Ward Christmas Party

Last Friday our ward had a wonderful Christmas party. Father Christmas came to visit first and afterwards we had a delicious meal. Skeptical

In awe (that was the real Father Christmas Mom!)

Fearful

Aidan's School Concert

Aidan's school held their annual school concert and I was so proud of the little chap! He was one of the three little kittens who lost their mittens.

9 weeks and 5 days

It has been a fun ride the past few weeks.....NOT!

I have been feeling so tired and the morning sickness is really getting to me.

On Sunday I started bleeding and spent the night in hospital. The doctor says that I do not have enough progesterone and that is what is causing the bleeding.

We thought that this was going to be another miscarriage but when the doctor did the scan there was a beautiful heartbeat and a healthy little baby swimming around.

So....I have been feeling quite queasy lately....

Orin and Aidan

Getting ready for church. They get on so well sometimes.

35 YEARS YOUNG!

35 years ago a really cute baby was born.
Here she is at 1 week old with her mommy.

4 months old with Granny May.

10 months
Not sure how old, but the likeness to Orin is striking

22 months

4 and a half years old. Aidan's age now.
5 years old. My favourite green dress and star necklace
With my brother Ryan. 6 years old.

16 years old with my cute little sister, Tannith.
17 years old in matric.

I'm begging.

I am embarrassed to do this but I have to win a competition. I am a finalist in the "Mr. Price Happy to be Home" competition and I need all the votes I can get. If you would like to vote for me all you have to do is click on the link below

http://www.mrpricehome.co.za/comp_happy_to_be_home_voting.asp

then click on this picture (row 17 number 1) to vote for us! Then get all of your friends & family to do the same.

They grow up so fast!

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Keeping little hands busy.

I have "discovered" a wonderful way to keep Orin busy while I am trying to make supper.

It took him a while before he even noticed I was taking a picture.

Of course the next day I found him standing in the sink putting all my clean dishes back into the water that he had run :-)

Tagged Again.

I have been tagged by Melissa. The idea is to list 6 quirky things about myself. Even though I am very quirky, it is hard to list 6 things.

ONE: I love the 4 things on my bathroom windowsill to be arranged a certain way and every morning Orin climbs onto the toilet and messes everything up. I usually keep the door closed to stop him during the day.

TWO: My favourite treat is two tablespoons of icing sugar mixed with a dash of lemon juice and stirred.

THREE: No matter how hot it is at night, when I sleep I have to have a blanket covering me. It can't be a sheet - a blanket with some substance is the only thing that gets me to sleep.

Which brings me to number FOUR: I cannot sleep if the fan is going. Logan really can't understand this one. He says that it chases the mosquitoes away.

FIVE: I cannot wear shoes in the house. In winter I will wear slippers but usually my shoes are scattered all over the house and every morning I have to walk around finding them because I have nothing to wear to take Aidan to school.

SIX: Everyday at 1:30pm my eyes get scratchy and burn and I have to go have a 15 minute nap. Once that is done I am ready to face to world again. I can sleep with the children climbing all over me but I go to great lengths to get them to sleep first.

I don't think I have 6 friends to tag but MICHELLE, CARMEN, TISH, HOLLY - you are it.

Have a lovely weekend!

Doing our share.

For the 2nd year running we have had a "Helping Hands" activity, on the same day, for the whole of Africa. This year our ward chose to help the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). There were various assignments, including recycling, rubble removal, empyting and cleaning the duckpond, welding, painting a mural, cleaning the animals blankets. It was an excellent day. Firstly they got the primary children to clean out the duck pond and pick up the horse droppings. (All the gross jobs, in my opinion)

I also had a gross job. We had to go through rubbish bags that people hadn't even sorted and put it into recycling piles. The worst things were used tissues and plastic bottles with old yoghurt inside.
My next assignment was much more fun. I helped paint the sky for the mural.
Kyle helped with the duck pond clean up and painting the perimeter walls. He worked so hard and I was very proud of him.
Logan was one of the "official" photographers. He also helped Lara to make the helping hands logo on the mural at the end.

It felt good to be helping and doing physical work.

Braaivleis in the Back Yard

A while ago Logan surprised us and bought the makings for a braai and salads. He kept the boys busy outside while I put the salads together. ( I love Logan's face in this one)


Thanks Dad!

Kyle is the master of marshmellows and he doesn't mind cooking for all of us



Mmmmm.....Perfection.




Afterwards, the boys had a shower because they were slightly sticky. (Orin loves to shower)



And then they fell asleep with exhaustion. This is the time I love them most. Sleeping angels with long eyelashes and flushed cheeks.

Spring Ball 2008

Can you tell that I absolutely adore this man?

Logan and I went to the annual Spring Ball and it happened to be at the same hall that we held our wedding reception. It was fun to reminisce and to enjoy that fact that we have come so far together.

And I just have to brag about my new hairstyle. I am so happy with it!

A Celebration

This is the second year in a row that I have forgotten a cancer anniversary!!! I just realised today that it is 8 years since I finished my chemotherapy. The 15th of September has always been a good day for me. It was the day that Dr. Chasen (my hero) announced that I was finished with chemo. We went to the Pretoria zoo afterwards and ate chicken and egg mayonnaise sandwiches. I remember feeling so joyful to be alive and able to go forward with my life. It has taken a long time to go from "my cancer" to "the cancer", to not let it consume me and make me who I am.

I don't want to forget completely. Cancer brought out the best in those I know. A ward fasted for me, old friends visiting, gifts, Tracy's pedicure, Bro. George's visits, a haircut in hospital, family, housekeeping angels coming to visit. A growing experience that taught me much - that I have many people who love me. It makes me sad to think that there are those who go through this alone.

And in final celebration: A picture of my insides :-)

My baby turns 11!

Kyle turned 11 this August and in celebration I am posting a few pictures of this wonderful child. Unfortunately I don't have any digital baby photos or a scanner.

Kyle was 3 years old in this picture. We had gone to visit my good (best) friend June in Somerset West to celebrate my last chemotherapy treatment. It was lovely.

This is his first nursery school picture with Sharon. 4 years old























Not sure how old he is in the next one, but just to show you how creative and inventive he is. He is always finding scraps and making them into amazing creations.


















6 years old. Aidan just born and the big brother relationship begins. He is such a good big brother and mostly patient with the little ones.



7th birthday

Logan's Graduation

Logan graduated today. He has been doing a management course for nearly a year and a half and it has been a battle hard fought. We are so proud of him.



This is where we ate lunch afterwards. It was nice to be with friends enjoying time away from the children.