And a new look for my blog!!

Why stop at the glasses!
You likey?

My New Look

I love new glasses!! I’ve had my red ones for nearly five years now, and my eyes needed a pescription boost, and my face needed a new look.

I love my bit of bling! Very happy with my new look.

What do you think?

Sharing the Love

Our church has been making a real effort to be involved in the community this Christmas season. We were recently a part of the town’s Christmas street celebration. It was lots of fun.

We put together an awesome choir, and did carolling up and down the streets at different events, and took part in the street parade. It was lots of fun.

Our fabulous Choir… 

 Our biggest fan…

 Our float. We had it covered because of the soggy weather.

Alexie & I with the balloons we handed out to the kids while we walked ran (uphill) along beside the float.

It was SO much fun, and we are very much looking forward to doing it bigger and better next year!

Santal Clause is {probably not} coming to town

A few people have asked me lately whether we are ‘doing’ Santa with Mayana.

In a word, the answer is no.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-Santa, but for me it’s just not really what Christmas is about, and I don’t want my child(ren) growing up with some rotund bearded man in a red (and totally climate unfriendly) suit taking the credit for my carefully chosen gifts.

Christmas for me is about two things: Jesus, and family. And in that order. It’s important to me that we remember the real Reason for the season, first and foremost, and to not get so caught up in all the hype that the thing that is most important gets lost.  Christmas day is a day to spend with family, making memories, having fun.

Gift giving for me is a labour of love. I’m the sort of person who thinks carefully about the gifts I give, and puts a lot of consideration into knowing what the people I love will love, and choosing gifts accordingly. I almost get a great pleasure watching people’s reactions to the gifts I’ve chosen than I do opening my own! Gift opening in our house takes hours. Literally. We do one gift at a time, and watch every person open each of their gifts. I LOVE it.

As a child, we weren’t really sold on the Santa myth. Being Dutch, my dad introduced us to the story of Saint Nicholas, and as far as we were concerned, that’s where Santa Clause came from. Peter and I have both decided that that’s what we’ll do with our children, too. Plus, it will save us a fortune in therapist’s bills in years to come; our children won’t be traumatised by the fact that their parents lied to them for their whole childhoods! Ha.

The First Haircut

A certain Little Miss has been looking more than a little shaggy lately. After so many months of near-baldness, Mayana’s hair has really taken off. I wouldn’t say it’s long, or particularly thick, but it is definitely getting there. And it was driving her (and me) insane, all whispy in her eyes all the time.

It was time for a haircut.

We booked in with our favourite hairdresser, Mel at Salon Unique. Partly because I knew Mel would never forgive me if she didn’t get to do Mayana’s first haircut, but mostly because Mel is the best hairdresser ever, and I knew she would do a beautiful job… and never cut the fringe too short or turn my princess into a mushroom-head!

Mayana was very excited that she was the one who got to sit in front of the mirror this time, and wear the “big bibby”. She took the whole thing very seriously, and for the most part sat very still. Mel was very impressed.   And for her patience in cutting the hair of a moving target, Mel was rewarded by a very squishy cuddle by our neat-and-tidy-haired gorgeous girl. Mayana also cried when we left, asking for “Mel cuddles”.

Mel didn’t take a whole lot off (I got a few little whispy puffs of hair for a keepsake), but she did neaten it up considerably, and cut in a cute little side-fridge. Mayana can now see, and I can still do gorgeous hairstyles for her. We’re all happy.