Blogg-ed Issue

Did you know Jos is six months already!  Six months!  I know it is completely cliche to say, but time just goes so fast.  I don’t know where the last six months have gone.

To celebrate turning six months we’re pretty sure Jos is teething.

(ps the photo is a bit starker than reality)

In other news…

Cayley likes cream cheese.  I have to get a video of her saying this.  It is hilarious.  I didn’t know that four words (I like cream cheese) could be said with so many variations in tone and expression.

Tonight she also announced to Brett, “I’vefinishedIloveyouCanIhavesomesweets.”  Subtle.

Elisha has brought his portfolio home from kindy and is totally loving showing it off to all and sundry.  He’s also totally smitten with Where’s Wally (or Waldo depending on where you are).

The last eight weeks we, as a family, have been going through the rigors of an elimination diet, trying to determine a few different things.  Speaking for myself, it has been really tough.  Speaking for everyone else, it’s not only been tough but bland.  Mum A calls it the extermination diet.  She’s not far off the truth.

For the last eight weeks my mind has been very consumed with thoughts of food.  Not very interesting food, but food nonetheless.

At the same time I have been listening to a series on Titus 2 : 1-5 (I’ll put it at the end of the post if you’d like to read it) from Revive Our Hearts Radio.

It has been an interesting, sometimes overwhelming combination.  In the last eight weeks of being on the diet I have prepared almost every meal we’ve eaten, when we go out I need to think ahead and take food with me, Elisha has had two birthday parties to attend which I prepared food for, a special morning tea at school, church every week, various other gatherings…

In that same eight weeks I have had a husband recuperating from knee surgery and then working quite a few extra hours on a journal paper, a baby who is feeding multiple times a night (working on that one at the moment!), everyone getting a cold… twice!… everyone getting gastro…

At the same time I have been trying to love my husband and children… be busy in the home… serving my husband and children with love and joy, not mindless mechanical duty.

It has been a battle and much food (ha ha) for thought.

I want my family to know that I do the things I do not only or primarly because they need to be done, but because I want to show them that I love them.  It doesn’t mean that sometimes doing the same thing over and over (and over and over and over…) isn’t boring but I’m learning it’s not the doing it’s the how I’m doing the doing.  It’s early days in this new thinking and I reckon you could say there’s been some testing, some walking through the fire and flood!  But He has called me by name.  He knows me.  He is with me.  He will not leave me.  He loves me.  And that is everything!!!

Brett has finished his journal paper for work and is taking a week off.  I’m looking forward to some relaxed family together time.

¹ You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. ² Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

And Jos has discovered his toes!

I am so thankful
* for my children, they’re unique personalities, and the gift of watching them grow
* my husband, I love him today more than ever
* my camera, to be able to capture a small part of these memories
* craft a creative outlet
* my home a place for fun, relaxing, family, friends…

Just been going through some old photos and came across this little video clip of Elisha.  It is too cute.

It is hard to believe he has grown so much since then. I need to get another camera with video so I can catch these moments with Cayley and Jos.

Or is that UP on the farm?

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about the farm.  We have been to visit, but I don’t think I’ve ever written about it again.

Brett has just finished a VERY busy time at work and we decided to get away for a few days (and use up some of the time he could have off for the extra hours he worked).

I had great fun playing with the camera (and teaching Brett a bit about how to use it too).

A ‘bully’ ant.

He was rather large.

I also have a photo of a rather large orb weaver, but thought I better not put that one up in case it freaked someone out!

Think this is my favourite photo from the whole weekend.

I had a lot of fun over the weekend looking in the shed for things to take photos of.

And outside too.

Pig melons, paddy melons… whatever you call them…

… there was no shortage of them.

I tried taking a few shots of the kidlets, but they weren’t being overly co-operative.  And yes, I admit to dressing Cayley (aka Cayley-Lou) for the occasion.

Ooh, I just love this face!  I could eat it up!!!

Lots of interesting finds in and around the shearing shed.

I even played with manual focus a little.

Lara turned 30 on Saturday.  She celebrated with a Hollywood party.

What do you think?

We won the Loscar for best costume… Just call us Bob, Helen, Dash, Violet and Jack-Jack.

This is what we were all doing this afternoon when I decided to get the camera out and take a few pics…

Elisha was sitting on one side of the dining table doing one of his pirate puzzles.  Actually, this particular puzzle has a bit of a story behind it.

We were op-shopping one day, I was looking for a chest of drawers, and as we were leaving yet another store without success in our mission a lady was dropping things into the donation bin.  I noticed that she held onto a box, changing her mind about giving it away.

Imagine my surprise then, when she came over to us and asked if ‘my boy’ would like a puzzle.  It was quite appropriate that it was a pirate puzzle too, given that both Elisha and myself had pirate themed birthday parties in 2008.

He loves doing puzzles and has quite a few.  This one he can do by himself.  He likes other people to join in, but watch out if you put too many pieces together, or do the pieces to quickly for his liking!

On the other side of the table I was writing out thank you cards for gifts, meals and help we’ve received since Jos arrived.

I’m about half way through.  We’ve been so blessed since Jos’ arrival.  Church members have been providing us with three meals a week and it has just been wonderful.  We have really appreciated it so much.

My friend Fiona, her daughter and I made these cards one night with a bit of a production line going.  Fiona found the design on Kristina Werner’s blog I believe.

On the couch Brett was recuperating.

He’d just come home from being out for a coffee.

No comment.

Actually, truth be told it was pretty hot outside, and he was cooling off rather than recuperating.

Jos was in his rocker…

… sleeping and looking adorable as he does.

No photo of Cayley from this particular moment, because she was in her room, in the port-a-cot, sleeping.

Later when she got up she read Jos a book.

One of her favourites, ‘Found You Little Wombat!’

A little bit later again and Elisha and Cayley were doing some of this