Evans News - life on Mead Street ........

Week 14

2012-10-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting week! Paul decided awhile ago that he would put the stormwater drainage in himself. It seemed a simple job of just digging a few trenches and popping in the pipes. Hah!
Nothing is ever like it seems!
Anyway to cut a long story short - Paul and our very kind friend, Tom dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug and dug............... You get the point?
They dug from sun up to sun down with very little progress. Poor Paul ventured back the next day to dig a bit more...
In the end, he filled the trenches in and paid someone to do the job!

The only room I can spy through the windows is my kitchen which has arrived and is in place ready to be fitted. Looks good to me!

Week 12 & 13: Lock UP and more!

2012-10-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

This week sees us at "lock up"! It is what it is!!!
The doors and windows are in and the house is officially "locked up"!
Good news that we're progressing so fast but bad news because we can't actually get in to wander around inside anymore - boo! You'd think they'd give the owners a key to come and go as they please - since we are "the owners". Apparently that's not how it works....

The cladding on the front portico has also been added and without further ado I would like to present to you.............

WAIT FOR IT...............

MY FRONT DOOR!!!!!!!!!

TA DA!!!!!

There she is.....
I shall refer to her as a girl since she's sooo beautiful

Enough rambling......I'm only about 4 weeks behind with the build progress!

Week 11 & a busy weekend.......

2012-09-10T01:08:00.001-07:00

We've had a busy but exciting weekend!On Saturday we took the kids to watch the Springboks play against the Wallabies. The kids were so excited about the whole event - from the build up of hair painting to the train ride in. Not to mention the excitement of being at such a big stadium! I'm not too fussed about the whole "rugby thing" (don't tell Paul)especially since there wasn't a single coffee place in that whole stadium! What's with that???
At least the hot chips were good and I did enjoy the whole atmosphere of such a big event. I could people watch for ages!

Things are still moving along at a nice steady pace in "building land". This week we have "white float" (I have it on good authority from "the husband" that that's what it's called)on the walls. Its amazing how much bigger the rooms look with that stuff on!

After our weekly house tour we popped along the road to a nearby park for a little picnic and play.

Have a good week folks!
xoxox

13 and 3

2012-09-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary and our 3rd year in Australia!!!!

13 years ago when Paul and I got married i couldn't wait to start our little family so I could be the "mommy" I'd always wanted to be. Thank goodness, the good Lord had some sense and made me wait 4 years. Now, I'm so glad Paul and I had those 4 years to get to truly know each other! Some days when life gets hectic I'd give anything for a few minutes of just me and Paul time again.
But I can honestly say that I live the dream life I always wanted - a loving husband and beautiful children. Some of it hasn't come easy but we've stuck together through good times and bad times. 3 countries later and now we're starting to see the rewards of all our hopes and dreams!
Tonight we're going out for dinner - just the two of us(a rare treat in this house)- to celebrate! I can't wait....

Love you to the moon and back, Paul Evans
xoxoxo

Project house: Week 9 & 10

2012-09-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

Bonus week!!!! Two for the price of one - actually, I lost last weeks photos plus not much has changed so I figured one post would do!

We have - render on the front of the house...

and all the inside walls are rendered and we have ceilings!!!!

We're off to a really good start with our new neighbours! Maddy very kindly ran across their freshly laid "still wet" garage floor slab. Mmmmm I think some chocolates and wine will be in order the next time we see them! Gotta love kids...

Project house: week 8

2012-08-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

The roof is on and its HUGE!!!! It really makes the house look complete now!

Project house: week 7

2012-08-29T03:06:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that time moves at quite a rate in blogland! I'm a bit behind on my weekly house updates so the next few are going to be quite brief until I catch up with myself.

I only managed a few pictures this week because it was pouring with rain when I went down for my weekly photo shoot. Most of the roof trusses etc are up and in place which means the roof will be going on in the next week or so.

Last but not least we have some electrical wiring - boring I know!

Project house: week 6

2012-08-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

This week saw the start of our roof joists.

We spent the whole of Sunday at the house moving a gigantic pile of bricks from the front of the house to the back. By hand!!!!

Since the kitchen is not quite up to scratch yet we set up a little camp picnic area in the lounge/dining room. The kids thought this was great fun especially since this would probably be the only time they'd ever be allowed to "eat in the lounge"!

Interview with a six year old.....

2012-08-26T02:45:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a little celebration in the house - Princess Maddy is now 6 ~~going on 16~~!!!
Yes, she can be a little madam at times but mostly she's a little sweetie pie!
This year she has really blossomed at school and has become a little "superstar" in the classroom. She's so eager and keen to learn - its just so wonderful to see! She must take after her mother!!!

Here's a taste of life in 6 year old land!

What's your favourite food? cake, cake and more cake

What's your favourite toy? art supplies

Who's your best friend/s? Erin and Shay

What are you scared of? darkness

What's your favourite thing to do? art and crafts

What is your favorite movie/TV programme? Ice Age 4

What job would you like to have when you grow up? model and

chocolate maker

Isn't she beautiful?
xoxox

Ice skating fun!

2012-08-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought you were in for another boring post about my beloved house!

We recently took the kids to the Winter Wonderland that had been set up in Fremantle. The kids had never been ice skating before so this was a new experience for them. Let's just say it was an interesting experience for the boys who were none too impressed with this "crazy activity". Maddy, on the other hand, just loved it!

She's a brave girl and wasn't afraid to give it her best shot even when it involved a couple of hard bumps on the ice. You'll notice that there aren't too many shots of Ross. He clung to the fencing for one trip around the arena and then decided he would not be pursuing an ice skating career any time in the near future.Gethin didn't fare much better, until we managed to get a cute little seal for him to be pushed around on and even them I had to do some serious negotiating to get him onto the thing.

Doesn't he look happy in the picture above?

Project house: Week 5

2012-08-07T22:47:00.000-07:00

More walls up now! In fact the whole house is nearly done!

There's my front door again! Hope James wipes his feet!

Paul's room - the garage!

Theatre room entrance.

Inside the theatre room - this is one of the rooms that looks pretty small to me.

Passageway from the kid's toilet all the way down to the "granny flat" entrance. Wow - didn't realise that the passage was going to be soooooooo long!

Open plan area - lounge, dining room and kitchen.

Our bedroom with Paul and the Batt family admiring our view.

Project house: week 4

2012-08-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

WARNING!!!!!! More house photos coming up!Feel free to log off if you've had enough of me posting crazy pictures of walls,bricks and door frames!

The walls are literally flying up at the moment - everytime we take our weekly drive down to our block I am truly astounded at the progress that has been made.

Here's a quick phot recap of the happenings this week.

A view of the main part of my parent's flat.

Mom and dad's bedroom.

The front door is in! Did I mention that I love my front door?

And the last two pics are of the front of the house.

Its crazy because at this stage of the build, Paul and I wander around the house saying, "Yikes these rooms look small!" But everyone who's built before reassures me that it only seems that way for now and that once all the walls are up and the roof is on it will seem bigger. I hope they're right!!!!

Project house: Week 3

2012-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the photo overload but its the only way I can truly document this build! Plus its really exciting!!!
The picture below shows our front door frame! I just love my front door!!!! I think my family are already fed up of hearing how much I "adore" this door! But its really cool and the "wait for it" - it was free! (Well kinda free)

We now have internal walls with the laundry, kids bathroom & toilet, kids bedrooms and my parents study all done!

Outside view of where the alfresco will be, with a sliding door into the open plan dining room/lounge/kitchen. The middle window is the theatre room and the sliding door on the right is my parents lounge.

Top end of the passage looking at the doorways to the boys rooms.

Gethin's bedroom.

Passage way down to Maddy's room and the kids bathroom & toilet.

Laundry

Project house: week 2

2012-07-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE WALLS!!!!!

And window frames!!!!!

Things are moving along at a rather rapid rate for now. I won't get too excited but we're really hoping to be in our new home for Christmas 2012! Fingers crossed that things will continue to move along smoothly!

Geth peeping out of Maddy's bedroom window.

Project house: week 1

2012-07-09T02:39:00.001-07:00

I finally have some news on our build progress!
It was December when I last posted about our piece of land where we're going to build our dream home! Since then its been a long 6 months of waiting and red tape but I'm finally happy to announce that the "building" has now begun!
Its so exciting to see some concrete(excuse the pun)evidence of our house instead of little lines on pages and pages of plans. I swear they used a whole tree with the number of plans we've had through our mailbox.

And so, on Thursday, the 28th of June our slab went down. We went down on the weekend and with much excitement we explored the layout of our new house!

Here are the kids standing in their new rooms! Don't you just love the minimalistic decor!

And my mom in her section

Paul and I in the master suite.....

and last but not least a pic taken from the back of our block with Paul standing in the distance at our front entrance!

Exciting stuff!!!!

Spaghetti Fun

2012-05-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a fun activity I recently tried with Maddy and Gethin. In fact, I even did it with both my kindy classes and it was a great hit! The kids just love it!

BUT BEWARE!!!!

Its messy business!!!!

Here goes! All you need is:

1 packet of cooked spaghetti (I just soaked mine in boiling water)
Food colouring (various colours)
Scissors
Paintbrushes

As you can see I set it all up outside to avoid a major cleanup.

Share out the spaghetti and let them go wild with cutting, painting, squishing, eating etc etc.

Rugby Season 2012

2012-05-05T04:00:00.001-07:00

Ross has chosen to play rugby as his winter sport this year. Today was his first match and what a game it was! He played like a superstar! Paul wrote the most awesome tribute to him on facebook after the match which put into words (better than I could probably ever do) how proud we were of him.

I am one proud father today......not because my Son Ross who turned 9 two days ago, played his first ever game of rugby for the Palmyra U9's today, not because he scored two tries including a scintillating effort when he palmed off 3 players and outsprinted everyone on the park to dot down for his 2nd, not because he tackled like a beast, not because he tackled a kid back 5 metres who was twice his size and easily double his weight, not because the parents around us were asking who is this new kid, not because his coach said "I have never seen this kid play before, but what a great game, what a talented kid who looks like he could be the new James o'Conner", not because he was awarded player of the match for his superb allround efforts.....but because after receiving his trophy and in front of all the coaches, parents and players he stood up and thanked his team mates for helping him to play so well.....I was literally bursting with pride watching this little man and listening to him being the ultimate team player.....for those who know Ross will know he is a kind hearted, gentle soul and a talented kid in both school and sports, but the graciousness with which he accepted his trophy made me an extremely proud father to a wonderful son...a day I will never forget :) :)

Interview with a 9 year old....

2012-05-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

"Rossco the Bossco" (your dad's latest nickname for you)!
In the 9 years we've had the pleasure of knowing you and loving you - you have grown to be to be a fabulous son who we love more than anything. As our firstborn child you will always have a very special place in our hearts!

Here's a taste of life in 9 year old land!

What's your favourite food? pancakes

What's your favourite toy? lego

Who's your best friend/s? Blaine, Dillon and James

What are you scared of? darkness - it creeps me

What's your favourite thing to do? play rugby with Dad

What is your favorite movie/TV programme? Dinosaur

What job would you like to have when you grow up? rugby player/paleontologist

Why?

2012-04-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Why sleep in your own super comfy bed when you can squash into your big brother's bed?

Interview with a 4 year old!

2012-04-21T23:49:00.000-07:00

To my dear darling Gethin

Happy Happy 4th Birthday!

I have never known a child as ~~crazy~~ unusual as YOU!
You can easily send me from pulling my hair out one minute to wanting to scoop you up in my arms for a cuddle the next. You certainly broke the mold when you came along!

BUT we all love you more than anything. You're our number one go-to-guy for a cuddle!

So here's the lowdown on the cutest 4 year old around!

What's your favourite food? cucumber

What's your favourite toy? trucks

Who's your best friend? Blaine (Ross' friend)

What are you scared of? ghosts

What's your favourite thing to do? Golf with Daddy, Ross and Grandpa

What is your favorite movie/TV programme? Fireman Sam

What job would you like to have when you grow up? Fireman

I'll leave you with a taste of what bedtime is like Gethin style!

Gethin: "Good-night Mom!"
"I love you Mom!"
"I like you Mom!"
"See you in the morning Mom!"

Mom: "Good night Geth!"
"I love you Geth!"
"I like you Geth!"
"See you in the morning Geth!"

Gethin: "Ok Mom, now you kiss me and then I'll kiss you"
"Ok Mom, you hug me and then I'll hug you!"

Mother dutifully obeys!
Repeat hugging and kissing procedure (Once more if you're lucky, but more often than not it ends up being x5 since this is his all-time favourite stalling tactic).

Dad then has to repeat the whole ritual!

Love you to the moon and back, Geth!
xoxoxo

A stunning Autumn day in Perth....

2012-04-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

I discovered a new place today - Heathcote Reserve!

Its the most stunning, child friendly place I've seen in awhile - it had everything from the most humongous kids play area, beautiful views, good facilities right down to the cafe which sold the all-essential item - coffee!

And so, without further ado I'd like to present

"Perth is my city & I love it!"

You 3 make me so HAPPY!

2012-04-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

Long Weekend Recharge

2012-03-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Lately, life just feels like one crazy blur! Its like one big vicious circle of wake, work/school, extra-curricula activities, home, dinner, bath, bed (add to this a lot of shouting from one mom with zero patience). I spend all day with other people's children exercising "a lot of patience" so that by the time I get home that "patience" is pretty much used up and you can probably guess for yourselves who bears the brunt of this shortfall of "patience"!

The other day at school, I found myself sitting in the sandpit (I hate sandpits) playing with some of the children in my class and I couldn't remember when the last time was that I had done this with one of my own precious children.

And then I find myself thinking, "This is not how I imagined my happy family life to be...."

BUT before we all lose hope in this crazy world, along comes a looooonnnnnnggggggg weekend where we have no major plans and we get to replenish on that lost patience and do some fun things like......

picnics on the beach,

letting your "little knight in shining armour" ride his horse in the lounge

and having one great big sleepover party in the lounge, with Maccas for breakfast and staying in our pjs till lunchtime!

Now this is what I imagined! So we're not the "perfect parents" but then again, who is? BUT we can be FUN sometimes and in my eyes that's what counts!

Give your kids a hug and tell them that you love them! For those few moments the world will be ok.
xxxx

Bittersweet moment!

2012-02-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

Today heralded a rather important event in the Evans household - all 3 children are officially at "Big School"!

It was so cute to see them all dressed up in their uniforms. Ross and Maddy so protective of their little brother, telling him they would visit him at recess time. Too sweet....

Bitter in the realisation that my baby is no longer a baby but is growing up at a rather alarming rate!

I thought we may have quite a few tears leaving Geth today, but once again it turns out I was wrong! Gethin can be quite a "Mommy's boy" at times but today he was just fine and didn't even bother to look up from the trains he was playing with when we walked out his class.

I've just picked him up and he seems to have had a great day! Long may it last!
xxx

I HATE making these!!

2012-01-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

Now, I know "hate" is a strong word but I truly do not have a good relationship with these suckers!

Feeling sorry for myself when school starts as I'll have to make 3 packs of them since Gethin starts kindy this year. More, if I truly am wonder woman and make myself and my darling husband lunch as well!

I've tried all the tricks and nothing works quite right for me.

Do them straight after eating dinner. Ummm NO! By the time I've slaved away in the kitchen making dinner and then tidied up after, the last thing I feel like doing is making more food!

Get up extra early and make them. Not gonna happen!

So for now, my poor family will have to make do with my 2 sec.-made-in-a-hurry-slap-on-some-spread-sandwiches!

Maybe one day, when I win the Lottery, they will get gourmet sandwiches made by the live-in Chef!