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…

Took some photos of the kiddies for Mum A for mothers’ day. The children were not very cooperative at all!

Also didn’t have the camera settings quite right and everything came out very blue, have had to fiddle with the photos a lot.

Here’s the best of the many many many that I took. And yes, I did try to get a photo of the three of them together, but they did not work at all!

Here’s an original untouched group shot, just to show you how bad it was!

Happy Mothers’ Day to both our mums.  We love you both, and really appreciate everything that you have done and continue to do for us.  We pray God’s richest blessings to you.

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.

We did something a bit different for Easter this year.  Or maybe that should be I forced everyone to do something a bit different for Easter this year.

First, we got together on the Saturday, not Friday or Sunday

Second, I only put on sandwiches for lunch.  No big spread.  Nice sandwiches, but just sandwiches.  Oh, and hot cross buns (of course)!

Third, we invited a couple of extra people – Aunty Kathy and Uncle Peter

Fourth, no one was getting away with being a wall flower, not even me!

We made Easter Bonnets!!!

I do have more photos of people wearing their bonnets, but I wasn’t too sure how everyone would feel about the photos being out there for the whole wide world to see!  So (parents) if you’re happy for me to put you out there, let me know!

We also had an awesome Easter Egg hunt, but I think we’ve already got enough photos.

Thanks to Skip to My Lou for the table setting printables, and LottieLuLu via Crafty Crow for the bonnet inspiration.

Little Jos is discovering his hands at the moment.  I love the way that he stares at them in complete amazement when he manages to get them in his line of sight and hold them there.  He also tends to be a bit cross eyed looking.

***

Nan: What does an elephant do?
Cayley: Elephant blows his trumpet
Nan: *Laughs… a lot!*

***

Praying for Stellan.  And for Lusi, can’t wait to meet your new little girl Lus.

***

Thankful

* For a short nap today.
* For being able to recognise that I was behaving about as maturely as my children, and being able to apologise to them and get over it!
* For lunch with Nan and Pop and Aunty Cathy
* For dinner with Gran and Opa and the clan
* For Nan and Pop babysitting so I could go to the housewarming with Brett.
* For quiet cuddles with Jos during worship today.

***

Made a couple of cards this weekend too.