Black mountain

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark" Michelangelo.

Took a pretty decent ride today into Canberra city and up to Black Mountain. Fairly flat the whole way into town and up to the start of the road I now refer to as 'Burning quads'.

I had great intentions of riding up most of the way, knowing full well I couldnt make it that far up a very steep road in one hit. It took me about 100 metres before I had to get off the saddle and walk! Its almost a kilometre above sea level to the top and the road seemingly goes forever. Cars wizzing past as if to taunt you and this one bicyclist, I'm assuming training for something, over-took me as I was plodding up the side of the road and then went back down for more! She got to the top twice before made it up once! Amazing. It must have been her state-of-the-art road bike and the advertised licra she was wearing that made her go that fast, surely. When you think your doing well at something, it sometimes takes another person to do it much much better to bring you sailing back to earth.

Needless to say I was knackered once reaching the top and decided to call for backup. Jem and the boys met me up there to have a look at Telstra tower and then I got a cumfy seat home. 

Goal - To be able to ride from home up to Telstra tower at the summit of Black mountain, then ride back again. About 40kms all up.

Little 'devil'

Everyone who knows kids knows about the terrible two's. We have had our fair share of experiences with this, having 3 boys that have gone through it already.

William, not too bad, the odd tantrum but being our only child then, it seemed really easy to deal with. Jacob was at his worst as a new born, not feeding and crying all night. Sam was a little caged animal when he wanted to be, having his tonsils out seemed to make him a little easier as he was often run down and grumpy.

Little Lucas, our beautiful bundle of cuteness has become a little terror. He is into everything! Anything left out on tables, benches or desks will ultimately end up on the floor. Anything that can hold a liquid is tipped out at the drop of a hat. He seems to take great delight in grabbing things, he very well knows he isnt supposed to have, and then looking at you as if to say 'What you gonna do about it?' He tries to unbuckle himself in the car and climbs out of his stroller buckles. He just recently drew (with texta) all over the table, couch and floor. The most horrible thing he likes to do at the moment is reach into a pooie nappie, pull some out and say 'Yucky daddy!' Needless to say he is swiftly taken to get cleaned up!

His language has exploded too seeming to pick up new words and frases every day. 'Hang on a sec', 'Stop it, dont like it', 'Birdy scary, a eat you', 'Moo-Jagger' (the song Moves like Jagger) 'A sore, a cweam on', 'Star wars clone wars', 'Daddy mower off now' and 'Vaccum a off now' are just some of his little sayings at the moment.

Not sure if he has chosen the best angle for viewing here.

People are awesome, part 1

Dont know what skill this would be defined as, but you cant question these guys are amazing, check it out!

Patrice

In our travels with basketball since having kids, we have really struggled to find a consistant babysitter that we not only trust to stay in our house while we are out, but to have peace of mind they can look after our boys. Apart from probably Albury, we havent had family we could consistantly call upon, so to have Patrice (Jems auntie) happy to come round on the odd occasion is fantastic.

Its on

I really want to start doing a few things that push myself physically whilst also keeping my competitive side satisfied. Therefore in March next year I'm taking part in the 'Capital Punishment' mountain bike event. Ill be doing the 50km section, im really looking forward to it. My goal is to finish in the top half of the group, better get training!

Sunset

Anytime you get a chance to see the sunset from a height, take it.

I took an evening ride up the 'G' track and went off the main path, turning up a steep rocky track towards the top of one of the hills. It was a really tough accent and got too hard to turn the pedals after a while. As there was no one around and not a main route, I left the bike and walked up the rest. Got to the top and I was greeted with an amazing un-disturbed view of the northern suburbs, the stunning country side and in the distance you can see 'Testra Tower'. Incredible golden brown colours at that time of the night and plenty of kangaroos.

The way down was a little quicker! I really tested my riding skills, flying down the lose gravel track at break kneck speed. Im not a dare devil by any means, but the thrill of almost taking a massive spill off my bike at that rate of knots made me feel very alive! Fun!

Obama

Recently we have had the Queen come and visit Canberra and now today the President of the United States 'Barack Obama' was in town for some political diplomacy, blah blah. So we went president 'paparaziing'.

As you can imagine security was at its tightest, so getting even within viewing distance was tough. Managed to spot him and his enourmous entourage rolling down from the National War Memorial back to Parliament house this morning. Amazing to just see him through the window of his blacked out tank of a car they call the 'beast'. Think its about 3 or 4 tonnes of bullet proof steel and glass with god knows what 'James Bond' like gadgets inside. They say he has about 8 or 9 secret service agents with him wherever he goes that you can see. About 10 times that in the back ground, organising his every move swiftly, safely and securely. Every road in a few km zone was blocked off, and the sky becomes a no-fly zone, although the air was alive with airforce fighter jets protecting from above. You could sense an immense tension in the air with the many police, national guards and soldiers standing at attention for those 30 or so seconds it took him to drive past. Just an incredible effort goes in to protect the President, quite an eye opening experience.

We also went out to the airport and spotted the most well known jumbo jet in the world, Air Force One, parked in the distance of the RAAF base.

Cheeky yogurt face

I did give him a spoon, not sure what happened.

Times to cherish

The weeks really seem to fly past at the moment. I cant believe how quickly things come around each week, like playgroup.

Sometimes when things are happening so fast I need to remind myself to just slow down, take a breath, relax and take it all in.

These are definately times to cherish.

Pedal power

I have been out on the bike a fair bit lately, as you can probably see from previous posts. Its so good being able to get out and see things around Canberra that you just dont see in a car. The bike paths around the ACT are great and offer a huge selection of areas to go.

I ventured out with the little ones in the trailer the other day. Oh how I wish they made adult size trailers! We went into Belconnen shops, which is about a 30km round trip. Its was a magic day, still and sunny, perfect for a ride. Lots of people out exercising, everyone seeming to be in high spirits, saying hi as you pass them and they pass you. Its funny how when you are in the outdoors people seem to become ultra friendly, while at the shops everyone is on a mission and in a zone of consumer rage.

The boys seem to love it although this trip was probably bordering on too far for them. They got very cranky with each other on the way back, as it was close to nap time and they were both exhausted. Their little helmet heads kept flopping into each others as they tried desparately to stay awake. By the time I got them home it was well after mid day and quite warm. They were both sweaty and grumpy so it was straight to bed!

Routines and traditions

In sport there are many routines. Teams have routines that are collectively followed. Players also may have their own personal routines that sometimes become almost obsessive compolsive.

I was never one for the 'rituals' before games. I always saw it as taking the focus away from the team aspect by removing yourself mentally from the group. I have played with many guys that had that almost obsessive compolsive pattern not only at games but sometimes at training. Tying their shoes up in the same way every time, same socks every game, same undies every game, shooting by themselves in an almost trance like state, eating the same thing every game day, things like that. The one thing I have to be is early.  I hate being late to anything let alone a basketball game. Im usually the one that will turn up to something 10 minutes prior, while everyone else will get there a half an hour late.

At home we have many routines. I think its nice, it gives our boys a sense of comfort to know when and what is going on without us having to tell them all the time. On the other hand I like to try and vary things up a bit also. Im conscious of not getting into the habit of doing the same thing every day and making sure we do acticvities that are out of the ordinary every now and then.

Traditions are a great thing to install into family life, like routines they give a sense of warmth and a cosy feeling within the family. Christmas is coming up and its always a perfect time to implement these traditions that hopefully our boys, once all grown up, will look back on and remember fondly. Jem cant wait to have her men around one day for family get togethers. She is a big believer in a close-nit family structure, something of which unfortunately her childhood was lacking. Therefore she is intent to make our boys feel even more special at these family occasions.

We, like any family have our bumps in the road but predominantly we are a close, well oiled unit that does a majority of things together. Our goal is to always be that way even when our beautiful boys are living their own lives. When it comes down to it, family is the one and only thing that really matters.

Almost got it

Jacob has been learning to ride his bike without training wheels for a while now. We havent really had the space to practice enough until we moved to this house. We have a lane-way out the back that is perfect for it. He just figured out how to stop himself without crashing this morning. Amazing to see a little person learning something new and the joy it brings to their face. Almost got it little man.

Serenity

Early morning Sunday bike ride. Serenity!

Date night

It doesnt happen very often, but Jem and I got to go on a date last night. Patrice came around to look after the kids and without any plans, we just went out and hung out for a few hours. It was great, need to do that more often! We even found things to chat about other than the kids, amazing. We went and had a glass of wine and then went to a chocolate cafe called 'Coko Black' in Canberra city, yummmy.

School Fair

We went to the boys School Fair this weekend. They got to go on rides, shoot firemans hoses, make arts and crafts, have a sausage sizzle and even had show bags! Here they are racing down the big slide, William won, followed by Jacob. Sam is lying flat on his back moving very slowly, wasnt sure he would make it down!

Rage

I put 'Rage' on for Sam last staurday morning. He loved it and sat there glued to the music for about an hour. So I put it on again this week. He seems to really enjoy music and even listens to the lyrics, asking all sorts of questions about the songs. Here he is listening to his new favourite song 'It girl' by Jason Deruilo.

Just hangin out

My favourite times as a family are when we just get to hang out, no pressures, no appointments, just hangin.

Time

What did we used to do before having kids? I cant remember. I know I wasted a whole lot of time and still thought I was busy. Its amazing how your perspective changes over time and as you find out what really is important.

Having kids and being around them as much as I'm lucky enough to be, has really made me appreciate time. I never really knew how to make the most of time. I probably still dont, but I feel like I get alot more out of things than I once did.

Adventurists always seem to say that its the people you meet and the unexpected 'bumps in the road' that make a journey. In life I think its similar, its not always the big things that make a memory, its the little unexpected things that seem to pop up.

Our kids bring alot of that, they can make an average day into an adventure and a meaningless outing into a life long memory.

Soap head

This morning I heard some giggling coming from upstairs that sounded rather suspicious. I investigated and walked into the bathroom to find my 2 youngest little boys having a great old time playing. I think Sam had decided that Lucas's hair looked dirty, so he had proceeded to empty half the HAND SOAP onto his head. Lucas thought this was hilarious until I had to rinse it out. The photo here doesnt do it justice, but you can see they were very happy with themselves!

Implode

After a great 2 year experience in Townsville playing for the Crocs in the NBL, I decided I wanted another crack at the European leagues. To get my foot in the door with a few clubs for the following European season (which runs basically the same time as the NBL) I signed with a club in Italy called Virtus Bologna for 2 games at the end of their regular season as an injury replacement.

I was apprehensive about what I was getting into, and that was to be re-inforced big time on my first day there.

Got to the airport in Sydney and unfortunately the idiots organizing the tickets from Italy hadn't confirmed payment so there wasn't any seats left. It was brought to our attention that there were business class seats available. We got hold of the club and asked what they thought as this was the last flight out today it was pretty urgent. They told us it was their mistake so to do whatever we could to get normal seats first, if no luck book the business class. Obviously we did 'everything' in our power but in the end we just had no choice and booked business.

After a long but suprisingly comfy flight we got checked in to the hotel. It was a beautiful old classically european style building. We were considerably tired, but like is always the case in professional sport, once you have signed with a club and you are within reach, you are theirs. Hence a training was scheduled and I was to be there. I was more than a little apprehensive as I didnt feel like I would be at my best, but that didnt matter, I was to be there and on court in a couple of hours.

The manager (who was named 'Fabio') picked me up from the hotel for a health check/physical before training. What I didnt realise is that Italian basketball had recently brought in a rule that all newly signed players to the league must undergo a full physical. This included your usual pokes, prods and skin fold tests, not to mention the test where you need to run on a treadmill at an absurd angle with wires stuck to your head and chest. Cant think what this is called but I have only ever had it done twice and that is twice too many. You basically run until you almost pass out. Its to test your maximum lung capacity and to make sure your heart is in tip top condition so that the team can be sure they havent signed a physical dud. After I was given the all clear by the doc I had about an hour to prepare for practice. Enough time to totally cool down, stiffen right up and hope to hell it wasnt going to be tough.

I got into the training facility where all the team was already there. I immediately sensed a tension with everyone, not to say anyone was rude to me, but I could just feel something wasnt right with this team. Getting into a few brief chats with some of the players before training I instantly realised that everyone had already checked out mentally. They were just trying to get the last 2 games out of the way so they could go back to their home countries/cities. I learned that all but 2 players hadnt been paid for over 2 months (this is a common occurance in the crazy high stakes, fickle and cut-throat euro leagues) and that the team was most likely to be religated to the second division next year. There had been recent player sackings and the original coach wasnt there after he was replaced mid season by a 70 year old. This made me all the more confused why a team would fly Jem and I over there for 2 games, paying me decent money, when most of the team wasnt seeing a cent.

After an hour or so of individual work with the coaches we split into 2 teams for a scrimmage to help me learn the plays. It was all going well, I felt like I wasnt lagging in any way and living up to whatever expectations they had of me coming in. Suddently a bit of push and shove from one of the Italian players towards an afro/american French player started, which was quickly broken up. This turned into something astoundingly ridiculous. The French guy, not happy with this treatment walked over to the side of the court, grabbed a court wiper and started swinging it at the Italian guy connecting with his back. Then the jeriatric coach jumped in to try and break it up when his arm was smashed by the wiper. He screamed in agony. Both players were ushered off the court swiflty. Training was over. Later we found out that the French guy was not surpisingly sacked that evening.

What a first day!

We got to the game the next day to see the coach with his arm in a sling plastered up, obviously broken. Just an amazing initiation to an imploding team environment. The rest of my time there was no less tense, but the players seem to give the last two games a crack and to my memory I think we won one of them which definately lightened the mood a little.

For the record, Jem and I had a great time in Bologna, a beautifully historic and clean city. It was almost like a paid holiday for us, and yes I recieved all my money, in cash!

Milk time

Biggest brother William with Littlest brother Lucas, enjoying some 'quiet' time while Lucas has his bottle. Whenever Lucas hears the microwave beep, he is convinced its milk time. He yells out from wherever he is "Yay milk time, Yay!" Think he likes his milk.

Vincanity

NBA player Vince Carter's amazing dunk at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The guy he jumps over is 7 foot 2 inches tall! Incredible.

Recharge

To recharge your batteries, sometimes you have to use all their power.

Last weekend I took Will and Sam up the Goorooyarroo reserve track, we had a lovely time of exploring.

This weekend I decided I wanted to see a little more, so I took the trusty GIANT and rode up there.

Its not only one track but a maze of many tracks criss-crossing back and forth.

I probably rode about 10 or so Km's of it this morning. Amazing ride, not that I'm a big rider but its probably the best I have been on. Loved it! You can take it fairly easy if you want or there are some steep hills aswell. The thing I like the most is its not only about a 5 minute ride from our house but you could be anywhere once you leave the roadside. I passed a couple of early morning runners but apart from that, the reserve seemed to be all me, my bike and my ipods. (oh yeh, some roo's, an echidna and some sheep too)

I have taken being fit for granted over the years. Playing sport most of my life and about 15 years of it at a pretty decent standard, you are always doing something and dont have to think about fitness. The bike has not only turned into a great fitness tool but a great way to escape the 'every day' and relax my mind. Its funny how exhausting yourself is sometimes the best way to feel energized, you instantly feel better about the things that seemed to matter so much before.

Aussie Hoops

William and Jacob started 'Aussie Hoops' back up this weekend. They seem to really love it. William is getting very competitive, determined to get everything perfect. Jacob on the other hand is just in his happy little world, eager to do anything.

Cuddle

There is nothing like a proper cuddle from your kids. Wonderfully they seem to enable you to forget about any troubles you may have had that day. Jacob's unique ability to completely give himself over to you makes his embaces something to always cherish.

Soft things

The boys have this game they like to play with all their soft toys. They call it 'Soft things' (not very imaginative name). Im not sure what the game involves but there seems to be a lot of 'teddy warfare' in it. They all love their teddies and all the other animals they sleep with. As you can see they have quite a variety.

Cheeky chocolate face

Sammy talk

Just remembered this one from the other day.

Jem was getting ready for a fancy dress day at her work for the Melbourne Cup. She had a black dress on and was looking very nice. While saying goodbye, Sam spoke up "Love you mummy, hope you have a fun time in your 'dancing suit'!" He has a magical way of jumbling words together and saying the most wonderfully innocent and comical things.

Easy vs Happy

'Long way Round' with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman is an adventure around the world on their BMW motorbikes. I have watched this DVD so many times. My goal is to one day go on an adventure similar in ways to this. Jem and I have talked about doing something when the kids are older, but until then I can escape in my mind and enjoy the journey with them and others in travel doco's.

The ups and downs they experience on their way from London to New York by road are amazing. The people they meet and the unreal landscapes that pass by. I think the thing I like most about this DVD is the sense of getting back to basics, enjoying the simple and important things without the hassles and distractions of everyday life. This appeals to me.

There was a great scene in this documentary when Ewan passes an old lady carrying huge wooden buckets of water on her back that she had pulled up from a well. He watched her and for a brief moment wondered what it would be like in her shoes. He said something along the lines of - "Everything is literally on tap for us in the more wealthy countries, its obviously easier and more advanced, but who is happier"?

Good question.

A Parent

"People are all basically the same no matter where you're from, we all need food, we all need shelter and we all love our kids" Ewan McGregor.

Very true.

Although we have so much these days these basic things are still what makes us and our families function as a unit.

Being a full time parent now you tend to notice a lot of things that otherwise would probably 'sail through to the keeper'. Some nice things and kids being adored, and some not so nice things.

I get really annoyed and saddened when I see parents not treating their kids with the same respect as they themselves would want. So many times I look in horror to see parents talking down to their kids, swearing, yelling abuse, chain smoking around babies,  totally ignoring bad behaviour and making others around them feel very uncomfortable. Its a sad thing that the kids that are being brought up this way will unltimately have kids of their own, the same morals and behaviour then get passed on and on through generation to generation.

This is something that Jem and I pride ourselves on doing the complete opposite of. We respect our boys and put them first in most occasions. We talk to them, listen to them and nurture them. Not to say that if they are doing something that isnt ok we wont do anything about it. We try to stay on top of any bad behaviour, disciplining them but never demeaning them, even when we are pushed to the brink of screaming profanities to the sky!

We want to be the type of role models our kids look up to and want to emulate. Hard working, sacrificing for others, determined and loving people.

'Parent' is a big word to us and is something we never take lightly. Its a responsibility to guide your little people through the good and bad times and do the very best you can to bring them up safely, securely and lovingly while giving them the tools to problem solve and fit in.

Jem and I were very proud of our boys (and ourselves) the other day when a complete stranger came up to us while we were sitting down at a local coffee shop for breaky. He said it was lovely to see a family sitting down together talking and enjoying each others company. He complimented the boys on how well they were behaving, which gave them pride. Jem looked over to me and I new exactly what she was thinking without even saying a word, we are doing a good job with our beautiful boys.

I'm not saying we are the perfect parents by any means, we have our ups and downs, struggles and frustrations like everyone but we never stop considering and caring for our kids the best way we know how.

Being a parent - a gift, a privilege and a responsibility.

Little Bro's

The stay at home brothers hanging out. First photo is of them at the park where we took their bikes. The following ones are from todays playgroup. As we live quite close to it now, I decided to ride them down there in the trailer. The boys had a great time painting, playing playdough, swinging and sliding.