When family came to stay

Over Christmas, Jonathon's Dad, Denise and Aleisha came to visit from Tasmania. One of our adventures was a trip to AQWA. There's something very magical about underwater scenes.

 (Can you see the stonefish?)

It was very cool being up so close to the sharks and stingrays!

Lily's 2nd Birthday

My niece Lily turned 2! Here she is in her swing.

She loves this swing!

Lily, Jack, and Lily's other cousin Aidan, played in the tunnels

Lily unwrapped some new prezzies.

She loves to play with dollies.

It got hot, so Lily changed into her Elmo top, which matched perfectly with her Elmo cake and balloon.

Blowing out the candles!

Aidan had a go too.

Such a sweetie!

Happy Birthday Lily!

My boy turned 13!

Jack's birthday was November 28th, so this post is a tad delayed, but I'm trying to catch up before the year is out!

Here he is with a yummy banana and chocolate cake that I made with a ganache frosting. The cake didn't look that flash, but my word it tasted good!

 To celebrate with his friends, Jack had two of them for a sleepover.

And to celebrate with family we had breakfast at Jetty's Restaurant, which is one of our favourite treats.

Jonathon got to hold Blake

and Lily had her face painted like a cat. Cute!

 

Happy Birthday, Jack!!

My nephew's 21st birthday party!

It doesn't seem that long since my own 21st, and yet my nephew, who was just a toddler back then, turned 21 himself in November.
Freaky how time flies.

James is a glazier, plays drums in a band and has a sweet girlfriend called Sarah. We partied at the Old Bailey in Joondalup.

 James and Sarah

 James with his Aunty Fiona, cousin Caitlyn and his Nan.

 Sarah, James and his Mum and Dad

 My Mum and her three grandsons, James, Blake and Jack

 Dad and Jane

Callum, Sheila, Fiona and Caitlyn

 Lily

Kristie and Dave

James on drums

Happy Birthday James!!!!

Baby Blake

With all the goings on of November and December, I haven't had a chance to introduce you to my sister's baby boy, Blake. Here is the little sweetie, on his first day:

 

with his Nanna

and with his Mum

Just adorable!

Farewell Baby Willow

It was a very difficult week
with the anticipation of my niece Willow's funeral. 

While choosing songs for the service, it was amazing how appropriate the lyrics of songs became
when listened to in a different light.

The opening song was this one from the musical Wicked:

We watched a slide show of pictures of Willow to this lovely old song:

We listened to this one, while we laid rose petals on Willow's coffin. My sister said this music helps her to imagine Willow happily skipping through a field of flowers.

We went outside the chapel to let balloons go, to this beautiful song by Ben Harper:

Emotions were high, and many, many tears were shed, but it was a lovely service, with my sister and her partner giving a heartfelt and honest account of their thoughts, feelings and experiences during this devastating time. 

It was comforting to see so many supportive

family members and friends

there to help remember this sweet child of God.

A collective gasp could be heard as we let our balloons lift to the sky.

Gosh, an occasion like this is heart-wrenching and difficult.

But there was a positive feeling of hope in the air, and I am sure many people left feeling they had helped to make the day somewhat easier for our family, with their love, words and hugs.

Bless our little darling Willow,

and may she dance with joy through the fields of heaven.

Willow Frances Tozer

26/10/11 - 6/11/11

Something sad

Something sad has happened in our family,
and it has been very hard to write this post.

What began as a bright, happy, new beginning

with the birth of my sister's new twins,
quickly turned to worry and concern

 

as it was discovered that Willow was struggling to survive
against a myriad of complications with her health.

Puzzled doctors were unable to help,
as Willow became sicker and sicker,

and then slipped into unconsciousness.

Days filled with anxiety passed by, grasping onto hope and prayers

until around midnight on Saturday night, 6/11/11,

our sweet little Willow 

drifted away.

Nothing can compare with the sense of loss
you feel when someone dies,
whether it is expected or not.

Breathlessness, breaking hearts and complete sadness
have consumed us all over the past week,

 as we try to come to terms with Willow's passing.

So precious is a life.

So fragile.

And even though we were able to hold her

and say our goodbyes,

and love and kiss her,

She is still gone

And we miss her so.

The Calming Sea

A few weeks ago we caught up with our friend Judith, who used to work with my hubby, and now lives in Tassie. She's adorable and funny! We had lunch by the sea at Spinnaker's Restaurant at Hillary's. The food was delish, and the view very calming.

We went for a walk to look at the 100 year old lighthouse.

That's my boys up there. I'm not too good with heights, but I went up too. Pretty views!