Wow. I have not been good at updating this! Don't worry people! I am on the job!
Where to start?
First of all I just want to say life is good. Life is beyond good, our life has been blessed. I'm not sure if you have ever felt contentment in your life that IS the peace that surpasses all understanding - but I am tasting what that is like. I feel like I am in the middle of God's will and it is joyful. I am meant to be a wife and mommy! There is no better dream that I could be living!
It helps to have a husband that is so caring, and gentle. Andrew is my anchor! He is an amazing husband, provider, and father. Aurora already has him wrapped around her pinkie..... that spells trouble.... I have a sneaky suspicion that I may be the bad cop??? Andrew loves to sing and play for Aurora. She is mesmerized by the guitar, and loves to sing along with daddy which gives daddy an endless feeling of joy to be able to interact in such a way with his daughter that is so close to his heart.
Andrew is back in the two inner city schools he worked in last year as a success coach, and is enjoying getting into the routine of it. Boys breakfast, music group, and all the other programs he is running has been keeping him busy. Andrew is also working overnights at different group homes. It's hard for him to be away from home for those couple nights a week, but he has endless strength and determination, which I deeply admire!
Andrew decided to "retire" from music for a bit, but somehow..... :) got pulled back in "against his will" ;) The Western Canadian Music Awards are being held in Edmonton this year and Andrew was asked to showcase at one of their venues. Andrew is doing an acoustic set with piano, bass, and cello! I am SO excited as my favorite Andrew songs are the ones that are stripped back. I can't wait! If you want to hear some of the songs he will be preforming go to his myspace/facebook page. Long term? I'm not sure when Andrew will go back to preforming, but he is going to focus on writing new songs and selling a few of his many many old songs.
Aurora. She is the absolute definition of the perfect daughter! She has the sweetest disposition; she is so full of joy (her favorite pastime is squealing and jumping in delight). When I go out with her I get stopped CONSTANTLY by strangers telling me how beautiful she is! They always comment on her gorgeous strawberry blonde hair or her beautiful blue eyes, or her dimples....She loves the attention and always has a smile for everyone! Often she will play the flirt - she will smile and then bashfully bring her cheek to her shoulder and peer out from under her long eye lashes. Irresistible. She is so content! Nothing really fazes her. As long as her basic needs are met (full tummy, clean diaper and adequate sleep), the only thing she needs is some lovin! (We may be a little biased!)
The picture below is her squealing in delight when walked into her bedroom and found she emptied her sock basket!
Aurora is growing SO fast! She can sit by herself for long periods of time - which makes life easy on me because she can play on the floor with toys while I am busy with other things. She also LOVES her excersaucer (that thing is worth its weight in gold). She loves her homemade baby food - her favourites so far are chicken and any orange food (carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash) and of course yogurt! She has also mastered the art of the two-fingered cheerio pick-up! She was SO proud of herself when she figured that out! She loves her cereal - just like her dad!
She is also becoming SO much more interactive. She plays games with me (copy-cat, peekaboo, galloping horsey, tickle monster) and best of all she has started sharing with me. If she is chewing on a maple biscuit, she will every so often reach the biscuit up to me and let me have a nibble. Same with her chew toys.... She is so generous! She wants me to get in on the teething action! (which thank-goodness has not really happened yet.... Breastfeeding is, I think, easier without baby teeth). She also gives kisses, wide mouth slobbery kisses! Oh, that is the greatest feeling! She has a special way of calling her daddy that is only reserved for when she wants her daddy's attention - it's this weird sort of shriek/squeal that she has only ever used in that instance! I love it!
As for me? In the health related news, I have been having regular ultra sounds on the lumps in my breast, and it's still not looking cancerous. It's nice to have the regular ultra sounds because then I don't have to worry about the possibility of the lumps becoming malignant and being unaware of it. It gives me peace of mind because if an ultra sound were to come back with any shred of question my doctor would order another biopsy, and the issue would be dealt with immediately. So on the health front, things are being taken care of! Also, I have lost all 55 pounds of my baby weight - which is an amazing feeling! My body will never be the same again, but it was all worth it! It's getting to the point now that enough time has past that I don't really remember the pregnancy complications or pain, nor the devastation my body went through during/after labour - that I am almost ready to do this whole thing all over again... Almost. :)
God has been amazing because despite how busy life can be with a baby, I am still finding time to do the things I love! I am quilting a bunting bag for Aurora, I am crocheting stuffed animals, sewing quilts and diapers, I took up a new craft thanks to my sister-in-law Larissa - needle felting. I also grew a garden this summer - I have the most beautiful tasting lettuce, carrots, beets, swiss chard, and tomatoes. Next year I will be ready for an even BIGGER garden! With harvesting my garden I have also been busy with my produce. I have already canned pickled beets, and I hope to can salsa, tomato sauce, maybe borscht, and maybe even green tomato pickle relish! With all the apples we have growing over our fence from our neighbors yard I have been baking up a storm as well! Apple crisp/pies/sauce! Yummy!
Also I am trying to start a graphic design business.... I am hoping to do birth announcements, invitations, thank you cards, music posters, etc.... I am trying to work on my portfolio, so if you need help with any of that contact me! If I can get a good portfolio together I am going to create a web page and maybe make some extra $$$!
We are really enjoying our little church! It is a great church that our friends from Briercrest planted in our area. It feels great to finally have found a church that we can get involved in. Bridgepoint Church is very community oriented and socially aware; focusing on holistic ministry, and we feel that God is going to do big things through this church! We are excited to be a part of it. There are 5 other children, 4 and under, and Aurora loves the social interaction!
This year has been a busy time for big events and traveling - Andrew and I went to Regina for Tabitha's wedding- it was extremely hectic, but the day of the wedding went of without a hitch,we couldn't thank God enough for giving us such a perfect day! I was so happy to help Tabitha out with various aspects of the wedding preparation. I made the invitations, sewed Jordan's and Andrew's vests and ties, I sewed my bridesmaids dress, and Aurora's flower girl dress, and I altered 2 friends dresses to match the wedding party, and I did all the flowers. It was busy, busy, busy, but I loved every second of it!
Coming up in November will be my best friend Kira's wedding in Banff, and I am looking forward to that as well! I am going to sew my dress, and help with the flowers and decorations, I can hardly wait - I LOVE weddings! Towards the end of November my best friend Victoria is having her baby in BC, and I am going to go after the birth to help out! I LOVE babies!
Well that's my life in a nut shell! Lovin it!
Blessings,
Naomi
