Another year over, a new one begun

Hub is now 31. There is no denying you are in your thirties when you turn 31.
The first time I knew I really liked him was the night before his 15th birthday. We were at a mutual friends party.
I still remember what we were both wearing, and how I had an annoying pimple in the middle of my forehead. The joys of being a young teenager.

My first thoughts were "Fire truck this guy is tall!" At 14 he was already 6ft 4.
There were a few of us all talking and I remember making Hub stand downhill, so I could see his face better.
He was funny, and made me laugh. He was friendly and kind. I also noted very quickly he was not up himself, or preoccupied with himself or an asshat, like many boys that age were. I liked this a lot.

We starting going out in the usual way you do when you are young. Friends did it without us even having to talk to each other. It was scary but so exciting. The kind were you are shitting yourself, but your heart is pounding with excitement at the same time.


Here we are at 15. The term 'babies' comes to mind when I see these young faces. The jeans I am wearing I loved, along with my oh so hot check shirt from Portmans. Oh the days when I cared about labels.



Going out with someone from a young age, and now still being together means a huge chunk of growing up in between. We finished high school, went on to uni, had jobs, and our fair share of fights and arguments along the way.
A lot over such stupid, little things. If only I could go back and tell our younger selves to not sweat the small stuff, and just enjoy being young with freedom and not too much responsibility.
Hindsight, sigh.


Our wedding. While driving to our photo location we were stopped at the traffic lights. A guy in a car across yelled out "Don't do it!" Hub just smiled back and said "It's too late!"

That day I married the awesome father of our beautiful boy, and my best friend. We have changed a lot since that day, sometimes I think more than from getting together as teens to that day.


Hub knows me very well, sometimes too well. A lot of the time we don't even have to talk. This can great and frustrating at the same time.
There are times we are so in sync that we will yawn, or sigh or say the exact same thing together. I guess after 16 years you blend together a little.


16 years, a lot of tears, laughter, gut wrenching pain and agony, buying land and houses, joy, fun and 6 awesome children who have taught us the biggest lessons of our lives and our relationship.
I am thankful that my children have a hard working father, both for his work and his family. A father who doesn't follow others and what is the done thing, but follows his heart and his children's lead.

Before you get too teary about how wonderful my hub is, I just want to add he does shit my up the wall with his snoring, huge shoes left all over the damn place, his one selfish weakness that can make him not think straight ~ Motor bikes, socks left on the floor the wrong way out... and I'll leave it there.

Because someone once said that as much as you might hate those socks on the floor, you would rather them be there than not. A reminder to again not sweat the small stuff. Focus on the big things.

The big thing being that I am so fortunate to be sharing my life with my best friend. The only person in the world who has stood up for me, emotionally, spiritually and physically, whether he agreed with me or not. A man who not only likes how passionate and crazy I am about everything from birth, breastfeeding, parenting and children, but encourages and supports me.

I think one of our bigger tests will come soon as we embark on building our next, and final house together. Let's remember to take deep breaths hun.

Happy Birthday to you my husband. Thank you for hanging in there for the good times and not so good, on this crazy journey called our life.

When Wednesday

When they are so cute your heart explodes.


Oldest and Youngest, keeping eachother snuggly on a cold night.

Hello, I 'can' see you, grrrr

I am fine when people give a second look.
I am fine when I see peoples heads bobbing as they count us all.
I am fine when I look in the corner of my sunnies and see every car that passes us have a really good look.

But I am not fine with comments or words spoken about us when we can see and hear you!
Show a bit of respect and wait for us to have left the same space as you.
Cheers

Gah, just one of those moments. I know, brush it off, blah blah. But Damn it, today I whinge.

Thursday Op Shop

When I was little I would love going to Trash and Treasure markets with my Dad. We would go for him to sell/browse/buy car parts.
I would often buy trinkets and little statues that caught my fancy. My bedroom dresser , desk and window sill were covered with these trinkets, all arranged how I liked them.

Recently we purchased a buffet and hutch for all our homeschool books and pieces. I will post the pics of it soon. I promise april!
We have kept our paint brushes together with a hair band and I was wanting something a bit nicer. A little jar or something. So I popped down to our 2 local Op Shops, they are across the road from each other which is perfect.

I am quite fussy with Op shopping. If I don't find something I really want it stays. Sometimes this means I am kicking myself the next day when I think about something I left but should have bought. Like the 2 tapestry hoops I left last week, one dollar for the pair. If you know about hoops then you know how cheap they were! Not to worry I know more will come my way.

I find it relaxing, fun and sometimes exciting. It is also something for me to do with the babe, or on my own.

These finds are from last week. Quality Streets chocolate and Toffee tin. Who doesn't either have or remember one of these at their house or a friends, or grandparents. Filled with buttons, pins, nails, little knick knacks. It was 50 cents, and so I grabbed it. The preserve jar had no price on it and was sold to me for 20 cents.
The material is a large 'scrap' piece for 60 cents. It is about a square metre and I really loved the pattern. It reminds me of our house in the 80s and I thought it would be cute for something come Spring.

More Op Shop finds coming next week!

Real tears

As some may or may not know we are commercial TV free. We still have ABC and the kids can watch a dvd now and then.
Our TV was quite nice when we first got it. However for some reason the TV's at the time all had buttons and plugs at the front. Clearly designed by a childless person.

Several years later the cover at the front is missing, all but one button is gone, and the spots for the plugs(so technical aren't I?) are moving, and one I just discovered is hanging out.
Every time something new happens to destroy the TV even more the kids will tell me "Oh yeah that happened last week" or "Yeah Daddy knows" and my favourite "It's been like that for ages"

The colour was going all fuzzy just before, and I was told about the latest thing gone wrong. I said it looks like there will be no TV soon. But we can fix it, Daddy can fix it, It's just the plug, we can buy more.
Sorry my children it is the actual TV that is falling apart and when it dies we won't be replacing it.

Oh my, the looks on their faces. I do believe there was tears in their eyes.

And of course ten seconds later the 2 year old grabs the scissors that the 5 year old had been using and tries to cut the edge of my laptop, and now there is a scratch on it. I am joining in on the crying.
I wonder if my warranty covers it? Is that lame though? For a teensy scratch.

Four

He had an absolute ball on his birthday. It was really lovely.
When the time came for him, bubs, Hub and I to leave he was totally ok. No melt downs at all. The others all said good bye and wished him well for surgery the next day.

Having all his new presents to take home helped a lot. Especially the New train table from Nanna and Poppy!

Here he is just before they both fell asleep. He was really enjoying one to one time with his bubby. Lots of cuddles and showing her all the trains and toys.
She absolutely adores him. He is the only one of all the children who can make her laugh so hard she has to catch her breath. It's hilarious to watch. All he has to do is look at her and she laughs.

Happy Birthday cheeky monkey!


Now, 5 more weeks and we have another birthday! That's the thing with more than a few kids. Lots of birthdays! And birthday cake ;)

Happy Birthday to my heart breaker

Tonight, 4 years ago, my 'waters broke' surprisingly at 38 weeks. A name for our 3rd son had not yet been agreed upon. I thought we had at least 2 weeks, or more to decide.

On this day, Hub was sick. The previous 2 weeks I had napped in the afternoon every day as I grew more tired.
On this day I told Hub to sleep so he could rest and get well.
I cooked a roast for tea. Dished it up but picked at it. I then got the kids in bed and did the dishes.
I could hear the opening music for the TV show 'Medium' the only show I watched every week.
I was so tired. I thought I would sit down, watch Medium then go to bed. Maybe look at more baby names tomorrow.

I walked into the lounge and flopped down, Hub LOVES it how I do this. I both heard and felt a pop.
I ran to the bathroom, just in time.
I smiled, and called out to hub "Are you ready to be a Daddy again?"

Within 4 hours our newest baby, and 3rd son was laying, snuggled up on our lounge room floor. Surrounded by his family. Not long ticked over midnight.
Our first homebirth. I am so glad in many ways our journey lead us to be at home.

I had noticed your birth mark. I wondered if it was bruising. I wasn't worried though. My instincts, and our baby, told me he was ok.
Another hour gone by and we were snuggled up in our bed, having the first feed. Our baby was just like our others. Wanting my warmth, nourishment and not long after a clean nappy.





He spent a lot of his time here, when not on the boob of course.



Such a happy, smiling bubba. Entertained by his older siblings a favourite pastime. (Not much changes with our babies hey?!)

As our little man got older so to did his birthmark. It lightened a little and grew hair. The hair on the Nevus growing about 3 times as fast as the rest of his hair, and was/is thicker and coarser.

On his 3rd Birthday, devouring ice cream cake, with 2 spoons. By this stage one round of tissue expansion and excision completed.

Christmas last year. I love this photo. It was taken by my oldest son, who was painstakingly trying to get a picture of his little brother who kept pulling faces. Just before he clicked this shot he said "Just one with the mouth closed!"

The little cherub raised his eyebrows and said "Hmmmmmmm"

He is so terribly cheeky, in a very cute way. You just cannot be upset with this kid. The smile, the way he looks at you out of the corner of his eye, smirking.

His latest crazy is giving the thumbs up. He does it with everything. It makes me laugh every time.

Tomorrow we go into hospital again. The next round of tissue expansion and excision. I am more nervous this time. More scared. He is 4. Older, wiser, more understanding of how things work. I hate this part. Knowing he will be in pain. Knowing that over the next few months he will go back every week, for injections to fill the expander a little bit each time. That by the end he will have had enough. But that there will be another surgery to remove the expander and also remove another part of the nevus. Another part of him, it will be gone. A part of him that he was born with, that I have touched and nuzzled my cheek against.

I know, it's just skin. But it's him. It's a part of him from before he was born. I won't see him how he is today ever again. With each surgery he changes a little.

The cheekiness and heart remain the same though. My little heart breaker.

Happy Birthday to our sweet boy. Please know I love you with all my heart and have only every done what I thought and felt was best for you. You have taught me so much about myself, and about others. About what is truly important and what doesn't matter.

I asked him today how old he was turning. He said 'Big" and that one day he would be bigger than Mummy and Daddy. I don't doubt it.

What I wake up to every morning

Squishy, yummy, cheeks you just want to blow raspberries on and kiss all day, smiling, happy baby who really could not be loved and adored more by her little posse.

I don't think there could be another baby more cared for and looked after than this little cherub.
She is now 4 months old. Crazy huh?