The cast comes off!

I probably didn't mention it in a previous post, but a week before I returned home Miss E fell off a slide on a playground and broke her arm/elbow. (And boy did the mum guilt play on me for not being there!)
And so the poor girl has had a cast on her arm, and almost up to her shoulder ever since. She finally got it taken off today! I'm so pleased for her as it's been very heartbreaking watching her not be able to participate with her brother and sister in all the things they do.
For instance, her sister has recently learnt how to ride a bike without training wheels. Yesterday I watched her and her brother zoom around the back yard on their bikes, and E was just standing there feeling sorry for herself.
Just one of many moments in the last month! So it was really good that she got to get it taken off today. The only issue we have now is that her arm is currently still bent in the position that her arm has been in for the last 6 weeks. Apparently this is common in young kids and can take a few days until she has movement again. Gee I hope this is the case! Otherwise it's like her arm is still broken as she cannot extend it at all and still can't do anything :(
Will see how her arm goes in the next couple of days and then provide an update.
UPDATE: It took a couple of weeks but she is finally able to extend her arm fully. She's back to her active self!

I'm Baaack

I've been home for two weeks and I'm loving it! And what's even better is getting told that I don't have to head back out for another 6 weeks. This means I'll be home up until October so I'm feeling pretty good right now!

I haven't been up to much since I've been back, just enjoying doing nothing really! And spending time with the kids of course.

We've been baking up a storm since I've been home (no pics though sorry!). I really missed cooking! It's nice to be able to do something when I feel like it, and cooking is one of those things I just have to do.

Sometimes, however, the things I make don't always turn out like I mean it to. Take today for instance. The kids and I all worked together to make Butterfly cakes. Or that's what they were meant to turn into. What they ended up turning out as was overcooked and not even worth icing. They still tasted ok but nothing to be impressed over.

But we got over it and moved on. To make up for it I rounded up the kids again and let them help me make a baked cheesecake. We followed the recipe exactly (and the mixture tasted pretty good), poured it into the tin and popped it in the oven. All was good in the world until halfway through the supposed cooking time it already looked overcooked (my darn oven!). So I turned the oven down for the rest of the time, and hoped for the best...

The result? Well it looked so good in the end that my darling son asked 'Mum is that chocolate on the top?' Um, it was a plain cheesecake.......
After some cooling in the fridge though it still tastes good. Well, as long as the biscuit base isn't eaten.........

Ah you win some, you lose some!  :)