from the weekend: baking

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summer pyjamas, thongs with socks, wooden beads
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belated post: the baptism of little sister

a week and a half ago
little sister was baptised
at our church
surrounded and supported
by family and friends.

to little sister, we said:

God has brought you out of darkness
into his marvellous light.
Shine as a light in the world
to the glory of God the Father.
God has called you into his Church.

We therefore receive and welcome you
as a member with us of the body of Christ,
as a child of the one Heavenly Father,
and as an inheritor of the kingdom of God.

Amen.

singalong

gathered around the piano
we sang and played
as many nursery rhymes
as we could remember.

big sister kept up marvellously;
her language and memory astound me.

singing together
quashed the anger
rising in my chest
after an afternoon
of unreasonable demands.

roly poly

today little sister just does not want to stay on her back.
every time i look away, she rolls onto her belly.
perhaps she heard me tell our neighbour yesterday
that i know i won't be able to leave her
lying on the picnic rug in the yard, while i do my thing outside,
for too much longer once she starts to move.

(is anyone else surprised that i,
who could happily stay occupied inside for the rest of my life,
have a regular "thing" to do outside?
hey, i mow lawns - i'm head gardener at our place at the moment!)

story-telling

this morning i returned
from rocking little sister to sleep
to find big sister reading stories
to her dolly
ahhh, so sweet...

(i'm also enjoying unfettered use of my bedroom
now that little sister has been evicted
for a week of partying between 2-3am.
it's amazing how spacious it now seems
and i'm rediscovering clothes
previously hidden
when the portacot barricaded
our cupboard shut!

big sister was a real trooper last night
while little sister got used
to her new surroundings
for which i am incredibly grateful.)

jolly jumping

it's back for round 2
(along with the chain
suspended from our living room ceiling -
shhh, don't tell our landlord...)

big sister enjoyed helping
by pushing down on little sister's shoulders
so that she bounced like a spring
smiles all round

pake, i hope you'll have that beam ready
for our upcoming visit!

a package

a package arrived this morning
full of goodies
for crafting

big sister was eager to open the box
and discover what was inside

i have plans
for observing advent
and preparing to celebrate christmas
through crafting and baking
giving and story-telling
with my girls

hoping to start a family tradition

5 months

happy 5 month birthday, little sister!

you bring much joy into our lives
we're so glad to have you

commercialisation of children

this isn't my usually blogging style, but i just watched this doco -

http://www.waldorftoday.com/2011/10/consuming-kids-the-commercialization-of-childhood-full-film/

and it made me want to cry, smash our tv and head for the hills! i despair for children (and their parents) that they are being targeted so purposefully, yet with scant regard for what is truly in their best interests, by marketers and companies looking to make profits. i am especially saddened by the growing tendency for children (and all people, really - i know i feel this way at times as well) to define themselves and their worth by the "stuff" they have, and by the increasing use of media (read: tv, internet, smartphones, etc) diminishing children's imaginations. i honestly feel a little scared that this is the type of world my girls are growing up in, and i know that husband and i will have to work hard and make tough calls to protect them as they live in it.

i don't normally get so preachy, though i have held these views for a while, but i've been thinking about appropriate christmas presents for our girls (and feeling a bit sick about it) this week, and was also disturbed that i had to go to 2 supermarkets to find a toothbrush for big sister that didn't have a cartoon character on it (after her last toothbrush fell in the bathwater that little sister had just pooed in...)

what happened to being free to be a child and delight in the world?

this face

this face is driving me to extremes

she has embraced being a two-year-old with gusto
she is passionate, energetic, imaginative
she tells stories, she sings songs
she is a loving big sister and a caring mother to her dolls

sometimes my heart wants to burst through my chest
i am so proud of her and who she's becoming

and sometimes i almost bite through my own hand
so that i don't yell at or smack her
for being an unreasonable, overly-demanding little person
who, through her growth,
shows me where i still need to grow as well

yum yum

little sister's first bite of grown-up food
cucumber - yum yum!

though we're not planning to start little sister on solids for another month
(to reduce the risk of her being digestively-challenged like me)
the intrigue and interest she has started to show when others are eating
is getting a little hard to ignore

reaching

these little fingers
grab everything within their reach
daddy's glasses
mummy's shirt
big sister's nose

and with some determined rolling
they strive for toys lost

she's on the move...

our weekend

our first bus ride, to see fishies (not for eating and sadly no dolphins), turtles, bush rats, snakes, green tree frogs and dragons in coburg on friday;
driving in the car-car to see ducks on lake wendouree and angry, lunch-thieving swans, while (unsuccessfully) hunting for a new home on saturday;
getting lost on the way to a party, celebrating our god-daughter's first birthday, then winning the pass the parcel spoils on sunday;
and enjoying the sunshine with another little friend, whose doppelganger we found at the playground, while being pushed on the swings by some big kids on monday!

p.s. this is what you get when you say, "smile for the camera!" these days.

bye bye spring

so much for celebrating spring...
this is what happened when i had my shower this morning
we really need a higher shelf!

flowers

As flowers turn to face the sun
I turn my life to the light of faith,
the light of hope,
the light of love,
the light of God.
(from the Lion Book of 1000 Prayers for Children)

This book is filled with poems and prayers - I particularly love those about the seasons and the circle of the year. If only we had the space, I'd love to have a seasons table or shelf in our home, where we could display found things, artworks and poems/prayers that reflect the current season. Perhaps next year, when we move somewhere bigger, but for now we can admire these Playschoolesque flowers made by big sister and I - the beginnings of an exploration of spring.

enjoying birthday spoils

a spot of drawing
sitting on three rainbow eggs
birthday fun rolls on

(wow, jc, the haiku strikes again!)

in anticipation of the rain

our footpath artwork
ready for the coming rain
to wash, wash away

(that haiku's for you, jc)

happy birthday big sister

today was party day!
there was much fun to be had:
bubbles...

slides...

drawing...

garbage collection(!)...

and swings...

and after the birthday girl asked to "go home, go home,"
there were lots of birthday books to read!

growth

the party preparations are growing

and so is this girl -
8cm in the past 2 months!
(that's the length of my middle finger -
or "tall man," as he's known to big sister)

it's coming

the little party is coming...
and so is the pre-schooler pickiness!

last week, i helped look after the kids in our bible study group creche
most of the kids are a tad older than big sister
so i took this as an opportunity to glimpse into the future -
a future of, "i want to sit next to...," "i want an orange cup, not a blue one..."
(the kids were really delightful, i'm not meaning to speak ill of them!)

so yesterday, after buying these plates for her party,
big sister said, "want yoghurt on blue plate, mummy"
the future has arrived a little sooner than expected...

crazy morning

surely it was the wind
and not these tasty morsels
that made the kidlets at playgroup
go so crazy this morning...

riding bikes on the farm

hello spring!

our garden is blooming
with the delights of spring

birthday preparations begin

baking cupcakes for playgroup next week
almost stolen off the bench by the birthday girl!

a day of discontent

Today is a discontented day for me, for no real reason. Since little sister's birth, I have struggled to be content with many aspects of my life. Her presence brings me one step closer to the (family) life I hope for, but also somehow illuminates the aspects of our present circumstance that are not part of my ideal. If you pray, please pray that I would be content with what I have right now, remembering that where I am is where God has purposefully placed me, and I am not beyond him here.

Above is a picture of big sister in the midst of a pom-pom making adventure - crafting together is something I look forward to doing more and more together as my girls grow.

Below is a Benedictine prayer recounted in Simon Carey Holt's book, 'God Next Door,' which helps to realign my heart when I'm struggling with discontent.

Lord, this cell is to be my home
May your holy power furnish it
in peace and decorate its four walls
with holiness so that your sacred
presence will also abide here.
Lord, it is not large or grand
but it is to be my living place.
May I find within its close quarters
refreshment and your sacred space.
May your spirit of prayer
be my frequent guest and welcome housemate.
May the spirit of praise
Guide every task and deed performed here.
Lord, this cell will be a place for living,
sleeping, praying; it will be a shrine
and a place for healing.
May my door stand open to all who are in need -
as a sign of the posture of my heart.
May peace, love and beauty flow out from
this cell of mine in all four directions
and up and down.
May your silent echo be heard
by all of those whose lives surround me.
The birds of the air have nests;
Foxes have dens;
May this cell of mine
be blessed by you, my God
as a home for me...
and for you as well.
Amen.

sunny days

from big sister's mouth

said by big sister this evening, without prompting:
"love you daddy. love you mummy. love you (little sister)."
awww...

from big sister's hand

yesterday

yesterday
was a lunch outside day

little sister's first real chance to sunbake

and the first time big sister said,
"i hold sister? i hold sister?"

weekend

this weekend

we went to the zoo
then we had a rest

mummy had an hour out and about by herself
and we had friends over for dinner
then we had a rest

we went to church
big sister proudly wore the crown she made
then we had a rest

alone time

during big sister's afternoon nap
and little sister's bathtime
i get to bond with my new girl

we talk
we smile
we watch each other

precious alone time