living, loving, laughing...: 20/52 - a mother's day // our way

This week... we celebrated Mother's Day. And so in light of that, I made a request. I really wanted a decent photo with each of my sweet children. A little photographic evidence of the bond I have with them as individuals.

And... I got them. And this made me the happiest Mum around :)

How good God has been to me, to put three healthy, amazing children in my arms. My blessings overflow.

Lily

Eli

Miles

Mark

Of course, my beloved Mark. No fancy portraits but instead a sneaky iPhone double-selfie. We were sitting on the ground, snuggling and sipping our takeway coffee, as we watched the kids scamper around the playground. And isn't that the best representation of this season of life? Just little snatches of moments in the midst of a thousand daily demands from the little people. But - these moments are golden. A precious moment of peace and connection (and caffeine, let's not forget the caffeine) while we walk through these intense yet fleeting 'little years'.

This man made my Mother's day so special. He is solid gold :)

Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2014.

More highlights from the week that was...

We have our own Mother's Day traditions that are establishing over the years. Firstly, our immediate family celebrates on the Saturday, rather than the official Sunday. Radical, huh? ;) Mark always asks me to write out exactly what I want from the day :) Which is usually - a break!! Combined with some sweet family time. So.... I got a blissful sleep in, followed by a parade of excited kids presenting home made gifts and cards, breakfast in bed and then a morning just laying in bed reading and relaxing while Mark looked after the kids and the house. Bliss! We then went out for a yummy lunch together which was really fun as that is something we very rarely do 'just us five'. Then - the afternoon was spent relaxing in our room, free of child and home responsibility. Yeah, it was perfect, basically!

Sunday was for the other lovely Mums in our lives. We spent the morning at church, and calling my beautiful mother-in-law and dear stepmum, then cooked a yummy pancake brunch for my wonderful mum at her place. Later that afternoon, all the extended family met up at the nursing home to spend time with my beloved grandmother. It was, all in all, a wonderful weekend. It works so well for us to have Saturday just for our little clan, relaxing and having fun without the pressure of other commitments or crowds. Then we love having Sunday free to honour and spend time with all the other amazing mothers in our lives. Hooray for a Mothering weekend :) It works for us and I'm so glad this new tradition has evolved over the years.

And so, here are a bunch more photos with my little tribe. Thanks to Mark for taking them, he did a great job, huh!?

Mothering these three - it is a privilege, an honour and a blessing. It is also the most challenging, humbling and refining thing I have ever done. This motherhood gig is full of surprises and one of the greatest is just how much it pushes you in every respect. I am learning more than I teach, I know that much! I am so thankful for God's love, grace and wisdom to lean on, guide me and fill the many gaps along the way. He gives a greater purpose to this journey. I love these three so, so much. I am just grateful for the opportunity to know them and to love them. To have their unflinching love in return is such an honour.

So thankful to have some photos with my kids - and everyone is looking and kinda smiling ;)

You can't have Mother's Day without the mandatory 'all the kids piled in bed on top of Mum who looks like she just
woke up (which she has!). Ahhhh, who cares, the memories are worth it! Just focus on those three little cherubs :)

Cruising on the vintage trike at Mum's house

Lily tenderly strokes and talks to her great grandmother. She is so gentle and caring with her :)

Hide and seek in the gardens at the Nursing Home.

My Mother's Day bounty. Although we usually don't do 'bought' gifts, Mark spoiled me with a gorgeous pair of
Peter Alexander PJs :) Not to mention a flurry of precious home made drawings and cards that the kids worked soooo hard on the night before (with many calls of 'Don't come in, Mum! Don't look! It's a surprise for you!).

I will always smile at the memory of Eli walking around the house the night before, earnestly colouring in the white patches on this box as his gift to me. (It's the empty box of the best garlic crusher in the world btw, lol). In the morning Mark gave him some choccies to put inside so it wasn't just an empty box, but I would have loved it either way. So sweet! He was so excited to 'make' something for me, so I just loved it.

I have for years looked forward to the day when Lily would bring me home a gift from the Mother's Day stall at school. We all know the reputation of the gifts from these things (gaudy!). She was so so so excited and chose very carefully.
I admit I teared up a bit when she gave it to me. Ok, so, um, the frame is not quite my style, but I just love that she bought it for me with money she earned. She kept saying 'I can't stop smiling when I look at it!" and eagerly set it up on my bedside table. She thought the bouquet image was there to stay and was surprised when I mentioned I wanted to put a family photo in there. Classic! You know I will have to keep this thing on display forever now, don't you??

Precious, hilarious, memorable words from Eli. Oh, Bumblebee is his favourite
toy which is also a wheatbag! That's why he goes in the microwave, not as
some bizarre punishment, haha. I think acts of service must be his primary
love language?!

So many sweet, bizarre, hilarious answers. Made my day!! I am guessing her love
language here is 'words of encouragement'. Interesting to see it written out.
Oh, to see yourself through your child's eyes is interesting indeed. Random
things like I love chicken nuggets? Um?? And 53? C'mon!! ;)