LOVING MY LITTLES

The Pizza's were YUMMY!

I stated last year on my blog that I happen to love Valentine's Day.  I love the idea that we have an entire day devoted to LOVE.  I love that it can remind us to think about the relationships in our lives that should be the most important.  It is a day where we should express our kindness, gratitude and  love to each other unconditionally regardless of our faults.

Again this year Claire and I helped out with flower deliveries for a friend of ours who owns a local flower shop, URBAN FLOWER, on Friday the 13th (Corporate V-DAY) and Saturday the 14th (the BIG V-DAY). We had a fantastic time and were able to brighten many individuals day.  Our favorite delivery of the two days happened to be to an elderly lady who was living in a retirement village.  She received a gorgeous bouquet of roses and sunflowers from her grandson who was living overseas.  Apparently, she had been telling her neighbors that she was going to receive something special on Valentine's Day.  We were thrilled to be able to deliver the much anticipated surprise.  It made us SMILE and filled us with cheer.  It is the little things that give our hearts such JOY!

After our morning deliveries, we headed home to celebrate LOVE day with the rest of the Manning gang.  We made heart shaped pizzas, shared our handmade love notes with one another and topped off the night with a movie, a romantic comedy of course.

I was so thrilled that I had the opportunity to tell my husband and children how much I love them.  They are so special and I cannot imagine my life without each and everyone of them in it!  This year is shaping up to be a tough year full of challenges for us and our loved ones, I know we are only in February.  We are going to need to relish every moment together and look for the positive in all things.  We are going to need to be patient with each other and extremely supportive.  I have faith in my Heavenly Father and know that all of bumps in the road help me to become the woman, wife and mother I need to be.  

I am grateful for LOVE.  It is the most powerful FORCE in this world.  It can change peoples hearts.  I grateful that I was raised in a family filled with LOVE.  They continue to give me and my little family spiritual support each day when we are so physically FAR away from them.

I hope my littles will always remember that my love for them is unconditional.  I am so proud of the young ladies they are striving to be.  I know that they give each day their best effort.  When things don't go according to plan, they pick themselves up and keep pressing forward - well done girls.  Happy Valentine's Day!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Man of Mine!

Chocolate Mousse Hearts!

SHORT MONTH

I have always thought of February as a short month.  Technically it is only 2 - 3 days shorter than any other month during the year, but it always feels really compressed to me.  I feel like I am running from one activity to another and trying hard to SQUEEZE a bunch of events into one month.  

So far this month we have started school, attended Student Representative Council (SRC) Induction for Grace, attended Chinese New Year's Celebrations, celebrated Valentine's Day and it is only the 16th of February.  I am sure the rest of the month will be a full-on sprint based on what I have experienced so far.

We have been very busy with all of the activities but, we are trying to savour all of the individual moments.  Here are a few photos to highlight the first half..... 

SCHOOL
We began school.  Jane is in Year 5, Grace is a Year 8 and Claire is finishing 10th Grade and beginning Grade 11.  We are very happy with our teachers and finally feeling settled with school this year.  Adjusting to new places takes time.

 

SRC INDUCTION

Grace was elected by her Year 8 peers to be a member of the Student Representative Council for her school.  Last week, I attended the induction ceremony and it was a joy to see her thrive in her element.  She is a GREAT student and friendly to all.  I am glad that she will have the opportunity to help her fellow high school students and work alongside of the teachers and staff.

CHINESE NEW YEAR
Chinese New Year is the 19th of February and in preparation for it, Sydney has planned an incredible few weeks of events to ring in the year of the SHEEP.  We were able to attend the opening ceremonies this last Friday night.  The city planned an entire night with fireworks, illuminted Chinese Terracotta Warriors, dragon dancing, food trucks and many more activities at the ROCKS.  We had a great time as we learned about the significance of Chinese New Year and embraced the culture filled night.

THE LAST HURRAH!

One of the vacations that we would love to take with our girls when we were living in America was a trip to the beach whether it be the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the beautiful beaches of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina or Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  We would always try to take them for an entire week to enjoy the sun, the surf and the sand.  Sitting on the beach, brings back all of my childhood memories where I spent hours and hours embracing sunny California.

As we prepared for school to start again, Tom and I wanted to continue this annual tradition "down under" and have once LAST HURRAH to celebrate (the kids were mourning) the last week of summer. We only live about 20 minutes from beautiful beaches but, Tom and I wanted to go stay in a tiny little town 3 hours south of Sydney that is very removed from the hustle of the big city.  We loaded our bikes, paddle board, boogie boards and most importantly our cozzies (swimsuits) into the SUV and headed south for a week full of games, activities and family togetherness.  We stayed in the most darling little cottage called "THE BLUE WHALE"  and just loved our time in Jervis Bay.  Who doesn't want to head to the beach where everyday BIG decisions consist of which swimsuit should I wear and what time should we head to the beach?

We had a lovely time, we rode bikes, played in the surf, built sandcastles, admired the sunrise, watched a movie in an old time - one room movie theatre, ate delicious food, went bush walking, watched a shark swim up and down the beach - yikes, and just had a great time.  This part of the world is know to have the whitest sand ever where every footstep squeaks!  I must confess it is stunning and almost kills your eyes especially if you are not wearing SUNNIES.    We were sad that the week came to an end but, I guess you must go back to NORMAL life eventually - school, homework, Stryker, mom jobs, etc....  Here are some photos to document the week.  

You must make paper planes after watching the movie!

Squibbly Gum Bush Walk!