Springtime

I felt inspired to do a shoot with Hero recently. It had been a while since i had taken some proper photos and looking at these i believe she is the essence of 'Spring' at the moment. 

I am feeling a bit sentimental at the moment because i am off on a big adventure without my babies!

On Monday i leave for London where i will catchup with some old and dear friends and then to Paris to meet my Mum for 5 days! I am very excited to be going to Paris with my own Mum, it is a very rare opportunity that came up, and i couldn't let it pass!

I will be away 10 day in total, which is not long in the scheme of things but it is a long time to be away from my family, and to be traveling so far away from them feels unnatural, but i think that is motherly instincts coming through. I know when i am there i will have a wonderful time.

Hero definitely takes after me emotionally, and i think she will be most affected by my absence, and i get a bit teary even thinking about saying goodbye to them. But we will be OK.

And hey, spring here and early Autumn in Europe!

Whats not to love!

See you on my return.

" The best day ever! "

Hero's school had a dress up as your favourite book character day. Which i only found out about 1 day before! But we pulled something together, (Pipi Longstocking ) and as you can see we got a couple of elements right. It was a big success and Hero thought it was: "The best day ever" at school!

They also had a parade which was a nice touch and all the younger siblings got to participate. Banjo choose to dress up as a 'skeleton Pilot!' I'm still yet to find a book that he might feature in! He would go up to all his friends with excitement unaware that they had no idea who he was and what he was! It was quite funny.
His mate Oscar was Max from 'Where the wild things are'.

 Iggy love it all too. He is not intimidated by large crowds, he just loves to be involved. You can see him sitting with his sister, not for comfort, and reassurance, but so he could participate also! It was a very sweet moment to capture.

After the parade the teachers lined up for a photo and Iggy was most interested, so he walk over to the group un fazed that the whole school was behind him and watched on. I guess it was a strange sight!            

Is it soaking in?????

I have to admit i am struggling with my Banjo. But i feel i need to put it out there, as well as recored it in time for future reference!

Everyday i tell him the same things;
"Don't hit your sister. "
"Be gentle with your little brother."
"Decided if it is the right or wrong thing to do be for you do it."
"Listen to what people want."
"Think about others, not just yourself."
"Dont argue."

Every single day i say these same statements to him, some of them i repeat many times in one day.

I am just at a loss as to weather i am making any difference in his personality. The problem is he has such energy and enthusiasm for life he only lives within the moment, so it is as if he can not hear, see or think beyond that point. The problem with that way of living is that it can seem a very selfish one.

Deep down, I don't believe Banjo to be a selfish person, but the way in which he lives life, makes me wonder from time to time... Why is it that he cant think of others before himself in the moment?

I guess all i can do is stay persistent, and hope that one day it will soak in something will just click!

Lets go sking!

This is what packing looks like on a Friday night when you have been in Melbourne all day then off to Aus Kick, dinners and baths....and packing!

 Tomorrow we start our journey to Falls Creek. Spending our first night in Melbourne before setting off on a 5hr car ride to the snow.

This will be our 3rd year skiing with the kids and i think we are getting it down to a fine art. From taking pre-cooked dinners, to hiring lockers at the top of the mountain so we don't have to hold our skis, the kids skis and help the kids get on and off the chair lift all at the same time!

Hero and Banjo are super excited about going which is great, as for Iggy, i will let you know how he fares at childcare (?), i am anticipating him to not enjoy drop off at all!

Stay tuned for the report when we return, ( 20th ).

Change

photo by: Mick Davson

Change in all aspects can be unsettling but also exciting, it is especially so when it happens in a way that drastically changes your life.

We have decided to make a change...we have decided to call Barwon Heads our new home. Permanently.

I have been working through this decision for the past 2 months and it has been a hard one. But once i made the decision, it actually felt right. A few people advised me that making the choice is the hardest bit, so once i committed to it, the rest fell into to place.

I do feel like i have gone 'against the grain' so to speak, and i think that is why it initially felt wrong to stay. But I realised that most of the obstacles were other people and how it would effect them. I was not focusing on the most important element which was me and what was best for my family.

I also became aware of how life does not stay still for anyone, and that the life i had in brunswick has moved along like my life here has moved along too. You can't look at the past when making a decision like this, you have to look towards the future...

5+1=6!

If the last entry wasn't enough for me think about, lets add another bubs to mix!

It all got cemented and real for me this week when we saw bubs for our 12 week scan.

Jem and i thought we were excited, but the kids proved to be even more!

Most of you knew that Jem and I liked the idea of a nicely rounded and even 4, so it probably doesn't come as a surprise. I'm not sure what 4 kids will hold, there is enough chaos in my house already, so i'm thinking one more is not going to cause that much more mayhem! ???

It has made us re-think many things...

Barwon Heads seems like the most perfect place to bring up a large family...

Am i ready to more away from Melbourne...

Separating my needs from my family needs in this decision has proved to be very difficult.

Thoughts...

Well it has been a cold start to winter here and lets just say, Sunnyside has not been to sunny!

Saying that, i have loved sitting in front of the fire with the kids in the evening, and starting the embers a light in the morning. And life here has been rolling along quite nicely and with ease. Which has been quite a contrast to our Shamrock St plans! I wont bore you with the details but it has stalled quite dramatically, and paused the momentum enough that it has made us stop and think about things.

Is this mammoth reno not ment to be....? Are these hurdles here to question which may we should be going...?

My mum told me once, "Viva, you are good at life. You have always known the right path to take and with such commitment."

I believe that to be true mostly, I have always trusted my instincts when making decision, and so far they have helped me to create an genuinely happy and for-filled life.

But this decision, of wether we keep on this Shamrock St path or veer off it and stay down the coast has really thrown me.

I remember when i wrote this first post, thinking that we were not just finishing a chapter, but ending a book on that time of our life. I think i did in some ways know there was an element of uncertainty of how the next book was going to go then, but it has only been in the last month or that is has surfaced.

I hope i have articulated ok the numerous thoughts, concerns and apprehensions that have been going through my mind over the last month. I felt the need to get in out of my head into words, (hoping it might help with the decision making!)

I have often wondered what my dad would have advised....but i think i know that answer.