Last Thursday

It was Dorothy's Zone Athletics Carnival which was held in Blacktown International Sportpark, west Sydney. She was selected to represent her school to race in the 800m, 200m, 400m and  in the relay (4x100m), in the under 14 yrs old girl races. She came first place in 800m, first place in 200m, 3rd place in 400m and first in relay. Well done, Dorothy ! We are so proud of you.

School Carnival

The other Wednesday was Dorothy's School Athletic Carnival held at Blacktown International Sport Centre. Dorothy raced in the 800m, 200m, 100m and  girls relay. Dorothy is just 13 yrs old but because she is turning 14 yrs old this December she raced in the 14 year old girls. She came, first place in the 800m, 2nd place in 200m, first in the 100m, and first in the relay. She was so happy and we are so proud of her. Well done, Dorothy. Keep it up. We are so proud of you.

Swimming carnival

Yesterday was MT D Zone Swimming Carnival and Dorothy, my daughter represented her school in the girls 14-15 yr old 50m breaststroke race and she came 2nd place. She was also in the girls 200 relay team and they came 2nd place as well. Her school took first place overall in the ranking. Well done, and congratulations.

Good luck, Dorothy!

I got a letter the other day from Dorothy's school informing me that Dorothy has been selected to represent the school for this coming Zone Athletics Carnival which will be held on Monday at Blacktown Olympic Park, just about 5 minutes drive from where we live. She will race for the 400m and 800 m. Good luck, Dorothy and to the rest of the school team!

School event

It was Dorothy's Sport Gala Day last Thursday. She had been patiently waiting for this event and was so excited for the day to come. The event was organized by the School where she enrolled for next year, year 7, and everyone who enrolled for year 7 in that school are all invited to join. It was a great opportunity for them to get to know each other. Throughout the day the students were involved in a variety of activities including swimming, basketball, volleyball, and indoor soccer.Dorothy paid the required contribution prior to the day which covered the cost of the transportation and the pool entrance. Their class adviser accompanied them to the event too. It was a whole school day event but expected to be finished before 3:00 pm (pick up time) . When we arrived home from school after I picked Dorothy and David, Dorothy complained about achy legs, probably because of the running and swimming that she did during the day. I let her rest the whole afternoon and glad she started feeling better during the night. Despite all those aches, she told me that they had so much fun all throughout the day.

Spooky disco

It was my kids' first spooky disco last night and the first time the school organized such disco. It was a fund raising organized by the P and C Association in the school where they are and was held in the school hall. Dorothy and David were excited to go to the Disco, dressed up in spooky clothes and had fun with their friends. I bought them tickets prior to the day. The ticket include sausage sizzle, drink and an ice cream. In Australia, Halloween is not traditionally celebrated but some people celebrate it and its becoming more popular now especially to teens and kids. Since it was the first time the school organized such event and as what I had said we don't celebrate Halloween so obviously my kids didn't have an appropriate clothes to wear. I went to the shop the other day. It didn't take me long to find as some of the shops in the mall are selling it. I bought Dorothy a witch cloak with a matching witch hat and she fells in love with it right away.

(Dorothy with Lucky, our guinea pig )

And for David, I bought him a skeleton suit and he likes it so much.

School event

Just a quick update from last Friday's school event. It was the school annual Athletics Carnival where my kids are. And as usual I went there to witness some of the events and cheer for the kids. It was held at the school ground for 2 consecutive days. My kids competed in the running race. Unfortunately, David didn't win but I was so proud of him for being in the competition and done well. While Dorothy on the other hand, won 2nd place in 800 m Senior girls, 1st place in 100 m Senior girls, 1st place in 200 m Senior girls and 2nd place in the Senior girls relay. She was really doing well. We don't know yet if she qualifies for the District Athletics Carnival this time but she thinks it's positive, which I hope. We still have to wait and see for the note to come. Dorothy in green during the 200 m Senior girls race

David

Mass at school

I attended the mass yesterday at the school where my kids are, which was celebrated by our Parish Priest Father Paras who is also a Filipino. As always parents were invited to come but there were only a few who were able to make it.I only got the message from my daughter a day before the day came but I was glad that I was able to attend. Dorothy did the Responsorial psalm reading. The mass was held at the school MPR Buidling and about an hour celebration.

Raining again..

It has been raining on and off today with moderate winds. A gloomy and dreary day as expected and a perfect time to sleep. But nope, taking a sleep in the warm cozy bed is far from my agenda today. I have many things to do and besides I promised myself to do more blogging today while the kids are at school.
It is supposed to be Dorothy's District Cross Country Run today which has been re- scheduled twice already due to the wet weather. And again it's obvious, Mother Nature doesn't want the event to happen today, not just yet. It is so wet and the ground is awash with puddles. Dorothy is a bit frustrated for she really wanted the event to be over and done with, win or loss, she really doesn't care. All she is looking forward to is the fun and excitement of being in the school team.
And here's our dinner last night, grilled marinated chicken drummettes with rice.

Last Friday

That was the schedule of the school Cross Country at the school where my kids are in and me and hubby were there to witness the event (running race). Both the kids were so excited and looking forward to their races. But few days before the day came, David unfortunately got sick and was absent for about 3 days but he was still able to come back to school on the day of the race. I thought he would not like to race and just be one of the cheerers but he still did. He didn't came out a winner though nor in the top six but he was doing really good and trying his best.

(David first from the right preparing for the race)

Dorothy on the other hand, had been preparing for the race weeks before the schedule with her friends in the local park close to where we live. She was so excited for the day to come and can't even wait. Her race was the last one for the day. It was for 3 km and she came out second place. She was so happy of her achievement and happy as well for her best friend who won the first place. And again she has gain selection to represent their school for the coming District Cross Country sometime next week.
And while we were walking at the foot path going to the car park that afternoon, David suddenly called our attention that the clouds look like smoke. So I hurriedly took my camera out from my bag and captured the sky scene. I don't know if you agree with David but I think the cloud formation is beautiful.

For Easter Hat Parade

Every year the school where my kids are in organizes Easter Hat Parade to celebrate the Easter Season. It will be this coming Thursday which is also the last day of the 1st school term.
I went out earlier today because I had an appointment and after I finished with it, I went to the shops to get things for the kids Easter Hat Parade. I just bought few things to add a new fancy look for their hats. They have been using their hats for years now and every year we just do a little changes in the look of the hat to make it a bit different from the previous years. Dorothy always decorates her own hat herself while I help with David. The school always encourages the kids to make a hat at home and bring it to the school on the day of the parade which is also a great chance for them to be discovered for their creative talents. So here are what Dorothy and David have in store for the Easter Hat Parade.

District Swimming Carnival

First of all I would like to thank you all for all the support, wishes and words of encouragement for my daughter. It was her best District Swimming Carnival ever. Not that she won but the best results among her District Swimming Competitions. We are just so glad that she is getting better and improving her game every time she is in the competition. But unfortunately it is really not her time yet, her swimming campaign has come to an end. There were 2 heat in the 12 yr old girls Freestyle and she was in the first heat, and came out 3rd place. While in the Breaststroke, there were 3 heat and again she was in the first heat, and came out 3rd again. She was really doing great. But she didn't come out a winner in the overall result of those races. It was tough competitions and some of the competitors have been trained so well which put Dorothy a far way behind in terms of skills and techniques.
I mentioned in my previous post that the Swimming Carnival was held on the 22nd of Feb but sorry I overlooked something with the schedule, must be my excitement overwhelmed me at that time..hehehe. It was actually held on the 24th of Feb. I stayed in the pool until my daughter finished her competitions.
The picture above was taken at the moment she surfaced from her dive. As you can see, her goggles came off (see, that pink thing around her neck) Poor thing! She must haven't put it properly but glad she was able to adjust it while underwater.

Dorothy is going to the District Swimming Carnival

In my previous posts, I blogged about my daughter, Dorothy that she competed for their School Swimming Carnival last February 1, 2010. But I haven't mentioned yet Dorothy's achievement about it.
Last year's School Swimming Carnival, she grabbed first place in both 50 meters Backstroke and Breaststroke, and 3rd place in the 50 meters Freestyle. Well, this year, she was 2nd place in both the 50 meters Breaststroke and 50 meters Freestyle. And she is selected again to represent her school for the 50 meters both the Freestyle and Breaststroke this coming District Swimming Carnival which will be on the 22nd of February.It's her third time in a row to be in the District Swimming Carnival. I thought she cannot make it to the district this year because her finish time might not qualify for the District Competition but glad she made it. There are about more than ten schools around Mt Druitt to compete. A tough competition as always and many good and well trained swimmers from different schools. I just hope that Dorothy can make it to the finish line and not to drop out. She has never came out a winner, but "who knows" this time, Lady Luck might be on our side.(lolz). Being in the District again for the 3rd time is something to be proud of, the excitement and the fun are the most important thing. Our best of luck to all the school swimming team this coming Monday.

My kids are back to school

Today about 735,000 students across NSW head back to school for 2010. I woke up early to get everything ready. Dorothy and David have been waiting for this day to come because they already missed their friends and the fun in school. They woke up early too and were so excited. I stayed in the school until David got to his new class (yr 1) and glad he is with the teacher whom he had been wishing for. Dorothy is in year 6 now. And by the way, this coming Monday, is one of the most exciting days for Dorothy for they are going to have their Swimming Carnival which will be held in Blacktown Aquatic Center and she is going to compete again for their team. I hope she will do alright in the competition like last year and most of all have fun all throughout the day. Good luck!

10th Place in the District Cross Country

( the warm up time )
I was just as excited as the kids and can't wait for the day to come. Just a normal feeling I guess being a mum of one of the runners.I canceled my schedule as a classroom helper so I can be there for the entire event. I just liked to see and watch the kids run and enjoying day. The fun and the excitement were the main thing that the kids were looking forward to for this big event.

(at the starting point)

(close to the finish line)

Dorothy's race, for 11 years old was before midday which was great. There were more than 50 kids from different schools for that particular race and Dorothy's school had about 6 runners for that said race including Dorothy, of course. The hardest part of the race was when they ran up hill for nearly 2 km. Most kids were struggling to maintain their speed and just walked to recharge energy every now and then. It was not bad at all for Dorothy for she was able to get a place of no. 8 right away and was able to maintain her speed close to the finish line of the 3 km run.When she was in the last turn to get to the finish line two girls from behind her speed off, running as fast as they could and Dorothy can't do much to overtake them which put her to the 10th place overall. Not bad after all and the best place so far she garnered of all her District Cross Country Races because last year, she ended up 13th place. She was the first one among others from their school to reach the finish line.

Our Cross Country Runners

(Dorothy and David)

At their Hughes house team while waiting for their respective races.

It was David's turn first to run being a kindergarten. They ran 1 km around the school back playground.It was his first race and he ran with all his best along with the other kindergarten boys. It was not a bad finish after all for he came out 6th place. Everyone made it to the finish line with no drop outs which was great.

While Dorothy on the other hand, ran about 3 km in the 11 yr old girls. Luckily, she came out 1st place and will definitely be representing the school for the District Cross Country sometime next week. She is so happy of her performance this year. Much better as compared to last year though, for she was just in the 3rd place. Her second time in a row to represent the school again for the District Cross Country. Good luck to the school runners team for this coming big event !

Easter hats

Easter hat parade has been a popular event every Easter Season in the school that David and Dorothy attend. It gives the kids a great opportunity to expose and show their talents and hard work, making and decorating their very own hat. The parade will be this coming Thursday in the afternoon at the school ground and parents are cordially invited to witness the forthcoming event. Dorothy and I had been thinking over whether we will be going to make a new Easter hat for herself since her Easter hat is getting old already and had been in two Easter hat parades. It is not that she is bored with it already but the fact that some of the decorations start to come off and need a bit of mending and retouching which surely takes time for us to do it. She made it by herself with my help when she was in year 3.While me and hubby were busy shopping in preparation for our Easter celebration, I came across this cute pink and blue bunny hat which I thought at the very first sight, it will surely suit Dorothy's liking. Well, I was not wrong though, because she feels in love with it right away.
As for David, I don't have any trouble with what hat he is going to wear because he prefers to wear the Easter hat that he wore last year while he was in Pre-school. He seems to still like it. He decorated it by himself. I just took out the old Easter egg chocolates around the hat and replaced it with new ones.

Cupcakes for David's Party

This is what we contributed for David's Pre-School Christmas party. I just bought a Bite-size Strawberry mini cupcakes mix, easy and quick to make . I cant think of anything else to make so I went off to the shop for a rescue. I baked it myself. And as a finishing touch, I decorated it with pink icing and bright sprinkles to make it more appealing and alive. Everything came together in the pack mix as well as the mini cupcake cases. Though, we were only required to bring just few but I had decided to make enough for us and for the Pre-School so I ended up making 2 dozens. David and Dorothy always love cupcakes of any sort for snack and I love it with coffee.