Welcome to my home.

The Noel candles have hopefully done their job and the house smells like Christmas.

Top 3 cds playing:

1. 1. Christmas Classics - The Wiggles
2. 2. A Christmas Gift - Yvonne Kenny and
3. Ultra Lounge Christmas Carols - Various Artists

This year the fireplace has some of the twins handy work on it - you can guess which ones! And there are the knitted stockings I bought from the vollie shop at the Children's Hopsital and raced home to hang up - just in case we made it home for Christmas in 2004.

I made the advent quilt many years ago when Mum and Dad were living in Gympie. I used to love visiting and quilting with Mum. The nativity quilt was made by Mum and I put it together and it hangs on the wall in the lounge.

I have typed up little messages for the pockets of the advent calendar - things like Go to the park today, baking, Kit's day or Hannah's day, Hugo's party, a slip of paper with the lyrics to a carol which we then sing at the breakfast table ... etc

Would you like a cup of tea? I am drinking 'Spiced Christmas' at the moment - yummy! No Christmas cake yet though I'm afraid - I haven't baked it yet.

This bear is from the vollie (volunteer) shop at Westmead Childrens Hosiptal. Spending Christmas there was certainly an experience - one that is quite surreal now thank goodness. There are a host of vollies and staff who tried their very best to make the occassion festive. When Hannah was still very sick and not herself at all in ICU - one of the 'stars' from Hi 5 was visiting - so we could have had her photo taken - but it wasn't a picture I needed a hard copy of thank you anyway! There were donated gifts carefully chosen by the volleys and staff as being appropriate for 2/3 month babies. It wasn't easy as we were in a regular ward and they were more used to bigger kids. There were the therapy dogs who came to visit wearing their Christmas gear. On Christmas morning there was a present wrapped and left at the end of each bed. "Santa" came visiting - but I confess I nearly snarled at him as Kit had had another temperature that night and it meant that there was no way we were getting home for Christmas. Kit's pediatrician who called by to see how we were going - even though she wasn't meant to be working that day. A lovely man making balloon figures came by and did a poodle for me. Then there was the full Christmas lunch with puddings for about $5 at the hosptial canteen. A very welcome visit that night from Nan and Pop. A Christmas I'll always remember vividly - and this big bear with his lovingly knitted Christmas jumper is our memento of it - our reminder of how precious life can be and how absolutely generous people are.

So that is all ... I have a few nativity sets. A lovely wooden one that is hanging on the tree, a beautiful globe one that I bought years ago and this kitch one that my sister brought home for me the year that she was working in England. After all ... "Jesus is the reason for the season ..." so besides the star having a nativity set is pretty important to me.
So thanks for dropping by I must apologise for the poor quality of the photoes. I hope that you and your families have a truly wonderful Christmas.

Carols in Petersham Park

Deck the Halls ... Rudolf the red nosed reindeer ... Away in a manger ... Silent night ...

I love Christmas carols - the beuaty of honouring a baby - a saviour. This year I have been able to reflect more about the relationship of mother and son - it colours my reading of the amazing birth of Jesus. From the commercial glory of Rudolf - a song that will always be dear to me - I sang it in my darkest hours as I walked Kit when he had meningitis during his first Christmas from one end of our room in isolation to another. Hannah in the other room - a baby so weak and poor in condition being nursed by her father. Last year and this year have been exactly as I hoped for - a time for family, dear friends and God. Perfect Christmases in fact. I hope yours is too.

Deck the Halls with boughs of Holly ... the twins both go 'fa la la la la, la la la la! withg gusto and without prompting.

Happy Birthday Hugo.

Today we had a party to celebrate Hugo's turning one on Wed. It was great - not only is he a beautiful and amazing little boy but his parents are two of our dearest friends Two lovely and generous people - it has been great to see them thrive with their gorgeous and so precious Hugo. Happy birthdya little man ...

My mother made these grogeous Christmas shirts for the brats - they arrived in the post today. Kit cried when I said that he had to take it off before dinner - I didn't want them covered in spagetti when they had only worn them for 15 minutes!

Christmas Cake. Finally ... I got around to marinating the fruit for our Christmas cake. The brats loved helping me mix the fruits together although Hannah was a bit confused as to why she couldn't eat it up as she stirred. Once the fruit had been transferred to a ceramic bowl for the brandy she took the big mixing bowl and was trying to sit in it - I think she might have cat tendencies ... she also tries to sit on the presents that are under the tree and loves to play "Hannah is hiding down in the box ...". Steps are still going well so I must officially apologise to anyone who was hoping to pick up one slightly used but absolutely gorgeous toddler on ebay - it is pretty much walking (albeit a wonky walk) - so she is OFF the market!

The following article is well worth a look ... he writes beautifully.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8123-2448700,00.html

I'm not a saint, just a parent In a moving extract from a new book to mark Mencap’s 60th birthday, the Times chief sports writer Simon Barnes describes life with his five-year-old son Eddie, who has Down’s syndrome

Kit's knees are practically dragging on the ground on the little plastic trikes we have so Santa is bringing him a bike. Hannah is going to get a beautifully crafted small doll house with fairy dolls. To ward off the twin jealousies I made Kit a cardboard house on the weekend. The brats loved painting it and spent ages dabbling - some time this week I will try and add a second storey into it and perhaps they can add some glitter.

Today was the last session of the Hanen - It Takes Two To Talk - course that I have been doing for parents of children with developmental delays. One of the mums there said that when other mums ask her how old her son is she lies and knocks 12 months off his age - it avoids questions she has no interest in answering for strangers. It took me back to when the twins were very young and I was asked at LEAST three times EVERY time I ventured out - are they twins? Then there was an array of awkward, rude or disbelieving looks ... It doesn't happen much anymore.

It did happen recently in a social situation - the twins and I were at a function where 2 of the mum there know that Hannah has DS - one in particular is one of our closest friends and she has a very special relationship with both of my children - at one point one of the mums asked me (in front of everyone) what the age difference was between them - I said "they are twins, they are two". Her face was a picture and the silence that followed was awkward to say the least. It happens so rarely now - and even less at actual social functions that I was quite unprepared so I just left her hanging looking shocked - clearly trying to work out what to say/do or what was 'wrong'. I felt a bit bad for her but it wasn't as if I was likely to develop a relationship with these women further - they were nice but a bit too competitive mum style for me - and clearly part of the complacent mothers club that 'just can't believe it can happen to me' (or anyone I know for that matter!) group. A bit harsh I know but I belong to a different club - the one for Mums who go to Hanen courses - Grad school parenting as I have heard it called - and I have to say they are a great bunch of women with beautiful children of all types of abilities and skills.

Anyways such things make me even more grateful for the wonderful group of friends and family that I belong to. My husband played his first 'live' gig since high school on Sunday. The twins stayed at that wonderful friend's house and joined in the family birthday celebration for her daughter. I went and was No 1 groupie - in the audience was my sister in law, 4 very old and dear friends we went to school with, a couple of friends who had left their wives at home with children so they could support P - we have been friends with them for about 14 years or so and a few 'kiwi' connections who we have been friends with for about 7 years or so I guess. It was such fun - and so long since I had been in a pub to see a band with this bucnh of people - many of whom P and I used to do this sort of thing with almost every weekend!

In the break I went to the bar and had a total blank - I had just wanted to order a beer - spot the mum of 2 year old twins! I had no idea! and then once I had somehow managed to communicate my drink of choice - I went to my wallet and it was empty! and no I wasn't inebriated - it was to be my first and only drink for the event as I was desiganted driver! How my skill set has changed - now if they had wanted a rendition of Ring a Rosie or a No Spill cup of milk ...