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What is it about my two 'babies' together that makes my heart melt? Am I the only Mumma who loves it when her children play and have fun? After going crazy and chasing each other around the house, Tamika and Jarvis lay down for a quiet cuddle and watched videos of themselves on Tamika's phone.  Some days rainy days are the best.

Jodi over at Che and Fidel has inspired me to pick up my camera and turn the focus inward. Since I already take 100s of photos of my children each week, so I thought I would twist the idea a little. What I never seem to get is group shots, images of the family together, whether it is my two children, Tamika and Jarvis, or me with the kids, or shots of Justin and I. So I am going to challenge myself to get one image of "my family" per week.

ABOVE AND BEYOND: STEVEN FROM BUNNINGS AT MT GRAVATT

Have you ever been so impressed with someone's customer service you felt compelled to write about it? I was last night. So let me start with thank you Steven from Bunnings at Mt Gravatt, who served us last night.

Now I will go back and explain why and how it was such good service. Slowly, slowly I have been working on the backyard. Three pallets of grass, a veggie patch that seeds have turned into seedling, fruit trees, pineapple plants, the list goes on. The yard is not only turning into a yard that will produce a lot of fruit and vegetables, it is (hopefully) a yard that is beautiful and relaxing.

My next goal is to build the paved area near the veggie patch, that is currently a muddy playground for Jarvis and his cubby. I have already dug out the area so next step is a small retaining wall. In theory I know how to build this, thank you google. But having never done this we will soon see if I am successful.

Off to Bunnings to get the wood. First trip, unsuccessful. Too long to fit inside our car. Three phone calls over the next few days and Susie and I went last night to get the wood and courtesy trailer. We get the wood, but not the trailer. I was not told once in the three phone calls to bring my drivers licence. Drive home, pick up Justin, Jarvis and licence. We figured we needed Justin's muscles to lift the wood.

We all go back to Bunnings, this time we got helped by Steven. Connect first trailer, load wood, test lights. Not working. Off load trailer, connect second trailer, lights not working. Steven runs back inside to get another cable. He actually did run and not dawdle.

Second cable, lights still not working, so it must be our car. Bummer, we cannot hire a trailer without working lights. So at 8pm at night we are all standing around the Bunnings carpark trying to figure out how to get the wood home, when Steven offers to drive the wood to our house in his ute!

So out of the goodness of his heart Steven loads up the wood into his ute and drops it off at our home, plus helps carry it to the house. Wow! How is that for amazing customer service?

I phoned Bunnings first thing this morning to tell them what amazing customer service we got from Steven last night, the woman on the phone was very 'what ever' about it. So not having Steven's last name or no way to contact him I am putting a huge thank you out there for him.

If you ever go into Bunnings at Mt Gravatt and get served by a young blond Steven tell him the crazy Lesbian lady with the red hair and Asian baby thanks him. Oh yeah that is another story for another time.

 The area that is to be paved.

 Beans are growing.

 Washing on the side.

 The yard is now completely grassed!

One of the boards of wood that caused so much grief.

EDUCATION GUEST POST SASH FROM: Inked in Colour

This week’s guest post on Education comes from Sash from Inked in Colour. Storytelling fulfils the need for human beings to cast their experiences in narrative form. Our ancestors probably gathered around the evening fires and expressed their fears, their beliefs and their heroism through oral narratives. Sash is a traveller who tells her stories to us, through her blog. Instead of a camp fire we all sit around our computers, gathered to hear her tales. Myself, like many others, can relate to her tales of travel. Her tales of motherhood, and single motherhood. Plus her tales of leaving a better foot print on our planet. Make sure you pop over to Sash's blog and Facebook page and give her lots of love.

I grew up in an upper middle class family. I went to a good private primary school and I had all of the educational opportunities that a doctor’s daughter might expect. Until of course my parent’s marriage broke up. Then I was flicked from school to school for a while and in the meantime I began to form the most important skill that I have since mastered in my adult life... the ability to be flexible. The ability to embrace change.
I am blessed, I get good grades without trying very hard. School was never difficult for me. But school is not the only form of education that counts. It is the foundation of skills one needs to go to university (which I’ve done, multiple times), it is the basics one needs so that they can read and write and count and push themselves. It’s essential and it’s undeniably criminal that so many women in the world are not afforded this right. The right to learn.

Basic education is a human right. There is no doubt about that. It’s very important to me that I am able to give my daughter the best education that I can, in the situation we are in. And that goes so much further than just school and university. It’s about the choices I make that shape our lives. It’s about the higher education I can offer her now, as a toddler, and then as a child and a teenager and one day as an adult. The higher education that has nothing to do with BA’s or MA’s or PHD’s (though I have already worked my own way through two of those already). But there is a much higher education that I want to provide to my daughter, an education that brings with it compassion and mindfulness and generosity. An education that encourages respect and self realisation, an education that brings with it power and love and sometimes pain... the education that comes from experience. The education that comes from never being afraid to live a great and adventurous life.

You will always learn more from doing than you ever will from standing still.
You can learn every word in a book by heart but if you have never seen real love or had your heart broken or stood in a field in a foreign country or ridden a motorbike or laughed at the wind or held the hand of someone who is dying or challenged your own beliefs. Have you truly lived?

It’s a question I ask myself every day. I ask myself and then I throw myself into the wind and I try something new. I put my hear t on the line and it gets broken. I trust and I get betrayed. I love and I get loved. I play and I laugh. I win and I lose and I lose and I get back up and I go again. And again. Because I’m alive. Because I’m fighting for something more than “just this,” because that’s what I want for me. And it’s what I want for my child. And it’s what I want for the world.

And it’s a question that is, unfortunately, only for the privileged. Because the large percentage of the population of the world does not have the privilege of asking ‘have i truly lived’ because they are still asking ‘how will I continue living?’

I think one of the most uneducated and insulting things we as human beings can do is to take our privilege for granted. To get hung up on grades and salaries and career s without a second thought to those people who have none of what we have. While we sit around and moan about our thighs and our hair and our skin and we spend money on things that are inconsequential and we worry about things that don’t matter, there are people out there who are happy with nothing. I’ve seen them. I’ve lived along side them in little villages on the edge of the earth. I’ve worked with them to harvest rice fields and to build houses and to grow food and to eat food. I’ve sat with them in mud huts and laughed with these people, the less privileged as they tell jokes in languages I don’t understand and hold my hand and hug me when I leave. I watch as they love their children and they work for food not for power or greed or recognition or fame.
The best education I have ever had in my life has not come from all of the essays I have written or the academics I have listened to or the presentations I have given. It hasn’t come from the late nights forming convincing arguments or referencing correctly or stressing over deadlines. It hasn’t come from journals or text books or lectures. I have learned a lot from all of this, sure, but it has never and will never be the best education I will receive.

The best education I have ever had in my life has come from people. From people all around the world. I’ve learned absolute joy from strangers and compassion from children. I’ve learned to appreciate my life and my privilege by living side by side in life with those who come from a different world. I’ve learned acceptance from those who have been ostracized and I’ve learned true strength from those who are considered weak. I’ve learned love from having my heart broken.

The more you learn the more you realise you know nothing. The more you travel the more you realise you haven’t seen anything at all. The m ore you experience the less you care about material possessions and the more you care about people.
Because let’s face it. At the end of the day... people are the only thing that matter. The rest? It’s just broken discarded plastic.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Please Note: Images and words are Sash's unless otherwise indicated

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And just like that a 'Bromance' was born. Jarvis is a funny kid, he likes to play alone. We went to a cousin's 3rd birthday party last Saturday and Jarvis avoided his cousin and all of the other children preferring to play alone. Shy when others were around, craziness showing when he was alone on the trampoline and slide.

Jess, my niece, came to dinner on Tuesday night with her youngest, Archie, and straight away the two boys played beautifully together. Sharing toys and laughing. True craziness occurred after the bath and it was bedtime. Wow! The energy levels of two boys one almost two and one almost three. I don't think I got a single image of the both of them without blur, but they were having so much fun, there was no way I was going to do the forced portrait of getting them to pose for a photo. 

The next day the bromance continued, with painting sharing the one brush, handing it back and forth. Now if only Jess and Archie did not live on the Sunshine Coast so far away.

Jodi over at Che and Fidel has inspired me to pick up my camera and turn the focus inward. Since I already take 100s of photos of my children each week, so I thought I would twist the idea a little. What I never seem to get is group shots, images of the family together, whether it is my two children, Tamika and Jarvis, or me with the kids, or shots of Justin and I. So I am going to challenge myself to get one image of "my family" per week.

ABOVE AND BEYOND: MATT LEASEGANG

Matt Leasegang, what do you say about a talented boy, with an infectious smile and an open and generous heart? Matt is a local Brisbane photographer who is helping to fight cancer one ride at a time. Anyone who knows me, and my family know it is a fight very close to my heart (Love you Dad).  I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt, and I would love to share this with everyone.

When did you first start riding a bike and what helped develop your passion?
The cycling began in 2011, A few of my friends Brad Marshall and Nicholas Granger had been hounding me to get a fixie (fixed gear/track bike) and I caved in and bought my first bike, a 1970’s vintage Hoffy. She’s a beautiful copper bike, I’ve taken it through hell and back and it’s never let me down. I love it. The passion for cycling took off after we setup a Sunday social ride and created a group “becausefixie”. Through the group, I met an array of interesting characters, namely one Kai McIntyre, the reason I’m now involved with the RTCC and the Vision Crusaders; His words were “Come do four charity rides with me, it’ll be fun”. I said “Yep, ok”. That’s how it all started.

Can you tell us why you started the RTCC, plus what RTCC is?

I guess I better start with what the RTCC is. The RTCC Stands for The Ride To Conquer Cancer. It is a charity ride that is 200km of cycling over 2 days, where you camp overnight with other people who have raised a minimum of $2,500 each!! The ride is run in 5 Locations in Australia and 1 in New Zealand, and originated in Canada and has a base in many countries in the world. Initially it was a way for me to have some fun, do a ride, raise some money and meet new people. My grandfather died of a Pulmonary carcinoma (Lung Cancer) and had emphysema and asbestosis from serving many years in the navy. After completing the Brisbane ride this year, my good friend and team leader Klaus Bartosch (1stAvailable.com) was diagnosed with Leukaemia, an ironic blow considering what he started.

Do you just ride for RTCC? Or do you ride with other groups?

I’m very lucky to say I’m involved with a group called the Vision Crusaders (www.VisionCrusaders.com). We’re doing this crazy thing called the “Grand Slam” and nationally we’ve raised over $300,000 for cancer research this year alone. Next year, we’re going to be bigger and better! 

Besides your obvious love of your bike and redheads, what are your other passions?
The main passion in my life? Photography. I love it. I will confess, I’ve been lazy the last 12-18 months and haven’t pushed my work or really engaged in pursuing it too actively though that’s about to change pretty rapidly over the next few months. I let cycling take over my life but now it’s time to pick the camera up and get back into it.

I’d like to make mention to a few of the following places if possible:
BlackMilkClothing.com – For all their support, continual updates to their 500K+ Followers on both Instagram and Facebook and for making us look bad-ass!
My Supportive Friends for donating so much money and for doing everything they could to ensure I got to the rides.
Kauri Sports – For the awesome Jersey design, we stand out in a crowd, and we couldn’t have done it without you!
and finally, to Klaus Bartosch, the man who started the Vision Crusaders and the reason I now ride! Kick Cancers ass! See you on the bike soon!

Matt can be found on his website: Matt Leasegang Photgraphy  

On his personal facebook page: MattLeasegang

His professional facebook page: MattLeasegang

Also to donate towards his next ride : RTTC

Please Note: Images are copyright of Pat Brunet

THE MAGIC IN THE BEDROOM HAS GONE

No not that magic, the other. You know the mythical thing every new parent chases? When their child sleeps through the night.

Up until we moved into this house Jarvis woke every night, some times every hour or so. Plus his naps were hard.  It was a fight to get him to nap, and then when he woke he was groggy and cranky. However, when we moved into this new house, like magic, Jarvis slept through the night! Oh the pure joy of a an unbroken night's sleep. Naps were also easy, as long as you followed the routine.

The magic has gone. Jarvis is back to waking up during the night, and will only sleep in what I call the neck scarf position or cradled in my arms. Exhaustion has returned. Along with the discomfort or having a foot in my face and handfuls of hair pulled out. (Jarvis likes to twirl my hair in his sleep)

The only thing I can connect it to, is that I started part time work. Today when I was at work Justin tried to get Jarvis to take a nap. But when Justin tried, Jarvis screamed like he was being poked with a hot poker. So you think, tonight, bed time would be easy? No, we had a hypo child on our hands, and only went to sleep with me cuddling him and gently talking to him. Like my son I go into over tired awake mood, hence why I am blogging this late at night instead of sleeping. So in part I know why he was so hypo tonight.

Have any other Mums/parents had issues when the change from being a stay at home parent to working parent occurred? Any advise for a very over tired me?

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A trip up to Mt Gravatt Look Out, when the afternoon sun was golden and the wind strong. Both boys wearing matching outfits (yet again), we walked, we played, we explored. Simple pleasures of togetherness, are my favourite ways to spend a day.

Jodi over at Che and Fidel has inspired me to pick up my camera and turn the focus inward. Since I already take 100s of photos of my children each week, so I thought I would twist the idea a little. What I never seem to get is group shots, images of the family together, whether it is my two children, Tamika and Jarvis, or me with the kids, or shots of Justin and I. So I am going to challenge myself to get one image of "my family" per week.

ABOVE AND BEYOND: MARYANNE OLIVER

Maryanne is a local multi-talented Brisbane artist. Maryanne is an amazing woman of great femininity and strength just like the women in her signature style, her "Mairzi girls".

Maryanne has started a project called the 100 Smiles. Her 100 day mission is to custom paint 100 shirts as a gift to 100 little girls to bring smiles and happiness. Not only is Maryanne painting 100 t-shirts with her original artwork,  she giving them away for free to 100 very lucky children. I say children, even though Maryanne says girls, she has made an exception and included one very lucky boy. Yes Jarvis is number 50!

Just a small sample of Maryanne's 100 Smiles Project

It has taken me a long time to write this introduction, how do you find words to describe someone who you admire so much?

I could go to her website and copy the words there:

"Maryanne draws inspiration from the colour and beauty of life ... from the desire to live this life like an illustrated adventure by creating female characters that bring happiness, colour and a playfulness to life! Art that inspires the desire to live life and your dreams exactly how you wish ... without fear, remaining positive, always being brave and never accepting the ordinary."

I could interview her:

First off, can you tell everyone a bit about yourself? 

I like to live a simple life and am no longer in any rush to do or be anything but myself doing and promoting what I love. I love my family, my friends, my possums, my cats and my records ;) I am very passionate about animals, protecting our wildlife and preservation of our land. Through my art I like to encourage others to promote what they love, be happy with who they are and be kind to themselves and others. I am on very simple mission through my art to bring happiness and inspire others to do the same. This can sometimes be mistaken as having your head in the clouds… reality is life is not easy for any of us however happiness is a state of mind and I will continue to promote this through what I do.

When did you start painting?

I’ve been painting my whole life, I used to paint or colour in everything and anything I could get my pens and paints on which was obviously to the delight of my mother haha!

Do you have any formal training?

I didn’t go to university to study art as we were too poor but that was never going to stop me being an artist.

Why did you start the 100 Smiles Project?

I don’t know how I actually start any of my projects, I just get these ideas and have to run with them to keep up sometimes. It started off at 30 shirts then went to 40 then 50 then I just thought “who am I kidding, let’s make it 100”

Kids have always supported and loved my art and never ask for anything in return so this is my gift to them. And the beauty of this project is that this is something money cannot buy as I no longer paint these shirts to sell due to the comparison in price of an original art piece. It has been amazing watching this project unfold, the levels of gratitude, happiness and the love that then carries on is the greatest reward for me. This project is simply about the art of giving, I call it the happiness tree.

What do you think you will do once the project is finished?

I do have some kids t-shirt painting classes in the pipeline in January and

also quite a bit to catch up on once I finish painting shirts so once I get through all that I am sure the next adventure will fall in to place and ill be ready to run with it again!

But none of this describes what amazing woman, and artist Maryanne is, and none of this covers her generous beautiful heart.

Maryanne website can be found here, and the link to her Facebook page here. 

Maryanne looking stunning in one of her t-shirts

Please note: Most of the words and images are Maryanne's

WHAT SIZE AM I?

What size are you? I have no idea what size I am! The other day I went shopping for the first time in three years, I needed a pair of black work pants. Even the shops did not know what size I am. I am anywhere from a size 6 through to a 12. In vintage clothing I can often be anywhere from a size 12 through to a 16.

I am sure any other female will be able to tell me that the sizing policy is inconsistent. This is due to all sorts of reasons; from some stores choosing to cut more generously- or tailor their clothes for curvier women- to the rise of vanity sizing, where clothes are labelled as small to give the customer a false sense of thinness. Or cheap clothing stores cutting their garments smaller. 

There has never really been a standard for women’s sizes, but years ago pattern sizes and ready-to-wear sizes were more or less the same. But over the past 30 years or so the sizes we see in stores have changed quite a bit. In general we are taller and fatter than previous generations, however, we wear smaller sizes!

As the sizing changed over time it would have been an epic challenge for pattern companies to change the sizes of sewing patterns to keep up, since the entire catalogue of available sizes would have had to be redone. As some sewing patterns stay in print for years. So now sewing pattern sizes don’t match up with the size labels in our closet, and this adds even more confusion.

I have spent the last two days attempting to draft patterns. I was going to make a small, medium and a large for customers who do not wish to have a custom fit, however exactly what is a small, medium and large? Do I make my sizes according to sewing standards? High End fashion standards? Or cheaper clothing label standards?

My new sewing space. I used my Grandmother's screen to divide the room.

Jarvis will have a space next to me 

My newest dump find, I was going to paint it and upcycle. But now it is in the space I think I may just leave it as is. 

EDUCATION GUEST POST ERICA FROM: Expatria Baby

This week’s guest post on Education comes from Erica from Expatria Baby. I stumbled across Erica's blog via the 52 Series, Stella's hair grabbed my attention (oh how I love a redhead child), however, it was Erica's writing style the got me hooked. Erica always makes me feel as if  we are chatting in the same room. Make sure you pop over to Erica's blog and Facebook page and give her lots of love. 

Our little nomadic family is currently based in a gigantic South East Asian metropolis where educational choices abound. There’s a long list of private schools that my daughter could attend, each following a different national curriculum, guided by a unique educational philosophy, and using different languages of instruction.

Come August next year, I could send my girl to one of the very best school in all of South East Asia.  And I could do this for free.

But I’m not going to.

Instead, my girl will continue to attend a small Montessori-ish kindergarten where she currently attends preschool. It is not, by any means, the best school in the city. She won’t get the very best education there. She won’t have access to interactive whiteboards or instructional iPads. She won’t be taught by expat teachers with advanced degrees.

But my daughter likes her little school. She’s comfortable there. It’s close to home. She’s learning well, and thriving, even. And most importantly, she’s made it clear that she does not want to change schools. So, she won’t.

When I bring up this educational choice with many of my peers, I get a lot of pushback. People tell me I’m making the wrong decision for my girl. The tell me her future is at stake. That she won’t be ready for first grade. That by denying her this educational opportunity, I’m risking her potential for success.

But that’s not the way I see it. 

I got a pretty good, traditional education. I studied hard throughout high school. I graduated somewhere in the top of my class.  I went to one of the best universities in Canada and got a degree in the Humanities. I studied Latin, read the classics, and wrote long, thoughtful papers. I worked hard. I learned, made mistakes, I grew, and I got better at being a human.

Nevertheless, I have not achieved great success, at least according to the standard definition.  Instead of the fancy briefcase and high-flying career I always imagined for myself, I have a battered suitcase, and a pretty good collection of air miles.

Instead of taking the corporate road, I travelled. I experienced life on four contents, and lived in eight different countries. I married a man I love and followed him across the world. Along the way I’ve cobbled together a “career” of sorts in restaurants, in property management, in education and training management, in social media. Now I raise my girl, look after our home and occasionally write freelance.

And yet, to me, this imperfect, under-achieving life IS a success. I’m living according to my own terms. I work when I want to. I take breaks when I want to. I read books, I cook good meals, I do yoga, I grow, I help my girl to grow, too. And, best of all, I get to spend afternoons with my girl, soaking up the tropical light by the pool.

My husband, by contrast, has achieved enormous professional success. He has a good job, a great reputation, and is on track to a high-achieving corporate position. And his education? Well, he attended a one-room schoolhouse in the Swiss countryside, and then left formal schooling when he was just 15 years old. 

Certainly I value a good education. I invested in one myself! But I don’t think, necessarily, that education is the sole determinant of future success. And pre-kindergarten as predictor of success for a child that already has all the advantages she could ask for? I mean, can we all cool it with the pressure a little bit?

When I think about my hopes and dreams for my daughter, when I imagine her as a flourishing adult, I don’t have a particular set of financial calculations that I use to assign as markers of success. I don’t have any ambitions regarding her career choice, or area of study. I don’t even, necessarily, have aspirations for her to attend university. I’d like her to figure that out on her own. I want my daughter to decide if she wants to sit in a laboratory analysing micro-organisms or if she’d rather be in a workshop, fashioning beautiful objects with her own hands.

What I want, most of all, is for her to find a place in life that feels right. I want her to fell contentment and fulfilment. I want her to build the kind of life that fits her values, and allows her to spend time doing what she loves. And I most certainly do not believe that the school at which she attends kindergarten will help her get any closer to that goal.

So, next year, my girl will go to the same good-enough preschool. She’ll have the same teachers, in the same environment, and follow the same routine. She’ll be happy with that. And so will I.

Please Note: Images and words are Erica's unless otherwise indicated

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Justin took some images this week of Jarvis and I gardening. At the moment we are out in the yard at least five days a week. Slowly, slowly it is starting to come together.

I adore these photos as it shows my little offsider working with me. Well, actually he is always pointing and telling me what to do. Takes one barrow of dirt and then takes a break. Hard work for a little man in the yard!

Jodi over at Che and Fidel has inspired me to pick up my camera and turn the focus inward. Since I already take 100s of photos of my children each week, so I thought I would twist the idea a little. What I never seem to get is group shots, images of the family together, whether it is my two children, Tamika and Jarvis, or me with the kids, or shots of Justin and I. So I am going to challenge myself to get one image of "my family" per week.

23 MONTHS

Growth & Appearance:

Memories of my baby are distant, in it's place it a tall toddler. Mostly I think Jarvis you are the mirror image of your Dad, but on a rare occasion I get a glimpse of Tamika as a toddler in you. I think also, like Teak you are going to be tall and thin with huge feet.

As much as I try to cover you up and use sunscreen, the warmer months are turning your golden skin into the colour of burnt honey. So many people stop me and remark on just how gorgeous your skin is. Even if the bulk of them say what a gorgeous girl you are.

Eating:

How does so much food fit in one little body? You are trying so hard to be grown-up and eat with the correct utensils, but honestly it would be quicker for all of us sometimes if you just used your hands. But I do love how you try.

Talking: 

I have gotten to the point I do not think you are ever going to say Mum. You may not be a talker, but you understand so much. You can even understand a fair bit of Cantonese when your Grandmother was staying here and she and your Dad were talking.

You are slowly adding words to your repertoire, on the week-end when I was gardening you came up to me pointed at my head and said hat, then gave me a disappointed tut. It was the first time you had used the word hat, but you also were following my rule of when in the garden you have to wear a hat.

Sleeping: 

You now have a 'big boys' bed. You will happily nap in there, but still do not want to sleep the night in it. I am not forcing it. When I tell you it is time for a nap/sleep you choose if it is your cot or bed. I am just pleased you will happily go off to bed to have a sleep.

Your sleep and nap patterns still have not changed. You still like the same routine before you will sleep. I have never known a child who loves to moisturise their hands before they go to sleep, but if it gets you to nap, then who am I to complain?

Development:

You have become so independent. You will play for longer periods on your own. But then on the other hand you love nothing more than for me to play cars with you.

Your physical development is racing ahead. When you dance, it is more of a routine with different steps, rather than the past dancing of bopping up and down. I do not know how or why, but you regular down ward dog has turned into you attempting to do a headstand. I don't think you have ever seen anyone do this, but time and time again you try. Time and time again you splat onto the floor, yet you get up and try to stand on your head again. Umm, can you at least start with a hand stand?

Favourites: 

It is all about cars. Your first words of every day are Broom Broom. Then the first thing you do when you get out of bed is go to your Matchbox car collection. You will play for ages with them.

If it is not them, then it is your motorbike. Your Dad takes you up to the park and back on it, and you go full speed the whole way. Coming home sweaty, exhausted, yet so very happy.

Ready, steady, go, and hide and seek have also become favourites. Our poor neighbours must get sick of us running up and down the house laughing.

The other thing you rejoice in is playing Djs, you will play music and then want everyone to dance. You are quite the little dancer, with some very interesting dance moves.  Most music has you dancing and bopping away to the beat.

How I am thinking/Feeling

Your Dad has been home a week now. So it was about settling into a new rhythm. Most mornings you stick your head up and check if your Dad is still there. I am sure your Dad loves how every morning you give a good slap to the face to wake him up.

In one month you will be two, I am filled with so many emotions. I feel so lucky to have you and to be able to say "My Son". I would have loved to have given you more siblings. Who am I kidding, I would have loved to give you a dozen more siblings. But life and age were against me. So you are so treasured and so loved by me, sometimes I think I will explode. I also feel very lucky that Tamika loves you as much as she does, and equally you adore her back. To see my two children love each other so much, sigh. It turns this mother's heart to mush.