Friday, August 14, 2009

Kaira's First Birthday

We were really blessed by a group of friends who organised Kaira's first birthday for us. It was at a childrens theme park with all sorts of activities for the kids. Kaira did not get to go on many of the things, but the other kids loved them.

She was very spoilt and got a lot of attention. The theme was 'Madagascar' because she got vey excited seeing pictures of the animals from the movie. A cake was made for her with animals on it and all the plates and cups and table clothes were from the movie. She had some wonderful balloon creations. A big '1' with her name on it and a giant fish, as well as a big monkey.

It was a special night with some great friends, and even though family and some friends were missing we felt really blessed by some wonderful people who made an effort to give us a memorable event for our daughter's first birthday.














Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Bored at a mall

This is what happens when a group of guys get bored at a mall.

One guy falls asleep.


Other guys put a hat next to him to collect money...


And a sign on him explaining that he is poor and blind.



The highlight was a group of kids who were waving in front of him to see if he was blind. He din't move of course as he was asleep!

Total funds raised - $0!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Kaira’s New Toys

Kaira has been blessed with many new toys in the last month, gifts from friends. They play many tunes (although Braden reckons they all sound like the same tune) which she dances along to.




Sunday, August 9, 2009

The Moon








The Moon

The moon has intrigued and mystified people since creation on the 4th day God placed it in the sky.

Distance From Earth: 225,745 miles
Length of a Day: 27.3 days
Weight: 81 Quintillion Tons
Surface Temp (Day): 123°C.
Surface Temp (Night): - 233° C
Driving time by car (@100 kph): 166 days (aoout 120 for an Italian - they go faster and don't stop at lights!)
Flying time by rocket: 60 to 70 hrs
No. of Men Who Have Walked on Surface:12The moon is actually moving away from earth at a rate of 1.5 inches per year.
The surface area of the moon is 9.4 billion acres.
The moon is not round, but egg shaped with the large end pointed towards earth.
When walking on the moon, astronaut Alan Sheppard hit a golf ball that went 730 metres!

The moon appears in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Big, small, bright, half moon quarter moon.
Why?
Its appearance is determined by the way the sun reflects on it.

There is a lesson in this for us.

As Christians, the way people see us is determined by the way the Son is reflected through us.

Isaiah 60:1-5
Arise and shine.

The moon arises and shines because the sun shines upon it and the moon begins to radiate light.

We can arise and shine because the Son shines upon us and we too can radiate the light of Christ.

This means to bring light into the darkness. There will be darkness in the world, but we do not need to be distracted by the darkness. To fight darkness, turn on the light.


So how do we shine the light?

Love life. Celebrate the little things. People are attracted to those who are passionate about life.

Put a “10” on every persons head. Think the best of people and let them live up to your expectations. Appreciate others and help them achieve their potential.

Give hope. Hope is the greatest gift you can give another.

Share yourself. Share your time and resources with others.



If you are looking at the sky at night your sight will gravitate towards the moon. Also, if we a reflecting the love of Christ, people in darkness will find us and Him irresistible.

Whenever I look at the moon I do a spot check….How am I reflecting the love of Christ to others at the moment.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Parenthood


If you have the chance at parenthood, look upon it with a sense of mystery and awe. You are given the joy of watching life afresh, and the chance to help another being take flight into the riches and mystery of life. The very clay of which our world is made is for a brief moment placed in your hands.

Kent Nerburn, Simple Truths

Friday, August 7, 2009

Polignano

The other night we went with a group of friends to visit a town called Polignano, about 30 minutes from Bari. It is a beautiful old town nestled onto cliff tops overlooking the sea. The Old Town is wonderful and we even got a bit of an outdoor opera while we were there. A couple of weeks ago they had cliff diving competitions there.

Here is a video from the diving











Lungomare

Last week we took Kaira down to the water front in Bari to have dinner. On the way home we treated ourselves to a gelato. The man also gave Kaira one, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I think we have unleashed something as she ate all of Andrea’s when we were at the beach and screamed when Andrea licked the ice cream.