At a glance {2012}

This little one is totally the biggest blessing of 2012

It's been quite a year. Here are some highlights.

We went to Canberra with the besties. We went to Thredbo for a triathlon training weekend. We walked up Mt Kosciusko. I fell pregnant. I did the Australia day aquathon. I went back to work. H-bomb turned one. We had a party at the beach. I made my first kids birthday cake. I did a triathlon in Huskisson. I craved cheezels and ate a box a day. We went to Cooma and met out new nephew and played with cousins. We went to Sydney, stayed at the intercontinental. J did a triathlon in Sydney Harbour. We put in a feature wall in the dining room. We had a family photo shoot. I went to Berry with my bestest girls for the weekend. H-bomb learned to walk. We hired a beach house in Currarong for a week. I finished work. I took up blogging. We had a baby girl. We turned 30. I learnt to sew. J resigned from teaching and took a job at Lighthouse Church. We got ready for Christmas. J broke his jaw and went to hospital. We had Miss R's first Christmas. 




2012 has been amazing. Besides these 'big events' there have been plenty of memorable daily events. God is good. Bring on 2013. We are believing for bigger and better next year. 

Praying your year is a year of significance and growth x

Chairlift at Thredbo with the besties

Huskisson

H-bombs first birthday. Photo's by Siannon

Wally the whale cake

Berry with the girls

Thankful

Hmmm, so this was not the post I had hoped to write. I had grand plans to blog about Christmas, about things I have been making and baking and to finish Miss R’s birth story.

How quickly life can change. How quickly our priorities and perspectives can shift. Things that seemed important a few days ago no longer seem so pressing.

I heard the crack. From my seat on the sidelines. A sickening thud in my stomach. Please no, don’t let it be him. His long socks gave him away. Doubled over, clutching his face.

It seemed to go in slow motion. He remained calm. His team were none the wiser; “a fat lip” someone commented. I knew. Knew it was bad. Knew we were off to emergency. Knew that in that one second all our plans had changed.

A broken jaw. A stay at St. George Hospital. Surgery. A wired jaw.

Our gorgeous girl keeping Dad company in hospital

Still, I am ever so thankful.

Ralph, the man in the bed across from J. He was on a bus, heading home. A truck slammed into that bus. Ralph is now blind and paralysed. A few of his mates came to visit. They had to feed him. He needs help with every task. Ralph’s life will never be the same again.

The man in the bed next to J was in a car accident. He has severe injuries. He was driving and his wife was the passenger. She is on another ward and comes in to see him many times a day. They will spend this Christmas in hospital.

There are countless other stories like that in every ward of that hospital.

I also think of Newtown Connecticut. Of everyone one of those families that is mourning the loss of a son or daughter. Whose Christmas’ will never be the same again.

We have so much to be thankful for.

Thankful especially for all our wonderful friends and family who have been so supportive. Who have left bags of sustagen on our balcony, looked after children, bought me meals or prayed with us.

In six weeks times the wires will be off, we will go back to normal life. Life is so short, so fleeting and it can change in a heartbeat.

I know this Christmas I am not taking things for granted. I am squeezing my babies more often and just a little tighter, telling those I love that I love and appreciate them, making the most of every opportunity to tell people of the freedom and hope that there is Jesus. But most of all, I am thankful that I can stand on the promise that God will use this for my (our) good.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT)

Yep, He can even use a broken jaw for our good.

What are you thankful for this Christmas?

Home Sweet Home {Birth}

 It’s a lovely Thursday and your brother is with Nanny again (thanks so much Mum – you’re the best). I am sitting here gazing at you. You are exactly two months old today and growing more beautiful everyday.

Now seems like a good time to remember and record that amazing day.

*Warning: longish post (you’re probably gonna need a cuppa).

For this reason I have decided to split it into two parts, no one has time to read for hours (and believe me, when it comes to birth, I can talk for hours).

This photo was taken at 10pm the night before you arrived.
I remember asking J to take it 'just in case' tonights the night.

Part 1:

Miss R, my gorgeous, longed for, little girl; this is the story of your ‘birthday’.

I had felt sure that you were on your way everyday for at least two weeks before you decided to arrive. Everyday, usually at around 4pm the contractions would start. Sometimes regular, sometimes painful, always exciting. Some afternoons I would take a shower in the hope that things might either settle down or ramp up a notch. Most days this would be all it took for the crampy sensation to disappear, other days the contractions continued into the night. I would toss and turn as much as a heavily pregnant woman with a crook hip could do, surrounded by an embarrassing amount of pillows and heat packs!

For some reason, deep down, I knew each time wasn’t the real deal. I knew however that all this stopping and starting was not in vain…my body was simply getting ready, preparing for the actual event.

Wednesday 3^rd October

I won’t lie Miss R, we were so keen to meet you but I guess I was also holding back a little. My midwife, the lovely Christina had been overseas for the last 6 weeks and was due to arrive home on Friday.  She felt like part of our family. I wanted her to be a part of your birth. Anyway, I had held on this far; what were a few more days. We had a midwife appointment on Wednesday. Ceri offered to do an internal so we could see if all the pre-labour had resulted in any dilation. I declined, knowing that internals can sometimes trigger labour and besides, I was pretty sure the pre-labour was working. She also gave me the bad news that Christina had been very sick on her holiday and she was not sure whether she would be ok to come straight back to work.  We made an appointment for Sunday for an internal if things hadn’t progressed by then.

Thursday 4^th & Friday 5^th October went much the same as previous days. I am so extremely thankful for the timing of this little one. J was on school holidays and was extremely helpful, taking over most of the care of H-bomb (when he wasn't attending to my needs!). 
On Thursday, J needed to go into work and get some things prepared for his up coming paternity leave. In a moment of irrational 'I don't want to be by myself today' meltdown, H-bomb and I decided to go down too. We set ourselves up in a classroom with a heap of craft supplies and got busy making stuff. That was before he got all cuddly and wanted to snuggle up with me. Wasn't long before he fell asleep, all cosy with the bump. He must have known that things were about to change! (and was possibly a little sick, but cuddles are cuddles - I'll take them any way they come!)

Contractions continued.  We had my bestie prepped and ready to be our wingman and take the H-bomb if the timing worked out. 
This was our correspondence Friday night…

She was definitely on the money!
Part 2 coming soon...

Thirty While Thirty

I am a sucker for lists…

I enjoy making goals.

I love New Years and making plans for the following year.

Love to feel like I am achieving things.

I have been known to time myself to do the weekly grocery shop just so I have a time to beat the following week. Over-achiever? Yep.

So here’s my newest list. Instead of thirty things to achieve before turning 30 (oops, missed that one), I am doing thirty things I want to do while I’m 30.

Our joint 30th Birthday

The awesome cake made by my gorgeous & extremely talented Sister

This year from October 2012-2013, I am writing down 30 things I would love to do. The timing of turning 30 also coincides with my (our) desire to start living a more simple and sustainable life, so you will notice a definite theme to my list!

I won’t bore you with all thirty but here are a few (in no particular order).

* Learn to use the sewing machine that my parents gave me for my 30^th. For this to be a ‘smart’ goal I guess I should add ‘and make something useable.’

* Bake a loaf of bread from scratch

* Make sushi

* Go completely natural with all cleaning products. Since having H-bomb we have stopped using chemicals such as spray and wipe and bleach and instead have made concoctions using vinegar, bicarb and lemon juice. I would like to try making my own washing powder and carpet cleaner, to name a few.

* Make a ‘15min’ and ’30 min’ Jamie Oliver meal and actually make it within that time!

* Run a half marathon.  The plan is the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July 2013.

* Learn to crochet & make something (hmmm, who out there knows how to do this and could teach me? If only I had paid attention when my Grandma tried to teach me!)

* Make a will (oops, been on my list for so long now)

* Finally crack open the pasta maker that my sister gave me and make a batch of fresh pasta

* Bake a pie of some sort from scratch…I’m thinking lemon meringue or good old apple. The thought of making pastry scares me somewhat!

* Compete in the Australia Day Aquathon and the Husky Enticer Triathlon (and try and beat my times from last year)

* Stop striving to change my character flaws an relax in God’s grace that I am already ‘enough’ (listen to this awesome message by my good friend Katie if I can’t remember what I meant by this point.)

* Learn how to make macaroons

* Get back to pre-baby shape (may not be achievable if I am successful in my attempts with the previous goals to bake pies and macaroons!)

* Sell something I have made (eBay/etsy/markets etc.)

So there it is, hold me to it. Some may be re-visited and changed slightly but as of today, this is the list. I better get to it, only 325 days left!

Ps. Couldn't resist adding the photos of H-bomb devouring said awesome cake!  Best afternoon of his life!

      

Treasures

I was inspired the other day after reading some other blogs, to find some vintage fabric. To make something. Not sure what yet.

So, a trip to Salvos {my happy place} was on the cards.

I was lucky enough to have my sister pop over for a few hours, so I left her with the babes and ducked out.  Signs greeted me at the door that indicated that there would be a 50% sale off everything tomorrow…what!! Is there anything better!?!

Needless to say that trip became a reconnaissance mission, scoping out the bargains to come back the next day.

And so off we went. No car today so packed up the pram for the 20min walk there and back. 
(Justified the spending as technically it constituted my exercise too!).

Here’s some of the treasure we found…

Vintage pillowcases

Will post more on this soon...

Have a weakness for cute crystal things

Great big rolling pin!

A vast array of 'Sprout' girls clothes in great condition

Beautiful prints for Miss R's room

Some new toys & books for H-bomb

More frames to do some wall art for Miss R's room

H-bomb pretty pumped with the stash!

What a great trip. Well worth the walk up the massive hill on the way home with a very loaded up pram!

Today

Hello sweet baby girl…how I love precious days like today.

Your big brother is with his Nan and your Daddy is at work.

We have no plans, no interruptions.

Just you and me.

I love having the time to just sit and look at you, to photograph you, to breathe you in, to talk to you.

 I have spent time this morning praying for you. For the woman you will be, the friends you will have, your future. Praying that your daddy and I will be given wisdom to know how to bring you up, guide you and love you better.  Praying you will know what it is to walk in freedom. To live completely free in Christ.  To be secure in who you are and who He made you to be.

You have an amazing future ahead of you gorgeous girl. So glad God chose me to be your Mummy xx

{These Days}

These days are flying by so quickly.  Miss R has been in this world of ours for 26 days now – time really does fly when you’re having fun!

These days, my days are spent having sweet baby girl cuddles then big boy play dates. Train sets, bubbles & playdoh have become the day’s agenda.

These days, sleep is snatched whenever possible & my bed often shared with an extra little one.

These days seem to be over so quickly. Soon my babies will be big. I want to cherish these moments.…the sleepless nights, the milky baby smell, the snuggles in bed, the tiny jumpsuits & teaching the concept of ‘gentle’.

These days, the housework is set aside, the meals are quick (& usually frozen) & the coffee reheated many times.

These days, I’m so extra grateful for my husband. For keeping me company in the middle of the night & for picking up the slack around the house.

These days, God is speaking to me about vision & the future.  Shifting my focus from people, possessions & problems to a fresh revelation of who He is.

These days…oh so precious & amazing & new & different.

I am so very grateful for every one of them.

It's a girl...

Wowzer, what an amazing three weeks we’ve just had.

Both J & I turned thirty AND we had a baby. Life is sweet!

I know, I know…this post is a bit delayed. Ive had one swirling around in my head since she was born but funnily enough the time to sit in front of the computer has shortened considerably.

Introducing Aurora {Rory} Kate 

(who will prob be referred to as Miss R in future posts)

Born at home on the 6^th of October at 8:04am. The birth was absolutely incredible. I do plan to blog about it in the next few weeks.

Here are a few shots of the last three weeks...

Helpful big brother (most of the time)

Family cuddles in the morning

Rory's present to H-bomb

This post would not be complete without a special mention to my amazing BFF, an above and beyond kinda friend. The transition to my new family life the last couple of weeks has been made so much easier by her thoughtfulness, generosity & support. Thanks for putting your families plans on hold to be around to look after H-bomb while we had Rory, thanks for making bagels and tea for me (and my midwives), thanks for all your grocery shopping, for your countless homemade meals (which are both yummy & nutritious!), for lending me your daughters hand me down clothes, for always being up for a chat, for being the kind of friend who leaves homemade white choc and macadamia biscuits at my front door, for listing eBay items for me and even making appointments for me when I complain I don't have time to make a phone call! 

The amazing BFF & my babies

I love you matey, blessed to do life with you xx

{Preparing My Heart}

There has been a fair bit of nesting going on in my house the last 2 weeks. I’ve been working through a massive to-do list that I felt had to be completed in order for this baby to be born (which of course, is complete nonsense; the Tupperware cupboard being organised is not a general requirement from newborn babies!).

These last couple of days though I have felt myself turn more inward. Turn off the external and start focusing on the birth itself. Preparing my heart for this massive event and the changes that ensue. While nesting is an important part of getting the house physically ready, making sure my heart and spirit are emotionally switched on is even more essential.

For me, this means spending time with God, reading His word, telling Him my fears and praying specifically over every aspect of the birth.

I've gotta be honest, in the natural I can tend to be an anxious sort. Worrying myself into some sort of frenzy. In addition to that I have a relatively low pain threshold. I will cry if I bump my head or stub my toe and/or lash out at whatever caused the pain. These two factors combined could make for dire outcomes in the birthing arena...in the natural. 

Luckily (for me and J) I believe in the Supernatural - nope, not the weird alien type but the powerful God type. The type that believes that there is amazing power in prayer and refuses to believe in random chance and coincidences.

Promises...

Here are a few thoughts about preparing my heart:

* The Bible tells me repeatedly that I can and should pray specifically over issues. This means I can talk to God about every aspect of birth and labour. Tell God what I need, what I fear and how I am feeling.

John 14:12-14 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

1 John 5.14-15 - “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

* Fear hinders the birthing process in an amazing array of ways. Be informed. In this case, ignorance is not bliss. Know what is physiologically happening in your body and what happens when fear gets involved. I know I need to spend time processing what it is that I fear and lay it down before God. I need to spend time meditating on what God says about fear. He is faithful to replace it with a crazy amount of peace. A couple of my favourite verses are below:

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (NLT)

2 Timothy 1:7  - “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

* Finally, I need to examine my heart and ask God to show me any areas where I might be trusting in my own strength and not His.

I spent time preparing my heart in the days leading up to H-bomb's birth and can thoroughly recommend it. I can clearly see His hand over every aspect of the labour/birth/breastfeeding/sleeping journey etc.

Are you pregnant? Preparing for birth? Can I encourage you to seek God about every aspect of your labour. Tell Him your requests and believe in Faith that he hears you.

This does not mean that God can be turned on and off like a tap. 

God is and will always be absolutely sovereign. 

But he wants us to come to him with our requests, as children do their fathers, and like our earthly fathers, it is His pleasure to grant our requests subject to his purposes and knowledge of what is best for us.