sorry

it has been a big few weeks in our world:

we had a great time camping with my family, lots of swimming and eating and hanging about. We bought Thomas the 4th ha**y p book on audio tape and all enjoyed listening to the story in the long drive there and back. We took a family surfing lesson in which all of us managed to stand up and giggle alot. We got rained out on the last day and I took a leap down a muddy bank which left me with some dreadful back injury that has meant that computing has been out of the question - hence my silence - but had a nice few days with my parents on the way home.

we came back from the trip and Thomas started big school he has gone from a school of 120 with 17 kids in his grade 2 class to a school of 500 with 30 kids in his grade 3 class. It is a big change (for all of us!) but he is taking to it well and with a positive attitude. He threw himself into the swimming carnival and loved that he could get a point just for entering in a race "I am going in every race a nine year old boy can mumma" He was mostly worried about learning all the rules and on about the third day it rained (it has rained alot in the previous month) and he was lined up in the morning in his class group and the a/principal came out and said ' it is a wet weather day - you all know what to do when it rains' his little head whipped around and looked at me with pure panic. he is getting the hang of it thou and has started band this week and golf (that was one of the sport choices!) tommorrow.

Al is trying his best to crawl and rocking manically back and forwards (sometimes at two in the morning). he is definately babbling now - yayaya, mamamam, babababa. adding to the 'ooohhh' noises he has made so far. He is starting to be a bit shy with strangers and is just so pleased to be passed back to one of us. But he continues to be so happy all the time.

yesterday was such a signficant day with the apology to the stolen generations at last. Like many Australians I felt emotional in the build up and had tears running down my cheeks as the PM said the words. I feel so proud and pleased that our government has taken this significant step and it was done in a wholehearted and generous way. I am looking forward to the next steps.