iSonto #13

Elnathan had fun with the box in the backyard.

In this picture the "house" is about to topple over.

Natey's memory verse was Psalm 23, along with other children at church.

Mercy was posed for a picture on her great Grandad's grave in Sydney on the weekend, when she and I went up for a wedding. He would have loved her!

Here she is at the wedding.

From garden to tummies . . .

Heaps of silverbeet in a "Chickpeas and chard" slowcooker dish, and pies.Mercy loves silverbeet, so I just fish it out of whatever we are eating and chop it up for her.

 
A book we enjoyed together was Grow It Eat It, which an aunt gave us while we were away. It was fun to read it with Natey when we got back. It is always exciting to receive lovely books to read together!

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Ps. 23. At a difficult moment I was reminded that yes, I am in the right place because I am with the good Shepherd who gently leads those who are with young. That is the most important thing!

We are thankful for . . .

Dave's great time with Elnathan while I was away on the weekend.

Nate's quiet reading time coming in very handy when I needed to be in public and he needed to be quiet.

Nate packing up all his toys by himself - the fruit of lots of hard work beginning to be seen :)! That is one job I don't have to do at the moment!

Beetroot seedlings are popping up despite a toddler trampling on them!

Our beautiful new coat hook that Dave made, which is now up on the wall and in use.

  Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Read more...

Mercy was crawling fast and exploring the house, much to her brother's delight as he loves it when she crawls to his room or down the hall looking for him. "Please Mercy come" is a common call around here!

Elnathan has been learning how to respond when his sister comes crawling toward the books and toys he is playing with.

From garden to tummies . . .

Lots of silverbeet for a chicken casserole in the stove top to oven roasting pan Dave gave me for my birthday.


A book we enjoyed together was Little House in the Big Woods which Dave and I have nearly finished.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from J. Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ by Roger Steer. I am finding my Book List to be one of the best things I have done this year. Reading is the perfect hobby for busy Mummies because you only have to get out the book! I have traveled the world and explored ideas along the way, and have been richly blessed.

We are thankful for

~ the great opportunity to pray outside a nearby abortion clinic and the positive responses

~ a wonderful 30th birthday for me which included enthusiastic singing, a hand crafted coat hook by Dave, a pretty apron from Mum, heaps of messages from friends, a shopping trip with Dave and new dresses, a visit to the museum's "reading room" exhibit, babysitting from a generous neighbour, and dinner out at the "revolving restaurant" with views of Hobart. Sorry, no pictures!

~ sweet turnip seedlings popping up in the garden

~ finally sending off our family newsletter. It is so hard to summarise a year, but we trust it gives a glimpse of what God has done for us. Let us know if you'd like one!

 Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Read more...

iSonto #11

We are thankful for the signs of Spring all around us . . .

Blossoms, irises, new lily and rose foliage . . .

Fuchsia in bloom .  .

. . . and the lemon tree looking like we originally imagine it would, with lots of yummy yellow lemons.

Elnathan completed one of his harder puzzles all by himself and proclaimed "I know my zoo". As a mother I was thrilled to see this as it is another sign of Nate moving toward being able to do little projects independently. Previously we had only done it together, and often he didn't display much interest.

Natey's memory verse was "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good" Ps. 118:1.



Mercy was a crawler and happy about it!

Her crawling creates great excitement in her brother, and some extra training challenges in their relationship. It so sweet when she began crawling, we were all so thrilled and Elnathan started saying "Yay, look, Mercy is crawling". 

 Mercy is now  ten months and has been upset with teething, although there are no new teeth.

 From garden to tummies . . .

It was fun to walk out in the garden with Elnathan and fetch a lemon to put into our pumpkin pie. This was a new recipe and turned out beautifully for an in-house date night with Dave. The extra dough was used to make each family member's initial. This was a rare foray into unnecessary baking when the sink was still full of dishes to wash!

A book we enjoyed together was Baby Sitter, which has been read many time since we borrowed it from the library. Nate now knows off by heart and tells it to himself.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from  Tending Your Garden.

Reading little sections of this book, a compilation of Denise's articles, has been a much needed reminder of my calling as a Christian wife.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Read more...

iSonto #10

Elnathan was the person who came to mind when I read this quote:

"Not many sounds in life, and I include all urban and all rural sounds,  exceed in interest a knock at the door." Charles Lamb 1775 - 1834

Our tiny boy would agree with that, although lots of sounds interest him and "what is that sound" is a frequent question here. Mercy is also beginning to become excited when she hears a knock on the door.

Natey's memory verse was "Jesus said to them, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" John 14: 6. What a wonderful statement that is to be remembering from your earliest days. Isn't it the main thing we need to know? Natey keeps saying Exodus 20:12 all the time "Honour your father and your mother". Maybe it is just the right length for his age!

Mercy was absolutely delightful out on the veranda one day. I took her outside because she wouldn't stop crying inside, and she was happy straight away! Thank you God for sunshine and fresh air!

Mercy is not crawling but she has developed the skill of moving from lying position into sitting position.

Her photo shoot ended when she decided it was time to head for Mummy's interesting camera!

From garden to tummies . . .

Lettuce for hamburgers and sandwiches. It was fun this week to begin teaching Elnathan the names of herbs.

A book we enjoyed together was "A Hole in the Road" by Philip Ardagh.

This is the perfect book for a tiny boy who loves machines, and it has been a frequent request this week.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from "The Daily Light", a devotional that provides a collection of Scriptures on a topic for each morning and evening. It is a lovely way to simply digest scripture in a topical way. I was given a copy on a trip to see friends in Texas in 2003, and we have returned to it after a few years for our daily devotions. Previously we were reading through books of the Bible.

We are thankful for the fact that we are loved, and we have children who run to greet us and laugh and are happy to see us.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Read more...

iSonto #9

This week we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a whole week of festivities! Dave took the week off and we have enjoyed outings as a family for breakfast, time at home, outings to the beach and pool, museums, and more! Here we are at Franklin, the town where we met in 2005 and where Sherrin was born in 1981. On our anniversary we exchanged gifts.

We got out the wedding album and DVD slide show. There are so many wonderful memories of God's goodness to relive!

Elnathan was determined that at least one of the presents for our Family Celebration must be a car . . . the bell he is holding here was enjoyed but quickly discarded as he searched for cars. Thankfully there were some cars from Gran Gran, brought over in 2009 and being carefully given in small numbers as he gets old enough for them.

Here are the cars.

Natey's memory verse was "Honour your father and your mother" Exodus 20:12


Mercy was good at rolling a ball while on her tummy. She also thrilled us many times when she said "Bye bye" and waved!

From garden to tummies . . .

Our first delicious cauliflower for lunch on our anniversary, along with roast chicken and other vegetables, and cheese sauce.

A book we enjoyed together was The Natural History Book which we purchased last year and kept especially for Family Celebration.

We are thankful for the opportunity to relax and enjoy each other, the generally lovely behaviour of the children, and the many ways we see God at work in bringing us together and giving us four wonderful years of marriage. It is an amazing blessing to have a beautiful beginning to our family which we can now celebrate each year.

  Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Read more...

iSonto #8

We created a car from a box.

Elnathan was very excited to go on a walk to the community centre, and I was as well after a week of rain.We had a lovely walk and I considered it a privilege to have a little companion who informed me of things like "I can hear the sound of a bird Mummy"!! God is so good to give us a world where creatures sing.

Natey's memory verses have hit a snag with confusion between two with the word "world" in them . . . we have been learning songs though and talking about "In the beginning God created the world" while chalking!

Mercy impressed us with perfecting her skills at saying "da da da" and "car". She has also begun to shuffle when lying down and on her bottom. There is a tiny bit of moving from place to place happening.

From garden to tummies . . .

Our very own lemon to add to Moroccan Lentil Soup.

A book we enjoyed together was "Spot's Baby Sister" at playgroup at the community center.

We are thankful for a warm home, being part of a church, the fruit we are beginning to see in the lives of our children, the encouragement of God's word, and the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary this coming week. We have had four blessed years!!

  Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Read more...

iSonto #7

Elnathan was excited about putting Daddy's hat on during a skype call with Gran Gran, and on Mercy Joy and on Mummy.

Natey's memory verse was  "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 15:16.

Mercy was happy to sit for half hours at a time pulling toys out of her basket. So sweet and peaceful! You can spy her behind Elnathan here. Natey is doing his first ever finger painting here! Last time I got it out he tried to eat it, but this time it was planes and boats and circles and diamonds and squiggles.

From garden to tummies . . .

Kale and silverbeet on pizza.

A book we enjoyed together was Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Dave and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this aloud together, and finished it this week. Any suggestions for what we should have next?

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from a page of John Wesley Quotes.

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

We are thankful for the teaching we have received over the years about home and family life.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Read more...