Crazy Munchkins

I just had to share these hilarious photo's with whoever's out there!!!! heheheh these kids make me giggle so hard sometimes!

How funny are they?? Well - they make me laugh anyway....:) :) :) They got their funny glasses from Aunty Lisa and have had fun playing with them all afternoon...the moustache have those party blower things in them which they can blow out...

I love how cute these kids can be - though they can also be totally annoying! West has kept us up the past 2 nights for about 1.5 hours each time (I may be exaggerating slightly - it definately feels longer then that though!!!!; and McKinley keeps randomly waking up as well - I just want a full nights sleep............................)

Anyway, funny masks or not, I love them to bits, sleepless nights or not - they amaze me with their funny-ness, their loveliness, and their individualness - life would not be the same without them.

Craft Blog's 100th Post

So this is an entry with more selfish leanings as its all about ME!!! :) I joined Stampin' Up! (a Stamp and Papercraft company) at the beginning of the year with a dear friend, and for the past 6 months we've had lots of fun creating and sharing our love of papercraft with classes and workshops etc etc. We've also kept a craft blog called 'Adelisa Designs' (a combination of our names - Adele and Lisa!)....Anyway - we've finally reached our 100th post which I am actually really excited about!!!

Stampin' Up! has truly been more then just a hobby for me though - after having 3 babies under 3 years old life felt a little tough to me. It really did feel like all I was good for was to change nappy's, clean up pooh and wee and feed and cloth the said 3 little people. My world felt quite close and closed and it was hard to find enjoyment in what was truly my life's greatest purpose and mission (motherhood). My older sister actually introduced me to this company called Stampin' Up! and I finally found something that I could really enjoy and find some satisfaction in. My sister is an incredible home maker and mother and the one that every looks to for those 'wow' moments, and its been easy to get lost in the shadow's to all her incredible talent (which is in no way confined to just the few things I've listed), and I guess I've just never felt like I've been good at anything. I can play the piano, but not to any great level, and that's about the only claim to fame I had. I haven't finished uni, I haven't had some great career, I'm not very good at being a mother or a wife (sometimes I have good moments but like everyone I have my days (or weeks or months) of not being very good at all). So - out of all of that negativity I finally found something that I could enjoy and relax in and find joy in, and it truly has been that - a joy. I remember a talk given by Elder Uchtdorf where he talks about women having a need to create beautiful things...it was a talk that really resonated with me, and I truly feel that in my life now that my kids are a little older and more manageable...it feels great to have the house tidy and in order and the Spirit is definitley stronger when it is so. And to be able to create beautiful things, be it only out of paper makes my heart sing...I could look at beautiful things for forever!

So anyways, just thought I'd share my incredible love for stamping and the theraputic effect its had in my life...I love it to bits and am grateful to be able to express myself through its creativity.

I'm really grateful for the many things I feel blessed with - a beautiful family, a beautiful world, a free country, the scriptures, church, all of those things that go together to enrich me and to bless me and help me to grow into the much (MUCH) better person I need to be.

Life is truly beautiful...xxx

Madson's Special Kindy Day

A couple of weeks ago Madson's kindy took the kids and some parents for a walk up a local mountain. It was really really nice to be out in nature - it was a beautiful clear day and the kids were just great. Madson got a little tired near the end (I think it was 2 k's or more up and then another 2k's back???). We took about 45 minutes to walk up and then sat around at the top and played some games and had lunch and then it would have been super quick to come down but we stopped at a steep little bit and let the kids 'absail' down it - took quite a long time to get through all the kids but they were so well behaved and patient and had lots of fun...

Here are some photo's we took on the day...

It was really nice having some time to spend with just Madson and I think he really enjoyed the one on one time too? He's growing up so quickly - Prep next year - so these are definitely moments to treasure...xxx

Visit to Grandma and Gransire's

So a couple of weekend's ago I got to go to Melbourne and stay with some really great friends. While I was gone Ystyn took the kids up to his parent's property to visit - these are some of the photo's he took...

From the look of these photo's I think they had a fun fun time! Lots of room to run and yell and no one to hear them! :) Execpt hopefully the snakes - I am super paranoid of them running into a snake - so lots of noise is a good thing in that scenario right???

Kids Antics

So, I had a friend over the other day doing some craft and was really impressed with how well West and McKinley were keeping themselves entertained. They were so quiet and lovely - no fighting or squabbling, just quiet. I finally decided I should go and check on them just to make sure they were ok, and actually, I wanted to give them a hug for being so wonderful, only to be confronted with FOOD COLOURING splashed ALL OVER MY BATHROOM!!!!! These photo's DO NOT do justice to the state of that room as I only took them once the worst was fixed up. They had gotten all the bottles of colouring and vanilla essence and orange essence from the kitchen and were having fun doing 'I don't know what' with it all over the bathroom!!! It was in and on the toilet, poured through the lid of my washing basket onto the washing inside, all over the floor not to mention their hands! No wonder they were quiet hey....

I know you can't really see much past the dirt on the floor in these pictures, but our bathroom floor still has these prints on them - I especially love the big fat footprint that has sunk into the old old tiles of the floor, forever providing testament to the fun West and McKinley had this day...the kind of the fun that is NEVER to be had again! Hopefully!!! :)

Lucky I had a friend over or they might not have been smiling by this stage! And lucky they're so cheeky-ly cute! Little ratbags!

Inappropriate Humour

So Madson was waving his spoon of mashed potato around tonight at the dinner table and then all of a sudden West is looking at me with this shocked look and only one eye - he'd been landed a full spoon of the said mashed potato in his eye!!!!! It was sooo funny, and even though Madson got in trouble for being careless with his food, I was in a fit a giggles once he wasn't looking. These kids do the funniest things sometimes and I am so shocking at keeping a straight face.

Another example of this inappropriate need to laugh happened when Ystyn and the kids picked me up from the airport earlier this week. I'd been away in Melbourne visiting a friend for 4 days and I'd bought the kids a little treat at the airport on the way home. We have a 7 seater car and 3 kids in car seats so Madson sits in the 'boot' by himself which means passing things to him from the front seat is impossible and I normally have to carefiully throw it to him. Well, I hadn't seen my kids for a full 4 days and I was really excited to be able to spoil them with a little treat and couldn't do the sensible thing and wait till we got home to give them their push-pop, so instead I lobbed Madson's out towards him meaning to land it perfectly in his lap, or at worst hit his chest when instead I got him SMACK in the middle of his forhead! The look of shocked suprise on his face was just priceless until it crumpled into hysterical tears. I was laughing at the funny-ness of the situation and teary because Madson was hurt and it was MY FAULT!!!! Ystyn's furrowed brow brought me back to reality (my kid was crying because I'd hurt him) and I realised I probably shouldn't be laughing, but I really can't help it. I don't know how to overcome this little bit of horrid that I have, and know I should really be much much more compassionate - I'm blaming my dad - he taught us growing up that we needed to be able to laugh at ourselves so maybe I'm trying to instill that in my kids now...if they fall over and hurt themselves I normally try and have a giggle with them about it rather then being overly sympathetic, but I guess there really is a time and a place. My poker face is going to have to get much much better as they get older - maybe I just won't find their reactions quite as funny when they're teenagers and are answering me back...:) Love you kids! xxx

Bad Mother

So I'm feeling like a pretty bad mother right now. It was Madson's birthday today, but in amongst all the hectic running to and from things I don't feel like we've adequately celebrated our first born son. Sure he got presents and cupcakes at kindy and McDonalds for dinner, but truly I feel like something is missing. What could it be???
I do really so love this kid though. He has truthfully been so fantastic, right from day one. He was my little sleeper, napping 2-3 hours at least every day and letting me get in my very own! He's rarely misbehaved and has learnt such beautiful manners (well at home he has? I HOPE he uses them away from home???). He can be such a wonderful protective loving big brother and really enjoys playing with his younger brother and sister - its actually better to have Madson around with the younger two because he seems to help them to be more imaginative in their play - when its just West and Mckinley at home they need a lot more contribution from me but the three of them quite happily run around and amuse themselves!

I just love him to bits and think the world of him and would give anything for him. I hope and pray with all the desperation and love of a mother that his life is full and happy and wonderful and that he grows up knowing how much he is LOVED and CHERISHED and ADORED!

Happy Birthday my beautiful big little boy!!!!

Well, I'm off to bed to nurse my guilt and try and figure out how to be a better mother to my 3 gorgeous children!

Day to Day stuff

So I walked the kids to the park this morning (a good 35 minute walk each way) thinking that if I did something fun with them  I would be able to ignore them for the rest of the day while I did all the housework I have been neglecting...but it HASN"T WORKED!!!! Now they want me to play with them in the backyard, watch tv with them, eat lunch with them. It is sooo adorable and I am going to go and be with them just because they want me to be with them, but I am looking at the hugest pile of washing ever and I just need to get it done too. sigh. Lucky the washing will wait...so I will play with my kids while they still want me to. I love them more (MUCH MUCH MORE) than I love folding washing...(or doing the dishes, or cleaning the bathroom, or vacuuming or making beds or dusting....hehehhehe). Now off to play....xxx