Saturday 27 February 2010

Spring is in the air

I woke up this morning and felt the change in the weather; I could feel Spring in the air and it felt so good. It makes me want to jump around like a new born lamb as I feel the new energy pulsating in the air. I have come to the conclusion that I could just skip over the winter season and do very well with only spring, summer and autumn, but our Creator obviously felt that winter was necessary so I guess I'll have to live with it or emigrate to a sub-tropical climate (which I don't see happening, do you?).
It's good to have Melissa home. The dynamics in our home have found their balance again and the boys are being bossed around, like normal! She apparantly didn't sing a alot while she was away but yesterday after she had unpacked, she took a shower and did her normal thing, which is singing in the shower. Yes, it's good to have Melissa home.

She had a wonderful time and I am so happy for her for the new experiences that she has been able to make. Hearing the things she did, it made me realise that she is no longer a child but an adult, and I am happy to see the growth process that she has made in the past six months. I'm happy to hear of the re-bonding that Melissa has done with her cousins, especially Louisa who is only 5 months older than Melissa. It was easy for me not to worry too much as I knew she was in capable hands, being under the care of my brother Keith and my sister-in-law, Sue. Big thanks to them for letting Melissa and Susanna stay, and for taking such good care of them! Melissa would be back in NZ in a flash!

Susanna, Melissa and Louisa at a Valentine's
danceI imagine that a trip like this would also strengthen Melissa and Susanna's relationship. I am looking forward to hearing about their trip in more detail once Melissa has slept off her jetlag and has gotten a copy of all the photos that she made which are on Susanna's laptop. Just a little piece of info of what they did: they went bungey jumping from 134m high, which is the third highest bungey jump in the world, and went sky-diving jumping out of a small aircraft at 5,000m. When I told the hubster he said, "she's crazy!" and "she's definitely your daughter!". He couldn't believe that somebody who is his flesh and blood could do something so wild! It was quite funny to watch and listen to his reaction.
Melissa and Susanna at Zürich airport - tired after their long journey but very happy and still joined at the hip!

Life returns to normal for Melissa on Monday when she returns to work. I imagine this coming week will be very tiring for her.
Daniel and Jordan have been off school due to a tummy bug. Daniel came home from school at lunch time on Tuesday looking as pale as a ghost and made quite a few trips to the bathroom to empty the contents of his stomache - poor boy. I hate it when the kids are sick, there is very little you can do for them! Jordan was sent home from school on Thursday with tummy ache!
Today (Saturday) is the first day that they were feeling "normal" and they even had enough energy to clean up the
ir bedrooms! In the afternoon, they went into town together to go to the toy store and bought themselves some models. Jordan bought "HMS Prince of Wales" 1:570 and Daniel a "Leopard 2 - German Battle Army Tank" 1:72. Aaron helped Daniel get started as he is an "old hand" at making model ships and airplanes and Jordan wanted to do it all by himself.
Three hours later and Daniel had finished his tank, including painting it. His very first completed model - well done, Daniel!!


Jordan is still working on his model........
and I will post it on here when he has completed it.

Yes, it's good to have all my children back under my roof......

Hugs all,

Rebecca

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Reflections

The prodigal daughter returned to the gym yesterday and was received with open arms and warm reminders that I had been missed and that they were glad I was back. There is something refreshing in the way that pain and sweat bonds women together, and so it was with me yesterday.
I'd been away for nearly 3 months and although I don't really know why I stopped going, I am glad that I got my backside moving and actually went. I had a fun, sweaty, fat burner session and am happy to report that although I have been absent for a few months, my body and brain still know what to do and function quite well. I don't have any muscle-ache today and that is my confirmation that I am okay :)
I just have to tone up that flab! ;)
I was tired in the afternoon and I imagine if I had been at home I would have probably crashed on the sofa for an hour, but perhaps luckily for my metabolism, I was expected at Stephanie's to look after Liora and Eleanor for a few hours, and couldn't nap. I was extremely tired at around 7pm and could have gone to bed right there and then. And this from somebody who hasn't reached 40 yet!!!

Looking back at my life during the past few years, I realise that I'm not as consistant in my doings as I would like to be. I stay healthy and fit for more than half the year, then relax to the stage that I've undone all the good work that I've achieved and have to start again. I'm now at a weight that I'm kind of happy with and the question is, "Have I learnt from my past actions to not fall into the same trap again?" I hope so. It's only taken me two big attempts/failures in the past, so hopefully "third time lucky"......right?
The same goes in other areas of my life with attempts in holding family home evening, or family prayer, journal writing, keeping in contact with friends, using my talents or even crafting. I can go for months where I won't create a thing and then months when I don't want to do anything else.
I wonder why I can't find consistancy and balance? I wonder if time management is the key?
Well, whatever it is, there is one thing I know I can't do and that is change the past. I can only do things better in the future.

I was reading the January 2010 Ensign this morning (while eating my super healthy chopped up apple in natural joghurt) and read the talk Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave at a BYU devotional last January called, "The Best Is Yet To Be"
Two things stuck in my mind while reading, one was a quote from Peter found in Philippians 3:12-13:

"I have stopped rhapsodizing about ‘the good old days’ and now eagerly look toward the future ‘that I may apprehend that for which Christ apprehended me. This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before..."

The other was:

"There is something in many of us that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes in life—either our mistakes or the mistakes of others. It is not good. It is not Christian. It stands in terrible opposition to the grandeur and majesty of the Atonement of Christ. To be tied to earlier mistakes is the worst kind of wallowing in the past from which we are called to cease and desist.

Such dwelling on past lives, including past mistakes, is just not right! It is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps at this beginning of a new year there is no greater requirement for us than to do as the Lord Himself said He does: “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more”

The proviso, of course, is that repentance has to be sincere, but when it is and when honest effort is being made to progress, we are guilty of the greater sin if we keep remembering and recalling and rebashing someone with his or her earlier mistakes—and that someone might be ourselves. We can be so hard on ourselves—often much more so than on others!"

This is going to be my goal for 2010 - Forget about my past failures, learn from them and reach forth unto those things which are before me. I can look at the things which are working well in my my life, find courage and hope from them and put my shoulder to the wheel and get to work.

There are things that I can't change - like the horrific amount of snow outside my window - but I can take time to see the beauty in it. I can look outside my kitchen window, past the two baskets of laundry that I should be ironing, and see my neighbour sitting outside her house on a garden chair in her snow gear reading some magazines while her granddaughter plays in the snow.


Or I can look at the photos that I took yesterday on my way home from Stephanie's. The weather was gorgeous - clear blue sky and the afternoon sun reflecting on the snow on the trees. I had to stop the car and snap these shots. I may not like the snow, but I am able to see the beauty in it.


I am so very blessed and I am grateful for my life and the ability to change things for the better.

Well, enough of my reflections for today. It's nearly lunch time and Jordan and Daniel will be coming home for lunch and will be expecting a meal on the table in 45 minutes. So, duty calls......

Hugs all,

Rebecca

Sunday 14 February 2010

My boys

Last Sunday after arriving home from church I asked my boys if they would pose for some pictures for me. What turned out are the following photos. I haven't edited any of them and have added all of the ones that I took. Have fun looking at them.



Aaron asked me to take some photos just of him:

It was funny, sometime last week Jordan disappeared into his room and I didn't hear a thing from him for hours and when he came out, he brought this with him. Isn't it cool? Who says lego is dead. Jordan is 14 and I think it's great that he can still be so creative.

I skyped with Melissa on Thursday and it was good to hear her voice and to see how she is doing. She has died her hair again!!!!! This time it's a blacky-brown!!! ARGGGHHHH - I don't know what kind of tick that child has with her hair but it's starting to annoy me ! Anyway - ranting over - she is having a great time - and everybody is happy. Can you believe that she has been gone for 1 1/2 weeks already. They are off back-packing in a national park from Monday until Thursday and then they are off to Dunedin where Louisa is studying at the Uni there.
She has already spent loads of money!!

For me this week flew by and the days just flowed into one another. My week has been orientated around health and nutrition and I spent quite a few hours compiling different articles on nutrition into one booklet. I never can remember what consists of unsaturated or trans fats,etc. so now I have all I need or want to know in one place. I took at trip to the health store on Saturday and bought some oils, grains and flours and also a flax seed bread to try out. I just have to scrape off the sesame seeds - I don't like them! :(


Wednesday was hilarious. I decided to do a major clean-up of my kitchen and when Mr D and Jordan came home, both of them made the same comment, "What happened here?" and Roland also asked me "Have I come to the wrong house"!!! What a cheek!! You would think that my kitchen was messy all the time. Well, it would be tidier more often if certain people would tidy up after themselves!!
I asked Roland if I should make it messy, so he would feel at home and he said, "Yes!!"

I guess the time will come when I will have a tidier kitchen quicker that I would wish for and when that comes I'll probably want to swap tidy kitchens for my kids back at home. Such is life!

My picture of the day today is a photo of our ward primary presidency. Me (1st counselor), Claudia M.(president) and Ruth M.(2nd counselor). Claudia and Ruth are sisters-in-law; they are both married to brothers. We are a good team. (Although the kids today were little devils !!)
I'm off to Stephanie's again tomorrow to tend the twins but first I'll be off to the gym for a session of aerobics. I hope you all have a lovely week.

Hugs all,

Rebecca

Friday 5 February 2010

A busy week

This week has been busy. The two younger kids and the hubster have been off school and we have been enjoying the time together.
Sunday morning didn't get off to a great start as we were running late. Aaron got up at only 08.20 and we usually have to leave by 08.35, so you can imagine things were a bit hectic! As Aaron was in our bathroom, Mr D had to go down to the boys bathroom to fix his tie. I thought it was so sweet to see both father and son fixing their ties together. I just had to take a photo! (the quality is bad, I know!)


We got to church at 08.55 and I jumped out of the car and forgot about the snow and ice and promptly slid and fell over. I fell on my right side and hurt my shoulder. It has given me a bit of pain this week but it is managable; now it just aches. Church was ward conference, so I didn't have to do anything except listen - that was nice.
In the afternoon, (after making a batch of cookies) I went to Julianne's surprise baby shower. I could only stay a couple of hours as I had to pick Jordan up from the Conrad's but the time I spent there was fun. Julianne's due date was 7th February but the doctors decided to start things earlier. She went into hospital on Monday (1st) for a planned C-section on Tuesday (2nd) morning. Tini Lauener called us all up on Friday and she organized the surprise party for her.

Tini made a diaper cake - isn't it cute?

A ton of food - I imagine Etienne, Julianne's husband is still eating it some of it now!

Renée

Madelein and Courtney

Roseanne

Tini

Tini's son Joni

Roseanne playing the "guess what chocolate is smeared on the diaper" game. Even though we knew that it was chocolate, it was still kind of gross holding the nappy/diaper up to our noses! I got all them right - mars, twix and milky way! Yeah - I know my chocolate!!

Jasmin and Jenny having fun with their diapers/nappies! :)

On Monday I had to get Melissa's laundry finished so she could pack when she came home from work. I ironed for most of the day and my shoulder was really killing me! As I was housebound, Roland took the boys sledging and they were out all afternoon leaving me to get my tasks done in peace :)

On Tuesday we decided to go skiing and went to Krumenau in Toggenburg, a small family ski resort 45 mins. away from home. The weather was okay but the snow conditions were perfect; soft powder snow. We were there for about six hours and had a great time and I only fell over once!On Wednesday evening Melissa flew off to New Zealand. Can you believe it? My baby girl on such a big adventure? She and her friend Susanna will be in NZ for three weeks and will be staying at my brother, Keith's place in Christchurch. We decide to drive the girls to the airport and we picked up Susanna and her mother, Maria on the way. We left home at 17:45 and got to Zürich airport around 19:10. We met up with the Boos family who were saying goodbye to their daughter, Daniela who will be in Australia for the next 2 1/2 months to improve her English. All three girls were on the same flight to Dubai and even got to sit next to each other!
Susanna's luggage was heavier than her allowed 30 kg weight limit, so things got a bit heated while she had to empty out three kilos of "stuff" before they could check in. Luckily Melissa only had 26 kgs! We left home with plenty of time to spare but by the time they finally checked in it was 20.30 and it was time for them to make their way to passport control to be able to get to their gate in time. The gate opened at 21.05 and their flight to Dubai was planned to take off at 21.45. We said our goodbyes and off they went! Boo hoo!
I was so mad at myself that I'd left my camera at home on the table. I'd gotten it ready and with Melissa leaving everything to the last moment, things turned a little hectic and I forgot it! At least I had my phone with me and was able to take at least one photo of the girls while they were waiting in the check-in line. I took some photos with Roland's camera but Melissa took that with her, so I'll have to wait for those photos.
Melissa called us on Friday morning letting us know that they had arrived in Christchurch safely and that everything had gone well. There was no problem with any of the flights (stopovers in Singapore and Sydney) and that she was happy with the standard of Emirates. I am glad that she in such capable hands and am grateful for Keith and Sue for having them stay.

On Thursday the hubster wanted to go skiing again but I didn't want to. So he and the two boys went together. They went to Brand in Austria which is just under a hour away from here and had a super time. This time the weather was fantastic, and the hubster said that the boys improved their skiing techniques quite a bit. I love it when the boys spend time together.
I was happy to have the day to myself. No cooking for anybody and no specific time to be home! I read in bed until 10:00 and then got myself ready to go into town. I got the boys' present for their dad (a cd voucher) and also got one from myself; I got him a new pullover. He'd already got his new planner last week. After doing some grocery shopping I took advantage of my spare time and went to visit Julianne and baby Edison Taft at the clinic. He is so cute! All he does is sleep and she has a hard time waking him up and keeping him awake to eat. A mother's dream, right?!

I thought it funny that all of us are in blue/turqouise.

Friday the husbter turned 47! Doesn't that sound old? It may sound old but he isn't.
For his birthday treat, he wanted to go to the new spa in Bad Ragaz, so that is what we did. Aaron had taken a day off work, so we left all three boys together and we went to spoil ourselves.
It was so relaxing and it felt like a holiday. We were there for nearly 6 hours and we slept for at least 1 1/2 hours of that. We swam, we went in the saunas and steam baths and then relaxed on the beds that were there, then we swam some more. We came home thoroughly relaxed.


For dinner I cooked us all some rib-eye steak with green beans and a salad. For dessert, I'd made a mississippi cake (made on Thursday evening) and that was eaten with lots of fresh cream.
Roland in his new pullover.

Well that was my week and what a busy week it was. I am now looking forward to a lazy weekend. Perhaps I can finish my book........

Hugs all,

Rebecca