I ♡ these guys

This is my very best friend with her two beautiful children. There was a time in my life that I treated this lovely lady very poorly. I had a crisis in my life and I pushed her away when I needed her the most. I will forever regret that. It makes me very sad that I wasn't there for her when she needed me. That I wasn't there when her gorgeous daughter was born. I missed four years of their lives because I was stubborn. It took me a long time to feel comfortable around her again. I struggled to overcome the guilt I felt. I couldn't look her in the eye. I needed to apologise. It is only recently that we have spent more time together, that I have been able to talk about some of this with her.  She has the most generous spirit. Her children are a credit to her, they are both sweet natured and kind. I feel very fortunate that she has let me back into her life.

Thank you for letting me capture your beautiful family. I hope to have many more opportunities to capture your family in the years ahead.

Cindy xx



Nearly Seven

 

Full of Sass

Loves her little sister and brother

Excellent reader

Good helper

Good friend

Social Butterfly

Loud

Busy

Enjoys School

Loves Drawing and Creating

Assertive

 

I'm so behind...

in posting to this blog. Busy busy busy...

 

Sophias school had a book character walkathon fundraiser about three weeks ago now.

I tried to talk her into going as Alice in Wonderland, but she insisted on Rapunzel. So, I got to work and whipped up her dress based on Disneys Movie Rapunzel.

She loved it. (I was quite pleased with the end result too:)

 

I went up to school and walked four laps around with Sophia and her little entourage...all holding hands and trying to get away from a little Harry Potter and his out of control wand.

I may have got a little sunburnt, even though I was decked out with hat and sunscreen.

 



 

 Not to be left out, Charlotte dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Cute. Only missing her ruby slippers. Pink ones will suffice.

 

 

We all returned later for a little mini fete. Popcorn and gingerbread and fairy floss. Sophia had the best time throwing wet sponges at one of the grade six boys. We purchased tiny little water pistols and nail polish.

 

We all had the opportunity to hang out in Sophias classroom and watch a movie.

Then we headed home and filled our water pistols and all got very very wet playing in the backyard with them.

 

What a fun day.

 

Cindy..

10 minutes...

Ten minutes was all we could manage out in the cold spring weather.  

Charlotte was the one who said "mummy can we please go now"...

At least it was ten minutes of fun. 

Oh Baby

This sweet little boy turned eighteen months a few days ago. He longer can be considered a baby.

The crazy curls are gone.

He can feed himself with a spoon.

He drinks out of a cup.

He throws a mean tantrum.

 He gives the most beautiful cuddles.

He always gives me a kiss before climbing out of bed in the morning.

He is still sleeping in my bed.

He is still breastfeeding.

He is not saying many words...only Mum, Boo, Nigh Nigh, Nanna, Pa.

 He loves to point.

He adores books.

He's gorgeous and cheeky and my last.

No more babies.

It makes me sad that he has grown up so quickly.

I love that tiny baby stage, but I don't necessarily want to go back there.

I am now looking forward...

To a house without nappies.

To kids at school.

To being able to work more.

To doing things together.

To continuing to guide them.

To continuing to teach them.

To watching them grow.

He had his eighteen months immunisations today. One in each arm. He was very stoic. No complaints, just curious about the cotton wool and sticky tape on his arms.

I love my cheeky little boy so much, and I still remember his birth like it was yesterday.

Feeling a little nostalgic.

Cindy.

Cars!!

What could be more fun than tipping an entire bucket of cars upside down?



Friday in Photos

Student Free Day

Wagged Kinder

Short drive to Geelong

Beautiful Sunny Day

A Ride on the Carousel

Fish and Chips for Lunch

Time on the Playground

Walk along the Beach

Run up and down a Hill (multiple times)

Strawberry Milkshake and Iced Coffee

Drive Home

Sleeping Children

BLISS

Grateful

So very very grateful for the existence of these precious little people.

Sure, they're hard work. They make a mess, they often don't get along , and I complain about them over and over.

BUT

They are my world. I love them with my entire being. I fought very hard to get them here.

They are my little weirdos.

Mothers Day is a good time to remind myself how difficult the journey to parenthood was. It also gives me pause to think about all the people out there who haven't been as lucky as we are. 

I had been wanting for the longest time (before Darcy was even born) to order a pendant with the kids names on it, I just couldn't decide what style I liked. This Mothers Day I finally decided!

The hearts are for our babies that couldn't be with us...I still think about them EVERY SINGLE DAY, so I thought it appropriate to have this reminder of them.

The card is from my gorgeous school girl, who is doing so very well with her reading and writing.
So proud of her.
After the kiddos let me has a little sleep in, they bombarded my with cards covered in glitter (which is still in my bed).
Sophia bought me a pair of gardening gloves and a cute little spade (she has high hopes :)) at the Mothers Day stall at school.
Charlotte made me a lovely beaded necklace (definitely one of a kind).
Lots and lots of cuddles...absolutely the best bit of Mothers Day.

Hope everyone else out there had a wonderful Mothers Day.

Cindy.

A Week Of...

Sickness, School, Photos, Doctors Visits, Working, Creating, Laughing, Crying, Driving, Worrying.

It all started on Wednesday night, after a frustrating day at work all I wanted was to get a good night sleep. Darcy thanked me for working by waking up every hour during the night. I get it baby, you missed me, but EVERY HOUR! Then I heard Charlotte making strange noises at 3am. She vomited all over herself in bed. Cleaned that up. She was sick all day Thursday. Mr Pixies headed off the the football on Saturday night. We had a cruisey Sunday. Darcy coughed so hard on Monday he vomited, took him to the doctor, what a waste of time that was. Sorry can't do anything for him. He suffered with gastro all of Monday. Took the kids over to the park in an attempt to get some nice photos for Mothers Day. Didn't really go as planned. Work on Wednesday. Nice little break from the kids. Come home to find that Sophia now has Gastro. She threw up all Wednesday night and stayed home from school Thursday. Darcy again thanked me for going to work by waking every hour from eight until midnight. Got him up and watched the Nascars at Talledega on the TV. He slept better after a little one on one Mummy time. House looks like a bomb hit it. Don't even know where to start cleaning. Kids constantly arguing. Trying to find my Zen. Sometimes it's difficult to find the silver lining.

I know I do a lot of complaining on this blog. It's just my nature I guess. It's my "Princess Bitch Face"!

I prefer to read about reality instead of the saccharine sweet crap that alot of people post about. Some people would have you believe that their lives are perfect. They like to blog only about the good parts of their lives. I like to blog about the everyday! It is for this reason that I have dramatically culled the list of blogs I read. I like a dose of reality, I don't need to be made to feel like I don't measure up. I don't need to feel that if I don't enjoy my kids 24/7 I am a bad parent. It's an Illusion.



Wordless Wednesday

Daybook Monday

FOR TODAY...4th of July 2011

Outside My Window...Grey skies, then sunshine, then grey skies...this is Ballarat.

I am thinking...hello is there anybody out there??

I am thankful for...a sleeping baby.

From the kitchen...Homemade Pumpking Soup...pumkpin currently roasting in my now working oven ($300 later). I don't think a day has gone by since the oven was repaired that I haven't used it.

I am wearing...something comfortable.

I am creating...I have been drafting patterns and cutting out fabric...but it's so bloody freezing in my sewing room I wouldn't even dream of venturing out there at the moment.

I am going...to stop wasting so much time on facebook this week...an hour goes by in the blink of an eye...wish I'd never joined back up. Of course I could delete my account.

I am hoping...to get some more photos up in frames and onto the wall. I have a ridiculous amount of frames in my buffet and almost bare walls. Just need to find the time to sort out what I want on the walls.

I am hearing...Miss C pretending to be an elephant...totally annoying, but cute at the same time, how it doesn't wake the baby up I don't know.

Around the house...clothes all washed, folded and put in there appropriate places...kitchen almost clean...new standard lamp in the lounge room...TV on ABC4kids (so what's new)...heater going...

curtains closed against the chill.

One of my favourite things...Listening to Miss 5 talk about something she is excited about...her facial expressions and her tone of voice almost remind me of what it is like to be young and remind me to find wonder in the small things.

A few plans for the rest of the week...No Kinder, make playdough and pikelets and do some paintings with the pixies. Try to wramgle some time for myself. Photograph some stuff to list on eBay. Meet my Mum for a coffee.

A photo to share...a little cliche, and he's a bit old now...but I still had the fluff from his newborn photo shoot and I never got any of the basket photos that I wanted...so here we are...a "baby" in a basket.

Have a good week...if there's anybody out there actually reading :)

Cindy

This Little Girl...

...turned FIVE yesterday

She opened a present to find just what she wanted...

We partook in a spot of brunch at Gran and Grumbles followed by cake...

made by mumma...and guaranteed to give you a sugar buzz.

The boys wondered why on earth they turned up to the party in the same outfit...how could such a thing happen???

We went on a little impromptu photo shoot...just the two of us...it was COLD...

Then it was Birthday Girls choice for dinner...homemade pizza...with lots of olives (more got eaten than made it to the pizza). They even got to roll out their own base...can you tell??

and to finish the day in style...

blue goo bath.

followed perhaps by a little pre bed tantrum...big day, big emotions.

What more could a five year old want?

Better go...I have a gazillion tiny little cupcakes to ice for Kinder tomorrow...

Cindy.



A letter to my 5 month old

Dear Mr D,
My oh my how quickly the last five months have flown by. How much you have changed and learnt. I would never have imagined that you would be rolling and sitting up on your own at four and a half months. Very clever of you really.
Unfortunately your not so clever when it comes to sleeping. Don't you think it's time you started sleeping more than 45 minutes at a stretch during the day? (Even if you do wake up happy on most occasions). Or perhaps you could think about sleeping longer than 2 hours during the night...I must admit that although you do tend to wake often in the night, you barely ever wake up completely. It's just the kind of awake where I can roll over and give you what you need to drift back off. Which isn't to say that it's not exhausting, because it is.
For all your catnapping, you are a remarkably happy little bubba...I love the way your sisters can set you off into mad giggling like no one else can.
I love that you are happy to sit on the floor and play with your toys for a while now.
I love that you breastfeed to sleep (could cause problems later, but it's lovely to live in the moment).
I love that you are right there next to me every night...so I can hear you breathe and feel you reach out for me. I wasn't so happy when you started screaming every time I swaddles you, so I think graduating to the sleeping bag was a good move. It hasn't made you sleep any worse...nor any better.
I love laying in bed and watching you sleep when I have the opportunity, not that your sisters afford me that opportunity very often.
I love your gorgeous blue eyes, and those divine eyelashes...not so keen on the constant dribble.
I love that you have been cold free for two weeks now...yay!! (knocks on wood so as not to jinx it!!).
I am so glad that you are in our lives, that you make our family complete.
Of course it hasn't all been sunshine and roses...there have been some very dark days for me, but I think at last that the fog is lifting. It's time to focus on raising you to be a good man. To raise your sisters to be good women, to be respectful, to dream big.
I look forward to watching you grow, to being a family...to being the best we can be...looking forward.
Love you more than you can ever imagine,
Mumma.

Wordless Wednesday

Cindyx

3 months

Wow!! How quickly 3 months goes by.

I looked at him today and thought "he doesn't look like a tiny baby anymore"

Well, he was never really tiny...but you know what I mean.

He's lost that new look.

His eyes are focused, his cheeks are full, his skin is smooth, his hair is growing.

At 3 months he is

Growing rapidly

Feeding 4 hourly

Sleeping in the family bed

Waking at least twice in the night for a feed

Catnapping

Giggling

Smiling

Drooling

Likes his new mode of transport

Being smothered with love by his sisters

Asleep on me right now

Loving nappy free time

Happy to lay on his play mat...for a little while

Adores his Pa

Grasping things and bringing them to his mouth

Still being swaddled

Rolling from tummy to back

Trying to roll from back to front

Loving to shower with mummy or daddy

It makes me sad that he is growing so quickly...and I really miss this

but it fills me with joy that he is learning and changing and engaging.

Life with 3 is hectic and sometimes chaotic, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Cindy xx

Road Trip Easter

Expectations Exceeded...

The little man was an absolute dream in the car...there and back.

He did however wake up the neighbours at 4:30am...but I made no apologies for him.

The girls had great fun on a very very cold Easter Sunday morning...hunting for eggs around the caravan and tent...

They gathered their share of an obscene amount of chocolate eggs...

All in all the trip went far better than I anticipated...even with a sick Miss C and an unsettled Mr D.

We did all come home with a nasty cough and sleep deprivation and a sugar buzz...but it's worth it to enjoy Easter with family.

Bring on Easter 2012.

Faux Chenille

A balnket for my little man...made using this tutorial from the ever talented Dana at MADE

Managed to sew all the rows of stitching in one sitting while Mr D slept.

A slight interruption in the midst of sewing however!! A possum fried itself right in front of me.  I saw  a shower of sparks and heard a tremendous bang...and the power went out (I thought I was fried).

3 fire trucks turned up...the possum was still alive, sitting at the top of the pole licking itself...tough little bugger.

Then I cut the rows the following night, again while he slept.

I want to make another one now...with white on the top...using poplin instead of flannelette.

Wasn't that labour intensive...

Daybook Monday

Outside My Window...It looks awfully cold for early autumn...a giant orb spider has taken us residence in our potato creeper, it spins a huge web every night and catches moths. It's getting so big that it is starting to creep me out a bit. I won't go out there at night to put a nappy in the bin for fear of walking into it's web.

I am thinking...that everything is just a little bit more difficult with 3...and that a bigger gap between 2 and 3 like I planned would have been better...but then we probably wouldn't have our handsome boy!!

I am thankful for...co-sleeping, because even though Mr D woke up every hour last night, he was right beside me and I didn't have to get out of bed in the cold.

From the kitchen...Chocolate Waffles, YUM! S asked for waffles for lunch so that's what we are having. It's been so long since I made these that I actually had to consult the recipe.

I am going...to walk to the supermarket if I can time it right. Hoping for a sunny spell when Mr D is due for a sleep so he can go in the hug a bub for a snooze.

I am reading...blogs, gathering ideas for future projects...when Velcro Baby is not quite as sticky :)

I am hoping...to create a photo book for each of my girls for the first year of their lives. I'm struggling to find photos of Miss S that are good quality. Am learning that my photography has certainly evolved in the the past 5 years, and making me glad I now have a DSLR and a better lens.

I am hearing...Miss S singing 'the opposite song' from this DVD (a new favourite), while she cuts and pastes (she's making a monster).

Around the house...dishes to be washed; floor to be vacuumed; clothes all washed, dried and put away;  baby asleep.

A few plans for the rest of the week...finish washing the windows, do some gardening, enjoy my children, do some sewing (making one of these for Master DS)

A photo to share...my babies...