All the cuddles

Cuteness overload with these two this afternoon.

 

 

xx Em

 

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Dexman

It wouldn't be winter without at least one trip to the ER with Jack.

 

 

Both boys came down with a lurgie on the weekend, dashing our plans to visit friends in the Blue Mountains on Monday. I was drowning my disappointment in a glass of red and some dark chocolate on Sunday night when the unmistakable bark of croup rang out from Jack's room and he stumbled out in a panic, not able to breathe. Normally I would manage it at home but we'd run out of ventolin, making a late night trip to the hospital an annoying necessity.

 

 

It was a long night and he was a real little trouper...finally discharged at 5am, pumped full of Dexamethasone and ventolin. I'm amazed that we got home in one piece. Between the pea soup fog, the kangaroos bounding out onto the road and my extreme fatigue after an all nighter in emergency...the drive home was intense to say the least. We were both asleep by six and Jack was awake again at seven. Husband came to the rescue and took the day off work to let me catch a few more hours sleep. Good Husband!

 

The Jackman has since morphed into Dexman...faster than a speeding bullet, crazier than wiley coyote and blasting everyone around him with his killer cough and accordion wheeze.

 

 

 

Sleeping at night is for sissies but crashing on the couch during the day is totes cool.

 

 

 

Our week of catching up with dear friends has become a week of boardgames, art & craft and movie marathons at home, interspersed with doses of ventolin, neurofen and Mummy cuddles.

 

 

 

Hoping that this feverish little guy perks up in the next few days.

 

xx Em

 

 

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Christmas Wishes

 

Well Lovelies...here's cheers to the end of the year!

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings.

 

Thank you for every email and comment and question and message of support throughout the year.

 

I am soaking up every wonderful moment of this Christmas...with the deepest gratitude that I am still here, two years after diagnosis, feeling that the worst is behind me and the new year will bring me that much closer to remission. I treasure the friendships I have made through this blog.

They've been such a gift!

 

I'm wishing you a Christmas filled with a whole lot of sparkle and joy.

I'm sending you much love for a bright and bold New Year.

Merry Christmas Beloved

xx Em

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Savour

 

 

4am and peaceful slumber is broken by the booming voice of the Jackman.

"Muuuummmmyyyy...did you fowget to get da marshmawwows fwom da shops? Are you gedding dem fwom da shops today Muuuum?".

"Ahh...sure buddy..???".

Silence descends followed by the gentle snores of a little boy dreaming of marshmallows & Gruffalos.

 

 

Oh Jackman, you have hit three with such energy and sweetness, I want to savour every minute of it. How does such a giant personality fit into such a little body? When you're not stumping me with your endless questions about the world, you send me into a fit of the giggles with random statements like, "Da pink bits in your eyes, dats where da raindwops come out".

 

 

 

You have the determination of an Olympic athlete and the temper of a Tasmanian Devil. You are inquisitive, fearless and wickedly funny. I will never tire of the way you press your cheek against mine with your arms wrapped around my neck, whispering "I wuv you Muuum, you'we wuvewy". It melts my heart when you tell your big brother that he's your best friend. You make your Daddy's day complete when you rush to greet him as he walks in the door at night. Even when you drive us batty with your fussy eating and night wakings you manage to inevitably say or do something that makes us lose our composure and burst out laughing. You wear your heart on your sleeve and its magical to watch.

 

 

 

On a day like today, when my heart aches with the reality of cancer, you ask if we can play hide'n'seek and it reminds me to really live in the present and not get lost in the what ifs. I feel like the luckiest person on the planet when you're counting to ten while I'm hiding amongst Daddy's suits in the wardrobe, feeling like I'm five years old again, quiet as a mouse, waiting for you to come find me. You and your big brother remind me every day to enjoy and savour this life we have.

 

 

I will savour this time and look for the joy.

 

 

I love you to the moon and back Jackman.

 

xxx Mummy

 

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Pictures and Playdough

Some moments captured over the weekend...

 

Our first crop of pears,

a hit of Autumn colour,

British comfort cooking and a jam jar of homegrown pretty...

 

 

Saturday morning farmers market bounty,

the last of the tomatoes before the frost set in,

chrysanthemums for Mothers Day...

 

 

I'm suffering serious Mondayitis today.

Just want to curl up and sleep until this wretched flu disappears. Week three and counting, blah!

Rather than going to gym and the playground this morning, I gave in to my ratty mood and we stayed home and made playdough instead.

Love watching this little guy while I'm curled up on the couch drinking tea.

 

 

 

Time to get out in that afternoon sunshine and walk off my melancholy.

 

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

xx Em

 

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Harryisms and the Jackmeister

Well, we can now crack open the champagne. Harry has offically been offered a placement at Queanbeyan Public for Kindy next year. Hurrah...such a lovely school, I think he'll do well there.

 

 

He's been coming out with some fabulous Harryisms lately, here's a taste:

Jack was throwing a tantrum in the lounge and Harry was sitting up at the table calmly eating his lunch. Harry shook his head in disapproval, took one look at me and said, "You've got to do something about that baby!".

We were discussing the role of guide dogs and how they need to be trained as puppies to do their very important job and how we could make a donation to help. Harry's response: "Well, we don't have any puppies but we could train our cats for them".

Sitting on the back deck playing a game of Around the World, Harry said, "Well, I've travelled the world Mum, I made my fortune, I lost my fortune and I made my fortune again".

 

Oh Harry...you are the sweetest little old man in a five year old's body.

 

Jack has been struggling with his asthma thanks to this ruddy flu that keeps hanging around but we've just managed to keep him out of hospital this time so that a big win. His latest quirky personality trait is to casually suggest to me the things that I should get for him. He does this by way of tapping his chin with his finger followed by the statement, "Hmmmm, how about...".

 

 

He is becoming so wonderfully capable and independent and we love listening to him talk...just can't get enough of his earnest attempts to say things correctly. He's inherited his brother's obsession with trains and I caught him reading Harry's 'Locomotives of the World' magazine on the back deck this morning.

 

 

This morning I pushed all the housework and admin jobs to the side and we spent the entire morning playing games like frisbee and hide & seek in the backyard. We sat on the deck with our morning tea and discovered dinosaurs, trains and mice in the clouds as they rolled past.

 

 

It was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy my boys.

I haven't spent much time just playing with them over the last couple of weeks. I've been too busy making things for Etsy, too ill with the flu and too preoccupied with a stressful and worrying situation that's had a devastating impact on my family. In the last couple of days I've had to learn to let go...its been a difficult and heartbreaking thing to do. I wish that I'd been able to switch off earlier instead of trying to help someone who doesn't want to be helped. Sometimes you just have to let things take their course. And that is as much as I'm going to say about that because although it has affected me, its not my situation to share in this space.

 

On a brighter note....my crazy ass hair has gone really curly.

 

 

It has thickened up beautifully and is just long enough to style...when I say style, I mean toussle some shaping wax through it and hope for the best.

I still like wearing scarves occasionally and these days they are much more enjoyable to wear. Its no longer about trying to cover up a bald head, its purely a fashion statement. On a side note, scarves don't slide around when you've got hair. Gotta love that!

 

 

Well, time to get some bunting listed on Etsy. Hope you're having a beautiful day wherever you are. xx

 

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