Heartbreak

Last month we were overjoyed to find out we were pregnant and expecting our third baby. It came as a complete surprise but one which were were absolutely delighted about... all four of us could not have been happier and we have loved sharing this little secret amongst ourselves and waiting for the time to tell everyone.

However, this week our little family had some very sad news. Tragically, on Monday I suffered a miscarriage. I honestly can't believe I am writing those words. What started as such excitement...

...was confirmed with blood tests and the tell-tale morning sickness for the past few weeks.

When I told my husband the good news, Nick was ecstatic ('Happier than I have ever been' were his exact words) and the girls were beyond excited. I have loved every second of being pregnant with each of my babies. It truly is the best feeling, to be carrying a precious little baby inside. Unfortunately for reasons we do not know, this little baby stopped growing.

'Mummy with a baby in her tummy' by Livvie

We are all devastated and mourning the loss of our littlest one, aged only 7 weeks.

Unfortunately we are now faced with the additional anguish of being told yesterday that I have a possible (additional? they are unsure) ectopic pregnancy; my Obstetrician has discovered something growing near my left ovary.

I will have follow-up blood tests tomorrow, which will either confirm or rule out an ectopic pregnancy. If it is, we face another terrible loss. If it is not ectopic, further investigation is needed to find out what it is. It may be a mass of varicose veins and this is what I am hoping for, although I am unsure what this means for my ovary.

There is so much more I could write, but it is all really exhausting and I feel like I am in a bit of a daze. Thank you to family and friends for your support at this time. I will update you when I can.

T-shirts turned into Wall Art

Apparently if you leave your children at home with your husband on a rainy {and thus, very muddy} weekend, with no laundry done, he thinks it's time to re-stock their wardrobes;

I love all these colours...

The shoes, the ruffles, the stripes and the polka dots;

Which makes me think of two things. 1) How can I have this same principal applied to me (I am not one for running outside to jump in puddles mid-thunderstorm and never really need to change clothes once I am dressed for the day ~ unlike our girls who revel in messy play)... and 2) Now I get to cut up their old clothes!

Exhibit A;

Very loved, but very old T-shirt (now tissue-paper thin!). This one has been a favourite of both my girls. And now it has become a piece of Wall Art, in an embroidery hoop...

The little details are just too cute!

This T-shirt was much the same;

It had to be salvaged too;


Yet another;

Putting them in a hoop really brings them back to life!

The finished pieces, ready for hanging;

Creative Hair Washing

We even like to get creative when it comes to hair washing;


A bit of pampering like this, saves a lot of tears (both theirs and mine!). Both our girls have super-long hair and washing it has always been a bit of an ordeal for everyone involved... until now!

Always followed afterwards by...

...a cloth-nappy up-do!

We've been doing this every week for over a year and I don't know what it is, but they just seem to love having their wet hair wrapped up in a towel!

Knitting Pins

When I saw these sweet little knitting needles at the Wool and Craft Nook today, I knew my girls would love them...

Who wouldn't? How cute are the little faces on top!

As soon as we got home, my littlest one snuggled under her quilt and practiced her 'knitting'...

(otherwise known as wrapping yarn around a stick!)

Rainbow Garden

I know it's a bit early, but this week we added some spring colour to our garden. Elly is already a keen little gardener, watering her flowers like clockwork everyday;

I think we might add a little bit more colour every week and hopefully soon, we will have (in her words) 'a rainbow garden!'

Wooden Aeroplane

Look what crash landed in our front yard today!

When I stopped to chat to a neighbour this morning and admired this beautiful wooden aeroplane on his verandah, he very quickly offered it to me, saying 'If you want it, it's yours!'.

Apparently his youngest grandchild is 8 years old and is too big for it now. His family has no use for it anymore and were trying to figure out what to do with it. I asked him if he had made it himself... and that's when he told me it's {wonderful!} history...

He was driving to Canberra about 15 years ago when he stopped by Berrima. The inmates from the nearby jail were having a Market Day, selling the things they had made whilst serving their time. He spotted this wooden plane and bought it, but couldn't take it with him that day.

On his way home from Canberra, he stopped by the jail to pick it up. He had to bang on the door loudly, to be let in. They let him in, he signed a few forms and then they handed over the plane. Only, it was too heavy for him to carry by himself. 'No worries', said the Warden, 'Davo will help you'.... 'DAVO!!!!' he yelled down the corridor.

Davo was one of the inmates...a big, strong fellow, who picked it up with one hand (much like my Dad did this morning!) and carried it to the car for him. Once they got back to the car, my neighbour thanked him and said, 'I'll walk you back now.'

To which big Davo replied, 'It's ok, I'm a trustee'.

Needless to say, my neighbour did walk him back inside and along the way, asked how long he was serving?

'12 years' was the reply... but my neighbour never did find out what for!

What a story!

What a generous neighbour!

Thank you Mr M!

The Dentist and the Treasure Chest

You may be wondering what water balloons have to do with going to the Dentist. But for us, it has everything to do with it. I took both girls along for a check-up today and along with getting to wear the Dentist's cool sunglasses and going for a ride in the chair, afterwards they each got to choose a toy from his treasure chest. It is literally filled to the brim with the best toys.... Elly chose Silly Putty and Livvie chose a Water Bomb Kit!

Because it was such a warm day, hot even, I suggested the girls put on their swimmers, then we got to work making those water bombs. For maximum fun, I suggested taking them on the trampoline;

In the words of Elly, 'This am a great idea!'

[Trick photography: Livvie perched on top of the trampoline]

They had such a fun time, bouncing around, getting splashed by the popping balloons!

They threw them up above them, jumped on them, poked them, stomped on them;

Of course, once all the balloons had popped, they wanted to do it all again.... so we went back to the tap to make more for Round 2;

It hardly seems like Winter anymore. Of course rain is forecast for tomorrow...

Buttons galore

Today's craft was inspired by this tutorial by Jen Jockish.

Buttons are so fun and easy for kids to work with (so pretty too!) and of course, preschoolers are very preoccupied with letter recognition (particular those in their own name), so both girls loved this activity...

The girls simply painted the wooden letter of their first initial... then glued buttons on, of their choosing. Too easy!

They each had their own ideas about how to decorate their letter; Livvie's was of course, pink with more pink and Elly went crazy with colour;

I love how they turned out and think they will make a nice addition to the walls of their bedroom.

Reversible Placemats

It's often the way... I bought this stripey-strawberry fabric the other day and couldn't wait to make some simple placemats for our table;

But... I ended up liking the fabric on the reverse side even more;

{So did my daughter}

Recent Drawings

'Three Princesses' by Livvie;

'Monster' by Elly;

(Those are eyes and legs, all around his body)

'Daddy & Mummy' By Elly;

(I love my spiral hair and long legs.... However, like Nick, I seem to resemble a potato!)

and 'Mimi and Poppy' (Grandparents) by Elly;

I have started making little stapled-together books, just so I don't lose any of these funny little drawings.