And then Sweetie turned 1

Sweetie will be 1 on Tuesday so we had a little party here today to celebrate his first year. It is very hard for Mr Duyvken and me to believe that he is already 12 months old and we're feeling rather melancholic about it. Why does that first year go by so quickly?
I have seen some very cute weather things on pinterest so dumbed them down to match my skillz and it worked out very nicely. There were plenty of opportunities for the bigger kids to help and very few areas where things could go wrong. The sunshine hummingbird cake was a big hit and it was so easy I think I'll make it again for JW's birthday but I'll stand the triangles on the cake, colour it green and call it a wilderness cake. Huzzah!

There were showers in the living room.

Cakes on the new kitchen counters.

Lots of singing. (I only now realise that I didn't get around to brushng my hair. Hm...)

And pizza with Oma and Aunty S to finish off the day. 

Sweetie had a lovely time we still have 2 days before we officially mark his birthday with presents and (more) cake. 

Sofa Shopping

option A - we'd get this in dark chocolate brown

As much as I love the look of fabric sofas we have decided that it will be much more practical to buy leather. Our fabric sofas are pretty trashed after 12 years of wear, washing and kidishness. I am pretty excited about being able to just wipe the leather down when something (inevitably) gets spilled on the new ones.

option B - love that colour

The trouble, however, is deciding which couch to get. You can spend a fortune on furniture but we have found a few gems in our price bracket. This is the final list and we are having trouble making a decision. They are all quite different and will dictate how the room looks so we're not sure which way to go. 

option C - the current front runner, we'd get this in black

So, what do you think, dear reader? We need two for the new room (oh how nice it feels write that!).

Perspective

It is interesting how our perspective colours our view of things. These photos were taken on the same day as the others but I was searching out peaceful views as an escape from the chaos. I thought I'd have to take the kids for a walk around the neighbourhood to find it but it was here all the time, sitting quietly waiting for me to notice it.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Heart full.

Happy V Day

I hope your Valentine's Day is sweet. This is a little gift for Mr Duyvken, remember last year when I was trying to not complain about being pregnant? This year he's getting nougat and an ironclad guarantee that there will be no complaints.
One of my favourite things to do on Valentine's day is to remember this wonderful cause and to share it with everyone. Women taking care of women is always worth celebrating. Hopefully, there will come a time when the need for this kind of activism is past.

The Status K-woah

 When the sight of the hallway becomes too much for me I retire to my room for a little respite.

 But it isn't as restful as it used to be in there.

Time for a drink? Hm, that lumbar roll wedged between the fridge and the door is (only just) keeping the fridge functional  so we're adapting to ducking underneath it limbo style. I'm no Shemika Charles but I'm working it.

Yes, there is a wardrobe in my living room. No, I don't want to talk about it.