FUN FUN FUN!

Well it has been a busy couple of weeks since Levi entered the scene!

Dan had 3 weeks holiday starting when Levi was born. The first week was basically spent at the hospital and settling into home. The next two weeks was spent hanging out with the family, trying to get Christmas shopping done and doing a bunch of odds and ends (such as building a shelf for our DVDs).

Levi settled in rather well, though the first night was a bit of fun. As babies go we again so far have a rather laid back baby. We haven't had too many difficult nights, and the nights that are, are generally just coz he wakes a little too regularly for food.

Ariana has taken the new edition in typical Ariana form ... A new playtoy for me! She enjoys putting his dummy back in, patting him when he is crying, putting him to bed and pulling the musical toy. Below is Ariana and Levi hanging out in the lounge room, Levi is content in the bouncer and Ariana has pulled the bouncer so that she is sitting under it and is playing with the toys and Levi's toes.



In other news Dan has finally officially graduated with his masters!! After 4 years of being enrolled he walked across the stage to accept his certificate and now can put MPhil on a business card after his name. (WooHoo....)

Dan was also recently asked to play at a friends wedding. After a quick practise with the other members we all rocked up on the day to play. The pianist was a little late and Ariana thought that she would be able to fill his shoes... (almost)


Finally for this blog, the cousins have flown back for Christmas ... and it is very entertaining to watch them interact. Below is a photo where who is playing with what has been sorted out ...

GENE POOL

(posted by Roz)

We've been asked a lot the inevitable question "Who does Levi look like?"

Well the answer is.... Levi! Who knows? Babies are all squishy and red and stuff.

But for those of you who are not satisfied here are 2 photos: one is Ariana at 3 days and the other of Levi at 2 days.

We think that they kind of look alike... sort of... as much as squishy babies can...

Can you tell who is whom?

IT'S A BOY!

Friday 10 November ... Dan is at work, madly trying to get everything done before his desk is packed up and moved to a new location downstairs. Roz finally manages to see our Obstetrician who has had a massive week even delivering up to 5 babys in one day.
"You are 4cm dialiated and fully engaged, do you want me to induce you now?" he asks.
Thankfully for Dan, Roz does say no, even though she is well and trying ready to give birth ...

Our Doctor books Roz in to be induced on Sunday at 6pm and Dan heads off to the Pearl Jam Concert that he bought tickets for before he even knew the baby was coming. (And what a concert! Pearl Jam Rocked and their last encore set they played 6 songs, 4 of which Dan had been waiting to hear since going to the first show more than 10 years ago!)

Saturday 11 November ... Waiting, Waiting

Sunday 12 November ... We get a call from the hospital the time has been moved to midnight!! Bummer!

Monday 13 November ...
12.30am - Roz is induced and we try to sleep.
3.00am - Roz starts getting the beginnings of some contractions
4.00am - Roz awakes Dan and we call in the midwife ... it has begun!
5.00am - Pain...where is the Epidural?
6.00am - More Pain ... WHERE IS THE EPIDURAL!?!
7.00am - PAIN! EPIDURAL!
7.30am - Smiles :) ... The Anaesthetist has arrived ... gave Roz smiles and Dan a card and promised for the 15mins of work he would receive $500 bill in the mail.
8.00am - waiting...
9.00am - waiting...
9.30am - Let's get this show on the road.... Push! Breathe Push!
10.17am - After a little help with a vacuum cup, Levi David John Niven graces up with his prescence!

He is born 3.55kg (7lb 12oz) and 49cm in length. Magnificant!

AND TIMES CONTINUES TO FLY...

Before we knew it, Rosana turned the big 25!! It was a quiet family celebration, with lots of gifts for our pregnant lady of the moment, topped off with some amazing (birthday) cup cakes!

Life continued on with trying to keep out of trouble, lucky for us we had a box lying around that at least managed to keep one little girl boxed in... (don't even think of trying to get in)



Dan's soccer team managed to make the Grand Final this year. Dan has really enjoyed his soccer (especially as he doesn't need to try and organise a team). It has been a very good season, (duh they made the Grand Final). Though Dan is beginning to realise that he is getting old ... he has found that from time to time, if there are enough younger and faster legs, he ends up in the backs...

There was a good turnout for the final, which the team unfortunately lost 3-0 (a sad event, but Dan has managed to find an indoor team to play with on the occasional week so he is looking to the future not the past) . Ariana enjoyed the afternoon out, this is a rather amazing photo ... the hat was on her head long enough for the photo (it must be too pink)



In preparation for number 2, we headed out and purchased a new bed for Ariana so we would have a cot free...

The construction begins...

Half time brownie break...

Almost there...
Done!

The morning after, and it appears to have been a successful transistion.

BULLETS 'N' BARBEQUE - MURDER MYSTERY

Who did it?!? Well that we can't tell you ... but we can show you some photos of the latest murder mystery that took place at the Paradise Saloon (aka our house).

JUAN BANDITO (The Mexican Bandit), ROWDY AZELL (The Fast-dealing Gambler), DOC MALLARD (The Town's {Drunk} Doctor)

BIBI GUNN (The "Entertainer" at Paradise Saloon), MISS PATIENCE (The School Marm), SALLY FORTH (The Mail-Order Bride from England)

The Usual Suspects

How brilliant is that moe and bow tie?!?

Quote of the night ..."You crazy senoritas ... fighting over a dead man. If you need some comfort, Juan Bandito is here."

Or mabye, after taking some lessons from Maggie Simpson, we have our culprit right here...

3 MONTHS IN REVIEW

Well it has certainly been a while since we have last posted! And much has happened over the past few months.

Our biggest news (if you haven't caught up on it already) is that we are expecting our 2nd baby officially in late November. Although things are going well now, there have been some complications in the early stages, which has meant that we are expecting an early (4-6weeks) delivery and that Rosana needs to rest frequently.

Progeny Number 2

So we are very excited and are making all the necessary preparations!

In other news:

KidsGames 2006 came and went. Roz was one of the team managers for The Gap team which was put together from the 6 churches in The Gap! This was a hugely exciting time for all the churches and heaps and heaps of fun. About 2,500 kids were involved Brisbane wide with our team having 113 kids. Other than that Roz has been playing mum, wife and friend. She has ongoing pain with this pregnancy, which means she has to rest a lot and she is chafing at the bed rest.

Daniel’s birthday was in the middle of KidsGames but he still managed to get heaps of big (?) boys toys – Lego, a soccer ball and dvds. Daniel’s been very busy with work and is a much wanted man these days. He works long hours but is always back home for his girls where he prefers to be. Soccer season has almost finished and Daniel has scored a goal or two. He’s been filling in for an indoor team too which he has been very excited about.

Ariana is getting to be a real toddler now (she’s 15 months old). It is sad to see her grow out of babyhood. She is so cute and so amusing you almost want her to stay that way! Except for the whole nappy thing of course. She is an independent crazy little soul, who loves people and loves to dance and jump. Yes folks from 13 months she actually got airborne – amazing! Here are some assorted pics of her…

Drawing on the blackboard (15mths); at Mandy's wedding (14mths); sitting on her well-loved stool and brushing teeth (14mths); Niven camping trip (14mths)

Eskimo Ari (14mths); the sidewalk artist (14mths); happy little vegemite (14mths); With Uncle Alex (15mths) (note the big hole in her head from running into a drawer!)

FAIRYTALE 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY!

(posted by Dan)

Ariana's 1st birthday arrived almost too fast for us to make any plans! Has it really been a year since we have been blessed with our wonderful daughter?

On the Wednesday 24th May (State of Origin Game 1 - how much is she going to disapprove of sharing her birthday with the State of Origin?) it was a relative quiet affair at home with family ... well at least until the toys were opened... honestly what type of parents buy the noisy toys!?

The big 1st birthday party was planned for the following Saturday (27th May). A fairytale fancy dress party!! There was an amazing collection of characters (to name a few) ...

Shrek, Fairy Godmother, & Mulan

Fairy Godmother and The Muffin Man

Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts and another Fairy

Yoda

Dumbledore...

Cinderella

Gingerbreadman

The Hulk

Some more Fairy Godmothers ... and a fairy Godfather

We all had an enjoyable afternoon .. including cake:

and presents.

Ariana had the biggest party trick of all ... walking around everywhere! It was rather funny watching her trying to keep up with all the other kids running around at the party.

All in all a great day of fun.

Dan out

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

(posted by Roz)

Guess who's found their land legs?



Ariana started walking on Tuesday 9th May (11 1/2 months)! She is a bit of a chicken and still prefers to walk holding onto your hand but she is walking. Tis very cute!



Roz out

BUSY BEAVERS

(posted by Roz)

Hello all!

Sorry it has taken so long to blog... we have been very busy (but I know this isn't much of an excuse). So what have we been up to??

Daniel has been very swamped at work. They need more workers!! He has been getting up very early to get to work but has been enjoying his daily motorbike ride! The soccer season has started again with Daniel scoring a goal on the weekend with his new $35 Nike soccer boots (thankyou Harbourtown!).

"Daniel the balloon" at a Youth Group Ballonorama Night

I have been getting into KidsGames stuff lately and before that, volunteering to co-ordinate electives and trainers for the Queensland Children's Ministry Network annual expo call Ignite. If you haven't heard, all 6 churches in The Gap are working together to form one KidsGames team - which is really exciting! I have discovered that there is a reason that one shouldn't look after a baby fulltime and work - it's exhausting!!



Ariana on Coolum beach
And little Ariana... well she isn't so little anymore. Everyday is a little bit closer to her walking by hersself. I should put the record straight - Ari is a coward. She has been standing on her own for 2 months now and she can go from sitting to standing with nothing to help her. She can even stand on her own and dance! But will she let go to walk?? Oh no!! Other than pretending that walking isn't scary (I think she's afraid of heights like her Daddy) Ari has been zooming around like, well, like a rampaging nut. This is my new name for her. She is not shy about adventuring into anything. But she does get timid about loud, unexplainable noises; the vacuum cleaner and of course the gym ball.

We have enjoyed all the public holidays! We went as study group leaders to the PY Easter Camp up at Coolum at the Luther Heights campsite. We tented and our matress got wet but we loved it. Ari loved excavating the sand on the beach and being entertained by all the campers!

Easter Camp - 1050s Rock n Roll Bushdance

Daniel took the Monday off over the Anzac Day weekend and we went and visited my Mum and brother on the Gold Coast. It was a sunny day so we played on the beach and Daniel and Ari quickly checked out the water.
Ariana the beach babe


















Well that's all for now. Promise to post more often!

Roz out

IT HAS BEGUN!

Ariana was recently invited to her 1st, 1 year birthday party! One of the neighbours little girl turned 1 (As you are aware, it's not really appropriate to show a photo on the web)

A fairy party, so it was off to the shops to purchase a set of wings.
(These wings were special, coz they are soft - that is wire free - and also came with a nice crown and skirt).

As you can see she is one very cute fairy!



The party was great fun, lots of balloons, party hats, and cake.

Ariana enjoyed herself ...
- she tried to break (by bashing heavily on the ground) one of the new gifts;
- she grabbed the other baby at the party from behind and pulled her to the ground, pounced on her and then tried to bite her; and
- she also grabbed the birthday girl by the hair on each side of her head, shook her from side to side, then dropped her to the ground, pounced on her and scratched her face!

Some people would blame the parents ... We blame the cousins!

DAN'S NEW TOY

If you have been following our blogger you would have read a past blog (DAN'S NEW WORKPLACE, 18 September 2005) about Dan's workplace moving to Milton, which lead to a rather long (up to 1.5 hours) trip to/from work. A number of possible solutions were considered ... we now have the answer!

For those that don't know motorbikes, you are looking at a Suzuki VL250 Intruder. Which is basically a 250cc (pretty much the smallest bike engine) cruiser (that is Harley wannabe) style bike.

There's a little bit of a story of how we came to own a bike ... so if you have the time please feel free to read on.

After coming to the conclusion that the travel to work was way too long we started looking at possible alternatives. We ruled a car out due to the cost and limited parking near work, and decided that maybe the cheapest and easiest solutions was a scooter.

We started looking around and investigating the scooter scene, the top of the list was a 50cc scooter as this did not require a bike license and would get me to and from work (just). Dan was encouraged to look into Q-ride for the safety aspects that they would teach. After completing the Q-ride course and obtaining an open bike license, we considered maybe a slightly larger scooter would be the go. Dan finally decided that he wanted at least a 250cc that could keep up with the traffic on the highway, for when he would need to travel to the other side of the city for soccer.

As there were not really any inspiring 250cc scooters we entered the world of bikes, and decided that the cruiser styles were the way to go. There are basically only about 4 types of 250cc cruisers on the market, 2 of these were way too expensive, the other 2 we were considering. Then Roz found the jackpot ... an '05 model bike with only 270km on the clock for significantly cheaper than a new bike!!

We finally managed to drive up to the Sunshine coast to check it out, organise the finance, and then drive up the coast again to bring to home. So now Dan is getting to and from work within about 20mins ... which allows for more sleep in the morning and time with his family at night. YEAH!

HOLIDAYS!!

(posted by Roz)

It has been a long while since we have done a post. So here is a quick tour of December with us!!

• Adam, Clair, Josiah and Lukis arrive from Perth for an 8wk holiday
  Adam did well at his first year at Perth Bible College; Clair has made lots of friends and settled in nicely; Josiah (3 1/2) is now getting older - he's a little boy who loves Colin, singing, plane trips, and is generally a whole bunch of giggle-fun; Lukis (15mnths) is a little monkey - he can escape out of any cot, falls over and hits his head lots, smiles and giggles, makes lots of funny happy noises, is a bit of a grub and is crazy to boot!!
• Roz makes lots of Christmas Cards (50!)
• Annual Christmas breakups for Daniel's work; Roz's school mates; church things
• Roz's Mum's birthday - so a coast trip
• Ariana's First Christmas!!
• Niven Sibling Bash based at our house
  We saw Narnia, ate out at nice places, went to the Carlton United Brewery Tour, the boys played lots of cricket and we generally just enjoyed each others company

Lukis at Grandma and Poppy's (standing still for once!)

Ariana opening Christmas presents

Josiah while camping at Fingal Heads (NSW)