in my mother's eyes

i heard a song today, a song my friend shared for mothers everywhere and it moved me to tears... such a beautiful song that captures how i feel about my mum...

one spring day

another beautiful start to spring meant we could explore a central place of our local area ...

huia and whatipu

a chance to visit family and do some errands in auckland this weekend, found us in huia and whatipu, the beginning of the waitakere ranges and a place of raw beauty...

together

it's such a joy to see little cousins together, calling for each other and giving away hugs whenever possible. we had a great time with my brother, sister-in-law and beautiful niece visit today...

sickness and taking stock

this is the beginning of the third {yes, number three} week we have been battling sickness in our family. i am sharing some thoughts on that and a new place to call home...

mother's day | 2015

motherhood defines you. if you are a mother, you hold on to that moment {and the moments} that changed your identity and your destiny so close because suddenly your heart is moving and living outside of you. it's an incredibly humbling and raw journey to be on.

mum's you rock!

a place to call home

last week was a crazy one, no wonder our whole family {including the 2 year old} slept late this weekend.

we never would have expected to have so many things fall into place and end up with...

a reunion, auckland adventures and happiness

we are back home preparing for round two {term two} of the school year. we have had a busy, spontaneous and productive holiday, with a new car to add to the excitement. 

one of my highlights was having a special catch up with my forever-friend elvie and her hubby and gorgeous little boy... 

easter 2015

our family gathered in a local park to celebrate easter and spend time together. the cousins running freely, sharing hugs and cheeky laughs. it was a memorable time...

autumn equinox

the march equinox marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the earth’s equator – from south to north. this happens on the 20th this year...

around our new surrounds

it's said a fair bit around here {but especially in the summer season}, we live in a beautiful country and i can definitely vouch for that. especially after finding ourselves on the outskirts of the bay of islands and so close to the water after many years away. 

the great outdoors really grounds me and gives humble perspective on the blessings we all have, the grace we are offered so freely. i am so thankful for that... 

reflecting and anticipating

we are on the eve of our move to the far north. we have had a marathon mission to down size and purge our {no-longer-needed} belongings and it feels very satisfying. it's a reflective, anticipating time as we gather everything together and move on...

our far north get-away

we love the far north, a place to relax and unwind. this year we were delayed a little bit but it happened to pay off as we had the most epic weather possible! it was so good to get away and relax together, also having mark's parents visit for the last two days.

isaiah lights up even more in the outdoors and lapped up the wide open space and water {not literally!}.

holiday highlights

someone made the comment that this year we had a three day celebration for christmas - which was totally true!

with all the family we have around us, a {jesus' birthday weekend} event was celebrated and was way better than any {queen's birthday weekend}! as we have always been flying in and out pretty quickly over the christmas period for the last four years it was a stretched out occasion and one not to forget.

it was a great time and i wanted to share some snapshots here with you all.

our city escape weekend

moments captured from a long weekend escape to auckland, 2 hours south of our home town and the largest city in aotearoa. it was so nice to spend time in amongst a bustling city {albeit the traffic was not so enjoyable!} we stayed at my mum's new house and enjoyed time together exploring some local markets, eating local produce and the beautiful areas out west.

be twice the person i am

if there was one main goal that i desire for my child, it is for him to be twice the person i am.
and when i share this, i really don't mean achieve more accolades or trophies or prizes or more stuff to put in a pretty house.

i want him to have an inner confidence that comes from a solid family foundation.

preparing for the season

connecting

did you know that kimberley from creative chaos has organised a {send us christmas} swap this year? i have never been involved with one of these since it was kind of tricky when living in south east asia, but this year i jumped straight in. in the past my work place has done a week-long secret santa swap to get everyone geared up for christmas so i didn't want to miss out on the opportunity! entries close on november 10 so it's not too late to join!

check out the rules here

preparing

being back in nz for the wind down up to christmas is something we haven't experienced for so long

it's in the bag {ocean beach, northland}

for father's day this year, i had the idea of doing {the present or the bag} a take-off of the famous kiwi game show {it's in the bag} that toured the country in the 70's and 80's. hubby had to choose between the wrapped presents or a new idea on a handwritten note {well, i'll let you know he somehow managed to get them all by the end!}

one of the notes was to take isaiah to ocean beach for the first time. ocean beach is a place you have to plan to visit as it's positioned on the southeast side of whangarei heads; the entrance to our harbour.

tourists in our own town

we felt like tourists in our hometown this weekend when we explored the hatea loop. 

{we didn't have enough time to do it all this time round but will be back}

letting the light in

on sunday we visited the beach, {something we try to do as often as we visit ruakaka}. it is where we feel relaxed, breathing in the goodness of the salt air with the breeze reviving us. lots of people were making the most of the sun, scattered along the shoreline with their families, fishing and walking and laughing. isaiah was finding gulls to follow and more sticks to offer to the dog...