Kyla Alexandra Hope Lazarus

Oh bugger. I seem to have misplaced the photos of Kylas birthday weekend. #*#*!!! So I shall write about it now that Im here and add photos later on.

Andrew was very excited in the days leading up to the 13th. He found it a big milestone that we have a 13yr old child now. As he was working on Saturday, he woke her before he left to give her our gifts. Unfotunately, at 5:15am, she found it hard to appreciate the computer and jewellry set that we had gotten her untill later on, when she was fully awake!

We had decided on a computer due to the fact that a lot of school work these days are more computer friendly and it kept her off my one. The jewellry was a more personal gift from us. She felt so special and was very happy for that day. That night her Unlcle Hopa took her and her siblings to the movies and dinner. He was a bit haggard by the time I arrived to pick up my kids. I was greeted with the words ' How the hell do you do it!' and then he launched into a rant about arguing, running around the theatre, throwing popcorn and people looking at him as the kids ran riot. I smiled at him and said 'Well Andrew and I had a lovely night by ourselves (well with Ethan) and oops, forgot to tell you that the younger ones had a big afternoon sleep!' and then bundled them into the car. Tried to talk to Kyla about her night, but Uncle had given her an iPod Nano for her present so communication was out of the question!

As her dad had worked on her actual birthday, on Sunday a whole bunch of us went to the beach to celebrate properly. It was a lovely spot in a place called Mandurah and we all had a bbq and swam the early arvo away. Then we all went back to our place and did the cakes (yes cakeS. We always have two since one doesnt usually cover the amount of people there to celebrate the occasion) and after everyone had left it was off to Port Kennedy beach to give our dogs a run. With an extra 3 kiddies. We had a late end to the night as I tried to juggle 7 kids and Andrew used the 'Ive got work in the morning' excuse and hid in the room! guess it was my fault as I was the one that was saying yes to the cries of 'Aunty can we stay the night'.

It was a lovely weekend and though Andrew and I felt old by the end of it, we are ready to enbrace the new stage that has come with the fact that our oldest daughter is now officially a teenager.