Second Last Day of Term.

Our little lady was not well enough to attend her last swimming lesson of the term but we brought a thank-you gift for her teacher, who's leaving next term for university commitments.

All four children stayed home today. Our little man didn't want to get up (after a rough night) and I was feeling too sick to push it. 

They built forts and made cloud dough with conditioner and cornflour.

Last day of term tomorrow... May we all recover in time to enjoy the holidays.

Bump in the Road.

Today was a rougher day. Bug has progressed to a barky cough. Two miserable children who are thankfully asleep now.

this little one still wanting to help out with the washing.

This too, shall pass.

In Sickness and Health.

Holding back our littlest girl's hair while she retches over the toilet (nothing comes out), negotiating with our biggest boy who's desperate to be well enough to attend school tomorrow to launch his rocket, the husband who faithfully takes care of the little tasks like boiling rice water or grabbing the vomit bucket, and the many, many prayers from our children... such are the many faces of sickness at home. 

The high point of our little man's day was mustering the courage to speak up at class morning prayer to pray for his recovering big brother. He was joyful to share that with us at dinner. 

The bug is making its rounds, clearly, and our little lady has had a miserable day. We made it to the library to stock up on books, watched some TV, chatted with popo, and slept. Big boy and I played a game of chess. Gratefully, friends were able to pick our children from school for us while she slept this afternoon.

There's been a richness and joy in the suffering that makes this such an important and worthwhile part of family life.

Time Outside.

We shooed the children outside for some fresh air this evening. Sleeping bags made for a cosy hideout in our fort. 

One thing led to another and we found ourselves having dinner up there too! Chicken wings (not pictured), sandwiches (with freshly baked Japanese milk bread) for the children and dahl + rice for the adults. 

It was an interesting dinner, for sure. Also interesting was this morning's harvest; white carrot (not parsnip) was historically farmed before orange carrots became fashionable. We're gonna be eating a bit of history!

Winter Bugs.

Tis the season for winter bugs.

Our big boy is down with one and has been miserable all day. Our little man is also slightly under. Let's see how long we the rest of us can hold out for. 

It's the weekend before the school holidays... Not sure how many days this brood will be in school for. 🤞🏻

Our Littlest.

Our littlest lady has been a lovely companion this term. She's developed a heart for "keeping Jesus company". Over the course of the week, we'd attend a weekday mass and often pop into church for a few quiet moments around school drop offs or pick ups. It helps that church is a few minutes' uphill from the primary school.

On one of our morning adventures around the city, we came across this beautiful little chapel and sat awhile here.

Our littlest lady has grown much this term. She's gone from a shy little girl to one who seeks out new friends and welcomes with open arms. She's embraced her swimming lessons and looks forward to her weekly lessons. She's growing a heart for Jesus and it's inspired me to keep growing mine, too. Very grateful for this one, and the blessing of this precious time with her.

School Days.

Little man, outside the classroom this morning: I have fun at school but I always miss you. (He starts to tear up)

Me, wrapping him in a big hug: I know, and I'll be right here waiting for you after school.

Him: Can we take a picture?

He's growing up so fast, but it's these moments that remind me how little he still is. 

Our big girl made a poor decision this afternoon at school. I was upset about it but took deep breaths and spoke to her about it. I did my best not to make a big deal of it and didn't mention it for the rest of the day. 

During night prayer, she lifted up an apology for the choice she made at school, which involved not helping someone when she could have. It was a beautiful prayer and I affirmed her for it after night prayer. It's not easy to take responsibility and own a mistake, but she did, and I'm proud of her for it. 

Ice Skating Party.

The inertia to go to sunday mass after spending 2+ hours in church yesterday was real, and felt by everyone this morning. Thankfully, things got easier once mass started and we settled into the familiar rhythm of the liturgy.

To top off an already full weekend, the bigs had a birthday party to attend after mass. It was an ice skating party for their best friend, so there was no way they were going to miss it. It was good to see them comfortable on the ice, and our big boy helping friends who were not as confident. 

The husband and I had a special ramen lunch with the littlies and they were thrilled to be able to indulge in ice cream mochis for dessert after our meal. 

It's going to take some time for me to recover from the weekend. Week 9, please be kind.

First Holy Communion.

Blessed First Holy Communion, our dear firstborn! May God's grace flow abundantly and strengthen your faith as you grow.

All his siblings celebrated with him and were so proud of him. Our little man did a little dance and said he felt so happy to see his big brother receiving Jesus. 

Football Friday.

It's taken a couple of weeks, but this little man is slowly finding his feet in the game. It was great to be able to watch him pitchside and not have him need me beside him.

But by the time our big boy's practice comes along, it's dark, I can see my breath, my feet ache from the cold and I'm all footballed out for the evening. 

The winter chill sits in my bones all the way home until I gratefully thaw out under a hot shower and later settle down to watch High School Musical with the rest of the family. Our big boy's class has picked that for a mini-production and we were getting a lay of the land with a movie night.

First Holy Communion for our first born tomorrow. Big day! 

Supermarket Shopping.

My highlight of the day was probably meeting my friend and her little girl at the supermarket this morning. Our girls were desperate to sit together in the trolley so we took turns pushing the girls around while we did our shopping. Two-seater supermarket trolleys are a lifesaver. It meant that there was a wee while where I had no children in my trolley and could focus on the groceries. It was lovely.

I'm grateful for a slightly more interesting supermarket shop today.

Long Distance Friendships.

We were blessed to have our friends visit us from Hamilton this afternoon. It was wonderful to see how their children have grown. 

We're now etched in memory as "the house with the big stairs", by one of their children. 

Another set of friends recently shared news that they're moving to the Kapiti Coast, further down the North Island. We've inherited part of their puzzle collection:

It's bittersweet but it also seems to be the way of life in such a large country-- people come and go as God and opportunity lead. On the bright side, the husband says we'll have more reason to travel NZ and more friends to visit across the Island.

It's Finished.

It's taken us about 9 months, but we've finally finished our unit study on The Mass. 9 months of Saturday mornings spent chipping away at it. And just in time, too, as our big boy receives his First Holy Communion next weekend. 

We attended mass this evening and it was surreal to imagine that the next time our big boy attends mass, he will be receiving the Eucharist. We're very excited for him. 

As we've told our children, the unit study might be done, but we pray that our understanding and appreciation of the mass will carry on. We plan to revisit this unit study when our youngst two children are older. 

Sunrise to Sunset.

Started the day rolling out tortilla wraps with the sunrise and ended it after dark at football practice with the boys. The days this week have been long, but also full. 

By the grace of God, there's also been pockets of time for deeper reflection and it feels like a time for more reflective and intentional parenting. Perhaps a surrendering of old habits and a season of new ones.

A full weekend lies ahead but first, a sleep in tomorrow morning! Much needed.

King's Birthday Weekend.

Winter is upon us and we've been waking up to chilly 10°C mornings. We enjoyed a long weekend, thanks to King's birthday celebrations.

We celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary at home on Friday. We'd meant to go for football practice with the boys but the rain gave us a reason (read: excuse) to stay home.

Saturday was shopping day, and the children got to spend some money on toys. We picked up a Mystery and Escape game which was a first for our bigs. It took us two nights but we solved the mystery!

This afternoon, I had the blessing of attending a talk by Dr Andrew Mullins on parenting for faith. It was an edifying session and I'm glad I managed to get a copy of his book. 

It's been a good weekend. Now back to the grind!