HAPPY NEW YEAR from us!

TIME IS FLYING BY!
Justice is five.
We have had the bakery for three and a half years.
I have been studying forever...
I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT ANOTHER YEAR HAS FLOWN BY US!

New Year's Eve 2008

Justice loves writing with the sparklers...

New Year's Eve 2007

New Year's Eve 2006

New Year's Eve 2005

Happy New Year! Don't worry, 2009 will get to you soon enough. Here's hoping that the worst is behind us, and that the year ahead is full of positive change, social growth and beautiful beginnings. Wishing everyone all the best this year!

BIG NIGHT OUT

We usually only all go into work on a winter's night in August... but these Christmas holidays Justice helped Will with the wholesale orders we had on two of our "days off"... So, Sunday and Monday nights Justice and Will got up in the late hours in order to go work all night. Me, I only managed once... Last night I accompanied the "worker guys"... and managed to get some great photos... It is amazing how much Justice is capable of doing, and how willing he is to jump in and try... I really can not believe how big he is getting... I also can not believe he is helping pull tins out of the oven... Where has my baby gone?!

Rolling out dough, reading recipes, pulling hot bread from the back of the oven, flipping pizza bases... you name it, my "baby boy" can do it!

LITTLE MONKEY

"Justice, can you smile so I can get a picture?"

"No, not like a monkey."

"Just a regular face."


"Please?!"

Cheeky, cheeky monkey! What a cute kid!

MORE of the Christmas surprise...

Will, Justice and I went to the shops today and picked some plants for our frog pond/ garden area. It is really shaping up into something gorgeous. I planted all the plants already - and feel all empowered - even if I didn't do the heavy/hard/ blistering part of the project...

That froggy closeup is of the frog in the tree --- and Will did some more updates today which should keep our gorgeous little spot cane toad (ICK!) free... ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?! We spotted one of our baby frogs hanging out last night... YEAH!

That frog close up is of the frog who is IN the tree as pictured beside that image... Scoping out his new playground!

TREE FROGS

Fingers crossed, we'll be seeing more of these, as we have been ridding our yard of annoying, hideous cane toads and making it VERY frog friendly...

CHRISTMAS DAY

Once we finally got our act in gear, we drove up to Toowoomba and spent Christmas with Will's family.

Our few traditions:

1. Grandma makes Justice jelly (jello) which is the only time he ever gets to eat it (and this year he had three colours in individual portion cups!).

2. We play pool. Or snooker. Whatever. Its fun, we unwrap the table (it is carefully covered from one Christmas to the next) and all play poorly.

3. We open gifts (this year in the newly refinished lounge room instead of near the tree) and..

4. We EAT... heaps of cold roasts, salads, prawns - food, food, food...

This year Justice also got to chase Aunt Iris around playing sword games - he had a BLAST!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Around 9AM we did Christmas morning. We (especially me) are not early risers and the day before (work) was insane so we were particularly tired (never mind the late night getting things ready!)... but we still had great fun! Thanks to Grandpa America for the red gift (rummikub - awesome!) - and to Sharona for the shells and video game. The stuffed dog, Finley, was the ultimate favourite and has been everywhere with us!

ITS HERE! CHRISTMAS IS HERE! Ha, northern hemisphere! HA!

2:10AM. All is done... Heading to bed to get up in a few hours and tear all this effort apart! I love wrapping... is that weird? HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

MY CHRISTMAS SURPRISE

My husband is bruised and blistered, and crashed into sleep less than an hour after I got home this afternoon - but he and Justice have been VERY busy building and digging and composting the front garden for me. I HAVE A REAL FROG POND NOW!!! So, my last little (actually, he's a GIANT) tadpole is in the lap of luxury, and hopefully this will encourage them to return to us - so maybe I'll get the frog equivalent of Charlotte's Web after all. ISN'T IT AWESOME?! You're so jealous! Justice also gave me this beautiful hydrangea that is sadly cropped out of the corner of this photo... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

CHRISTMAS EVE

Its coming! Christmas is coming! I have not wrapped, I have not cleaned the living room (so that pictures feature our tree rather than the mountain of (clean!) laundry or the science experiment that is our carpet), I have not organised any groceries as the shops were heinous, Will said there were FIVE policeman directing traffic and all we have in town is Big W (walmart to you northerners...) , and we're going to Will's parents, so we won't need to eat again. Ever...

Its so exciting though! CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

Christmas Eve - we had to do our final drive by The Lemmings House. They give out lollies. Its like Santaween.

Justice looked gorgeous in a little elf outfit. He was a great help for the first part of the morning in the shop.

We surprised Will with this new display board (the ULTIMATE bargain of the century!) and the awards are actually now on the walls! (I have been meaning to do that for 14 months. I am so lucky my friend's husband was able to do this for me - CUDOS to her and her hubby for their help!!!

Justice did the last Lego of his advent calendar (ironically a jester - so he and his lego had the same hat - VERY exciting!)

AND I dressed my kid up like an elf. Its Christmas Eve. He's five. I will run out of these moments far too soon...