Precious Memories

I love these precious memory posts because they give me an opportunity to look over the week and remember.  They are a chance to soak up the beauty of our lives together, not perfect by any means but special none the less.  There are moments I capture on camera that by the end of the week I have forgotten about, precious memories which could easily slip by unnoticed.  Here are T12 and A5 both on their computers, A5 having sidled up close to T12, not wanting anything from him but his presence.

I just love seeing my children working together, just like C11 and B3 are doing here, washing up and drying up together.  If we ever have issues with children not getting on we always make them each other’s work buddies.  Nothing sorts out relationship problems more than spending time together working towards a common purpose.

It has been fascinating watching Gary’s relationship with his older daughters.  He is becoming more protective, more gentle with every passing day as he watches them turn from his little girls into young ladies.  Suddenly his job has become even more important and I think he feels it keenly.

I captured the last picture after the family had spent the whole afternoon in the garden working.  Gary was barbecuing and L and T were just hanging out together, relaxing: 
After our family work day on Saturday, Gary decided to barbecue.  It was glorious to spend time in a fairly clean garden with each other, eating good food which I didn’t have to cook.  Doesn’t food always taste better when someone else cooks it?  Even Oscar joined in the fun and had his very own burger in a bun on a plate!

And afterwards we relaxed, playing with each other on the swing and trampoline.  I tell you, these are the best days, the BEST days:

This week was our week off after a not terribly successful term, we had chosen lots of fun learning and activities we wanted to do, interspersed with much free time relaxing.  We are not a family who does well with much free time, so this week we alternated between half hour of doing some sort of purposeful activity outside followed by half an hour of free time (which could be screen time).  This always works well and we have fallen back on it many times over the years as means to counteract apathy and boredom.  The girls have spent hours upon hours spring cleaning their little house.  They even spent some of their own money on some vegetables to ‘make a stew’:

Whilst the girls were spring cleaning T was enjoying tending to his garden.  T had lost interest in his gardening and we couldn’t pin point why.  Eventually it materialised he felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work he had set himself to do and didn’t know where to start.  Gary took a walk with him around the garden Monday night and showed him lots of small manageable tasks he could do.  It has made my heart sing to see him back in an environment in which he truly is at peace.  If there is anything which counteracts the effects of teenage hormones, it surely has to be doing hard physical work in the garden, surrounded by beauty and new life.  How could that fail to lift one’s spirits?  And the great thing is, he has been providing salad leaves each day for our dinner:

Whilst T12 is teaching himself (slowly) the art of animation as well as creating new worlds in Mine Craft, his sisters have been making loom band jewellery whilst watching the Little House on the Prairie videos.  We have enough to set up a shop….

We’ve done a few Mr Men activities, completely unplanned but asked for by the younger two.  B3 always enjoys dressing up, whilst A5 was practicing her first aid skills bandaging my arm with a sticky Mr Bump bandage.  Some Mr Men skittles came through in the post yesterday and T was most excited about playing with them!  I kept telling him they were meant for little children, but it didn’t seem to make any difference as he punched the air when he beat his five-year old sister.  Competitive seems such an inadequate work to describe him!

From Tuesday onwards B3 came down with a really nasty viral infection.  She had a horrible cough; barely controllable, extremely high temperatures; a rash which has covered her whole body; and she refused any food which was offered to her and was generally not herself.  It was an excuse for everyone to heap lots of love on her.  I had many, many cuddles, whilst the older children made up snuggly beds on the sofa or in my room.  The girls came up the idea of making chocolate covered grapes, convinced she wouldn’t be able to turn them down.  It was a lovely thought but B3 really wasn’t well enough and in fact did turn them down.  All was not lost though as there were four children left who were very willing to help out in a good cause and devour them in seconds flat!

Last but not least a photo which has to be my favourite this year:

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!