How good is This!

WOW

How Great Is This Weather!!!!

The Kids and I have been out and about fishing the Oceans and Rivers of Townsville......Haven't caught any fish...But....

Last Sunday I set up the kids rods, I whacked a small sinker and a red float onto Jacks and proceeded out to the wide open sapce of the back yard ;> and started his first ever rod casting lesson.

WELL...

I have created a monster...

Five minutes later and I get the " Dad I can do it myself...."

A week later I'm embarrassed to stand beside him as he puts my casting to shame....


This was this morning down at the local weir - walking distance from home.


I think Kate is going to be a Big Game Fish specialist with the little Rod Jig I made up for her chair



"Hey Kids want do you want to do today, Stay home and play the PlayStation...." "Nahh!!"

(Down the Strand with Jack's mate Keegan)



Keeg's Dad showing me how it's done - I can't cast a net to save myself....


How Good Is This!!!

The Show!

Just got back from the Townsville Show, Thanks to the Starlight Foundation.


What a great time we had!


The kids had their best show yet I think.

We went fairly early so they got the chance to get a good look at the livestock.

Had a good go in the rides.





Jack and Will had their first drives in a Dodge-em and they did really well.


And Show bags and a feed to boot.


I'd like to make a BIG THANK YOU to the

Starlight Foundation for making this all Possible.

Thanks

Please check out their website in my links, They do such good work!

Kate on Spotlight!

Kate's class was on spotlight today at assembly which means they get to stand up (most anyway) and present a story or act or something alike.




Kate's class has been writing a story about dinosaurs.

The first few students read a paragraph each then every other student spoke about their drawing of their dinosaur.



Kate used her Liberator 14 to talk about her dinosaur to the whole of the school.

She did very well and was very chuffed with herself.

Another Island Trip!

Once again we headed over to the Island for a few days to visit Mum and Dad, Wade, Miki and Hana and this time we organised a decent meet up with Cooper64 and family.



Wednesday saw a drive out to West Point which I hadn't been for ages so that was pretty cool, The night before saw a bit of rain which made the trip a bit more fun for the kids (big and small - They told me to drive fast through the mud....honest).




This is a Mate's Delica:







The road was so rough it put Hana to sleep.








Who needs a Delica when you have a Roller Rad with BMX tires I say!








After West Point we all headed to Horseshoe bay where we had some fish and chips then Ice-cream on the beach front.








Thursday saw a cruise out to Radical Bay where once again the kids had a play on the beach, Saw some Koala's in the wild and we got another chance to fling some mud on the Deli's.





What a fantastic few days A big thank you to Mum and Dad, Wade, Miki and Hana and the Cooper Family and friends.

Back To Therapy!

Kate headed back to therapy this week.

In the past Kate does not do 'therapy' very well.

As a typical 7yo girl she does not like to be told what to do....

But.....

Looks like she havig fun Huh!

What a Blinder!

Well the Annandale Falcons U/6 Kookaburras had a blinder last week end.
I was so proud of all of them, but especially proud of Jack.

He had a great game.

A few times I thought he might have lost his cool but he didn’t and for that we decided to award him “Player of the Week”.

It’s a really hard thing to do as a parent and coach to award your own child an award but I really think he deserved it.

Well Done Jack!

The Player and the Manager!

Lazy Sunday’s

I love lazy Sunday's especially when they involve:

• Cool Music
  




• Cool Kids
  





Fruit Smoothies





Lots and Lots of Paddlepop Sticks






Paint





And Glue

What else do you need right!

Oh and a Blue Sky with the Sun shining.

My Sparkling Student!

On Wednesday Kate received a "Sparkling Student Award"

Each week one student receives this award from each class.

It's then presented to them by the Principal.

Kate had no idea she was getting the award and her teacher text ed me to let me know so I was able to go the assembly.

I snuck in so Kate didn't know I was there either so it was a big surprise for her.

I was so proud of her as she drove her chair up to the podium by herself with one of her friends in tow and received her award

I am So Proud Of Her!

Today has been another interesting day. Kate had a pediatric appointment this afternoon to see the results of her MRI.

Well!!


We know that Kate has brain damage but now we know to what extent.

There are many large gaps in her brain and some of the sections are quiet “shriveled” for want of a better word.

Kate’s pediatrician is amazed at what Kate has achieved to date now looking at her scan.

She amazes us everyday.

She is such a trooper and

I am so proud of her, She is one amazing little girl.

Another Rainy Day

Another rainy Day so we headed off to Reef HQ on last Sunday.

It was pouring outside which made it a Little dark as the tanks are sunlit.

Jack was invited over a mates place on Sunday so he went there while we went to Reef HQ.


This is one of Kate's favourite tanks as there are many many different coloured fish and corals in it.



"Which one is you're favourite?"


"This is My favourite"

The rain has seems to have gone for now and the place smells like a swamp.

We're looking forward for the backyard to dry up so I can mow then the kids can get out there and play again.

Rain Rain Go Away

This rain is starting to drive us crazy.

We were supposed to go up to Broadwater State Forrest on Sat for our Delica Day Out but it's an absolute no go.

A friend in Ingham has about 3-4 foot of water running under his house - and we have to drive through past it to get to Broadwater.

So there's not much to tell cause we haven't been doing much.

Jack had a News Report speech to do at school today, so him and I sat down last night and went through the Courier Mail.

I got him to look at the pics and when he found one he liked I read him the story in his terms.

He found one about the jelly fish blowing up on the beach on the Sunshine coast and so I read it to him.

His teacher told me that he got up and did a very good speech telling the class that it was stinger season and we shouldn't go swimming in the ocean, and that the wind blew lots of Jellyfish up on the beach and the life saver said he has never seen so many jellyfish.

Well Done Jack!!

Last night I put photos of all of Kate's classmates into her trial Liberator 14.

And this morning she was saying "Good Morning Mrs Nolan" and also to all her classmates (by name), which they thought that was pretty cool. So did all the mum's...

Kate's already got a bit of a fan club.

For 3 years we asked her previous school if we could take pics of her classmates to put into her 'talker' and it didn't happen..

We've been at Southern Cross Catholic School 11 days now and it's already done. I spent the day with her class on Monday and the teachers and support workers have taken on everything I have suggested, I think it is going to be a real TEAM environment there for us and Kate.

But most importantly both Kate and Jack are enjoying it.

The young lad who moved into the house across the road over the school holidays is also going to the same school so some days if his Dad has an early start he come with us.

After the Australia Day BBQ and we all had a good social meet everyone seems carrying that on so hopefully we will have a nice little network soon.

Well it's getting late and I have school tomorrow..

So I'm off to bed....

Time to think!

I had a terrible night last night, That's why I'm up at 0330 on the computer.
Yesterday (Fri) we were supposed to head up to Cairns for the week end. Donna has the week end off - and that doesn't happen very often - so we were staying at this nice resort with a big pool and playground for the kids. It was a last minute thing but I was really excited about getting out if this house.

The rain has been depressing me and even though it was probably raining in Cairns also I was happy to lay about in a hotel room and watch movies or go for a swim with the kids in the pool and maybe even do a trip to sugar-world.

But it was not to be, and for some reason I feel like there was a reason we should not go. I don't know what it is - but.....

This business with the young child being thrown off the bridge in Melbourne has really knocked me around a bit also, I keep picturing it in my head - Dad driving the car in solid traffic, Kids screaming in he back, Dad under lots of stress, Dad then snaps!!! I picture the child looking at its Dad has he carries her to the side thinking he won't do it he's my dad and then looking back up at Dad while she's falling to earth thinking.... he's supposed to be protecting me....what Did I do??....Why doesn't he love me????

I know as parents we all been in the situation where you are driving and the kids are going ballistic in the back but where is that line that changes you to do something as irrational and deadly as the above story.

How close has any of us been to that line. Maybe not to the extreme as the above but to at least not paying attention to what is really important - The deadly weapon you are driving - not who took who's toy or who's turn is it to pick the movie.

A friend on mine was driving home the other day from picking his kids up from school and came across a fatal motorcycle accident where the rider was an older guy - maybe had kids maybe not but no doubt had a family somewhere and his (my friend) kids were in the car while he was trying to save this guy. What a terrible thing to happen.

Sorry about the rant but it makes you think.....

What really is Important to Us ...Huh!!!

First day of school!

Can you tell that the first day of school followed Australia Day! This was a great opportunity to take a photo of the 5 of us together, looking somewhat respectable!

Kate Talking!!!

Kate has had her trial 'Talker' for a week now and is going really well with it!

Here is the video that we have sent away for apply for MASS (Medical Aid Subsidy Scheme) funding for some of the cost of Kate's Liberator 14.

Please enjoy!

It All Arrives!

What a day it was yesterday,

Kate's Liberator 14 arrived for trial.



It's an upgrade of the communication device that she is already using and we have it for a month.
As you can see from the link above it is a very complex voice output communication device and we now have a month to raise the AU$13,000 so Kate can continue using it at school.
It has always been Donna and my goal for Kate to have a new one by the start of school.

Kate's old one has never worked at 100% since it came home one day from her old school rattling like a baby's toy but that is another story....

This one has a MP3 player and runs Windows XP so now everything can be done on the device where as we used to have to connect it up to her laptop for her to use Word etc.

But I think the Mp3 player is what Kate is most excited about...

What also arrived yesterday was the approval for funding for the renovation of our bathroom, We wanted to enclose the laundry, toilet and bathroom into one big room with full wheelchair access etc.

The funding only covers half of the cost so we need to come up with the rest (just over 9 grand).

So it will be interesting where all this money is going to come from?

Oh Well that's the life of a parent with a special needs Kid I suppose.

Getting Sorted

Now that it's 2009,

I'm going to get all my pics and video's sorted into albums for 2008......True!

Happy Campers

Kate and Jack both wanted to sleep in our bed tonight, So they did!
But then they talked Donna into sleeping there as well.

Not this Daddy though I've got Jack's bed all to my self...Hah!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas,

Well the day is here and the tree is full, the kids are still asleep and it's already hot as.

Last night was our drive around town to check out all the lights - so as to tire out the kids so they would sleep in a little bit LOL.. seems to have worked.

Hope everyone gets what they want this year..

again Merry Christmas...

Drew

Happy Birthday Will

It was Will's Birthday yesterday and this is the cake (Choc fudge Browine) that he wanted..
And He wanted to make it..(with some help from Dad.)

"I just want to read!!"

"And I'm going to make my own.."

Happy Birthday my Big 4 year old..

Paluma - again

Well back now from the Paluma trip,

We nearly didn't make it, we had to take Kate to Hospital on Friday morn with her cyclic vomiting,
Fortunately with our new letter for the ED she was treated straight away in stead of "we'll just observe her for a few hours" and quick treatment (sedation) means only an overnight stint but this time with obliging doctors Kate was home Friday night Yay!!

Anyway..
It was one on those trips – good and bad!!
The venue was great,

the weather was great.



I forgot nearly all the important stuff, (after Kate being in hospital and all)
And the Kids (boys) were atrocious LOL.

I even took them on a big bush walk to try and kill off some energy and they were little angels, as soon as we opened the door to the room they turned in the devil himself.
I’m sure my brother and I were never like that (right Mum?).


Our Lollie Lunch..

Kate being not 100% didn’t help, neither me forgetting the Panadol, Or a syringe for her seizure meds, or food for lunch or…should I go on!

All in all when we arrived home tonight everyone was happy and felt like they had a good time, and that was the main aim.
Donna didn’t even take her phone with her!!!

Where are my Grapes and Palmfronds??

It’s Will’s birthday tomorrow (22nd) so we’ll leave it up to him to what we will do. That should be fun. Ha.