Melbourne

Austin starts High School, Carmen starts Seminary, Ellen and Dylan lose some teeth, Marion starts University,

The first of the month was Austin’s first day at High School. Calvin was with him and by all accounts he had a good day. He was nervous since none of his friends were going to Northcote but he soon made friends and has been doing home work almost every night. The first week of the month was also the commencement of seminary and Carmen’s first day. I came home from work that day and found her with her head on the table asleep.

We had our Stake Conference over the first weekend of the month. Ellen spoke in the Sunday Session and did a great job. She then bore her testimony in the YSA fireside that evening. Ellen and Dylan went in to get their wisdom teeth out on the eighth. Dylan had all of his removed and Ellen three. Vern said it all went well and they were both given general anaesthetic. When Dylan came around he was more talkative than usual while Ellen was disorientated and couldn’t stop crying. They came home that afternoon, took a lot of drugs and slept. Ellen went to Northland to her clothing store job a few days later and wasn’t feeling the best then suddenly she felt like throwing up and dashed off to the toilets. Unfortunately she didn’t dash fast enough and sprayed on the floor twice before getting there. It was early in the morning so there wasn’t too many people about, luckily the cleaners were there to clean up.

Vern and I went to see the movie Valentines Day on the Saturday night before Valentines Day. Understandably I wasn’t that keen however it was enjoyable and Vern and I had a good time. Carmen, Austin and his friend Lochie came with us and watched another movie that was screening at the same time.

There was a few firsts this month for Marion. She went to her first YSA dance on the twelfth. She went with Ellen as Dylan had a different party to go to. The theme was Alice in Wonderland and she dressed up as the white queen and Ellen as the red, I could hardly recognise them. Marion also went to a course orientation camp for a couple of days in Ballarat. She is fortunate that a good friend of hers is in the same course and she went with her. Later in the month she started her Health and Exercise Science course at the Australian Catholic University that is located in the city. She has a friend that is in the same class and she is enjoying herself. She bought herself a lap top and met me in the city for lunch one day.

Dylan has started work in a local powdered milk factory with a bunch of other members. It will keep him out of trouble until he goes on his mission. Ellen still works at the video store, a clothing store in Northland and on the fifteenth she started as a receptionist in the city just around the corner from where I work for a few weeks. It has been nice meeting her for lunch and spending some time with her when she can fit me in.

Austin was told by the Bishop that he should really cut his hair before he gets the Priesthood. He wasn’t too happy about this but without any prompting from us he decided that it was what he should do so he got me to cut it all off. He diligently does his homework and headed off on his first High School camp on Monday the fifteenth for three days.

One Saturday I heard a bang and crash coming from the kitchen followed by a groan. I got there to find Austin on the floor with a cut lip and looking very disoriented. I asked what happen and he said he didn’t know. He tried to stand but was very pale and shaky. He felt sick and I got him to the toilet just before he threw up. As it turned out he had been lying in the lounge room, got up and stretched then that was the last thing he remembered before he passed out. He was feeling fine in no time but it sure gave us all a fright.

On the last weekend of the month we had Deshon and Jaylen over for the weekend to give Nicky a break. Vern was singing on the Saturday night so that left me with the job of changing Jaylen and putting him to bed. I was told that he should be fine but that wasn’t the case. I had to enlist the help of Dylan and Calvin to hold him down while I changed him and I couldn’t get him to take his pills so he wouldn’t go to sleep. We tried to take him to church the next day at Eltham since they were having their ward conference but he played up too much so Vern had to take him home. It gave us a greater appreciation of the work involved with those looking after people with special needs.

Take Care

Love the Pettys