Happy Easter // Me and Mine in March

What a lovely, jam-packed weekend, celebrating the life-changing news that Jesus is alive! SO many special moments which I want to record here properly as the week goes on, but in the meantime I just wanted to say HAPPY EASTER to you all, and to sign off on March before we welcome April!

Me and Mine in March - my lively, fun-loving, slightly crazy crew.

Me and Mine in January //. 2024

The final piece to our puzzle that we didn't know we needed, but now can't imagine life without.

So grateful to a good God who saw what we needed when we didn't!

Our family of seven (!!)

A Yearly Tradition // The Pumpkin Patch

It's an annual tradition, and one that we have enjoyed for many years now! The yearly trip to the pumpkin patch - complete with wellies, a lot of mud, a chaotic attempt at "THE" family picture (with a few outtakes for fun!), a few giggles, some tears, a bit of frustration and usually someone falling over (though I think we miraculously avoided that this year!)

Me and Mine in April // Gratitude and Growth

This picture this month feels like a bit of a milestone... mainly because there are four children sitting on that gate, and not a baby in sight! (OK, my baby niece was just the other side of the camera, but you catch my drift!)... it really does feel like we are entering a new stage of life now. For eight years I have either been pregnant, or feeding an infant, and suddenly to have four actual children in our family picture seems both madness (where did those two years go?!) and exciting! Its been an intense few years - physically, emotionally, spiritually... parenting four kids 5 and under was relentless, and I dread to think how much landfill we've filled with nappies (hats off to you guys who went cloth... I wish I could start over and go down that route, but given that we're potty training our fourth little person now it hardly seems worth it...)

Me and Mine in March

March. A month of birthdays and book days... of swimming lessons and school days... of playdates and playdough. Just the every day and the extraordinary mixed up in one big beautiful cacophony!

It is very much what life feels like these days. A thousand little simple moments, repetitive actions, commands, requests and decisions... all joining together to form the beautiful chaos of life as a Mama of four littles. It is relentless... I still have frequent moments of wondering whether how I'm responding to a particular issue or question or behaviour or attitude is right... plenty of self-doubt and a lot of prayer thrown in. And all too many moments where I know I didn't handle something well... where my own sin and selfishness get mixed up in the chaos. This mothering malarkey is no joke. But it is also the greatest privilege. Four little souls... each unique... each with their own little quirks and personalities and challenges... but each made in God's image and entrusted to our care.

Me and Mine in May

Our usual, annual Norwegian National Day celebrations!

There's always red, white and blue everywhere... meatballs and gravy for tea, and a fair amount of noise from the kiddos!

And this year was no different! The girls went proudly into school wearing their rosettes and their fabulous teachers encouraged them to share all about their Norwegian heritage and did some fabulous learning with it! There are so many side effect blessings of raising our children multilingual that we never considered before taking the plunge and jumping into trilingualism, but this rich variety of culture is certainly one of them!

And everyone knows I'll take any reason to throw a little party!

Me and my little family in May!

Easter Celebrations // A Belated Me and Mine

With every year that passes, with every new set of chubby little hands which gather round that Easter breakfast table, the tradition we have established here grows more precious. It is far from perfect. Little hands stuffing mini eggs into mouths before we have given thanks, littlest voices demanding porridge, and a Mama who actually only managed to sit down at the table half way through the breakfast... But still, this Easter morning tradition is one of my absolute favourites. For starters, we do it in celebration of the greatest day in history. When Jesus, buried cold in a borrowed tomb, was found alive! When eternal life became a certain promise. When life changed forever.

There is something of that anticipation and excitement as we gather year by year around this second hand, battered table, laden with hot cross buns and chocolate eggs and resurrection gardens...

Somehow the establishment of a celebration at breakfast time has always seemed appropriate to me. After all, it was early in the morning that the women discovered the body was gone, and excited little faces reflect the indescribable amazement of the realisation that the Saviour was alive!

We read the Easter story twice - once in picture book form, once straight from the bible. Accessible to all, and repetition is the key to understanding!

The tone is celebratory! As the story is recounted, we want the children to understand that this celebration outweighs anything else in our calendar. Even better than Christmas!

The symbols from the resurrection eggs decorate the table, a visual opportunity for ordering events, retelling the story, asking questions....

And then there is the garden, so beautifully decorated on Thursday afternoon... By Saturday night it is browned, rotten and dead. The stone covers the tomb and the garden lays barren.

And yet on Sunday morning, the children discovery the garden has transformed, vibrant with colour, the stone rolled back and the tomb empty!

So many questions... Details noted, reflections made. Prayers prayed and discussions had. Clothes thrown on, make-up-less and surrounded by small children, this breakfast is my favourite of the year.

Church followed breakfast, then roast dinner at my parents and an Easter egg hunt with dear friends this afternoon. A jam-packed day, filled with far too much sugar, but it was joyous, and they understood why... And does anything matter other than that?

It was the perfect opportunity for a Me and Mine shot for March... even though technically it's April!

And even if not everyone was initially keen on the idea!

These photos are so precious to me... Me and Mine, at Easter.

I hope it was fabulous for you! What are your Easter traditions??

Me and Mine in October // The Annual Pumpkin Patch Edition

October seems to have flown by in a flurry of activity - blink, and you'd have missed it. Life feels a little whirl-wind-ish at the moment, and I'm admittedly very ready for winter... A little hibernation, a little hunkering down and slowing the pace. Something in the autumn and winter seasons seem to enforce a little slowing down, and I, and all our little family, are very ready for that.

Me and Mine in August // Windswept and Carefree

It's hard to believe that a whole month has passed since my last me and mine post, and here we were... On a wild weather day, crossing the fjord on a ferry in Norway, looking rather windswept! I love these kind of photos... The salt of the earth, realiity ones. The kind of photos we had of my family growing up. Not like today when I can take fifty shorts and find one perfect shot amongst the many, but in the style of the point and shoot era, the wait for three days to get your film developed era. Well... I'll be honest, despite the masses, there wasn't a perfect shot, because we were all being almost blown overboard and poor little Elias wasn't loving it! But this is life right now... Fun-filled and slightly crazy!

Life is a whirlwind!

Me and Mine in July // Closure

Well here we are; another month has been and gone and those roasting hot July days have morphed into the typical English weather of the summer holidays - grey and drizzle!

It's been an important and emotional month for all of us. David finished at his job of nine years at the end of the school year to move on to a new school in September. It was sad for all of us to say goodbye to his team, some of whom have been there the whole duration of his time there, but he's excited about new challenges come September! They waved him off with a bang, and in true David style, there was no speech, but a song for the staff which led to both laughter and tears. He's had a great time there.

For me, closure came in the form of my debrief at the hospital. I met, on Friday, with the Consultant who made the decision to transfer me half way through my second attempt at a c-section and it was so helpful. Lots of questions were answered about what happened on the day, and I'm clearer as to how to get my head around it. It was helpful to head back to the hospital, and she took me up to the antenatal ward, back to my room where I stayed for those weeks in the run up to his birth, to say thank you to the team there. It felt like I could finally lay it to rest.

For the girls, closure came in the end of another school year. Ava said goodbye to year one, and Heidi waved goodbye to her lovely Nursery as she gears up for Reception in September. We were sad to say goodbye to both sets of teachers: they have been incredibly supportive and loving to our girls in a year which was pretty crazy at times (absent Mama in hospital for weeks, new baby etc!).

For the boys, Jonas said goodbye to babyhood and is now exercising his toddlerhood in all its glory. We're working on patience and obedience in true two-year-old fashion!

Elias was discharged by hospital in his neo-natal review this month and officially waved goodbye to the new-natal team there. They are happy he is going from strength to strength and is meeting all his milestones at his corrected age.

So a month of closure; now before us lies a month of rest and recovery in our beautiful Norway before a whole heap of new beginnings in September. We are SO ready for the break!

So here we are: me and mine in July!

A Little Late // Me + Mine in June

So yes... we're two days late with our Me and Mine photos for June, and technically these photos were actually taken on the 1st of July, but its been a crazy, happy, full season and super busy. We're running on adrenaline with a severe case of endoftermitis and so, so ready for the summer holidays.

Who's with me?!

Beach Days // Me and Mine in May

We're a bit late to the #meandmine party this month. The end of May snuck up on me in a flurry of half term bliss! After 3 months of life being very abnormal for us (I was first admitted to hospital in mid-February), this month has been all about being together, re-finding our rhythm and getting back on our own two feet.

And where better to celebrate a return to feeling fit and heathy than a trip to Brighton to visit lovely friends?

Me and Mine in April // The Final Piece of our Puzzle

It's hard to believe that these pictures were taken only twelve days ago, on Easter Monday, when our big three finally got to meet our littlest member. At that point everything was still so raw, and fresh and real. There was still so much uncertainty... We were still in hospital, I was barely mobile and hadn't been home in almost a month. Our 34 weeker had only just graduated from NICU. The gathering of our little family... Complete at last.

They are imperfect pictures, and yet I think they will be some of my favourite ever Me and Mine pictures... Because they signify both an ending, and a new adventure.

Four Little Souls // Me and Mine in February

This little crew of mine... four different personalities and characters... shaping, moulding, revealing a little bit more with every passing month... I love these photos, because behind the physical changes I see in the photographs - the growing in height, the 'thinning out', the maturing features - are the inside changes... the ones hidden behind the outer facade. The glimpses of the young people they will one day become.

Just where we're at... // Me and Mine in October

It's the end of October! How, oh how did that happen?! Somehow November brings with it the preparations for the "C" word and I'm just not quite sure I'm ready to get into the festive mood just yet... there is still so much to do. I feel like we're living in a constant state of chaos at the moment. Our garden resembles a building site (though the walls of the extension are up, and the roof's going on at last - hooray!) and we're beginning the slightly overwhelming task of packing up our kitchen before the entire back of our house is destroyed next week. Three school runs a day is proving exhausting, and two hours in the morning just isn't long enough to get anything done!

But despite that, we're good!

Half term was a welcomed and much-needed break. We filled it with little adventures, trips to National Trust properties (before our membership runs out today - sad day!), new shoes (and first shoes!) expeditions, visits to friends and birthday parties. And of course, our annual trip to the pumpkin patch... and where better a place to get your monthly "Me and Mine" shot?

And so there we were, in a sea full of people and pumpkins, with my camera dubiously balanced on the biggest, flatest pumpkin I could find, David positioning the children, while I clicked and ran... very professional we are around here!

It was only afterwards, looking back at the photos, that I realised just how representative these photos are of our life right now... slightly chaotic, haphazard, last minute...

but happy! (Even if Jonas doesn't look it!!)

Me and Mine in October!

Back to Life // Me and Mine in September

It's been a funny old month; a month of adjusting and adapting... of getting used to only having one child around my ankles every day, of getting my head around three school runs. It's been a month of busyness and tiredness and routine. It's been a shock to the system for all of us I think... and though it has been a busy month, its been a good one. Not in the "so many great things have happened" way, but more in the gentle trundling along of adapting to a new routine.

Most notable has been Heidi starting school... and I'm genuinely pleased to report she loves that little nursery class of hers. She comes home beaming from ear to ear, and though she tells me little of what she's actually been up to, the muddy stains, paint marks and book bag full of drawings are testimony to the fantastic time she's having. We are so pleased that our littlest lady is adjusting so well. Phew!

I'm adjusting too. It sounds silly to say that. But I've had my little ladies around me non-stop for the last 5 years, so it has been strange to be on my own with the boy every morning... and a boy who still naps twice! I'm waiting for him to drop the morning one, but enjoying the hour or so of complete quiet it gives me every morning while it lasts! He is a delight, though very "Mama" focussed at the moment. The fact that it is the dominant of his five words means I'm pretty much hearing my name all day, every day!

In other big news, Dave turned 33 this week, so we had family gatherings galore, and a whole heap of takeaway food. I'm not complaining.

And then there is our home. The loft is now finished, and we now have a meter deep trench in our back garden, an uncovered Air Raid Shelter, and the remnants of an old outside toilet... it is amazing what you find if you dig a meter underground! The old historian in me has enjoyed many a chat with our builders about all the things they've dug up over the years!

And I suppose, when you put it all down like that, it has been a fairly landmark September - with new starts, birthdays and builders... but it has been a fairly gentle start too, and for that I am grateful!

Just whiling away busy little hours with this loopy bunch that, by God's grace, I get to call mine...

Now bring on October!

Spot the Difference... // Me and Mine in August

I was super organised this month and took our Me and Mine photos early... at one of our favourite haunts in Norway. I think we've come out to this little village every time we've been since Dave's parents moved back out there... there's something about the  way the fjord meets the mountains, the picturesque houses and the cutest little cafe...

I came here for the very first time back in 2010. Dave and I had just celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We were in our early twenties, fresh-faced and fancy-free. Having just completed our first year of teaching we were ready for a break, and six long weeks of freedom stretched out before us. It's kind of hard to remember what life was like back then!

Same spot, six years earlier!

It's sometimes easy to long for the simplicity of life back then... for the long lie-ins, the peace and quiet, the freedom and lack of responsibility. But do you know what? I wouldn't change things now for the world. Each little gift God has given us has stretched and challenged me, revealed things about me I never knew about myself (some of them, not so pleasant!) and given me new perspective and insight... I love these three little people with all my heart... their quirks and intricacies, their talents and struggles, their personalities and pitfalls.

Parenting has been the most wonderful adventure, but also the toughest challenge of my life so far. There's not a day goes by where I'm not worrying about one of them, or questioning my reactions and responses. Parenting is hard... Purposeful parenting even harder, and when I catch myself trying to prepare them for every eventuality, trying to cover every base, it's then that I'm so grateful that it's not me who decides their futures. That no amount of preparation, and no lack on my part will be the decisive factor in their... That is God's role! And oh! The pressure that relieves!

I'm so grateful for the gift of our little brood, and honoured to be chosen to steward them through these little years. It's no small feat when you're knee deep in washing and trying to parent through the third tantrum of the day, but those moments are countered by the glorious golden moments too. It's then that I breath deep and savour it all up.

Me and Mine in August.

And just because we took a couple of extras this month too... and I kind of love them as well!

The Hard and The Beautiful // Me and Mine in July

We stood half way up a mountain yesterday. I breathed deep and savoured the moment, stopping to capture these memories forever on my camera. Jonas tucked up proudly on his Papa's back, the girl's wide-eyed at nature, sticks in hand. Everything is to be explored - touched and tried, memorized and questioned. We talked about slugs and pine cones, waterfalls and the water cycle. Little minds, hungry for filling, eager to learn.

It has been wonderful to get away. To have intensive time together, without the daily interruption of routine and schedules... and boy, have we needed it. We were ready, SO ready for a break. I was probably the most ready of all... ready to have time together as a family, and the opportunity to have focused time to home in on some unsavoury behaviour I mentioned in a previous post. I have learnt, over the years, that aside from their own struggles and battles with sin, often the children's challenging behaviour stems from over-busyness, and too often the culprit filling the diary is me. Wiping the diary clean gives me space to examine my own heart, to have room to follow through and be consistent with discipline, and to make plenty of opportunities for the struggling child to realign. Obviously having David at home for the summer is probably the biggest help of all. When there are two of us holding firm, it's easier to follow through and be strong than when you feel you're facing a battle alone.

And I'm praying. A lot. (Though never as much as I could be!)

I'm feeling increasingly challenged that my first and primary responsibility at the moment is to these little ones of ours. Too often I am distracted and over-busy, and by nature I want to be involved in every new and exciting project. But I'm slowly learning that at the heart of motherhood lies a necessity to sacrifice, and in this season of the little years, that sacrifice is perhaps more pronounced in the areas of my time and energy. We won't get this time back, these are the key training years, and so prioritising thoughtful and purposeful, gospel-centred parenting is key.

And hard.

But when you're up a mountain looking down, when your little girls are standing under waterfall spray with mouths wide open, drinking deep, when your son gazes out on all the surroundings, chattering away as he's strapped carefully to your back, the beauty of family hits you again.

Family is where we are real, and vulnerable... and that can be scary.

But it can also be the most beautiful thing on earth.

Me and Mine in July...