The Whiteman Family

Last Few Months and Welcome Adelaide Rose

2009-08-12T03:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog. My life became hectic and I had to have a priority list just to make it through, but more about that later.

First, I will fill you in on what we have been up to for the past few months. Life hasn't been dull that's for sure!

Here are some of the amazing things we have been up to as the Whiteman Family.

We did our first family camping trip and it was a success! We decided to go somewhere familiar so stayed in Port Stephens (where we lived for a year). We set up two tents and were just minutes from the sand dunes and the beaches. The kids did really, really well so now we have the confidence to do more camping trips with them.

I had Colour Your World Conference at the end of March which was an unbelievable week of serving in television as a producer and watching people's lives be impacted. The highlight for me was having the opportunity to be an assistant producer on our latest album called Faith + Hope +Love. If you don't have it yet it is a MUST!

Also related to Hillsong Church...we had an unbelievable few days at staff retreat in Leara in the Blue Mountains. I was a stunning time of year with the leaves all changing into their fall colours. The mornings were brisk, but the sun shone and made the days gorgeous. This was a great opportunity to get to relax and "mingle" with the more than 200 staff and there spouses and children. I had to drive each day over an hour to get there because I was needed at home but it was well worth it!

Craig and I had our 7 year anniversary in March and celebrated by getting a hotel in Sydney. We walked to Darling Harbour and had dinner at the Meat and Wine Co....highly recommended. Spending quality time together while Felicity and Rowan were being minded by Grandma and Pop was priceless especially knowing number three was not far from joining our lives.

We also took our close friends Ben and Helen up to Port Stephens for the day to celebrate Helen's birthday in April. They wanted to hire quad bikes out on the dunes so we joined in on the action. Of course with the kiddos we followed along in our four wheel drive and took photos of them having time of their lives. We absolutely love taking people to the Stockton dunes, they are beautiful and it always seems you are in a different world when out there exploring miles and miles of sand.

Unfortunately, all the fun came to a screeching halt when Craig unexpectantly injured his back. After an ambulance trip and bed rest for weeks and weeks and weeks Craig is only now starting to regain most of his mobilty. His injury happened the first week of May. I was due in June with baby three. I was needed more at home so decided to take part of my maternity leave early from Hillsong Music and continued to work for Hillsong Television two days a week. The past few months have been some of the most trying times I have had in my life but also a time of growth as I have been able to see how much I can handle. Craig's family were incredibly instrumental in helping us get through this period and without them I think we may have suffered more.

I finished work on the 19th of June and on the 27th of June at 4:20am we welcomed Adelaide Rose into our family! She weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. She is a stunning red head and has brought our growing family so much joy already. Felicity is a fantastic big sister and tells me that Adelaide speaks Spanish...too funny! Rowan had to warm up to the idea of being a big brother but now he loves to share his toys with Adelaide and can be a bit protective.

Glow Worm Tunnel

2009-03-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day out visiting the mountains west of Sydney. Since buying our four wheel drive Craig has been wanting to take it off road, so this was our opportunity! We spent about 30 minutes on a dirt track just to get there and being 6 months pregnant I felt every bump :-)

Once we were there it is only a kilometre to the tunnel itself and it's a beautiful walk with caves and water, bridges and stairs along the way.

The tunnel used to be an old train tunnel and when you go inside you can see the black on the ceiling of the cave from where the steam from the train used to hit. Now there are no more tracks and all that is left is the tunnel and the glow worms that have taken up residence there.

As long as you have a good torch/flashlight you can get far enough into the tunnel, turn your torch off and see a see of glow worms. Felicity was fascinated and everyone had a great time even though our torch stopped working just as we got to the tunnel.

Felicity did a wonderful job along the hike and kept calling us slow pokers and she was a fast poker..where does she get the energy? She practically ran the entire way there and back...needless to say the car trip home was quiet!

Felicity's First Day of School

2009-03-15T20:34:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it but Felicity has had her first day of school! She started Kindergarten on the 29th of January and has loved it. She loves wearing her dress everyday to school and I must say it makes my life so easy knowing what she is going to wear everyday. On Monday's she has sports and wears her sport uniform consisting of a polo shirt and green shorts and her sports shoes.

Her first day of school was a breeze, no dramas, no tears, just a goodbye and that was it. Craig picked her up from school and she was upset because she didn't want to go home. That's Felicity for you!

Now that we are three quarters of the way through the first term I can see that she is settling in beautifully. She brings home a book 4 nights a week for us to read together and I can't believe how well she is picking reading up! She loves to practise her writing and will sit at the kitchen table and write and write and write...of course until Rowan interupts and steals her pencil :-)

I'm so proud to be a mom of a Kindergarten student, it has been so much fun.

Oh What Fun!

2008-12-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas and I especially love getting all the decorations out and decorating for Christmas. But, this year I think Felicity was even more excited than I was. She was in charge of putting the ornaments on the tree and asked if someone could lift her up to put the star on top. She was so excited. One of these years I will get used to having a fake tree for Christmas. I guess it's just not practical in Australia to have a real tree considering the weather is HOT and the tree wouldn't really last all that long anyway. I'm learning it's not about the tree anyway, after watching how much fun Felicity had putting ornaments on...and how much fun Rowan had taking ornaments off!

My Rowan, oh my Rowan, I do love my Rowan! This little boy has so much personality. We were waiting at the fire station yesterday for Craig to finish work and Rowan decided it would be fun to see how much of his foot he could fit in his mouth. I'm still not quite sure how me managed to reach his foot to his mouth with his massive thunder thighs but he worked it out and thought it was hilarious!

Here is another sign that I have been in Australia for too long haha! My daughter knows how to play cricket but not baseball. I must admit she did a pretty good job hitting the ball, better than mommy I'm sure :-) We are having fun!

A Date Night?

2008-11-06T13:49:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you but I seemed to have forgotten what it is like to go out on a date. Has life become more busy or have I become lazier in planning a nice night out with my hubby? Craig's sister had some IMAX tickets that needed to be used by the end of the week so offered them to Craig and I to go see a movie. For those of you who don't know what the IMAX is, it is a movie screen that sits about 3 stories high (maybe even more). When Craig and I went on our first date we went to the IMAX...can't remember what we saw, I was too distracted haha! So, on a Tuesday night we got the tickets and on Wednesday night we head out to my favourite part of the city, Darling Harbour. We got a quick bite to eat and then went a saw a 3D movie about the Grand Canyon. We loved it! Plus, we got to spend a couple of hours out with just the two of us while the kids had a good time at Grandma's house. I guess I see this as a little reminder that we need to take a little more time for just us. It's good to go out and not have to pack bags with spare clothes, nappies, drinks, snacks, wipes etc. We just hopped in the car and did what we wanted...excellent!

Babysitting Chickens, Orchids and a Box....

2008-10-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

I realised the other day that our life is never dull and boring. I clearly remember Craig's mum telling me when I married him that that would be the case. She wasn't wrong! I was looking at these photos on the computer and thought to myself...gee, we have an interesting mix of events in our day to day lives. Here's just a few to share with you.

For the next few weeks we are chicken sitting. My sister-in-law, Jessica, and her family are in Germany for a wedding so we have had the joy of three little chooks running around the back yard. Felicity loves it! I can assure you the chickens have not been lonely or bored. They have had a swing on the swing set, a push in the wheel barrow and a jump on the trampoline...spoiled rotten! Felicity has also been collecting the eggs every day and brings them in with a big smile on her face. I must admit I'm enjoying having these little hens around.

Another thing that we do quite regularly is work for Grandma and Pop at the nursery. They grow the most beautiful flowers...orchids. Felicity even has her very own work shirt and asks if today is a work day or not. She has a blast on the farm and believe it or not has been such a big help this season! Rowan even comes along and wonders what we are up to.

One of the things that frequently ends up at home are some of the boxes we use to deliver orchids in. I happened to leave one with the lid off out the back and my two little munchkins found it and had a ball throwing shredded paper everywhere! Rowan just wanted to copy what his big sister was doing and the two of them spent ages in there entertaining themselves. Who needs toys when you have a box?

Our Beautiful City...Sydney

2008-09-30T03:22:00.000-07:00

Even though I still miss my hometown of Seattle I can't help but know that I am so blessed to call Sydney home. I was reading a letter not long ago written by an immigrant into Australia from England. As the ship arrived into the harbour they described it as "...one of the most beautiful harbours in the world..." This still rings true today and I often hear tourists into this country describe it as such.

The past couple of weekends we have had the awesome privilege of spending some time together as a family in our wonderful city. We explored Garden Island where we viewed the tallest tall ship in the world. The Libertad graced our waters from Argentina and docked for all to have a look at her enormity. We had a lovely walk around taking photos and enjoying the beautiful spring sunshine.

After we had enough time watching the ship we headed toward one of the most famous beaches in the world...Bondi. It was a stunning, warm day and we certainly weren't the only ones with the idea to cool down with a sea breeze. We did as we have made tradition and picked up lunch and then sat at North Bondi in a park for the kids to play. Once we had finished and Felicity got to swing we took a walk on the glorious white sand.

This was Rowan's first time to the beach and he didn't know what to make of all the noise from the waves crashing on the beach. And even though it was unseasonably warm the water certainly hadn't caught up with the idea of warm weather and it was very cool to the toes! But lovely none the less!

The following weekend we were so excited to make another trip into the city...this doesn't happen very often but we made the most of it. Hillsong church in the city is busting at the seams and with 7 services on Sunday they had no other choice than to open an extension service and what better place to do that than at Bondi! Our brother-in-law, Daniel, helps with the technical side helping to make it all work so we skipped going to Hillsong in the Hills, where we would normally attend, and headed to the beach. Not a bad place to go to church on a Sunday if I say so myself.

After church we took Craig's parents to Garden Island where the Navy had an open day. We had the opportunity to go on board all the ships and explore the ships, the dining quarters, the captain's chair and of course look at the guns on board. It's always so much fun when we get to spend the day together!

Do You Love to Party?

2008-09-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

Do you love to party? Rowan Craig does! Rowan celebrated his first birthday on the 6th of September and we had friends and family around to party with us!

We had originally sent out the invitations for a party in the park. We were going to go to Rouse Hill Regional Park which would have been fantastic for all ages of kids and is in a beautiful bush setting, but would you believe it rained? So, I made the decision the night before to move the party to my house, thinking that perhaps everyone would not be able to make it out to my place. In the end every single person made it, all 30 of them! In my little house! It was awesome and we had an amazing time, lots of food and lots of laughs.

I decided to do a game for the adults, purely to entertain the kids haha! I bought some balloons for making balloon and animals and had a representative from each family make the best animal they could. Some tried blowing up the balloons by mouth, which, if you have ever tried blowing up a long balloon is nearly impossible! We went through so many popped balloons but it was worth it in the end. All the kids watched in awe, or horror, as the adults tried to be creative.

Of course a party wouldn't be complete without playing pass the parcel. All the kids sat, and behaved themselves, in a circle as we passed the parcel round and round. Each kid got a little toy to take home with them.

And for the finale, you guessed it, presents then cake and ice cream. Unfortunately, Rowan doesn't quite understand the art of present opening just yet but there were plenty of other little hands who wanted to help. So wrapping paper went flying and all the gifts were revealed. The only present Rowan wanted to help with was his garden set that Grandma bought him.

In the end we had a fantastic day!

Wedding Weekend

2008-09-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Felicity's first debut as a flower girl! Our friends, Ben and Helen, got married at the Hillsong Chapel and we had the honour to be a part of it.

Craig was the best man and Felicity did an amazing job walking down the aisle by herself as the flower girl. The doors opened and closed as Felicity walked through but the people on the outside of the rows couldn't see who came through the doors because she is so short!

They thought someone had accidently opened the doors! Daddy knelt down and had the biggest grin on his face as she came toward him.

Ben did a wonderful job as he stood there waiting for Helen but was a little nervouse and accidently said his vows as "I promise to put my needs before yours..." That certainly relaxed the mood as everyone tried to contain themselves.

Craig's important job of giving Ben the rings also brought attention. When Craig pulled the rings out of his pocket he dropped poker chips on the ground and then a pack of cards (Ben's an avid poker player). Of course that was light hearted and everyone had a laugh. Not sure what Pastor Joel A'Bell thought though!

The bridal party headed to West Head, one of the prettiest places in Sydney to go. The photos had a beautiful back drop of Barrenjoey, Palm Beach, Lion Island and bushland.

While we were waiting for photos we had a little visitor. This lovely little black wallaby came out of the bush and wanted to join in on the festivities...or the food!

The reception was at Monash Country Club and was beautifully done with a great atmosphere, quick speeches, a wonderful dinner of lamb and chicken, and dancing the night away until Ben and Helen were wisked away together.

But if you think that was the end of it you are mistaken! Sunday night we were treated to a Chinese Banquet to honour Ben's Chinese heritage. We had a 13 course traditional Chinese banquet including games of Majong in the background. It was so much fun learning Majong, a traditional Chinese tile game, and witnessing the beautiful traditions that accompany a Chinese wedding. Much fun was had as we tried new and unusual foods and met new family and friends.

Congratulations Ben and Helen!

Future Olympians

2008-08-24T01:28:00.000-07:00

Wow! I don't know about you but I have been in awe at some of the Olympians I have watched during the Beijing Olympics. Craig and I took the opportunity to share with Felicity about competing in sports and how the very best get medals at the olympics. She has really loved watching the diving, the swimming and the gymnastics.

Over the weekend we visited Craig's cousin Nathan who has olympic medals from Salt Lake City so Felicity and Brooklyn got them out and we talked some more about the Olympics. They looked pretty natural holding those precious medals!

It's cools as a parent to think that maybe one day if Felicity and Rowan want to they could acheive something as special as an olympic medal. I can't help but wonder what Felicity's interests will be as she gets older. She is now at the age that world class athletes first began in their sport. So, to see what she thought I asked her tonight what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said, "I'd like to be a cooker". So, there you go, she wants to be a cook so watch out because as soon as cooking is an olympic sport she'll be right up there with the best of them!

The Important Things in Life

2008-08-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

Life has been so busy for us this year with so many changes that it is nice to stop and reflect on the simple things that make us happy. I know I get so busy "doing" that I forget to just "be" and enjoy these moments that will go by so quickly with the children. I thought these are good reminders of The Important Things in Life.

LEARNING HOW TO WALK

CREATING A HAIRDO

STAYING WARM

GETTING YOUR FACE PAINTED WITH COUSINS

SNOOZING

BEING A PRINCESS

Can You Hear Me Now?

2008-07-29T21:58:00.001-07:00

Felicity's Long Distance Chat

Felicity loves to talk to her Grammy and her Pop in Seattle. It has taken some time to get her use to the phone but now it's hard to get her off of it!

Today she talked about helping mommy around the house....she said "I washed my hands and I brushed my teeth" Of course that was a big help!

She told Poppy "I'm in Strahlia" in her cutest Aussie accent. She also told Pop that he was being silly cause he was telling her how to blow bubbles in her milk and her milkshakes. She's a smart cookie!

Fun and Games!

2008-07-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

At Our Local Park

Rowan loves getting out and exploring everything now. We are so lucky to have a park just a block from the house. It has net ball courts so Felicity has a great, flat place to ride her bike around and around.

Up, up and away! Felicity loves to climb and play and doing anything that involves climbing, jumping and running. She mastered this little thing with no trouble!

Here he is again! Made his way over to where his sister was climbing away. He pulled himself up and thought he could give it a go too!

Ready, Steady, Go! Off they go down the slide. Felicity and her cousin Andrew race down the slide. Auntie Jessica helped at the top.

I love my precious daughter. She got so excited about going on her bike ride that she put her helmet on backwards! She is always making us laugh.

From the Beginning

2008-07-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought since I have never written a blog before I might start from the beginning of the year and post some of the fun stuff we have done up until now. I know I don't catch up with a lot of you so here is our chance to share! If you don't have a blog I recommend getting one, I have had a lot of fun putting this together and I hope I can be diligent about updating it :-)

JANUARY

We had the awesome opportunity to go overseas to Seattle (via Taiwan) for six weeks with Felicity and Rowan. We had such a good time with all the cousins together for the first time. And my family and friends got to meet my little man who at the time was only 3 months old.

Here are some of our highlights...

PIKE PLACE MARKET

We got to go a couple of times but the time with all the cousins was the best. Cousin Stevie is so amazing with all the girls, but I'm sure he is looking forward to Rowan growing up and helping him out a bit!

SPACE NEEDLE

The space needle is how Felicity recognises Seattle. When we see the space needle on anything she says "That's Seattle!" Actually when we first got to Washington she said "I want to See the Attle...we couldn't help but laugh. I must admit I have educated her better since then.

THE SNOW!

Not something we see much of in Australia so going to the mountains was a must do on our trip to Washington. We were fortunate to go up the mountians twice and it was magical...a winter wonderland that I will never forget. We met Sarah and Shon and went inner-tubing and threw snowballs. It flurried snow and put on a spectacular show for Felicity and bundled up Rowan.

TACOMA GLASS MUSEUM

We went and had a beautiful lunch with Sarah who works at Russell and then wondered down to the glass museum. The museum itself was not very big and a little disappointing but the walk outside was spectacular and we saw some great glass artwork on our walk.

4 WHEELING

Jim and Steve took Craig out 4 wheel driving with the Rover Club and he had a great time. It was muddy and rainy and just right for getting into lots of mess and trouble! I don't think he will ever forget the fun he had that day.

SPECIAL TIME WITH GRAMMY AND POPPY

What a time to cherish. Felicity loves to sit on her poppy's lap and read books morning and night. It was good to take advantage of this time knowing that we don't get many cuddles when we are in Australia.

Felicity and Rowan loved spending time with their grandparents and Felicity always asks when we will see them again because she loves them and wants to give them hugs! xo

TAIWAN

On our way to and from Seattle we got to stay in Taiwan. On the way home we had 2 full days there and we made the most of it. We flew with Air China and they arranged all our hotels and transfers which was awesome! We walked around the city, ordered and ate Chinese food without knowing the language and we even managed to find a free 1/2 day tour of Teipei. It was amazing seeing the landscape and architecture and learning about the Chinese culture there on one of many islands.

TIME WITH COUSINS!

Felicity and Amanda are only 6 months apart so got along like a house on fire. Moriah and Stevie are amazing big cousings and Abbie and Felicity played beautifully.

Abbie was almost like a big sister and really took Felicity under her wing. They all played outside/inside/make believe/read stories and coloured.

TIME WITH AUNTIES & UNCLES

Since time spent together is few and far between it was so nice to have my brothers and sisters spend time with the children. This is a special time that I cherish so much after each visit!