitness centre and walked. Bruce took the van to get a service, & I went to get Jamieson from school. I talked to Grants mum for a while after school. We went to the business centre so I could send some emails & finish the weekly blog. Conner came home from school & we just chilled out for the afternoon. The boys played outside at the park & on the scooters. They came in for dinner & I jumped onto the computer to have a chat with whomever was around. I briefly spoke to Elise then Rhys on messenger. We had dinner & the kids settled in our room for a Nickelodean fix. The basketball was on so Bruce was glued to the TV. The boys went to bed around 9.30 & I got onto Skype & spoke to Lizzy. It's always good to speak to someone from home. Saturday...... Our Saturday started like any other. We got up had breakfast. Milly leant us Narnia for the boys to watch, so Bruce set up the projector & they layed down on the floor & watched it. I went out to get some bits & pieces. It was yet another beautiful day in northern california. A couple of clouds in the sky & a cool breeze but a gorgeous day. I got back at lunchtime & we had something to eat, the boys went out to play with the kids. I tidied up the apartment & did a couple of loads of washing, (not so exciting). Then around 2.00 we went down to the pool for an hour or so.

We came back around 3.30 and got ready to go out. Tonight we are gong to Chuck E Cheese with Jeff from PE Gear & his family. We left around 4.00 and went to Arden Fair to have a look around for presents that I need to get. The boys ended up at the discovery channel shop & I had a look around. Jamieson got some new runners, we found them on sale at footlocker $25.00 reduced from $70.00. They are Micheal Jordan retro (Old school as Rhys would say) size 3. The child is growing. Considerng he is still sleeping at least 10 hours everynight still I'm not surprised. Definitely catching up to his big brother FAST!!

We arrived at Chuck E Cheese around 7pm. It's a like timezone with a restaurant & security. You get stamped with the same number as your kids (with ultraviolet ink) so when you leave they check the stamps before they let you out. We met Jeff's family, they were really nice. His wife's name is Lisa, she is really lovely, I think we will get along really well. His children are Cameron who is just about to turn 11 on the 15th June the day before Conner turns 10. WEIRD!!! And Maddison who is turning 8 this year, she has the most beautiful smile you've ever seen. So you go to the front & order, the menu is pizza, sandwiches etc. We got a meal deal which included bottomless drink & 50 tokens for the machines. So the kids all went off and played & we sat in the booth & talked. (Yes, I had my camera, but guess who forgot to take it out) we remembered on the way home. NOT HAPPY JAN!!! Anyway, the kids had a fabulous time, & with their tickets got a Chuck E Cheese soft football. We left around 10.00 and drove home. It was a nice evening & good to meet Jeff's family. We got home & the boys got onto the computer & saw their cousins, which was good. They hadn't seen them for a while. Maxy hadn't seen the boys at all so I think it was good for him. So it was a good day, we met new people & saw old ones.

A good day for the Hultgrens.

Sunday....

Nothing really much to tell. It was a typical Sunday. Got up, lounged around for the morning. Headed off to the pool, the boys played with some of their friends. Bruce & I chatted with some of the other people there. We headed home & finished homework. The boys went outside to play, I did some laundry & Bruce did some work.

We were supposed to go to Old Sacramento early before it got too warm but we slept in. OOOPS! Bruce went out to get out of the place & have a look around. Had a little Cabin Fever.

It was a lazy day, nice & relaxing, as Sunday should be.

..........................................................

This is the Hultgren's.... Sunday 7th May 2006

Monday 8th May ......

Today was a typical Monday. The boys went off to school & came home again. Jamieson has organised to have is friend John over for a play tomorrow. So you can imagine how much we are hearing about that. All the time!!!! Today Conner was allowed to walk home from school by himself. So that is some independence he has been asking for. We spent some time by the pool, did homework & came in for dinner. The boys went to bed and that was our day.

Tuesday....

The morning was like any other. I went out to do the groceries & when I came back, Jamieson & John were just arriving home from school. They had a snack & played around inside. They were so cute, running around the apartment showing him the rooms. They had a play then we got changed & went down to the pool. They played at the pool until John's parents came to pick him up. They had a good time, & his parents Kristin & Alfie said that we will have to organise a time to come over for a bbq. So that is something to look forward too. We walked over to pick Conner up from school. Came home, did homework etc. Same, same. Just another day.

Wednesday.....

The boys went off to school, Bruce organised with Jamiesons teacher to go and do some basketball with them, so he's looking forward to that. I went out to look around, got a couple more things for the apartment. Really cool stuff like a clothes airer, vase for the dining table. Jamieson & Bruce had a special lunch together. We spent some time by the pool, so the kids could play with their friends. Chatted with Milly by the pool, talking about party food. We have Lexy's 7th birthday party on Saturday night, looking forward to that. Anyway, we were talking & realised that the party food is different. No party pies or sausage rolls. Instead they have pizza. So I think for the boys parties I'm going to do an Australian theme. ( With some help from home, sending some bits over for me.) They have no idea about Fairy bread, chocolate crackles, honey joys. The funny thing was Milly looked at me when I was talking about fairy bread and said "you put those on bread"? It was the first time she's ever looked at me like 'your wierd'. Very Funny though, so I have a theme, but no idea where etc. I have a little time to figure it out. Conner has a birthday party on Saturday morning, & we can go as well if we wish. So we thought we'd go & meet some of the other 3rd grade parents. That should be fun as well. Saturday is going to be a busy day. We are all looking forward to it.

Then later Bruce & Conner went out to get the boys their beds, nothing flash, just something to get us through our time here. (He thinks it'll be better for them if their rooms feels more like home.) They had some boy time, to chat which was nice. I made Lasagna for the first time. Conner said, "am I going to like it (Lasagna) here?" There are some things that obviously taste different. It was fine. Chatted to Elise on messenger, which is always a good time, & always cheers me up. The night was a rough one, by the time we got the beds & assembled them it was around 9.00pm. So it was a late night for the boys. Conner also had a tooth ache, & wouldn't take any medicine for the pain. After a couple of hours he did though.

Thursday.....

Dragged the boys butts out of bed this morning. (it was probably close to 11pm by the time Conner got to sleep last night. I think they slept well in their new beds. Bruce & I are still camping out on the floor, hopefully next week we will be civilized people that have a bed. Their rooms are coming along, a couple of posters & a few things of their own & they should be good. They are really getting into the NBA teams at the moment, Bruce has found a website for posters hopefully they will be getting some for thier walls soon. Picked Jamieson up from school, did lunch & went to the pool. Conner's school rang to say that he had a tooth ache, so I went to pick him up that was about 2pm. He came home & rested in bed. Bruce was at the office, (A note from Bruce - we finally got our Social Security Number today - WOO HOO! Funny though - they lady at the office said on April 11th - it will take 4 weeks - well - on May 11th it arrived. The guys at the office nearly fell off their chairs. What was also strange - the fact that their were 2 letters, one dated May 2nd - saying the card would be ready in 2 weeks. It arrived the same day! GBA)hopefully we have found a dentist to go to. One of the guys at PE Gear's - sister. So when he got home the boys went to the pool after homework & had a swim. We had dinner & the boys were in bed at a resonable time, as was Bruce- he was exhausted. Conner woke up around 12.00 with a sore tooth, Bruce ended up staying up with him until about 1.00am then couldn't sleep, so worked for an hour or so. So late night for Bruce!!

Well another week is coming to an end, it's been another good week. Lot of work done, kids doing well at school & apartment coming along. Go luck to everyone this weekend.

GO - Supercats, Cats, West, Newtown, Joey's, Grovey & Amateurs!!!!!

Playing by the pool.....

Playing with some of thier friends. The boys at the pool at the end of last week. The boys testing out the new sofa bed last weekend.

from Friday 28th April.....

Friday 28th April.... Where has the week gone? Today was a pretty normal day,

school, fitness centre, emails back to school etc. tonight we had the picnic after school, so that was fun. We spent the afternoon by the pool with the usuals (Milly & Lexy & some other kids). We left a little earlier & went out in the van to get some stuff for dinner. I should know by now but for some reason we get out to a shop of any discription & the boys lose thier minds. I drives me insane, but I can't leave them at home. I should have done it during the day but I wanted to get a hot chicken. Anyway we walked over to the park behind the school. I sat a chatted with the principal then the boys wanted to eat so we sat done to start eating. Jamiesons teacher invited us over to sit with some other A Track families. Which was really great of her. There was a group of about 6-8 of them sitting around. They were really nice. Then she bought others over as well, so I did meet a few people. Conner & Jamieson met some new kids and made some new frinds aswell which was great. We also exchanged a couple of phone numbers, so this sounds wierd but it was great. I got my first official school, (Sheryl) here's my number, call if you need anything, bit while Bruce is away & when he gets home.

So that made my night. Anyway it started getting cooler, & getting darker so we packed up & said our goodbyes & started on our way home. On the way home one of the other mum's Diana called from across the road & asked if the boys & I would like to come back their place for a swim & spa (for the boys) & a drink. We went home & changed (I was COLD) grapped the kids bathers & walked down the street. They live in a gated community across the road from the school. So it was a 5 min walk. The little community was so beautiful, even in the dark. It seemed really nice & safe. Thier home was beautiful. The kids jumped in the pool & I sat around on the deck with Diana, Steve, Sheryl & Sheryl's mum. We chatted, I hope I didn't talk too much. The kids went into the pool then spa etc etc. The Sacramento Kings won on the buzzer with a layup that popped around the rim & went through after the buzzer. The whole house went nuts. Conner discovered chocolate coated pretzels & we gave the kids a Koala keyring each. We left about 11.00, Sheryl drove us home, much to Jamiesons relief. He really didn't walk to walk in the dark. Overall it was a great night. Time will tell on what kind of impression we made. The boys went straight to bed, they barely made it to bed. SO GREAT DAY TODAY FOR US!!!! Saturday......Sunday..... Weekend was pretty standard. Got up watched some TV, played , spoke to Bruce on the phone, & spend a couple hours of the afternoon at the pool. Saturday was a bit cooler so the kids friends weren't there. They lasted about an hour before they wanted to go home. Sunday, we were there for a lot of the afternoon, we are a little pink. Ofcoarse poor Conner is red, not too bad. But you know how he panics when he sees a little burn. No sun for us tomorrow. We went out to the Supermarket. The usual, running & getting into trouble. I new but I ahd to go. The kids were in bed early, I stayed up later. I'm now doing the thing where I know Bruce is coming home in the next couple of days so I start to have had enough. Especially over the weekend. It was a warm night also, so it was harder to get to sleep, the pinkness & warmth of the skin didn't help either. Monday....... The start of another week. Our Monday was pretty ususal. We got up & went to school. Went to the fitness cenrtre & walked on the treadmill with Milly. I'll post a pic of her and Lexie so you can all see who I am talking about all the time. They are great. Milly said that she would take me to some of the good shopping places, so I'm looking forward to that. We are very similar & get along really well. I think I've found a good friend. After my walk I went to the business centre & did some stuff then went home tidied up & picked jamieson up from school. We headed down to the pool for a couple of hours before Conner got home from school. Had some lunch at the pool with Milly & Lexie. Spoke to Bruce on the phone, his trip has been a good one, but he is ready to come home. Have to say I'm ready for him to come home. The last couple of days seemed to have gone a little slower. One more sleep. We stayed inside for the afternoon & did homework & just chilled out. Elliott, a boy that Conner met on Friday night at the picnic rang to see if he could come over for a play. So we organised for that to happen Tuesday. He is really looking forward to it. The only bad thing is that I have to go and pick him up. The van scares me, I don't want to blow it up. Now Jamieson is on the can I have a friend over thing. Not sure if I'm ready for people to come over yet. The boys went out and played for an hour or so while I got dinner ready, we did all that & they were in bed at 8.00. And that was another day in sunny Northern California. Tuesday........ Bruce came home today/ tonight. The day started out the same as the rest. The boys went off to school & I had a caught up with Milly in the fitness. Went to the business centre to do the usual routine. Sat in the office and spoke to Angela for a while. Chatted about lots of stuff, she enquired about Bruce's trip & asked when he was coming home. So that was nice. A friend of hers came into visit. He was a nice guy, so now I've met an Elk Grove policeman. Angela mentioned that she's thinking about organising a bbq for the residents & trying to get a police car & firetruck over for the kids to see and all that. So I hope she does organise that, it sounds like fun for everyone. Before I knew it, I looked at the clock & it was time to get Jamieson. We come home got changed, met Milly & Lexy at the pool. we stayed there for a couple of hours then went inside to chill. Conner was going to his new friends place after school for a play so that was exciting for him. It also meant I didn't have to go back to school to pick him up. Bruce called from Chicago, he was running to his next flight. Around 4.30 Jamieson & I got into the van & drove over to Elliotts house to get Conner. (I turned right out of the Apartment complex onto the left hand side of the road. OOPPSS!!!) There's a funny story, hope you all had a chuckle, Bruce did. We picked Conner up from Elliotts house, beautiful home. His mother Kris is actually teaching Jamieson this week because his usual teacher has gone to Science camp with her son. We came home, did homework, baths, dinner & left to pick up Bruce. I drove on the highway, luckily, I just had to stay on the same one so there was no confusion. Thank Goodness. The plane ofcoarse was late, so we were driving around circling for 30 mins, FUN, not. We got home around 9.30 & the boys went off to bed. Bruce was really tired, so he unpacked & went to bed. Bruce is home, it was a good day. Wednesday...... We woke up & for boys were a bit harder than ever to wake, because of the later bed time. We got them up & off to school on time as usual. They wanted us both to walk them to school, so we walked back together, then Bruce started work & I tidyed up. Bruce went & picked up Jamieson & they came home, picked me up & we went out. I went & did the groceries & Jamieson & Bruce went out for lunch. It was nice for them to spend some time together. They picked me up & we trondled off home with a boot full of food. YUM!! Conner had an excursion to see Charlottes Web today. All I got out of him was that it was good. He came home with not a very good mood. That seemed to get better once he had something to eat. I think it was a combination of tiredness & hunger. His mood improved until we started on the homework thing. Conner didn't have any from his teacher but there was the extra maths that he does, & of coarse Jamieson just I think loves an argument. He decided that he didn't want to do it. So after the threat of not being able to go outside and play with the kids before dinner, he decided it wasn't worth missing out on. It finally got done. We had dinner, the kids finally got to bed. Bruce went off to the gym. Thursday....... Slept in this morning, the alarm didn't go off. Conner was up & had everything done. It was around 7.20 when we all got up. Woops!! Conner likes to go earlier, & meet us at the gate, then Bruce & Jamieson went off a couple of minutes later. They want to walk by themselves, maybe I'll think about it next school year, when they are both coming home together. I jumped into the van & decided to take a drive and see what's around on ELK GROVE BLVD. The boys needed some tops & shorts (blue & white) for school. We do most of our shopping etc on Laguna Blvd. As all the shopping here is outside, not in malls. I drove around & had a look to see if it was worth coming up there every now & then. It has some good stores. There is a shop called Tilly's that has all surf brands, so that is cool. Then there is another bigger store there called Kohl's. It's sort of in between Myer & Target. Didn't have a really good look, didn't have what the boys needed. Another store called World Foods, which has Tim Tams. YEAH says Bruce. It also has some other lollies & stuff from home so that was a good find. Onto the next, drove a little further down the road to WalMart. Got everything I needed there. It's like KMart. It was coming up to 1.00 so I thought I'd better get back because Jamieson would be driving Bruce crazy & he wouldn't be getting much work done. I got home & Jamieson wasn't there. He went to John's house, so that was good for him. John's mum dropped him off atschool at 2.30, so I picked both boys up together. Jamieson had a great time & Kristin said he was great & is welcome back anytime. RELIEF!!! The boys came home & we gave them dome weight rings for the pool as a congratulations on the great job they are doing at school. They did thier homework & went outside to play. Conner had a sad time at bedtime, so the 3 of us had a chat about all the cool things that we can do while we're here & that it's not forever. He felt better, & went off to sleep. Bruce went off to the fitness centre.

(At half time of the lakers v suns game, of coarse) Well that's the week. The weekend is coming so there will be more pics. Again......hope everyone has a great weekend.

GGGOOO!!! SUPERCATS, CATS, WEST, TOWNERS, JOEY'S, GROVEY & AMETOURS!!!!