Thursday 26 January 2012

(Day 55) Better people


You make us better. 

They say that when you meet somebody and fall absolutely in love with them, sometimes you want to be a better person for them, and that is one hundred percent true for us, with all of our children. With our first baby we were rebellious and ridiculously self-destructive teenagers, and Aidan made us want more. We didn't want to party anymore. Or smoke and drink and carry on like crazy people. We wanted to give her the whole world, and a little bit more. 

Her arrival made us parents. 

With our second baby we both started studying and building a life that had a vision beyond today or tomorrow, but sought to build a foundation for our girls that would give them a better life, and all of the things that they needed. Bella brought our family together as a unit, and we were so blessed to have two beautiful girls. 

With the arrival of our little boy, we worked on our marriage, building family and extended family connections, creating a community around us of amazing friends with which we embarked on wonderful adventures; camping, fishing, swimming, going to parks and music festivals and holidays to give all of our children a fulfilling and fun life. And we thought that our family was complete. 

And then there was Layla...

It is hard to quantify the changes that you have made and will make to our family just yet, but already you have changed us irrevocably. You make us want to be better for you. 

This photo is of you and your Dad swimming for the very first time. Your Daddy has had problems/ a fear of swimming for a very long time, and it is always extremely difficult to impossible to get him into the pool. But today (on Australia Day) Daddy packed his board shorts in the car (in secret and without prompting) along with a little swim outfit for you, and enthusiastically jumped into the pool with you for your first swim. It is beyond words how much this shocked your brother and sisters, and how much it continued to shock them when Daddy has been planning on getting you a little floating chair and taking you on more swims.

 It is amazing the magic of loving another person so much that you just somehow want to be better for them...

5 comments:

Karen T said...

Ahhhhh, I was going to bed and then I saw your link pop up, so I looked and now I am crying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a beautiful post! So spot on too, I do want to be a better person for my fam. You and you man should be really proud of yourselves, your girls will learn so much from you both.
K xx

Unknown said...

aw thank you so much! you have made my night :-)

Rebecca keals said...

Wow, what an amazing piece of writing, it gave me tingles and goose bumps. What a lovely gift your husband shared with Layla and all of you by surprising you, well done to him, I hope you see him in the water gradually more and more. Good Luck you should be so proud.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Rebecca! We are going swimming today ( with my husband!). I am completely in awe!

Hannah Joy said...

Oh this is lovely!! How beautiful for your babes to know what a significant impact they each had on your family :)