the strange, the ordinary, and the divine

One of the perks of living in Australia is having strange and unusual friends...

Today is Mothers Day. Well, for me it is anyway. Since Ryan was was still overseas last weekend he decided to wake me up with a beautiful breakfast and a thoughtful pressie this morning. I was okay with that.

And then we went to visit some of our friends at the billabong down the road.

At times Levi couldn't be bothered. After all, there were sticks everywhere to play with...

...and what fun are koalas when they just sit there in trees looking cute? (Boring mom!)

Birds on the other hand... birds are on the move and fast and fascinating.

And of course the "dogs" are awesome. And these "dogs" even have really long tails and huge, funny feet. Oh, and they bounce around a lot... in between their lazy episodes of sunbathing. (Weird, but cool mom!)

Isn't it strange how becoming a mom changes things? Like how a great day for me is now one where I see my family enjoying themselves. Soaking in the warm sun. Glimpsing blue sky between the rustling gum trees. Minutes morphing into hours while chasing ducks, picking up sticks, and seeing life through the eyes of a very, very small and curious person.

Because to a very, very small and curious person... the world looks large and grande and full and... friendly. And I really like seeing it that way.

Through those eyes scary things don't look threatening... they just look amazing. (Even more amazing than on the pages of our storybooks.) And I like seeing it that way, too.

I reckon that sun on your back, dust on your feet, and a child on your shoulders (or in your belly) just make the world feel a little bit more right.

But of course kids will be kids... and even on a made-up Mothers Day they still don't "pose" for photos.

But that's ok. Because each little glance, each expression, each mid-sentance hand gesture frozen on film... all bring a sense of normalcy.

And that normalcy does nothing to detract from the divine gift of an animated and spirited child who doesn't yet know how to say "I love you mama." But I know. I know I am loved... in the ordinary moments as well as the extraordinary ones.

So this Mothers Day we come home and place our shoes by the door. Some of us go for naps while others fold laundry. The sun continues to sink on an extraordinarily ordinary, beautifully unusual, simply wonderful normal day. And I count my blessings, the best of which are the man and the boys who have made me a mom.

For this mom... on a Sunday... in May... with my boys (all three of them)... the world is a very good place.

Knowing that this is my current reality makes me a very happy, happy woman indeed.

Dear friends, how have you seen the divine in the ordinary this week?

glad to be a mama,



Current giveaways: Two Peekabooby nursing covers and one copy of The Pregnancy Companion (book).

Pregnant Blogger? Join in with the Bloggin' Babes & Babies of 2011 (a link-up for expecting mamas).

Linking in with Chelsea for her "friends" theme:

Being deliberate about resting, refreshing, and enjoying family:

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

reclaiming sundays... with sunnies

So, my husband has been teaching Levi to wear sunglasses... to actually keep them on his face. And to my surprise, he's been very successful.

I'm dumbfounded every time I see these chubby little cheeks and button nose with mini aviator sunnies perched on top.

This last Sunday we spent the afternoon at one of our local parks.

One of the perks to living in such a hot, humid (read: sometimes miserable) climate are the free water parks and pools that are open to the public. (Apparently they have to give us some sort of incentive to live here!)

This is one of our favorites - the Riverway.

There are five different pool areas including a normal pool, a lap pool, a "lagoon", a (cold) spa, and a kiddie pool. There are free gas BBQs scattered around the place and lots of grass for picnics and games.

There are also a couple of different playgrounds and a huge bike and walking path that spans the river for miles.

It really is a wonderful place.

I'm grateful to have such amazing facilities close to us and available to us without even having to spend any money. We enjoyed a lovely Sunday together as a family... and so far, we're doing well at our quest to Reclaim Sundays.

Dear friends, were you able to take a break this weekend? What did you get up to?

lovin my sundays more than ever,

P.S. We're camping at the moment, so if I don't respond to comments and emails right away... that's why. No phones or internet for me!

Note: You can read my original post with more of what this is all about here. If you'd like to grab the Reclaiming Sundays button and join in with our family's quest to make some more time for rest in our busy lives, then please feel free. Make sure you leave me your link so I can come see and be inspired by what your family is doing. (And remember, your "Sundays" don't have to literally be on Sundays... any old day will do, as long as it's deliberate.) 

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(And don't worry, the button will display on your blog much smaller than the image above!:)

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

auto-responder: vacation notification {woohoo!}

Actually, these photos are not from our vacation. They're from a beautiful afternoon at our local pool/beach a few Sundays ago...

But in honor of the fact that we are well and truly on holiday now, I thought I'd post these holiday-ish looking photos of my boys.

Because, you know, they're just so dang cute.

And because I'm writing (and scheduling) this post about a week before we really are on holidays. (Yeah, I'm tricky like that.)

And mostly because Levi's grandma is always hanging out for more photos of her first grandchild.

These are for you Gigi... your favorite grandson and your favorite son-in-law. (And we'll see you in person soon!)

{those cheeks!}

{those eyelashes! and that little button nose!}

{who needs to be home for nap time when you can just crash out on the beach?}

{responsible mommy keeping my boys under cover of the shade... while i sunbathe of course.}

Dear friends, there's no real reason for this post other than to throw up a few photos in celebration of being on holiday. (And to appease Gigi of course.) But aren't you jealous that I live in such a beautiful place that my Sundays can look like this?

now relaxing with family,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission