today

today we had a lovely time babysitting our little friend
missy was very excited to have her visit
(and sobbed when it was time for her to leave)

today dolly became known as "baby"
with no prompting from me
"baby" got a new nappy
and a loving cuddle

today i have surprised myself
i didn't think i was that kind of girl
the kind that puts pictures of her underwear on the internet
but here they are...

i laughed so hard
my neighbours must have wondered
what on earth was happening

daddy!

"daddy!"
she shouts it with such excitement at the end of each working day
it makes me smile every time

here they've traded places
miss on the outside, daddy on the in
but the fun of discovering the one who's been absent
is just as strong

happy birthday

thank you family and friends for your generous celebration of my birthday
it has been thoroughly lovely

hey baby: only 7.5 weeks til your birthday
(unless you're like your sister...)

down time

i've needed down time these past few weeks
my energy levels ebb and flow
and i'm still learning how to stop before i go too far

things have changed for missy
no more child care or twice-weekly play-days with our little friend
now we rest at home more, together
reading books, climbing on furniture, riding to the playground

miss gave me an early birthday present today:
a very refreshing afternoon nap
(she climbed onto the couch herself and fell asleep
while i was resting in my bed and hoping she'd ask to join me)

doing the strut

doing the strut in her tutu shorts
our faces grace the blog again

the past two weeks

baas, beautiful roses and a mansion in werribee
our nectarine harvest
new tricks
tantrums in public
lunches with friends
making a banner for a new church
organics from the market
a haircut for miss
homemade icypoles
8:30pm bedtimes for me
stronger movements from no.2
nesting - readying the baby clothes
grateful for our fan
telling school goodbye - too tired to teach
studying the bible with other women
avoiding the computer...

afternoon tea for two

our little friend was back today
she stayed close by while missy ran wild at the park
two 16-month-olds to one (pregnant) parent = a major challenge
utmost respect to parents of twins...

our powers combined

12 coloured crayons
missy's new favourite past-time
together we make beautiful cards
to bless others

so lovely to be in cahoots
with my 16 month old accomplice

fresh eggs

fresh eggs
all shapes and sizes
from chickens that have names

generously given
in a bag smelling of fresh basil
from a friend's bountiful garden

makes me wish to have such a garden
and such a way to bless others

more pleasant than i imagined?

new beds
sometimes you sleep in them
sometimes you don't

maybe sleeping on a mat at childcare yesterday was more pleasant than i imagined?
a + 2 and a half hour nap says yes!

(btw, if you zoom in on the photo, you can see missy's morning encounter with a purple whiteboard marker)

becoming known

hey baby...
you're really making yourself known now
heard your heart beating again today
so strong

things are changing here
we're getting ready for you
big sister sleeps in a bed now

the lady in the supermarket thinks you are a boy
will you prove her right?
God already knows...

16 weeks to go...

janome mylock 204d

sweet janome mylock 204d,
how you make my heart sing!

with your perfectly rolled hems
you will cover over my unsteady cutting

and so reasonably priced!

we will make many a creation together
if husband can stand my gushing...

shades of blue and green

from colour-sapping white to a brightening teal
thank-you rit...
oh, shades of blue and green
how i love thee
almost as much as missy loves her bike

new year 2011

eating strawberries
chasing nan's cat
swimming
watching butterflies and dragonflies
reading stories
bike-riding
building and destroying sandcastles
time with family
new year 2011

christmas 2010

running
shouting at birds
feasting
patting kitties
surrounded by family
kookaburra's laughing
drawing
sleeping
christmas 2010

playing in the rain...

here's how we've been coping with the rain in the past little while:



take care,
em

cheers God, life is good...

yesterday was the last day that i'll be looking after our little friend this year. the girls will spend friday together before really going their separate ways until school starts again, but they're really going to miss each other. it's been beautiful watching them grow and now play together - many "cheers God, life is good" moments, just like this one:



take care,
em

hello baby...

hello baby, so lovely to see you today, can't wait to meet you:



take care,
em

buttons, buttons, everywhere...

this morning i finished sewing the last button onto my advent calendar - now all i need to do is attach the pockets to the backing and it'll be ready to hang by december 1st!



it feels like buttons are everywhere at our house - this morning i found one in missy's dirty nappy! whoops...

take care,
em

new ways of dining...

this week i've been able to spend more time with my sewing machine, which has been so lovely. below is another crayon roll, but this time it's a gift for a friend to give to a child from her mum's group:



i enjoyed the process of refining my design (by adding an extra embellishment across the pockets and using a ribbon instead of buttons for tying it up), but got the most blessing from being able to support K in this crafty way.

during the past few days we've started dining in the beautifully communal way husband's family (both here and in friesland) do - with dishes and pots clustered in the centre of the table, for serving straight to plates as everyone sits together:



i want this to become our family way of dining - to practice sharing, serving one another, being generous and gracious and considerate of others. i look forward to seeing the beauty of this approach grow as our family grows.

finally, missy has been making some dining progress of her own - expanding the definition of finger foods to include things that i consider spoon foods, like hommus:



(i am okay about the mess, i am okay about the mess, i am okay about the mess...)

take care,
em