My best friend Jenn thinks I'm crazy.  I would call it efficient!  Now that footy is finished, we have four weekends without sport.  To relax seems like a waste of precious Australian time so we have to cram in as much as possible...this weekend, it was birthday parties.  Three of them, to be exact!


Cody's 12th birthday was June 27, but, because of footy and term break, we couldn't fit in a birthday party.  His was first this weekend with a party at the bowling alley Friday night.  There were 13 boys and one came home for a sleepover.  I'm glad this party was first because I was the most worried about it.  These boys are getting bigger and puberty has hit!  Just take a look as some of the following pictures!  They sure were funny boys!


Colt turned 7 in January and we celebrated at Sea World.  He didn't know any Australian kids yet, so had no friend party.  We celebrated on Saturday with an Unbirthday party for Colt.  He went swimming with 15 friends.  There were more girls than boys (as was the pattern back in Canada) and they had an excellent time.  Colt received many cool gifts for his Unbirthday but the most unexpected was a digeridoo!

Colt had been begging me to make these new cake pops for at least a month.  I put him off with countless excuses but then surprised him for his birthday with Unbirthday cake pops!


Because birthdays alone aren't enought, we also invited our friends, the Patons and Bennetts, to the farm for supper Saturday night.  Six adults and 11 kids (1 was an extra) made for a noisy but happy evening.  Poor Mia is our only girl and she always has to put up with all these crazy boys!


Kent's birthday is December 21.  This year, that will be my last day at GEPS.  We will also be busy with Christmas, packing and cleaning the house and dismantling my classroom.  Like last year, Kent and I decided to host his birthday party a few months early.


Last year, I drove a truckload of kids to the cornmaze for a day and evening of surprises.  This year was much more laid back.  Kent had 8 friends meet him at the pool for his party.  They swam, laughed and ate for 2 hours.  They had the entire pool almost to themselves!  Very easy.

Bubby likes the Hawthorn Hawks, as do most of the Year 5 boys, so I made him a Hawks cake.  Fast and easy is my motto! 

The weekend was super busy but lots of fun too.  After a 3 hour nap Sunday afternoon, I was right to start the rest of the weekend chores and then head back to school on Monday morning!  With all the birthdays out of the way, it's been a huge relief for me and the boys are all happy too!

Now lets see what else we can pack into our next 3 sport free weekends!  JJ

And here it is....the most sought after blog update from the Jackson 6!  These are all the answers to the question, "What is Howard doing in Australia?"

Mary Hannagan, Vince's wife, works for a company called Ningana Enterprises Inc.  NEI provides quality services for people with disabilities and promotes social and economic participation in the Griffith community.  Mary was good enough to help arrange employment for Howard with NEI before she left last year.  Howard began working with them at the beginning of February when we all started school.  The rest of this blog entry will be written by Howard...

"There are many parts to NEI but the parts that I am involved with are the farm and the bottle packaging shed.  In the summer months, I worked Monday-Thursday from 6am-3pm and Fridays until noon.  In the winter months, I work Monday-Thursday from 7am-3pm and Fridays until 1pm. 

My duties at the shed include assisting the clients and their supervisors as they label and package bottles for different wineries in the area.   When we are not at the shed, we are out at the organic farm.

NEI's organic farm is located on the west edge of Griffith.  We grow orange trees, caper (a spice) trees, strawberries, garlic, potatoes, and butternut pumpkins, just to name a few.  We also have pigs, a goat, and sheep.  On the farm, I assist Jim, the farm manager and work with our clients and their supervisors.  I was the acting farm manager for May and June while Jim was on long-service leave. 

At the farm, I drive the tractor and we do the endless jobs of weeding, watering and fertilizing.  I also drive the big truck, make deliveries and pick ups, pick fruit and vegetables and feed the animals.  

Fiona, the CEO, and Jim, the farm manager, have been very flexible, giving me time off for school holidays and school assemblies.  They also arranged for me to use the farm ute for the year.  I have made great friendships already with the supervisors and the clients and I'm grateful for the experiences NEI is offering me."

Howard has taken these photos at NEI during the past six months...

These videos were prepared for a grant application.  They explain what NEI is all about.  Check out the cute, acting farm manager!  Be sure to leave Howard a message if you've taken time to read his blog!  Ta.  JJ 

Cody is a Sydney Swans fan and he cheers for Mike Pyke, the only Canadian in the AFL.  On Sunday, August 5, Cody was able to watch his team play live, for the first time!

Cody received two AFL tickets for his birthday.  He chose to take Lucas and the boys hoped to catch the Carlton vs. Sydney game at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.  Luckily, their footy playoff schedule allowed them to fit in the professional game!

Early Sunday morning, Howard and the boys left for Melbourne.  They checked into their hotel and walked to the stadium.  The boys were able to pick up a couple of souvenirs and lots of snacks.  The weather was cool and wet outside but the stadium is beautiful and enclosed so they were very comfortable inside.  Sydney beat Carlton so you know Cody was happy about that!

Howard and the boys spent the rest of the evening watching the Olympics in the hotel room.  They missed school and work on Monday and were home in time to pick us up from school.  Both of the boys were very excited about their weekend and it sounds like it was an excellent birthday gift.