Happy Days in May! The complete edition :P

As you know, I have been participating in the Happy Days in May project, which was started by Naomi Ellis over at Seven Cherubs. I have put here all of my sentences for days 1-31 (bold) and also additional thought in italics! I hope you enjoy reading about the month that was!


1 - Today the ugg boots my husband bought for me online arrived, just as I was thinking I should put my shoes and socks on because my feet were cold!
Spoils me he does xo

2 - Today I was able to have a long conversation with a dear friend which improved my outlook for the day, both children napped at the same time allowing me to be productive and have some peace and when the oldest woke before the baby we did some baking together.
I really love this friend!

3 - Today I had a good friend visit, our girls played nicely together (mostly) and I also had an UNexpected but welcome visitor who shared some good news. (More about that on Sunday...)

4 - Today we are all sick, BUT even though I missed my piano lesson my sister and I took our kids out to burn some energy which had the desired result (for me) of being able to go home and have a productive afternoon with the girls napping :) and beside that it was date night and that rocks!

5 - Today we went to the park as a family, visited (Jonathan's) Grandma and tonight mum is baby-sitting while we are go to the drive-in to see the Avengers :)

We were originally going with my dad, but Tommo came too and it was awesome

6 - Today I was fortunate enough to be present to see my cousin be ordained an Elder, I saw my dad for the second time in as many days (this time with Fran and kiddies) and I bet Jonathan at a couple of games despite his assurances that he would win :P
Josh rocks xo

7 - Today a good friend came and watched Hayley while I took Natalie to Gymbaroo, Natalie had an afternoon nap for the first time in a while and I was given a new perspective on a difficult situation which I feel I can be much more positive about now :)
Even though it's tiring, the 'baby' stage isn't going to last forever. Hayley will learn to sleep through the night eventually. My children will grow up over the years and I'll miss the time when they needed their mummy.

8 - Today I had my class for completing my SACE, and after that I went to visit family and Thomas was able to download a conference talk I needed for RS and make a DVD for me.
 Jonathan's family is awesome. They really bust the scary in-law myth xo
9 - Today was fairly standard as things go, but this evening I had one of those 'wow, this is really my life' moments and I found myself just a little more grateful for the blessing that it is to have my two beautiful and precious daughters.

10 - This morning I went to a little gathering with some good friends, some I hadn't seen in a while and this evening I had another moment of clarity in which I was reminded just how blessed I am to have a husband who loves and supports me, and leads our family in righteousness.

11 - Today my mum and sister (in-laws) came over and we had some fun doing craft in the morning, then after lunch they stayed to watch the girls while I went to my music lesson :)

I love piano! It's really relaxing to sit and play and/or sing some great music!

12 - Today my wonderful husband sent for the help I wouldn't ask for and my amazing sister brought dinner over and washed my dishes for me because she's super cool like that!
My husband is awesome - he had to work and couldn't be here to help me but he knew I was stressed with all the work that needed to be done, so he found a way to take care of it. My sister is lovely and so reliable xo Always willing to help, just coz she loves me ><
13 - It is mother's day and it has been lovely and restful with church in the morning, an afternoon nap while my husband did some more housework and phone calls or visits to various mummies in our lives :)
I really do have an amazing mum and mother-in-law too! Thank you both - for everything that words can't say!!!

14 - Natalie is settling in better to Gymbaroo and had quite a lot of fun today, had a friend who held Hayley and watched us (at Gymbaroo) also stay for lunch afterward and the rest of the day passed quite pleasantly too. :)
Ah Amy, another of my helpful friends xo always willing to help when she is able - Thanks!

15 - Today I decided to change my plans and stay home, which took a load of stress off and allowed me to spend more time with my precious girls :)
I really do treasure those lovely girls.

16 - Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary and the girls and I spent the day with my cousin while Jonathan was working, then my Aunty came around too and babysat while we went out to celebrate the most amazing 3 years of our lives!

Honestly and truly, I love you Jonathan! What a blast three years together have been. Parts of it have been hard but we've supported each other through it. It continually surprises me how even after all this time we learn new thing about each other. Like... how you don't really like potatoes :O MIND BLOWN! (I love a good roast potato)

17 - Today I had lunch with two wonderful friends who I've had the pleasure of serving with in Relief Society for over a year and Hayley even had a little nap while we were there which is unusual for her when we go out!
Lisa and Ae Suk are awesome and working with them in Relief Society has been heaps fun too. I hope when this chapter comes to an end, that you'll still be part of my story xo

18 - Today I had a music lesson which is always a good part of my week and in the evening Jonathan and I had a date (continuing our anniversary celebrations) that included ten pin bowling and a banana split at Cold Rock!

Maybe neither of us are champion bowlers, but at least we had fun :P

19 - This morning I went on a walk around the block that took about an hour while I talked to Natalie about all the things we saw and had Hayley in the hugabub and in the evening I went to help one of my dear friends celebrate her birthday!
That walk was the best thing I've done with my girls for a while. I love watching them learn and explore, and Natalie got to do a lot of that today. Today is also the day that I found out my brother-in-law Daniel has cancer. :( It's going to be a long hard slog!

20 - The sabbath is always one of my favourite days and today was no exception with wonderful speakers and teachers in both Sunday School and Relief Society, plus sitting on the couch with Jonathan after church and eating cadbury icecream while the girls (supposedly) slept.

 Natalie didn't actually slept, but at least she was in her room being quiet enough that we could have some time together.

21 - Today the friend who usually comes with me to take care of Hayley during Gymbaroo was sick, but Hayley was a little dear and slept almost the whole time, Natalie is also settling in to Gymbaroo as well as the creche she attends while I am in classes and seems more confident :)
The class that I attend on Mondays is about the Circle of Security. I thought I knew what that was all about, but I have been coming to realise that involves more than what I thought. I'm really grateful for the opportunities I've been given to attend classes like this... they really have been great tools in learning to understand my children and their needs.

22 - Today in the class I am doing to finish my SACE I was very productive and this evening Jonathan and I watched Tintin together and we quite enjoyed it.
Today really was one of my more productive study days. Pretty well knocked off one section of my project :P

23 - Today I went to rhyme time and toddler time at TTG library and was able to see a friend and her bub, as well as seeing my sister and her family, even if it was ever so briefly xo
Annie and Stuart's baby, Elise is a little cutie and it was so great to see them! Natalie was a bit hesitant at first but I think she enjoyed playing with Elise. 
Unfortunately it was only very brief, but it was great to see the Cox family. I'm so happy that they'll be in Adelaide for the foreseeable future, but I so wish for them that it didn't involve chemo for Daniel!

24 - Today I stayed home not feeling the greatest, but really it was awesome to spend the day with my girls, delving in to their world and even managing to do some piano practise in the evening whilst Jonathan did the grocery shopping for us. :)

25 - Today I stayed home being still sick, which was hard because I had places to be and people I really wanted to see, but (possibly to keep my mind busy) I had a very productive day and am feeling pretty good about it... and to top it off my wonderful mum came to visit!

26 - This morning I attended auxiliary training, which was really lovely and included a scrumptious breakfast, then when I got home my mum came over again also bringing my two precious nieces, and this evening Jonathan's mum and my brother-in-law babysat while Jonathan and I went out for dinner with friends who gave us dinner and TWO desserts! :P
Boy was it amazingly good to see my nieces today. I love their sweet little spirits. They are so well mannered, they're beautiful inside and out, and I'm so grateful that Natalie and Hayley can get to know two more of their cousins.

27 - Welcome Sabbath morning, now we rest from every care - attending church on Sundays is always rejuvenating!!

28 - Today was a fairly quiet one at home (beside Gymbaroo) and while it has been very nice to have many quiet days at home of late, it's good to know that things are getting back on track and we've got things to be doing for the rest of the week.

29 - This morning I took Natalie to a speech assessment and then came home to babysit two of my beautiful nieces and it was a joy to spend time with them and then also have my sister stay for dinner.
I love those two beautiful girls! Although, Izzy almost broke my heart telling me how she misses her daddy. It was sweet though when she was talking about how daddy was sick and then she said, "But he will get better... and give me a great BIG hug"! I wish you and the family didn't have to go through this bro, and I wish there was more I could do... BUT I know you'll get through it, and be stronger for it too. xo

30 - With all this sun, it's been nice to spend some time outside and to be able to get laundry washed and dried in the same day!

31 - Today I went shopping to get things like socks for Jonathan and pyjamas for Natalie, and I had fun doing it, plus had lunch with my brother which is always a good thing :)

P.S. I don't know what's up with blogger formatting my blog weird!

The things I didn't quite know

Ok, so.... there are some things which perhaps I knew already, but I wish hadn't taken so long to fully comprehend... or will I look back over the years and realise that now, as I write this, I still didn't quite get it?


Like all the times I've looked at Jonathan and been stunned with the thought that I'm sure I didn't even know what love was when I married him, or any day since - until that very moment... (obviously I loved him but it's like I didn't quite get it yet.)


Or when I've had the same feeling looking at my daughters... along with a deeper realisation of everything that it means to be a mother. Is it really possible that I could worry that much about these two tiny people who depend so much on me? Or that parenthood would be that hard but on the other hand worth it all? Or that I would, undoubtedly, give them my all without question?


Did I really understand before just how important human relationships are and that anything - really ANYTHING - can wait (at least for a little while) when a person needs you - most especially if those people are children who are counting on you to teach them their worth.


All of these are things that I sort of knew... in a way - and they're only a few examples picked out of many. They are the kind of things that people have said to me in the past and in some cases I would reply, "Yeah I know, BUT   _______" (fill in the blank)... they now have deeper root in my heart and hopefully for power than before!

Happy Days in May 15-20

Ya'll know what it's about! ... and if you don't may I recommend looking back on my previous posts? :P


15 - Today I decided to change my plans and stay home, which took a load of stress off and allowed me to spend more time with my precious girls :)


16 - Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary and the girls and I spent the day with my cousin while Jonathan was working, then my Aunty came around too and babysat while we went out to celebrate the most amazing 3 years of our lives!


17 - Today I had lunch with two wonderful friends who I've had the pleasure of serving with in Relief Society for over a year and Hayley even had a little nap while we were there which is unusual for her when we go out!


18 - Today I had a music lesson which is always a good part of my week and in the evening Jonathan and I had a date (continuing our anniversary celebrations) that included ten pin bowling and a banana split at Cold Rock!


19 - This morning I went on a walk around the block that took about an hour while I talked to Natalie about all the things we saw and had Hayley in the hugabub and in the evening I went to help one of my dear friends celebrate her birthday!


20 - The sabbath is always one of my favourite days and today was no exception with wonderful speakers and teachers in both Sunday School and Relief Society, plus sitting on the couch with Jonathan and eating cadbury icecream while the girls (supposedly) slept.

Happy Days in May 14

After today's post I am thinking of collecting all my sentences and posting them together at the end of the month instead of day-by-day. Unless of course someone else thinks I should do otherwise. :)


14 - Natalie is settling in better to Gymbaroo and had quite a lot of fun today, had a friend who held Hayley and watched us (at Gymbaroo) also stay for lunch afterward and the rest of the day passed quite pleasantly too. :)

An Unplanned Post

So, this month I was planning on dedicating solely to the 'Happy Days in May' project over at Seven Cherubs... but I'm not the kind of girl who can just not say something once it's in her head and her heart so here I am!


This week has been an interesting one... to be honest not one in which I have spent my time breezing through day-to-day challenges with a smile to boot. But that's ok. It's good to have the above mentioned project to be a part of, to remind me to look at the day and see the good in it. And there is good in each day... when you take the time to see it.


You see, I have been spoiled. My wonderful husband <3 (to whom I have been married for three years this Wednesday) finished study the week before our second child was born and was able to be here at home with us for the first four months of the 'parents-of-two' experience. This has been a blessing all around - we've had so much time together as a family to enjoy one another and it has helped ease us in to the extra work that comes with another child. If I may state the obvious, the extra work is totally worth it.

The day I married the joy in and of my life!

On April 11 we found out that Jonathan had landed a job at last, and he began working the very next day. This too is an amazing blessing. He hasn't had to take any old job just because he needed to work but instead Heavenly Father must have been up there saying, "just wait, the right job for you will be here soon" - it's exactly the type of job he wanted! It's nice to feel self sufficient and not have to rely so much on centrelink, although for that we are grateful too... after all, without that Jonathan wouldn't have been able to do the study that gave him the qualification to do the job he now has. (Isn't Australia awesome?)


So, with these things considered it has been relatively easy to go from one child to two, always having an extra set of hands so that things could get done even if the children needed attention, and sometimes to take a break if I wanted!!! But now it's time to find my 'groove' as my sister puts it. Find it I shall, but I'm also trying to remember to give myself the time and not expect everything to be easy straight up. Not that it's ever really 'easy' but I'm sure you know what I mean... maybe manageable would be a better word.


I have some things to remember. I will remember that my children are a gift and to treasure them now! (I read this blog post earlier in the week and I think all parents should read it!) I will remember that I'm a person, that I need to look after myself, and that in doing so I will be better able to care for the precious souls I will be with for eternity. I will remember that mess isn't the end of the world, that I will learn how to manage it, and that there will be a time in the future when I will miss the constant presence of the tiny people who cause a lot of it.

Two of my reasons for living - they really do bring me joy and grace!

Thanks be to God for my wonderful husband and our two beautiful daughters! Forever indebted <3

Happy Days in May 8-13 :)

8 - Today I had my class for completing my SACE, and after that I went to visit family and Thomas was able to download a conference talk I needed for RS and make a DVD for me.


9 - Today was fairly standard as things go, but this evening I had one of those 'wow, this is really my life' moments and I found myself just a little more grateful for the blessing that it is to have my two beautiful and precious daughters.


10 - This morning I went to a little gathering with some good friends, some I hadn't seen in a while and this evening I had another moment of clarity in which I was reminded just how blessed I am to have a husband who loves and supports me, and leads our family in righteousness.


11 - Today my mum and sister (in-laws) came over and we had some fun doing craft in the morning, then after lunch they stayed to watch the girls while I went to my music lesson :)


12 - Today my wonderful husband sent for the help I wouldn't ask for and my amazing sister brought dinner over and washed my dishes for me because she's super cool like that!


13 - It is mother's day and it has been lovely and restful with church in the morning, an afternoon nap while my husband did some more housework and phone calls or visits to various mummies in our lives :)

Happy Days in May 6&7

Sunday 6th
Today I was fortunate enough to be present to see my cousin be ordained an Elder, I saw my dad for the second time in as many days (this time with Fran and kiddies) and I bet Jonathan at a couple of games despite his assurances that he would win :P


Monday 7th
Today a good friend came and watched Hayley while I took Natalie to Gymbaroo, Natalie had an afternoon nap for the first time in a while and I was given a new perspective on a difficult situation which I feel I can be much more positive about now :)


Yay for Naomi Ellis at Seven Cherubs and her project - Happy Days in May

Happy Days in May 4 & 5

Happy Days in May


4 - Today we are all sick, BUT even though I missed my piano lesson my sister and I took our kids out to burn some energy which had the desired result (for me) of being able to go home and have a productive afternoon with the girls napping :) and beside that it was date night and that rocks!


5 - Today we went to the park as a family, visited (Jonathan's) Grandma and tonight mum is baby-sitting while we are go to the drive-in to see the Avengers :)

Happy Days in May 3 - A little of the unexpected

Happy Days in May


Today I had a good friend visit, our girls played nicely together (mostly) and I also had an UNexpected but welcome visitor who shared some good news. (More about that on Sunday...)


P.S. If you haven't already read about the Happy Days in May Project at Seven Cherubs and get involved - it's NOT too late!

Happy Days in May 2 - Peace

Happy Days in May


Today I was able to have a long conversation with a dear friend which improved my outlook for the day, both children napped at the same time allowing me to be productive and have some peace and when the oldest woke before the baby we did some baking together.




Please comment with a sentence about your day!

Happy Days in May 1 - Uggies!

So, a few days ago I was reading a few different blogs, as I do, and saw that Naomi Ellis at Seven Cherubs is running a project called 'Happy Days in May'. 

Soooo, this is day 1 for me and everyone else who is joining in. Here is my sentence for today.

Today the ugg boots my husband bought for me online arrived, just as I was thinking I should put my shoes and socks on because my feet were cold!

It's always good to have an extra reason to look for the good things that happen in your day :)

P.S. It's NOT too late to join in :)