31st birthday & 7 year anniversary

Yesterday was my 31st birthday & also our 7 year wedding anniversary. Those two days make me think of two of the most beautiful and special people in my life, my Mum & my husband - my bestie for eternity. It was kind of a strange day though because I didn't get to celebrate it with either of them in person....but I thought about them a whole lot & about just how lucky I am to have the best Mum & husband in the world x

I didn't have children of my own when my mum passed away, but every birthday I've had since Mac was born almost 4 years ago now I've spent alot of the day just thinking about my Mum & wishing I could talk to her & tell her how I feel. I always thought I knew how much she loved me, but now that I have kids of my own I realise that the amount I thought she loved me didn't even come close (& that was a whole darn lot!!)

Now that I'm am mother myself I can imagine her lying in her hospital bed on my "birth" day just staring into my little crib right next to her, watching me sleep, completely overwhelmed with awe & gratitude that a special little angel had just been entrusted to her care. I can imagine her getting up to feed me at night & in the dark & quiet of it all feeling so blessed & honoured to be my Mum - as though it placed her higher than the noblest royalty....I can imagine her watching me sleep & being so overwhelmed with love that she wished she could freeze the moment in time & capture it forever in her mind's eye....I can imagine her pure excitement when I took my first steps & her genuine concern whenever anything ever happened to hurt me...... The list just goes on, but there are soooooo many things that I can imagine now that I never really understood before. I ALWAYS knew she loved me, but I never really had any idea JUST HOW MUCH....And so I wish I could tell her now that I truly understand the depth of her love & hope that she knows JUST HOW MUCH I love her & honour her in return. 

On the same day that I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for my beautiful Mommy, I was also contemplating just how thankful I am for my wonderful husband. I can remember our wedding day 7 years ago like it was just yesterday. Looking back now we seemed so young & naive with no real idea of the responsibilities that come along with marriage & parenthood & yet we've managed to figure SOME of it out along the way... I'm so grateful for him & for all the memories we've made together.

I love that when we look into each other's eyes we don't even have to talk because 7 years down the track we pretty much know each other better than we know ourselves. I love his endless reserves of optimism & motivation. I love that he loves to work & that he believes in his own & other's potential. I especially love that he pulls over to the side of the road & buys burnt cookies or bruised fruit from little kids that are trying to save money for something special. I love that he's an awesome father to our sons & that he loves to hang out with Mac watching or playing transformers or reading books before bed. I think I'm the luckiest girl I know to get to spend forever with my best friend in the whole wide world :)........

2007

2011

But anyway speaking of besties, I'm also grateful that I got to spend my birthday yesterday with a few other of my most special people!! The boys were both sick so we didn't get to go to church, but instead I took them over for a drive to Bastion Point so I could show Mac where his Mum & Dad got married.....so I packed us some lunch.... 

.....but as always Mac wasn't interested in eating when there was other things to explore. He sat down for maybe two seconds...

and then he was off......

And Spence didn't talk or share any of the picnic lunch so he wasn't really the greatest date lol. (Not sure if I'll invite him out again haha)

Anyways, then in the afternoon Dad came round with Mell, Jo & the girlies. Mell had made her delicious rolls & a yummy lasagne for dinner, so we had that... 

And then while we were eating Tui called out of the blue to ask what number we lived at again lol???? I thought it was kinda weird, but then a couple of minutes later she turned up & I realised that Mell had invited her, Nikki & Bex over as well. What a cool surprise!!!

Dad stayed for a little bit longer & stirred up some controversial conversation (as only he does best!!) & then once we'd had the cake he left so it could be just us girlies :)

My favourite girls partying into the wee hours of the morning (the fly spray is for you Dad lol)

 Mac thought the fly spray shot looked cool & wanted to have a go too :)

So to my family & all my special peeps - thankyou so much for making my 31st birthday so special, either by coming over or calling or sending me kind messages :) The best gift of all is having all of you in my life xoxo