I just love the summertime.
It usually (ahem Melbourne) means warmth, catch-ups, fun times and holidays.
Every day feels like a holiday in summer.
Even more so when you have an impromptu visit with your favourite people… on a Monday.
Like, usually, the most despised day of the week! But today, it became awesome. 😁
Because summer, warmth and fave people collided so beautifully … thanks holidays. ❤
I struggled with this fact today, but it is true: you don’t need to be somewhere, to enjoy the sunshine.
For example, I was sick. Today is probably the peak day of being sick, I hope anyway, and I hope that tomorrow is better. But I was pining and pining after the beach, gazing at the water from our windows, the deck, the balcony… I was so incredibly sad, feeling like, ‘out of all the random warm days this city bestows on us, why did it have to be so warm when I am sick?’
But, here’s the thing. You can actually enjoy the sunshine wherever you are. Even at home.
Shock horror. I know.
We filled up the shell pool, which was part of baby boy’s Christmas present, and proceeded to try pop his legs in…
He immediately cried. He did not like his legs getting dunked in without being asked. 🤣
And you know what, that makes sense. No one would like to be forced into something against their will, no matter how much fun the other person says it is!
Baby girl went in the pool, and we let baby boy explore… touching the edges, the water in puddles on the deck, then the water inside the pool… about 5-10 minutes passed, and he was climbing over, trying to get in!
And that’s how we got to here:
The best part of my day. Watching these gorgeous kids play. 🥰
And I now know how to proceed with him at the beach.
Plonk him on a towel, and just let him be. 💖
I know this is not ‘the last time,’ but still I found myself wistfully observing all the little things baby girl and I do on the daily, on this day, the last day of her school holidays.
It’s been such a busy summer school holiday period. There was Christmas, Christening planning, I had a heap of health issues, and then all of a sudden, bang! There was like, a week left of holidays…
And now here we are. The day before.
I took all of her in as we did our morning walk to help baby boy sleep. She takes charge willingly, pushing the pram for the first part of the trip. I of course let her do this happily – anyone that helps me with one of my many daily things with baby boy I accept graciously.
And I don’t have any family and friends around who can help me on a regular basis, but I realised today she is my person. She is the one I lean on, and this whole time that Hubbie has been working, she has been my constant, day in and day out.
The weather was perfect. Still. Sunny. We stopped at the park as we usually do, and she had a play, before we continued on our journey.
There’s a cat I noticed before the holidays, that would come out of a particular house, it was so friendly and almost coming out to greet me as I’d walk by with the pram, but of course this cat has been awol the entire holiday period…
Until today!
It was actually in the driveway, and I was so happy to finally show baby girl the cat I had mentioned to her.
I love our time together, the things we do, and I already can’t wait until the next holidays (and it’s a short term term 1 too!)
But I am also so happy for her to be starting school, because I know she is. 🥰🥰
Hubbie has been off work for 8 days now, and only today did it actually feel like we were on holidays.
We’ve been obviously busy with Christening stuff, the period before that was all preparation, and the period after that has been all ‘coming down.’
Today, we finally did something small, but really sweet.
Strawberries. 🥰🍓
We went to the Rocky Creek Strawberry Farm, we indulged in some yummy strawberry dishes with coffee/milkshake, and then we went picking…
Baby girl and I went searching through the bushes as Hubbie and baby boy chilled in the shade. It was the most relaxing and beautiful thing to do on a warm summer’s day, and we have two punnets of delicious strawberries to show for it, just waiting to be consumed. 😋
There’s just something about summer evenings.
Holidays.
Warm days.
Easy, go-with-the-flow vibes.
Tonight this meant…
chilling on the trampoline with the kids
having an easy dinner
taking a leisurely walk around the block at 8pm.
It’s all things we wish and plan for, and try to achieve at all other times of the year, but somehow, in Summer, in January, during the holidays…
It is just so much easier. 💖😎
I don’t spend a lot of time on our balcony lately, nor do I get a chance to just stare out our windows at the watery horizon beyond.
And this week is a hectic week for us, the week leading up to baby boy’s christening. Things are crazy busy with an 11 month-old and10 year-old, without throwing a special once-in-a-lifetime event like this in the mix (because whereas other things happen time and time again in a lifetime, a baby is christened only once, you see).
So it wouldn’t surprise you that I have been trying to pack up Christmas stuff for over a week now. 🤣 I always wait until after Orthodox Christmas, but I have waited extra (accidentally, lol) and today I finally got everything packed up and away, yay!
One of the last things to go was the outdoor lighting. I have lights hanging off the balcony, and following dinner I went upstairs to sit on the planks and de-thread them from the balcony wire.
Baby girl, Hubbie and baby boy joined me there, and were even talking to me from ground level below. They were pointing out the water, the sky, the sun reflecting off the water… even though I was busy busy busy, I stopped, for only a second.
It sure was beautiful.
And no, I have no picture, (I was too busy, remember) the picture is in my mind. A partly cloudy/sunny day, the sun directly shining on the water, summer in the air, and ease all around.
I love this place. I will always try and enjoy it, even when I’m crazy busy like today.🙏🌅
It was an effort and a half, but I got baby girl to her school concert this afternoon, with baby boy in tow.
She was in two performances as part of her class, as well as singing in two other performances with the senior choir.
The sunset tonight was gorgeous: the water and sky separated by blues, pinks and purples.
Summer has finally arrived. 😍
Tomorrow is Summer, so beach and pool days are here, yee-ha!
Um… so we will have warm weather, right?
Anything other than this sudden rain and wind and cold spell that has cast a spell over Melbourne, anything is better than this!
I had a lot of things that made me happy today.
My Saturday morning coffee date with baby girl and baby boy, where I furiously feed him, and myself, trying to keep my shit together while listening to baby girl at the same time. 💖🤣
Playing ball with baby girl in the house as baby boy napped, and cracking up laughing over silly things like “don’t laugh” “don’t smile” “don’t bounce the ball” and then doing the very opposite. 🤣
Finally, Hubbie thought of the lovely idea of going out to dinner this very early evening. We obviously aren’t as able to do this as we used to, but we knew if we stayed local, plus went early, it would work with baby boy’s schedule.
But baby boy slept in slightly today (after yesterday’s later bedtime due to surprising 3rd nap in car!) and that meant everything moved later… so his bedtime, could also move later. 💪
After a really nice, fast dinner (🤣) where we kept baby boy busy with his food and Wiggles on YouTube, we decided in the 6:30pm daylight savings light that we had time to visit the beach. Which was conveniently right across the road from the restaurant.
It was the best idea. It was simply a short, not even 10 minute stay. We took pics, walked onto the sand, and all the way down to the water. Baby girl got her feet sandy, and wet, and did cartwheels. Baby boy squinted against the light, staring at the water like “what is this giant bath?”
Hubbie and I just smiled like, ‘good idea.’ 😁😁
So, it’s been a good day. 🙏🥰🌅😍
How can this be the last season?
It’s the last season that baby boy will experience for the first time. 🥰
He joined us in late Summer. We have been through the hottest of months, Autumn leaves falling, and cold, blistery Wintery.
And now September. Where Hope Springs forth. New ideas, beginnings, journeys, it all starts to sprout forth from the earth and receive the sun’s glorious rays. 🌱🌞
Enjoy Spring my sweetheart. 💖💙
carcrashgratitude 