The Adventures of Tom and Dan Part 2

Approach with caution. Although these two look innocent and quite cute, they have been known to lash out or throw tantrums! These pics are a little outdated - hard to capture these fugitives. Here is a list of some of their recent "crimes" (aka adventures). At all times I was present but just not fast enough to stop them...

Thomas snaps two timber blind slats as he attempts to squeeze inbetween Mum's study junk to climb onto window sill (same study that has the broken panel in the door)

Thomas collects his toys and proceeds to load them all into the playpen - great, he's cleaning up! Just one problem...Daniel was in there at the time! Poor Dan - I saved him just in time!

Thomas knocks over a solid timber chair in the dining room and, as only he could do, snaps the leg of it! It looked like it had been clean chopped off! Now we are minus a chair.

This area was completely covered in talcum powder (again by Thomas)! Powder and floorboards do not mix...very slippery!!
Okay, one for Dan... notice this Happy Cow Cheese Carton is half missing? Well, Daniel ate it! Yes, he ate it! You would think we don't feed him! This week he has also sampled gyprock (he didn't like it) and dirt from a pot plant.
That clown fish is not real. Lucky for it! Our fish passed away some time back...but look closely...what's that in the fish tank? A Wiggles picture with some stickers, a bottle cap and some other plastic thingy. I'll let you guess who did it...
The original crime revisited on a larger scale! This one they both participated in... this time it was the toilet bowl and 10 PAIRS OF SOCKS PLUS A SINGLET!! It was followed later in the evening by another 5 pairs of socks...luckily I still had those tongs handy! And yesterday, feeling confident, Daniel made a quick dash while I was cleaning the bathroom and threw in 3 bath toys! Just great! He's learning so quickly from his big brother!
Hope our friends are all ready for the joint holiday we're going on!!!!!!!!!!

HUNTER VALLEY WEEKEND
Disclaimer:Some photos are a little out of focus. This in no way reflects the intoxication level of the photographer.

I know I promised these photos would be up ages ago - but I had a few technical difficulties. All sorted now - so here is the wrap up of our FABULOUS weekend away!

As we drove up a dirt track, we were met with the site of this quaint little building that we affectionately termed "the toilet block". This plain looking building actually turned out to be The Vintry Country Guest House...our home for the weekend - and just look at the hidden treasure it turned out to be! The inside decor was just gorgeous and no detail was left owing.
And the view was absolutely spectacular! We didn't get a photo, but we even had visiting kangaroos :)
We were in the Hunter to attend the Lionel Richie concert. It was EXCELLENT - I have been raving about this concert to everyone who will listen! Okay, here are just a sample of photos from the concert:

Spot the people who left their kids at home...

This is Cherie (sorry not the best shot!) who painstakingly organised this weekend away - THANK YOU! Cherie also takes out 2nd prize for most embarrassing moment of the weekend when she loudly announced "We just saw Andrew Johns coming through the gates!" only to discover he was sitting right beside us! First prize goes to Simon, who accidentally smacked Cherie's aunty across the face as he gestured wildly!
Cherie's Dad could have passed for security during the concert, but he takes out the award for being best sport after losing a game of his beloved golf to the apprentices! I'm sure they won't let him forget either!
The sisterhood was alive and well during the weekend. These three had us rolling around in stitches! Thanks for the laughs - you're great fun :)
Just two of the MANY girls that flocked to Darren's side like moths to a flame. We don't completely understand the phenomenon, but we are in awe...and the other guys are probably a little jealous too! So which is your future wife?!

This demure looking bunch aren't as quiet as they look...Honourable Mention has to go to Cherie and Dean, who were designated drivers...and especially to Dean who didn't realise how risky a job it would turn out to be (we heard he had to leap from the vehicle when an unnamed individual let one rip...charming!) :))

We spotted a number of local celebrities at the concert and about town...here's a paparazzi shot of Andrew Johns who attended the concert with his wife and an interesting group of friends...

As the night wore on, party tricks became more daring...

It was a fun filled night but unfortunately, some just couldn't last the distance...(namely Dom and "Romina")

Friends, relatives and weekend attendees can view more photos (some not so flattering) at Flickr. As instructed, I did not delete photos - so the embarrassing ones of myself are included!

Thanks guys for a great weekend!

p.s.just realised I didn't include photos of Lionel - but he was great!

Work update

Lots has been happening and with Christmas fast approaching, there hasn't been much time for blogging! But here are a couple of recent projects...

However, I promise to post soon with the much anticipated holiday photos and goss :)

And my son has been up to lots of mischief so I'll be sharing some of his latest exploits soon as well!

HECTIC!
Life is extremely hectic at the moment with Christmas stuff, large hamper orders, some invites and a couple of guest books...I'll post pics and info as soon as I can. This past weekend we also went on a little getaway - I'll post photos and goss from the weekend as well...just as soon as I catch my breath :)

<<<< EYE CANDY FOR MY SISTER

For international readers, this is 19 year old Jarryd Hayne, star fullback with the Parramatta Eels Rugby League team (the only team to follow - see early 2007 photo below as evidence). Click on his photo for full profile.


Rumours are mounting that the cashed-up South Sydney Rabbitohs (part-owned by Russell Crowe), are about to lay a 5 year-2 million dollar contract on the table to try and snare Jarryd. Considering his dad and cousin (Terry Hills - can you believe that?) played for Souths, things aren't looking good. Money talks...

However, a ray of hope has emerged in the form of his Mum who has said she will be telling him to stay at Parramatta - she thinks he is not ready for a move and that he should stay loyal to the club that nurtured him. Let's hope he listens to his Mum!


My question to my sister: If Jarryd Hayne does go to Souths, will your loyalty shift there or will you shift your Newcastle alliances to Parramatta now that Andrew Johns is on the coaching staff?


Editor's Note: Apologies to anyone who does not follow Rugby League, including those who don't even know what it is! If you got this far through the post, we may be able to convert you :)

CHRISTMAS TREE OH CHRISTMAS TREE

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a tree, so I decided to put it up. I was debating whether I should this year because it is no doubt a magnet for inquisitive 1 and 2 year olds! But alas, it has been up since this morning and I'm happy to say it is still standing...it is only December 3rd though... And I purposely left it a little bare in order to provide less temptation. Notice it has virtually no baubles on the bottom half of the tree? A bit of a poor excuse for a tree (it does look a little better in real life)!

In other celebrity news, I was a little shocked to hear the words "Jennifer Love Hewitt" and "fat" mentioned in the same sentence, but that's Hollywood for you! Apparently, many US publications have been printing photos of JLH and her new fiance Ross McCall, holidaying in Hawaii with nasty captions about her weight. I know anorexia nervosa is a complex illness influenced by many factors, but seriously, labelling a healthy looking person "fat" can't be helping matters! Which is why I was also pleased to read that JLH responded to the reports with an entry on her blog .

P.S. Hawaii looks beautiful:) I honeymooned there!