The New Year

Here we are in '07, the New Year.

Personally, I feel that this has been the smoothest transition of one year into another I've experienced for a long while. I can't put my finger on it, but it seems that '06 was '06 and '07 is distinctively '07 (dah!!), like I said, I can't put my finger on it.

We have just spent a few days at the beach, thanks to the generosity of some friends of ours. It's always good to be away, and very nice to come home.
Being summer and having nice weather, we did manage to make the most of the beach experience.
All the kids loved it, and so did we.
Being able to get up, have breakfast and spend a few hours at the surf beach, then have lunch and go and spend a few hours at the bay beach (no waves), then have dinner and take the boys for a walk (and swim) again at the surf beach is a very good way to unwind and relax, and to share unique and memorable experiences.

Have been thinking a little on the time and effort we put into parenting and family time, as there has been some pressure on us (me particularly) to think about our approach to parenting and how it fits with realistic priorities and what we do with our kids and prioritise our lives. Over the past week(s), spending time with each of them, I can see no better way or more important thing we could be spending our time and effort on, than in investing in the lives we have been blessed with, to influence and build and grow our children into people who trust us and whom we give ourselves to in the best way we can.
That means to me spending as much time as possible and sharing as many experiences with them as possible in the short years we have with them.
Being a parent is great. I hope that I don't one day wake up with the 'empty nest,' with little memory of the precious moments I got with these five 'little' people because I was so preoccupied with more important things like money, causes, or career.

Work does start a little more solidly for both of us this week (which really means between us we have one well paying job, so it's not so drastic, but it's us...).

We're looking forward to being able to get up to Caloundra hopefully in March sometime. It would be fantastic to see Pop and Nanna for a week or two!

While we were at the beach we took a grand total of 10 photos, none of which show how much fun the twins, or the boys had racing with the waves at the surf beach, Connor learning to body surf, the sand castles Eliza and Sammy built, or Jesse getting in for his first ocean dip.
I did manage to take the camera with me for an evening walk, and marvel once again, but not often enough, at the beauty there is in something we take for granted every day - a sunset.
Click on the dropshot below to see what I mean........
.....looking forward also to seeing our overseas rellos in a few weeks time!!!


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