explore the archives

• ► 2010
  • ► Sep 2010
  • • celebrating Nikki
    • Nikki plays ‘Lightly Row’
    • Nikki’s 50th reading lesson
    • Nikki plays 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'
    • happy Father's Day!
    • kiddo quotes
    • city to surf
    • band in a box
  • ► Aug 2010
  • • month in review and September goals
    • mourning
    • kiddo quotes
    • we'll miss you, Grandpa
    • Vi’s birthday breakfast
    • celebrating Vi
    • three-two-one
    • Vi eats a banana
    • supersonic scarecrows
    • moving ahead
    • our first attempt at vegetable gardening
    • the box room is no more
    • the ABC song: violin and drum duet
    • kiddo quotes
    • the latest train track creation
    • science with Baba: relative and absolute time
    • Nikki is reading
    • free range Vi
    • lunchtime learning with sandwiches
    • Michael, could you throw the ball to Mama?
    • catechism review
    • Nikki’s first performance
  • ► Jul 2010
  • • month in review and August goals
    • baby in the mirror
    • the pen-scoop method
    • begin again
    • hi, scooterist!
    • Ben's rich and creamy cheesecake
    • bowing and bowing
    • torso back carry
    • cheesecake and the wonders of coulis
    • offense vs defense
    • more intentional in prayer
    • a parenthetical expression
    • kids prepping pancakes
    • drummer girl
    • homemade yogurt
    • Vi moves to her own bed
    • simul-poo
    • sleepy oatmeal
    • Independence Day Fair
    • baby gate
    • month in review and July goals
  • ► Jun 2010
  • • The Beach House Kids Fun Centre
    • clean, fresh diaper
    • paint stripping
    • lunar eclipse
    • Vi in a red dress
    • homeschooling close-in-age siblings
    • learning to read and write
    • her name is Sakioroma
    • clapping and giggling
    • making even more tracks
    • spit coughs
    • look at that...
    • Bible study with littlies
    • do not be anxious
    • making tracks
    • Nikki's first babywearing demo
    • triplex nursing
    • woodfired birthday pizza
    • Vi signals to be picked up
    • who am I? my name is Ned
    • June goals
  • ► May 2010
  • • the Versatile Blogger award
    • a slice of the three kiddo life
    • autumn leaves
    • simultaneous story time
    • around and around and around we go
    • quiet reading time
    • reading
    • cruising
    • shoe organisation
    • Michael's drum kit
    • afternoon rest time
    • cheerfully marauding wherever she goes
    • Jake the Pillow Snake
    • giant potato feeds family of five
    • beginning chores
    • purrfect perch
  • ► Apr 2010
  • • how I spend much of my time
    • the conductor game
    • one satisfied wearee
    • Michael's first swimming lesson
    • three-day weekend
    • ode to eatmeal
    • reading aloud with littlies
    • the entertainers
    • Red Bull air race :: Perth 2010
    • live in central Perth
    • one way to delay eating her peas
    • and lorikeets dropped by
    • seven times
    • siblings and a sand table
    • day trip to the Pinnacles
    • an artist's interpretation
    • spinach dip in a homemade bread bowl
    • DIY whilst babywearing
    • virgin peach bellinis
    • a bit of a bite
    • happy Easter
    • come on out, percussion!
    • three kids and a cat
  • ► Mar 2010
  • • the longer I live...
    • swimming lessons: jumping in
    • Carrie and Michael's wedding
    • tiny loo
    • Vi is on the move
    • kids' adventures in babywearing
    • Vi is feeling...
    • croup!
    • Seeds CD worldwide giveaway
    • two front teeth
    • neighbourhood cat
    • Vi's chat show :: episode one
    • homemade baby wipes
    • proms in the park
    • drink pink
    • watercolour painting
    • artisan bread in five minutes per day
    • pink and blue stripes
    • jam session
    • the spoon is better than the food
    • Michael Foreman's Nursery Rhymes
  • ► Feb 2010
  • • learning from Jonah
    • have you any S-N-O-D?
    • Vi's chat show :: promo pictures
    • reading together
    • Pear Budget
    • memorizing catechism
    • Vi's first bite
    • sharing
    • Nikki likes the LIKEaBIKE
    • sitting up
    • unconditional love, unconditional respect
    • dedicating Vi to the Lord
    • at least he gave it a try
    • on the play mat
    • Michael turns two
    • Sunday sunshine :: Point Walter
    • Child Basic Resuscitation :: Australia
    • Child Basic Resuscitation :: choking
    • Child Basic Resuscitation :: restart the heart
    • Child Basic Resuscitation :: DRABCD
    • Child Basic Resuscitation :: introduction
  • ► Jan 2010
  • • Nikki's first swimming lesson
    • five minutes with Michael
    • toilet training Lex
    • picture this
    • Australian redback spider
    • sunbeams
    • at Catherine's birthday party
    • "you need to talk to him about it"
    • homeschooling thoughts
    • Sunday sunshine :: photo shoot
    • potty training power
    • blessed beyond words
    • homemade bleach wipes
    • this year I resolve to...
    • Vi is like a box of chocolates
• ► 2009
  • ► Dec 2009
  • • 2009 cuteness in motion
    • Vi's first ride in the Ergo
    • Sunday sunshine :: tennis trainer
    • Vi's first Christmas tree
    • early days of homeschooling
    • let it snow
    • Our God - music and lyrics by Nikki
    • Sunday sunshine :: picnic
    • Vi's blue eyes
    • she's on a roll
    • Sunday sunshine :: a break in the driving
    • Vi holds Baby
    • happy feet
    • quite possibly the noisiest swings in Perth
    • handling endless requests
    • Vi has her passport
  • ► Nov 2009
  • • holding Vi on our laps
    • Sunday sunshine :: playground near Lake Monger
    • sunhat
    • nursing infants and toddlers
    • immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine
    • playing together
    • for mamas and babies on the go
    • look who's three months old
    • Sunday Sunshine :: Inaugural WA Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race
    • Nikki plays the "violin"
    • the end of a busy week
    • the Honest Scrap award
    • until the red disappears
    • applying for Vi's passport
    • shuttling back and forth
    • Sunday sunshine :: garden gate
    • happy homeowners
    • researching internet service providers
    • exuding joy
    • moving in
    • catechism for young children
    • driving the dining room chairs
    • Sunday sunshine :: The View, Fremantle
    • splash!
    • today
    • ExeLoo automated public toilet in Subiaco
    • playtime with Baba
    • two balloons
    • never too early...
    • Sunday sunshine :: arched bridge in King's Park
  • ► Oct 2009
  • • until next time
    • Grandma's lap, Grandpa's lap
    • the 3:10 to Grandma
    • UNO® strategy with Grandpa
    • first trip to the dentist
    • shocking events at the Perth Mint
    • climbing fun in Freo
    • grandfather, granddaughter
    • at a farmhouse in Pemberton
    • Beedelup Falls
    • Grandma talks to her hat
    • Pemberton Tram
    • traipsing through the treetops
    • Apple FunPark through Michael's eyes
    • grandmother, granddaughter
    • photo shoot with Vi
  • ► Sep 2009
  • • Sunday sunshine :: Smoke Free Perth Royal Show 2009
    • impeccable timing
    • safe, snuggly, and sleepy
    • numnums
    • Vi's delight
    • newborn secured high back carry
    • rest and well-being
    • sleep
    • Wishpot - online gift list
    • first dictionary
    • hand knit happiness
    • Sunday sunshine :: Serpentine Falls
    • Nikki bakes a cake
    • dollhouse unveiled
    • sleepy celebrant
    • Nikki turns three
    • Nikki holds Vi
    • the joy of sliding
    • Vi waves "hi"
    • snail mail
    • coastal playground
    • Dr Michael
    • new sippy cups
  • ► Aug 2009
  • • newborn babywearing
    • Vi in black and white
    • father, daughter
    • big brother, little sister
    • wearing Baby
    • Michael reads 'Mr Greedy'
    • sisters
    • Vi's birth story
    • welcoming Vi
    • matching and counting with dominoes
    • sharing communion
    • Sunday sunshine :: boardwalk
    • 7 quick takes: natural pregnancy and after birth remedies
    • double puzzle
    • birth preparation: the birth room
    • tea set tablecloth / play mat
    • birth preparation: "Our Water Baby" by Amy Maclean and Jan Nesbitt
    • Sunday sunshine :: Heirisson Island
    • Michael is 18 months old
    • dollhouse for Nikki's third birthday
    • stack of napkins
    • Lego® / Duplo® play mat
    • gifts from the new baby
    • week 38: name game
    • fun in the sun
    • 37 week bump at 32 degrees south latitude
  • ► Jul 2009
  • • got it!
    • Michael's first sentence
    • week 37: nesting
    • celebrity chef, Baba!
    • 7 quick takes: winter cold edition
    • playing quietly
    • week 35: midwife Nikki
    • "my shoe is off, my foot is cold..."
    • girls' night out at the orchestra
    • Nikki says "I love you!"
    • tug, tug
    • celebrating the 4th in Perth
    • how cold is it?
    • Nikki's prayer
  • ► Jun 2009
  • • phone conversations
    • Sunday sunshine :: rocky coast
    • 7 quick takes
    • super stripey singers
    • favourite pregnancy things - volume 3
    • celebrating ten wonderful years
    • 30 weeks: visit to backup hospital
    • Baba's special drink
    • wrap up from Ben's parents' visit
    • music class - class action photos
    • Sunday sunshine :: at the playground
    • Fremantle shadows, anchors, and statues
    • date night
    • City of Perth Library story time
    • Cottesloe Beach and Indiana Tea House
    • New Norcia - Australia's only monastic town
  • ► May 2009
  • • Caversham Wildlife Park
    • Penguin Island
    • Michael uses a spoon
    • spinning
    • non-fiddly solution
    • in the 'hood
    • naptime
    • I love you, MuM
    • fun, fast phonics
    • 7 quick takes: food edition
    • spring cleaning
    • have patience
    • 25 weeks: just a peek
    • welcome home, Lex
    • tandem nursing: in the beginning
  • ► Apr 2009
  • • walking
    • week 24: tandem nursing update
    • books are fun
    • splish splash
    • Mama, I like pants AND diapers!
    • bouncing
    • mercy is falling, is falling, is falling
    • happy Easter!
    • haircuts
    • so excited about my kids
    • get ready to brag on your kids
  • ► Mar 2009
  • • we'll miss you, Grandma
    • Michael's first steps
    • heard at the dinner table
    • week 18: first midwife appointment
    • where is Michael?
    • the secret is in the sauce
    • 7 quick takes: living green edition
    • potty regression and recovery
    • planning a home birth in Perth
    • favourite house features: laundry room
    • make a joyful noise
    • "Mama, are you normal?"
    • I won!
    • favourite house features: east-facing view
    • food preferences in pregnancy
    • Michael demonstrates the playroom
  • ► Feb 2009
  • • Nikki's new bed
    • expectant
    • favourite house features: under the sink
    • cute clothes for breastfeeding mamas
    • a year of tandem nursing
    • fun at the playground
    • how did you spend your Valentines' Day?
    • boxes, boxes, everywhere - and no path to our sink!
    • foods we choose: Nikki edition
    • first birthday
    • music
    • foods we choose: Michael edition
  • ► Jan 2009
  • • Nikki loves letters
    • Me [take] rake downstairs?
    • Subi Church is our church
    • Matisse
    • add your picture to your comments
    • church hunt: Subiaco Church of Christ
    • why I don't Facebook
    • church hunt: Riverside
    • grapes
    • church hunt: Grace City Church
    • smiles
    • church hunt: Metro Church
    • please, mr postman
    • church hunt: churches near us in East Perth
    • shiny new things
    • at the playground today
    • moving right along...
    • welcome to the new Blissful E
    • happy new year 2009
• ► 2008
  • ► Dec 2008
  • • 2008: year in review
    • Boxing Day on the beach
    • Merry Christmas!
    • pancakes, pancakes!
    • painting nymph
    • storming the stairs
    • welcome to Perth!
  • ► Nov 2008
  • • 30: Wait a Minute... Which Nation?
    • 29: Greater Understanding of the World
    • 28: Designing Furniture is Fun
    • 27: Faith Without Works is Dead
    • 26: Safety Rules, Unsafe Execution
    • 25: As You Like It
    • 24: Foot Washing is More Than Symbolic
    • 23: Spelling is Optional
    • 22: The Story of Koshari
    • 21: Mail Forwarding Enables Global Internet Shopping
    • 20: Forms of Fasting
    • 19: 'God Willing' can be Taken Too Far
    • 18: White Board = Better Communication
    • 17: Don't Hesitate to Pray
    • 16: Why I Am Here
    • 15: Be Restrictive at First, Then Loosen Up - Not the Other Way Around
    • 14: Friends Who Keep In Touch Across the Globe
    • 13: Our Apartment Was Bugged
    • 12: Dirt is Not Too Dirty
    • 11: Some Ants Can Be Ignored
    • 10: Kids Believe What You Say About Them
    • 9: The Art of Reciprocal Friendship
    • 8: Children are Blessings
    • 7: Missionaries are People, Too
    • 6: Home Remedies for Common Childhood Illnesses
    • 5: Having a Maid Can Be Hard
    • 4: Having a Maid Is Great
    • 3: Temporary Accommodation is Great for Mobility
    • 2: Potty Training Really Is Possible
    • 1: Mums are Better Together
  • ► Oct 2008
  • • Michael's first Halloween
    • NaBloPoMo 2008
    • the kindness of strangers
    • on the terrace at sunset
    • first tooth
    • strange facts about E
    • Ben's favourite things
    • last visit to Dr Omar
    • bread from scratch
    • newborn
    • streamline and simplify
    • clapping technology
    • first hair accessory
    • scrumptious Cyprus
    • entertaining two
    • technological breakthroughs
  • ► Sep 2008
  • • first dry day
    • potty prowess
    • potty training thoughts
    • no stopping us now
    • potty paparazzi
    • if you want to keep your pants dry...
    • Michael's first sign
    • Michael's first word
    • fun with Michael
    • celebrating Nikki
    • visiting Dr Omar two by two
    • party girl
    • look to the cross
    • another reason for sign language
  • ► Aug 2008
  • • UNO® with Nikki house rules
    • a diaper too far
    • breastfeeding challenges: blocked ducts and milk blisters
    • El-Borg
    • a hungry caterpillar's tale
    • fun with food and hat and shoes
    • dominoes
    • a new continent
    • Michael's first meal
    • singing
    • six-month stats
    • half-birthday at the beach
    • Michael's half birthday
    • role play
    • 60-hour outage
    • little deuce coupe
  • ► Jul 2008
  • • anniversary buffet
    • scoot scoot
    • potty training - round one
    • raspberries
    • birthday at the beach
    • Dr Omar's assistant
    • speech and signs
    • momentum
    • travelling with children
    • if you're happy and you know it
    • mo', mo', mo' Missouri
  • ► Jun 2008
  • • terrific Tampa
    • heartfelt hospitality
    • Altoonian / Blackford wedding
    • post hiatus
  • ► May 2008
  • • bye-bye Brent
    • Nile cruise - Aswan to Luxor
    • Coptic Cairo
    • Maadi tree walk
    • power of prayer
    • Khan al Khalili
    • aspiring athlete
    • Nikki communication
    • beach mini break
  • ► Apr 2008
  • • antiquities at an early age
    • meeting Dr Omar
    • dedicating Michael to the Lord
    • sing praise
    • baby in a box
    • we climbed Mount Sinai
    • felucca, pyramids, and cuteness, oh my!
    • toxic poo
    • Lake Wobegon
    • like-minded
    • little baby sound and motion
  • ► Mar 2008
  • • raising one eyebrow
    • Easter Sunday
    • Good Friday
    • the stats
    • two-ly amazing
    • tandem nursing: first five weeks
    • London zoo
    • tumble tot
    • one month and eighteen months
    • this week's episode is brought to you by the letter 'M'
    • double bubble
    • Mothering Sunday
  • ► Feb 2008
  • • passport photos
    • cast your bread upon the waters
    • UMR baby
    • train spotting
    • growth potential
    • he's official
    • one week old
    • happy Valentines' day
    • corporate giving
    • welcoming Michael
    • Michael's birth story
    • pint-sized plumbing
    • birth plan
    • every day a Kew day
  • ► Jan 2008
  • • sling meet
    • tumble tots
    • multi-media birth preparation
    • Ben is back!
    • flowers!
    • boogie on down
    • a few steps forward
    • more
    • 35 weeks
    • mum's the word
    • happy new year
• ► 2007
  • ► Dec 2007
  • • Christmas continued
    • settling into Kew
    • happy Christmas
    • Cairo Christmas photo
    • here's looking at you
    • what a weekend
    • foreign dispatch
    • ringlets
    • all checked out
    • wise choice
    • amazing blessings
    • time for bed
  • ► Nov 2007
  • • first Friday in Advent
    • first bottom tooth
    • pregnancy note: in praise of doulas
    • cute anecdote for Thanksgiving
    • first steps
    • two for one
    • reaching out in love
    • what does an infant offer?
    • favourite pregnancy things - volume 2
    • animal sounds
    • growing
    • busy as a bee
    • costume party photos
  • ► Oct 2007
  • • 25 weeks
    • don't tell Papa John...
    • breastfeeding: an encouraging word
    • pot of vegetables
    • four new signs
    • gearing up for autumn
    • no place like Rome
    • up, down, and all around
    • babywearing
    • 21 weeks
  • ► Sep 2007
  • • pomegranate
    • living on the edge
    • there is some scrubbing to do
    • first tooth
    • twenty weeks
    • pats on the back
    • Nikki turns one
    • fastest internet cafe in the world
  • ► Aug 2007
  • • movin' on up
    • Nikki's second marriage proposal
    • dreaming up furniture
    • herding cats
    • cloudy morning
    • ultrasound
    • happy family
  • ► Jul 2007
  • • new technologies for Nikki and her parents
    • first obstetrician appointment
    • maternity miscellaneous
    • windsurfing
    • thirty winks
    • if you're happy and you know it...
    • first night in her own bed
    • the enforcer
    • a gift of kittens
    • chain, chain, chain
  • ► Jun 2007
  • • 1100 photos
    • family news
    • 9 month checkup
    • staying up late
    • into something new
  • ► May 2007
  • • mouthfuls
    • felucca ride with Keith
    • mother and daughter milestones
    • Giza Pyramids and the Mediterranean Sea
    • girl power
    • green spaghetti
  • ► Apr 2007
  • • new avenues
    • love note
    • glowing
    • growing
    • off roading
    • meya meya
    • action sequence
    • super power jumpo
    • Happy Easter!
    • up from the grave He arose!
    • masalama, Mégane!
  • ► Mar 2007
  • • Palm Friday
    • Ain Soukhna
    • photo shoot
    • Houston shipment
    • happy half birthday
    • vital statistics
    • first food
    • rubber ducky, you're the one
    • ice cream
  • ► Feb 2007
  • • swinging
    • parenting conference
    • an excuse for sunset photos
    • Valentines
    • five months old today
    • immunisations
    • cloth nappies: overnight and an outing
    • cloth nappies: six hours in
    • false starts
  • ► Jan 2007
  • • oh happy day
    • your opportunity to vote
    • back home again
• ► 2006
  • ► Dec 2006
  • • Nikki's first Christmas
    • table tennis
    • pyjama party
    • precise sofa: usage instructions
    • away in a manger
    • finding Dr Omar
    • five yards to freedom
  • ► Nov 2006
  • • feminine pursuits
    • thankful
    • dedicating Nikki to the Lord
    • Egyptian fajitas
    • online anthropology
    • feluccas, furniture shopping, and Fuddruckers
    • calming techniques
  • ► Oct 2006
  • • 44 ant bites
    • a few church firsts
    • a day in the life of Nikki
    • feet on the ground
    • excellent progress
    • flights are booked
    • official documentation
    • packing it in
  • ► Sep 2006
  • • Brazelton assessment
    • the latest on timing
    • progress!
    • what I learned at the library
    • early days in pictures
    • abundant blessings
    • Nikki's birth story
    • take me for a ride in your car, car
    • fab Finnish factoid
    • late summer photos
  • ► Aug 2006
  • • 37 weeks
    • favourite pregnancy things
    • first breakfast
    • by dates, one month to go
    • overcast, rainy, and loving it
    • Leyla's Kebab Shop
    • cloth nappies have arrived!
    • pregnancy yoga revisited
  • ► Jul 2006
  • • flowers!
    • practical details
    • pregnancy yoga
    • you say it's your birthday ... well, it's my birthday too!
    • my first La Leche League meeting
    • a British wedding
    • second trip to Cairo
  • ► Jun 2006
  • • shopping and surfing
    • almost answers to prayer
    • baby registry blitz
    • out of the frying pan...
  • ► May 2006
  • • 24 weeks
    • we're back from Canada
  • ► Apr 2006
  • • heart beat and head bob
    • eating olives
    • 19 weeks
    • 17 weeks
  • ► Mar 2006
  • • 15 weeks
  • ► Feb 2006
  • • race cars and romance