Sunday 10/02/2008
Christmas Newsletter! Click here for Page 1 & click here for Page 2.
Happy New Year!
I have been very slack in updating my website. I admit it.
We have been very busy with life in general and just the thought of updating photos is too much at the moment. The photo management software, Coppermine, that comes with this website isn't the easiest to maintain. I am going to start and keep them on my Flickr website - http://www.flickr.com/photos/poplarmedia/ - it is a LOT easier to maintain! I will leave the existing gallery as it is, but I won't update it anymore. I'm not sure but you'll have to register to look at some of the kids photo's as they aren't public photo's and you have to be a friend or family to see them.
Ethan is now two and is a real little boy, and I've said before, that's a good thing seeming that he's male!
isabelle is now going to preschool and is loving it!
Thursday 13/12/2007
Well it doesn't feel like a month and a half since my last bit of news!!
Christmas is upon us once again and boy, didn't it come around quick!
We are all well and doing fine. The kids are very excited about Christmas - as most kids are - and are counting down the days.
We've been very busy with Christmas parties and get-togethers that seem to happen all weekend at this time of year.
Bradd & Nance and their kids of course are staying with us for a couple of weeks over Christmas which we are looking forward to very much. A good chance to spend some quality time with them. The kids will love playing with Jesse and Hannah.
Isabelle's time at daycare is coming to an end, which is a shame as she was really starting to love it. She's off to pre-school next year and is very excited about that as well.
Ethan is bumming around the house and loving it! He's speaking really well now and is getting better by the day. He's a true boy - his favourite game is "Rock Plop". Here's how you play:
1. Get a rock - preferably smallish.
2. Drop it in a street stormwater drain that has water in the bottom of it and listen for the "plop" as the rock hits the water!
Easy! Keeps him entertained for hours! hehe
All of us Ashbrookes wish you the very best for Christmas, and a wonderful, prosperous 2008!
PS. There's no new pics in the gallery this time as I'll update them later i.e.. after Christmas. There are some new pics from time to time on my flickr website, which can be found here.
Wednesday 31/10/2007
MORE PIX IN THE GALLERY!
It's Jacaranda time and the flowers are as beautiful as ever! We're going to the free Jacaranda sausage brekky at Market Square in the morning for a sausage sizzle brekky! MMMMMMMMM!
We've had an awesome start to the storm season with the last month full of storms, as you've probably seen on the news! On Monday, we got about 83mm of rain in 30mins! Talk about local flooding!
Kids are well now that daylight saving is here! They were waking at 5:15am because it was so light at that time.
Time is flying by so fast...it's nearly Christmas - AGAIN!
Monday 3/9/2007
Well, it's Monday, the kids and Julie are asleep, and I'm home from work sick with a whopper cold or flu. Flu's, stomach bugs - actually just about everything has got us this winter. There's been no time for updates the last couple of months! Hopefully things will get better soon.
Aside from being sick, the kids are doing great. Ethan is talking well now and stringing small sentences together. He is turning into a real boy now, and doing all the "boy stuff" like crashing toy cars together with sound effects, climbing everything, etc.
Isabelle is now going to daycare for one day a week at our good friend's Scott & Trish's place. Very handy as they live in the same estate as us and we visit them regularly anyway so their place isn't strange to her.
We've been busy planting in the garden for the spring. The days are warming up now and the grass and plants are greening up and shooting - especially after the 150mm of rain we just had!
Posted more pics today...enjoy!
Tuesday 31/07/2007
Man, I have been too busy! Will post some updates and pics in the next couple of days...
Tuesday 12/6/2007
More photo's of Julie's birthday, Alstonville, our trip to Tugun to see Shanie and Leafie, and other stuff.
Not much to report. We're all well and very busy with life. The months are ticking by with alarming speed. Christmas will soon be upon us once again in no time at all. Scary.
Ethan has learnt the word "No" and how to use it in the proper context. Very funny!
Thursday 31/05/2007
Well another month has flown by!
We have been very busy the last month. We've had the pleasure of Glen & Belinda Scott's company for a few days which is always nice. We've had the Gastro go thru us again, just about a year to the day since the last bout! Must be an anniversary dose :-s
Apart from that we have been well. Julie had her 29th birthday as well which was a nice day. We had nice Thai for dinner and then it was back to our place for cake and coffee. MMMM!
Kids are going well. Ethan is starting to dance when he hears music. It's sooo cute to watch! Isabelle is progressing in leaps and bounds with her social interactions with other kids. We were a bit worried about her as she was a bit clingy and didn't like to play with other kids, but recently it's like she's had a brain upgrade and now she's totally fine. She asked me her first question the other morning while we were eating brekky. She said, out of the blue, "Dad, what's your favourite colour?". I almost choked on my brekky! It was a magical moment.
The days are absolutely beautiful at the moment - perfect temperature. It should be illegal to be at work with days like this!
More photos have been posted...
Monday 23/04/2007
Well, what I mean by tomorrow night is a month from now! Boy did those four weeks fly!
Everyone is going well. Isabelle had her third birthday and once again got lots of presents. Thank you to all who gave presents, she seriously loves all of them.
Isabelle's imagination is really firing well now and it's beautiful to watch her play with her toys now.
Ethan is really trying to talk now and has quite a repertoire of words now. Ethan is showing some amazing hand-eye coordination with hitting, catching and kicking balls - that goes for Isabelle as well.
They're both the apples of our eyes and we love them dearly. You know, I am so excited to see them when I come home for lunch from work every day, I get butterflies in my stomach every single time. There's nothing better than having your kids running to you with outstretched arms. The joy I get from that is beyond words. It IS heaven.
Getting back to Melbourne, the one thing that struck me was how dry it was. Flying over Victoria the landscape was grey. I had never seen any place so dry. Even the grass is dying it's so dry. I have recently seen Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" which was a real slap in the face for me. If you haven't seen it, YOU MUST SEE IT!!! We are facing grim times ahead if the world doesn't curb it's carbon emissions drastically, and quick. I firmly believe we are seeing the initial effects in Victoria, and the rest of Australia for that matter. Here's a couple of easy, low-effort and effective ways to start your low-carbon "diet" ---
1. Buy "Green" energy from your electricity provider. For instance, we subscribed to Country Energy's 'Country Green' service about four years ago. It costs about $6 per month extra, but means that our carbon emissions from electricity consumption are ZERO. This is because Country Energy buys approx. 6.8MWh per year (enough for the average household for a year) of electricity on our behalf from RENEWABLE sources such as hydro, solar, biomass, and wind generated power instead of purchasing it from coal fired power stations. As long as we don't consume more than 6.8MWh, we won't emit any greenhouse gases. Check to see if your supplier has something similar. If they don't, ask them why not!
2. Replace ALL of your incandescent light globes to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). The CFLs use one fifth of the power of incandescents to create the same light output. This means considerable savings for your light bill! I recommend using the Philips brand and getting the "Warm White" version, as they perfectly emulate the 'warmth' of the incand. bulbs.
Two very powerful and simple ways to make a big difference with minimal effort. Niiice!
PS. Sorry about the copyright labels on the photo's in the gallery. I heard on the photography grapevine that some companies and individuals are harvesting online photo's and selling them as stock footage, or re-using them for other purposes. The copyright labels were my first attempt. I have perfected another way of marking them that is way less intrusive.
Tuesday 20/03/2007 MEGA PHOTO UPDATE!!
Well, we survived our trip to Melbourne! It's taken the kids a solid week to get over it, but it was worth it.
A big thank you to Julie's Aunty and Uncle - Jen and Roger - for generously opening their home to us for a week. We really enjoyed staying with you guys.
Ahh! it's 11:07pm and I'm too tired to carry on. I've got heaps more to say so I'll continue this tomorrow night....bye.
Sunday 18/02/2007
I know.....nearly a month. So much has happened!
About three weeks ago, the kids both got really sick with a cold/flu/something. Ethan seemed to shake it off but then got spots that looked like chicken pox! Took him to the doc and the doc said that it didn't look quite like chicken pox. The spots went away after a few days and didn't seem to bother him.
Isabelle didn't seem to be able to shake the cold, and started to get 40degC temps. That then turned into a constant temperature that lasted for days. Took her to Emergency at the hospital and they did an X-ray and found a chest infection. A couple of bottles of good 'ole Amoxycillan and many hours of lost sleep and we have our little girl back again.
I have also upgraded to Windows Vista and my web design program was not Vista-compatible until a couple of days ago. All is working now. Vista is a mighty nice operating system!
We're going to Melbourne in a couple of weeks to see Julie's relatives. I haven't been to Melbourne before so it will be a new experience for me as well.
Friday 19/01/2007
We hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year.
We got too many toys, and will have to extend the house just to fit all the new toys!
Ethan had his first birthday on the 16th of this month. We are going to have a party for him at the park tomorrow.
He is walking really well now. He's a real little boy.
The kids and Julie have had a cold/fever thingy. I have managed to avoid it so far (touch wood).
It's now 10pm and Isabelle is still getting up!! She has been getting up since we put her to bed at 7:30pm. We are OVER it!
We're going to trial not having an afternoon sleep in hope that she'll be smashed by the end of the day....
Has anybody seen the McNaught Comet? Since it's been in view, there has been either cloudy days or cloud on the horizon, and I haven't been able to view it at all! Very, very frustrating!
I have a million pictures to go through to put on the website, which I will get to soon hopefully. Watch this space (well actually watch the gallery page hehe).
Wednesday 20/12/2006
5 more sleeps 'til Christmas!
Isabelle is sleeping well again, actually, both are sleeping well at the moment. YAY!
We had my Uncle Robert, Aunty Joy and Nan come up on Sunday. It was so good to see them as it has been a while. Hi Aunty Joy! :) We all had a nice BBQ lunch courtesy of Julsa and Mum, and an afternoon full of chit-chat. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
Got my camera and have taken about 500 photo's so far! Julie and the kids are sick of having a camera in their faces all the time! You can see some of the pics in the gallery.
We all would like to wish you a safe and happy Christmas, and a great new year. If you are travelling, please take it easy on the roads. Also, spare a thought for the reason for the season - the J man - Jesus, and wish him a Happy Birthday.
Wednesday 13/12/2006
Whoa! Just over a month between posts!! Disgraceful!
Isabelle has started waking up during the night and early in the morning for some unknown reason, although we are starting to suspect 2yr molars are starting to move again. This is seriously sapping our energy, and, everytime I get on the computer I end up slumped over in my chair asleep within 10mins. That's my excuse! :-p
Both the kids are well. Ethan is crawling and all but walking. Give it a week or so I reckon.....
Julie is back at work two days a week and enjoying adult company again. The kids go to Grandma & Poppy's place while she's at work. Both the kids LOVE it there and the extra money sure is helping the budget.
Dept. of Fair Trading came to our house today. The good news is that Perry Homes will have to fix the dodgy painting! FINALLY!
Although, they were VERY reluctant to do so. Our hallway will be painted with Dulux Suede Effects. Free feature wall!!
I am waiting for my Chrissy present to turn up - a new Nikon D50 Digital SLR camera. You'll see a whole lot more of these pictures in the gallery.
Thursday 9/11/2006
Daniel & Tammy had their second child this afternoon - Judah Emmanuel Secomb. Congratulations guys! There's a pic on the website that Dan sent me on his mobile. HE HE!!
We had a shocker day on Wednesday with both Isabelle and Ethan suffering 39-40 deg fevers, whingy and both wanted to be held all the time. A very exhausting day but they were 100% better today.
We are still doing battle with Perry Homes and their 'don't give a damn now that we have your money' attitude. We have involved the Dept. of Fair Trading about some dodgy touch up jobs that they refuse to fix. Commonsense would tell you that it's better to spend a couple of hundred dollars fixing up dodgy paintwork and have the customer recommend your company than it would ignoring the customer and the customer then warning away many potential clients that earns you thousands of dollars??? Unfortunately commonsense is nonexistant in the head office of Perry Homes. If you are looking at building a new home and are considering Perry Homes, come and talk to us BEFORE you sign anything!
Had my birthday on the weekend -NNOOOOOO!!! Getting older too quick.
Thursday 2/11/2006
I didn't get to those pics - got too sleepy. Maybe tonight.....
For Jacaranda, the admin block at work got dressed up in "Alice in Wonderland" costume. We won the best dressed comp out of all the other participating departments!
Monday 30/10/2006
All been very busy lately.
Isabelle, Julie and Ethan have all had the flu. I missed out :( hehehe!
Julie also had a dodgy eye for about a week which required three trips in four days to see a eye specialist in Coffs Harbour.
We now have a shade sail in the backyard thanks to Southside Upholstery and Canvas! It's fantastic!! Highly recommend Danny at Southside to set you up with a shade sail should you need one - excellent price and a quality product. We are incredibly happy with it! (if you can't half tell).
Ethan is racing around in the walker and getting into EVERYTHING, but is still reluctant to crawl. I think he want's to go straight to walking and skip the crawling. He now has two top teeth and is really starting to look like a little boy, which is a good thing I guess!
Isabelle's speech is getting better every day. She is also getting cheekier everyday as well. She is consumed by the idea of Christmas coming and often goes to the front door to see if Christmas has 'arrived'!
Just spend the last four days at Alstonville again and had a great time.
I'm off now to post some pics....
Saturday 7/10/2006
Long time between updates! I have just finished building my new computer, which took AGES! You don't realise how much stuff you accumulate on your hard drives that has to be transferred across to the new computer....
I have been trying to update the website for the last week, but I've had to load all the fonts needed for the graphics on the website. Also, when I've sat down to the computer, ten minutes passes and I'm struggling to keep awake! It's very frustrating when you've got so much to do!
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Richard and Kerri Ashbrooke on the safe arrival of Konner Joshua Ashbrooke. Mum and bub are apparently doing very well.
Ethan and Isabelle are doing well. I will posting more pics in the next few days.
Wednesday 13/9/2006
All going well. Ethan is 7 months and Isabelle is almost 2 and a half years old! Time sure is flying!
More pics posted of another Alstonville visit and lots of the kids.
My cousin Richard, and wife Kerri had a baby shower for their upcoming baby at Uncle Gary and Aunty Gwens place. It was a beautiful afternoon and a good time was had by all. Isabelle kept herself very busy eating all the junk food she could get her hands on.
Kerri runs her own beauty and events business. Click on the link on the 'Links' page to check it out.
The new Canon 400D Digital SLR camera was released last week! Very exciting! Well, I think so.
We've had a HEAP of rain here lately. Lake Poplar is once again at full tide and everything is soaked. Nice though, coming into summer.
Wednesday 23/8/2006
Hmmm..... a couple of weeks between updates??.....schlack!
Weather's getting very warm lately, spring is definately in the air! Lovin' it!
Rob (Julie's dad) is down from Cairns staying with us for a week. Isabelle is loving it because he hangs outside a lot and she loves being outside.
Ethan's first two bottom teeth are through. Still waiting on Isabelle's two-year molars........
Tuesday 8/8/2006
New look website! What do you think? I was getting bored with the old one. It was time for a change.
Have lots of photos to post but I've been really really really busy. Hopefully in the next couple of days...
Went to Julie's Mums at Alstonville for a week and a bit and had a great time. It rained the whole week except for two days!
Isabelle and Ethan have been teething badly the last couple of weeks. So quality sleep is nowhere to be found at the moment :(
We wouldn't have it any other way though!
Sunday 16/7/2006
TWO weeks again since the last update.....getting slack eh?
Well this update brings a photo extravaganza! I have added quite a few new photo's - and I think there's new photo's for every category!
We are all going well.
I am currently putting up a wire fence along the back to stop the kids getting tangled up in the barbed wire fence.
Sunday 2/7/2006
We're all well again after having the flu.
Both kids are advancing really quick. Isabelle can now count to 20 and is learning the alphabet. She is having her day-sleep in her big bed now as well.
Ethan is getting really chatty and loves to scrunch things, mainly our faces! He is on solids now and has a HUGE appetite! A bit different to Isabelle!
Julie has finished the front garden and it looks great. I will take a pic of it and post it next time.
Thursday 15/6/2006
Long time, no post! We've all got colds at the moment. Seems to be going around at present.
Had a nice weekend at Julie's mum's on the long weekend. Set Jenny up with broadband and VoIP so we can make free calls between us and cheap calls everywhere else ;-) Nothing wrong with that!!
The northern side colourbond fence is finished and looks great. All we have to do now is plant our Murraya hedge for the back fence and we're done with fences.
The nights have been chilly but the days have been absolutely glorious! 21-23 degrees during the day. I think it's illegal to be at work on these days.....
Isabelle is really into role-playing at the moment and is always harping to me or Julse to play dollies with her. Of course you have to animate the dollies and put on appropriate voices for them. She is talking better everyday. It really is beautiful to listen to.
Ethan has been playing in the Jolly Jumper (thanks to Nanca!). I've posted some pics with him in it. He LOVES it! Consequently, his legs are strong enough to hold his weight indefinately! He really loves interaction and is dishing out big smiles all the time. No belly laughs yet but plenty of chuckles.
Friday 1/6/2006
It's been rather chilly outside in the morning. It got down to 0.7 deg this morning, and, more coolness to come.
Our fence is being put up now. He's currently laying the concrete strip at the bottom.
Monday 22/5/2006
I FINISHED THE LETTERBOX!!!!! Finally got to finish it and it looks good. Check it out in the gallery (house album). Isabelle has resumed cutting teeth and Ethan is still being bothered by something every night. At around 4am we wakes up squirmy with his tummy making gurgling sounds, and subsequently can't sleep.
We all went to the Wiggles concert last Saturday. Isabelle had a ball!
I plan to add a couple of more pages to this website. One of which will be called "Opinion" (maybe should be "Rant"), which I can use to put forth my thoughts and opinions on all sorts of things. Not sure what the other page should be called, but I would like to use that page to translate some absolute gems of wisdom from the Bible into real-world everyday language.
I finally started a website for my media business, Poplarmedia. Check it out.
Tuesday 9/5/2006
What a week we've had! Had both Ethan and Isabelle in hospital with a good dose of gastroenteritis last Thursday and ended up a stay overnight for all of us in Kids ward Thursday night rehydrating them. Came home Friday afternoon after the kids stopped chucking up. Saturday morning both Julie and I started feeling green around the gills and it wasn't long before we too were riding the regurgitron! Good 'ole Aunty Gaby and my mum were running around looking after the kids while Jules and I were off our feet. THEN, Gabe came down with it on Sunday and spent a few hours in Emergency on Sunday night getting rehydrated and treated for the pain and vomiting. Talk about fun for the whole family! sheesh!
Ethan is still under the weather a little bit. Even though he's pale and unwell, he still can pack a smile that melts your heart. He's a real trooper!
Wrote a letter to Perry Homes saying that the painters still haven't fixed the problems and we're not happy. So they sent a Dulux 'Technical consultant' to our place to check the workmanship of the painters. By the looks on his face, I don't think he was particularly impressed with what he saw. So once again the ball is rolling - hopefully for the last time.
Thursday 27/4/2006
Added some more pics tonight. Some good ones of them both.
Ethan still not sleeping well - teeth, wind, reflux, tired.......who knows! Maybe a combo of all of them.
Just a tip for you all - when you view pictures in the gallery, you can click on the large pic and get an even larger picture (absolutely free! ;). This will allow you to see more detail.
Had to send a letter to Perry Homes to try and get the painters back to finish the touch-ups. Yes, it's STILL not finished! See what happens...
Thursday 20/4/2006
Here we go again - Thursday update! Hope you all had a safe, happy and chocalicious Easter. We went to Julie's mum, Jenny's place in Alstonville for the long weekend and had a great time. Gabe got me a big block of Old Jamaica (dark choccy with rum and raisins) MMMMMM!! I ate it all in three days!
Isabelle's teeth seem to have settled down and the demon that was possessing her seems to have left for now ;-) She's a much more pleasant little girl at the moment.
Ethan is sleeping better at the moment with usually one feed during the night. He has discovered that he can control those weird things with long bits on the end of his arms.....he's found his hands. He's now three months old now and getting bigger by the second. Time sure is flying!
Julie's painting the letterbox this coming weekend. The coat of paint will give it extra strength!
More pics posted in the gallery.....
Sunday 9/4/2006
Well, I certainly messed up that Tuesday Thursday updating routine by posting today!
Isabelle had her second birthday party yesterday, which went very well. Thanks to all of you who came, and thanks for the great presents! She loves all of them. I have posted some pics of the party in the gallery.
A big thanks to Nanna and Aunty Gaby for your help on the day!!
Thursday 6/4/2006
Notice how I always seem to update the news page on Tuesdays and Thursdays? What's with that? Weird.
Operation Letterbox was a success. It's been a week and it's still standing! I'll have to take a pic of it. Once again, thanks to my Dad who expertly mixed the 'killer' cement brew, and showed me how it's done.
Added some more pics today. Some cute ones of Ethan and Isabelle are also posted.
It seems Ethan doesn't have reflux - he's just tired! We thought he may have had reflux but when he's squirmy, he's just tired and wants to go to bed. Fine by us.
Tuesday 28/3/2006
More pictures posted today. This Saturday, I will attempt to construct the brick letterbox. Should be a good laugh!
Thursday 23/3/2006
We've been having lots of fun with Ethan. Apparently it's not colic that's upsetting him - it's reflux!! YAY! :(
At least we know what's going on now and can treat it.
I put some dynamic lifter on the lawn just to kick it along before winter and boy, it sure lifts your nose!
Letterbox still not done!
Thursday 9/3/2006
I finally have some interior and exterior shots of the house in the gallery, as well as some current photo's of Ethan and Isabelle. The house is pretty much done - only the letterbox to go.
Ethan seems to be very colicky, and consequently squirmy and whingy. Not sleeping as well either which is very tiring for Julie during the day. Isabelle is getting her two year molars which has turned her into a whingy monster! :-/ Oh well, you get that with kids!
I have also updated the links page with another link or two.
Friday 24/2/2006
All the concreting is finished, as well as 512 sq metres of turfing which was done today. A BIG thanks to my parents, Bruce & Robyn Ashbroooke for their help with everything! We couldn't have done it without you.
I'm looking forward to go back to work for a holiday ;-) I got broadband back today. Happy day.
Will take some pics reeaal soon, I promise...
Thursday 16/2/2006
WE'RE IN!!
And finally have internet access back again! We have been busy with concrete slabs, preparing turf, constructing fences and entertaining children. Haven't even had time to take any pics yet. I will do so soon and put them in the gallery.
Thursday 2/2/2006
Well, we're not getting the keys to the house tomorrow.....grrrrrr! I put 500 red stickers throughout the whole house, which indicates faults that need to be rectified. 99.9% of the stickers indicated dodgy paintwork!
I gave Ethan a cold, but he's OK now. He got rid of it pretty quick! Great dad I am eh? ;)
Thursday 26/01/2006 - Australia Day
We get the keys to the house on Friday 3rd of Feb! YAY! One week to go today and still LOTS to do.
I went to the house this afternoon to take some pics of the house... I took two photos and batteries went dead. poo!
Ethan is spending a bit more time awake during the day now and sleeping better through the night.
22/01/2006
They repainted the external walls of our house with the right colour. The paint job is really dodgy. I will be picking it to pieces on final inspection day!
19/01/2006
The painters painted the exterior walls the wrong colour! The paint shop mixed the paint wrong, and the exterior house walls has a mauve/pinky look to it. yuk! They will have to repaint the outside of the house.
IT'S A BOY!
Ethan James Ashbrooke was born at 2:36am on the 16th January, 2006.
He weighed 8lb 9oz and is 50.5cm long. Both Jules and Ethan are well.
A BIG thanks goes to the excellent staff at the Maternity Unit.
Sally Haig and Jenny O'Hara expertly delivered Ethan. We thank you both immensely.
See the pictures of Ethan in the gallery!
Floor tiles in the wet areas are completed and the external walls of the house are being painted....
Christmas Newsletter! Click here for Page 1 & click here for Page 2.
Happy New Year!
I have been very slack in updating my website. I admit it.
We have been very busy with life in general and just the thought of updating photos is too much at the moment. The photo management software, Coppermine, that comes with this website isn't the easiest to maintain. I am going to start and keep them on my Flickr website - http://www.flickr.com/photos/poplarmedia/ - it is a LOT easier to maintain! I will leave the existing gallery as it is, but I won't update it anymore. I'm not sure but you'll have to register to look at some of the kids photo's as they aren't public photo's and you have to be a friend or family to see them.
Ethan is now two and is a real little boy, and I've said before, that's a good thing seeming that he's male!
isabelle is now going to preschool and is loving it!
Thursday 13/12/2007
Well it doesn't feel like a month and a half since my last bit of news!!
Christmas is upon us once again and boy, didn't it come around quick!
We are all well and doing fine. The kids are very excited about Christmas - as most kids are - and are counting down the days.
We've been very busy with Christmas parties and get-togethers that seem to happen all weekend at this time of year.
Bradd & Nance and their kids of course are staying with us for a couple of weeks over Christmas which we are looking forward to very much. A good chance to spend some quality time with them. The kids will love playing with Jesse and Hannah.
Isabelle's time at daycare is coming to an end, which is a shame as she was really starting to love it. She's off to pre-school next year and is very excited about that as well.
Ethan is bumming around the house and loving it! He's speaking really well now and is getting better by the day. He's a true boy - his favourite game is "Rock Plop". Here's how you play:
1. Get a rock - preferably smallish.
2. Drop it in a street stormwater drain that has water in the bottom of it and listen for the "plop" as the rock hits the water!
Easy! Keeps him entertained for hours! hehe
All of us Ashbrookes wish you the very best for Christmas, and a wonderful, prosperous 2008!
PS. There's no new pics in the gallery this time as I'll update them later i.e.. after Christmas. There are some new pics from time to time on my flickr website, which can be found here.
Wednesday 31/10/2007
MORE PIX IN THE GALLERY!
It's Jacaranda time and the flowers are as beautiful as ever! We're going to the free Jacaranda sausage brekky at Market Square in the morning for a sausage sizzle brekky! MMMMMMMMM!
We've had an awesome start to the storm season with the last month full of storms, as you've probably seen on the news! On Monday, we got about 83mm of rain in 30mins! Talk about local flooding!
Kids are well now that daylight saving is here! They were waking at 5:15am because it was so light at that time.
Time is flying by so fast...it's nearly Christmas - AGAIN!
Monday 3/9/2007
Well, it's Monday, the kids and Julie are asleep, and I'm home from work sick with a whopper cold or flu. Flu's, stomach bugs - actually just about everything has got us this winter. There's been no time for updates the last couple of months! Hopefully things will get better soon.
Aside from being sick, the kids are doing great. Ethan is talking well now and stringing small sentences together. He is turning into a real boy now, and doing all the "boy stuff" like crashing toy cars together with sound effects, climbing everything, etc.
Isabelle is now going to daycare for one day a week at our good friend's Scott & Trish's place. Very handy as they live in the same estate as us and we visit them regularly anyway so their place isn't strange to her.
We've been busy planting in the garden for the spring. The days are warming up now and the grass and plants are greening up and shooting - especially after the 150mm of rain we just had!
Posted more pics today...enjoy!
Tuesday 31/07/2007
Man, I have been too busy! Will post some updates and pics in the next couple of days...
Tuesday 12/6/2007
More photo's of Julie's birthday, Alstonville, our trip to Tugun to see Shanie and Leafie, and other stuff.
Not much to report. We're all well and very busy with life. The months are ticking by with alarming speed. Christmas will soon be upon us once again in no time at all. Scary.
Ethan has learnt the word "No" and how to use it in the proper context. Very funny!
Thursday 31/05/2007
Well another month has flown by!
We have been very busy the last month. We've had the pleasure of Glen & Belinda Scott's company for a few days which is always nice. We've had the Gastro go thru us again, just about a year to the day since the last bout! Must be an anniversary dose :-s
Apart from that we have been well. Julie had her 29th birthday as well which was a nice day. We had nice Thai for dinner and then it was back to our place for cake and coffee. MMMM!
Kids are going well. Ethan is starting to dance when he hears music. It's sooo cute to watch! Isabelle is progressing in leaps and bounds with her social interactions with other kids. We were a bit worried about her as she was a bit clingy and didn't like to play with other kids, but recently it's like she's had a brain upgrade and now she's totally fine. She asked me her first question the other morning while we were eating brekky. She said, out of the blue, "Dad, what's your favourite colour?". I almost choked on my brekky! It was a magical moment.
The days are absolutely beautiful at the moment - perfect temperature. It should be illegal to be at work with days like this!
More photos have been posted...
Monday 23/04/2007
Well, what I mean by tomorrow night is a month from now! Boy did those four weeks fly!
Everyone is going well. Isabelle had her third birthday and once again got lots of presents. Thank you to all who gave presents, she seriously loves all of them.
Isabelle's imagination is really firing well now and it's beautiful to watch her play with her toys now.
Ethan is really trying to talk now and has quite a repertoire of words now. Ethan is showing some amazing hand-eye coordination with hitting, catching and kicking balls - that goes for Isabelle as well.
They're both the apples of our eyes and we love them dearly. You know, I am so excited to see them when I come home for lunch from work every day, I get butterflies in my stomach every single time. There's nothing better than having your kids running to you with outstretched arms. The joy I get from that is beyond words. It IS heaven.
Getting back to Melbourne, the one thing that struck me was how dry it was. Flying over Victoria the landscape was grey. I had never seen any place so dry. Even the grass is dying it's so dry. I have recently seen Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" which was a real slap in the face for me. If you haven't seen it, YOU MUST SEE IT!!! We are facing grim times ahead if the world doesn't curb it's carbon emissions drastically, and quick. I firmly believe we are seeing the initial effects in Victoria, and the rest of Australia for that matter. Here's a couple of easy, low-effort and effective ways to start your low-carbon "diet" ---
1. Buy "Green" energy from your electricity provider. For instance, we subscribed to Country Energy's 'Country Green' service about four years ago. It costs about $6 per month extra, but means that our carbon emissions from electricity consumption are ZERO. This is because Country Energy buys approx. 6.8MWh per year (enough for the average household for a year) of electricity on our behalf from RENEWABLE sources such as hydro, solar, biomass, and wind generated power instead of purchasing it from coal fired power stations. As long as we don't consume more than 6.8MWh, we won't emit any greenhouse gases. Check to see if your supplier has something similar. If they don't, ask them why not!
2. Replace ALL of your incandescent light globes to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). The CFLs use one fifth of the power of incandescents to create the same light output. This means considerable savings for your light bill! I recommend using the Philips brand and getting the "Warm White" version, as they perfectly emulate the 'warmth' of the incand. bulbs.
Two very powerful and simple ways to make a big difference with minimal effort. Niiice!
PS. Sorry about the copyright labels on the photo's in the gallery. I heard on the photography grapevine that some companies and individuals are harvesting online photo's and selling them as stock footage, or re-using them for other purposes. The copyright labels were my first attempt. I have perfected another way of marking them that is way less intrusive.
Tuesday 20/03/2007 MEGA PHOTO UPDATE!!
Well, we survived our trip to Melbourne! It's taken the kids a solid week to get over it, but it was worth it.
A big thank you to Julie's Aunty and Uncle - Jen and Roger - for generously opening their home to us for a week. We really enjoyed staying with you guys.
Ahh! it's 11:07pm and I'm too tired to carry on. I've got heaps more to say so I'll continue this tomorrow night....bye.
Sunday 18/02/2007
I know.....nearly a month. So much has happened!
About three weeks ago, the kids both got really sick with a cold/flu/something. Ethan seemed to shake it off but then got spots that looked like chicken pox! Took him to the doc and the doc said that it didn't look quite like chicken pox. The spots went away after a few days and didn't seem to bother him.
Isabelle didn't seem to be able to shake the cold, and started to get 40degC temps. That then turned into a constant temperature that lasted for days. Took her to Emergency at the hospital and they did an X-ray and found a chest infection. A couple of bottles of good 'ole Amoxycillan and many hours of lost sleep and we have our little girl back again.
I have also upgraded to Windows Vista and my web design program was not Vista-compatible until a couple of days ago. All is working now. Vista is a mighty nice operating system!
We're going to Melbourne in a couple of weeks to see Julie's relatives. I haven't been to Melbourne before so it will be a new experience for me as well.
Friday 19/01/2007
We hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year.
We got too many toys, and will have to extend the house just to fit all the new toys!
Ethan had his first birthday on the 16th of this month. We are going to have a party for him at the park tomorrow.
He is walking really well now. He's a real little boy.
The kids and Julie have had a cold/fever thingy. I have managed to avoid it so far (touch wood).
It's now 10pm and Isabelle is still getting up!! She has been getting up since we put her to bed at 7:30pm. We are OVER it!
We're going to trial not having an afternoon sleep in hope that she'll be smashed by the end of the day....
Has anybody seen the McNaught Comet? Since it's been in view, there has been either cloudy days or cloud on the horizon, and I haven't been able to view it at all! Very, very frustrating!
I have a million pictures to go through to put on the website, which I will get to soon hopefully. Watch this space (well actually watch the gallery page hehe).
Wednesday 20/12/2006
5 more sleeps 'til Christmas!
Isabelle is sleeping well again, actually, both are sleeping well at the moment. YAY!
We had my Uncle Robert, Aunty Joy and Nan come up on Sunday. It was so good to see them as it has been a while. Hi Aunty Joy! :) We all had a nice BBQ lunch courtesy of Julsa and Mum, and an afternoon full of chit-chat. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
Got my camera and have taken about 500 photo's so far! Julie and the kids are sick of having a camera in their faces all the time! You can see some of the pics in the gallery.
We all would like to wish you a safe and happy Christmas, and a great new year. If you are travelling, please take it easy on the roads. Also, spare a thought for the reason for the season - the J man - Jesus, and wish him a Happy Birthday.
Wednesday 13/12/2006
Whoa! Just over a month between posts!! Disgraceful!
Isabelle has started waking up during the night and early in the morning for some unknown reason, although we are starting to suspect 2yr molars are starting to move again. This is seriously sapping our energy, and, everytime I get on the computer I end up slumped over in my chair asleep within 10mins. That's my excuse! :-p
Both the kids are well. Ethan is crawling and all but walking. Give it a week or so I reckon.....
Julie is back at work two days a week and enjoying adult company again. The kids go to Grandma & Poppy's place while she's at work. Both the kids LOVE it there and the extra money sure is helping the budget.
Dept. of Fair Trading came to our house today. The good news is that Perry Homes will have to fix the dodgy painting! FINALLY!
Although, they were VERY reluctant to do so. Our hallway will be painted with Dulux Suede Effects. Free feature wall!!
I am waiting for my Chrissy present to turn up - a new Nikon D50 Digital SLR camera. You'll see a whole lot more of these pictures in the gallery.
Thursday 9/11/2006
Daniel & Tammy had their second child this afternoon - Judah Emmanuel Secomb. Congratulations guys! There's a pic on the website that Dan sent me on his mobile. HE HE!!
We had a shocker day on Wednesday with both Isabelle and Ethan suffering 39-40 deg fevers, whingy and both wanted to be held all the time. A very exhausting day but they were 100% better today.
We are still doing battle with Perry Homes and their 'don't give a damn now that we have your money' attitude. We have involved the Dept. of Fair Trading about some dodgy touch up jobs that they refuse to fix. Commonsense would tell you that it's better to spend a couple of hundred dollars fixing up dodgy paintwork and have the customer recommend your company than it would ignoring the customer and the customer then warning away many potential clients that earns you thousands of dollars??? Unfortunately commonsense is nonexistant in the head office of Perry Homes. If you are looking at building a new home and are considering Perry Homes, come and talk to us BEFORE you sign anything!
Had my birthday on the weekend -NNOOOOOO!!! Getting older too quick.
Thursday 2/11/2006
I didn't get to those pics - got too sleepy. Maybe tonight.....
For Jacaranda, the admin block at work got dressed up in "Alice in Wonderland" costume. We won the best dressed comp out of all the other participating departments!
Monday 30/10/2006
All been very busy lately.
Isabelle, Julie and Ethan have all had the flu. I missed out :( hehehe!
Julie also had a dodgy eye for about a week which required three trips in four days to see a eye specialist in Coffs Harbour.
We now have a shade sail in the backyard thanks to Southside Upholstery and Canvas! It's fantastic!! Highly recommend Danny at Southside to set you up with a shade sail should you need one - excellent price and a quality product. We are incredibly happy with it! (if you can't half tell).
Ethan is racing around in the walker and getting into EVERYTHING, but is still reluctant to crawl. I think he want's to go straight to walking and skip the crawling. He now has two top teeth and is really starting to look like a little boy, which is a good thing I guess!
Isabelle's speech is getting better every day. She is also getting cheekier everyday as well. She is consumed by the idea of Christmas coming and often goes to the front door to see if Christmas has 'arrived'!
Just spend the last four days at Alstonville again and had a great time.
I'm off now to post some pics....
Saturday 7/10/2006
Long time between updates! I have just finished building my new computer, which took AGES! You don't realise how much stuff you accumulate on your hard drives that has to be transferred across to the new computer....
I have been trying to update the website for the last week, but I've had to load all the fonts needed for the graphics on the website. Also, when I've sat down to the computer, ten minutes passes and I'm struggling to keep awake! It's very frustrating when you've got so much to do!
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Richard and Kerri Ashbrooke on the safe arrival of Konner Joshua Ashbrooke. Mum and bub are apparently doing very well.
Ethan and Isabelle are doing well. I will posting more pics in the next few days.
Wednesday 13/9/2006
All going well. Ethan is 7 months and Isabelle is almost 2 and a half years old! Time sure is flying!
More pics posted of another Alstonville visit and lots of the kids.
My cousin Richard, and wife Kerri had a baby shower for their upcoming baby at Uncle Gary and Aunty Gwens place. It was a beautiful afternoon and a good time was had by all. Isabelle kept herself very busy eating all the junk food she could get her hands on.
Kerri runs her own beauty and events business. Click on the link on the 'Links' page to check it out.
The new Canon 400D Digital SLR camera was released last week! Very exciting! Well, I think so.
We've had a HEAP of rain here lately. Lake Poplar is once again at full tide and everything is soaked. Nice though, coming into summer.
Wednesday 23/8/2006
Hmmm..... a couple of weeks between updates??.....schlack!
Weather's getting very warm lately, spring is definately in the air! Lovin' it!
Rob (Julie's dad) is down from Cairns staying with us for a week. Isabelle is loving it because he hangs outside a lot and she loves being outside.
Ethan's first two bottom teeth are through. Still waiting on Isabelle's two-year molars........
Tuesday 8/8/2006
New look website! What do you think? I was getting bored with the old one. It was time for a change.
Have lots of photos to post but I've been really really really busy. Hopefully in the next couple of days...
Went to Julie's Mums at Alstonville for a week and a bit and had a great time. It rained the whole week except for two days!
Isabelle and Ethan have been teething badly the last couple of weeks. So quality sleep is nowhere to be found at the moment :(
We wouldn't have it any other way though!
Sunday 16/7/2006
TWO weeks again since the last update.....getting slack eh?
Well this update brings a photo extravaganza! I have added quite a few new photo's - and I think there's new photo's for every category!
We are all going well.
I am currently putting up a wire fence along the back to stop the kids getting tangled up in the barbed wire fence.
Sunday 2/7/2006
We're all well again after having the flu.
Both kids are advancing really quick. Isabelle can now count to 20 and is learning the alphabet. She is having her day-sleep in her big bed now as well.
Ethan is getting really chatty and loves to scrunch things, mainly our faces! He is on solids now and has a HUGE appetite! A bit different to Isabelle!
Julie has finished the front garden and it looks great. I will take a pic of it and post it next time.
Thursday 15/6/2006
Long time, no post! We've all got colds at the moment. Seems to be going around at present.
Had a nice weekend at Julie's mum's on the long weekend. Set Jenny up with broadband and VoIP so we can make free calls between us and cheap calls everywhere else ;-) Nothing wrong with that!!
The northern side colourbond fence is finished and looks great. All we have to do now is plant our Murraya hedge for the back fence and we're done with fences.
The nights have been chilly but the days have been absolutely glorious! 21-23 degrees during the day. I think it's illegal to be at work on these days.....
Isabelle is really into role-playing at the moment and is always harping to me or Julse to play dollies with her. Of course you have to animate the dollies and put on appropriate voices for them. She is talking better everyday. It really is beautiful to listen to.
Ethan has been playing in the Jolly Jumper (thanks to Nanca!). I've posted some pics with him in it. He LOVES it! Consequently, his legs are strong enough to hold his weight indefinately! He really loves interaction and is dishing out big smiles all the time. No belly laughs yet but plenty of chuckles.
Friday 1/6/2006
It's been rather chilly outside in the morning. It got down to 0.7 deg this morning, and, more coolness to come.
Our fence is being put up now. He's currently laying the concrete strip at the bottom.
Monday 22/5/2006
I FINISHED THE LETTERBOX!!!!! Finally got to finish it and it looks good. Check it out in the gallery (house album). Isabelle has resumed cutting teeth and Ethan is still being bothered by something every night. At around 4am we wakes up squirmy with his tummy making gurgling sounds, and subsequently can't sleep.
We all went to the Wiggles concert last Saturday. Isabelle had a ball!
I plan to add a couple of more pages to this website. One of which will be called "Opinion" (maybe should be "Rant"), which I can use to put forth my thoughts and opinions on all sorts of things. Not sure what the other page should be called, but I would like to use that page to translate some absolute gems of wisdom from the Bible into real-world everyday language.
I finally started a website for my media business, Poplarmedia. Check it out.
Tuesday 9/5/2006
What a week we've had! Had both Ethan and Isabelle in hospital with a good dose of gastroenteritis last Thursday and ended up a stay overnight for all of us in Kids ward Thursday night rehydrating them. Came home Friday afternoon after the kids stopped chucking up. Saturday morning both Julie and I started feeling green around the gills and it wasn't long before we too were riding the regurgitron! Good 'ole Aunty Gaby and my mum were running around looking after the kids while Jules and I were off our feet. THEN, Gabe came down with it on Sunday and spent a few hours in Emergency on Sunday night getting rehydrated and treated for the pain and vomiting. Talk about fun for the whole family! sheesh!
Ethan is still under the weather a little bit. Even though he's pale and unwell, he still can pack a smile that melts your heart. He's a real trooper!
Wrote a letter to Perry Homes saying that the painters still haven't fixed the problems and we're not happy. So they sent a Dulux 'Technical consultant' to our place to check the workmanship of the painters. By the looks on his face, I don't think he was particularly impressed with what he saw. So once again the ball is rolling - hopefully for the last time.
Thursday 27/4/2006
Added some more pics tonight. Some good ones of them both.
Ethan still not sleeping well - teeth, wind, reflux, tired.......who knows! Maybe a combo of all of them.
Just a tip for you all - when you view pictures in the gallery, you can click on the large pic and get an even larger picture (absolutely free! ;). This will allow you to see more detail.
Had to send a letter to Perry Homes to try and get the painters back to finish the touch-ups. Yes, it's STILL not finished! See what happens...
Thursday 20/4/2006
Here we go again - Thursday update! Hope you all had a safe, happy and chocalicious Easter. We went to Julie's mum, Jenny's place in Alstonville for the long weekend and had a great time. Gabe got me a big block of Old Jamaica (dark choccy with rum and raisins) MMMMMM!! I ate it all in three days!
Isabelle's teeth seem to have settled down and the demon that was possessing her seems to have left for now ;-) She's a much more pleasant little girl at the moment.
Ethan is sleeping better at the moment with usually one feed during the night. He has discovered that he can control those weird things with long bits on the end of his arms.....he's found his hands. He's now three months old now and getting bigger by the second. Time sure is flying!
Julie's painting the letterbox this coming weekend. The coat of paint will give it extra strength!
More pics posted in the gallery.....
Sunday 9/4/2006
Well, I certainly messed up that Tuesday Thursday updating routine by posting today!
Isabelle had her second birthday party yesterday, which went very well. Thanks to all of you who came, and thanks for the great presents! She loves all of them. I have posted some pics of the party in the gallery.
A big thanks to Nanna and Aunty Gaby for your help on the day!!
Thursday 6/4/2006
Notice how I always seem to update the news page on Tuesdays and Thursdays? What's with that? Weird.
Operation Letterbox was a success. It's been a week and it's still standing! I'll have to take a pic of it. Once again, thanks to my Dad who expertly mixed the 'killer' cement brew, and showed me how it's done.
Added some more pics today. Some cute ones of Ethan and Isabelle are also posted.
It seems Ethan doesn't have reflux - he's just tired! We thought he may have had reflux but when he's squirmy, he's just tired and wants to go to bed. Fine by us.
Tuesday 28/3/2006
More pictures posted today. This Saturday, I will attempt to construct the brick letterbox. Should be a good laugh!
Thursday 23/3/2006
We've been having lots of fun with Ethan. Apparently it's not colic that's upsetting him - it's reflux!! YAY! :(
At least we know what's going on now and can treat it.
I put some dynamic lifter on the lawn just to kick it along before winter and boy, it sure lifts your nose!
Letterbox still not done!
Thursday 9/3/2006
I finally have some interior and exterior shots of the house in the gallery, as well as some current photo's of Ethan and Isabelle. The house is pretty much done - only the letterbox to go.
Ethan seems to be very colicky, and consequently squirmy and whingy. Not sleeping as well either which is very tiring for Julie during the day. Isabelle is getting her two year molars which has turned her into a whingy monster! :-/ Oh well, you get that with kids!
I have also updated the links page with another link or two.
Friday 24/2/2006
All the concreting is finished, as well as 512 sq metres of turfing which was done today. A BIG thanks to my parents, Bruce & Robyn Ashbroooke for their help with everything! We couldn't have done it without you.
I'm looking forward to go back to work for a holiday ;-) I got broadband back today. Happy day.
Will take some pics reeaal soon, I promise...
Thursday 16/2/2006
WE'RE IN!!
And finally have internet access back again! We have been busy with concrete slabs, preparing turf, constructing fences and entertaining children. Haven't even had time to take any pics yet. I will do so soon and put them in the gallery.
Thursday 2/2/2006
Well, we're not getting the keys to the house tomorrow.....grrrrrr! I put 500 red stickers throughout the whole house, which indicates faults that need to be rectified. 99.9% of the stickers indicated dodgy paintwork!
I gave Ethan a cold, but he's OK now. He got rid of it pretty quick! Great dad I am eh? ;)
Thursday 26/01/2006 - Australia Day
We get the keys to the house on Friday 3rd of Feb! YAY! One week to go today and still LOTS to do.
I went to the house this afternoon to take some pics of the house... I took two photos and batteries went dead. poo!
Ethan is spending a bit more time awake during the day now and sleeping better through the night.
22/01/2006
They repainted the external walls of our house with the right colour. The paint job is really dodgy. I will be picking it to pieces on final inspection day!
19/01/2006
The painters painted the exterior walls the wrong colour! The paint shop mixed the paint wrong, and the exterior house walls has a mauve/pinky look to it. yuk! They will have to repaint the outside of the house.
IT'S A BOY!
Ethan James Ashbrooke was born at 2:36am on the 16th January, 2006.
He weighed 8lb 9oz and is 50.5cm long. Both Jules and Ethan are well.
A BIG thanks goes to the excellent staff at the Maternity Unit.
Sally Haig and Jenny O'Hara expertly delivered Ethan. We thank you both immensely.
See the pictures of Ethan in the gallery!
Floor tiles in the wet areas are completed and the external walls of the house are being painted....
© 2008 All Rights Reserved | Updated: 10/02/2008