Day Three - Soaking it all up.

This morning we woke to this; a volcano of light over the horizon. It made for a promising day.

Chris set off for an early morning run. He ran to the top of "One Tree Hill"...twice, because that's what he does. He stood on the highest rock and breathed in the goodness of the fresh sea air. Running on new ground, to new places; excites him. High on life is a good way to start the day, don't you agree?

Each day, our morning ritual looks like this:

Poolside fun.

Chris & I constantly notice how alike Ella & Ryder are....yet how different they are too. Both waterbabies.....but in their different ways. One a little hesitant, and not a fan of water on the face - the other, not a fear in the world and approaches the water with gung-ho force...splashing up a storm & giggling at it's consequences :)

Both have such a love for life, and adventurous little spirits, yet they each approach it in completely different ways. I like that.

I've been doing a lot of people watching here. I love sitting back & watching people interact, react, and go about their ways. There's a lot of love here on this island. There's a love-filled energy floating around. We've been breathing it in, feeding off of it. Lots of young families, just like us - getting away from routine & repetition...all the whilst giving our kids some great memories. Older couples reuniting their bond, over poolside lays & hand in hand beach strolls. Honeymooners....lots of honeymooners - relishing in the warmth of being newly wed, bouncing on that high that comes so naturally after the joyous event of a wedding. Pregnant women; soaking up their last days of 'freedom', alone time & peace. Gay couples, new couples, singles - all kinds of people here - enjoying this magical place, and loving it.

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We headed to the Animal Sanctuary today. A great way to spend a quiet hour.

Ryder loves being so close to Chris, strapped to his front - right where he belongs. He is such a Daddy's Boy. They fuel each other with happiness when they're able to give each other this much attention & together time. These two can go hours, strapped to each other; happily.....contently.

Chris works fairly long & inconsistent hours. Being self employed means he doesn't have 'set work hours'. Most nights he has work to complete, and sometimes work can overlap into the weekends. He rarely shuts off. And me; being a busy Mum who likes to cram lots into each day, all whilst running a business from home, is easily distracted and usually run-off-my-feet. But, this week has provided us with exactly what we needed. Some together time. Just the 4 of us. Instead of being passing ships at the end of long work days, we're present & close & rebuilding connections, as a family. This has got to be the highlight of holidays & time away, don't you agree? The picturesque place we're in, is just the big creamy icing on the top :)

I'm in a postcard setting this week ;) And absorbing it all.

Ryder had 3 naps today. Two of them were poolside, in the pram. Life's tough when you're nine months old :) While he napped Chris & Ella set off together. They ventured into 'town', then attempted some shore swimming with snorkels {Ella was not so keen once they walked out there}, so they retreated to one of the many pools. This pool was awesome - with it's swim-up bar :) One day, I'll enjoy those kinds of 'luxuries' again, but for now....we're more about this:

Calming and cuddling cautious kids. Making sure they feel safe and ok, inside their own skin, and in this big ole' scary world we live in.

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This evening we went over to the Marina side for dinner.

It looked like this:

Although, I can't at this stage of my life, indulge in swim-up bars {without a baby or child on hip, which just isn't cool}, I can still sure as hell enjoy a cocktail at dinner time! A berry mojito was mine tonight. Hello my friend:

It was gooooooood.

So was the view, as the sun set.

And our sleepy girl, busied herself with drawings & secret writing in her 'journal'...which is apparently for Fathers Day :) Whilst Ryder spotted birds miles away. The boy has eyesight to boot....especially when it comes to bird-spotting :)

My entree' : Scrumptious Calamari. So fresh. So delicious.

And here's me & my people :) I'm 30 and already have ALL OF THIS! Not a day goes by that I don't feel grateful.

Tired? Yes, all of the time! Stressed? Yes, sometimes! But thankful and happy....and wouldn't change a thing!

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I've just downed a thick chocolate mudcake and a glass of red. We're sitting out on the deck {our nightly routine}, the only light on is the glow of my laptop, while two sun-kissed babies sleep inside. And I'm excited because tomorrow we're doing something SUPER DUPER SPECIAL!!! I can't wait to check in tomorrow night to share the day with you :)

Until then.....

I'll leave you with this.....

Night'

It takes a village...

As the saying goes: "It takes a village to raise a child".

I believe that.

I also believe it takes a village to support a Mumma & Dadda through a stressful time.

The events of the past weekend, have reminded me of just how blessed I am. Chris & I are rich. So rich with friends, family & a strong support structure, and for that I am so very, very grateful.

From the numerous messages, phone calls, and checkups from our caring 'village' who truly care & have deep interest in how Ryder is doing - How we're doing. To the flowers, the sneakily dropped off groceries, grandparents & sister-in-laws looking after Ella, and the many offers of help & assistance. Even Ella's Kindy teacher has opened her heart, home & help to us during a hard time. It's all just so heartfelt, and little did I know - so needed. It's made the recovery period feel easier, quicker and stress-free. Thank you!

We have a wonderful village. People close by, and people far away - and yes, that includes my blog readers too - THANK YOU! Thank you for the comments on my last post, and the emails. It all means so much to me, that there is a whole community of 'strangers' looking out for us.

Ryder's health is on the up! He's sleeping much better, and the sparkle in his blue eyes is returning. He even cracked his contagious smile a few times today - oh how we've missed that! Tests revealed it was Influenza Type A, which is a severe strand. A previously healthy 16 year old died of this strand on the weekend, just an hour north from us. So scary to see how far the flu can stretch one's body.

Thank you again Village.

Last July Weekend

Our weekend; in little words......and some pictures.....

We indulged in takeaway & red wine:

The perfect way to start a Friday evening!!

After ballet on Saturday, I took Ella; just her & I to the local mall. She reached a celebratory point on her 'dinner chart' which resulted in picking a $3 Lucky Dip from the toystore :) The next check-off worth celebrating is night number 6....with a milkshake date the next day...we're almost there :)

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Chris cleaned the outside of my filthy car. We picnicked in the garage...watching him hard at work....

Saturday was filled with glorious blue winter skies. We basked in them.... {and scooted around}

Cut lip from his own sharp nails....only 2 days after I clipped them!!

You wouldn't believe it was winter, looking at these barefoot shots would you?

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Later in the day, Ella was busily dragging furniture around & preparing a plate of snacks.

She set up a picnic table & chair on the front porch, to enjoy the lovely day, of course....

However, the picnic area was then transformed into a stage....

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We had Aunty Heidi come to stay Sunday to Monday :) It was so lovely having her here all the way from Kansas, enroute to spend a fortnight with her sister up north, who just gave birth to TWINS :))))

Thanks for visiting us Aunty Heidi....and the gifts, and playing endless hours of Polly Pocket.....and walking around the shops while you were probably tired & jet lagged  :)

The last weekend of July is done & dusted! Can you believe August is almost here???

Tomorrow I'm doing the final July Bookworms linky, and introducing August's theme :)

Until then....

Enjoy your Monday.

On those days.

Some days, like today, when things feel a little too hard - I usually abandon ship.

I'm persistent....but only for so long. I try to soldier through and fix whatever is happening. But sometimes, a change of scenery makes all the difference in diffusing a situation or at least shifting the focus to a more positive one.

Today wasn't completely disastrous {we've had worse}. It started off great in fact. Sleepily {after a long night up with Mr Ryder} but great. By midday I felt like we'd accomplished a lot. House was fairly tidy, chores were done, we'd been to my work to collect some reading books for Ella and drop off a print, Ella & I had finished the story she's writing, Ryder had had an hour nap and I had completed some print orders. We enjoyed lunch at home and then headed out to the post office to send off the print orders {which are 50% off at the moment, by the way!}, and then to the playground for a quick play. All was going well ;)

But then Ryder's mood deteriorated {teething.....an act of the devil I swear!!}. He was tired, but refusing an afternoon nap, he was irritable & highly strung. Meanwhile, I was trying to organise dinner, get the washing in & attend to Ella. Things started to fall apart. I was physically exhausted from holding our 11kg boy, and the lack of sleep from the night before was starting to take it's toll on me.

So....in true Claire-Style; we abandoned ship!

And went on a winter's afternoon walk around our neighbourhood....

The sky was clear blue in most parts, with a speckling of whispy clouds. However there was also a wall of dark rain weather on the horizon, creeping closer, making me wonder if we would end up needing to run for cover. It was cool, but not too cold. And the perfect fix to our afternoon.

We picked flowers & leaves. And looked for wallabies. And ducks.

I love these pines in the centre of a roundabout down the end of our street. I hope they're decorated at Christmas time :) Instant magic in suburbia!

Some days, being a stay-at-home Mum is quite bloody hard! I don't want to whine about it - because frankly, I love having the opportunity to stay home & raise my babies. I feel grateful for this. But like all 'jobs', there's days where it all feels a little overwhelming, very stressful and a little too chaotic for my liking. However, with being a fulltime parent - you never get to clock off. I can't just switch off at 5 o'clock and leave. It's a 24/7 job. All day everyday. I classify a break, as being able to go to the toilet on my own!!!!!! And as wonderful as being a full-time mumma may be, it's also tiring, and sometimes very repetitive.

And that's why I try to turn the every day mundane into MAGIC! I aim to make each day a little different from the one before. I try to embark on adventures with my kids and make memories that they'll cherish. Big ones....and little ones....like afternoon walks!

And throwing rocks into the pond {otherise known as the storm water drain!}.....

On returning home, we had a front yard picnic, until the sun started to set and the chill in the air got a little too icey for my 2 little people. Dinner wasn't ready on time, but we had shifted the mood of the afternoon and changed the path of how the day could've ended. And that is more important....for Mum & Kids, I think!

I feel good about that. Tired....but good :)

B is for.... Before Kids.

This post is my entry into Week 2's A-Z All About Me linkup over at Love Kate's Blog. This week the letter was B.

Before having children, I:

• Slept - I could pull all nighters over the weekend, knowing that I could sleep away the next day if needed.
• Watched TV during the evenings while cooking & relaxing. And not cartoons - the news & adult intended shows.
• Spent money on myself.
• Worked fulltime.
• Drank my tea or coffee before it became cold & needed to be reheated.
• Only had to clean the house once a week.
• Could eat chocolate and/or ice-cream without doing so sneakily out of small children's sight.
• Had time to scrapbook, make jewellery or start & finish any project of desire.
• Went for a run, whenever {or if ever} I wanted.
• Sunbaked in the backyard.
• Read books - start to finish in a few days.
• Could get to work early or stay late, without it effecting anyone else or needing days of planning & preparation.
•  Was organised.
• Was punctual.
• Had time to travel & holiday.....but rarely did.
• Took the time to try clothes on in stores, instead of buying them in a rush; hoping they will fit & suit.
• Drove fast sporty cars.
• Had no grey hairs.
• Had less stress lines & wrinkles. 
• Shopped online for beauty products. I had time to research & source them.
• Stressed less.
• Went to the casino late at night - watched wealthy people gamble away more than I earned in a year  - with one spin, press or bet.
• Went to nightclubs, and lots of restaurants.
• Worked 3 jobs, if money was tight.
• Sat down during the day. Even lied on the couch with my feet up most nights.
• Ate breakfast, lunch & dinner all in one day.
• Fought off flus & bugs quickly by sleeping & staying in bed.
• Had hot baths, candle-lit & read magazines.
• I found decisions quite easy to make. If I made the wrong decision - it only effected me.
• Was 10kg lighter.
• Didn't know what 'ME TIME' was. I had it everyday without realising it....or probably appreciating it.
•  Had a lot more patience.

BUT......Before I had children, I:

• Couldn't wait for the day to be called "Mummy".
• Thought of babies names, and researched their meaning.
• Closed my eyes & imagined what my children may look like one day. Would they have dark features like me? Or take on their Daddy's blue sparkly eyes?
• Saw other Mums & Bubs, and got excited that that maybe me one day.
• Looked forward to all of the adventures Motherhood would bring.
• Started thinking about schools I'd send my kids to, and what kind of Mother I'd like to be.
• Saw babies & kids clothes in shops & want to buy them. So tiny. So cute.
• Prayed I'd be blessed with healthy children.
• Wondered with excitement about what my body would look like with a booming pregnant belly.
• Had curiosity about child-birth. Is it really as painful as people say? Can I do it?
• Longed to be a Mother. 

I've always wanted to be a Mum.

And although there are tiny nuggets of the 'pre-kids' life that I sometimes mourn {like sleep}, I wouldn't change a thing at all. I love my kids. I love being a Mum.

I'm exactly where I'm meant to be.

The Red Bridge.

There's this awesome park that we go to quite often, not too far from our house. It's awesome because it's in a central meeting place & has easy access no matter where you live in the surrounding areas. It has 2 great playgrounds, a toilet block, walking tracks along the river, and this really cool old red framed bridge, which used to be part of the old highway many years ago, but is now a simple pedestrian pathway over the river. We call this park "The Red Bridge Park" and it's our go-to place for most playdates these days.

On Saturday night, a local father of 5 was taken into police custody on murder charges. His 6 month old baby boy drowned in that river at 6:45pm. The baby fell from the Red Bridge!

The Father claims he & the baby fell off the bridge into the deep river, by accident, whilst on an evening walk! Police {or the Media} are claiming he threw the baby & himself over. With only him surfacing & surviving. A pram was left empty on the Red Bridge. The baby's body was found early this morning, further down river.

This story shattered me. Things like this seem to happen too often these days. Young lives being unfairly taken well before their time due to evil acts. But this particular story grabbed my attention, as it's so close to us....it happened at 'our' park.....on 'our' bridge.....in the river that I spent most of my childhood playing in.

And now that I'm a parent, I see these type of stories in a whole different light. When you hear about a baby....not much younger than Ryder loosing their life, you can't help but wonder the trauma...the stress....the grief. My throat tightens just thinking about it. Subconsciously, you get taken to that scary place of imagining something happening to your own child/ren......that land of 'what if's'......but then you have to stop the thoughts & distract with something else......as going to land of fearful thought is just too nightmarish, and unnecessary. A place you never want your thoughts to linger for long.

It's a crazy ole' world we live in. Unfair s&*t happens way too often.

Hold your babies tighter, kiss your kids more, love the people in your life; with everything that you have!

Kirsty & I took the kids to the 'Red Bridge Park' today. They played, and swung. Slipped & slid. Laughed & ran. They played 'dinosaurs' and chased each other. They dug in the sand & climbed the playground frame. They enjoyed the simple things in life....without a care in the world....which is just how they should be. That's the best thing about being a kid. Isn't it?

But as we rode our bikes along the Red Bridge, Kirsty and I did have cares. As adults, and Mothers; we wear a lot on our shoulders. We thought about that baby who fell {or was thrown} from that exact bridge just 2 days ago. It was horrible.We didn't stay on that bridge for long. It was too real.

Flowers were left for the beautiful little boy.

Ambulance blankets were still heaped....wet & crumbled on the side of the pathway not far from the riverbank. The whole thing just scares the shizz out of me. I feel sick just thinking that things like this happen to babies.....babies who deserve nothing but happiness & love & a LIFE. I struggle to accept that such horrible things happen to such innocent people. I just can't accept it. 

My heart goes out to the family. A family who is now mourning the loss of a tiny little Soul....a tiny person, who was probably a HUGE part of their life. I just can't let myself go to that horrific place of imagining just how they're feeling & what life looks like for them now!

As I said in my last post; Cherish every day! The little moments that make this period of our lives so precious. Nothing lasts forever....the good things nor the bad! Savour every little part of YOUR life. Life is way too short & way too unpredictable. Hearing about tragedies, wakes us up to what's important....what matters..... life gets thrown back into perspective.

Children are gifts. They truly are.