Wrappin Up 2008

Ashley has been very arty this year. She’s made a mini movie of sorts for our newsletter. It runs for a whopping 13 mins 45 secs so hunker down with a coffee and some naughty food. Chocked with action … there’s a few skillful bike stunts …. romance …. well the fruit of it anyway … and plenty of feelgood scenes. It’s more Helen Spicer Rice than Steven Speilburg but you will go away with a few gossipy .. err .. tid bits about our family that I didn’t even know. And if anyone falls asleep, please take a photo and send it to us …. we are starting a collection of people sleeping usually with their mouths open. You will find this film at http://www.hizbabe.blogspot.com/. The post called “Dearer By The Dozen”. You will find a link to Rowenas site there too and even Naomi who started one today.These sites are very embriotic BUT they will grow up. Be sure to leave a comment.

Some more SHORT random news: Kyler appears to now be robust and active just in time to rip into the Christmas blings. He has had a pretty rough start being airlifted to Randwick Childrens Hospital at three months old and now being the last to recover from Whooping Cough which has eroded it’s way through our family since July. Very scary; but talk about perspective. So this year, we celebrate people, relationships and LIFE.

Mark is finishing off a big job and we are amazingly impressed. This has to be my favorite house he has built [ apart from my own] Lots of light open spaces and very modern. His two apprentices have definately become more effecient at what they do, having both grown a few more muscles in the right places. They have helped somewhat in building the mother of all play parks right in our own very back yard which boasts a rock climbing wall, flying fox, and mission central with a whole lot of other doh dahs coming off it. So when you come over, bring a helmet. He has “finished” Ashley off on her “P”‘s and is one twelfth the way through teaching Rowena.

Our big girls have been doing some work experience, Rowena at Rhema FM and Ash will be at the Early Child Hood Centre this year. The three little men are randomly cruising through life and may or may not appreciate a little more structure next year. And Naomi has become mums right hand this year while her big sisters are busy studying and submitting work. She has put her hand to things like baking bread, cleaning the bathroom, making cakes, and even changing iky nappies. Zac and Gabrielle have become very interdependant and both love to do anything which involves glue, scissors or sticky tape.

This year, we have all to different degrees, come to the end of ourselves. Yet amazingly, we are all more relaxed, more forgiving and definately not as judgmental to each other. We are even still getting better at being able to call out the greatness in those who are made in His image ….. ahh … that would be all of us 🙂 To paraphrase “The Shack”, we enjoy each other with expectancy not expectation and wallow in responce instead of placing huge responsibility. Sometimes, His purposes are in the journey and not in the outcome. So “carpe diem” …. seize the day, all of them, and “be glad in it”.