After the excitement of yesterday, or house is rather quiet today, which leads me to the question…will this be our last Silent Sunday for a while?
If it isn’t, I’m not complaining, no, not one little bit!
Yesterday, around lunchtime, my lovely daughter-in-law gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy, so, dear blogging friends, let me introduce you to my grandson –
Braxton Samuel Keevers
Here you see him getting to know his totally besotted father, my son, Adam. When Adam phoned to tell me that his son had arrived, he told me that Braxton’s birth was an incredible experience, he’d never felt that way before, he couldn’t explain it, to which I replied, “You don’t have to, remember, I gave birth to you!”
This precious little baby boy is loved so much! He is a precious little bundle of happiness and love, dreams fulfilled and promise for the future.
Adam, Mary and Braxton (who live at home with us) are heading home soon, to begin their lives together as a new family. They have memories to make and even more dreams to fulfill, hugs and kisses and love to give to their new little baby by the bucket-load!
I look forward to the clatter of noise, the chatter of voices and before too long, the patter of Braxton’s tiny feet as he runs around the house with the two dogs…
Yes, we have two dogs here now as well, Adam and Mary’s two year old girl, Forrest and my ten week old puppy, Bronte!
I’ll tell you all about Bronte next time I write. 🙂
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” ~ Dr. Seuss.
I think it might be Wednesday today, Wordless Wednesday. And today, I don’t feel like being completely wordless, but I won’t say too much.
Being Wednesday means that tomorrow must be Thursday…the last day of 2015. It would be rather remiss of me to declare that a lot has happened in my world during this year. Words seem insignificant, and could never describe the soaring highs and the heart breaking lows my family have seen during this year. It’s a year that will be remembered, forever. And as the year nears its end, I am battling daily with feelings of melancholy….
The feelings will pass, I know, once the new year begins. I have plans for next year, but will share more of those later. For now, I’m thinking only of now, valuing these last moments of a memorable year, a year in which so many memories have been made.
“So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear.” ~ John Lennon.
As Christmas Day, 2015, draws to a close in Australia, a day filled with festivities is just beginning elsewhere in the world.
Most of the preparations for today began in my house yesterday. Emma continued what has become an annual tradition now, making and decorating a Gingerbread House….
Every year, the family admires Emma’s work, and every year the Gingerbread House turns out to be an improved version of the house made the year before. Her patience is amazing, her hand steady….
….and there is no limit to the amount of love she puts into her contribution to the family Christmas preparations each year.
Many of the ornaments adorning the Christmas tree have done so for many years, including those made for my children when they were babies. Other not-so-special ornaments have seen better days, so this year I have a few new ornaments on display. This cute little wooden bird house reflects my love for the birds that I feed in my garden every day.
This morning, I awoke to the sweet sounds of my pair of baby magpies, born in the highest branches of the Norfolk Pine tree in my front garden just a couple of months ago. Mama and Daddy magpie introduced their twins to me a few weeks ago and although the babies are still wary, they now know where to find food each day, when the pickings in the grassy areas are slim.
The only snow we will ever enjoy here on Christmas Day is that in the snow storm ornament, but for the first time in many years, this year our Christmas day has been pleasantly cooler.
Regardless of the usual heat, we always enjoy our traditional Christmas dinner, complete with roasted meats and potatoes, followed by Christmas pudding and custard. The plans and preparations for Christmas continue for days in our house, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
In a world filled with change, it’s comforting to know that the traditions of family, carried from one generation to the next, continue on. Christmas ornaments may be renewed, the menu for Christmas dinner may vary slightly from year to year, children grow and begin new families of their own, but at the nucleus of Christmas is love….the love shared by families, the tradition of celebration, the comfort and security of home.
Hayley, Ben, Emma and Adam, Christmas Eve, 2015. My Children ~ My World. xxx
Merry Christmas to all of my family and friends, both near and far. May the blessing in your world continue as you celebrate Christmas this year.
Another year over ~ Remembering memories made ~ Looking forward to new memories.
“So many adventures couldn’t happen today,
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams swinging out of the blue
We’ll let them come true….” ~ Forever Young
Late yesterday afternoon, sitting at my sewing machine, listening to the voices of my family as they prepared dinner while I worked, a strong scent wafted beside my left-hand side. Knowing from past experience that these unexpected scents are the visit of a passed loved one, I casually and subconsciously pondered who it might be….Mum?….Dad?….my sister, Anne?…..my grandmother?….
No, this sweet fragrance didn’t relate to any of them, a thought which startled me into consciousness. Who was this? I called Adam into the room ~ he could smell it too, talcum powder, baby’s talcum powder. Adam smiled, and told Mary….
beginning
Adam and Mary had discussed the ceremony with our dear friend, Therese, their marriage celebrant. They wanted Samuel to be a part of the day his parents married, to be included, and remembered. It had been decided that Therese would mention him briefly before the ceremony began….
serious
In a serious moment, one which we thought we were all prepared for, Therese spoke of the loss of baby Samuel. He was with his parents on this day, in spirit.
Mary sobbed, tears rolled down Adam’s face. The bridesmaids carefully dabbed the corners of their eyes, so as not to ruin their carefully applied makeup. I thanked The Universe for reminding me to buy a water-proof mascara. One of the groomsmen wished he was still wearing his sunglasses.
tears
There was hardly a dry eye among the guests, and we wouldn’t have wished for the beginning of the ceremony to be any other way.
memories
Adam and Mary have so much to thank Samuel for. He taught them the meaning of true love, the bond of his parents is stronger for having had him in their lives, even for such a short time. They are grateful for having known him and he will live in the hearts of all who loved him, as well as his future siblings, forever.
Today, November 23rd, is his due date, but our tiny Sleeping Angel came early, born sleeping ~ Forever Young.
reading
Bless Therese, she continued the ceremony, lightened the mood, and Mary’s cousin’s boys proudly offered beautiful readings…..
laughter
There was a shift in emotions, the focus now on Adam and Mary. Tears of sadness became tears of joy. From where I sat, I could see Mary’s face clearly. The way these two young people looked at each other spoke volumes. I have often seen this look pass between the two of them, it speaks of love, devotion, strength, admiration….
vows
Lost in the moment, I wished I could capture that look forever, and thankfully I remembered my forgotten camera, nestled upon my lap. I zoomed in on Mary’s face, on that look, the look that every mother who loves her son wishes to see on his bride’s face….
I will show this photo of Mary to their children. I will tell them of the magical moment as I took the photo, when Mary’s great-grandmother leaned forward from her seat behind me and whispered, “Your son is amazing”, to which I replied, “I was just thinking the same of Mary”.
Mary
The beautiful ceremony, the words exchanged between the bride and groom, the laughter and tears, exchanging of rings, looks of love….it all passed by so quickly.
ring
I wanted to show you Mary’s necklace, a thoughtful and meaningful addition for the day. My daughter, Emma, gave Mary an angel’s wing necklace the day after Samuel was born. Mary added her own touch to the necklace, a silver vial of some of Samuel’s ashes. Adam wore a small vial also, along with a pair of specially engraved cuff-links, “Samuel Christopher 08/08/2015”.
Our Little Angel was very much a part of the day.
Angel
Sealed with a kiss…..
kiss
But wait! Next they had to do their special hand-shake thingie!
handshaketogetherness
And then it was time for the legalities….but the bond that Adam and Mary share is stronger than any man-made law could ever be.
signing
An official commitment before friends and family, a love that will last forever. ❤
commitment
So, Therese continued to speak…..did they hear a word she said at this point? I think not….
devotion
Amid a chorus of claps and cheers, smiles and bubbles, the ceremony came to an end, as their lives as Mr and Mrs began.
bubbles
Next, Sally the photographer whisked the wedding party away for more photos, at Kingscliff Beach, but I did manage to take a quick photo of Adam and Mary in the car first.
Most of today’s photos were taken by Sally. I wanted to be wholeheartedly in every moment throughout the entire ceremony, and capture just a couple of special events. Besides the next two photos, I took the first photo of the butterfly, Mary wanted butterflies to decorate the wedding, in memory of Samuel. I also took the close-up photo of  Mary, to capture the look of love in her eyes, and I also took the one as Adam slid the ring onto Mary’s finger….
Mr & Mrs
…..the wedding rings came to into the ceremony carried on a small pillow, which was covered by a small babies blanket, the blanket in which Samuel was wrapped, after his birth.
Samuel’s Blanket
Remembering Samuel today, thinking of what might have been, mind-blown by the lessons his short life gave and grateful for the love that envelops our family. ❤
Today’s learning session on Blogging 201 is “headers”, and as I’m very happy with my current header, I will be leaving it as-is for now. Day 2 of Writing 101 requires students to write a list….
Emma
Well, I’ve been writing lists constantly this year, most recently for the wedding of my handsome son Adam, and his beautiful bride Mary, so I don’t think I need any more practice in that department! So, what better day than this to show off a few more wedding photos. 🙂
You may remember in my last series of photos, the wedding rehearsal had taken place the day before the wedding, tables were set, chairs for the guests all fancied up, wedding favours prepared and in position, flowers arranged, and Mary was almost ready for her grand entrance.
Just a little bit of help was needed with Mary’s stunning wedding dress though, so Emma did a wonderful impersonation of a woman from the 1800’s, looping the length of thin fabric through the loops at the back of the dress and pulling it tightly together.Â
Mary chose a dainty headpiece of Baby’s Breath to decorate her hair, so once that was in place, she was all set.
What a picture Mary looked! She was so beautiful, she is beautiful, and she positively glowed on her wedding day.Â
Meanwhile, in another room at the front of the house (where the bride and groom wouldn’t accidentally bump into each other!) the boys managed to scrub themselves up quite reasonably as well.
On the very last minute, I remembered (thank goodness!) the single roses that needed to be added to the boys lapels. Each button-hole was sewn closed, of course, so out came my glasses and quick-unpick. I could never have imagined how tedious it would be, slitting open a button-hole, just minutes before the wedding ~~ I was all fingers and thumbs!
Mary’s gorgeous little flower girl, Koa, looked pretty fabulous as well.Â
One last shot of the girls and page-boy Bailey, before the wedding began. So much work had gone into this moment, when everything had been prepared, every detail put into place, and the bridal party, both the men and the women, were all finally ready for the event of the year.
Just one more photo of Mary though, I couldn’t have been more proud of my soon-to-be daughter-in-law if she were my own daughter. ❤
And speaking of being a proud mother, here are my two sons, Adam the groom and his best man and brother, my eldest son, Ben.
The wedding ceremony began with page-boy Bailey directing his little cousin, flower-girl Koa, out the door and along the aisle, where Adam patiently awaited the appearance of the girls.
I can honestly say though, the only girl Adam saw was Mary, the love of his life, who was about to become his wife.
I’m getting goose-bumps just remembering the day, showing the photos, writing about the events and the people who made the day one of the most wonderful days ever, and a day we will all remember with love in our hearts forever.
My next series of wedding photos will be of the ceremony. 🙂
In My World 