2014 flies by...

Last time I posted Isaac had just been born and Ethan was adjusting to being a big brother.  Ten months on and life without Isaac would seem strange! He has been such a wonderful addition to the family, making us laugh often.  Both boys have grown and developed a lot since February.  

Here a few shots of Ethan throughout 2014:

Ethan celebrated his second birthday at the end of October with a visit to the Werribee Open Range Zoo and a requested garbage truck cake.  Some of his favourite things to do at the moment are singing and playing the guitar (especially Jesus Loves Me), talking (about anything), facetiming family over dinner, going to the beach and the zoo, mowing the law with his toy lawnmower, watering the plants and playing with his toy train set.  He's become quite good friends with his little brother, often handing him toys and saying "Here you go baby Isaac".

Here are some shots of Isaac throughout 2014:

Isaac has been growing like a bean shoot.  At ten months he is now wearing the same clothes that Ethan was wearing when he was 15-18 months.  He generally sleeps well, he's got two (soon to be four) teeth, he's started talking (he can now say duck, star, tree, bee, beach, mummy, dad just to name a few) and he's very close to walking (he actually took his first unaccompanied step last week).  He's growing up very fast!

We've been on two family holidays up north to visit nannypa throughout the year.  The first time we took the plane, a definite highlight for Ethan and the second time we took a road trip in our new Captiva.  We've also had a few nights here and there at nanny poppies - Ethan has loved flying planes and playing the guitar with Poppy.  These trips have been great times for creating family memories.  Apart from this, the year has been pretty taxing overall.  While Phil was cleared from any formal charge from Professional Standards the year has ended with the Bishop announcing that Phil will be leaving St Johns from the 1st of Feb 2015.  We are unsure what our next steps are which has led to a bit of stress at this time of year.  We're praying that God provides us with a soft landing after such a difficult 18 months.  The whole family needs time to recover and be refreshed.  Stayed tuned! 

And then there were four!

A lot has happened since September.  Ethan started to walk at 11 1/2 months and he also celebrated his first birthday.  We shared the occasion with play mates from the BATS group at church and also with the Pike family in Eynsbury.  There were belated, but much enjoyed, celebrations with the Browns to follow in the coming weeks!




Phil went to Nairobi at the end of October for GAFCON 2013.  By the time the conference arrived Phil was extremely ready for a holiday.  While his time away wasn't exactly restful, it was inspiring all the same and he came back spiritually refreshed.  The schedule of the conference was demanding but there was time to do some sight seeing including visiting a slum and seeing some Kenyan animals!

 


When Phil arrived at the airport in Melbourne, Ethan and I met him and we travelled straight up to Shell Cove for almost two weeks with Steve and Ruth.  Needless to say that both boys were very tired.  While we were up at Shell Cove Ethan had a great time picking tomatoes from Steve's cherry tomato bush, spending time with cousins Hannah and Audrey, playing at the Kiama pool and even splashing about in the backyard.

When we arrived back in Melbourne it was a quick run up to Christmas and then another break in preparation to welcome baby Isaac Samuel.  By the time he was 9 days overdue, Mum was getting pretty big, very hot and generally over being pregnant.  After a week of 40 degree weather Isaac was born at 2:39am on Saturday the 18th of January 2014.  He weighed about 3.8kg and measured 52.5cm in length - much heavier and longer than Ethan

  

 
 

So far we are adjusting well to being a family of 4.  Of course, we're tired, but overall we're coping pretty well and Isaac is generally feeding and sleeping really well.  Looking forward to the first 6 weeks being over when bubs tend to settle down even more.  Ethan loves pointing out baby Isaac but is still getting used to the idea that it's not ok to hit Isaac on the head when mummy is feeding him.  Hopefully he'll work that out sooner rather than later.
Things with Phil's work and professional standards continue to drag on.  The uncertainty and length of the process is very frustrating, particularly for Phil.  However Phil is feeling much less stressed overall which is making the process more bearable as a family.  We're all looking forward to some resolution.