Loving a Bunch of Random Stuff

Better late than never, is what they say.
So here I am, a little late for my usual round of "Friday Loving", but here nonetheless.

First up, I just had to post these pics of me and Scrag reading.
He is just too delicious, snotty nose and all.
I've been trying to blog less and play more (have you noticed?), because after all, I only have one baby left and he is rapidly growing up. {In all areas except that darn toilet training, but I won't go there.}

Scrag is sweet. Mischievous. Fun loving. Oh and blimmin' strong too.
He made Dash cry this morning when he bopped him on the nose - just playing around of course.

Scrag loves to have stories read to him.
He comes out carrying a pile of books and demands that i drop whatever unimportant task I am wasting my time on and read to him.
So yesterday when he did it I grabbed the camera and snapped a photo or two of us. Classic self portraits.
Before he grabbed the camera so he could inspect my handiwork and then got annoyed because the photo taking was intruding on the reading.

This is Scrag looking annoyed. He wants me to stop taking photos.

I love reading to Scrag. Feeling the aliveness of him nestled against me, seeing his serious intense concentration.

Who wouldn't want to hang out with this guy?
He loves to bake.

So I am loving baking with him.
This week we made chocolate crackle and choc chip cookies together.
He did the mixing and the counting - and the spoon licking.
Of course he is not without his naughty streaks.
Like the way he climbed up on the bench, took the box of freshly baked cookies and tossed half of them in the water-filled sink. Grrrr.

This is Betsy. She survived being flushed down the loo.

Or like this afternoon when he took Miss Fab's new softie, Betsy, and flushed her (and two other toys) down the toilet.
Don't worry. I saved her; Betsy was not drowned and the toilet was not clogged. Thankfully.

Grateful for that? You bet!

Betsy has been washed and restored to her former glorious self.
The offender was sent to double time out, after which he humbly begged forgiveness from his angry sister and presented her with a toy hippo.

See? Not perfect. Oh but I am still loving him.

Loving how having kids helps you get inside God's head.
I used to struggle with the idea of God as my "Heavenly Father", because all I could see was somebody out to discipline me and keep me on the straight and narrow. A giant heavenly killjoy.
But as a parent, I am on the other side, so to speak. I see things with the eyes of a parent.
I now know that it is possible to be very very displeased with your child but still love them to bits.
Which by extension means I can now accept that God can be less than pleased with my choices but still love me 100%.
I can now understand the meaning of "unconditional love" because I am a parent.
Loving that.

This is me and my "little" bro. He is taller than me. But younger.

Loving having some family round at last.
Loving that my younger brother returns to New Zealand tomorrow from Spain with his gorgeous wife and sweet kids. To settle back here for a while. More uncles and aunties and cousins for my kiddies! We are having a feast of family lately.
My mission is to convince them that Auckland should be their ultimate destination to settle in, not Wellington.

These are the Cuzzies. This was 2009.

I have some very strong arguments to put forth.
Who would not want to live close to me and my delightful family?
Having us in their lives on a daily basis would be a dream come true, right?
Plus, the climate. Its way warmer in Auckland than Wellington. Does he not realise its called "windy Wellington" for a reason.
I'm not biased, really. I just happen to believe that Auckland is a great place to live, no matter what all those folks south of the Bombays think.
Beaches everywhere you turn. Great cafes and restaurants. Multi-cultural melting pot. Help me out here?
But the trump card... Mum and Dad live here now! Its a no brainer.
Come. To. Auckland. Bro.

This is Dash saying something nice. He does that too, sometimes.

Loving What Kids Say. Kind of.
Last night Dash was giving me a snuggle and then he says, "Mum do you think maybe you could get a little bit skinnier? Like, not heaps, just a little bit?"
"Er, so what are you saying, son? You think I'm fat?"
"No no no, I like you squishy, but some mums are like a bit skinnier and they look cool. So not too much, just a bit OK?"

What do you say to that?
Well, for starters you drop it into the conversation with your lovely affirming daughter the next day...
"Hey guess what Dash said to me last night...?" you laughingly tell the story.
"He's wrong," she replies firmly. "You are just right the way you are. And you look really young mum. Not like an old lady. You look like you're in your thirties!"

See? Loving what kids say. Especially that girl.
{And grateful for a thick skin developed after many years of enduring kids' honest observations.}

This is a football. It is round.

Finally. Loving a Final Win.
Dash played tonight in the Futsal (Brazilian indoor soccer) final. Our team were the underdogs, their opponents were unbeaten and expected to win.
It was a nail biter, the score ping-ponging back and forth.
1-0. 1-1. 2-1. 2-2. 3-2. 3-3.
You get the idea.
Ping pong. Nail biting.
Then with three minutes to go, our boys slotted home not one but two goals.
3-5! But wait! The opposition make a comeback. It's 4-5. A Minute on the clock.
Can they hold them off for a win...? Can they?
They can! Wahoo!

This is Dash running. He is fast.

Yeah, I'm a proud mama. Sadly, dadda couldn't be there as he is doing it tough in Queenstown skiing this weekend. Its a hard life for some.
Even more sadly this poor excuse for a blogger left her camera in the car, and the game was such a ping pong nail biter that I couldn't risk running back to get it. The team needed me there screaming for them to propel them to final victory... and I couldn't bear to miss a second of the action.

So no photos sorry. You'll just have to use your imagination.
A large silver trophy, jubilant faces and a gold medal to keep.

Hope your weekend has gotten off to a great start, wherever you are.
Have a good one!


{Linking up you-know-where...}