Hot chocolate, thanksgiving & bdays

Ashley feels (and looks) very grown up when she gets her first real Hot Chocolate from Daddy. Fall (autumn) and Thanksgiving are widely celebrated in America. We shared turkey with folks from Canada and Singapore, I think the only Americans were their kids who were born here through circumstance! Still it was great to have a roast dinner! Earlier in the week when I picked the kids up from school I came home with a pilgrim and a turkey instead.My 34th birthday was a low key family affair which, after weeks apart, was a welcome and wonderful thing. Ashley looked through the cake book and chose a flower. The kids helped bake, decorate and eat the cake. Ashley wanted to play games like a real birthday party so the four of us played musical chairs and hot potato and the birthday girl didn't win any of the games!!

The next day we went out for Mexican with a few families which is always a crazy affair but lots of fun

Daddy's Home

Finally, after 60,480 minutes, Daddy came home. The absolute squeals of delight that came from the kids mouths (and maybe mine) when they saw him at the airport was priceless and it couldn't have come a minute too soon.

And despite Simon's repeated assurances that it was just as hard for him as it was for me when I stumbled across these pics I was feeling like I got the raw end of the deal!!

Simon got to drive Mr Baddeley's wrx whilst working at his hometown tournament in Phoenix

Whilst doing some additional work for Mr Els Simon got to fly in his private jet from Singapore to Japan. Yeah, I feel real sorry for you hon. . .

Happy Unbirthday to you

Ashley's friend Ella had donuts and apple juice to celebrate her 4 and a half year old birthday (any excuse I say!). Afterwards we went to a toy store opening and met Marcel the Monkey which the kids got a kick out of.

Houston Greek Festival

We went to the Houston Greek Festival with friends and had a great cultural experience with good food, good people and good dancing. Opa!!

PS: Liam does not normally wear pink but he had a cold, I forgot his jacket and big sis was happy to oblige.

Playdate fun

Had a girls playdate (plus Liam who was testosterone approved) this afternoon with friends Ella and Katrina. Cookie decoration proved a hit as did the consumption of same.

I picked up these aprons for a bargain so everyone got a matching one to keep.

Food and art meet - so perty

Rain, rain go away

Somehow I thought I would be wearing shorts all year round but it is not to be. Autumn (fall) is here and we have mostly pleasant days of around 18-21 C but the mornings and evenings are crisp. The other day it rained all day and all night. The kids looked out the back window and Liam said "Mummy, where's the grass gone?"We already have our Christmas tree up seeings as we leave for Australia on the 7th of Dec. Ashley wrote Santa a Christmas card explaining that even though we live in Texas we're going to be in Australia on Christmas Day. She didn't want him delivering the presents to the wrong place! We've yet to hear back from him.

So many people have made comment on how much Liam has grown. He's certainly lost his baby looks but he's the same little devil you all know and love!

Simon is still away and currently working with some other players whilst their trainer is on holidays. Now he would be the last person to say this but yesterday he got to fly in a player's private jet from Singapore to Japan which I thought was pretty flashy. He may not want to come back to likes of ordinary life after that!!

3 weeks till we're home and we are all getting very excited - bring it on!!

Arts, crafts and vomit - nice!

Two weeks on and the kids are still vomiting every 4-5 days mmm mmm. I finally took them to the doctors today and was told they probably have post viral gastritis. Basically after they got the bug 1st time round it's inflamed and irritated the stomach lining. The doc prescribed them some medication to decrease acid production in the stomach - which only cost me a measly $135. Stupid bloody American health care system. Anyway we'll see it out for 2 weeks and re-assess.Am over cleaning carpet so have lined the house with towels and banned them from sitting on the couch.
In between episodes the kids are generally in good spirits, just quarantined, so doing lots of activities indoors ie. painting and good ole glue and pasta.

Liam's art workand Ashleys. She can write her own name now and has learnt a lot of other letters. Man is she growing up. In between bouts of bodily outpouring and completed quarantined requirements the kids catch up with friends. This is Ashley and Liam with Ella and her bothers, Jack and Christopher. Painting's popular at the moment.

Simon arrived at his Singapore hotel after leaving his Orlando, Florida hotel 30 hours prior and minus his luggage! I hope the players he's looking after at the moment don't mind! We have passed 'hump day' and will see him again in 2 weeks. We all miss each other terribly and are counting down the days.

October 2008

October was definitely a lighter, more festive month for the Webbs of Texas. Ashley's best friend Ella (who lives 4 doors down from us) was keen for herself and Ashley to man their first lemonade stand. The signs were posted, the lemonade was made and as we live in a circular street with little through traffic, the friends were called and told to come to buy lemonade or else! The two were well organised and entrepreneurial to the point of spreuking to passers by. To start with 25 cents got you a cup of lemonadeThen it included a slice of cakeAnd eventually a free strip show. The girls made a few dollars and Ashley went to The Dollar Tree (where everything is as it says, a dollar) where she could pick anything storewide. She is now the proud owner of a Cinderella skipping rope and has had her first lesson it economics. Simon presented again this year at the Titleist Performance Institute's Golf Fitness Summit. He discussed early motor patterns in young children and how these innate movements are lost over time. He tied this into golf specific training and highlighted the need for juniors to be trained according to their developmental stage rather than how it is typically done ie. with adult orientated or wizz bang 'Tiger' workouts.

The upshot of this gig was that it was in Anaheim, California just a skip, hop and a jump from DISNEYLAND. What better time to jump on the band wagon than now - the Webbs were going to see Mickey. Ashley had been counting down to this holiday almost as much as she's been counting down to coming home (sometimes at night after lights out we'll still hear her say Coo-ee Mimi). Anyway we had two days there. Simon was able to come along for one and a half of those days which was great because we all had a magical time.

Face painting

Cuddling Goofy

We couldn't wipe the smile off Ashleys face

The infamous castle

Minnie in her Halloween colours

We discovered that Ashley and Liam are not afraid of heights or rollercoasters (confirmation that Simon is indeed their father). It was me who had to slow the pace sometimes to stop thw world spinning.We booked in to have dinner at Ariel's Grotto where we had a 3 course meal and got to meet all the princesses, get their autograph and have your picture taken with them.

Of course Ashley was like a pig in poop

Dumbo ride - nice and gentle right? That big eared elephant had a lever in it that could make you go up and down. If you've got a funny stomach like me be advised, don't go on this ride with Liam. We were up, then down, no up and up again and so on and so forth.

Alice in wonderland's teacup ride

Halloween MickeyWe love this photo of Ash, she was so smitten.

After we had said G'day to Mickey and Liam had done his solo song and dance routine for him "Hotdog, hotdog hot-diggity-dog" we continued on looking through Mickey's house. Liam was spinning the world globe around when along comes Mickey on his way to the men's room (yes even Mickey gets a smoko). He had picked up that we were from Australia so he stops in his tracks, taps Liam on the shoulder and points to Australia. The kids were like 'wow'.

Woody tried for a good 2 minutes to have a game of 'draw' with the kids. As we have not yet introduced them to the concept of guns (I know, an amazing feat living in the heart of Texas) they kept putting their hands up for a Hi-5 instead.

This is Ashley and I just before we hopped on the Grizzly River Run. The after picture shows 2 very wet but happy ride wild river rafters.

We couldn't go to Disneyland and NOT buy the Mickey Mouse ears

The parades were fantastic. The traditional one with the princesses, Beauty and the beast etc were at night time and the pictures didn't turn out well. The Pixar parade was in the arvo and were so good the kids nearly pee'd their pants. All the floats had water guns on them that sprayed you as they went past.

A bugs life

This one's for you Noah - Ke chow!!

Crush from Nemo - Duude

Cars: See yer later Mater

Waiting for the evening parade
A self portrait

A zonked Princess and Liam but a brilliant time had by all.

The kids and I left Simon in California for 5.5 weeks straight without him - the longest and hardest stretch we've ever done. After a week and half we'd all had it and Simon flew home for an unplanned 36 hour homecoming. 6 hours into it Liam threw up all over the car, his bed, the house - everywhere and into the night. So Simon's time at home was spent washing linen, washing Liam and holding the bowl in attempt to catch the next lot. 6am the next morning Liam wakes up bright as a button and Simon and I are bleary eyed and exhausted. We drive Simon to the airport at 5.30am the next day and Ashley throws up in the car on the way home and Simon calls from Florida to say he's got it!! I endure a total of 10 days!! of children vomiting as Liam somehow gets it again after Ashley is sick for a week. It will be remembered as the Webb Days of Chunder.

Ashley pulled herself out of her lifeless, empty stomach state to get dressed for Halloween. This was the closest I could get to a smile.

My Brave Knight

I took to some plastic tablecloths with a pair of scissors and decorated our front window.

And that's it folks, hope to see you all real soon!