Joy is in the Swing

Elizabeth took Mom shopping yesterday morning and then picked up Dad for a drive down to the river to see the flood after all the recent rain.
She then ran to the swings and let go, all the joy of being young and free is visible in these photos.

Elizabeth you are beautiful!

(Mom, thanks for the photos)

It is all finished!

Sixteen and a half years ago, my beautiful son was born and we began a series of appointments together. Matthew was born with a cleft lip and palate and as such we started attending the cleft clinic at the Royal Children's hospital.

Every six months for the past 16 years, we have spent a day together attending appointments with the ENT specialist; the Speech pathologist; the audiologist, the surgical team and of course our regular 6 weekly appointments with the orthodontists.

Today it was another of those appointments - but the wonderful news is that is was the LAST ONE!

Matthew no longer needs to see the Cleft Clinic Team! He still requires a few years of orthdontics, but the Speech clinic; the ENT and the surgical team have all signed off on his treatment. No more is required!!!!!

We shared the joy of ripping up the last appointment form, no more hours waiting on hard chairs, no more early morning drives, no more exhausting tests, questions and most importantly it appearts 99% likely that he will require no more surgery.

Well done Matthew - you have been wonderful. So patient, well -behaved, patient and grateful.

Thank you to the special teams of doctors who have overseen Matthew's progress - these are the true Angels in this world.

Apologies to Vesta Followers

To all Vesta followers my apologies for neglecting you so badly. Life has been hectic and I have also started another Blog to cater to my more Spiritual/Thoughtful Writings - it is called VestaLife http://vestalife.wordpress.com/ and you are all welcome to come along for a journey of thought provactive posts.

I will continue to maintain Vesta with family news, photos and posts (apologies if they are not as frequent.

Anyway todays post is titled: SATURDAY CHORES

I have discovered the JOY of having 2 teenage children (although Sarah is still 12). They are both capable and willing to help around the house and garden when given specific tasks. Sarah loves driving the ride-on-mower and Matt is now strong enough to deal with the hand mower.

With Ivan away at the moment this help is invaluable.

Thanks Kids

How creative are you?

Sarah has been making 'things' since she was a little girl. Recently she has been collecting the drink's trays from the drive-thru at McDonalds. She kept saying she wanted to make a Robot!

I couldn't see how she was going to do this and the pile of cardboard poles and trays in her room has driven me crazy. I am always moaning at her to 'tidy' it all up and throw away the 'junk'.

Last night she appeared - and here it was - A Robot!

Congratulations love, you are amazing!

What do you get when you add a trampoline, fun and a heavy big brother?

Yes a broken big Toe!
Sarah and Matthew were playing on the trampoline on Saturday evening and he bounced awkwardly, landing on her big toe. She came limping into the house in tears. We applied lots of ice, elevated the toe, strapped it up, but today the doctor confirmed that it is fractured.


So for the next week, Sarah is on crutches and then no PE, trampolining for the next 4 weeks.
What a Pain!

We have all the bases covered.

I have the most amazing and talented family. I am proud of each and everyone of them, just for themselves for the lovely children that they are. I am proud of their sense of honesty, decency, love of others and the pride that they take in themselves.

Today I am writing with a little more pride than usual. I ask you to check out my beautiful Sarah's blog 'Vesta Mini-Magic' http://vesta-mini-magic.blogspot.com/ she has written a wonderful poem called 'Circus' which she is going to enter into the school poetry/writing competition. Also the story called 'The Painting', both of these entries, she wrote yesterday. An amazing girl.

Then this morning I received a phone call from Matthew's mathematics's teacher. She said that she had Matthew in her class and he needed to tell me something. Of course I just panicked, what had gone wrong!
It wasn't that anything had gone wrong, but rather that he had received his results for his entry in the National Math competition that he sat last term. He competed against Grade 9 & 10 students (he is in grade 9) and received a DISTINCTION, placing him in the top 16% of the country's math students for his age group. I tell you I was completely blown away. Math has never, ever been my strong suit, and here is my son completely acing the exam.

So with my amazing Professor (Science) husband; Elizabeth our Ancient History expert; Me the writer and poet, Sarah - the musician, artist and writer and now Matthew both a school leader, amazing comedian and Math expert - We have it all covered!

Concert Band Eisteddfod

In January this year, Sarah joined Concert Band at school and today participated in the Silkstone Eisteddfod. They played two great pieces and were awarded a gold award for their efforts. It has been lovely to watch her skill improve and the whole band grow and develop. This is the most junior of the West Moreton Anglican College bands and a great starting point for all the budding musicians. I enjoyed watching and listening to them perform - well done Sarah.

Sarah practising beforehand and after the award ceremony - standing with Mrs Kennedy - the Music school receptionist and behind the scenes lifesaver.

An Angel's Gift.

First of all this is not the best photo in the world and a better one will be up soon, but I need to get this out to the world immediately.

My amazingly talented youngest child has once more blown me away, with her amazing gifts. My Mom has been teaching Sarah to do a little pyrography (wood burning) and Sarah decided that because I love Angels so much she would do one for me for Christmas.

Over the holidays (when I was away) she found this picture on the Internet and traced it onto the wood. Then things got in the way and she left it. Today she had some time with Granny and Grandad (she has been home with a sore throat) and decided to 'have a go at Mommy's Angel.'

Well not only did she have a go, but has produced this MAGNIFICENT GIFT. The detail and beauty of her talent is wonderful and I am blessed by my child who gave it to me tonight. I want to boast to the world of her talent, but will restrain myself to sharing on my Blog.

Cuddle time - not computer time.

My beautiful daughter Sarah has just walked into the computer room and wanted a cuddle. Now I get very little time on the computer, as Matthew is always wanting to play games or maybe Sarah, so these mornings as I sit and Blog are very important to me. Normally I get up extra early to enjoy the peace and quiet before anyone wakes, to allow my thoughts to roam and be creative, sometimes writing poetry, answering emails, or just writing Blog posts. I love this time of morning when I can be alone without the demands of being wife, housekeeper and mother.

She stood with her arms out and I immediately said "Sweetheart I have given you a cuddle already - this is my computer time" to which she replied "Well Mom, I am interrupting your computer time for some cuddle time."

Wow! It hit me! I was turning down my beautiful little girl's cuddle to commune with a keyboard and screen. I swung the chair around as quick as I could, held out my arms and wrapped them around the most precious thing in the world, my little girl.

I know that there will come a time when she is too busy or maybe to far away to reach out her arms for me to cuddle her. One day there may be someone else in her life that she will reach out to, for comfort or with who she will share her joys and tears.

So I realised in that brief split second that I am going to reach out and cuddle each and everyone of my children as often and as long as they need and then add a whole lot more cuddles just for me.

The lesson that I have learnt this morning as I sat here wondering what 'inspirational' message to pass onto the world is that there is always time for a cuddle. It will not be the amazing 'poem' that I have written that Sarah will remember, or the fantastic Blog post, it will be all the cuddles and the knowledge that I never turned her down.

Do you take time to cuddle your loved ones? I guess it will only take a second or two, or do you do the dishes, answer the phone, watch TV or work/play on your computer?

Take the time for a cuddle today - both parties will walk away renewed.

Beverly

Special needs

I know that there is a very special poem that was written about 'children with special needs' (I will try and find it and publish it on Vesta-poetry) It is how God looked down to Earth and specially chose their parents. I remember reading it a very long time ago and thinking how wonderful those parents would be.

I now realise that I have been specially chosen by God, just for my children. They are three wonderfully gifted, talented, special and amazingly 'needful' children. God chose our family to place them and I thank him every day.

I know that there are times when I despair that I cannot fix or help them, times when they endure problems and suffering. Times when I wish that I could just take it all away from them, but I realise that they have been placed with me for a reason. I am the person that is best suited to be their Mommy.

Today Matthew endured another day at the orthodontist. He had his second expander fitted! Over the next four weeks, we will turn the key every second day and push his teeth apart. It will affect his speech, his eating and also I am sure cause him discomfit. I have always said that when God gave him his cleft lip and palate, he gave him the strength and humour to cope with the problems and pain. Matthew's theory is that he was going to be born perfect, but God decided that was not fair to the world, so had to 'deform' him in some way. See the humour!!!

Our beautiful Elizabeth is struggling at the moment, she needs our love and support to get her through this time in her life. We are here for her and will take care of her until she is able once more to stand tall and strong and conquer the world in her wonderful indomitable manner.

Little Sarah is our 'magical' child! She is so strong and determined and yet so vulnerable and insecure. She was born with a purpose and I know that when she finds it - it is going to be "Look out world!"

Am I up to this task? Yes, I think I am. God never gives us more challenges that we can cope with. He puts us in the right place, at the right time, and if we only open ourselves to the power of his gifts, we can reign supreme. I am blessed to be the Mother of my wonderful children. I know that this is one of the reasons I have lived the life that I have, so that I can raise them to share with the world their amazing gifts, love and talents.

My wish is that every parent experiences the love that I have for my children and that every child finds the true love that they deserve from the parents that God gave them.