Weekend Snapshots

Sisters playing

Exploring before the rain comes

Brother teaching brother

Friday night movie night

 

Saturday morning fun 

Afternoon rest for those feeling 'green' ;)

  

Getting ready for the week ahead

 

Preparing dinner for a couple of weeks :)

Baby dinners that is :)

Celebrating THIS wonderful organisation

Sunday afternoon Daddy-daughter cooking

Sunday night family time

Inspiration Board

I know with a title like that it sounds like I'm about to delve into some serious aspirations and how I plan to achieve them, but, I'm not. I'm talking inspiration for a 3rd brithday party here. Serious business I know :)

Before I share some of my favourite party stylers, I'd love to know how my girl has gone from this....... 

 

to this.....

It hardly seems possible that it's been 3 years already.  {sigh}

Anyway, as planning is underway for our little party to celebrate my girl, here's some of the MANY pictures I'm loving and feeling inspired by.....

{Jasmin keeps asking for a "lady bug cake please" so just think red and white for the colours}

I'm pretty sure this one is Martha but I couldn't find the original link for the picture.......

My friend Sally who is a 'Martha' in her own right put on this sweet party for her daughter a couple of years ago - she is amazingly talented (and I WANT that clock on her wall :)  More pics from her party HERE

The food styling master Amy Atlas - oh how I love her clean, straight, white lines (you must check out her eye candy and blog if you haven't already seen them

I LOVE these pics from Alannah Rose but there will be NO fake green grass or florals on our table ;) everything else is gorgeous!! 

Ruki from INVITEDbyRUK Is also AMAZINGLY talented (and happens to be the daughter of the lovely Shamala Maddison if you happen to know her). Here's a taste of what she did for her son's birthday (amazing right!) you can check out more of her gorgeous projects and ideas HERE

 I'm thinking we might take the party to the park again like we did LAST YEAR because it made it SO easy and enjoyable for everyone (read: pregnant.sick.tired. let's go to the park and decorate a table so the 'entertainment' is built in :)

I can't wait to help my girl celebrate her day!!!


POST EDIT - I've had a few people ask about the clock on my friends wall, I'm pretty sure it's from Freedom furniture and it's the Arles clock $129 click HERE to view it otherwise I found another one very similar to it HERE :)

Early morning training

"Excuse me while I do my early morning pushups before I get dressed for the day"..........

Japan

To the country that I dearly love.......

There are no words. My heart aches when I see what has happened to you. What is still happening to you.

Thinking of you and praying for our loved ones on your shores.

Once a month traditions

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At the beginning of last year after making a list of things we could do to make Sundays more meaningful (and not just a day we go to church and don't watch TV) we started having family testimony meetings. I know we are encouraged to bear spontaneous testimony with our children, but as we looked over our list of things we could do, It felt right that something more 'consistent' should be a part of our day. A prompting and an answer to a prayer.
 
Since that time, on the first Sunday of every month we gather together as a family of 6 and share our thoughts and feelings with each other. Feelings about life, each other, all things spiritual and what we know is true.

It has become one of my most looked forward to moments in the month.

We spend about 20 minutes or so 'sharing' and sometimes we finish with Rylan playing a song on the piano while we sing along (something else I completely ADORE :).

Who would've guessed that something so simple would end up being one of my MOST favourite things we do together.

I love to hear the thoughts of our little ones and love to hear them express their love for our family and their simple love for our Savior. I love to hear them try and make sense of what they learn and articulate how they feel. (I especially love hearing the kids help Lily....it always includes how grateful she is for "milky" and how much she loves it....hahahahaha). I love that I get to share in words the things that mean more to me than anything else.  


I love that it is an opportunity to look deeply into each others hearts and understand each other a little more.  To see each other in a different light and be strengthened and uplifted by the things that are said.

I hope that as we share these sacred thoughts with each other it will deepen our relationships. Both spiritually and as a family.

I am SO grateful for Men such as THIS, that counsel us and give direction on how we can be "More diligent and Concerned at Home".


ps) I'd love to hear what things you do with your family on Sundays........
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Organising or Nurturing?

"So many parents today have become better at organising their kids than at nurturing them. Organising is something we do with our brains. It's about finishing homework and getting to soccer or music lessons on time....."

"But with all our organising, have we done enough nurturing? Nurturing is something we do with our hearts as well as our heads. It's about adding the hug to the schedule, the praise to the push, the warmth to the light. It's about noticing who they already are as we help them toward what they can become."

"The worst parenting metaphor we've ever heard goes something like this: "The child is the lump of clay, and the parent is the sculptor." 

"A vastly better analogy is that of a seedling. The tiny green shoots in the greenhouse nursery may all look alike, yet one is an oak, one a pine, one an apple tree. We don't mold them, we nurture them, discovering who they are, learning what they need, providing the individually appropriate amounts of water, sunshine, and fertiliser to help them grow into the best of what they already are."

Except from "The Book of Nurturing, 9 Natural Laws for Enriching Your Family Life"

 by Linda and Richard Eyre

While I've never considered myself a person with a green thumb (just ask the grass in our backyard that WAS lucious and green a few months ago ;), I am slowly working out what these little 'seeds' of mine need. Individually.

I hope as the seasons begin to change, I will continue to learn and know exactly how I can help them bloom where they are planted!

Sunshine

While I will miss the late summer light that streams across our backyard, I can't wait for the colours of Autumn to adorn our streets!!

Ironic

 'Oh this is just shocking. Can you believe what some toddlers get up to mum".........

Oh the Irony..... :)

{Jasmin found sitting on the bench this morning looking at some pictures from "Toddler Taming" saying "uh oh"}

guilty

oh my.

I am guilty of THIS.

I have been asked the very question, "are you listening to me? Is the computer more important than me?" (please tell me it has happened to you too...... :)

My answer was "Of course not". But 'words are cheap and actions are priceless'.

After reading these words tonight, I vow to not let it happen again (OK - I will try my best to not let it happen again ;). Because the people in this picture (oh how I love their little faces :) are the 'things that matter most'!. 

Shining!

This little light of mine........

Shines everyday!!

Before the morning

There are some moments in life that nothing can really prepare you for. Some phone calls that come so unexpectedly and can knock the wind out of you so fast, changing everything in your life in an instant. 

A couple of weeks ago my sister and her husband received a call like this. My Brother in Laws mother, Kay, unexpectedly, without warning passed away. She was family to us and my heart is heavy for those that loved her and those that now miss her.
 
Silent tears flowed as I stood in my kitchen holding the phone looking at the 'thank you' chocolates I had for her that had not yet been delivered. Tears at the realisation that it was too late. Not forever I know. But too late for now. Tears for my brother in law and his siblings. Tears for her husband. Tears for my sister and her sons. Tears for all the unsaid things, and unsaid goodbyes.

When heartbreak like this happens, isn't it true that we resolve to ourselves we are going to make things 'different' from now on. Live life to the fullest, no regrets. Savor every moment. Not waste time on unimportant things because we just never know when this part of the journey could end. But then life keeps moving like a wheel in motion and we, I, slip back into the flow of it. I forget for a while that life is precious and can be taken away at any moment. Sometimes I let things that don't matter, matter.

This time, I'm hoping to hang on to this 'realisation of life' a bit longer and really make things count. 

These words appropriately filled my car that afternoon as I drove home from seeing the 'children' who had just lost their mother..........

"It is but a small moment and this time on earth will pass and we will once again be reunited with those we love that have passed before us"

To my sister and her family. My family. We love you and we pray for you.

 

Reflections and bloggy guilt

While sorting through some pictures of Lily the other day,

I came across this picture of myself in the reflection of the TV cabinet.

Yes. This is how most of my photos are taken. With pictured toddler climbing all over me :)....and the reason for {most} of my blurry pictures ;).

As I laughed at the sight of 'us' and the memory of all the cajoling that went on to keep Jasmin out of the photos, I thought about how sometimes it can be easy to feel frustrated if I try and do 'some things' with little ones around.

But as I've learned and learned and re-learned many times, sometimes it's just easier to put 'those things' aside until later (unless of course it's photographing your baby who is growing by the minute and you don't want to forget one second of it :)

Currently I feel like blogging is one of 'those things'. And while I have 'EXTREME-lack-of-posting-guilt' (oh how it eats me up....do you ever get blog guilt???) I realise that sometimes my retrospective photos thoughts will have to wait. I just hope I don't forget them all before they make it on here :)

{Luckily I take about 2000 photos a month, so If I do happen to forget somethings, hopefully my photos will be enough to jog my memory :}

Last love sentiments

A last look into some of the love shared on heart day 2011.....

We've been doing the 'heart attack' thing for about 4 years now and I LOVE seeing how excited the kids get  and love hearing the kind things they say about each other and themselves! (I especially adore the 'baby' love comments like; "you are the cutest chubba bubba in the world and I want to live with you forever")

Before dinner chocolates and lovely flowers

and the love of two where it all began......

This was my favourite 'gift' :) 

Just don't tell Jasmin it's actually me in the picture not her ;)

A girl and her Valentine

 

You're never too young to receive surprise flowers from someone you love.....

Oh how these photos make me smile!

Heart Day

When Chad and I were in Japan a couple of years ago we noticed that generally couples are not very affectionate in public. (we also noticed that you hardly ever see pregnant woman......we saw about 7 total....but that's another story........)

One morning we were on a train during rush hour and were standing up hoping that eventually we would get a couple of seats cause we had a LONG way to go. While I was complaining we were talking about our hope to get a seat, the person sitting next to us stood up getting reading to leave.  ONE AVAILABLE SEAT. 

We knew if we didn't move quickly the seat would be taken.

So Chad sat down and I sat on his lap. 

We noticed people looking at us, and laughed thinking we were perhaps breaking some kind of 'public code of conduct'. But like I said, one seat. two people. traveling. tired. peak hour. We weren't planning on standing for the whole train ride so decided we were OK with the 'looks' and the possibility of breaking conduct codes.

On the floor next to us was a group of teenage girls sitting in a circle talking excitedly, putting on make-up and being typical young excited girls. (actually they were more excited than typical young girls :)

When I sat down on Chad's lap, after watching us for about 30 seconds this group of girls all started giggling and laughing and making love heart shapes with their hands to each other. One of them looked at me and said in her cute Japanese-English accent "you lub him" and held her hands up to us in a love heart shape. We laughed and they all continued to ooooooooooohhhhhhh and aaaaaaaahhhhhhh and giggle and say "you lub him" while holding up heart shapes to us.

Everytime I think about those cute Japanese girls it makes me laugh and I think to myself, they were right.

I do "lub" him.

Whether you celebrate or not. Happy heart day!!

Faces of a 2 year old

 

Sometimes all I need do is see a picture like this, and I am reminded of how sweet this girl is. Despite her messy 'working in the backyard' hair, and garden dirt on her nose, I see such innocence in her 2 year old face. I see her kind loving heart that she showers on us and moments filled with whimsical laughter and tender kisses.

I could now show some other pictures like THESE ones (the not so happy ones) and talk about the other faces Jasmin shows, but, that's not what this is really about so I won't :)

I recently read a blog post called 'sweet and sour'. It was essentially a mother talking about the extreme behaviours of her child. Sweetest of the sweet, and the "I can't believe you just did that" sour.

It resonated so deeply with me. So often I am amazed at the loveliness of my girl. I watch her and my heart swells with happiness. Other times I feel so frustrated and can do nothing but take lots of deep breaths and remind myself to "keep calm and carry on" (every mothers mantra.....no? :)

It would be easy to say we love our children because they are 'sweet, lovely, innocent, well behaved, 'the perfect child' etc. But that just wouldn't be true. Not for me anyway. While certain behaviours (especially the sweet ones) make some aspects of life easier, that's not the reason why we love our kids. It's not the reason why I love my kids. I love them because they're mine. Because I am their mother. That wonderful relationship that allows such unconditional love, even in the sour moments.

As I sit here looking at Jasmin's little face now (oh how I ADORE this picture), all I see is the extreme sweet side. the "thank you VERY much mummy for my drink" said so angelically it makes my heart burst, and the "you're the best in the world mummy" comments, or the memory of watching her share everything she has in her lunchbox with a little friend at church.

In the words of a woman who is inspiring mothers everywhere, I remind myself that, "this 'two' shall pass". Jasmin won't always be in the middle of the terrible (sometimes-I-cry-all-day) two's. Yesterday was a testament of that. It was a delightful day of no tantrums, no shouting and no crying. She was just happy. It was a lovely reminder that as this little girl grows older, some things will change.  Funnily enough, as I think about that change, I have such mixed emotions. While I like the thought of having less crying in my days (from her that is :) It's sad to think that she won't always be 2, because it's such a CUTE funny age.

I'm so grateful I was able to capture this look on Jasmin's face to remind me of the beautiful little spirit she is and the innocence that is possessed by a 2 year old.