A Day At the Beach

one of those days when life was just that good.

How are you spending your Holidays?

Kristie xx

Quietness

These are the moments that re-fuel.
The moments that are sometimes few and far between.
With hubby home and Mr D on school holidays, I'm enjoying these moments just a little more than usual.
Hope your having a lovely holiday and for those that may not be with those you love, I pray you find some peace and comfort in the Saviour that was born for this season.
Much love xxx

Merry Christmas

From mine to yours
Have a Very Merry Christmas.
xoxo

Is It Ever Really Over....Can We Ever Move Forward

A friend lost her baby this past weekend.
A 20 week ultrasound appointment that had her excited to find out what colour would be the newest addition to her home ,blue or pink.
Aside from the annoying feeling of needing desperately to pee before your bladder explodes, the emotion and excitement, the jittery feelings that overtake your mind and body completely shuts out the annoyance of needing to pee as you wait for your name to be called. You are about to see your precious miracle again and see how much it has grown, the features that are beautifully developing.
You are about to find out the question that is on everyone's lips Boy or Girl.
This is most probably what my friend was feeling.
But for her those next few moments after her name was called, the small chit chat about how she has been going while she climbs up on the bed, as the cool gel is squeezed onto her belly, she turns to look at the screen.....
The lady goes quiet....
The next moment will forever change her life, her world will come crashing down around like she could never imagine.
Her entire body will give out and her breathe will stop.
'I'm sorry, There is no heartbeat'
These words......
Forever changes you.

I'm heartbroken for my friend, and I'm angry.
So many emotions are within me right now.
So many horrible, world crashing memories are filling my mind.
When will it ever stop?
When will it ever get better?

Her baby is gone.
My baby is gone.

My Loves

For those of you who are new to my little blog space I thought id introduce the loves of my life.

For those that have been friends for a while here is a little update.

This is the incredible man I get to call my husband.

Man alive he has been my saving grace many times over, my incredible pillar of strength.

I am extremely blessed to have him in my life and thank Jesus everyday that he sent him back from heaven (that story certainly needs its on post when i have the strength to write it).

This Sunday 9th December we will be celebrating our 

sixth year wedding anniversary.

My, My how time has flown by.

This is our Firstborn Mr D.

He has just turned 7 this year and by golly he is growing into an extraordinary young man.

He is a lover of Jesus and all things ninjas.

He has the most sweetest heart and is always up for a laugh.

This here would be our second born Mr G.
This photo pretty much sums him up.

Totally the clown of our family, always making us laugh.

He has completely captured our hearts.

He craves your attention 100% of the day.

If he is awake, he will make sure that you are with him in some way or another.

He may be quite strong-willed though an absolute sweetheart.

Our third born Mr E.

WOW!!!!

He came into the world in a mighty rush, eager to see what all the fuss was

on the outside.

It seems he may have got a rude shock and decided it was all 

a bit much.

He then proceeded to protest about it for the first 5 months of his life.

Amongst the countless sleepless nights/days we learnt that 

our precious little man was showing us very early on that

he was most certainly a physical touch little boy.

As long as you were near him and filled his love tank he was

content.

And now he can not stop being called the happy little bubba by

everyone we meet.

He has certainly turned our world upside down.

We are a crazy bunch but by golly we have a fierce love for each other.

Kristie xx

A Promise

1. Those who live in the shelter of the Most High 

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2. This I declare about the Lord:

He alone is my refuge,

my place of safety;

he is my God, and I trust Him.

3. For he will rescue you from every trap

and protect you from deadly disease.

4. He will cover you with his feathers.

He will shelter you with his wings.

His Faithful promises are your armour and protection.

9. If you make the Lord your refuge,

if you make the Most High your shelter,

10. No evil will conquer you; 

no plague will come near your home.

11. For he will order his angels to protect you

wherever you go.

12. They will hold you up with their hands

so you wont even hurt your foot on a stone.

14. The Lord says, " I will rescue those who love me.

I will protect those who trust in my name.

15. When they call on me,

I will answer;

I will be with them in trouble.

I will rescue and honour them.

16. I will reward them with a long life

and give them my salvation"

Psalms 91:1-4, 9-12, 14-16

Life Lately (via pics)

 Beautiful Moments with one of my heroes, My MUM! 

she is one in a million.

 So In Love with this incredible man.

My world has been so much the better with him by my side.

 Brotherly Love 

These three have totally captured my heart ten times over.

 Cousin Smooching

He cant get enough of her, and neither can I.

 A new addition to the cousin gang.

Mr William so precious and tiny.

 Filling my Love Tank with some quality time 

with some gorgeous friends.

(Rocky Horror Themed Hens Night)

Have not laughed so hard in my life, awesome night.

 Playdoh Ninja

Lego 

A staple in our home.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend celebrating the incredible heroes we get to call Dads.

And if you do not have this opportunity I pray you are around love of some form this weekend.

We will be celebrating a lot this weekend.

Our Littlest munchkin is being dedicated this Sunday, and what a perfect day to celebrate.

Kristie xx

Seven months

Bubba Boy is seven months today.

Wow what an adventure you have already sent us on.

Loving you more and more everyday.

So excited to see you discovering the world around you.

Battles of the Smalls

For someone like myself who struggles with not being in control, certain situations can drive me crazy.

Trying to get my kids to sleep and eat has been one of the hardest things in my short years of parenting.
All that I have tried has failed.
No amount of threats, bribery, yelling has made any difference.

Any suggestions on what has worked for you?????

Overwhelmed

It's so easy to get overwhelmed when looking around at all the things that need doing in our lives, in our world.

Around the globe there are so many horrible unthinkable things occurring to innocent people.
Our earth is groaning under the impact of being badly treated by us humans.
Governments are not as they should be.
But some how today the mere thought of trying to get my house in any form of order has been slumped on the stairs in a wallow of self-pity.
What's wrong with this picture????
Somehow I manage to get to this point a lot, whining on the phone to the hubby on how hard it all is and how I'm not sure I can cope.
Shallow!
Don't get me wrong it IS hard being a mother, wife, homemarker along with all the other 'hats' that fit these roles.
Though in the light of eternity and all that goes on around us, is it really that bad.

Trying to challenge myself to think more outside my pity party of one.

Be Prepared

Therefore put on the full armour of God,

So that when the day of evil comes, 

you may be able to stand your ground,

and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then,

with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

stand with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, 

take up the shield of faith, 

with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, 

which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:10-17

Time for Something New

It was time for something new on here.
maybe to give it more life,
I'm not too sure.

I'm playing around with a few different things along the way.
This name has been on my heart for a while.
It depicts how I see myself and my three sons.
I am their Mumma and by golly I would do whatever it took to protect them.
They are my cubs and its my responsibility to raise them up to be
Strong, Brave, Courageous men of God.
Hunters of the lost souls
Rescuers of the Broken and down cast.

This will continue to be my journey and now theirs too.
The journey and road is long and sometimes extremely tough.
Along the way and when we finally reach the end its nice to look back
and see how far we have come.
Our wins, our character strengtheners.
This will be our reminder.

I hope you continue down the narrow, winding, grace filled track with us.
We do love having you here.

xxxx

Changes

It's time for some changes around here.

Life changes
Blog changes
Attitude changes

So much lately has me thinking that change is desperately needed for a better life to be lived.

Change is good for the soul.
A little stretching of the soul.

We're all in this together....

Keep a cool head. Stay alert.
The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.
Keep your guard up.
You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times.
It's the same with Christians all over the world.
So keep a firm grip on the Faith.
The suffering won't last forever.
It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ - eternal and glorious plans they are! - will have you put together and on your feet for good.
He gets the last word; yes, he does.

(1 Peter 5:8-11 MSG)

A wake up call and a beautiful promise for such a difficult season.

Kristie xx

No place I'd rather be..

Here is where he wants to be today
So there's no place I'd rather be.
Before I know it I'll blink and he'll be moving out of home.
Cherishing these sweets moments of just him and me.

Kristie xx

Enjoy Your Life

I have been reading a new devotional called 'Starting Your Day Right' by Joyce Meyer.

This mornings reading was such a wake up call to me.

I wanted to share with you.

Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul),
as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,
knowing [with all certainty] that it is 
from the Lord [and not from men] that you will
receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward.

Colossians 3:23-24

Jesus died so that you can enjoy abundant life,

not just the days you are off work or on vacation or when 

you get to go shopping or golfing,

but every day of your life.

He wants you to enjoy going to the grocery store. 

He wants you to enjoy driving the kids to school,

He wants you to enjoy paying the bills.

He wants you to enjoy cleaning the house or mowing the lawn.

You can enjoy life if you determine to do so.

Say, "I am going to enjoy every aspect of my life, because Jesus died so that I could have joy unspeakable and full of glory."

I hope this encourages you today.

That Jesus is there in our mundane everyday and that He just wants to be apart of our day.

Kristie xx 

Sweet Whispers of Forgiveness

Amongst many a tears and some honest words from our Firstborn, we have finally had some breakthrough.

Two nights ago we took advantage of a small moment in time where Master D felt comfortable enough to be real and honest with us about how he has been feeling lately.

Our eyes were open and our hearts completely broken.
Today we are thanking Jesus for guiding us gently through a moment that opened some much needed doors of communication and those sweet words of.....

"I'm sorry"
"I forgive you"

Such powerful words.

Kristie xc

Running away

I had a moment today...
A moment where I pictured myself walking out the door,
Getting in my car
And driving.
No turning back.

As I looked around me, I saw boxes still waiting to be unpacked,
Clothes that needed to be washed,
Dishes in the sink.
I had one bubba screaming and another child at my feet firing requests at my at hundred miles an hour and both refusing to sleep.

It was in that exact moment that I had my vision, one of driving away and never turning back.

You see in that moment I could completely understand yet again why some mothers do walk away from their families. This motherhood/wife/life gig is HARD.

The last few months have been crazy to say the least.
We found out that our rental property was being sold and it was time to look for a new house.
This meant packing up a house with three kids, a dog and a husband and life still rolling along.
There was the need to the house to be tidy for the numerous open houses.
In amongst that time I got sick. And with no time to stop and get better I soldiered on.
Well I'm still sick 6weeks later and now I have lovingly shared my germs with the rest of the household.

So I had a moment... The weight was to heavy to carry anymore. I cried A LOT, you know the 'ugly' cry that sees snot everywhere.
In that moment I pictured running away, leaving it all behind just to feel me again.
The 'me' is lost. I'm not quite sure where she is or when she will be back.
I'm hoping soon.

Being In The Moment

There may be the craziness of cupboard packing boxes all about the house.
There may be dishes in the sink.
There may be dust build up and crumbs on the floor.
But today, I'm choosing to be in the moment,
A moment that will be gone soon never to be gotten back.
So I'm enjoying it.
The other mundane daily tasks can wait.
These little cherubs can not.

His First Day....

It finally arrived.....

Today was the first day of 'Pre-School'

For the past year and a half Master G has been pleading to go to school.

Each morning we drop Big Brother D off at school the sweet pleading of

"I want to go to school mummy, when can I go?"

Well today was the day.

As soon as the eyes were open he was high alert,

"School today, School today"

Then the backpack was on and it did not come off untill we arrived and the distraction of toys turned his attention off the bag long enough for us to put away his things.

In all the excitement he refused a photo of his face and only wanted one of his backpack.

As I said my goodbyes with LOTS of hugs and kisses and yes a few tears (from only me)

My little champion was off and playing without a single glance back.

A New Season has begun.

Kristie xx

Easter Happenings

Friday

 

Early morning four wheel driving 

at the beach

with a sighting of wildlife.

 

Lunch of hot chips down 

by the Lake

Sunday

 

Easter presents 

at breakfast

 

Church

(that's my gorgeously talented bestie)

Monday

 

BBQ lunch with some 

awesome friends

more photos to come.

hope you all had an awesome time celebrating 

with those closest too you.

Kristie xx

Weekend Love

Tonight we are heading away as a family for the weekend to our churches Young Adults Retreat.

Our hearts are open and expectant.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend

Kristie xx

Guest Post...

Today I have the honour of a guest posting over here .

Jo has been such an inspiration to me over the time that we have known each other.
Her words have bought comfort, challenge and encouragement.
I will be forever grateful that she came into my life.
Meeting her in person was just as I had hoped and more,
wow what an incredible woman.

Please make yourself a cuppa, head on over to her blog and stay awhile,
look around, let her words speak wonders to your heart,
let her challenge you to be a better person.
You won't regret it, I didn't.

Kristie xx

From The Inside Out

"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace."

2 Corinthians 4:16 (MSG)

This Song speaks so well in this season


Kristie xx

One of those Days.

Today was one of those days,
they have been happening a lot around here since our little miracle arrived.
Our new little munchkin has been making his presence known in our household of already loud and loveable boys.
One volume and one volume only, LOUD.

We are not entirely sure as to why he has chosen this volume or what may be the source behind it,
but my goodness it has our house in a disarray.

This day bought many a tear,
a dishevelled mess on the kitchen floor,
which resembled in some form a mother at her wits end.
A mother crying out to God,
crying down the phone to her husband,
It was one of those days.

I am pretty sure that we will be seeing more of these days around here.
I am in no way prepared as quite frankly you can never be prepared at any given moment for what may be unleashed from such a small human being.
I just left my head towards heaven,
"Here we go again, You and me, Jesus, we are in this together. I need You, no longer me but You. No longer my strength but Yours, No longer my love, but Yours. for You are bigger than all of me. You are strong in my weakness."


For any mothers out there riding the roller coaster of a season with screaming babies, or trying toddlers, defiant preschoolers, or even attitude bearing preteens and teenagers,
This is my prayer for you....

That God places in you the
strength,
grace,
peace,
love,
and patience
to see each day through.
To look for the gold in everyday,
To cherish the moments of peace that may only happen once or twice a day.
To love unconditionally,
To try and stay calm when all you want to do is scream.
To see each of our little miracles as just that, miracles, 
miracles that God planted in our hearts even before they were conceived.
Remember this too shall pass.
He is the supplier of ALL our needs,
even the need of a few minutes peace and quiet,
Or go to the toilet without any interruptions (ha ha).

Hang in there girl, we are all cheering you on.
We are all in this together.

Kristie xx

The journey begins

Tonight I read something that jolting my system,
Made my heart stand still and tears stream down my face.
I read the words of this post from a beautiful soul I have never meet though who's journey was so alike to mine that I felt I was reading a story about my own life.

As I read these words I felt Jesus starting to soften my heart,
Preparaing me for what's to come,
Whispering in my ear 'The time has come, your ready now, I'm with you, trust Me'
And trust I will.

Here I go, the journey is beginning

Open hearted
Open armed
Falling deep into the rhythms of His grace
His unwavering love
Snuggling in close
Breathing in
Leaning in
Stepping into the comfort of His strong arms.
The journey has begun.

Kristie xx

Light at the End of the Tunnel.

I'm sitting on my warm comfy lounge as the raining is falling down the window.

bubba Z is sleeping soundly in his cot (thank Jesus, almighty that our new routine is working).

Master G is snuggled under a blanket watching a movie

and me, I'm enjoying a hot lady grey while catching up on some blogs.

Its been awhile since I have checked in to here since bubba Z was born.

The last 6 weeks have been quite a roller coaster as we settled into life with a newborn.

There were many a sleepless nights, crazy whirlwind days full of tears and screaming.

Last week we finally made the decision that it was time for a change, 

Ours other two boys loved and thrived greatly on routines when they were bubbas.

It was time to put one in place for our newest miracle.

So starting Monday our house went into lock down.

We rallied together friends and family members to help with the every day tasks that could not be paused such as school pick ups and drop offs, meals, entertaining of older siblings.

We are into Day three and things are AMAZING.

After Day one we saw him settling into this new routine with ease and thanks.

I even got to venture out last night to our church's women's event WITHOUT THE BABY.

I left him in the very capable hands of the hubby, got all dolled up and off I went.

I tell you in was the BEST night.

I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I can finally look at my sweet little bubba and feel so much love.

Him and I we have connected, through a gorgeous smile and precious little coos.

If you are going through a struggle of any kind,

I would love to encourage you as someone special did for me this week.

There IS light at the end of your tunnel.

You may not be able to see it yet but you will.

Keep pushing forward, lean on God's amazing grace, allow Him to carry you if you feel you can no longer carry yourself.

He has given us the best gift of all to help us in our daily walk, The Holy Spirit is our comforter and protector. 

Cry out to Him, He hears your cry, He sees every tear, He wants to see you smile.

Whatever it may be your struggling with I would love to pray for you.

Prayer is a powerful weapon.

I sure know that the prayers of some beautiful friends of mine have certainly strengthened me this week.

If you would like prayer please leave a comment below, you don't need to write details even just your name will do.

Remember that God loves you through all the muckiness and the valleys we go through, He will never leave or forsake us.

Be encouraged reading this that someone loves and cares for you and wants to see Freedom and breakthrough in your life.

Much love and prayers

Kristie xx 

Lately...

So its been awhile since I have posted the happenings around here,

and i have very good reason to have not.

Our little family has grown.

Ezekiel Dean Harris was born on the 23rd January in the early hours of the morning after a very quick and intense two hour labour.

We were in absolute heaven,

what a treasure we had been blessed with.

The first two weeks were great,

it took some adjusting but things were running smoothly..... till they weren't.

we headed into the third week with high hopes that hubby going back to work was not going to be hard.

I was wrong.

cue ridiculous amounts of crying from both bub and mumma.

Nothing seemed to settle my sweet little man except the warmth of his mumma's arms.

We are currently in hibernation as the thought of venturing out of the house or even getting the chance of having a shower for any more than two minutes has me wanting to hide under the covers.

meaning a mornings, afternoons, evenings sees me on my knees crying out to my precious Jesus for His Grace and Strength to continue through such a trying season.

I see Him working within our family and am thankful for Holy Spirit Presence in our home without it I'm not sure how things would pan out.

Once things do settle down I will be getting into the swing of things, blogging, crafting, baking some form of normalcy will we welcomed.

In the mean time a saying to keep me going

KEEP CALM

AND 

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

All things New

Happy New Year

I hope all of you had a beautiful time with your families.
That many cherished memories were made.

We had a great time over the holidays slowing down the pace.
Many a late night which followed with many a sleep in (so good).
Lots of time hanging out with extended family with no agenda other than to enjoy ourselves.
Our boys had a great time hanging out with their cousins which allowed us to be able to enjoy an abundance of uninterrupted adult conversation.

Now that the holidays are over we are gearing up for the arrival of our newest little man.
I am currently 37weeks 1day and little mister has had us on our toes for a few days,
even to the point last night that I was sure that it was time.
Sadly no, he is still tucked inside the warmth of this little mummas belly.

Part of me is VERY ready for him to be in my arms finally,
To see what he looks like,
Hear what his cry sounds like.
Feel his soft skin.
Kiss his sweet cheeks.
Introduce him to his big brothers who have been hovering around my belly for months
telling him all about the world he is about to enter into.

Though part of me is happy to still have a few more days of just us four.
To enjoy that peace and calm that is in our house most days at the moment.
As I know that its about to get incredibly crazy, learning how to juggle 3 boys with only 2 hands.
The noise levels that are about to increase.
The attention that needs to be stretched out over 4 men in my world instead of 3.
This my friends is where Gods grace with be fervently prayed for, even before my feet hit the floor of a morning.

I am extremely excited for this next season.
This year will be bringing about a lot of victories and answers to prayers that have been prayed for quite sometime now.

Looking up and forward.
Hope you are too.

Kristie xx