A Family Affair

Januray, February, March... where did they go?!?!

2009-03-11T21:52:00.001-07:00

The last time I blgged was ...dare I say... January!!! I've been meaning to get around to it, but just couldn't be bothered so here is a catch up of the last 3 months.

We survived school holidays with the biggest hicup being Judah catching chicken pox when he was staying in Brisbane with Nana and Papa. Judah and his cousin Madi flew back to Perth by themselves as unaccompanied minors. The people at qantas were horrible to the kids on the plane. Wouldn't even let them sit in their seats for a half hour as they waited for confirmation that Judah could fly and although he was spotty was no longer contagious. (Of course we called days in advance to make sure, and of course they didn't do any of this while Papa and Madi's mum were still there. They waited till the kids were by themselves on the plane...disgusting!!!!) Then when they did give them the OK the stewardess made all sorts of snide comments and were generally rude. To make it worse when they changed planes in Melbourne the poor kids had to go through it all again, this time being threatened with not being allowed to get on the flight to Perth. Of course 12 year old Madi has a bit of a panic because she doesn't know anyone in Melbourne and thinks they are going to just leave them there. Eventually the made it to us in Perth, but let's just say the strongly worded letter of complaint has had qantas falling all over themself to make it right. The nice thing is that out of all of it we were given family movie passes and popcorn/ candy bar passes as an apology. So with those we went on a really lovely family day out and saw "The Legend of Desperux" with qantas footing the bill!!! :)

The beginning of February meant that once again we were back to the first day of school, but not just for Judah but Heidi as well. I nearly cried when I dropped Judah off in his year 1 classroom. Even the classroom looked like "big kid" school. He was nervous but settled in well. Murray took the afternoon off so he could be with Heidi (and me) when it was time to drop her off. She does 4 half days two in the afternoon and two in the morning, so back to the school we went after lunch to take Heidi. I was sure she was going to be a crier so I made her a little felt heart and filled it with "mummy kisses" so she could cuddle it when she was scared. Well, much to my surprise she we shooing us out the door and was more then excited to start her first day!!! I was glad Murray was there because even though Heidi didn't need his hand to hold, i sure did and managed to shed only a few tears.

February also meant the start again of extra curricular activities. We put Heidi in a new dance school this year after the shocking display at last years dance concert. Lets just say that young teenage girls dressed up as sex-kittens dancing to "The Pussy-cat Dolls" doesn't really fall into our catagory of appropriate dance styles for our daughter. All the little niggling concerns I had at the last studio have faded away at this new one. The teacher is a sweet, soft spoken, older woman that is just the epitomy of what I envisioned a ballet teacher to be. She calls the technical dance names things like "teddy toes" and "fairy toes" and gives them beautiful fairy wands to dance around with. Heidi ADORES Miss Gail and she is absolutly loving getting to know all her fellow ballerinas.

Judah is doing an art class this semester. He loves to draw so we really wanted to help him learn some technique to encourage him along. He has also found it hard to make friends this year and his confidence was looking rather bleak, so mostly we are hoping this helps him regain some of his confidence. The art studio is right on the beach in trendy Fremantle so on Thursdays we drop him off and Murray and I the littlies go for a walk around Freo for an hour and a hlaf. It means Thursday's are a late night home but it has been nice to have a reason to get out of the same ol' same ol' routine and have a family evening. We usually pick up some thing nice for tea (dinner) on the way home and the kids think that is great.

The rest of February has been a blur as I have tried to book as many things in BEFORE I hit my 3rd trimester/ baby coming. So with that I have been trying to get on top of all the specialist appointments for the kids. So in the past month, Heidi and Wesley have seen 2 different eye specialist, Judah has seen his eye specialist twice, Heidi and Wesley have seen the Speech Pathologist, Wesley has seen the hearing specialist, Heidi has been referred to a hearing specialist, Wesley has been referred to an Allergist, and in April all 3 kids have to see a new eye specialist again for a full out, dialate the eyes-nightmare long-appointment. Oh and don't forget the appointments with the GP that are neccesarry to get the referal letters to see all these specialist!!! In between all of this I have had the usual midwife appointments to check up on bubs. Needless to say sometimes I think genetics can be a real bitch!!! How is it that all 3 of my kids had to get bad eyes and hearing problems?!?! Damn those dominant genes!!! I just pray, pray, pray they didn't get my bad teeth as I don't know where the dentist would fit into the mix :) That said I know that doing all of it now when they are little means it fixable and treatable and if I put it off then it becomes more and more of a permanent problem. So off we go hoping that we can get on top of all of it and start all the necessary treatments, therapy, glasses, and diet change.

And that leaves us with March. We have 2 birthday's and our anniversary in March. Heidi's birthday is tomorrow and on Saturday she is having her first real birthday party. She decided to have a "Pixie Princess Dress Up" Party and she was allowed to invite 7 friends. We are going to make Pixie wands, paint faces and decorate "Pixie" cookie wands. I am sure it is going to to be lots of fun and will be a great oppotunity to get some really great photos as well :) I also finished her quilt that I have been working on and off on for about 2 years. So I am so looking forward to giving that to her on Saturday!!!! Wesley's birthday is next week and to celebrate we are having a BBQ dinner at our friends Daniel and Katies house. Then that weekend we have stashed the kids out to our friends and Murray and I are going to a friends wedding and spending the weekend just the 2 of us down in Mandurah to celebrate our anniversary/ baby-moon. Alhough the next couple of weeks are going to be busy it's lots of fun stuff, so I am very much looking forward to it!!!

Well there is a catch up of the Henderson Family Happenings. I promise I will try to attach some photos later, but untill then lots and lots of love from our family to yours!!!!

Holidays and Baby

2009-01-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Some how Christmas has come and gone and we are already into the new year. December has held some many exciting things that the month has just torpedo past us. Judah turned 6 on the 12th and we had the most wonderful birthday. We went out to this wonderful family pub and inside they had an old train car that they had restored into a kids play area. That night there happend to be a clown so the kids got to have their face painted and baloons as well. It was so great and Judah was so appreciative of every gift he was given.
The next big event was the end of the school year. With the came all of the end of year class parties and such. I can't believe Judah is going into year 1 in February. He had a great year and he won a silver merit certificate which was just fantastic. He really is a great student. It was hard to say good bye to his teacher because after a year I feel like we had just worked each other out and now I have to start all over again with a new teacher. That said I am hoping that when Heidi gets to Pre-primary that she will have Mrs Barclay. We also had all of Heidi's orientation for her to start Kindy next year. I think she is going to just love it and her teacher for next year is wonderful. I'm a little sad to see her big enough to be a school kid, even if it is only for a half day, but I know she is ready for it and that it will be just fantastic for her to make some friends her age.

Once school was out we had Murray's work Chirstmas party. It was an entire afternoon of eating, playing cricket (or watching in my case), the kids splashing in the kiddie pool, eating some more, and chit chatting. It was a really fun time and although I did have my reservavtions about going, it ended up being just great. After the party we came home, finished last minute packing, and went to bed early to be rested to leave at 4AM for our flight to Brisbane.
Our trip in Brisbane was a wonderful time for family. We had lots of time to spend with Murray's family, but we also had sometime to get out just the 5 of us and spend some QT with our kids. We did lots, and lots, and LOTS of swimming in the pool, ocean, and river. We all came back much tanner then when we left. We went ice skating one day which was just hilarious. Heidi absolutly loved it, Judah got use to it, and Wesley wasn't quite sure about any of it. Heidi and Judah started out very tentative but by the end had found their ice legs. Wesley on the other hand had no fear, and had to take a few falls before he finally decided to let daddy help him. Having to do something with help, though, is not worth doing in Wesley's mind so he spent most of the time "driving" the daytona video game. We also took the kids out to see the movie "City of Ember". What a great family movie, plus it was nice to sit in the Air Conditioning for a little bit and escape the heat. We were blessed with wonderful weather, which was a God-sent. Brisbane is usually misserably hot and humid around Christmas but the first week was lovely and cool and the second week we were at the beach house with AC, so it was never unbearable. We got very little rain so we had plenty of opportuntiy to be out and about. Wesley split his forehead open on the shower so we spent Thursday night in the emergency room getting it glued and buterflied bandage. What would a vacation be with out a trip to the ER? The last day we took the kids to the Big Pineapple and they got to have ice cream sundades for lunch. They were so big that I couldn't even finish mine, which is a lot to say since I LOVE ice cream. The looks on their faces when we put them on the table was priceless, but the mess afterwards was just sticky and gross. I am sure that was probably the thing they all remember most.

After all that fun it was time to come home, without Judah though. He has stayed behind for an extra week and will be flying back with his cousin Madi on Sunday. I was a very good mum and didn't even cry when I said good bye to him at the airport even though I really felt like I needed to. It has been so weird not having him around the past few days that I keep wishing Sunday to come faster. Heidi and Wesley are missing him too, which makes it all the more difficult. But Sunday will be here soon and then we will have not only him back but Madi will be here for a week to visit us. So I am trying to spend this week getting lots of fun stuff organsied for Madi's visit.
After all of that excitment we had our final high, and that was our scan yesterday for baby. We got to find out that our baby is a little girl, which was so very wonderful to hear. I feel like I now just need to get use to the idea of baby being a "her" instead of an ambiguous "it". It was wonderful to see her wiggling and flexing and moving around. Heidi thought it was great to hear her heart beat and see her little ear. Wesley liked seeing her little feet and I just loved the 4-d scan were I could see her face. It looks as if poor darling as her mother's nose. Murray liked seeing her heart beating away. The technician said everything looked good. The only real news was that she thinks our date was out by a week, so we are now working on baby arriving sometime in the beginning of June rather then the end of May. Heidi said in the car on the way to the scan she would say "oh man!" if it was a boy but would still love the baby, so she was over the moon when the technician said Girl instead of boy. Although Wesley said he wanted a boy, he seemed just as happy with a sister, and Judah squeeled with excitement when we called and told him. So boy, girl, boy, GIRL it is!!!

And that, in a very lage nut shell, is an update on all we have been up to. What a wonderful and eventful year 2008 ended up being, and I am excited to see what 2009 has in store.

First Appointment

2008-12-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today was my first midwife appointment. It went really well. She said I was right on with my dates as far as tummy growth and she reassured me that there was only one in there. We got to hear the heartbeat for about 5-10 secs, and then spent 10mins trying to find the little wiggle worm to no avail. The kids thought all the noise of looking was fantastic, and were happy to "hear the baby". Wesley kept commenting about how noisy the baby was.. too cute. I had my blood taken which was not pleasant at all since I am the hardest person in the world to take blood from. It only took a grand total of 7 goes, and after that we decided that we would leave the 3rd vial for next time.

I also found out then when I need to have my 19 week anatomy scan is when Judah will still be in Brisbane. We are all going over for 2 weeks but he is staying an extra week and flying back with his cousin Madi. I've tried to book a scan when I am over, but I can't get a 4-d one and it will mean having to drive all the way back into Birsbane from the beach house which we are staing at during the 2nd week of our visit. All of that combined I think he is just going to have to miss it. I will bring a video or disc so we can record it, but I think he is going to be just devasted to not be there for it. He is so looking forward to it. I was thinking about just having them both done, but at $100 each I can't really justify it. Poor little guy, I hope he takes the news better then I am imagining him taking it.

I have to admit that I was actually just the slightest bit surprised that there really was a baby in there. I just haven't really felt pregnant and in the back of my mind I thought she might do the exam and say I'm not pregnant after all. So now for the first time I am really trully excited that, yes, there really is a baby in there and it really is mine. I feel all clucky and want to go buy some baby gear... but that will have to wait for another day because I still have no idea where we are going to be setting up the nursery.

It was a good appointment and I am so thankful that we have a private mid-wife who comes to our house to do all this stuff. It was great that Heidi and Wesley could run around and play outside, watch videos and eat lunch while we did all the paper work and "baby stuff". I can't even imagine waiting around in a doctor surgery with the 2 of them trying to do all of it. So all in all, a great appointment, just the kind you like to have!!!

November

2008-11-30T17:06:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I know I have fallen off the blogging world for a while. The truth is I have had no blogging inspiration recently, in literary fields I think they call it writers block :O) So even though I am not feeling entirely inspired I thought I should break the drought and at least write something. Today is the first official day of Summer, and I can not believe how very blessed we have been with the cool weather. Usually this time of year the weather is well into the 35-40C range (95-105 F) and yet the whole month it has sat around 25C (75F). The only downside of all of this is that it has been a bit too cool for swimming at the beach. However, with being pregnant and knowing that evetually the warm weather is coming, I am very thankful for the cooler weather. In was also nice when we celebrated our Ex-pat thanksgiving to have the cooler weather to help make it feel a little bit more traditional. It also helps when you are cooking a turkey and heating up the house for it not to be blistering hot outside. I didn't think to take pics of our Thanksgiving untill after everyone left but I did get this shot of the beautiful rainbow that was over our backyard that afternoon!!!

As for the pregnancy, as far as I can tell everything is going good. I see my midwife for the first time next week which I am really looking forward to. I haven't had any scans so I am so looking forward to hearing little bubs heart beat and to know that there really is a little life in there. I am 14 weeks now so hopfully any day I should start to feel some flutters and kicks (fingers crossed). I have lost 7 kgs (15lbs) since being pregnant which is pretty normal for me, so now that I have my appetite back I am trying to not go too silly with the junk food. I keep telling myself "eat your fruit and veggies first". We are going to find out this time if it's a boy or a girl so in January when we get back from Brisbane the whole family is going to go in for the scan. It will be good for the kids to see an actual baby on the screen and hopfully feel a bit more connected :O)

Other then that we have just been up to ordinary everyday life stuff. Here are a few pics of the day the kids made felt necklaces. They thought they were such big kids since they got to use "real" needles. What a great activity it ended up being, seeing as it kept them entertained for well over an hour. Judah made one for his Best friend Susy, so I've included a pic of her wearing hers, since I never did manage to get a pic of Judah making his.

We are now in the final count down days till Judah's 6th Birthday and then the last day of school. Can't believe he is going to be in grade 1 next year. Then after that it is getting ready to go to Brisbane for Christmas and New Years. I expect that the next 3 weeks are going to fly by. I will try to be a bit more diligent with the blogging, but seeing as it is silly season for the next couple of weeks, I make no promises!!! Hope all is well with you all, hugs and kisses from our family to yours!!!

Being an observer

2008-11-05T04:34:00.000-08:00

I have to be honest that it has been very strange to be on the outside looking in on the American election. I think it is safe to say that I would certainly be classified as an "ex-pat" at this point in time, and just for the record I choose to not vote in the election because I feel that it is not right for me to vote for a President whose policies I don't have to live under. That said I have followed the campaign but mostly through the eyes of the Australian media and through the opinions and comments of my friends and families, and occasionally through on-line US newspapers. So as an outisder looking into the fish bowl I have observed several things in the forest versuses the trees that those in America might have not noticed. So just in case anyone is interested in my oppinions here are my observation

1. I think that America is a nation who worships celebrities and cares more about what Brad Pitt thinks about politics then someone who has graduated from an ivy league school with a PHD. I think the Democrats have been very smart in creating a "celebrity candidate". The people want a celebrity more then they want a public servant.

2. I think that the average American thinks that a good American woman can have it all. She can be a perfect mother, house keeper, have a super model body, and Rule the nation with a baby on her hip. The Republicans were smart in delivering Sarah Pallin as an example of that American Dream. As a side in my oppinion woman can't have it all we all choose and each choice comes with a sacrafices.

3. It seems like very few people chose to vote for McCain they chose to vote against Obama. I think that the average american, from what I have seen, has decided on the candidate that they voted for based on totally stupid, irrelevant, or uncredited reasons. Here are the most popular I have heard

I am voting For Obama because...
... he's black.
... he's young and good looking.
... he's a breath of fresh air.
... I feel good when he speeks.

I am not voting for Obama because...
... he's a muslim plant
... he's not american
... he's a terrorist
... I just don't trust him.

4. Evangelical's, as the media describes them, or christians like me, have bought into fear mongering and as far as I can see it is very unsubstantial evidence that has been used to accuse Obama of the many things he has been accused of. The Bible talks about "bearing False Witness" and I just wonder how much false witness has been thrown around by both parties.

In case you are interested this is the informtion I used to decide on my pick. I would have voted McCain for the following reasons...

-Abortion is a big topic for me and I believe that McCain has shown himself to be Pro-Life while as Obama through his lack of taking a stand as a senator falls more on the Pro-Choice side.

- In my oppinion Obama is still too "green" in experience. McCain has served his country faithfully and has proven himself to be a good leader. I trust his experience more then I trust Obama's ideas.

- As far as economy goes I think that the American economy is in such a sad state that neither candidate has any actual idea what to do about it. After experiencing the life living in what America would deem to be a "socialist" country (even though we aren't) I am reformed and believe that we all have social responsibility and it is greed and corruption that has kept america from doing the right thing by it's own people. It is propaganda that makes American's OK with it and not demand more for their leadership. After watching my own family being chewed up and spit out by the American health care system I find nothing but anger towards the whole mess... the point being neither candidate got my vote based on their solution to the very issue I believe to be what will cripple america in the end.

-And lastly I would choose McCain because he has proven himself over many decades, and I believe that one can look back at his track record and know what your getting. Obama doesn't have a track record and was too much of an unknown. McCain has done good things for Arizona and I think he would have done good things for America.

So after all of that being said, Obama is the new president, and I pray that he can deliver the neccesary changes that America is in such desperate need of. But I have to admit that I am pessimistic and in my heart of hearts don't think either candidate really has what it takes to fix the mess. I think that America has entered a new era, and that era is going to be very different then anything America, or the world for that matter, has seen.

My Little Girl

2008-10-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted photos in a while, partially because I can't stand fiddling with the formatting in blogger... but that is not the topic. Today was Heidi's picture day at dance class, so she had to get all dolled up in her concert costume. It only took me 15 minutes of labouring to get her hair back into a bun, but I managed!!! It is was so much fun getting to do her makeup though. Man that girl has eyelashes that go on forever, I'm so jealous!!! Proffesional photos are always so expensive so I snapped some of mine own in case the proffesional ones were to pricey for my budget. She was so beautiful I couldn't help myself. Well I got a few gorgeous shots that I am going to get printed and framed to hang on the wall of her bedroom next to the 2 balerina pictures my grandma Mimi painted many, many years ago before she passed away. I know she would have loved to see my beautiful Heidi today and probably would have been inspired to paint a third. I don't paint but I must admit that I am quite pleased with my shots and know they will look beautiful hanging on the same wall!!! What a darling little girl I am so blessed to have.

Just on a slightly funnier note. I saw this picture today and the first thought in my head was, "Oh look, that's what my life looks like!!!" Now which of you mums out there can relate :O) teehee

My caption for this photo would be "MUUUUUUUMMMMM!!!" I guess all us mothers feel that way someitmes, even in nature. I guess it's good that we don't shout back "Would you all just SHUUUUTTT UUUPPP" , but you all know we think it sometimes ;) Hope you are having a great day. Lots of Love!!!

The Punishment Part II- The Reaction

2008-10-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this because it reconfirmed to me that everything we did with Judah yesterday was the right thing. After the initial tears and carrying on he got over it and got on with the jobs at hand. He weeded the front yard for a good hour and a half and not once did he complain. Then it was dinner time and we all had cheese crisps (fajita's for Murray and I) which are one of Judah's favourite (I promised I didn't plan it that way) and ice cream for sweets. Well Judah sat there and ate his bowl of rice and not one single time did he winge or complain, but instead he happily chatted with us. When the ice cream was served and he didn't get any he just said "OK" and happily finished his rice. As Murray and I were tucking him into bed in his VERY empty room, you will never believe what he said. He gave us the biggest hug and said, "I have the bestest mummy and daddy in the whole world!!! I love you!!!!" There was no bitterness or anger, he accepted the punishment and with love and kindness took on the consequences of his decision. I am so proud of him and I have absolute confidence that many lessons were learnt yesterday, by all of us! :O)

The Punishment

2008-10-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

Look back at your childhood? Can you remember a certain point in time where you pushed your mum too far and the fall out of discipline was so catastrophic that you can remember every detail of it. As an adult you can see why mum reacted the way she did, but then you couldn't see past the perceived injustice of it. My personal one was the day I called my mum right before she picked me up from school to see if Robin Wick could spend the night. My mum's reply was "No", which I took as, "I will conside it". Well to make a long story short I convinced Robin's mum that my mum said it was OK and so she left. When my mum arrived to pick me up and there was sweet Robin waiting to go home with us, let's just say I was in BIG trouble. The punishment for the crime was that I was not allowed to go to Holli Patton's Surprise Party that night, which of course I didn't know was happening because all the mum's kept it from us till after school to keep it a surprise. My mum took Robin, who wasn't spending the night, and I stayed home. Oh I was furious, it was the first time I ever wanted to throw something in anger, but being the goodie two shoes I was I could only muscle up the courage to throw a pillow at the door. I cried in hysterics for hours, my poor family having to deal with the noise. I don't think I will ever forget that night, or the lesson learnt.

Well the reason I am rambling on about this is because my dear sweet son Judah is having his experience. Having just had 2 weeks of school holidays, lets just say my kids have got to do SOOOOO.... many fun and cool things from taking the train to the city, going to the beach, Judah got to go to a kid's concert with a friend, having a family camp out, the list goes on and on. That's what school holidays are about, doing lots of fun family stuff. Well today is the last day of holidays so this morning we met our friends and went swimming at the pool (the coolest indoor pool I've ever seen!!! It even has a whirlpool), then we went to our friends for lunch, leftover birthday cake and a movie. Well when it was time to go, Judah threw the biggest fit, screaming and crying how he didn't want to go. BUT then he dropped the words that sealed his fate!!! Can you guess what they where? I bet you can!!! "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!" If children had any idea what those 3 words do to a mother's blood pressure they would never use them again!!!! So now my son is getting a lesson in what's fair and what's grace. He is currently bagging everything he owns in his room and carry it out to the shed. What's fair is ONE pair of pants, ONE shirt, ONE pillow, ONE blanket, ONE pair of socks and shoes and NO toys. One of the bags ripped on the way to the shed, so he is now learning that FAIR is cleaning up your own mess, all by yourself. Tonight he will be learning that FAIR is a bowl of rice for dinner. He is learning that FAIR is no TV, NO playing with friends, and NO super-fun activities. He is learning that FAIR is working for what you are given, so he has some chores to do around the house. I am praying that when we are finished with this little practical excercise that he will have learned that what is FAIR is not nearly as nice as what is GRACE. This evening when the emotions of all of it have calmed down we are having a long look at what the Bible has to say about selfishness and Greed, and then we are going to compare it to what the Bible has to say about Thankfulness.

I know some might think I'm being too harsh but I refuse to have children that grow up with this awful sense of entitlement that I see all around me. This attitude that I'm entitled to ... not because I've worked for it or have earnt it, but just because I am. The whole attitude is just plain old GREED. And isn't that whats really gotten the US into this terrible Economic Crisis that their in. An entire nation whose greed has motivated them to spend money they didn't have, and big banks greed that they would lend it to people at ridiculous amounts of interest knowing full well these people couldn't afford it. Doesn't all of this come from this disgusting sense of entitlement?!?!?!? What are we really entitled to? I think if we look long and hard at it, it's not much, and it's certainly not anywhere as much as we think we are!!!! As I write this it's a good reminder to me as well. There are so many things I think are "needs" that are just "wants". It really is a plague in the modern world... but I am on my soap box, so I will step down, and instead pray for my children, and myself and the nations of this world that we would have our eyes opened to the selfishness that is so prevelent in all of us, and that God would give us the wisdom to combat it!!! And I will pray that in 20 years, like me, Judah will see his mum really did do it because she loved him!!!

out of the mouth of babes...

2008-10-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

"Mummy, I hope daddy gave you an X chromosome so that the boys and girls will be even in our family."

Yes, those are the exact words my five year old son had to say last night after finding out that we are having a baby. Don't ask me where he gets this stuff, but he does certainly get it and I think that the national geographic is going to be more monitored from now on. You see yesterday I had my blood work taken for the pregnancy and the kids couldn't get over the bandages on my arm. So after many digging questions we decided we would just let them in on the seceret.

I wish I had a video camera going because the looks of surprise on their faces where just priceless. Heidi's eyes were as big as saucers as she looked at my belly with excitment, folllowed by "God REALLY put a baby in there just like I prayed!!!" Wesley was washed along the tide of excitment and was very excited even though I don't think he really gets it. And Judah was beside himself with glee. As we were watching a movie together last night, Judah screamed in terror as Wesley jumped on my lap. "HE"S GOING TO SMUSH THE BABY!!!!" After some serious reassurance he trusted us when we said they could sit on my lap without worries. Judah also reminded me that I couldn't have a beer with daddy because alcohol can get through the placenta and can hurt the baby.... So if I have any questions during my pregnancy I will be checking with Judah since he seems to be the resident expert...teeheee :O)

So the cat is out of the bag, and I have a feeling I will have some very funny antics to share between now and the arrival of our little gem. Hope these ones brought as big a smile to your face as they did to mine.

And then there were 4...

2008-09-28T18:08:00.001-07:00

Hello to all. I haven't blogged in a while. Partially because it's been a bit busy and partially because I have been hymming and hawing about rather or not to do this post. But since its all gotten the better of me and because some how some of you have figured it out already, I can't stand to not share... I would like to announce that I am once again pregnant. It's still very early days (I'm about 4 or 5 weeks along) and I know "they" say not to tell anyone untill you are at least 12 weeks along, but I just can't keep such a wonderful seceret, and certainly not for 2 more months. We are very excited and I must admit I am already enjoying the thought of a new little one joining our family at the end of May/ beginning of June. I have started to feel sick much, much earlier then I ever did with the other 3, but no throwing up yet, not that I ever have with any of my pregnancies. I have been very blessed in that way so I try not to complain about the queasiness. We haven't told the kids yet. We are going to wait untill I hit the magic 12 week mark before we tell them just in case something does happen and also because by then they can start to see the changes and then they will only have to wait 6 months instead of 9.

Having 4 changes a lot of things. We are going to need to trade in for a people mover, Judah and Wesley will have to share a room or our study is going to turn into a nursery, we are going to have to get all the baby stuff again because we don't have any of it anymore, and we have to subject our marriage to the stress of choosing a name again (yeah we don't agree at all on names!!!) I already have a list that I like, but we won't even go there yet, 9 months is a long time to fight about names :O)

So that is my news. I am glad I can share it with you. Please be praying for a little one that God would keep him/her safe and sound and that he would be preparing our other 3 chickens for the BIG change. Lots of Love to you all!!!

Doing dishes

2008-09-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

You know I am constantly amazed by how quickly children grow. I remeber Judah being a baby and when he was about 5 months old a friend said to me "Diana don't you think he's big enough to turn the car seat around? They only have to stay backwards while their new borns." The funny thing is that it never occured to me that he was big enough yet. Well tonight we had one of "those" experiences again.

Judah is 5, actually he will be 6 in Decemeber. Most children his age earn pocket money every week by doing their jobs around the house. Well it never even occured to me that MY 5 year old would be old enough for chores, let alone pocket money, unill today. We threw out the idea to him that he could earn $2 a week for doing his normal responsibilities without whinging or complainig PLUS a few extra little chores. Here's the catch we gave him though, for every time he brings out the "bad attitude" or cry's for not getting things his way (2 issues we have been having LOTS of problems with recently) he looses 10 cents. He agreed this was fair and so today we started.

Well I must say so far this is the best idea I have had in a very long while!!! We had NO attitude today, and the few time he started to throw a fit he caught himself and pulled it together without us having to say a word. PLUS for the first time he got to be in charge of doing the dishes after dinner, but only the plastic ones. (Unfortuantly for him his mother sells Tupperware so we have a lot of plastic :O) He did them with such a cheerful attitude and was genuinly proud of what he had accomplished. I am so proud of him.

Today was one of those days where he seemed to grow up right before my eyes. All the sudden he had the maturity to have responsibilities and take care of them. I am starting to wonder if some of the attitude was stemming from his need to have a little bit more space. We are still in early days with this new system, but I think that it is just what he needed. So today Judah this post is for you and the hard work you accomplished!!! And to all the rest of you reading thanks for humoring this bragging mum, and if you could be so kind leave a little comment for me to read to Judah to encourage him in his new responsibilities and priveledges. Thanks so much, and I hope you are having a fabulous day!!!

Ps: The pictures are courtesy of Murray's new iPhone, and as you can see in the reflection he is having lots of fun playing with it. :O) TeeHee

First Day Back

2008-09-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day that we ventured back to the beach and we were not disappointed. Granted our toes never touched the water but spring is most certainly here. It was so windy when we first got there that I had my doubts, but by the time we had lunch and got down to the sand and surf the wind had died down and no other word could describe it besides GLORIOUS. It was GLORIOUS to sit in the sun. It was GLORIOUS to listen to the dull murmur of the waves and the gulls. It was GLORIOUS to watch the 2 littlies play in quiet contentment. It really was just GLORIOUS!!!! We made sand castles and let sand sift between our toes, but I also took the chance to dabble in my secret passion of photography and was able to capture some really special moments. Now the hardest part of my day is picking which photos to share here... what a problem to have :)

The Very Hungry Catepillar

2008-08-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Last week Judah came home and said "Oh yeah tomorrow is dress up for book week". Now I have to admit that I received a letter weeks ago about it, but totally forgot. So I asked Judah what storybook character he wanted to be, figuring that I could use one of the many, many costumes my kids have in the dress up box. But of course my son being my son wanted to be nothing other then "the very hungry cateprillar". Not one of the bears from Goldilocks, not a tiger, or a prince, but "the very hungry catepillar"!!!! So off to the fabric store I went hoping to find some inspiration. Well I did. This cute floro green fabric was on sell for $10 for a remnant piece, so with that, a green towel, a couple of felt squares, a few buttons and a green jumper and trakky pants (sweats for you americans), this is what I came up with. I have to say humbly speeking I am quite impressed with how it turned out!!!! Not only did Judah love it but he also received the most original costume award for the whole school. Not bad for a throw together the night before. Now I wondering how in the world am I going to top this next year!!! :O) So out of curiousity, since those who know me know that I have a complete love affair with children's books, what character would you or your kids want to be for book week?!?!

Being Mum

2008-08-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the most beautiful sunny day so we loaded the kids up in the car and went to the most wonderul park called Fantasy Park. We had so much fun being outside and it was the perfect opportunity to click some pics of our cute little chickens. I thought I would share them along with some nice pics of some Australian flora I took today.

On a slightly different note today was also the day for the first birthday party that Heidi has been invited to. So this morning I spent 2 hours making a little dress to give to the birthday girl as a present (cheper then buying plastic kids crap marketed as toys). But as I put up Heidi's hair and tied a pretty yellow bow in and helped her get her party shoes on I felt this little knot develop deep in my stomach. As I helped her get in the car and did up her seat belt the knot grew. By the time we got there and she ran off to play with her sweet little friends from dance class the knot grew even bigger. And as I hung around secretly hoping she would freak out, and instead she gave me a kiss and waved good bye, the knot grew almost unbearable. Then being the good mum that I am, I gave her a big smile and said "have a lovely time sweetie, I love you." I got in the car and drove off and just prayed and shed a little tear. I don't know why this event of all the milestones she has hit recently was harder, but it was. I know that this is one of many, but it was so hard to just leave. I wasn't there to keep an eye on her, or make sure no one was being mean, or make sure she didn't eat too much cake. She had to be a big girl and I had to let her. Needless to say at 5 I called Murray from my Tupperware party and with just slight desperation made sure she was home and OK. Of course she was, and except from a little minor potty accident she had a wonderful time. It makes me think on that day when instead of tying her hair in a yellow ribbon I'm tieing the strings on her wedding dress will I be able to bear it? Will I be able to not break down in a pile of tears and beg her to stay with me forever? These are the things no one tells you about when you get pregnant. Maybe it's because it wouldn't do any good, or maybe it's because there are no words to describe it, or maybe it's because it's just part of the joys and tears of motherhood. Whatever it is, it certainly must be one of the hardest parts of this job called "being mum".

Pillowcase Dream

2008-08-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

I saw the cutest idea the other day and I just had to try it. It was the most beautiful little girls summer dress made out of a pillowcase. They used pretty embroidered ones from the thrift store or antique shops. So before I hit the thrift store I thought I would try it with one I had in the cupboard. The whole project took just over an hour, but I'm sure it could be done quicker as I did a fancy scallop edging along the neckline and was a little bit creative with the sleeves. Anywhere here is the link for any of you with little girls that are crafty and want to give it a go. http://annamariahorner.com/pillowcase.dress.by.annamaria.pdf

I had to take pictures to share and in the process came up with some of the most adorablly dreamy photos of Heidi and Wesley playing in my curtains, so I now I have to share those too. And while I'm busy posting pics I thought I would post some of my bedroom makeover. I did the whole thing for less then a hundred dollars (yeeaahh for bargain shopping) and I'm just in love with it. Our room has always been the dumping ground for clutter and has really never been given it's own decorating attention. But no more!!! It's our beautiful retreat now, and once we get a little extra cash I'm going to find two old wooden chairs and paint it the same colour blue and upholster the seat cushion in black fabric with big white polk-a-dots. Then we will have a little place to drink our tea and read together at night... doesn't that sound wonderful:O) The finishing touches will be a crystal lamp on each table, a white painted wooden wreath for the middle of the wall and, if I can find one, (maybe Ikea) a pretty crystal chandalier for the ceiling... untill then it still looks fabulous compared to what it was before!!!

Hope you are having a great day, lots of love from the Henederson Circus!!!

Femantle, Oh Fremantle!!!!

2008-08-02T22:39:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with someone, whose not my husband!!!! Ok it's more like somewhere, then someone, but Freo is so alive. It has it's very own unique pulse, and personality, and flavour. As I walked down the streets it's like getting to know a person. The fashion and food, oh and don't forget the AMAZING arcitechture that surrounds you. It all has its own unique flavours, and smells, and looks that are so uniquely Fremantle. Then there is the river and shipping yard with the most massive "flock" of steel cranes and cargo ships,and when you see this part of Freo you meet downtown Freo's lover who is masculine and strong and in control, and yet in it's own way has a breathtaking beauty.

If you haven't guessed I had the most wonderful time in Freo with the girls. We had so much fun shopping and picking food of eachothers plates. We chatted, giggled, and at times laughed so hard we could barely breath. We played board games, sat in the hot tub till our hands were prunes, drank a little more Sangria then we probabbly should have, and yet at the same time shared our souls and dreams with eachother. We encourage eachother in light of blaring insecurities and motivated eachother to keep reaching for our dreams. It was so fun getting to know eachother better just by watching which clothes we liked in the boutiques, or which delactable item we chose to buy from the open markets. I think it is safe to say that all of our souls were renewed and encouraged. It really was magical.

So as promised I have some pics to post. I found two FABULOUS hats but allas no yellow polk-a-dot shoes were to be found. I did find a red pair, but there were none in my size. Hope you enjoy the pics. Lots of Love!!! xoxox

One of the Markets

My Fav Shop

Don't you just LOVE the lamp shade!!!!

The Punk Rock Bag-Piper... flames came out of the back of his pipes!!!!

I loved the brick work on this house

Our hotel

Of course I couldn't forget us girls

And last but not least, the new hats :O)

When the cats away...

2008-07-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

... she has lots and lots of fun!!!!

Hello hello!!!
At my last post I asked for all of yours oppinions about Thailand and I loved hearing them all. Unfortunatlly the decision made itself, and not just for me but for everyone. The tickets were only about $500 but the taxes were well over $600... isn't that ridiulous!!!! The taxes were more then the airfares!!!! So instead this weekend us girls got 2 rooms in very trendy downtown Fremantle (or Freo as us locals call it :O) and we are going to spend the weekend giggling, drinking champagne and SHOPPING!!!! I am on a mission to find some cute hats and maybe a new pair of heels (I'm thinking something yellow or polk-a-dots) but we will see what fabulous shopping treasures we find. On top of that my friday tupperware party cancled which means that I am going to be staying in Freo from Friday night to Sunday morning... Yippppeeee... So the next couple of days are going to be busy with me getting my lovely family organsied for their weekend without mum. If you can't tell I am SUPER excited. I have a project I need to do for my enterance portfolio so I am going to mix a bit of work with pleasure and bring my camera with me with great expectations of getting some really great interior design shots. I will post any good ones when I get back, in case your interested :O) So Thailand didn't work out, but in some ways I'm more excited about this weekend (probablly because it doesn't come with the guilt of blowing the family budget ;O) Hope all is well with you all. I promise to post some of my pics and stories from our "Mums Go Wild Weekend" (in the PG-13 rated sense of course) when I get home!!!! Hugs and Kisses

Thailand and interior design?

2008-07-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hello to all. Since my last post we have finally had a few cold, but very sunny days, so I am happy to say that the washing has finally dried, but only after it weathered a hail storm on the line. I have also regained a bit of the sanity that had been lost in the rain clouds. I guess all those years of Phoenix sunshine have made it very hard for me to weather the clouds.

To all of my mum friends out there I have a "what would you do" question. Here it is... My VERY dear friend Bethany is turning 30 this year and on a kind of last minute whim she has decided to go to Thailand with just the girls to celebrate and I have been invited to go. We will be going in roughly 4 weeks, we will be gone for a week, it will cost me a $1000 and I need to get my just expired passport renewed. My lovely mother-in-law said she would fly over for the week to watch the kids and my dear hubbie has said as long as we can get the money together he would love for me to go...

So here is my dilema. I am always the practical one and think well if we some how manage to get the $1000 together shouldn't I put it towards paying bills or taking a chunck out of the car loan? Should I really leave my family for a week to go frollicking around Thailand? or is this an adventure of a lifetime and should I seize the opportunity? Will I regret it forever if I don't go? Will I come back refreshed and a better mum and wife for the time away? I will be honest it's not like we really have that sort of money just to spend, but should we find the money and spend it anyway? Won't it be the most amazing experience, and won't it be SOOOO much fun. All these questions I am sure all mums would ask themselves in this situation .... Would you be the "adult" and pay off some bills, or would you grab life by the horns and fret about the bills another day? Would you leave your babies, or would you stay home and keep chugging along in the responsibilities of motherhood? At this point I am getting my passport renewed and trying to find the money. To be honest these 2 things in themselves might just make the decsion for me if I can't get them sorted, but even if I do get them sorted should I go? So I ask you, what would you do?

So while you are ponering that I will drop anothe log on the fire and let the whole world (or at least the 5 people who read my blogs:O) in on another decision I have made... and that is that I am applying to go back to school starting February to get my interior design degree. I put in my application in a couple of weeks and then will have to have a portfolio interview shortly after that. So here are my plans. Starting in February Heidi starts kindy which is 4 half days a week and Judah is already in full time school. So I am hoping next year to go to school part time and then the following year when Wesley is in kindy to start full time. I have already been to school for my teaching degree but never finished the last year as I came to the realisation that just because I loved children didn't mean I wanted to be a teacher. It's a 4 year course and at this point I am working around the idea that none of my previous credits will transfer even though I do have my fingers crossed that maybe some of my Art History Classes will full fill elective credits. The whole four years is already laid out and after looking at all the classes there isn't a single one that I'm not jut itching to take. I have such a passion for colours and fabrics and all of it that I just feel like for the first time this little flickering light inside of me has been given a chance to shine.

As some of you know I love to quilt and my very favourite part of quilting is picking out the fabrics. I love going into fabric stores and, as my mum says, "fondling fabric". I just love walking around dreaming of all the possibilities of the colours and patterns and texture. So as you can probabbly imagine doing that for a living really is a dream job for me :O) I am very excited am so looking forward to opening this new chapter and seeing how I blossom and change with this new challenge. I know that it will be hard to juggle things at home and there will be things that I am going to have to give up to go for this dream, but I have such a peace and excitment about it that I know it is the right thing to do.

What a year of change this year has been. A real time for reflection and it's only July!!! I wonder what the second half of the year has to hold ?!?! Hope all is well with you all. Lots of love from my little pondering corner :O) xoxox

Wet clothes!!!

2008-07-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

Ok I have this problem. In the scheme of world problems it's insgnificant, but in the scheme of my world it's huge!!! You see I have the most tempermental washing machine. At the end of each cycle it overflows if you aren't standing there to turn the water off. On top of that I live in Australia where driers aren't really a part of every household. I also live in Perth were it rains for weeks on end during the winter. So here is my big problem I haven't done washing for a week due to rain and in a family of five that means the washing pile turns into Mt Washmore!!!! So the skys were blue this morning, even had a full rainbow so I have been doing washing ALL day. 6 Loads to be exact. My washing machinge has only overflowed twice today which is annoying but not a huge dilema because I could at least wash the now wet clothes in the next load. This is when my "big" problem became huge!!! Yep, you guessed it, it started to rain. So I know have 6 drenched loads on the line, not getting dry, one load in the washing machine, and 3 loads still left to do that are sopping wet from the washing machine overflowing. On top of all of that, this last time the washing machine overflowed I didn't catch it in time and I now have to rip up all the linoleom (sp?) in the laundry room and dry the concrete and lay it all back down again!!!! CAN YOU SEE MY FRUSTRATION!!!"

So as i sit here listening to the rain I'm trying to see the positive in all of this..... wait.....here it comes.... still thinking.....NOPE, not finding any postives at all!!! It just sucks in an all around sort of way. I feel a little bit better for having a moan about it, but my washing is still wet, so is the laundry floor (oh yeah and the extra towels that now need washing because they were used to mop up the mess) and the forecast for the next 3 days is still rain. So to all of my lovely friends who are sitting in hot, dry Phoenix complaining about the heat, please, Please, PLEASE pray for God to send just a bit this way so I can dry my clothes!!! and I will do my very best to send some of this misserably cold, wet weather your way.OK, OK, I will stop my complaining and try to go get the fire started so at least I will be warm!!!! Love you All!!!

Teddy Bear Picnic's and Letting Go...

2008-07-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well I have surrvived the Teddy Bear Picnic. We had so much fun. We had 9 kids come which was a bit disappointing after all the work I put in, but that said just having 9 certainly made the day's activities more managable. We did painting, and playdough, we made collage accordian books, wore teddy bear masks, and had the most delicious teddy bear themed snacks. The Teddies all had there very own red checked gingham picnic blankets, and we made crepe paper flowers for them. All in all the kids had an absolute blast!!! It took me 4 days getting ready and I am sure it is going to take me 4 days to get everything organised again in the house :O)

I am so glad that my kids are at an age were I can do fun stuff like this. It makes me sad to think that someday they are going to be to big for paints and glue and died feathers and pipe cleaners. I have to admit that I had a little fear that Judah would think it was too baby-ish, but thankfully he thought it all to be a grand idea and had more fun then anyone. I guess each stage brings it's own joys... just saying that reminds me that there is no way I could have done the teddy bear picnic a year ago because I still had a baby toddling around...

Will it ever get easier letting go of your children's proverbial kite string and letting them fly higher and free-er without you? I don't think it will, just the opposite actually. So I guess I am going to continue to revel in this wonderfully fun stage of their life and hope that as they get bigger and "teddy bear picnics" are replaced by locking themselves in their rooms with their friends that those day's will hold their own special joys... even though I can't see how anything could be as much fun as pipe-cleaners and finger paints :O)

The Abundant Life what is it and can we really have it?

2008-06-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

It is freezing cold here, I can't get the fire to stay lit and I can't motivate myself to get out from under the blankets to do some ACTUAL house work!!! So it has left me with some time to think... The number one question on my mind recently has been about balance and how do we have it in our life. In the Bible God talks about the "abundant life" and pastors love to preach on it... but what is it? I would think those in the church who are most active in the church would be the ones with the best take on the abundant life. The problem is they are the most tired, weary, burnt out, run down, frenzied people I know. The say things like, "well this the Lord's work so I just have to make my family work around it". Abundant Life?!?! That doesn't look abundant to me!!! It looks exhausting and unfilling... So what is it? Well I really don't think the average church, even the really great ones with fantastic teaching, really teach us how to have the abundant life. God says "His burden is easy and His yoke is light", but I feel like it is overwhelming and stiffling and impossible at times, which makes me ask myself am I really caring God's load, the one that leads to the abundant life, or am I really caring all my goodie two shoes excuses for, well, LIFE and missing out on accomplishing the work that God ACTUALLY has for me? And I would have to say the answer to that question is that I'm not caring God's load at all. I am caring everybody elses good intentioned plans (including my own) some of which I really never wanted to say yes too. And all of these good intentions haven't led me to the abundant life, they lead straight to the CRAZY HOUSE, which at this point of time could be subsituted as The Henderson Home.

So I have set out on a sort of quest. I have been reading some really great books, the best of which has been a book called "Bounderies" and have been learning a whole lot about, well, ME. I am learning where I say Yes when I shoud say No, and how that being a submissive wife isn't saying "Yes, dear, that's fine with me" and inside thinking "Are you crazy!!! YOU want to add what to the schedule!!!" I am learning that having my boundaries means not letting all 3 of my kids clamour at me for their undivided attention constantly, and that saying Yes to me means having to say NO to them sometimes. I am learning that this doesn't make me a bad mum, it makes me a better one because if you don't have anything left you can't give it away. The funny thing is if you would have asked me a couple of weeks ago if I was the sort of person that has a hard time saying No I would have laughed at you and said "Oh no I have never had that problem!!!" and the reason why I have said Yes have been justified with the best of intentions. Things like, "I know that my friend is being unreasonable asking me to do this, but I love her and that is part of being a friend (never mind the fact my "friend" would NEVER do said act for me)"

In my quest for finiding balance I am finding that the biggest culprit isn't our schedule, or money, or church, or even my "job" of Tupperware... the culprit is ME!!! Yes all these other things are in the process of having a reevaluation of were their rightful place belongs, but untill I learn to say No I will chop one thing out and put two things in it's place. I want the abundant life and I am learning the only way to have it is to do what God wants me to do using His strength and getting rid of the things he doesn't want me to do and therefore He doesn't give me the strenght to do!!! I am looking forward to a less cluttered life filled with the balance, joy, love, peace, AND work that God has for me and our family... THE Abundant life!!!!

Now that I am on the road to abundant life I wonder if maybe just maybe it might include dry wood and a fire so I can warm up and get some of this house work done... or on the other hand maybe God wants me to stay cold enough to stop working and spend a bit of time thinking and praying for His wisdom...

Family Life in the Henderson Circus

2008-06-21T01:48:00.000-07:00

So here it is, My First Blog. I am sure I was the last person in the WHOLE world who even knew what a "blog" was, but after much avoiding I finally gave in so I could make another pretty custom background :O) Ok maybe that wasn't the only reason, I thought it would be fun to have another way to update all our families and friends on the day to day without having to e-mail group e-mails where half the people aren't really that interested. This way only the interested will be inundated with the Henderson circus, instead of the blissfully unwarer who are suddenlly bombarded by our family in their "inbox".

So here it is. We are doing great here as a family. Judah is in full time school and is just thriving. That said after almost half a year I still find it hard to not see him during the day. Does that ever go away... Maybe that's why parent's cry when they take their kids to college, it's decades of bottled "I miss them" feelings shattering all over the dorm room... It's easier somedays but then other days when someone's been mean or "incidents" happen at school I just want to rip him out of there and homeschool him till he's 25 and I pick the perfect wife for him...but that's just somedays.

It's DONE!!!! Pottytraining that is... Yes after months of Heidi being ready and mummy not ready for the mess Murray stepped in and did a one week intensive training with her over his vacation while Wesley and I were up North in an aboriginal community. Of Course she did wonderful and except for pull-ups at night is completly out of nappies. Yiippppeeee!!! She might have out grown nappies but certainly hasn't outgrown the WHY? Stage.... Everyone says watch out for the terrible 2's but I say Watch out for the terrible 3's. All I hear from her is "WHY...." I usually make it to about 11:30AM before I resort to the old stand-by "BECAUSE IT JUST IS THAT WAY" or "BECASUE THAT'S JUST THE WAY GOD MADE IT" or the one I avoid but find myself falling into "BECAUSE I SAID SO!!!!" But then I remind myself how blessed I am to have a bright, energetic, curious, little girl who is full of fire and yet is as delicate as a rose, and I take a deep breath and try to be more patient with the next question.

And then that leaves me with Wesley. He is our source of laughter. His antics are a constant ammusement. Just today we went shopping and he insisted on wearing Murray's beanie, which of course is 12 sizes too big, and yet he pulls it off so naturally that you can't help but to smile. He never has to try to be funny, he just is, which makes all the more hilarious. We have had our 2 year old moments with him, but in the scheme of things he seems to be pretty good... But then we will see what he has to hold when he turns 3, that is if he follows in his sisters foot prints :O)

I think BALANCE is our word of the day recently. It is so hard to find that balance between kids and school and work and church and housework and dance classes and marriage and, and, and, And, AND.... sometimes it goes on forever. So we have been thinking something needs to go, but then you have to ask the even bigger question, WHAT? So as we spin plates, and juggle and swallow swords, and chase after clowns we are asking ourself what stays and what goes and nothing seems to make it to the chopping block. But we are fighting for it. We are fighting for our kids and our marriage and our family so I take comfort knowing that it is when we stop fighting for these things that Life has won the victory over our family and all balance has been trully lost.

So there is my first blog... hopfully the next ones won't be so wordy... but it was fun and I will definitly come back for more!!!!