MUSIC | three sisters

"Where words fail, music speaks." - Hans Christian Anderson

 I've heard it said many times, that music is the song of the heart!

When I hear my girl playing her harmonica for days on end, or when her brothers play the piano (especially without complaint :), it is joyful to my soul!! And I feel my heart singing right along with them!

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ABOUT three sisters.  We are 3 sisters who share a love of all things photography and documenting our families.  On the last day of each month we have started a blog circle, where we each post a photo with the same theme, then share our images! May's theme -  Music! 

Find Melissa and her beautiful photography blog HERE

And Fiona (of the amazing photography duo Deep Grey) HERE

Beautiful lengths!

There's a little boy in Jasmin's class at pre-school that has Leukemia (can you even imagine?). He's 4 years old. He's been away from pre-school this year because of chemotherapy treatments and has just recently returned. Today he wasn't at school and Jasmin worried that he wasn't there. "Isaiah wasn't at kindy today. Maybe he's sick again...".

Words like Leukemia and topics like cancer are really big concepts for little people. Before Isaiah returned to Kindy, Jasmin's class watched a puppet show organised by camp quality. It's peformed at schools where students are affected by cancer to help the other little people around them understand more. It talks about anti-bullying, cancer treatments and how these treatments affect the little ones on them.

This experience has opened up all kinds of conversations between Jasmin and I. One of those conversations was about people donating their hair to make wigs for people that loose their hair with cancer.

Fast forward a few weeks, and my 5 year old decided that she would cut her long long beautiful hair (that I adore) and donate it HERE in the hopes that it would go to a little girl that didn't have hair. She said she would give it to Isaiah, "But mum. A boy doesn't want a girls long hair wig"!

Despite the fact that Jasmin's understanding of what she has done is really quite limited, I am unbelievably proud of her! It's experiences like this that will help shape her character and who she is as she grows and I imagine that this will become more and more meaningful to her as she gets older and as she comes to understand, just what it means.

She walked in to that hair dresser and shyly told the lady she wanted to cut off her pony tail and send it to someone who didn't have hair. The hair dresser cried. I was teary too. Jasmin sat in the chair and beamed. 

 

She's still beaming about it!

Our new home....take II

So yes. As the title of this post indicates, this is take II of our new home and we are no longer re-locating to Vietnam. If you think you're shocked, imagine how I (we) felt!

The phone call came in the middle of the day just as I had packed the kids in the car and was about to head to MacDonalds (my most detested of all places, but something the kids had begged me for and it was an end of holidays, good behavior reward :).

It was Chad. He had been in Vietnam for almost 5 weeks and we spoke most nights on Skype. Why would he be calling me on the phone in the middle of the day?

In a moment of surprise, my first words were  "What's wrong?" "Are we not going to Vietnam anymore". I didn't really mean it when I said it, but the simple answer was "No. We're not moving to Vietnam".

Despite all the concerns I had about life in Vietnam, in that moment, my heart was suddenly so embedded there (I know. I see the irony :)! and the news was a bit crushing! Not to mention the time wasted on school applications, hours spent at the travel doctor getting immunisations or the last 5 weeks I had been single mothering our children while Chad was in Vietnam in prep for his new position.

But unfortunately the political agenda of Chad's employer takes precedent over what a family of 6 want!

So with all that, we have been offered another 'home'! Initially, based on what I had previously read,  I thought no. But ignorance is bliss as they say, and when we actually started asking questions and speaking to the right people, our answer changed. But not before Chad spent a few days there, looking at accommodation, schools, and getting a general feel for the city we could potentially call home (and blogs like THIS one certainly helped too)!

And so with that, I give you our new, new home.....

Jakarta, Indonesia.

Was there mixed emotions? Yes. Were there lots of questions asked? Absolutely. But just like Vietnam, once the initial shock of it all simmered down, and once we knew a bit more about the life we would potentially be living there, we both feel that this is right for our family. We are again excited for the adventure that lies ahead of us, and like I said here, I can't deny the pull I feel to this part of the world!

Week-Ending

Saturday morning jobs! Oh how I love thee and those magical little lists that children {generally} love to tick off.

 

Why yes. It appears that Rylan did sleep in his school uniform Friday night???? Rest assured Grandma, he did shower on Saturday and put on clean clothes :)

 

One of the benefits of living on the Gold Coast!

Just 10 minutes from our home and because we're local, we score crazy tickets for $39 that allow unlimited entry to 3 different theme parks (until the end of June)!! That's cheaper than a single entry to any one of the parks! Go HERE if you're a local too and want to score a bargain that your kids will squeal over (it also helps them to do their Saturday morning jobs really quickly :)

My own Justice League crew!

Spending time with 'Beep Beep' Grandpa and enjoying ward hopping! 

And finally, watching an amazing sunset at the beach Sunday night to farewell the weekend.

We plan to go back as much as we can before we leave!

Sisters!

Sister love after a little concert of singing and dancing performed just for me.

 

 

How it thrills my heart!

Little Wonders

Without going into the politics of Education QLD (which I am quite passionate about :), In short, If a child turns 5 by June 30, they can attend Prep (first year of school) that year. If their birthday is after June 30, they wait until the following year to start school (which would make the child 5 turning 6 in the first year of school).

If you happen to have a 4 year old turning 5 before June 30, and for reasons other than developmental delays, you think it would be beneficial to send your child to school when they are a little bit older, 5 turning 6, In the public system your child would have to MISS the prep year and go straight into year 1 (crazy! I know).

In contrast, in NSW, if your child turns 5 by July 31, IF they are ready for school you can send them to kindergarten - which is the equivalent of Prep. If as a parent however you feel they are not quite ready for school for ANY reason, you can opt to send them to school the following year - when they are 5 turning 6. As long as they start school by their 6th birthday.

OK this is getting too wordy :)

My point for this little glimpse into the difference between State Education in Australia?

Last year our family was living in NSW. This year we are in QLD and Jasmin, my bright happy 4 year old is directly affected by these 'discrepancies of rules'.

As a parent, after months of thinking/praying/worrying about what the right thing for my girl was, It felt right to wait and send her to school in 2014. When she was 5 turning 6 (do 4 year olds really need to go to school 6 hours a day, 5 days a week?). Have you seen what the kids are learning based on the National Curriculum in Prep now? It is no longer a year of socialisation or a play based curriculum to ease the kids into year 1. It is a foundational year of learning and it is full on (don't ask me how in the world Education QLD think that children can now miss this 'optional' prep year of school?)

It was not easy finding a school that felt right or that would support my decision to 'delay' Jasmin's entry into school (the word 'delay' seems absurd in this sentence, don't you think?), but I managed to find the most amazing school that was happy for me as the parent to decide what was right for my child. Sadly in the public system, this is not an option.

As a result of this, I am now watching this girl of mine thrive in the beautiful Pre-school that she attends a couple of days a week. And I couldn't be more happy that I didn't cave into the pressure I felt to "Just send her to school. She'll be fine. She's ready. You're holding her back".

Sometimes we have to fight for what we think is right for our children. Even if others don't agree with our decisions. Sometimes we have to trust our instinct, and recognise that despite what 'everyone else is doing', we are in fact the experts for our children and know better than anyone else, exactly what they need.

What a gift mother intuition is!

ps) While I don't dispute that some 4 year old children are ready for school and thrive in that environment, I absolutely believe it should be the decision of the parents, based on the individual child and what their needs/capabilities are, NOT by a governing body that oddly seem so out of touch with the fact that NOT all 4 years are ready for school. 

A long time Ago...

A long time ago, back when I was just a young teenager living abroad attending Church College New Zealand, I heard the most incredible song. A song that stirred my soul to its very depths.

It was a song that sung of a Mother and her son. A son who was also the mothers King. Eventually it sings of the mother kneeling by the cross of that very king. 

So on this beautiful Easter Sunday, I share with you the most amazing song {click on the title below}. This is the original artist singing, and I won't lie, it's not quite the same as my Incredibly talented New Zealander friends version :) but it doesn't change the beauty or the significance of the words. 

A Long Time Ago

A long time ago, a mother lay by the side of a tiny King
The wisemen would come, the shepherds kneel,
And the angels in heav'n would sing:
Hosannah! Alleluia! For unto you this night,
A babe is born upon the earth to bring the world His light.

A long time ago, a perfect man walked the shores of Galilee
He taught men of faith, to forgive, to love,
And bade them, 'Come unto me.'
Hosannah! Alleluia! How great were all His days,
For He had come to show to all the strait and narrow way.

A long time ago a mother knelt by the cross of the chosen King
The soldiers were there, men mocked His throne
And the angels wept at the scene.
Hosannah! Alleluia! How much He must have cared
For all our sins He took upon, then hung and suffered there.

And not long ago a mother knelt by the side of her child each night
She taught her to pray, to worship God, and to follow the Saviour's light.
Hosannah! Alleluia! Now when each day is through,
The love I have for Him above, I'll teach my child...to you.

Gethsemane

Golgotha

The Garden Tomb

He is not here. He is Risen!

8 things.

OK. I know this is a bit late (like 5 months late :). But let's just go ahead and pretend that Zahn has only just had his birthday, so I can record some of the things I want to remember about him at this wonderful age...

8 things we love about our newest 8 year old!

1. Zahn is F.U.N.N.Y. He makes us laugh all the time. He often breaks into song or dance and does funny accents (I particularly like his Irish impersonation of "That's not how you make porridge" :)

2. He is methodical!! He loves routine and likes to get things done quickly so he can play when the work is done (most of the time ;)

3. He is a brilliant 'self starter'! This boy is up and dressed and half way through his morning jobs while I'm still rubbing my eyes and rolling out of bed :)

4. He is a such a great big brother, especially to Lily! He entertains her and plays with her everyday. Especially when I need her sticky little fingers occupied while I'm making lunches in the morning, or dinner at night.

5.  He has the most contagious, cheeky smile. He always looks like he's up to mischief, but he's not - it's just the way he smiles. It's hard not to smile when his cheeky face is looking at you :)

6. He is genuinely sorry about things. He apologises easily (to me :) and I know that he means it. He tries hard (really hard) to do the right thing. I often whisper to him 'you are a really good person'. And I mean it, absolutely. It makes him smile.

7. He is a rule follower. Especially at school. He works hard and is a teacher pleaser :). Recently he was awarded with a school medallion for getting 60 merit awards (which is a lot for a student in year 2). When he was first given his certificate, it only acknowledged him for 40 merit awards. We tried to fix this, but the second time he was given the award, it only said acknowledgment of 50 merit awards. Finally he was recognised for having 60 merit awards, but not until the deputy could verify that he had indeed received 60 merits!

8. He is thoughtful!!! He does nice things for people without being asked - for example a few Sundays ago, when Lily was getting restless in church, Zahn quickly drew a picture for her, complete with her favourite little animals that she could colour in and she LOVED it! It was the cutest thing! He often writes cards or little notes and leaves them for people to find - the words are just so sweet (I would share one here, but he would NOT like that :).

Have I mentioned that this boy has been entertaining us since he was born??

In Zahn's baby blessing it talked about how he would be a great comfort to his mother, and how I would find happiness in him. My goodness how these words have proven to be true!!!

 

Happy Birthday 8 year old! You are my light!!!

Spirited

Out and about with my little free spirit.

After weeks and weeks of rain and more rain, the sunshine has finally emerged for more than 5 minutes and my girl who is a lover of all things outdoors has been set free! 

And her scooter riding is no longer limited to the length of our hallways.

Stopping to have a rest on a picnic table...

And then I wishfully think, ooohh good photo opportunity. 

"Lily put your face in your hand like this (I show her the cute little pose I want her to copy :) but this is her uninterested interpretation...

"Show me your happy face......"

"that's not your happy face"...I attempt to make her laugh but she just squishes her face harder :)

and with that I laugh (really. A posed photo. What was I thinking? :) and we play at the park!

 

 

I soak in a rare moment as my independent girl lets me hold her hand. Love!

Happy fleeting days!

A piece of my heart

Of all the things we left behind in Sydney. Of all the places and people that we, I, loved dearly. This place holds the biggest piece of my heart. 

'Mother and Child' intertwined. A bond and love that bridges the gap between heaven and earth. 

My first little flower. 

Because I know the spirit of my child and I know the plan God has for us, I know my daughter is not really there. And the closeness I feel to her when we are there, is brought on only by reflection. Deep heart felt reflection as we tell our children the story of her little life that ended as quickly as it began. And we sing the words to 'families are forever' that I cannot finish. 

As I soak in the voices of my family singing what I cannot, I feel of the privilege it is to be a mother and to have given this little spirit the body that she needed for such a short time. 

   

 

But I miss her. And what could have been. And quiet times of meditation take my thoughts to her and connects our spirits that are separated but for a moment.

And while it was important to say goodbye to this place. To our little one whose body resides there. I  know her spirit soars high. And where we go, I have no doubt, that she will go too.