Lily
A brave girl in a bright green bonnet, traipsing down the stone wall without a worry in the world.
Eli
Working the electric sander like a Boss.
Not fussed about the buzzing noise or swirling movement, he was right in there. Eager to help me with my little DIY project - and so confident. Grandpa will be so pleased he is right onto the tools ;)
Miles
While celebrating his beloved Nana's birthday, Miles really struck gold.
Papa shared some of his carrot cake with him... Miles' first bite of sweets since his first birthday party!! As you can see, the little nibbles of cake were very well received.... except when Papa teased him by taking a mouthful too. It was so ridiculously cute/sad to see Miles' baby bird mouth move in a hopeful arc, as the cake bypassed him and went straight to Papa!
Papa shared some of his carrot cake with him... Miles' first bite of sweets since his first birthday party!! As you can see, the little nibbles of cake were very well received.... except when Papa teased him by taking a mouthful too. It was so ridiculously cute/sad to see Miles' baby bird mouth move in a hopeful arc, as the cake bypassed him and went straight to Papa!
He did get his share though ;) And now he knows who to hit up for treats - Papa!!
Mark
Rocking his new American University tee, that I secretly arranged to be delivered (via dear friends) from the US. Fun surprise :)
He is studying some Theology units through the school, so I figured it was important to look the part of 'American College Kid' ;)
He is studying some Theology units through the school, so I figured it was important to look the part of 'American College Kid' ;)
Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2014.
More highlights from the week that was...
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| A 'school holiday' playdate with my Coast trip gals and our horde of children at the National Museum of Australia. The kids made these hats for a school holiday craft. 'Why are we standing in front of this green screen?' |
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| Who are those celebrity children on the big screen??! ;) |
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| Three little darlings, running down the hill in suitable Canberra winter attire! |
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| 'I'm talking to the man in the mirror...' |
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| Celebrating the birthday of my beautiful, wonderful, amazing Mum :) |
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| Miles was pretty entranced by those candles! (Don't know what is up with the candle reflections?!) |
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| His latest party trick is shouting 'yayyyyy' whenever prompted by L&E... with hand thrown into the air like he just don't care :) |
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| We took a quick weekend trip to Sydney to attend a church lectureship. It got cut short when the kids came down with a virus (ahhh, life with kids) but it was a blessing to be there even for a short time, especially to stay with some dear friends of ours. I didn't take any photos but it turned out Mark snapped a couple on his phone! |
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| A fun holiday playdate at the National Capital Authority (at Regatta Point) where it turns out they have free regular Duplo and Lego club! We will definitely be returning here :) |
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| Brothers // Soaking up the view |
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| The reason for this playdate was to meet up with the lovely Brooke from our Documenting Delight 366 Project! How fun it was to meet up 'IRL' with such a sweet lady, while she was on holidays from KL. Here is Miles and her adorable daughter Juniper comparing notes on what it's like to be some of the world's most photographed children ;) |
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| Having a fine old time digging Duplo out of the box. |
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| The moment when you snap a cheery photo just as your daughter realises she is out of her depths and wants to get down! |
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| The gang - Finn, Harper, Eli and Lily, digging and creating in the leaves |
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| 'I think what we need here is a really big stick' |
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| I walked into her room during 'Quiet Time' to find her nestled in the dress up box, reading by the window. And very pleased with her cosy little position too! She is reading... actually reading a beloved children's book. How amazing it must be for a child to return to a book known since infancy, but now able to decipher the actual words for themselves. The joys of literacy :) |
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| My little DIY buddy. A girl's day at home, Lily and I had fun prepping an upcoming project! |
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| She came to me with a stack of 'recipes' she had developed. One for a salad sandwich. So what could we do except follow her recipe exactly to make one for lunch!!? Well, her other recipe was for a 'snake jungle' involving lolly snakes and lolly mint leaves. Unfortunately we didnt have any of those items, haha!! ;) |
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| 'Get the food. (Lettuce, tomato, cheese, sauce). This is what it will look like...' |
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| Keeping an eye on the cheese quantity as she grates. She prepped the whole sandwich herself and was never prouder of her own lunch. |
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| Sometimes in the early evenings after dinner, these two squirrel themselves away in their room for 'Sibling RoomTime'. They seem to amuse themselves in all kinds of creative ways. Tonight they made this adorable 'robot' together out of little pieces that click together (called 'La-Q' from Japan - it's really clever and creative). They were so proud of their joint creation :) |
Ok, I can't believe I am posting a pic of myself first thing in the morning (!!!), but I had to file this sneaky snap Mark got on his phone. This image is already so precious to me. It captures my little snuggle-bug so perfectly... a part of him I have been wanting to record for ages. Well, I am *not* a morning person. After our snuggly morning feed, I am still always 3/4 asleep (groooannnnn, why, daylight, why?!). So we usually spend an extra 10 mins in bed while I try to wake myself. No, I am not someone who springs from bed before dawn, if you ever wondered. If only ;) So, while I semi-doze, Miles happily crawls all over the bed (and me), giggling and playing. Every few moments, he throws himself on top of me for a delicious snuggle (as pictured below). He will lie there quietly for about 30 seconds (bliss). Head nestled on my shoulder. Often his little hand will snake around the back of my neck. Sometimes (joy!) his tiny hand gives my back a little pat, pat, pat. Then he scampers off again, rinse and repeat, until at last I must haul my little snuggle buddy from the bed, so we can properly start the day that awaits us. That early morning cuddle, half asleep, is one of the most precious moments of each day. This kid seriously loves to snuggle and I love every second of it!
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What a wonderful two weeks of holidays it has been. I'm thankful to have had all three of my babies at home with me, having time to refresh, chill out, reconnect. For Lily especially, I have witnessed how vital these school holidays are for a busy little Kindy kid. Less rushing, less schedule, less pressure. More slow mornings and quiet pottering, more free creativity and play. Fun outings, crazy playdates, a little travel and a lot of quality time. Moments of mayhem, squabbling, sickness and crankiness? Yes, those too. This is real life after all. But still... these were good days, and I am grateful for them. It's where I want to be.
"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we
cannot take anything out of the world.
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content."
cannot take anything out of the world.
Ohhh what are you making?!? A gorgeous, beautiful week. I really love the last one of you and Miles. That is me and Sarah most mornings too. It is the BEST way to start the day. She sneaks in somewhere around 3am most mornings and we snuggle until the last possible minute. It's heavenly.
ReplyDeletethanks for your lovely comment kate :) glad you get your snuggly mornings too, they are pretty sweet huh! we are making (well.. now made!! as of this afternoon) just a little row of hooks for hanging school bags/coats etc. nothing too elaborate at all, but feels very good to get it done ;)
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