September 3rd....

Saturday 2nd Happy Fathers Day – Australia We woke up to FABULOUS news that The Supercats have won…. They are in the Final!!!!!! Congratulations guys, go get ‘em. We all got up & went through the usual routine. The boys sat around, Bruce was on the laptop checking out game stats. No basketball today, it’s the Labor Day long weekend. We hurried it along this morning, going to the Zoo. We did really well, out the door by 9.15, around to pick up Paula & the boys and off we went. Got to the zoo around 10.00. We let the boys go wherever they wanted. We saw some really cool animals; the kids had a really good time. It turned out to be a really good morning to go as it was a tiny bit overcast, so the animals were mostly out. Photo’s to follow. We had snacks & saw some more of the animals, then all the boys got snow cones & after that we made our way back to the car. We stopped at a lake next to the car & the boys all walked around looking at the tadpoles & yabbies. So we are going to go back in a few weeks & see all of them. We jumped into the car & drove home, stopped off at the library and joined up. The boys all found some books, & Bruce, Paula & I looked around. Get this – The limit for the items to borrow is 50!!!! How’s that – 50!!!! Bruce & I nearly fell on the floor of the library when we read it. By the time that was all done & we dropped of Paula & the boys it was around 3.00. We got home, the boys went to their rooms & did some reading, Bruce had a nanna nap, & I got onto the laptop & did some work. Chatted with Nic Griff on Skype, great to chat with her. It’s been far too long. Late afternoon, we jumped into the car & went looking for a house, there isn’t really anything around, the lease is up at the end of the month, and so if we can’t find anything within walking distance, we have to stay. Fingers Crossed for us. Then we actually went and got McDonalds for the 2nd time since we’ve been here. It’s what the boys wanted so we went along. I chatted with Kristy on Skype, which was great to catch up with her. Bruce was on the computer watching the live scores of the Supercats Final. He’d come out every quarter & give me a score update & do a little happy dance. What an end to the night……THEY WON!!!! Congratulations to you all on a fantastic year. Bruce floated around the house, then rang and spoke to Mark & the boys. They were all at the airport on their way home. What a party in Geelong tonight. Sunday Bruce didn’t sleep a lot, he was up until around 2.30, I got up at around 8.30 & Bruce slept a little longer. He surfaced around 10.30, I think. I was cleaning & doing washing all the good stuff. The boys were in their rooms, cause I wouldn’t let them watch TV anymore. Bruce had some breakfast, then Paula called, they were at the movies & wondered if the boys would like to go. Bruce ended up taking them so I could have the apartment to myself to clean it. So off they went to the movies & off I went cleaning, vacuuming, dusting etc. They arrived home after 1.00pm & we had some lunch, & headed off down to the pool for a couple of hours. We sat there, the boys played, we chatted. Bruce left after an hour or so. He was bored so he went home to rest in the quiet. We got back around 5.00; the boys showered then changed & then went back outside to play with the other kids. Bruce was on Skype to back home & I got a chance to catch up with Jill on messenger. Taking her away from her work. Sorry Jill. Bruce & I got off Skype. We were deciding on what to do for dinner, Bruce was going to do pancakes when Paula called to see if we were going to do movies on the wall like we planned. They turned up around 7.30; we all had some pancakes while I chatted with mum & dad on Skype. It’s a family wedding this coming weekend, not happy Jan, not home to see it. Bruce had his, want to get onto the plane thing the last couple of weeks with his boys playing in the finals. Well, this weekend is mine. A Korostin (Reichman) family party ALWAYS rocks, especially when it’s a party in Warragul. Some of my favorite people are there & this weekend I’m going to feel homesick, I guarantee it. Teagan & Damien – Big kisses to you both, we all love you & will be thinking of you ALL WEEKEND!!!! I finished up, & the boys went off to bed around 9.30 & Bruce & I got back onto the laptops to see who was around. Breaking News, Steve Irwin – wooow!!! We were both- just wooow!! They did a newsbreak to announce it over here, so I can’t imagine what’s going on in the newsrooms at home. Monday (Labor Day- US) We awoke to another busy day. The boys had organized to go and do something “American” as Alfie put it. So they decided to go to this amusement type place for a day out. We all got up & were out of the house at Alfie’s place by 9.30, & at the place at 10.00am. We paid our money & off we went. All the boys wanted to do the batting cages first, they all did really well, Conner especially, he hit nearly all of them & most of them went up & away. Jamieson did well also, Bruce, as he will tell everybody, only missed 2 (At 25 m/h & 70 m/h. At the 25 m/h he was hitting like he was playing cricket, weird but funny to watch with a baseball bat. So he was happy with that. We got some good action shots, of all of them batting. Then everyone grabbed golf putters & we did the first 18 holes of the mini golf course. I was starting to get warm, the little boys were getting creative with their shots taken, & of course the BIG boys were getting serious with beating each other. That’s always fun to watch, 2 men competing over putting. Bruce & Alfie together is always hilarious, bouncing off each other. We stopped for some lunch & I tallied up the totals, Jamieson won for the kids & Bruce beat out Alfie by a few puts. After we finished our lunch, the big boys went over to the batting cages again to hit the 70-m/h balls. As I’ve said & Bruce will proudly tell anyone, he only missed two. After that we headed over to the Go Carts & Bumper Boats. Everyone had a go on the Go-carts first; Conner drove by himself & did a fabulous job. As they went around more the faster he got, he did so well, I was really surprised. It is great practice for kids before they get their license. Then of course the adults had to do another round with the kids that didn’t go on the first time. The others kids went on the bumper boats. (They are like big round tubes with seats & water guns with little motors.) Jamieson, John & Justin jumped into a boat each & off they went, hooning around the pool, they came out absolutely saturated, but laughing their heads off. There was also a couple of fountains & if you got stuck under them, you where there for a while trying to get away. Very funny, lucky it was turning into a really warm day. We stayed there alternating turns for a long while then, Dylan decided that he wanted to play some golf. (He didn’t want to do that big boy stuff so he just waiting, for everyone to finish & watched them all) So we headed over to the other 18 holes & started there, we only played a few holes, there were a lot of people there by that time & we had to wait to play all the holes, with 6 kids waiting isn’t that great. We played a few then decided that it was time to go. Everyone was a bit burnt & we’d been there for over 5 hours. So we piled into the cars & made our way home again. Everyone had a great time, a good day for all. We got home, cleaned up & chilled out; I went down to the supermarket & grabbed a couple of things for dinner. The boys went off to bed around 8.00. They were exhausted; the last 4 days have been HUGE!!!! They needed their rest, Bruce was up doing some work, & I was replying to a couple of emails. It was around 11.00, I chatted with Sophie Bell for a while on messenger, then we got her connected onto Skype & I got to speak to Lizzy. Yeay!!!! Elise buzzed in for a quick HELLO too. Well, it was after 1.00 when I got off the phone to Liz, a much-needed chat & got to say hello to the whole family as well. We are averaging every couple of weeks so that’s good. Lots to tell when we do catch up. Was a little tired but it was worth every minute. Tuesday I had very big plans of exactly what we were doing today, NOTHING, recovering from the weekend. Bruce got to have a sleep in too(7.00am - woo hoo!) I went off to the gym & the boys laid around watching a movie while Bruce returned some emails. I got back & the boys had some breakfast & Bruce left for the office around 9.30, so it was a really cruizy morning. Perfect!!!! I did some cleaning & washing, all the usual boring domestic crap. The boys went outside to play & I made up some biscuits & cleaning out the fridge. Millie called & we decided to go and get our cards read. Looking forward to that, she organized for us to go on Friday night. Should be fun. Bruce arrived home late afternoon, had to take the long way around home, traffic accident. He went off to the gym, I started prep for dinner, then when he got back I went to do the groceries & he took the kids to the pool. I got back & we made up dinner, turkey burgers, YUM!!! I don’t know what we’re going to do about turkey when we get home, they have it everywhere here like chicken at home, and the kids love it, which makes my job easier. It turned into a late night for the boys, we were all just mucking around, then before you knew it, it was 9.30, toilet & teeth isn’t as easy when you can’t say, ‘You have school tomorrow’. I jumped into the laptop & chatted with Rael’s & Oscar. Of Course the boys were still up & came out & chatted too. Oscar wanted to see the boys, they chatted & watched Oscar do his dancing from kindy. Gorgeous!!!! I checked emails & Kristy asked me about my favorite show, Grey’s Anatomy!!! Her and the girls from work want to know how far ahead we are. I chatted with Rael’s for a while, caught up on all the gossip, & said good-bye until next week. I ended up emailing Kristy & the office girls all the Grey’s Anatomy gossip. All the shows are restarting in the next few weeks, so that will be interesting, there are a few new ones, I’ll keep you posted as to which ones are the good ones. It ended up being a late night not as late as the night before, but around midnight again. I’m getting used to it, thank goodness. Otherwise how would I catch up with everyone? Wednesday Our day started off like all the others, the usual routine. Bruce was off & gone to work at 6.00. Jamieson slept in until about 9.00. (He’s growing, and catching up to Conner fast.) We just chilled out around the house for the day; the kids were in & out of the apartment, playing with the kids. Nothing much else is going on. Bruce got home from work around 3.00 and the boys and I went down to the pool. Paula & the kids arrived home from their day, changed & came down for a quick swim. We arranged for them to come over for a quick visit while Bruce & Conner went to basketball training. We put a quick something together to eat & the boy’s left, I cleaned up & Jamieson & I went off to Paula’s. Stayed at Paula’s for a little while, her boys had school in the morning. Bruce & Conner turned up, practice was cancelled & but they forgot to ring Bruce. We stayed for a little while, then came home & the boys went to bed, it was still around 9.00 so hopefully we will get some type of sleeping in for them. Bruce did some work & I got online & send some of the pics from our weekend to some people. (Some of your emails were sent back, so if you didn’t get the pics & you usually get them from me, yours got sent back, SORRY.) Thursday Well, another Thursday is upon us, and it’s been just like the rest. Bruce was delivering to The Bay area today, (next to San Francisco) & he was out of the apartment at the usual 6.00 to get to the office & try to get onto the road before any huge traffic. The boys & I did the usual, no significant sleep ins for the boys, although Jamieson is definitely catching up to Conner. (Whom I think is going to be a late grower like his father.) At this rate, Jamieson will be bigger than everyone, Uncle Ralph, look out. Especially if he keeps sleeping 10-12 hours every night, my little string bean, with TUDE!!! Bruce got home after lunch; the boys and I went to the pool for a couple of hours in the afternoon with Millie & Lexie. Bruce went to drop in an application for a house (cross fingers, & pray for us!!!) The boys & I got back to the apartment around 5.00 & we did the showering etc thing. Bruce finished up with his work & the kids went outside to play. I did Vegetarian Lasagna, (which turned out yummy) the boys did their reheated fav’s. Jamieson had Noodle Casserole, makes him think of Auntie Trace & the kids, the first time he had it. Conner had the US version of Potato Gems, but they are flat. Interesting difference!!!!! I settled in to watch Grey’s Anatomy when Paula called & asked me to come over & go through résumé’s for her business. I can only work part-time so she needs someone else who can work the other hours. Also she is taking on so much work she also needs to take on another planner at least part-time. Hopefully we can get someone who is working towards that while they are at College. I got home around 10.30, Bruce was finishing up his work, and I returned a couple of emails & turned the computer off. Chilled out for about an hour until really tired & went off to bed, Bruce was snoring, the early starts are starting to make him really tired, as he is not going to bed early to make up for getting up early. Friday Well, the end of another week is upon us again. We got up & Bruce had meetings nearby today so he was in and out all day. The boys & I did the usual stuff, homework, washing, cleaning, gym etc. We had some lunch & then the kids went out to play for the afternoon, it was nice and peaceful. Bruce got some work done; I got some reading done, quiet aahhh!!! I chatted with Soph on messenger for a while, it’s raining cats & dogs at home. Went through some resumes that Paula emailed me, some good candidates. Was on Yahoo, Peter Brock died, oh My God, I hope there is not a 3rd. Bruce & I are just dumb founded. Called Warragul, spoke to Daniel; the girls were out getting their hair done for the wedding so I will call back later. We had a light dinner after the kids came in from playing late, around 6.30; they had a great afternoon playing though which was really good. I think it was because the weather had cooled down that little bit, so they didn’t get too hot running around outside. Millie & I went out to get our reading done, pretty crap really. She hardly told me anything, and I had to ask questions about what I wanted to know, very weird. So I didn’t take a lot out of the reading, not sure whether I will go back, probably not at this stage. I’ll give it a couple of months and see if anything happens, not holding my breath. Got home & the kids went off to bed, rang Teag’s in Warragul to say have a great wedding day. Chatted to Trace & Chanea & let them go as they were due to leave in about 30 mins. Got off the phone, on messenger with Rhys & that was about it. Went off to bed around 10.00, another week over & weekend about to begin. Basketball starts back again tomorrow. Have a great weekend everyone.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AL BELL FOR SUNDAY!!!!!

Zoo Pics....

OUR DAY AT THE SACRAMENTO ZOO

THE GIRLS & THE BOYS

Belinda, Conner, Jamieson, Justin, Jeremy & Paula

THE BOYS & THIER SNOW CONES

Jamieson & Conner the kangaroos

Conner & his snake arm

From August 26th.....

Saturday……..26th August Happy Birthday Paul for yesterday back home. Our Saturday morning started early, Bruce had to get up EARLY to take a delivery to Stockton (40 mins away). He got a text from Trev around 4.30am with the news of the Supercats WIN YEAYY!!!!!!!!!!! Trev & Mark called around 6.00am, but Bruce had forgotten to take his phone, so they got stuck talking to me. As you could imagine they both sounded UFORIC, to put it mildly. It was so wonderful to hear!!! I tried to call Bruce; finally got through, he wasn’t happy that he missed them. He arrived home around 7.30 & by that time Conner was up & in bed with me. I grabbed my laptop & was online checking email & scores etc when mum signed in. She had just gotten home from Auntie Di’s & was downloading some pics. We ended up chatting for about an hour. So as you could imagine it was around 2am when we said goodbye so she was probably falling off her chair. The boys both got to chat with her so that was nice too. Everything at home sounds like it’s going along as per usual. We got up & Bruce went back to bed for a sleep before he started his day again. I tidied up the apartment, did breakfast, washing etc. The boys went off to basketball around 11.00 and left me to get some real cleaning done. I did the floors & benches, all the really exciting stuff that you should do when you have the place to yourself for the 1st time this week. I know the sarcasm. I can only do certain cleaning when there is no one in the house. The boys got back around 1.00 with a couple extra. John & Dylan came over for a play. Alfie is away for a few days so we kind of gave Kristin a break, she only had Cooper & hopefully he would have a sleep for her. We had pancakes for lunch & the kids played hide’n’seek. Kristin arrived & Paula came over for a chat at the same time, so we sat at the table while the kids chilled out with a movie. Bruce & Conner took off for his game, Ross called to tell Bruce about the game, of course Bruce wasn’t home, but he did get to talk to the boys so the call wasn’t a complete loss. The girls & kids left around 3.00. I was on messenger with Elise a little bit, they were going to watch Rhys’s footy final GOOD LUCK RHYS !!!!! Bruce & Conner got back around 5.00. (lost again!) We sat down to dinner (noodle casserole) and then I headed off to the gym for a while. Paula dropped in for a while, loose ends without the kids. We chatted for a while the boys played UNO then around 10.00 we all settled in the watch Australia play the US at the World Championships. Half time came around, Paula had gone, bored I’m sure, & we all went off to bed. Sunday Our Sunday started like any other, Bruce didn’t know whether he had to go to work, so we’ll see. We got up at a reasonable hour, the boys slept in, probably because of the late night the night before. We all had some breakfast & Paula rang to see what we were up to, I asked if she could have the boys for a couple of hours so Bruce & I could go out & get some stuff done. We spent the rest of the morning just pottering around. We had some lunch then around 1.30 dropped the kids off at Paula’s. Bruce & I went out for the afternoon; we got a mouse & mouse pad & bag for my new laptop. So I’m all set now, woo hoo. We got back around 5.30; I went & picked up the boys and had a quick catch up with Paula. We then went home & I started on dinner. After dinner the boys put a movie on & Bruce went to do some work & I went to the gym. When I got back the boys went to bed not long after & Bruce followed pretty soon after. He had to be at the office at 6am, so it was another early morning. I did some stuff on the computer, none of you were online. I stayed up watching Grey’s Anatomy (favorite show). Catching up on the season that I missed in transit, from there to here. I hit the pillow around midnight. Monday We all woke up a little later than usual, the boys needed to sleep obviously. I went off to the gym, Conner was still asleep. When I got back they were both awake & having breakfast. I started the usual tidying up, & did the bathrooms. The boys did some homework, reluctantly!!!! We had some lunch & they vacuumed the lounge room for me. I got onto the computer (end of month stuff) the boys went outside to play for a while. Bruce got home around 400pm, just in time for us to bring in about 15 boxes for him to deliver tomorrow, have a shower, grab a snack & all 3 of them went off to Jamieson’s basketball practice. I was left for an hour of bliss. No kids picking & yelling & winging. I do love them, just not all day everyday. I made some dinner & when they got home, Bruce got changed & went to present PE Gear to the Stone Lake PTO. It went well, pretty much as long as they can match the lowest price, they get the jobs cause we are Stone Lake parents. I think he also got another school from parents that have kids elsewhere. He got home around 7.oo and they sat down & ate dinner. I went out to the grocery store before it got dark, still creeps me out a little being out at night. I got back at around 8.30 & Bruce had assumed the position except this time, at the dining room table. Change of scenery. Bruce called AL for their catch-up; things are the well with the Bells, which is great. We had a cuppa together, and then he went back to work. I did the same, although cleaning out your inbox is probably not as important as what he was doing. Bruce came in at around 11.00 & I was on messenger with Rhys, then Elise briefly. We have some Hultgren birthday’s coming up this month, so I have to put the present hat on, something cool that you can send home in the post. Not as easy as it sounds. Everything with the kids sounds good, GOOD LUCK Rhys for the Footy Grand Final. Elise, I hope you won basketball. I signed off and finished the inbox stuff after midnight. Bruce was already snoring, these 5.30 starts and no early nights are going to come back to bite him on the bum very soon. Watched a bit of TV to wind the mind down…Will & Grace repeats late at night so you get to see smiling, good show. And that was our Monday. Tuesday We woke up at the usual time, the boys were up too, just. Bruce started to get ready for his delivery & meetings this morning when his computer started to ring, Skype!! It was a friend Phil from home, they started chatting & I knew I had time to get a very quick workout in before he needed me to help him take all the boxes back down to the car. So that’s what it was, I just increased to incline so I didn’t have to be there for as long. Also did a bit on the elliptical machine as well, so my legs are going to feel it tomorrow. My timing was impeccable; he had just gotten off the phone & was putting his shoes on. I didn’t have to go all the way up & down the stairs as I thought so I just got an upper body workout instead, light exercise day for me. All the boxes were packed into the car & off he went. The boys finished off their breakfast, had a game of chess & then did their daily homework. Bruce bought the boys a chess set on the weekend. It’s really good it has little labels with the rules of the piece on each one, so they are learning as they go. It’s not that strategic & doesn’t last long yet, but they are getting the hang of it. Protecting the King isn’t the main priority; it’s more like how many pieces they can get, quickly!!!! I took the time to write some emails, catch up with some people I haven’t heard from in a while. We didn’t do a whole lot for the afternoon, the kids went out to play for a while, we just have to wait until after 2.30, when the other kids get home from school. I went out for a little while to grab a couple of things. Bruce did the usual work on the laptop. He is currently contacting principal’s or PTO’s from all the local schools to try & get new accounts. I got home later in the afternoon, they boys came in telling us about an incident with one of the kids here, (not a nice family), Bruce saw the older one bullying one of the other kids, they saw him & ran off. Well, our kids & others were playing yesterday; this kid had a skitso attack & starting hitting. Apparently his mum came out & got him, but our kids have been told, that if anything happens again to call us (walkie talkie) straight way. This is the same kid that calls Lexie FAT. It sounds awful today, but the only thing I worry about with the punishment of these kids, they start talking Mexican (Spanish) with the parents. So you don’t know if they are actually being told off. Anyway, the kids know that they are not kids to hang out with anymore. We sat down & had a nice dinner together, Jamieson talking non stop, the usual. We cleaned up & the boys played some games etc until bed at about 8.30. Bruce & I did some stuff on the laptops, watched a TV show and went off to bed. Not very interesting but that was our Tuesday. Wednesday Bruce was up & out of the house at the usual time this morning, the boys & I rose at about 7.00. We did the usual, breakfast, gym, tidying, nothing out of the ordinary at all. After all that was done the boys did some writing & reading which I’m trying to do everyday? Jamieson whines through the whole thing, Conner has figured out to just get it done. They got a bit done which was great; Jamieson went outside to see if he could find anyone to play with. No one was out so of course he came home. Jackary came over for a while, then they went out to play. Then I picked up Lexie from school and bought her home while Millie was at her interview. I saw Kristin, Alfie was away for a few days, he got back last night and she did ok with the boys. We will probably catch up with them on Sunday. Lexie & the boys had a snack & Millie arrived, her interview went really well, they talked for an hour, which is always a good sign. Millie hadn’t eaten all day so they left not long after she got back. The boys went back outside to play & I started on dinner prep. Conner chilled out in his room, Bruce called around 5.45 to say he was on his way, talking at the meeting & lost track of time. The boys & I sat down for dinner & not long after Bruce arrived home. They quickly ate dinner & went off to basketball training. I took some time out & put Yoga from TV on, & had a really nice stretch etc. Yoga Rocks!!!!! It’s still warm here; I have the cooling on, so you guys know how warm it must be to have the cooling on. Today was 95F, tomorrow is supposed to be around 98F. I think the boys and I will head down to the pool, Bruce will have the car so there’s nowhere we can go. I might ring Kristin & we might go over there for a visit. We need to get out of the house; we’ll see how we go. Thursday The day started like all the other days, Bruce went off to work & the boys & I got up. Jamieson wasn’t feeling to crash hot, he had a temperature. He was in & out of bed for the morning, it must have come & gone, poor thing. Conner did some homework & reading so that filled up a lot of the morning. No TV for them today. I was on the laptop doing some work, Conner was pottering around, & Jamieson did have a small sleep. Jamieson had a temperature all day, although it didn’t stop him from going out and playing with the kids in the afternoon. Bruce got back from the office & I went out, post office etc. It turned into a really warm day, 98F, by the time I got back it was after 5.oo so we didn’t get to the pool. The were outside & Bruce was working so I relaxed with a cup of tea in front of the inbox & did a bit of cleaning around. Before you knew it it was dinner time, & Conner lost a tooth. Well, it was an old bit from the tooth that had already gone. We had bits & pieces for dinner, no one was really in the mood, everyone had had a late lunch so Bruce made pancakes & I had cereal. The boys went off to bed around 8.30 – not to sleep of course. Bruce finished up his work & was off around 10.00, he gets to sleep in until 7.00 tomorrow, Woo Hoo!!! I stayed up for a little while, no one was online, so off to bed I went around 11.00. Nothing exciting happening as you can tell, accept that the boys & I are BORED!!!!! This apartment is feeling really small, and we still have 2 weeks of holidays to go, pray for us! GOOD LUCK SUPERCATS BOYS – The game is on while we are sleeping, so hopefully we will wake up to some GREAT news. Fingers Crossed!!!! Friday YEAY, THEY WON!!!! Which would be the reason why Bruce is wearing his top today (I’ll put a beat down for the whole weekend!!) No wonder he is downright chipper!!!!! Woke up to another perfectly sunny day in Northern California. Bruce had a meeting at 8.00 then came back home grabbed a cuppa & off to another meeting. We were going to be coming to Stockton with him, do some shopping so the boys could spend birthday money, but they only have the same stuff we have here, so what’s the point. The boys & I stayed here, did the usual, cleaning, homework etc. The day went by pretty much like another day, Bruce got home in the afternoon & went into the bedroom, head down, bum up for the next couple of hours. The boys went outside to play & I spoke to Nic Griffin on Skype for a little while. Paula called to organize the rest of the evening. We packed up and got changed & around 5.45 we jumped into the car & headed down to the town hall. The band was average; they were an 11-piece band, lots of trumpets. Which were REALLY loud, once they figured it out, it was still pretty average. The main guy wasn’t singing in tune. We stuck it out for a while, then about 8.30 we went home. Paula & the kids came over and watched a little TV for an hour or so. Jamieson (not wanting to feel left out) played with his loose tooth, and yes it came out. The boys went off to bed, I tidied up after the hoards had left & we went off to bed as well. Another week has just come to an end, the Supercats are playing while we are sleeping so……………………Good Luck!!!! Kick some Knox BUTT!!!!!! A little note from Bruce - it is Saturday night here - the wonder of the internet - the Supercats are playing and there are live scores. Supercats are up 25-17 with 6 minutes to go in the 2nd Quarter - GO BOYS GO!!!!! I've got the sweaty hands every time I check the scoreboard!!!! (How sad is that?)

From August 19th.....

Saturday Happy Birthday Michelle (Jolly) Hope you had a good one. Another weekend begins as does the first days of the boys being off track for 4 weeks. The boys & I woke up around 7.00, the usual time. I tidyed up around the place & let Bruce sleep. (Made him take a sleeping tablet so he would sleep for a full night wihtout interruptions.) I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast, then it was time to wake up Bruce, 9.00am was late enough to sleep in, otherwise he gets sick. We all got organised & were out of the apartment to basketball by 10.00am. Got to the stadium and settled in with Kristin & Cooper on my lap for the game. The boys played really well, although in true Hultgren junior form, Jamieson doesn't like to pass the ball. I feel like I spend most of the game yelling for him to PASS THE BALL!!!! Cooper was sleeping on my lap (through the yelling & whistles & sirens). The other teams coach was a trip. He was screaming instructions to his little players running up & down the court with them. Kristin & I were saying that really he isn't teaching the kids alot accept to take instructions, which was proven, there were times when they looked at him as if to say "what do I do"? Bruce's opinion was a lot different, he called him a name. For the reasons we were worried about, also he was cheating, putting his best player (by far) on for the whole game. Non competitive my BUTT!!! Technically, they won even though they don't keep score. Paula dropped the boys off 1/2 way through the game, I said that I would look after them while she went & did a few things. After the game we dropped off to get Dylan's birthday present then all went home to get organised for the party. I checked the mailbox & there was a parcel, belated birthday from Auntie Nordy. I got some new Nivea soap, thank you Auntie Nordy, I was just about to ask Mum for some. Good Call. Paula picked up the kids & we all got changed for the party. We arrived around 1.30, & met some of the family. They were really nice people. All the kids went out the back onto the baseball diamond & played for a while. We had hot dogs, sandwiches, potatoe salad & caramel corn for lunch. For desert there was cake with the 2 teams logo's & cupcakes iced like baseballs. The theme of the party was baseball, Dylan is obsessed with the Giants (baseball) & 49ers (football). Much like us with our Cats, Blues & Supercats. It's so cute when coming from a 4 year old though. We ate, then the boys played some more, not long after they all jumped into the pool. There were kids everywhere, it was a really nice afternoon. The family left around 3.30 & it was just Paula & us left. Bruce & Conner left for his game at 5.00. We stayed until 6.00, chatting & helped pack up, then Paula dropped Jamieson & I off home. Bruce called not long after to say that they were going to check out the big kids playing for a few minutes then were coming home. Also that he has to work tomorrow. Not happy Jan, but they are under the pump, all hands on deck & he offered. We had a late, light dinner, & Conner went off to bed staright after, he was really tired. Big afternoon, playing ball, basketball, mind you that was at 8.00pm. So it wasn't that early, Jamieson reluctantly went around 8.30 after eating & eating & eating. He is making up what Conner hasn't been having. Not sure what to do about that, just not eating alot at all even when it's something that he loves. I'm keeping an eye on it. Sunday We woke up at the usual Sunday time, not late enough. Bruce headed off to work around 9.00am. The boys & I just hung around the apartment, around mid morning we went for a walk to the Raleys (supermarket) to get some bread etc. We came back and had some lunch then watched a movie. Bruce got home not long after lunch, we had some lunch then hung out. Around mid-afternoon we jumped into the car & went to Costco to do the Bulk buying thing. We were trying to get back by 4.00 so I could keep my weekly call with Lizzy. Sorry!!!!! We got home & I quickly went out to the office the put some more finishing touches on the meeting room as it was going to be used Monday. I got home around 6.30 & we threw together some dinner. The boys stayed up later as there is no school tomorrow. Bruce came bounding out off the computer, your laptop is being delivered TOMORROW!!!! Very happy with himself. So that made it a very happy ending to the day. Monday Another week began, not so usual as the boys were not at school, they got up & had some breakfast, Bruce was at work of course. I went off to the gym for a workout. When I got back they had not moved. Probably because they were still watching "the shaggy dog", the movie that Millie had lent us. I must admit, going to the gym again was a good feeling. I got back & it started. I had the spring cleaning bug. Cupboards, shower curtains etc. Paula called in a tizz, all her plans for the day were going up the plah!!! I offered to have the boys so she could have her meetings. She had a friend/associate in from Texas & was only here for a day and a bit. Bruce was in San Fransisco again for the day & left his computer so I got some emails read & written. It took me most of the day, we stopped for lunch, and Bruce got home just as I was doing our room & bathroom. So I made him actually sit down & rest. I went out to the supermarket to grab something for dinner, then Paula dropped the boys off around 3.30. She had a meeting that was an hour away. We all hung out, a couple of kids came over to play, they were in & out. Bruce & Jamieson went to basketball practice & I went to Paula's to grab the boys things. At 4.50 my laptop arrived!!!YoooHooo!!!! I got it out of the box, there was no setup booklet, so I didn't know whether you had to do that charge for X amount of hours before use or what. SO I kind of freaked out a little, didn't want to stuff it up & put it back into the box. Wierd hey! I got some cool surprises in the mail from Trudy, Rael's & Ross, thank you guys. Chatted with Rael's & Oscar for a while, it was nice to catch up, I haven't spoken to then since before my birthday. The others got home, all had showers, & we sat down for dinner around 6.30. Did the usual dinner & chatting. Around 8.00 we put the boys to bed, called Paula to say good night but was still in the middle of her meeting. Bruce was setting up my laptop, I went down to the gym, for a light work out felt blah & fat today. It always makes me feel better if I do something after dinner. Go Figure.... Got home & watched some TV until late in the end, I got back & Bruce had just started watching a movie called 'Coach Carter', so I had a shower & sat down & watched the movie with him. We ended up getting into bed late, around midnight. Paula called to day that she was here at 1.15. A late night for her. But good for business I'm sure. Tuesday Happy 5th Birthday to Alex (Australian date) Well, another day, Bruce was off to LA for the day. I went to the gym, Bruce was working from home for the morning. The boys did the usual had some breakfast, then I sent them to do something other than watching the TV. I did the usual tidying & washing etc, then sat down to start putting stuff, messenger & skype onto the laptop. Around 11.00 we jumped into the car and headed for the airport. We dropped Bruce off & drove home, made a pitstop at the grocery store on the way home. We got home and unpacked, then had some lunch. Around 3.00 Jamieson & I headed to the pool for a couple of hours. Millie, Lexie & Kaylee were there too. The kids played, we chatted & sweated, it turned into a quite warm day. The pool was a bit cool, so there was no swimming for me. We got home & the boys went out to play with Jakary, then to his house. I got onto messnger & chatted with Pete for an hour or so. 37 sleeps till he gets here. woo hoo!!! Bruce called, he made it to LA fine. We had some dinner, & did showers & chilled out infront of the TV. Well, not me I'm was on the computer where else, cause I could. HE HE!! Bruce arrived home safely after a very good trip & we drove home with the kids asleep in the back. Great thing about the van, the kids get their own seats. We got home, Bruce went off to bed & I called Alex for her birthday. They are all doing well, Alex sounds like she was having a great birthday & all the family were heading over to the house for dinner. She got some really cool stuff. We hung up the phone & off to bed I went. Wednesday - Happy 5th Birthday Alex (23rd August) Bruce was off to work early again this morning, the boys & I got up & did the usual. Jamieson had a sore leg, not sure what from. He limped around the house for the morning, then mid morning Jackary came over for a play & stayed till lunchtime. Bruce called, he was on his way back from San Fransisco. He must be tired, especially of the travelling. Millie called, we had a chat & then back to the afternoon. The boys went outside to play after lunch, it's still warm here so that didn't last for too long. Mid Afternoon they came back & Jamieson went to his room for a rest, Conner chilled out in the lounge room. 2 hours later Jamieson woke up, I knew that I would regret letter him sleep later on. Bruce came home & had a nap before Conner's training started. We had a quick light dinner before they left & Jamieson got into trouble & wasn't allowed to go. You can imagine the tantrum. He's getting bigger & stronger. I'm going to have to keep working out to be able to hold onto him, for later tantrums. We hung out around the house, Jamieson chilled in his room, the boys got home at around 8.30 & Conner went off to bed. Also Jamieson did too, but you know that he didn't go to sleep. Bruce dropped off to bed around 10.00 & I stayed up for a little longer, yes, he was still awake. I went off to bed around 11.00 & told Jamieson to turn the gameboy off in 5 mins. I got up & checked him a few minutes later, & he had, thank goodness. It was an eventful night, as you can imagine, thank goodness we still have basketball to take away from him so make him do what he's told. Thursday Bruce was off to work especially early this morning, lots of deliveries to do, he had to go to San Fransisco & Oakland today, the only reason he’s not going too bananas about not getting proper work done is that the deliveries are to clients he has to meet, so that’s keeping him going. The boys & I got up & did the usual stuff, I actually got them to do some homework which was great. Jamieson’s writing is better but still has a bit to go. We chilled for the morning & I met Millie at the gym around lunchtime, which was pretty weird. We headed down to the pool at around 2.30, Millie & Lexie met us down there & we spent a couple hours down there. Bruce got home, & went inside to get some Billy Bounce work done. We got back to the apartment around 4.30. We chilled out, Paula called & we had a chat, she has been really busy this week, catching up. We had some dinner, & the boys watched a movie & went off to bed. Bruce & I were not far behind, Bruce went off to bed early, he’s really tired, & I was not far behind him. Friday Another week ending, Bruce got to sleep in this morning (7.30)Yeay for him, the boys did as well which was good for them. We had some breakfast & Bruce went off to work at around 9.00. The boys & I hung out at the house. I cleaned up the apartment, the boys did some homework. Millie called in for a cuppa after her morning shopping outing. I made some potato salad for Hot Summer nights tonight & then the boys had pancakes for lunch. By the time we had done all that it was early to mid afternoon and we decided to sit down & watch a DVD that Millie had lent up for the kids to watch. She’s the Man!!! It is that Amanda Bynes movie. It was actually a good movie, most of the time we put a movie on & I end up doing some stuff around the apartment while watching it. But this wasn’t too bad, a little slow in some spots, but not a bad movie. Bruce called to say that he had another delivery to do so he might be a little later. I called Paula, she was on her way back from her usual Friday meeting, but she would see us at Town Hall. Bruce got home, he was going to do the delivery in the morning. I packed our chicken & salad plus snacks into the bag & around we all got changed & headed off to the Town Hall just after 5.30. We arrived & the Charles’s were already there. We all sat down & caught up about the week. It was Dylan’s birthday yesterday, & he had a great day. Paula arrived around 6.00 after a busy day for her. We are going to catch up in the next few days. We also have some office stuff to get done too. I am a little stuck as the boys are on holidays & not much I can do until they get back. Anyway, we had some dinner & chatted, Cooper was just chillen, sitting around, he’s getting so big & is almost sitting up, just gorgeous. The band started & we all just sat down & chatted etc, the kids were running around as per usual, having a great time. The band wasn’t as good as last week, but lots of covers so we could sing along. The evening was fun, we caught up with our friends & the kids got to ran around and play. We got home around 9.30, the boys went to bed & Bruce went off to bed around 10.30. I stayed up until around 11.00 & off to bed I went. Bruce had set his alarm; Trev was texting the Supercats games scores, so he was going to be up anyway. And that was the week that was. Another week gone, it was a good week on all fronts. Bruce is really tired; hopefully he will get a chance to catch up on that this weekend. It’s now Saturday morning & I am finishing the blog for you all. Bruce had been up getting text’s from home from Trev. Trev called & I talked to him and Mark, after the game. Bruce got back & spoke Trev & Mark after the SUPERCATS WIN!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL YOU GUYS – GREAT GAME!!!!!!!!! (as you can imagine, Bruce is ecstatic & sad all at once…..you know he would have jumped on a plane to be there if we could afford it.)