42/52 - my happy birthday

Lily

Shimmy, shimmy, little Monkey!

We tried out the local gymnastics holiday program. I have been wanting them to have a go for ages (and Lily has been asking) but the ridiculously high term fees turned me off. When we heard about the (much cheaper) 1.5 hour holiday program, we decided to go check it out. 

The kids looooved it. So much, we did it two days in a row! It was amazing to watch them. For Lily, it was great to build confidence and challenge her physical bravery. For Eli, it was wonderful to see him build focus and perseverance. Plus - super fun!! :) Seeing them - so teeny tiny and so nervous yet brave in this gigantic hall, running around with their separate groups - climbing, bouncing, swinging and balancing, was adorable. They were so independent. Argggh, it pulled on my mama-heartstrings. 

It was a really fantastic experience and they now beg me daily to go back!

Eli

Enjoying his juicy rock-melon. 

(Verrrry juicy - yes, that is all the juice flying at me after he took a very enthusiastic chomp!)

Miles

My little love, inspecting the backyard, surrounded by wisteria petals. 

Project 52: A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2013.

More highlights from the week that was...

The kid's lovely Perth Grandma came back from Adelaide with us. Literally within 2 minutes of walking in the door
(late at night after being away) Eli was asking her to read him a story!! :)

A beautiful birthday surprise... 

It was my birthday just a couple days after getting back from our whirlwind Adelaide trip. With so much going on, I hardly had time to think about it and didn't feel the need to do much. Just chilling out at home with my family was good for me after all that gallivanting!

Well, I walked into our home late at night after flying in from Adelaide and discovered this garden bench all set up in the play room! A very cheeky surprise gift from my wonderful parents. I have been dreaming for ages of a garden bench for the backyard. Somewhere to sit and watch the kids play, to drink a morning coffee in the sunshine, to sit and natter with friends while the kids run wild on playdates. Isn't it gorgeous! It even has little 'side tables' that pull out where I can rest a cuppa. Perfect :) I was so shocked that they sneakily got it for me and it is so much nicer than I ever imagined. It has already become a staple of the home, the perfect spot to sit and think/pray/read/sip tea/chat etcccccc! The kids love sitting and eating out there too. Love it. Thanks Mum and David! xx :)

Sticking pins in the pin holder together :)

Lily was setting the table for my birthday dinner, including a rather extravagant flower display...
(the four little vases were all picked and set up by her, heehee!) . She was so intent on making my birthday dinner special, bless her little cotton socks :) Such a thoughtful girl with a clear sense of occasion!

My darling husband surprised me on my birthday with these gorgeous ceramic tealight candle holders I had spotted a while back and fallen in love with. I am not usually into nick-nacks but I do looooove these!
They sit cosily on my kitchen window sill.

Three Little Houses. Burning bright from the lights within. They remind me of the three little treasures I am so blessed to raise... they are their own little people, with their own
special lights burning from within. God made them who they are, and my job is to help them shine His light and love as best and brightly as they can.  These little houses remind me of my noble task, and reminds me not to quench that light. They make me smile every day :)

Can't help posting more. Cos.... PRETTY :)

Watching them brought back so many memories of when I did gymnastics for as a little kid. Still remember my beam routine ;)

Swinging on the rings was a highlight - as well as jumping into the foam pit!

What?? Do I have something on my face or something?! Eating outside (and getting messy with pasta) for our Small Group dinner :)

When Lily is in school, we enjoy quiet days together. My little 'extreme extrovert' flourishes under the one-on-one attention. A simple morning tea on my (beloved, frequently used already) garden bench, snacking on rockmelon and
capsicum and chit-chatting with my little dude. 

Totally in the zone. 

This is his Presidential pose. 

Early morning brotherly conversation. Excuse the blurriness! They were having a nice long chat, I grabbed my camera and of course only got one blurry snap before Eli took off! It was a cute moment regardless :)

What are they doing, you ask?? Well, it was time to use a tray of nutrient-rich castings from the worm farm on the garden. Although in theory the worms should all happily crawl to the next level up when one tray is full, our worms must be super lazy and would not, no matter how enticed them with delicious food scraps on Level Two. So we had a delightfully messy and grubby afternoon sorting the worms from the castings and putting them in their new home. The kids loooooved it. Digging around, finding wiggly worms, sorting worms from castings - good times. Definitely one of those times I worked on not projecting my own 'ick' feelings about something on the kids, who without such influence thought it was just a super cool thing to be doing :) Good for kids to get their hands dirty, I say!

'Another one! I found another one!'

dig dig dig

A new friend, haha. And yes, they used their hands plenty too. Gotta get a little down and dirty! A good soapy
wash afterwards and all good :)