God is Good

just dropping in to explain my recent and probably ongoing absence. i am still stopping by other blogs when i get the chance but we have a lot on ministry-wise at the moment and i have an intern to train up and a girl who has just begun her walk with god who needs intensive council and dicipleship as well as a whole group of new christians to teach and leaders to impart into... all in the time im not at work or tending to my own kids... i will stop in from time to time because i do like to write but as is i am very much enjoying this time in the moment rather than taking time to write about it.

Some family highlights

With both of us on shift work, we really try to make the most of out family time together as it can be a sparse at times,
Pose much?
Super golf. i have a theory, anyone really good at anything says they started at 3. So we are starting Grace in everything so she can be great at anything she wants! No but really, she likes golf, like her Daddy...

Guess what else they like...

Especially when they get to make them for themselves...


(self explanatory really, that one)


We have been practicing writing letters for Daddy when he is not at home.


Hanging out in the pool at home with poppy (or the spa coz its warmer)

And Nan,



At the park...



with Aunty Tess



And Uncle Andy and our friends



And attempting to get some photos for christmas cards...

but hiding in the ferns was aparently much more amusing, so we tried again



and again



And again



and again



and again



i guess we will just have to try again

The longest day

I am somewhere near the middle of a 72 hour day in which i manage to get a few 1-2hr naps but no real sleep. This is because in the day time i am in charge of two small children and in the night i am in charge or 6 'at risk' young people. Good for me the small ones nap so i can steal some sleep during thier nap times. Ah the joys of shift work as a mother. still better than having someone else raise my shildren in a day care centre in my opinion (not that i am against it totally, the girls go one day a week so i can do ministry stuff, and for thier own developmental benifit but i hate the thought of someone else being the one to teach the what from what and right from wrong, what if their values are different and even if they were i dont think anyone can really have the authority to instill a high moral standard in children but thier immediate family. sure others can reinforce and influence but the early year are so formative.
Oh and i am not so nieve(sp?) to think that everyone has a choice, i know sometimes it is unavoidable, praise God for the provision of a job where i am able to work full time and still spend almost all of my childrens awake time with them. I know this is not always possible. If your child is in a care situation for a lot of hours a week, pray that their teachers would be likeminded and pray over your children that God will guard thier hearts from the wrong influence, behaviourally, spiritually or morally.

Well seeing as i am rambling and possibly overly opinionated at this hour of the who knows what, i shall go sugar soap some walls or sort something to keep myself awake.

Who am i

Yesterday I was a mummy, at least until 9am, then I was a housekeeper/wife for a little bit while i cleaned, organised and shopped. Then a youth worker for while i went to the office to sort out my shifts, then a friend/relationship counselor at noon. then on to be a youth pastor for a couple of hours, at which point i become and administrator, teacher, general labourer and water baloon extrodinaire. By now it was 3 and i returned to being a mummy (chef, nurse, teacher, peacekeeper and entertainer) get them all to bed by 630 and return to youth pastor role, at least this week i am not preacher also. 930 become cleaner and bouncer among other things. 1030 i am nothing but finished.
At least Yeasterday i had no time to be a procrastinator, couch potato or time waster, or mourner