10 years......

I really can't believe that this week we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and in that time we've gone from this......

(ok this photo was actually taken last year in Japan but if I wait to upload a wedding picture from our pre-digital photo stash, this post may never be published :)

to this.....

10 years. A third of my life spent with this man :)

 I know. he's a spunk right ;)

He's also not one for 'public praise' so i'll save all the mushy stuff for him (but it is our anniversary so i'm sure it's OK if I say a few nice things about him on this public little space :)

As a surprise to celebrate, Chad flew his sister down to Sydney to watch our kids while he whisked us off to a spa retreat in the mountains. It was heavenly. HEAVENLY. Massages. Facials. Foot and hand treatments. Hair treatment. Reading. Sleeping. Dinner in bed. Sleeping in till 9am and eating breakfast with a gorgeous view.

Basically 24 hours of guilt free relaxing together. We loved it!

I'm so grateful for all the things Chad does for me (and for our family) on a daily basis. It kind of amazes me just how much he does and I feel very blessed that he's my hubby. Forever.

Love you Hun!!

I want to blog.......

Really I do. But I've we've been kinda tired busy around here. 

Among other things we've been shopping (no NOT for things we NEED for our nameless baby that arrives in 4 weeks) but 'house' shopping. And we found one. And we kinda bought it. 

eeeeekkkkkk. And settlement is around the same day i'm due to have our baby. double eeeeeekkkkkk. (ok so not exactly the same day but close ;) So now instead of setting everything up perfectly to welcome this little girl home (cause we all know how much babies appreciate that kind of stuff :) I guess we'll be packing instead.

Exciting and a little bit crazy with the timing :)

On being Happy

 I came across this quote today from  Elizabeth Gilbert's book, 'Eat Pray Love' and loved it!!

"I keep remembering one of my Guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works.

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort.

You fight for it

Strive for it

Insist upon it

 
and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations for your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

I especially LOVE the reminder in this to "participate relentlessly in the manifestations for your own blessings" and to continue to pray "even when your crisis has passed". Simple words but SO effective in the pursuit and attainment of happiness!!

Getting organised

So this week I officially made my first purchase of things we 'need' for the baby. I think I better hurry up and get everything else organised :)

Especially since the above item isn't REALLY an essential item. Like say, nappies or a packed hospital bag :)

Thoughtfulness

While most of the kids in Rylan's class at school were busy making Mother's Day cards like this

 

with tea bags slipped inside the little pocket

Rylan was busy making his own kind

Quote "we were meant to just put the tea bags in the little pocket but since you don't drink tea I thought you'd like some twilight book marks instead. Cause you do LOVE twilight and reading".

I know i've mentioned it before. But I love the thoughtfulness that is this boy!!!!

ps) Incase you weren't sure the bookmarks are Edward, Jacob and Bella ;) Love it!!

Believe

"I too believe that God will always make a way where there is no way. I believe that if we will walk in obedience to the commandments of God, if we will follow the counsel of the priesthood, he will open a way even where there appears to be no way."

Gordon B. Hinckley

6 years ago I wondered If I would ever have another baby. I had just lost a baby girl a little over half way through a pregnancy with complications relating to the baby and myself. 9 months later after lots of preparation I was having another baby and we were again told there were serious risks with the baby and were given a list of possible outcomes. 

I remember sitting in the doctors office thinking maybe Rylan would be our only child. I felt so very grateful for him and my role as a mother, but at the time with all the raw emotion, the thought was heart breaking. I knew I wanted more.

So we prayed and fasted for a miracle and received it in the form of a perfect little red head.

3 and a half years later we felt it was time again to ask for a miracle. Again the doctors monitored us closely with the knowledge that the pregnancy was high risk and there could be complications. Again we were blessed with a perfect healthy baby. 

And here we are again. Praying for another miracle.

I remember someone I worked with at the gym saying to me, 'why would you EVER risk having more children when you know something could be wrong with the baby??' I thought about this for a long time. "Maybe we are asking too much?" "Maybe we should just be content with the children we already have".......lots of thoughts like this floating around. Lots of prayers offered to know the answers.

While in the temple that same week I had the strongest impression that "there is a spirit waiting for you, and it's ready to come NOW".

And then a  friend of mine had a baby with down syndrome. When I first met this beautiful little girl it was like her little spirit spoke directly to mine. I was so overcome with emotion and I knew in that moment as I looked at this precious baby, that regardless of 'high risk' factors and 'possible' outcomes, there was a baby waiting to join our family. We just had to trust, have faith and be prepared.

The above quote was a beautiful reminder that through believing and acting, miracles happen. Everyday. Even when we think they are impossible. Sometimes we just have to wait longer than we'd like to receive them.

5 weeks 1 day. I think I feel ready :) 

Sister love

I couldn't help myself! Here's a few more pics from our sisters retreat family shoot!

ps) You can check out more of Alana's fantastic photography HERE or HERE!!

Counting down

My baby who is almost not the baby anymore. 

6 weeks to go. And counting.

Sisters retreat in review

Ok so maybe I was a little bit wrong about the sisters retreat being relaxing and an opportunity to catch up on sleep :) We had CRAZY late nights and were out and about doing lots of things!! But sleep deprivation and all, I LOVED it. Every minute. Especially being back in my parents home with my sisters. 

I must admit I love going home to the place where I grew up. There's a feeling I get when I enter that front door that I don't feel anywhere else. A feeling of familiarity that I never tire of. And even though I have my own home now, this place of my childhood and teenager years is also still my home. And I love being there.

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Some of the things that occupied our time.......

We stayed in a gorgeous hotel for a night and had this amazing view from our room. The sunset was gorgeous!

Went out to a delish Japanese restaurant and had sukiyaki ......

and sampled other delicious Japanese cuisine......

gave love to our little nieces and nephews that us Sydney sisters only see a few times a year......

 

stayed up late talking and laughing and doing a fun creative writing workshop......

Had a morning devotional about Motherhood and enjoying our children!

Went shopping.

Had some family photos taken (by my sister'n'law Alana) for my Mums birthday......

And just enjoyed being together!

I'm so grateful I get to call these beautiful women my sisters! How I wish we all lived closer!!

ps) As previously mentioned I was hoping to find my patience while I was away, and i'm happy to report that I did. I was totally patient for the first day of being home ;)

conversations with a 5 year old

 

Z: goodnight Mum

 

M: goodnight Zahnny, love you to 'infinity and beyond'.....

Z: well I LOVE junk food to 'infinity times a billion'

M: Junk food?? What about me??

Z: well I love you um......88.

M: 88??? WHAT???

Z: OK fine then.....I love you to infinity. but not times a billion. 

I guess that's better than 88. Even if he does love junk food more than me :)