August 2011

I know it's been a while. Since I haven't posted since July, I thought it would be a good idea to update by months. Feel free to read at your leisure... Life has been hectic in our house and I barely have time to sit still. August was mid-winter for us. The house gets awfully cold with no insulation, but with space heaters we made do. I would often find the kids in the morning sitting on the floor eating breakfast while the heater would blow on them. The sun wouldn't come up til almost 7, so we all slept in, keeping warm in our beds!

Ammon and Kyle got fishing poles for their birthdays. I think they've used them once since then. It was a great idea. I hope we get to use them more soon!

Most weekends from March to August were spent at the Rugby Union. We had a good time figuring out the sport. Ammon was particularly keen on bashing fellow players.

Ammon's birthday party. We had a safari theme. I have never had such a time trying to get 6-year-olds to sit still and play a game. I was pretty exhausted after that. 

Aaron's favorite chore. He loves helping me with the dishes.

Sheep shearing at the Ekka. The Ekka is basically the state fair. It was sooo crowded, but was really fun. I especially loved the animals. The kids were more excited about the rides and the showbags. The showbags are bags put together by different commercial companies to sell their stuff. It's incredible how much money you can spend on junk. I got sucked into buying one for each of the kids. Pink Panther for Ashlee, the mega candy thing for Ethan, Kyle got a Batman one, Ammon a Bakugan, Aaron got Barney and Wyatt...hmmmm...maybe Wyatt didn't get one :( Ammon got called out of the audience at the sheep shearing to help with a game. He loves the stage!

 Love the Smurfs...

 The equestrian events were really cool. We watched while we waited for the fireworks to start.

 Kyle's 9th birthday party. I love trying new cake designs.

 Ammon plays soccer too! He's pretty athletic. Here's a funny story. At the athletics carnival this year, he was running a race and lost his shoe. He was a little confused as to what to do. He started to run back for it, then decided to just finish the race with one shoe. Wish I would have gotten it on tape. I thought I did, but somehow it got deleted :(

 Ahhhh.....my cute kids :)

Ashlee also auditioned for the cast of Mary Poppins. That was a great learning experience. She made it to the 4th call backs before being eliminated. I was awfully relieved I must say. She was disappointed, but we agreed there would be more opportunities later.

That's all of August that I can think of. I'll try to update for September tomorrow night. Lots of traveling that month and some family visits.

Updates...

Here are a few pictures...



Sorry...It's been a combination of computer issues, mommying, home maintenance and church stuff keeping me from blogging. I think I might have the computer issues figured out. I'm sort of cruising with the mommying and starting to figure out the church stuff a little more. The home maintenance will never be done, so I'll sit here writing while Aaron takes his bath and write.

Where to begin. I'll just start with this week. I got back from the US on Monday morning. What an amazing whirlwind trip. I'm so glad I was able to see my brother marry Brooke. What a great couple they make. It was nice to see all the family even for just a short time.

Robert did a great job with the kids and thanks to Juli for braving 10 children for 2 days. The kids had a great time. Robert took the kids to the beach for a couple of days. It's so good for him to have a chance to be one-on-one with the kids for a little while. Usually it's me telling him all the cute things the kids did while he was working. Now, he got to tell me some cute things they said or did while I was gone. The kids wanted to watch a movie on Sunday night, so Robert turned on "The Testaments" for them. It shows Christ being crucified and then as the Resurrected Lord visiting the people in America. Robert looked at Ammon during the depiction of the crucifixion and he was starting to tear up. All the kids were. After the movie, Robert asked him about how he felt. He said "I just got a little teary." I love it when their hearts are touched. They often feel the Spirit without even knowing it.

I can't remember how Monday was spent. The kids were still off school. Tuesday, life began again with loads of laundry. We went to Harry Potter 7, part 2 at Midnight. It was amazing! So many people were dressed up. Juli made capes for her two kids that were awesome. Staying up late was not good on my jetlag though.

I've been noticing the trees lately. They bloom at different times of the year. Right now, I've seen a lot of orange flowers. I love trees and flowers.

Aaron helped me with cleaning this morning. He's getting good at spraying products all over. Ashlee's been home from school the last couple of days. We took her in today and it looks like she's got tonsilitis. Hopefully, she'll start getting better tomorrow after the antibiotic.

I think I'll be going to bed soon. Still a little jetlagged. The kids are watching "Charlotte's Web". I love that movie.

4am

What a lame updater I am. My life should be hugely exciting enough to post at least every other day. Unfortunately, since I am trying to simplify my life, the blog has gotten pushed down on the priority list. However, I will try to update as I can.

Kyle was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 29th. Here's a picture:




We went to Moreton Island for Spring Break (mid-September). Here's some pictures from that:



We took Family Photos at Moreton Island:



I cut Aaron's hair. Here are the before and after pictures.




In other news...
Aaron has taken to playing with cars lately. He's learned to buzz his lips to make them go. I also gave him a haircut. I'll see if I can post a picture before I'm done with this post. He's also started "talking" a lot more. We don't always understand what he's saying, but here are some of the words we've figured out.

bah, bah = ball (this was definitely his first word. He gets pretty excited about balls)
duh, duh = drink
ma (short a), ma = food
uh oh = uh oh
babble, babble, goo, haha,we, boo, ga, oh = "I love you" or "come play with me" or "I've discovered how to use quantum physics to overcome the laws of nature and transport myself to another dimension. I really wish I could communicate this to you. I hope I remember it when I'm a little more advanced in your strange way of communicating."

We've also learned quite a bit of "Strailn". See if you can guess the meanings of these words. Some of them may not be exactly what you think they do.

Brolli
Brekki
Bunny wrap
Theatre
Theatre costume
Bonnet
Mozzi
Brizzi
Togs
Pink fit
Red bag

These are just a few I can think of off the top of my head. Give them a go (another phrase often heard here), and I'll post again soon to give you the answers.

I was at the butcher a little while ago. I wanted some ground sausage. It took me forever to explain it to them (you'd think they didn't speak English here.) Finally, figured out it's called minced sausage here.

Well, this post is getting too long, but there you have the update on the Brouwers. I guess I'll update you on my baby. I went to a doctor's appointment on Friday. Of course, there's not usually anything new to learn. I generally go in, he listens to the heartbeat, asks if I have any questions, which I usually don't, charges me $80 and off I go. It takes about 7 minutes total. Anyway, it looks like everything is good. The baby is already in place, but I've known this for the last couple of weeks. It's a little uncomfortable if you know what I mean. If you don't, don't ask. I have 7 more weeks. Robert is really hoping I go late, so the baby can be born on his birthday on December 11th. Since the baby is due on November 25th, just imagine my icy stare at him. He also hopes I go late because he's taking a trip to Malaysia 2 weeks before the due date.

Sorry for the long post. I love you all.

Update

Our camera has officially died, so I don't have any pictures to post, but I'll give you a bit of an idea of what we've been up to. Kyle and Ashlee are making lots of mates at school. They enjoy their teachers and I think it's great that Ashlee is learning about Aboriginal and English History in Australia. It's fun to hear them speak a little Strailn too. Kyle actually is pretty good about saying "Pardon?" instead of "What?" when he's confused and they talk about the rubbish bin instead of the garbage can and are constantly correcting the way I pronounce the letter "H" which is "haytch" here and "Z" which is pronounced "Zed".

Ethan corrects me all the time too, but that's nothing really new. He enjoys his post as oldest child. I'm glad that he likes responsibility and I give it to him, but sometimes I wish he wouldn't be quite so bossy to the younger kids. Oldest children are tough. I know they have a rough time of it, but I'm glad Ethan is pretty strong.

Kyle will turn 8 on Thursday. He'll be baptized on Sunday. We're happy he's made this decision and is excited about it. We wish more of you could make it to the baptism. Give us a call if you happen to be in Brisbane this week. ;) It's unfortunate Robert and Ashlee will be gone on his birthday, but we'll just make his birthday stretch through the weekend

I've been thinking about how to teach my children to resist temptation and overcome weakness. While I was making chocolate chip cookies on Friday for a fundraiser at the school, an idea came to me. I was having such a hard time resisting eating the cookie dough and cookies when they were cooked. After a couple of bites, I decided, I can tell myself not to eat another bite and I won't, so I didn't. Then, I thought, this might be a good way for me to teach the kids. Part of the idea came from a friend of mine that did the same thing. I offered the kids $150 each if they could go without any sugar until Christmas. We'll make an exception for Thanksgiving and for their own birthday (Kyle), but even Halloween, they'll have to give it up. It'll totally be worth the money if they can do it. I wonder which ones, if any of them, will be able to resist it all. I'm doing the same thing myself. So far, Ethan, Ashlee and Kyle and I have had 2 and a half sugar-free days. I'll let you know how it goes as things progress.

Aaron is really growing up and developing quite the personality. I've been taking him to Nursery the last couple of weeks. He loves singing the songs and playing with the toys. He even sort of participates in the lesson (helping the teacher get out everything from her bag). He doesn't like getting pushed around by some of the other kids though. He LOVES balls. None of my kids have ever been so passionate about something. His first word was definitely "ball" and he sees them everywhere. Any circular-shaped, anything is a ball. He is also passionate about his blanket. A friend of mine crocheted it for him and he has trouble going to sleep without it. Ammon has taken to carrying him everywhere. It's a little dangerous and not Aaron's favorite thing to do.

Ammon had his birthday. We had a great time with Robert's Aunts and Uncles for dinner and cupcakes at the park with his friends. I think I did okay. He plays almost every day with his friend, Caleb. They are starting to understand each other now, and I raerely have to referee any arguements.

Robert was just called as a Seminary Teacher for our ward. Class starts at 6am. He shares the calling and only needs to teach 2 days a week. They are studying the Book of Mormon this year. He'll do such a good job. Robert is an excellent teacher and loves the youth. It will be a good calling for him.

We went to the Australia Zoo yesterday. It was alright. For the price, I think I would rather go to some of the other features around Brisbane, however, they had a special deal that if you went once in August, you could get into the park for free the rest of the year, so we went for it. I do like the habitats for the animals. They do especially well for the Kangaroos. We did a little more Kangaroo petting yesterday.

Ashlee had a choir concert on Friday. It was fun to hear her practicing her songs. She has a really beautiful voice. Ethan played in the band on Saturday for Aviation High Open Day. He still loves percussion. Not quite as challenging here as in American Fork though.

I was called as Relief Society Extra Meeting Coordinator. I'm currently working on a Goal Setting Meeting in September. We're going to have a lesson on using your patriarchal blessing to set goals, then a couple mini-classes about teaching your children to set goals and re-setting goals particularly once the kids have left the house. I'm working on a display with ideas for your bucket list. I'm going to try to get a bunch of buckets to give out with little squares of paper people can write ideas for goals on. If anyone has some ideas for the bucket list, please let me know. I'd love to have more ideas. I think it will be a good activity and I'm getting more excited about the calling.

Well, I guess that about does it for now. I continue bulge as my baby is expanding me. I can't believe it's only 3 more months, but at the same time, I think I'll be ready. My body can't take much more of this. If anyone wants to see my big belly, feel free to Skype. We love you guys!

Pictures

Here are some pictures to update what's been going on the last couple of months. I miss my good camera.



We went to the Alma Park Zoo yesterday. The kids had a great time. There's even a kangaroo petting zoo. That was fun.

I am giving a talk on living after the manner of happiness and the Plan of Happiness. Any suggestions?

BTW

I guess I need to update our banner. Since we currently have 5 little monkeys, but we'll soon have 6. I went to the doctor just before we left. It was pretty obvious that this little monkey wanted to make itself known. Soon we will have 5 little monkeys and 1 little bird. Ashlee will be the lone female in this brood. I think she is getting used to the idea. Ahhhhh...the trials of being a girl!

Way Behind...Here's the ketchup

So, here I am in Brisbane. I've had my moments of stress, but I'll give you a brief synopsis of our time so far.

Sunday - Fly out of Salt Lake Intl Airport full of excitement and trepidation as to the adventure awaiting us. Arrive in Las Angeles with a 6 hour layover, so we decided to visit the beach. Realized we were only about 2 miles away from my good friend, Sally, so tried to call to hook up, but no such luck. I wish I would have thought of it earlier :( We walked on the beach, got some pizza at a pub, looked at a little aquarium and returned to the airport for another 3 hours. While in the lounge, Ashlee began to look a little pekid. She finally threw up on the carpet. I told all the kids after that if they could make it to the bathroom to throw up, I'd pay them $5.00 (Thanks Carrie for that advice. I wish I would have thought of it earlier.) Kyle starts to look a little flushed and complains of a stomach ache. Robert takes him into the bathroom and tries to force him to throw up so he'll get over it. Yeah...that didn't work. Poor kid. Well, we were expecting the worst when we got on our 14 plus hour flight to Sydney. We got the kids in their pajamas, Kyle went almost immediately to sleep and Ashlee perked up. Then, we ended up waiting on the runway for an hour and a half as they had to de-plane a couple parents who had had a little too much in the first-class lounge. They had to find all their luggage as well, so it took a little time. Finally, we took off. The kids were pretty peaceful on the plane, slept quite a bit and watched tv or played games the whole way. We got the whole of row 5. If you've never flown business class before, row 5 is coveted. It's where they generally put celebrities (or the Brouwers!) There were curtains that completely contained the whole area, so we basically had 3 rooms to ourselves. This worked out really well and made the ride a little more comfortable. The flight attendants were so friendly and helpful. I know it will be different traveling coach, but it was fun to be treated this time.

Monday-yeah...pretty much skipped this day.

Tuesday-We made it to Sydney on Tuesday morning and missed our flight because of the delay. So, we had to change our tickets. Sydney airport is not easy to fly through. I hope we can get direct flights from now on, but we made it anyway. Juli picked us up from the airport and everything went pretty smoothly.

Wednesday-We dropped Robert at the Gold Coast for his Leadership Training Conference and went to Surfer's Paradise. This was definitely the hilight of the day. The kids had an amazing time jumping in the waves. Ethan couldn't wipe the smile off his face. I haven't seen him so happy in a long time. It made me happy to see them all so happy.

We spent a couple of hours there before heading back to Brisbane. Juli made us PB&J sandwiches and I walked over to the school to pick up forms for school. It's been so nice to have a stopping place...a real home to relax at. We went back to the apartment after that and the kids became super stir crazy. I finally decided to take them to find some food.

[Side note: Driving in Australia - stay to the left, but make sure you aim for the center of the road. If you want to turn, turn on your windshield wipers and pass on the right. Everything is narrower. You have to really concentrate when you drive. The lanes are narrow, the parking spaces are narrower, there are very few medians or chicken lanes. People are much more courteous and conscientious (sp), but they don't put up with you if you're being stupid. So far, I have gone to the passenger side to drive 2x, driven on the wrong side of the road 1x, put on my windshield wipers numerous times and nearly sideswiped a couple of garbage cans, several curbs and a cyclist 1x.]

So, back to finding food. I finally found parking in the city for $14. We walked about a mile and found a Subway and a park to eat at. It gets dark here around 4pm. We went to find Juli's house in the dark after that so Ethan could go to a YM activity to watch an Aussie Football game. Because of the game, several streets were blocked off and there were so many people in the streets and cars. I missed our turn a couple of times, but finally made it to Juli's house, after a very stressful hour or so. Of course, I had to wait up for Ethan, so after lugging the kids back to the hotel, I sat up trying to figure out how to call Robert since none of the 4 phones I had access to could call out. I resorted to reading the phone book trying to figure out if I was dialing incorrectly. It is a little panicky to feel so disconnected. Needless to say, this was not a very good night. I was so happy in the morning when Robert was able to finally call my hotel room.

Thursday-Don't really remember much about this day. I think I was working on the kids school aplications and the kids swam in the pool for a couple of hours at the hotel.

Friday-We picked up Robert at the Gold Coast and played a little in the ocean. Good news- Ammon's warts disappeared on his feet. The warts on his hand, he apparently scratched off all on his own. Thank goodness I don't need to find a dermatologist here yet. We still need to find a doctor to take his stitches out though.

Today-Robert picked up his new car and we've been doing laundry at the Robinsons. I'm still working out how their washer works. It's taken 3 hours so far just on the wash. I think I'm not doing it right. Juli, if you read this, you can give me some tips maybe. So far, everything is going pretty well. I've had my moments of frustration, but I'm learning a lot and learning that happiness is a choice. I'll choose to be happy.

I'll post pictures later...

We'll go to church tomorrow. So far, all is well. I