Motherhood is...?

Hi all,


I've finally made it to a computer so I thought I'd post an update! I can't wait to get my laptop (literally, can't wait... I had this irrational idea of running out and buying another one a few days ago... I tell ya, I get the shakes!).


So anyways, as most of you know Chris is in Sydney, I'm here with Manny. Not many days now, the countdown is on! Sometimes it's hard. You make a wise, witty quip and no-one gets it. You have a fantastic idea and the only response is a raspberry. You want to go out and the little guy wants to take a nap, so you stay home instead. It's taught me one of the most valuable lessons of all, what my dad did for me.


My sister and I were raised by my dad. Mum left when I was 4 and Rach was 3. I've always just thought, "Aww yeah, that's what you do when your wife walks out, you raise your kids." Um, no! Wrong! My dad must've got flipped on his head the day she left. This time has made me realize how many times he didn't go out, how many meals he prepared when the manly thing to do would have been to eat take out, how many floors he vacuumed when his inner being was screaming out to conquer the world! If it's tricky for a mum, with one child,  imagine how hard it must have been for a dad, a male, with two girls!


So anyway, yesterday we went to the Palms, a two level shopping centre/NZ-version-of-a-mall-bizzo, and needed the bathroom. So... (keep reading) ... I found a nice big disabled toilet (Manny escapes under stalls and into other peoples cubicles. If anyone EVER complains that I use the disabled loo I'm going to invite them to use the regular loo next to mine. As soon as his little head pops up in glee, screaming, "BOO!" I'll be given a lifetime pass to the disabled bathroom). Of course, in a disabled toilet the sound system is quadrupled by the little space and pretty soon we're being deafened by Michael Buble and Hollywood (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyxYb8E0d84). Manny starts bobbing up and down and he wants to dance! So whaddayaknow, I dry my hands, scoop him up and we're dancing in the toilet!!! He was in stitches! We swirled and giggled and bobbed. Then I straightened my clothing, smoothed my hair, picked up my handbag and opened the door. A sweet old lady was walking past so I gave her my nicest smile and said, "Good afternoon" as we walked past oh-so-casually. Little did she know! As we were walking to the car it occurred to me that if, two years ago, someone had handed me a blank piece of paper that said "Motherhood is..." and told me to write a list I would never have written Motherhood is Dancing in the Toilet to Michael Buble. But you know what? It totally is! Motherhood is seizing the moment and loving on a delicious little critter like you smother butter on freshly baked hot bread.


So here is my Motherhood Is list :-) 


Motherhood is...

• Calling your hubby at 11pm and opening the conversation with, "Honey, pray for Manny. He sounds like a pig" (first bout of croup)
• Eating a soggy-sucked-chip-offering to demonstrate sharing
• Knowing what echinacea is for
• Ordering two Fluffy's in Robert Harris while everyone else is getting mochas
• Checking to see if there are parabens in the bath wash
• Deliberately doing bunny-hops just to get a chuckle from the back seat
• Getting up every half hour in the night cos you heard your little guy roll over
• Playing peek-a-boo in the library aisles... much to everyone's amusement
• Kissing a very drooly face because seriously, who can say no to the first pucker up?
• Examining every stone, leaf, flower, speck, feather, E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, and turning a ten minute stroll into a one hour walk
• Stopping in the middle of making dinner to play catch and kiss

And of course... 

• Dancing in a public toilet to Michael Buble

So now I've shared mine, let us hear yours! :-)

The Kitties!

Click on the photos to see them bigger :-)

Manny's First Birthday

Tonight marks the night of our greatest accomplishment, the birth of our son Manasseh. It was tonight, one year ago, that we first saw his precious little face.

Now I know why birthday celebrations really originated!

Of course, Manny is the only child in Chris' family, and his kiddie friends are all in Australia, so it made planning his birthday hard. We are enjoying spending his actual birthday with Chris' mum, who has been sick, but I wanted to do something small with other children. So, we were blessed with some very dear friends to share our special occasion with also.

From the first time I saw the red and teal combination I've wanted to try it for a dinner party or to decorate a room. Here was the perfect opportunity. I will warn you though it is VERY hard (or maybe it's just me - with my broken eyesight - in limited NZ shops) to get the exact correct shades. All that said, I think it worked!

The table is set!

Those pretty puff-ball things hanging from the ceiling, with old fashioned crepe chains.

Favour bags for the children.

The dinnerset matched with a teal trim! That's God's signature blessing.

{I always look out for a signature from God, something only He could do or would even think to do, when I am planning events or working on a project. Something like this, a dinnerset that matches perfectly and I could never have planned or asked for, is what I call God's signature blessing.}

Friends! Or more precisely, seven preschoolers under one roof!

The beautiful cake, made and decorated by a beautiful lady! Sil, thank you!

Btw, it was delicious! ;-)

Charcoal BBQ. Soooo yummy! Chris' good friend Leif was on the tongs.

Pretty cake! It matches the theme!

These were my attempt at cupcakes without an oven lol! To make: Chop up Perky Nana's (in honour of Chris' nickname) and Pinky Bars, mixed in with marshmellows. Microwave for 30 seconds on high, stir and place in cupcake cases. Top with a jaffa. :-)

  

This is Kerry. Stealing the children's toys. Haha! Joking! Pass the Parcel was a hit. Of course.

Praise God for our greatest accomplishment!

Devotions

This photo makes me laugh! Manny is already imitating his "Dadda" :-) I think the wisdom in his "Get Into Bed!" story is as applicable to him as the Bible verses are to Chris ;-)

For Mum!

These are photos from Angela's wedding, especially for Chris' mum, Heather :-D

I really think the buttery yellow was one of the prettiest wedding colours I've ever seen!

Our Family!

Hello All,


Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! As you all know ours was hectic but we got there in the end. Since I last wrote we have moved accommodation twice and been homeless once, lol. Praise the Lord He is a constant provider and a comfort in a time of storm. I thank God continuously that He is our Rock that never changes, and the only One who will never hurt or forsake us. We truly have a wonderful Lord.


I wanted to briefly share something that I was shown in the Bible not long ago. The Bible talks about us being the 'light of the world' and a light that 'cannot be hid'. The Bible talks about the lamps that were used in those times, with the oil and the wick. Any time I have heard about being the light of the world, people have spoken in reference to witnessing or being an example. In Leviticus God gives His requirements for His temple. Leviticus 24 says, "Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually." In order to get the pure oil from the olive the men were required to beat the olive. Apparently if the oil is obtained in different methods it can cause smoke, but this being a temple for the Lord it needed to be perfect.


The Bible promises that we are the light, and sometimes in the trials I find it easy to be discouraged into thinking that there is no purpose, it is all "vanity of vanities" and why did I sign up for this? When I was shown these verses it reminded me that there is a reason, there is a purpose, and there is a higher calling than what we can see. It's all very well being a lamp and having a wick sticking out, but without the oil there can be no flame. As my body is the Lord's temple it is His right to have the beaten olive oil in His lamp, and the longer or greater the beating, the more oil the lamp will have and the brighter it will shine.


I have made up my mind about some things, and this is one of them: I love God enough to withstand some trials, but I do not love man enough. I think this is why the Lord advised us to work as unto the Lord, not unto man. For example, no man alive (pooooor Chris ;-) could make me get up and go to church every Sunday morning. That is something that I do for God. No man could make me wake up each night to a wailing baby, but if God asks me to do it there is a tiny extra reserve of strength just for Him. So I pray that with His grace He will give me the strength to get the olives beaten and in my lamp, so that one day after I am gone (if He tarries!) my little great grand kiddies can look back at the flame I left behind and say something that I cannot, that they had "a goodly heritage".

This photo was taken at Ricardo and Angela Portillo's wedding last week. I was so blessed to have been able to help with the wedding preparations, a long time dream of mine. Angela was very sweet and allowed me to visit florists with her, help find boleros for the bridesmaids, and have long brainstorming sessions over low-cal chocs. 

Chris and Manny were the two handsomest car parking attendants ever, and I was in charge of the self-catered reception (sooo fun!), but the greatest blessing was that I was asked to be in charge of the procession, making sure that the littlies walked at the right time and that the doors were open and shut on cue. This came with the honour of preparing the bride before she entered the church, adjusting her dress and making sure she was ready for her entrance.

Ang and Ricardo have since returned to the States so that he can finish his college education at West Coast before they go on deputation in preparation for going to El Salvador. We miss them and wish them all the best :-)

An Update in Photos

Hello all!

I know, I know, it seems like I've tumbled off the face of the planet but no! I live still!

At the moment I find myself in a puddle of Christmas Cards and presents, tearing around after a nine month old who can both crawl and semi-walk (what's up with that?) and designing a site for an older Christian man who is very lovely and very computer illiterate! So if I've accidentally not been updating as much as I ought, or not emailing as much as I should... well, you try having a mini-Chris for a son - in one room with a terribly dangerous deck attached (try three metres off of the ground)! Lol! Gotta laugh or we'll cry, haha.

So anyway, here is a brief update in pictures. Yup. We are fancy today!

Item One: We have been busy running craft clubs, creches, and Sunday Schools. Well, I mostly watch Chris and Manny run them. My job is to stand by and smile sweetly and make milkshakes and cookies on command. Right about here Chris was asking, "So who was Jesus' father?". The kids all started hollering "God!" "Joseph!" Finally a little ragamuffin with curly hair all over his eyes screamed out excitedly, "It was Moses!" Haha! Gotta love it :-)

 

Item Two: We have been busy making Manny into a meat eater! Here he is trying his first ever savoury mince meal. He loved it! After I'd taken his portion out of the frying pan I added pasta sauce and voila! Food fit for a hubby into the bargain! Things are getting much easier now that Manny is old enough to eat the same food as us and new allergies aren't cropping up at every turn. Although it does mean that I get to eat considerably less food than is on my plate to start with... ;-) Overall our little fella is a good eater, so good that he's on to three full meals a day, two snacks, and still breastfeeding well.

 

Item Three: We have been busy chopping a fringe! One morning I looked in the mirror, brushed my long fringe over my eyes and thought, "I wonder what I'd look like without that hair there?" It must have been exhaustion thinking because at the time it seemed perfectly logical to get the craft scissors out and snip-snip. Only when I realised I hated it did I notice that the hair was no longer attached! Whoopsies! Note to self: don't ever try hairstyling again at 5:30am. However, after I woke up a little more (about 3pm the next day) I got out my fabulous-free-hairdressing kit (oh yeah - I scored an entire bag of hairdressing equipment while helping a friend clean out her rental property. Always do good deeds!) and had another little snip and feather and this is the final product. So although Chris still claims I "look like a bus kid who got the scissors and attacked their own hair cos it was in their eyes" I am happy with it. So there Christopher :-P