In our own backyard.....

Wouldn't you love to have a river in your own backyard?
We certainly enjoy spending lots of time in and around this river...
as well as catching fish out of it too :o)
It takes us 3 minutes to walk from our back door to this spot.
Today the boys wanted to take my kayak and fish out of it for something different.
They didn't have much success until Dad went with Corey and gave him
tips on where and what to do...
I really thought they might capsize at some point.. but they had it
all under control. Enjoy the photos....


Corey and Travis
 

The girls eating chips on the river bank...
Thats not our house in the background
 

 

 

 

Corey is getting his line ready
 

Waiting patiently...
 

Ready to surprise us..
 

Here it is.. A bream....
 

As the boys pulled up to the bank, Chloe pulled in this whopper!!
 

Chloe ended up catching 4 bream altogether..
She was super chuffed!!
 

Corey taking Rosalee for a paddle...
 

Travis went for a paddle on his own.. Boy he flies along!!
 

 

 

I absolutely LOVE where we live...
The boys already spend lots of time down here in their holidays
and I'm sure they are going to remember it forever....

Enjoy your evening... and I hope you have a blessed day tomorrow.

Cheers, Monty xx

Teacher Thank you gifts.....

I can't believe its that time of the year already!!

Time for the children to thank their teachers and bid them goodbye for the year.
I always like to make something for each of the children's teachers to show them
that they are appreciated for all the time and effort that they've put in instructing them.

Here it is: A post-it-note holder...

 

 

 

I saw the idea on pinterest and knew they would be easy to whip up.
Five minutes on each one is all it took... I was very HAPPY about that :o)
These photo frames have a little stand at the back so they can sit on their desk.
They were purchased from our local Icky Finks store...
I went through my stash of papers (that is the part that took up most of my 5 minutes)
matched up some ribbon, found some wording to match the ocassion
and then put it all together. The patterned paper is behind the glass
while the rest of it is on the outside of the glass.
I love the fact that once the post-it-notes are finished, they can just stick a new one on.
Such a handy gift. Its big enough to find on their messy desk too :o)

All the best for the last few days of school.
I'm certainly looking forward to spending time with the kids over the summer break.
I also love not having routine for quite some time too :o)

I hope you all have a lovely summer break.
I know we will!!!!

Take care, and stay safe....

Love Monty xx

Need a book to read?.......

Hi all...
Recently a lady I work with lent me this book to read.
What a great book!! I loved every minute of it...

Its called Traveling Light by Max Lucado
Releasing the burdens you were never intended to bear
 

This is what is written on the back of the book:

The Luggage of Life.
Haven't you been known to pick up a few bags?

Weary travelers. You've seen them - everything they own crammed
into their luggage. Staggering through terminals and hotel lobbies
with overstuffed suitcases, trunks, duffels and backpacks.
Back aches. Feet burn. Eyelids droop.
We've all seen people like that.
At times we are people like that - if not with our physical luggage,
then at least with our spiritual load.
Fear. Worry. Discontent.
No wonder we get so weary. We're worn out from carrying that
excess baggage. Wouldn't it be nice to lose some of those bags?
With the twenty third Psalm as our guide, Max Lucado walks us through
a helpful inventory of our burdens. May God use this Psalm to remind you
to release the burdens you were never intended to bear.

You can purchase this book in a paperback from Koorong for $19.99
The one pictured is a hard cover.
Its worth every cent. Its a great book to give away also.

Happy reading...

Cheers, Monty xx

PS.. I forgot to mention that 3/4 of the book is reading and the other
1/4 of the book is a study guide on the different burdens.
Its great to be able to go through it with your spouse,
or its a book you might like to discuss at a book club....

November pics.....

Last week Friday evening we decided to have a BBQ dinner down at Emu Point Marina.
The boys packed the fishing rods, while the girls packed the food :o)
It was a beautiful evening. Everyone enjoyed themselves and really didn't want to go home
until the mozzies decided that it was time for us to go :o(
 I decided to take the Pentax camera with me to capture some beautiful memories.

Enjoy the photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cutting up bait for her big brothers
 

On Saturday Chloe got to have another horse riding lesson.
She absolutely loves these lessons. I haven't really had a chance to watch her much
so this particular day I came early so I could take some photos of her.
I can't believe how confident she has become around horses now.
It was so beautiful to watch her smiling and so carefree.

 

Getting ready to dismount
 

Returning the saddle to the stable
 

Brush down
 

Cuddles
 

And a treat for letting her have a wonderful ride
 

Sorry my blog has been so quiet. Life has been pretty hectic.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Cheers, Monty

Corey turns 9......

On Sunday the 28th of October
Corey was able to celebrate another BIRTHDAY!!
The Lord has guided and blessed him throughout the past year
which we are very thankful for.
We pray that God will continue to bless his developement
and keep him safe throughout another year.
He has a beautiful caring nature (underneath his rough exterior)
We are so blessed that he is part of our family.

Here's the handsome lad himself...
  

Decorations certainly add to the party atmosphere.
This streamer came all the way from Holland only a week before his birthday.
Thanks Uncle Maarten...
 

Icecream cake... Yum..yum... on a hot day...
 

Brotherly LOVE.......
 

Today after school Corey had a pool party with his mates..
They're waiting to go on the slide..
 

Corey and his best buddie Ethan...
 

Lots of pressies to keep a 9 year out of mischief...
or maybe get him into more???
 

Its so beautiful to watch your children grow... There are times when
I would like to stop the clock and enjoy them at certain stages
of their lives a little longer... while there are other times I would like to
speed things along a little... :o)

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We certainly did..
Love Monty xx

BALI - October 2012

We have been blessed to be able to travel to another country
to enjoy their way of life and culture.
We had a wonderful holiday together. God is good.
I hope you enjoy some of my photos.

7pm at night, waiting to board our flight. VERY EXCITING!!
 

Playground at Waterbom Park... FANTASTIC PLACE!!! 

Getting to play with cousin Eva was a great highlight for Rose 

Some of the rides I bravely went on, along with Nick, Chloe, Corey & Travis 

Plait your hair???? Paint your nails? We do good job...
It only took them half an hour to do.
Chloe loved being pampered :o)

Rosalee being pampered. She was very patient...

 

We stayed at Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites.
What a great place!! Designed for FAMILIES....

Here is one part of the pool.
 

The other part including a volleyball net.
 

You go under ground where there is video games, table tennis,
BIG chess, TV with DVDs and craft activites for kids.
When you come out the other side there is a kids playground and
right next to it is a kiddie pool with a big slide aswell.
Talk about a FUN place to be!!!!!

Corey coming down the slide on a tube...
 

We went to the Safari Park with my mum and two sisters
Carmen and Estelle and their families. Was soooo much fun....

Chloe with her boyfriend :o)
He was shoving peas up his nose...
 

This beautiful family of monkeys
 

Travis and a lion cub...
 

Beautiful photo...
 

Being very brave here...
 

Oma (and Opa on her lap) with some of their grandchildren :o) 

Water playground at the Safari Park. FANTASTIC!!!
 

Rose and Eva on a ride..
 

Very fast slow boat ride with animals all around you.
 

Another boat load of tourists...
 

Bumper cars.... Soooo much fun...