:: growing a grateful heart ::

Earlier this year, after reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, I felt compelled to record the things I'm thankful for within each day. They can be big or seemingly small things, but anything that makes me stop and think "Wow" or pause in gratefulness for a beautiful moment experienced or observed. Recording 1000 things I'm thankful for was the goal, but not one to achieve in a "I can tick that one off" kind of way (although I honestly do have to remind myself from time to time that it really isn't about "getting to 1000"), but moreso a tangible way to allow myself to slow down and realise how much there is to be thankful for. I've tasted the fruit of thankfulness and it's very good. Not just for me, but for those around me and for our family. It's so good for our souls.

At the time of mentioning my goal my mum was inspired to do the same. Just the other day she said she'd reached 1000 things she was thankful for (and was continuing on). My often-forgotten notebook with it's 300-odd moments of thankfulness suddenly got a bit of a kick into gear as I realised how I sporadically picked it up and recorded things, then left it again for several days (or weeks) at a time. Since then thankfully I have been more intentional about stopping to take time and notice what goes on and what is so beautiful in these moments.

Sunday was full of these moments. A quiet day around home as we made the most of time together with nowhere else to go other than next door that evening to celebrate a birthday. 
The girls spent a good amount of their time drawing and then decorating their drawings for their "Tonton" (Uncle) Tim, whose birthday it was that we were to celebrate.  Pens, stickers and glitter that didn't stray off the paper, other than to decorate little noses. 

Fascination with papa's drill (and all of papa's machines) that helped fix the trolley wheel
 

Which was put straight back to use as a cuddly bed for "billy" the beloved bunny.

Our house is quite the "work in progress" at the moment, with piles of things everywhere as we sort through what we keep, what we sell, what we give. I had the container of the baby clothes that I can't part with in the living room to fold. The girls discovered it and had a great time trying on their winter hats and scarves. Ironically the weather outside was quite wintery-chilly, so they didn't look out of place :o)

Plastic containers soon transformed into "bateaux" (boats) and the girls sailed off on adventures waving goodbye as they left...

Even though I'm not entirely ready for summer to be over, the anticipation of Autumn and its beautiful colours is pretty exciting :o) And the sight of these Autumn fruits on our dining room table, the pears and apples bought the day before from a local orchard. What a treat!

I love watching the girls play with their beloved Grandpapa. This was early evening before the party...they love him and he loves to play and adventure with them. What a gift :o)

Uncle Luc and Aunty Priscille arrived with two little surprise party attendees, their new bird "twins." Initially the girls weren't quite sure what to think of them, but later found the courage to hold them and even give a 'bisous' (kiss) :o)

It was a day filled with thankful moments. The first time everyone in the family has been all together for a long time, and maybe the last time for a while. The girls did really well with a later evening and we all laughed when one's excited enthusiasm at the sight of the cake with candles all lit, inspired a spontaneous little song that she repeated over and over "Happy gateau Lala!" ('Lala' is used for three of their favourite people, none of whom were there)  What joybringers they are to us all :o)

These days my notebook sits out open on the table, with a pen nearby, so it's easy to stop and note things down. And the thing I love about it is that the more I write, the more I open my eyes to see things of beauty and thankfulness. Jesus loves a thankful heart, of that I am sure, because he knows what life it brings and what good it does to one's soul and outlook. It reminds us to look beyond. Lately I'm finding that I'm often challenged/inspired by the story of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy. When they were cleansed of this awful disease only one thought to come back and thank Jesus. And his action was rewarded. I have realised how often I am blessed and continue blindly on, not even stopping to say thanks...to Jesus, but to those around us who show their love and generosity in action. So...I'm trying to learn and grow a thankful heart...slowly but surely!

:: the rega ::

Last Saturday we drove down to Lausanne to go to the open day for the Rega, Switzerland's rescue helicopter/air ambulance company. Not just because helicopters are a personal favourite for Eti, but also because we have a personal link to them as a family. Early in the morning on the day the girls were born I travelled a whole 8 minutes in one of these Rega helicopters from Nyon to Lausanne. I could have enjoyed a much longer trip because, at the time, they had no idea which of the Neonatal-specialist hospitals around Switzerland had any space for twins. Thankfully it was a very short flight because it meant that Eti only had to drive for 45 minutes and not 4 hours to find me! During our five months' stay in Lausanne the Neonatal unit overlooked the hospital's helicopter landing pad, so we saw many flights come in and out transporting people in emergency situations. Needless to say, anytime we spot the distinctive red helicopter fly overhead we remember with gratefulness this truly wonderful non-profit company and pray for those who are needing help in that moment.

Eti was particularly drawn to this remote-controlled Rega model (above) which took 900 hours to build! He was just disappointed he didn't see it fly. But, my helicopter-loving man did get to sit in the real thing and have a feel of what is to come. One of the main reasons for moving to New Zealand at the end of this year is to fulfill Eti's dream of becoming a helicopter pilot. Who knows...maybe one day he might find himself flying one of these, wearing the red overalls with 'PILOT' stitched in bold white lettering on the back :o)

:: happy friday ::

Happy Friday from our pyjama-clad, balcony-loving girls! :o) We've been making the most of our two days of sunshine and warm/hot temperatures here. Tomorrow the rain comes and Sunday the high will be today's low! So we enjoy what we've got while we have it :o) 


Have a great weekend!

P.S. Thank you again Carol & George for the fantastic jammies! The girls felt like the cat's pyjamas when we put them on lastnight :o)

:: two years old today - a story of thankfulness ::

The 8th of May has become one of my most favourite days of the year to celebrate. When I was little and was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I said I wanted to be a mummy. Well, today I'm living my dream and there's no other accomplishment I'm more proud of and fullfilled in. It's exhausting, yes, and there are plenty of moments of frustration or self-doubt, but to be parents of these two is a gift beyond many others. 

Happy 2nd birthday today to our Elise Grace and Amélie Hope!

Many of you know that these two are living miracles because you walked with us through scary pregnancy moments and then their arrival that came way too early. We are so thankful for all the prayers, words of truth and words of encouragement that you sent our way during those scary days. The girls were born on Mother's Day morning, New Zealand time, so whole churches stopped to pray when they heard the news. And instead of overwhelming fear we felt peace. Even the memories of the early days and months of uncertainty are now overshadowed by the thankfulness and joy of seeing two little girls who have grown from 700g to being walking, talking, laughing, joyful little people who have no developmental or long-term health issues. Praise God! We're also incredibly thankful to the wonderful (understatement) medical people who helped us throughout the journey. The Neonatal unit at the CHUV hospital in Lausanne became like a home away from home because the team there welcomed us with open arms and kept us informed of everything they did with the girls, which was nothing short of amazing! Merci du fond de nos coeurs!

To celebrate their birthday, to thank you and to give an example of the faithfulness of God, we made this video of clips from moments after their birth to now. 
 

Et avec les sous titres en français:

Amélie Hope

Our little helper, always ready to pick up a cloth and clean :o) You were born first, even by mere seconds, but you seem to have taken the role of being the eldest with a responsibility that makes us smile :o) We love to watch you take care of your babies, giving cuddles, kissing anything and everything you like...from your teddies, to flowers, tiny spiders, books and rocks! Your arms wrapped around our necks and soft kisses make up some of our favourite moments. You're always up for fun, with a smile that lights up your face and a giggle that's contagious. You love to colour and spend several minutes in focused concentration as you draw. Mummy's proud of your love for books and we enjoy watching as you 'read' to yourself copying from memory how we have read to you. You're joyful, funny, creative, caring and have an incredible capacity to understand and respond to what we're saying to you. You're independent (like your mummy was at your age too!) and we can really see you living up to your name, which means 'industrious' and 'bringing hope.' We love you dearly our sweet Amie and we're so proud of you!

Elise Grace

Our sweet Elise who captures hearts wherever you go because your own is so big. You, who went through so much in the beginning and terrified us so often with the risks that came at you almost constantly, bring us joy beyond words. We love your gentle (mostly!) nature and empathy to notice when people have something that is "mal" (hurts). You, whom the doctors warned may not be able to speak, have a beautiful, soft voice that you use constantly, to sing and tell stories. While Amélie is responsible and you sometimes help her, you are also carefree in nature...flitting from one thing to another like a butterfly and singing as you go. Your eyes twinkle mischievously and you shake as you giggle...it makes us giggle too! For all your gentleness you also have a strength of character which is not surprising knowing what you battled through during your early months in hospital. You have an extraordinary eye for beauty...one of your first words being "pretty!" and you point out pretty things wherever we go, from necklaces to hairties, flowers and even people. I love to take you out for a walk, just me and you because you love to chatter away and point things out with the words you know: tree! ball! pretty! car! You also love stories and reading aloud to yourself with wonderful expression! We love you enormously our joyful Leesie! You, too, fill our hearts with pride. 


Above all we truly thank our God for His wonderful protection over Amélie and Elise. They could very easily not be with us today, there were countless moments both before and after they arrived that we were expecting to say goodbye. A throat infection could have easily put Elise back in hospital needing breathing assistance, but they have stayed extraordinarily healthy and seem strong. So we're thankful and will always be. 

:: what we're loving ::

Here are some things I've loved spotting around here this week...

The girls reunited with their daddy after he was away for the day last Saturday

Daddy slides

Late-Spring snowfalls

Warm cosy living areas because of this

 Visits from our forest friends

Fingerpainting

And distractions

Grandparents

Making these potato buns

A day of snow, complete with the snow-truck clearing roads, and weather forecasts predicting 27 degrees just four days later!

Giggles as they watch themselves on video (to come soon!)

Inside hat days

Birthdays

Hanging out in the current favourite spot (though it doesn't calm my heart having two persistent climbers at the moment!)

Introducing the girls to the beloved water colours

And 'coucou's through the window

Voila! Have a great weekend everyone! :o)


Linking up with PaisleyJade's 'Things I'm Loving'

 

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life,

there is always something you can be thankful for...

no matter how simple it is. 

Love this quote by PaisleyJade!