A General Update

In all the excitement I have forgotten to let all you dudes know that I made the move to Rangiora a couple of weeks ago. We advertised in the little local paper and found a 3 bdrm to rent for $250 a week and they are quite happy for us to rent on a periodic lease, meaning that we only have to give 3 weeks notice to move out. Once our new house is ready we will be able to get on into it without having to wait for a rental lease to run out.

Ben got chickenpox on the 3rd of Jan and the two older girls, Phoebe and Peta, are just getting over their bout of them. Nothing like chickenpox to make moving house a bit more complicated.

Sian is doing great. Put on heaps of weight and just adorable with plenty of smiling and giggling. She is coming up 10 weeks next Thursday. Have her followup appointment at the Paediatric Neurology department at the hospital on Tuesday. Just to make sure that the calcium levels in her blood have gone down and that she doesn't have epilepsy, which I am quite sure she doesn't.

Blair has been offered a new job by a couple of old mates who have formed a building company out here in North Canterbury. The saving in petrol alone will account for nearly $80 a week in our pocket and that doesn't include the rise in hourly payrate, vehicle and phone. Not to mention that he will be working with really great guys and hopefully, we may start getting back into the old social circles again.

Peta and Ben start at Southbrook School in a week and a half. They are both nervous in their own ways. Ben informed me yesterday that he thinks he is ugly. I think he is a really attractive wee man and I told him so. For those of you that are newer readers, you will probably not have seen photos of my other three kids so I may just have to post some

Peta

Phoebe (with a wig on!)

Ben

As for the wedding, older readers may recall that I have actually been engaged since October 2002. We were booked in to get married on 22nd October 2005 at Mt Potts Backcountry Lodge but I ended up pregnant with Phoebe. So, with so many people getting engaged after us and married before us we were starting to get a bit pissed off and then Blair's brother phoned to say that he was engaged to his longtime girlfriend of 10 years and that they had set the date for 2nd Feb next year. That was the final straw, I demanded we start seriously thinking about our wedding. It won't be anything flash and we won't be doing the high country thing (as much as I would LOVE to) as we have to be realistic with four kids and an impending mortgage. But, it will be special and I want it to be this year.

Now here are my dilemmas/thoughts:

Thought: we could have it on New Years Eve in our new house in the backyard which will be northfacing. Maybe marquee

Dilemma: Is New Years Eve a bad time to have a wedding? What will everyone do with THEIR kids?? Brother and girlfriend will be home from Aussie for Xmas but good mates will have only just been over from Sunshine Coast and will have returned any probably not afford to come back again, esp at Xmas/NY time.


Thought: Could have at Mum and Dad's lifestyle block in Okuku (20 min inland from Rangiora).

Dilemma: Mum and Dad!!! Distance from town


Thought: Could just flag the whole fucken hassle!!

Dilemma: Defeats purpose of trying to get married.