Sunnyside Farm Fun: Life continues on...

'It seems the years are flying and I desperately miss recording it all. You would think that life is busier now that I homeschooling all six children, but in many ways it is much easier. Our foster placement is such a natural part of our lives that they feel as if they have always been part of our family and I no longer have a baby. Our youngest is now five and while I mourn not having a little one around ( I love babies and would say yes to another placement in a heartbeat), life is so much easier when they reach five.'

And therein lies the extent of my blogging for 2019. Scribed just one day before I turned 40 and weeks after I travelled to Japan to join Dave for his team's final Red Bull Air Race in which they were crowned world champions! Little did we know this was the last of the golden years before the pandemic occurred and lockdowns became normal. Before neighbours were distanced and masks became mandatory hiding smiles and limiting interrelation expressions. I did not know how much I missed the smiles until the mandates were lifted last month. How thankful we are that those times of uncertainty would seem to be behind us, yet none of us live quite like we did. The world no longer feels that carefree and peaceful place and once again we are reminded to trust in God.

So once again I begin to write. I have missed the simple recording of my days and life has gifted me with a little extra time this year in which I anticipate picking up my camera again, in composing words and sharing our life. Our life looks much different from that of the farm in the middle of NSW - our precious 'Sunnyside'. That season has passed, yet the memories we have from that time are still dear to our hearts. Friends who were like family and will never be replaced, experiences that built such strength and character in not just us, but in our precious children moulding them into the amazing people they are today. These will always be treasured. How glad I am to have recorded what I did here.

Nine months and two days after the above passage was typed our world changed once again when we took in a little brother and sister for a weekend foster placement. It was our first placement since our other two had arrived 4 1/2 years earlier. We felt they were ready to do some respite and we had always enjoyed hosting children for a fun filled visit. However these little ones needed us and in our hearts we knew they had to stay. What began as a weekend became a week, then two then a three month 'short-term' placement that eventuated into long-term. How could we possibly turn them away when they needed us so much? Despite the times that were so very difficult especially during the first year of us all learning about each other, we would do it again in a heartbeat! They are the most precious little children and we love them with all our hearts.

It was at that time we had finally sold 'Sunnyside' and had an offer accepted on a cute farmhouse on a beautiful 20 acres when our foster agency asked us to consider taking the two little ones on permanently. We quickly realised that our dreams of a cute farmhouse didn't fit with so many people long-term, yet we couldn't say no to these two little ones just because our plans were limiting. Previously we had looked at a large house on just a couple of acres and while we didn't love it, we kept going back to it because something about it pulled us. It just lingered on the market (which was in itself amazing as the market had begun to move quickly here on the coast). We do not understand why it was overlooked for so long - except it was meant to be for us. It took us just a few hours to get our offer accepted on the larger house, we kindly let the owners of the farmhouse that it would no longer suit our family and head in a very different direction than we were originally planning. We are so thankful that God guided us to this home. It is not our cute country style (although it is certainly in the country - yet still close enough to town to easily access everything), it doesn't have much land and it is far too showy for us, yet somehow it suits our family perfectly. We all have enough space inside and the land is productive enough to provide sufficiently for all we have time to do. (It has a metre of topsoil - what a dream!!!!)

I took some time in naming our new place. Nothing I thought of seemed to fit. I wanted it to represent my dreams of our home being a place of peace away from the outside world, a place that welcomes children who need a home, a place where my big kiddos will always love coming home to. It has come at such a difficult time in our country's history and I want to try and begin counting my blessings once again - a practice that I had become lax in. I also wanted it to represent my little place on the web.