Pin of the week...

A good reminder, and challenge, when holidays are coming to a close, and we're heading back to normality!

For Ruth...

I just wanted to share a post that my friend Ruth wrote yesterday. Ruth is one of the most inspirational people I know, and right now she needs our prayers. I would explain her situation, but she can do it better than I can, so please click here and show Ruth your support, and most of all - please pray for her and her family.

Ruth, thank you for being so honest as you write - you are a brave lady, and such a signpost to God. Our prayers are with all of you.

Much love,

Claire x

Ikea and Quiet Times...

Given that our daughter is now standing, cruising and into EVERYTHING, a trip to IKEA was called for on bank holiday Monday in order to purchase some kind of storage system for our sideboard that she can't get her little hands on!

We own this piece of furniture...

and I have a whole load of storage baskets along the bottom with Ava's books and toys and books and books in them (yes... this kid has a lot of books! One basket for German books, one for Norwegian books and one for English books!) but its the little open sections at the top she's been having a lot of fun with lately... grrr...

Anyway, as said, we headed to IKEA for some kind of storage box for the top little sections as well, and after much searching and lots of trying to shove overly large boxes/baskets/trays into the tiny space, we finally found something that was practical and not overly terrible on the eye and headed home (only after sitting down for swedish meatballs, and, of course, buying an awful lot of other "essentials" that we hadn't intended to buy but were "absolutely necessary" for our lives to be worth living - by the by... a lot of shops could learn a lot from IKEA in terms of seducing customers into buying unnecessary items and leaving the customers feeling like IKEA is still the best deal IN THE WORLD, but that's another story...)

We headed home and I had a fun afternoon organising and tidying and putting away, and we now have organised boxes for language books and quiet time stuff, so when its time for my morning devotions, I can just whip out my box and there is my bible, journal, Search the Scriptures book, highlighters and coloured pens etc.

On that note... I've hit a bit of a wall at the moment with my quiet times... I've been working my way through Search the Scriptures which is FAB and I love it and I would recommend it to anyone, but I think I need to do something different for a little while to keep things fresh (you can work through Search the Scriptures in 3 years, so I find I need to take a break every now and again to do something different!) Any suggestions? This year, I've been loving Ken Gire's "Moments with the Saviour" and have worked through a couple of study books (Dale Ralph Davis and Iain Duguid are my faves for commentaries) but would really appreciate any suggestions anyone has?

I'd love to hear your ideas, and at least now, I know anything I do decide to do won't be grabbed at by little hands!

Daddy-Daughter time...

I've loved having Dave home this summer... and there's one other little girl who has loved it too. Those two have had a whale of a time together, and whenever she's up in the morning, her first word is always "Pa-pa?" It's been wonderful to have another pair of hands around when your navigating morning sickness too...

Yesterday evening, while I was "throwing" dinner together (yes, that is what happens in the summer holidays!), these two were out in the garden and I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of them having fun (this is where I wish I had a decent lens on my camera) - playing ball, tickling, playing in the tent. Just good old-fashioned one-year-old fun!

Having a good old chat!

This was so cute - Dave was rubbing her back... and she started rubbing his!

I also had to include this picture... this was taken a couple of days ago. Ava and I were heading out, and I had just popped out to the drive with her buggy wheels to pack them into the car... when I came back, I found this...

What a cheeky monkey!!!

What's in your mouth?

Credit: iStockphoto

This past Saturday, Dave headed up to London for the rugby as Ava and I prepared ourselves for a quiet day at home (the first one in about 2 months!) I literally spent the day doing loads of washing, cleaning out the oven, hoovering, cleaning the bathroom, hanging out aforementioned washing etc etc...  I dug out this great sermon on Psalm 113 by Steven Lawson while I was cleaning away, and he opened it up by saying...

"What's in your mouth?"

Weird question... but the essence of what he was saying was that whatever you love most will reveal itself in your speech. What you love you will talk about...

Its so true, isn't it? Its like when teenage girls have a crush on some guy, and they somehow manage to maneuver every conversation to lead to him... its so obvious, despite their intended subtlety... or that guy that can't help talking about his football team, or the new Father who is doting on his newborn. What we love comes out of our mouths... we can't help it... we can't shut up about it! Our thoughts circulate around what we love, and therefore what comes out of our mouths does exactly the same thing!

This summer, I have loved: my daughter, the olympics, my husband, Craig David, good friends, good food, creativity, beautiful views... those things have reflected themselves in what I have been blogging about... I have raved on and on about the things I love.

I felt so convicted.

I have been swept up in the madness that this summer has brought with it, I have hosted guest after guest to the point where I have neglected the head of my own household, my Saviour Jesus. I have sought to celebrate man-made success - whether it be sporting, or musical, or creative, and haven't thanked the giver of those gifts. I have enjoyed life to the point where I have forgotten to thank the life-giver. No wonder I've felt a little lost.

My heavenly Father wants me to enjoy all his good gifts, he delights in seeing me be creative, in appreciating the gifts he has given to others. He WANTS that for me. But unless my appreciation is routed in him, I will find myself swimming round in circles on some endless cycle of lostness.

So I wanted to stop today, and say thank you to the one who has given me so much joy this summer; to thank him for the Olympics and the sporting talent he has created, to thank him for Craig David, and fun weddings and beautiful countries, to thank him for my family; my husband, my daughter, and this new little life that is working away at growing. He is good. He is the provider. He gives me grace and sustenance every single day to enjoy the good things in life and to endure through the hard things. He is the one who gives me hope, every single day, that even if I fail, I have a Saviour who loves me utterly and longs to forgive me when I come back to him. He is such a good giver. How blessed I have been! And even when I have forgotten him, or worse, ignored him... he has continued to bless in abundance - even though I am so very undeserving.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, you his servants.

Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun, to the place where it sets,

the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Psalm 113: 1-3, The Bible.

Cravings...

I love the fact that when your pregnant, you can get away with eating the most random things.

The other night I was home alone and hungry and had a sudden craving for pasta with cold chopped tomatoes and garlic. Throw in some cheese sticks, cucumber and coleslaw and yum... I had my own little feast at 10pm!

Just gotta watch the waist!

First birthday celebrations...

I'm writing this at 23:19 after a wonderful, but very busy, day. Ava has had a wonderful time being the centre of attention. HUGE thank you for all the cards, presents and well-wishes. Our little girl had a whale of a time... and here are the pictures to proove it!

Baking her own birthday cake?

Minnie Mouse Cycle Helmet..

... a necessity for riding your new tricycle!

Party time!

Phew... was so relieved my first attempt at cake decorating turned out better than expected!

Time to blow out the candles

First taste of birthday cake with Bestamor!

 

 

 

Mayhem and madness (children's faces have been purposefully blurred)

Thank you Nanny and Grandpa!

I'm a big kid now!

Birthdays are SO much fun!!

Happy Birthday Ava M!

Today is my first birthday at being a mother. In other words, its my little Ava M's 1st birthday and oh how much I love that little bundle of joy, cheekiness and fun!

One year ago, I had been awake 4 hours already, and was breathing my way through mild contractions. At 23:17 my life changed forever and I moved from being young and carefree to being responsible for this little life. So often you hear people worry that having children is so costly, is such a sacrifice - it involves giving up your dreams and becoming this slave to your children's needs. Don't get me wrong - it involves daily sacrifice... I have fallen into bed shattered countless times this past year... but how worth it it is. I would not give up one second with our little girl for all the career success in the world.

Nothing quite prepares you for the moment you become a mother. I was actually pretty prepared for labour. I had a water birth which was so brilliant, and I know I'm so fortunate that that was possible; I had great care from the staff and 3 nights in hospital after Ava was born where I could relax in the knowledge that a midwife was just a buzzer away. But I was utterly unprepared for the overwhelming feelings of love, responsibility and fear that hit me the moment I returned home.

Those first few days were tough - the endless cycle of sleeping and feeding, the lack of sleep, the utter exhaustion from just going through the most physical battering you've ever experienced, the realisation that life will never be the same again... but watching that little one grow from strength to strength, look into your eyes and know you, smile when she sees you, reach her little arms up to you, call out "mama" when she's upset, calm in your arms... those moments make it all worthwhile.

This precious little girl is a gift of God, and I thank him every day that we've been given the joy of bringing her up - yes its challenging, yes it can be draining, yes it can tire me - physically, mentally, emotionally - in a way that teaching never did, but I wouldn't change a single thing about my life as Mama to this little girl.

Happy birthday little Ava M - Mama and Papa love you oh so very much.

xxx

... and then there were four...

We have had a manic summer - its been lots of fun, but absolutely nuts. My "Get Good Summer" went totally out the window when I discovered I wasn't so much going to be growing vegetables this summer, as growing this...

Yup, you're looking at a 12 week baby belly! I've been a little bit busy feeling sick and tired, but hoping to be over the worst of it! Hence the serious lapse in my usual blogging regularity, the disorder of my home, and the wearing of baggy clothes to attempt to keep this baby under wraps! Baby number 2 is arriving some time in early March next year and we are just about over the initial shock now and have moved into the realm of over-the-moon excited (if not also slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of an 18 month age gap!)

Well, yesterday we went for our 12 week scan and were informed that our little one had "two arms, two legs, a brain and a little beating heart" before she added "this ones a fidget." No surprises there... every scanner we had for Ava also commented how much she wriggled.

So it is with great pleasure that we can introduce Bubba the II...

We are so grateful to God for this little surprise - a new little life to cherish and snuggle and grow. A challenge that at times slightly overwhelms me and I'm preparing myself to learn big lessons in grace and patience as I adjust to life as a Mama with "2 under 2". Obviously its still early days. I don't want to take this little life for granted, and we're entrusting it to God as it works hard to grow its organs and form together. A new life is such a miracle... a glimpse into the detail and design which God put into all of his creation. This little child belongs to him, and I know there are no safer hands I can leave it in.

- For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well (...) your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be -

Psalm 139: 13-14, 16. The Bible

THE wedding...

"This is like every idea on Pinterest in one wedding!" was the first line I spoke to Theo after he'd just tied the knot to his lovely wife (woohoo!) Lisa... after the traditional "congratulations, well done!" of course. Unique, glam, quirky, unforgettable, homemade, classy, beautiful, stylish are just a few of the adjectives that can be used to describe this incredible wedding in which Theo and Lisa had LITERALLY thought of everything...

We rocked up at the wedding just on time (don't ask about the journey... we left FOUR hours for a two hour journey and still struggled to get there on time - I hate the M25!) and were greeted by the lovely Mungo directing us to an old-school ice-cream van where we could choose any ice-cream we wanted on the house! I had literally protected my dress the whole way there - it had survived farewell to baby, countless one-handed swashes of water on the journey... even BURGER KING and yet my coca cola lolly dripped onto the hem within 2 minutes of being there - typical! The place was buzzing with excitement and anticipation as we all wondered... what would Lisa's dress be like (anyone who knows Lisa knows she is about the hippest chick in town and never fails to dazzle with her dress sense)

As we rounded into the venue in the baking sun (BOY was it hot!) we were greeted by handmade and personalised glasses with these gorgeous paper straws... so VERY vintage and absolutely stunning!

Cute vintage glasses modelled by the lovely Ellie!

The wedding was taking place in Lisa's Dad's garden, and WOW... what a venue. They had set up these beautiful huge teepees... wooden tables with benches lined with fur skins, photos of all the guests draped around the walls like bunting, origami paper birds hanging from every nook and cranny, and flowers... beautiful wild flowers, filling every empty corner. At the back of the teepee was a sweet shop, with old school striped paper bags and jar upon jar of sweety classics... In front of the teepee was a huge blank canvas, with a table beside it with glitter pens, stamps, hand paint, stencils, markers - you name it, they had it - everything ready for a HUGE canvas on which the guests could leave their special message for the bride and groom. On the other side of the teepee was a photo both with props galore, where every guest could have their pictures taken and then glue into a guest book with a message. It was literally stunning... every single little touch - from the blackboards littered around the garden to tell you what was where, to the wild flowers that had been planted in the raised beds THE DAY BEFORE, to the slates the puddings were served on - everything sent the message that every detail had been thought of.

And this is what summarises Theo and Lisa - creative, thoughtful, a love of beautiful things and an ability to make every single guest feel incredible special.

Once we were all seated in the marquee, we awaited Lisa's arrival with bated breath, a significant amount of fanning and a LOT of neck wiping! The best men, Elliot, Bryan and my Dave were doing their best to look cool and calm but struggling in the stifling heat! Theo on the other hand looked as cool as a cucumber and didn't seem to be remotely bothered by the sweltering sun!

The moment of truth arrived... following flapperesque bridesmaids armed with balloons, and Lisa's cute little brother carrying a "Here comes the Bride" sign, Lisa arrived in the dress she had designed herself... so different, so her; she looked stunning!

The ceremony was very moving, with Theo's aunt and Lisa's best friend giving two speeches that had the whole marquee in tears, and there were great cheers when it was finally announced they were man and wife and Theo could kiss his bride!

The party to follow all party's followed - great music, YUM food and lots of creative things for the guests to get up to as well as just mingle and chat. The speeches were brilliant - a perfect concoction of tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of utter hilarity and an awful lot of laughter...

 

The first dance was typical Theo and Lisa... yup, you've guessed it... they had a dance off - Lisa and her crew of bridesmaids against Theo and his posse of Best Men and Brothers! It was all out war!

And then, just as if we hadn't had enough excitement. Craig David arrived. He was friendly, enthusiastic and we just couldn't quite believe he was there! The happy couple clearly couldn't quite believe their luck either...

 

And then he did what we all hoped he would, but couldn't quite believe that he really would do... not for free, for people he didn't know from Adam and for no personal gain, surely?!? But yes, we headed down to the dance floor and he did about an hour on the decks - our own, private Craig David performance and wow, what a show!

And yes, I got footage! Here's a taster (I love the fact Theo and Lisa are loving it in the foreground!)

He was a legend. He managed to come in, do his thing, be totally approachable and friendly and not for one minute pretend that the day was about him. I guess the one worry I had was that maybe it would take the spotlight off the REAL stars of the day (T and L) but he was a totally humble, genuine guy who just wanted to make it special for them. Big, big respect... and yes, of course we got our photo taken with ALL the stars of the day!

The partying went on until long after I had left to head back to London for Ava... Dave was one of the many happy campers in tent village, a huge field lined with tents behind the garden so that the guests could stay overnight. Everything about the day was special, and fun, and just typically Theo and Lisa. They are a truly special couple who put on one amazing day of celebration. Guys - it was awesome!

And here's one of me and my lovely hub who did a fab job as Best Man!