.
THE LOVE OF MY LIFE
.

Oh Lord... in redoing this page I can't believe it's been seven years plus that I've been on this computer.

I just realised Jared was six when I originally did this... he's now 13!!!

So many things have happend in the past 7 years....

This photo was taken on his forst camping trip with the school when he was six.

Note both Aussie & American influence. The American gear was with thanks to his "Aunty" Andrea from the U.S.A

 

This is one of my favourite photos, taken when he was about 4...
How could you not love that angelic toothless face?????

His Dad's Birthday is only 4 days later,
so he too is a Libran.
BUT they have totally different personalities.


If we didn't have Jared to bring us back to reality,
these past few years we'd have gone crazy.
He's brought so much joy into our lives.

O. K., I am biased. But I'm allowed

He's bright, a nag, full of mischief, energy , wonderment,
and has a sense of humour.
I wrote the above statement when he was 4...

His thirst for knowledge was exhausting, and his favourite question was
"How come????"
He has taught me to enjoy animated movies.
If someone told me 10 years ago that I would be paying to see animated movie
and enjoying them, I would have had them certified!!

By the time he was 7 he'd learned to swim
(he's been in the pool since he was just 3 months old),
ride a bike,
belt a golf ball,
horse ride,
snorkel (in the ocean),
skateboard (still working on this),
roller blade (tears around the house in them),
fish,
jet ski,
play hockey, gymnastics and cricket.
He has been in school musicals
(6 public performances),
performed in an Eistedford,
is learning piano,
has learned to sing and dance.
I'm sure I must have forgotten something.

Isn't it amazing how much children learn in the first few years of their lives.
He nags me and everyone else in the family into swimming, he's already
computer literate, loves books (especially about marine life, plants and bugs)
and nags everyone into helping him collect creepy crawlies.
Ugh!!!!!!

One day he is going to
"come a cropper"
as we Aussies say.
.
He used to collect LIVE bees, wasps, spiders, grasshoppers, caterpillars,
snails, click beetles, butterflies, moths, ants, crickets, cicadas, dragonflies,
lady birds, praying mantis, teeny weeny baby toads no bigger than your
'pinkie' nail, worms, frogs, you name it, they've all spent time in our abode.

Thankfully we see less of those at home now.
They were replaced by a RAT and a MOUSE and a PEACH FACED LORIKEET.
(All of which he bought himself)
OF COURSE... you know WHO had to clean out the cages....

Alas.. the rat and mouse have gone to heaven ...
!


TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!
SHE WAS ONCE A PERMANENT RESIDENT!!!!


This addition to our family was free, but my son spent $36 on a tank to house her !!

We know she WAS a 'her' because she spun a cocoon about 1 1/2" diameter by 1/4" thick, which looks like a circular piece of white silk.

She filled it with stacks of little green eggs.
We had to find live food for her ! Her taste covered such delicacies as: other spiders, cockroaches, moths, lizards (which I wouldn't allow!).

She was huge, head to tail 1 1/2", 3/4" wide and a span of 5" with her legs stretched out. UGH!

She's gone to Spider Heaven !!

We also had a mouse, "Twitch". Who I had hoped was a "he"... only cost $3
but I managed to leave the pet shop an additional $57 poorer once he had a holding tank,
a house, feeding dish, water container, exercise wheel, wood shavings for the floor of the
tank and last but not least...food.


We thought he was lonely so we got him some company. They thought 2 was too much and didn't get on at all so "last in" was returned to the pet shop and exchanged for another partner unfortunately they got on VERY well together and created lots of little MICELETS
over and over again....

SO... they were ALL taken to the pet shop to find new homes.

So, besides the human variety we have residing here, we've had....
a dead spider, lotsa mice, a budgie, a rat, a Devon Rex Cat (Smudge)

Those remaining with us were at that time...
a Peach faced Lorikeet (No-Name)
a mouse ( also No-name)
a rat (Doris II) a popcorn and ice cream addict!!!!
a Shih-Tsu (Pippa) who is blind :-(
and a cross red Cattle Dog/Dingo,
who's name happens to be Dingo.

After Jared's great grandpa passed away in 1999 we got 'Smudge'.. a Devon Rex' cat.
Unfortunately when we were out one day Smudge managed to get the drop down door
of the lorikeet's cage open ... we came home to feathers strewn all over the back garden.

No sign of the poor lorikeet :-(

 
When Jared was 6 he spent 5 days on a Barrier Reef island
(Lady Elliott), with his Dad, snorkelling, reef walking, investigating nature.
Fortunately the island is a Marine Park, so, he wasn't allowed to remove anything
(dead or alive) to souvenir and bring home.

His Dad used 2 Underwater Disposable Cameras and a roll of ordinary film on dry land.
Jared had ONE Disposable Underwater Camera and luckily for everyone,
his photos were the best of the lot!

Jason (his Dad) had a bit of 'bad luck" with his picture taking,
so he was lucky Jared had the talent.

If you'd like to see some of Jared's
wonderful underwater photos, you'll find them here



.

Jared and Jason on their way to Holland..
a disastrous trip...



Now Jared's 13, there's times when he can also be a
SUPER PAIN IN THE BUTT! *S*

He's become quiet, not much fun.... but I think his past year at a
"Christian" college is to blame.
I won't go into details here... will keep it for my journal...

However.. we have applied for another school for 2006 and this
seems to have brightened him a little.

More Jared pics ~ HERE

For 'second born' Hayden ~ Click HERE