Eli...

Never sits still.

Ever.

He has attitude.

He is determined.

He's silly.

Into everything.

But sometimes, he'll stop, give you attention

(I get a kiss every morning)

And then, sometimes, as an added bonus, he'll give me...

...this

to keep forever.

My Kid is Awesome.

Adam started Operation: Skinny-Up on Monday, and yesterday was his first work out session with my brother, who is a trained PT for the Navy.


He's a bit buff.

Adam called me on the way home and said three words

"He's a bastard."

Anyway, he got home and went promptly to the shower, sitting down in it with the stream of water flowing over him.

Eli, thinking that Daddy was having a bath, figured he wasn't doing it right, after seeing me have a few, and bought him a book.

How is that for awesomesauce?

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String...

These...


Are now on their way here, wrapped in love & frindship.

"Time or distance cannot touch

the friendships of the heart"

~Anon

This, that and the other...

I have no idea what was up with Blogger yesterday, but every time I tried to fix the spacing it got worse. Hopefully today will be better.

I was wondering... you know how over there on the left under that dapper and debonair photo of The Hubsand are external links to my Xanga from when I wrote out the A Thousand Times thingie I did?

Well, what would you say to me transferring it all over to here, much the same way? Once a month, there'd bee 100 things listed. I'd do it all in one hit, but for some reason, I can't copy/paste here, and it takes a.long.time. to write them all out :)

Just a thought. Would you be interested?

Also, I'm going to start a Aussie-ism Thesaurus type thing up, if I can decide which is the best way to do it. Should I, once a week cover a word, a phrase and a behaviour and put them under a category, or should I just keep adding to a single page in alphabetical order? What do you think?

I pick my camera up in a fortnight (two weeks, for the un-colonial) so I'll be able to take UP TO DATE!! pictures of The Multitude, and even show you a little of where I live. I love where I live. It's prettiful, in a rugged sort of way.

Adam began his new diet/workout It's-Time-To-Get-Skinny regime today. He's attempted this many times in the past, but this time, I truly believe he's serious about it. He's excited. He sat down with my brother, who is a P.T for the Navy and worked out (ha! get it?!) an exercise plan that will not only produce results quickly, but not over do it and cause problems which will set him back. Stress fractures are a high possibility for Adam at the moment if he does too much all at once, so I'm glad Rob is taking that into consideration. The last thing we need is for Adam to lose heart this time.

I've been having fun buying up new t-shirts for Adam to wear once he has lost his weight. He likes the cartoon ones, so it's been so fun trying to find ones that suit his personality, and in-joke status for us. So far, I've found Monty Python, Seseme Street, The Muppets, Transformers... all I need is Astro Boy and Smurfs.

Ummm.... this is just a brain dump post, can you tell?

My baby is adorable.

My twoandahalf year old is seriously pushing boundaries.

My oh-so-nearly 4 year old is beautiful... but becoming increasingly shrill in direct response to the twoandahalf year old.

My 7.2 year old is recovering well from surgery, even if it does sound like someone is pinching her nose when she talks.

My 7.1 year old is AT.I.TUDE.

My just-about 10 year old is hormonal and everything that goes along with it.

I need to tidy bedrooms and clean the bathroom.

I'll be more interesting tomorrow.

What's in a name?

I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose would be
as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.
~Anne Shirley {L.M Montgomery}
(Anne of Green Gables)

I haven't always been particular about what names meant. In all honestly "we" named our first three children because we liked the names. We kinda looked at the meaning, but it wasn't the driving force.

If your wondering why I have the word we in quotations, it's because I don't believe we named our children at all. The bible clearly states that the Lord knew us before we were born and called us.

I'm taking an educated guess and suggesting it was more than an "Oi! You! Wotchername!"

Names in the bible were a very important thing. It's why they were always changing their names. They realised that what their name meant, it was who they were, or, at least, who they felt themselves to be.

Think when Ben Oni became Benjamin and Naomi became Mara for example.

Rachel gave birth on the road, as she and Jacob and their tribe were moving on to Bethel. Rachel, we know, had a long history of infertility and miscarriage. Her sister, Lea, had borne Jacob six sons and one recognised daughter from her own womb, and two through her maid-servant. Rachel herself had only one son, Joseph. Then, through complications in Benjamin's birth, she died. She must have realised it, however, because with her dying breath, she named this son Ben Oni, which means Son of my Sorrow. How sad she must have been... not only that she had only managed two biological sons (she also had two sons through her maid-servant), but now she wasn't going to be there to watch them grow up. Thankfully, Jacob didn't want his son yolked with such a thing, and renamed him Benjamin, which means Son of My Right Hand. He did, infact, grow up to be a very beloved son.

Naomi had lost everything. Her husband. Her sons. And with them, her security. So, she took off back to where she and her husband had left because of a famine. When she got there, the people were all like, "Oh my, is that Naomi?" And, seeing as though Naomi means pleasant, she told them to no longer call her that, but instead, to call her Mara, because "the Lord has made my life bitter." I don't think she meant it very seriously though, because she's still reffered to as Naomi throughout.

The Lord also changed peoples names, as they moved from the old into the new.

Abram became Abraham. From son to father.

Jacob became Israel. From supplanter to God's warrior.

Simon became Peter. From listening to stone.

Saul became Paul. From borrowed to humble.

I strongly believe now, that what the names of your children are, they become. Think about it. Daily, you are saying their name. The bible tells us that out of the mouth comes life, death, blessing and cursing. The name we give our children is the single most spoken word over their life. And as their parents, our words carry a tremendous amount of weight. I remember overhearing a mother call to her daughter... Rebel. I've often wondered what she turned out like.

I'm so glad that God loves my children more than me. While Adam and I weren't thinking about what we would be speaking over our children for the rest of their lives, He was. And the names he gave them make me wonder what, exactly, He has planned for them.

My eldest son is Troy Alexander. Which, if you put the definitions of both his names together, his name means foot soldier defending men. I believe that Troy will be on the ground, in the midst of kingdom battle, saving souls and discipling.

I had twins next, but Drew William is older by a very. vital. seven. minutes, so I always mention him first. The Lord called him man warrior with will, desire and helmet, protection. It's a biggie! I think Drew, when he really comes to Christ, it will be with all his heart. I've still to wrap my head around all the things that the Father sees in him.

Bethany Alana is my first daughter, and we had such trouble thinking of a name. And when we finally realised that we had no idea what we finally settled on meant, we went looking. There are many things about her first name that were obvious, and we did know... It was in Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and it was from Bethany He ascended into heaven. That alone was sufficient, but we wanted to know what we were speaking into her life. When we read that her name meant House of figs, we were baffled. Especially after the soldier and warrior we had. A little extra research showed us that, in the bible, the fig tree was the first tree mentioned by name after the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Figs are mentioned 266 times and are in all but 24 books of the bible, from Genesis, where Adam and Eve used fig leaves to create their first garments to Revelation, where they are used in an end-times prophesy. Figs were used as a sign of peace and prosperity, and were used for medicinal purposes, to cure infection. They were an essential source of food, as they dried and kept well for long periods. We are still trying to piece together what this actually means for Bethany herself. Her middle name is easier... Alana means rock. Is this house of figs built on a firm foundation? Is she a steadfast believer? We shall see.

A couple of years after the twins were born, Adam and I separated for 5 months. Thanks to the Lord and a whole other story I may get into at a later time, we reconciled and we rededicated ourselves to God. When we fell pregnant, the names of our children became a little more important to us.

Amy Ruth is the most delightful thing the Lord blessed us with. She really was the icing on the cake of our reconciliation. She has been a constant source of joy. Her name means Beloved Friend. And she is. In actual fact, Troy named Amy. When we told him we were having a baby, he immediately announced "It's a girl, and her name is Amy." We were unable to move him from this. And, to him, she truly is beloved. They have a beautiful relationshp.

When I only had Troy and the twins, I remember distinctly hearing from God. I was driving down a main road here, and I heard so clearly "You will have a son. His name is Eli Benjamin."

ooooh kay...

We weren't planning on having any more. I mentioned it to Adam, and we stashed it away.

When we fell pregnant with Amy, we were convinced this was the boy the Lord had spoken of. No sonogropher could get a clear picture, either, so the entire pregnancy we had no idea what we were having, but we were pretty sure we knew.

Obviously, we didn't, but that's neither here nor there.

Just 6 short months after Amy graced us with her presence, the Lord gave us Eli. Nine months later, when we held him, we looked into the face of this little, tiny baby, and could only imagine how God was going to use this "highest son of my right hand". From our study, we are aware of a little detail... pretty well every child God has "announced", so to speak, before their birth, went on to do some pretty amazing things.

And lastly, as I mentioned yesterday, there is Cora Isabella. Girl dedicated to God. I cannot tell you how much I love her name. I am so glad I'll be speaking this over her life.

It's not a magic trick. It's not positive thinking. It's certainly not a "secret".

It's truth, and I'm taking it seriously.

The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat it's fruit
~Proverbs 18:21

*ahem* Hi.

*wave*

Been a while, huh?

I had a baby.

She's yummy.

Her name is Cora Isabella... Girl Dedicated to God.

May she always be so.

By us.

By her.

She is delightful.

And squidgy.

Just Ducking In...

To let you know we've been without a computer for the better part of the week, and are borrowing a power cable at the moment. LONG story.

But most importantly, to those of you who stumble over here and read my little bits and bobs, I wish you the very merriest of Christmases, filled with the love and joy of our Saviours birth, family, friends and copious amounts of good food.

And remember, from Andy Rooney, one of my most favourite Christmas quotes EVER...

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly."

Remember what's important.

See you on the other side.

Much love.

Troy 1-100

The things I love about Troy are...



1. He is my first born
2. He is my eldest son
3. He is so tender hearted
4. He is brave
5. He is tenacious
6. He is amazingly good at sports
7. He is a huge help to me
8. His blue, blue eyes
9. His developing sense of humour
10. How excited he was we were expecting baby number 6
11. He changes nappies... number ones AND number twos
12. He makes breakfast for the kids most mornings
13. How hard he tries
14. His cool sense of style
15. The way he still wants to kiss me in public, even though he's 9
16. How much he's taught me about patience
17. That he doesn't hold it against me when I fail
18. He fetches and carries with little complaining
19. He'll eat pretty much anything
20. He loves to sing
21. He loves to tinker on the piano
22. He adores his dad
23. He is incredibly loving
24. He doesn't like swearing
25. He loves to read
26. He loves to draw
27. He loves to write
28. He loves to pray
29. That he copes so well without a defined routine at home
30. He's loyal
31. He loves his daddy's football team
32. He's a stickler for rules
33. He is exceptionally good at maths
34. The way he just wants to "be with" me sometimes
35. He LOVES Hillsong ;)
36. He loves to help out at church
37. How chuffed he was that he is officially on the "collecting the tithe" roster
38. He'll give anything a go
39. How he refuses to be defined by his autism
40. That he never gave up at school... he just kept slogging on through till he got it
41. He loves the water
42. He asks permission most of the time
43. He's just a really good looking kid!
44. He has incredibly thick hair
45. He'll probably be taller than Adam when he's fully grown
46. His cute way of phrasing things
47. How he reads to the younger kids
48. He loves animals
49. He is always eager to please
50. He prays for his future wife
51. His concern about Adam's weight
52. He makes his own bed
53. He can do laundry
54. He washes dishes
55. He kisses my hand
56. How he sees things in the clouds
57. He loves to play in the rain
58. He's certainly not afraid of a little dirt
59. He's an awesome big brother
60. He loves to dance
61. He still calls me "mummy"
62. He got all miffy because I decorated the girls room and not the boys
63. He'd much rather sleep in a hammock than a bed
64. He loves word-searches
65. He can play any computer game
66. He can bleed heaps and be fine
67. But the minute he sees someone else bleed, he gets woozy
68. Spiders freak him out a little
69. He worries when I'm hurt
70. He looks super cute in his glasses
71. He doesn't even bother to ask to watch a movie outside of the two ratings he's allowed
72. He thinks my spaghetti bolognaise is the best in the world
73. He likes tuna
74. He makes those little chatterbox paper toys all. the. time
75. He drew a picture of my pregnant sister once, and it was adorable
76. And he called her Aunty Bump for a while
77. He puts the Smallies into their car seats for me
78. He's fascinated by gadgets
79. He wants to be a doctor
80. No... a teacher ;)
81. He loves classical music
82. He wants to give ballet a go
83. Once he's focused, that's it
84. He's got a great arm on him
85. He's a one on one type of kid
86. He's learning how to deal with frustration
87. He can build pretty much anything with Lego
88. He loves spending time with his dad
89. He'd cook more if I let him
90. He'll climb anything
91. He'll jump off anything
92. He loves cushions
93. He'll do pretty much any job for money
94. The way he used to run looking at his shadow
95. The way he endears himself to everyone
96. His high pain threshold
97. The way he doesn't care what people think about him
98. The way he loves to read the Bible
99. He always says "thank you for dinner, that was yummy!"
100. The precious way he knows God.

A Thousand Times, I Love You

You may see over there on the left under the picture of Adam, there is a list of numbered links.

2 years ago, I embarked on a little endeavour I entitled "A Thousand Times, I Love You".

It started out innocently enough. For Valentines day, I wrote a list of 100 things I loved about Adam. He was so chuffed about it, that I decided to do it again. And from there, it morphed. I figured out that if I wrote 100 things every month until his 30th birthday, I would reach 1,000 individual things.

It was THE best year of our marriage to date.

Amazing what a little positive thinking will do.

I've started making Adam a book of his, using blurb.com, but then my scanner died, and I couldn't save any more photos, then our computer crashed... blah blah blah. Needless to say, it still sits there forlornly, waiting my attention.

I want very much to re post the lists here on blogger, but for some reason, it won't let me copy/paste. So for now, you can read them if you click the links.

Anyway, all this to say that, as you may or may not have gathered, I've struggled with liking my kids the last year or two. The three eldest all have learning delays, and all our frustration levels have peaked. Moving into a house half the size we were in with zero back yard has worn all of our nerves to threads.

I'm thinking I need to think positively about my kids for a while. I'm going to post a list of 100 individual things I love about each child once a month on Mondays and Fridays, just to fit them all in.

Of course, today is a Monday, so I might start tomorrow ;)

All I'm going to need for this project, is a notebook and a pen. New thoughts always struck me about Adam when I was driving, or otherwise occupied.

I have learned.

And you never know. My redirected attitude and focus might just be the making of them.

Or me.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

We've officially entered cyclone season here, and last night a tropical low passed right over the top of us... dumping a bunch of rain but causing little damage. It made for a lovely cool evening, and today is also incredibly pleasant, even though the rain hasn't let up at all. I love where I live for many reasons. One of those reasons is that I very rarely, if ever hear anyone complain about the rain. We don't see it for 8 months of the year, so we revel in it when it does arrive :)


The rain is set to continue for the next few days, and we are closely watching the low, as it is due to turn into a catagory 1 storm later today and should progress to a 3 in two days time. You too can keep watch, if you wish!

Today, I managed to get the bathroom completely done! It was hard work, and took me 3 hours. I cannot fathom how my children manage to make our walls so putrid. Adam is woking on the kitchen, but he works slower than me, and takes many breaks ;) He went up to the store just now for the first time in as long as I can remember, simply to get out of doing more *grin* He even called his mother. *rolls eyes* LOL!

But we are on track. Sort of. I've washed dried AND put away 4 loads of laundry today, so that makes me feel a bit better about where we are at.

Our electrician friend stopped by to see what he's going to have to get to complete a few jobs we've asked him to do... all our light fixtures are breaking whenever we try to chabge a light bulb... they are over 10 years old, so we figure we'll just change the lot throughout the house. Also, two ceiling fans in The Big Room have broken motors, so they need replacing. I'll be sending my mother an email in the next couple of days asking for her to wire the money through to fix them, as we agreed when she was over here the other month.

My brother also stopped by, with some money for us all for Christmas, as he will be at sea over the holidays. I was so happy... it means I don't have to stress about the food situation! The kids won't notice if there is one less gift for them under the tree... they will notice if there is no ham! :) And wow, is it ever expensive. For a 13lb ham... $84!! I nearly fell over. ANd we have even more people arriving on Christmas day now, so we are going to need it!

The kids are behaving rather well today. Playing together and hardly fighting. This is a miracle from the throne room of heaven if there ever was one :)