Life's Little Moments...

a garage sale...

2010-08-09T11:56:00.009+10:00

We had a garage sale last month and the kids wanted to do a lemonade stand and earn their own money...but since it was the middle of winter...I talked them into a hot chocolate stand instead.

L. was certainly not happy about being out of bed...the funny thing is I told her she didn't have to get up...but the thought of her big brother doing it without her made her get out of bed...but with attitude!

She soon got over it...as always.

J. felt he wasn't selling quite as many as he hoped..so...he added to his 'hot chocolate 50c' sign....' or 5c' !!!!

Update

2010-08-09T10:46:00.020+10:00

Sooooo....the husband's effort in posting was...well...let's focus on the fact that he made an effort shall we? :)

Ok so I've had a few people 'mention' that I haven't put anything on here for agessss.....and yes they are right...and no I still don't fell like blogging...:)

Here are just a few things that have happened since we last blogged:

1. We got 3 chickens...they have no names...unless you call 'hey chicken' a name.

2. The big girl turned 6.

3. The little girl turned 1.

4. The big girl is learning to cross-stitch.

5. The little girl has learnt to crawl.

6. The big girl learn all about applying make-up from You Tube.

7. The little girl has 'apparently' learnt to say 'Daddy'....according to Daddy

8. The big girl has been keeping her room clean for at least 2 weeks now...thank you Aunty Cole

9. The little girl learnt to wave.

10. And this all happened while the big boy (not to be mistaken for the BIG big boy - daddy), was on the computer designing roller-coaster's and water slides....(rollercoaster tycoon)...and has now decided that he will be an architect when he grows up - like his Poppy - but UNLIKE his Poppy he will design (I quote) "FUN things and BETTER things"......poor poppy...your skycrapers are just not good enough...

And now I hope you will forgive me for the photo overload....I couldn't help it....some of them are just so stinkin' cute!

and because i forgot to put the setting on 'none' when I uploaded the photo's...you have to scroll down...:)

yes she decorated her sister's cake all by herself!

Kids with Heart Disease

2010-04-23T23:08:00.007+10:00

We recently took time out to remember our nephew Mosiah Crosbie who passed away a year ago from a congenital heart defect. In his first week of life he underwent 2 major surgeries. Unfortunately our little fighter passed away a few days after his second surgery due complications. In memory of Mosiah, we have been raising funds for the Kid’s heart units at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Click here for information on how to donate or scroll to the next post.

Mosiah’s surgeon, Dr Winlaw, has communicated that Westmead Kid’s heart units are desperately short of funding at the moment. Taking into account that heart disease is the biggest killer of Australian children, this is a worthy cause to support. Every donation, no matter how small can make a big difference.

Congenital heart defects in Kids, touches the lives of many. In addition to Mosiah, there are several people that we personally know who have also been affected. Here their stories:

Ava Crosbie (We can write plenty about her)

Four months after Mosiah passed away, we welcomed Ava Grace Crosbie into the world. In the minutes after she was born, the Doctors and Nurses became concerned because Ava carried some characteristics of Down Syndrome. She was also having some breathing difficulties. A few hours later her paediatrician confirmed the diagnosis of Down Syndrome. He also said that her respiratory problems were mostly likely the result of a congenital heart defect. Ava was transferred to the Grace Unit at the Westmead Children’s hospital. They were able to identify 3 holes in her heart and develop a management plan that allowed her to be moved out of an oxygen crib, remove her feeding tube and eventually come home. Ava continues to be seen by the specialists at the children’s hospital and will eventually need open heart surgery to close the holes in her heart.

(Ava, before and after Oxygen Crib)

Eliza Anderson
Last December, Sally and I Caught up with Lorelei and Hans Anderson. Growing up, I was close friends with Lorelei. Their daughter Eliza has recently undergone open heart surgery at the Westmead Children’s Hospital to close a hole in her heart. Thanks to the expertise of the Surgeons and staff at Westmead, the surgery was a success and Eliza was back at home within a few days. Thanks to recent advances in Kid’s heart surgery, holes in the heart can usually be corrected in a single operation. After which, a child usually regains full heart function, with no complications or requirement for further surgeries.

(Eliza after her Surgery)

Levi McCormack

As a teenager, Levi’s Mum Karina lived two doors from Glen and I. Her brother’s were a regular fixture at the Crosbie home… AKA neighbourhood basketball court. Karina married Ashley McCormack. Their eldest son Levi was born with Hyperplasic Left Heart Syndrome. This is the same heart condition that Mosiah had. Levi is doing well and just started school this year. He has had several successful surgeries over the years. Levi has received a lot of media attention which helps raise awareness of the challenges that these brave little kid’s face. You can follow this link to a recent 60 minutes story on Levi.

Click here to view video

Please scroll down to the next post for information on how you can help.

Fundraising for the Children's Hospital at Westmead

2010-04-23T22:56:00.011+10:00

The Kid’s heart units at the children’s hospital are chronically underfunded. Consequently they are very dependent on donations to be able to carry out their life saving work. Hence they need as much help as possible. Any contribution, no matter how small can make a big difference for Kids with heart disease. It only takes a few minutes to donate online. Any donation over $2 is tax deductable (for Australian Residents).

Donations can be made in 3 simple steps:

Step 1:

Go to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead Website:

http://www.chw.edu.au/about/fundraising/donate.htm

Step 2:

Go to the donate online section:

Step 3:

* Fill in your details.
* In the “Company Field” enter the words “In Memory of Mosiah”
* In the “Direct my Donation to” section, select “Kids Heart Research”
* When the form is complete, click “Donate”

A receipt will be mailed to the address provided. Keep it somewhere safe, so you can claim a deduction in your next Tax Return.

http://www.chw.edu.au/about/fundraising/donate.htm

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Dad's turn to Blog

2010-04-12T21:51:00.007+10:00

We've been pretty busy the last couple of months and Sally hasn't had a chance to blog. So she's asked me to take over for a little while. I'm a man of few words, so here is my photo update:

Ava is growing big and strong. She's always happy and smiling (except for when daddy is late with feeding time). She's also becoming very social. .... and we can't forget how much she loves getting rasberries blown on her tummy:

Layne started school this year. Her teacher says that she is very attentive in class, listens to instructions and learns very quickly. I think the whole listening thing must be selective, because it just doesn't happen when she's asked to clean her room. hmmmm..

Jacob is now in 2nd grade and is doing very well. The soccer season also started last weekend. I think he is by far the most energetic player on the team. Its great watching the Kids burn themselves out, because it usually means a bit of peace and quiet afterwards :-)

And that's all for now. Stay posted...

-Mike-

...O little town of Bethlehem...

2009-12-03T14:03:00.009+11:00

...hmmm one day I'd like to GO to Bethlehem...
but for now this will have to suffice...imagining what it was like.

Layne playing with the train

...so everything is supposed to be symbolic right??? um.....so the train?? um...they had camel trains....

Layne putting decorations on the tree

...she thinks she's one of the "wise men"

Jake...not sure what he's doing

...so does he...

the 'train'

Last year I was busy laying on the couch being sick while they put the Christmas tree up...this year I was busy feeding the girl...then I was really mean and let her cry while I took some pictures...

decorations

...our house...

...and the husband has been hard at work putting up all the time consuming outdoor decorations....

IN MY DREAMS!
(OK so I'll settle for the front door and the gate....and I know my husband & the kids would like a bit of the snow.)

- above photo from PB catalogue -

...a visit...

2009-12-03T13:41:00.005+11:00

The husband's parents are visiting at the moment...(they're currently living in the Middle East)...his dad was able to meet Ava.

...and, of course, MaMa brought dress-ups...

....these were taken the afternoon they received them....I absolutely LOVE them...because they make me laugh...

Jake couldn't stop saying...'I come in peace...' (don't ask...I don't know!) and well I just happened to capture this expression on Layne's face!

Layne gave MaMa some pocket money so she would bring more dress-ups next time - she loved them that much!

(there is also a hat and a head piece that goes with Jake's...but he'd ditched it by the time I got around to taking a few photo's)

3 months has gone by quickly...

2009-10-24T16:51:00.007+11:00

...she's 12 weeks old now and doing great...she loves to talk to us... smile at us... and of course be cheeky and poke her tongue out at us :)

a favourite...

2009-10-16T19:53:00.002+11:00

This is a favourite place of mine

problem is...like most things in life...I didn't appreciate it when I only lived 10 minutes away from it! I lived 10 minutes away from these gardens throughout my highschool years...ahhh now I live about 2 hours away and jump at any opportunity to get together with my family for a picnic here. We had a 'father's day' picnic here this year...and a certain father and son (& nephew/cousin) got to go on their first helicopter ride! The reason why there is no photo of the helicopter ride is because they were just going down to take a 'look' at the helicopters...and then I got a phone call to let me know that I had to drive to another vineyard and pick them up...:) haaaaaa

A quaint little shop...

2009-10-14T16:59:00.005+11:00

Clickinmoms and a picture of Paris

2009-10-05T14:35:00.005+11:00

I've been learning so much about photography and photoshop at Clickinmoms. It's great being able to go to a forum and finding the answer to a question that you've had for ages...and no matter how much you search on google you just can't seem to find an explanation that you can understand :) .
I have had a simple question about colour management and calibration for a while now and there are so many arguments for and against what my particular questionwas, that I was getting exasperated...FINALLY I just decided to go to the forums in clickinmoms and see what they all had to say about it...found out that my question has a very simple answer and I now I can breath a sigh of relief! If any of you photography fans wanna join go on over to my sidebar and click on the clicknmoms logo.

Oh and for those of you that are interested, start checking my eden lane photography blog for freebies I find on the web. The freebies will be anything from photoshop stuff (brushes and actions), cards and templates, and anything FREE!

At a later date I will also start posting tutorials on there show you how to do simple things in photoshop. But first FREEBIES!

dreaming of...

2009-09-12T18:54:00.004+10:00

...rome...

...I don't know if it's just because we've hit spring and the weather is warming up...or because it's nearly a year since our round the world trip last year...either way...italy is on my mind...

THANK YOU!

2009-09-12T18:29:00.002+10:00

Just wanted to say a quick 'Thank You' to everyone who sent us emails etc. after having Ava. We really appreciated it...I'm slowly starting to get back into replying to emails but thought I'd just let you know...I did get your email :)!

Another baby...

2009-09-12T18:06:00.002+10:00

...so my nextdoor neighbour and i were due only 2 weeks apart...baby w. is only 10 days old in these photos...ahhh finally some nice sleeping shots!

...if you want to see more of baby w. you can go on over to my photography blog.

Ava Grace

2009-08-30T20:12:00.019+10:00

....so most of you know by now that I had my baby...she was born 31st July weighing 6pd 7ounces...my smallest yet.

Ava was born with Down Syndrome. Although it was unexpected, having grown up around a few Down Syndrome kids, I was excited for the difference she would make to our little family. She was in NICU for 2 weeks...she's now home with us and doing well, although there will be ongoing medical checkups with her heart condition. We are very excited to have her as part of our little family and her big brother and sister absolutely adore her! I've included two of my favourite photos of her - unfortunately by the time she came home she was too alert to do one of those nice peaceful sleeping shots that you see of newborns!! She wasn't having a bar of it!

...my cousin...

2009-08-12T08:07:00.003+10:00

So I shot these over a month ago...it's my cousin with her new baby...he's gorgeous! (so's she but we're talking about babies here...!:)

I've been meaning to put them up here so that my family can see the pictures...but I just wasn't quite happy with them and kept wanting to fiddle...these are two of my favourites...

A Birthday

2009-06-28T11:33:00.004+10:00

A little girl in our house turned 5 on Friday....she asked for a lollipop cake (which she literally thought she'd be able to eat like a lollipop????) and a present that she's been begging for, for the last 6mths!

I think her present is a little overwhelmed at the attention she's getting...

...and the birthday girl was distraught that her new little 'fluffy' couldn't sleep in her room with her at night...

p.s just had to share something Mike and I had a bit of a laugh at - we bought 'fluffy' and then went next door to the Vet's to get her vaccinated...the receptionist asked Layne: 'what's your rabbit's name??' Layne promptly said 'Charlie'...so the name 'Charlie' went into the computer - a few minutes later the vet came out calling for 'Charlie' - as we started to get up - Layne started going off at the vet...telling him that she's not a charlie anymore that her name is now 'fluffy'...and then she sat back down waiting for him to call for 'fluffy'....

CLICKINMOMS

2009-06-25T18:52:00.004+10:00

Ok so I know there are heaps of you that love photography - I have this posted on my photography blog but thought I'd put it here as well for you. If you're interested - this is a pretty cool site - you can join for as little as $6 a month! It's a great source of information and tutorials and a great way to learn more about photography at your own pace.

Just remember to put the coupon code "FRIEND" in at checkout to get your 10% off - I think the offer expires 31st July!

star wars with a pottery barn fix...

2009-06-24T14:21:00.008+10:00

...Jake's room has always been one of those 'I'll get around to it' things since we moved into our house...now 2 and 1/2 years later and new baby nearly here I thought maybe I'd better do something about it or it'll be one of those MANY ideas I have, that never seem to make it from the idea, to the real thing! So the husband and I sat down and made a whole plan - measurements and all...have moved furniture around and made room for a desk that will come over the next few months as time and money allow. The rest I've slowly been doing bit by bit over the last little while...and although it's a long way from done...I'm just happy that something is actually being done!

Jake loves star wars...I love pottery barn...we don't have pottery barn here...it's a sad thing and it frustrates me to no end sometimes...and because we don't have pottery barn here...our target doesn't stock 'pottery barn look alike' stuff (without the pottery barn price tag!). So since it'll be awhile before our next trip to the U.S...(which I've told my husband will be purely 'a shopping trip' :) I've started to look at what I can do myself...the husband then started to get into it and if any of you remember the post I did about a year or so ago about the bed head that he made me...you'll see that he is quite handy...just has a very time consuming job which limits his 'handiness' to me...(I know... again frustrating!)

But then some kind of miracle started to happen - he doesn't have any extra time... in fact less than normal, but he started to look at some of the things on pottery barn that I liked and he was convinced that he could make most of it!!!!...needless to say I immediately threw ALL my furniture out and eagerly awaited the expected goods.... ok, so maybe not...I am pregnant, but I'm not that out of it! So my point is...he's actually helping me do Jake's room - and he's NOT gay....that's the miracle!

But before I go on, I have to mention how freaking pedantic the guy is when I do stuff like this when I'm preggo. He goes a little OVERBOARD... like for eg. I'm not really a coke drinker...never really liked the stuff...in fact I don't really like fizzy drink (soda) much at all...but if we're traveling somewhere and I need and I say need a drink immediately...he won't let me take a sip of his coke...because it's 'bad' for you - HELLOOO - you're drinking it!!! just give me a darn drink of coke!....and then he remembers what it's like to say NO to a pregnant woman...and well lets just say...I'm not thirsty anymore!

so when I went to do Jake's star wars painting he literally refused to let me do it until he got a GAS MASK!!! I had one of those little disposable masks for when I'm sanding...thought that was just fine for the painting...but nooooooooooooo I not only had to immerse myself into a star wars painting I had to actually BECOME Darth Vadar himself...!!!!

...and I had to wear gloves (which I would have anyway - but I'm not admitting that to him!) and if he had a disposable body suit he probably would have made me wear that too!!!

...and the finished product...Jake and I are so excited...J. because he gets his painting...me because I can take the stupid gas mask off and cross another thing off my list of things to 'get around to' - oh and did I mention that it's glow in the dark too!!!

( and yes for any of you who look long enough you will see PLENTY of mistakes...heee but Jake hasnt' figured that out yet so I'm going with it...although then he did start demanding a spaceship...and I told him NO WAY this is it buddy!!)

lollipop kids...

2009-06-24T13:26:00.002+10:00

I've been going through some old photos....found these that I took in October last year...

Jake's facial expressions totally make me laugh!!!

Sisters...and a brother...

2009-06-22T15:45:00.003+10:00

On the photo shoot with -Mary- I also thought I'd actually make an effort this time round and get some pregnant pictures....ughghgh.

It's funny how different the kids are - they're both excited...my boy is very affectionate - he climbs into bed and always wants to feel the baby move in the morning. When I pick him up from school he runs to me and wraps his arms around me (well best he can) and give the baby a rub and kisses my stomach. My little girl on the other hand isn't so into the whole 'feeling' the baby move but will periodically come up during the day and say 'cuddles for the baby...and mummy'...and give my belly a hug...both are really cute about it...

Mary & I...

2009-06-22T15:35:00.003+10:00

So about 12 mths ago Mary and I started talking about taking some photos together and reanacting some of the old mission photos...since we have some pretty hilarious ones together...but by the time we actually got around to making a date...I was pregnant and sick as a dog..so we postponed it...a few weekends ago we decided it was now or never...because these things can be so easily postponed since neither of us really care to be IN FRONT of the camera...but we got my husband to do his best...it was the middle of the day (the worst time for photos) but it had to fit in with his heavy work load that weekend...which gave us about a 2-3 hour window around lunch time...needless to say we had some fun...

I love the one (above) on the left....

donna hay....and a bit of bill...

2009-04-06T08:13:00.003+10:00

so i had a girls day out on saturday...with Mary... (see last post). we have been waiting for the new donna hay store to open...it was set to open in march but opened 1st April...so we took the first opportunity...

...it was very quaint...just what i like...

....unfortunately, as was expected, the prices weren't exactly to my liking...gorgeous dessert glasses being around $41 each!

....i did come away with some cookie cutters and tea towels though...
they had everything from natural cleaning products to a kitchen with divine raspberry meringue teasers to taste!

...and this was our favourite display...(they're soy candles at the bottom)....anyone who's interested in a birdhouse decor...it will set you back approx. $235 for each birdhouse. :)

...it was worth the day out...Mary and I love donna hay (for you americans that have never heard of her...google her)... we ended our day out by having 'all day breakfast' at bills....(bill granger's...once again...if you don't know who he is...google is your best friend) ...all i can say is 'i love bill' - the food was excellent, we didn't have to wait long for a seat (being pregnant this is a matter of high importance!) and the pricing was even better...i don't think i saw anything over $20...!

...a visit...

2009-03-27T11:35:00.002+11:00

...so i thought i might show you how much i've aged...because when you pull out photos from over 10 years ago that's ultimately what you're doing! some of you from T2 might remember that kim & i were somewhat inseparable...and we always knew that although we lived on opposite sides of the world, we would see each other again...and we have...each time I've been back to the states...she just happens to be living in the place that my husband has gone for work...this of course has been quite convenient for us!

....so FINALLY she made it down our way(with her husband & 4 kids!)...and of course that visit wouldn't be complete without a visit from Mary.

...don't knock the photo - it was 11pm at night...we were tired and were frankly having too much fun catching up to really care about taking photos...that and the fact that none of us wanted anyone seeing what we look like at 11pm at night!

...unfortunately Mary had to work the next day so we had to call it a night... I should clarify that statement... Mary needed to at least show up to work...not that she was really planning to do work... she will more likely be creating her igoogle page, creating a fake blog, reading my blog, and emailing me... similar to my day...only she's getting paid for it!

...the only thing that's missing from these photo's is kim's red glasses :)...yes the one's that had no lenses!

easter

2009-03-11T16:24:00.004+11:00

...i broke a few of the easter eggs i made about 2 years ago...and i couldn't see my pregnant self blowing more eggs to decorate more...

...so i cheated and bought some to replace the ones i broke...

...reacquainted...

2009-03-10T12:46:00.004+11:00

I grew up on these biscuits...with butter and vegemite...my sisters and I used to have competitions to see who could squeeze the biggest 'worms through the little holes...

I never buy these for some reason...and I saw them the other day while I was out doing the grocery shopping and thought.....hmm my kids are gonna lovvve these...so the last few days I've been getting reacquainted with them by teaching my kids how to squeeze 'worms' out of the holes....

...just because she can...

2009-03-10T12:23:00.003+11:00

It's a baby.....of course!

2009-03-09T08:44:00.003+11:00

Ok so some of you who are friends with my little sister too have been asking if my she has had her baby yet...since she is WAYYY past her due date...just to let you know - ....she had a little girl last night at 6:30pm - Cameryn Paige weighing in at 8pds 14 ounces (yes that's nearly 9 pound!!!) and 55cm long....photos to follow soon :)

...family wedding...

2009-02-16T13:11:00.002+11:00

so my brother-in-law and his fiancee got married on friday...it was wet, wet, wet...but i did my best with the photos, all things considered. if you want to see more just click on the link to my photography blog.

Opportunities...

2009-02-14T09:57:00.007+11:00

photography: unkown source

So by now I'm gathering most of you have heard about Victoria's bushfires...181 people so far have lost their lives and approximately 5000 have been left homeless. My family and I have been watching the news religiously to see the developments...for more reasons than one. My sister is in the midst of it...she lives right smack in the middle of the two worst effected areas and for the last week has been staying at her MIL's since Healesville (where she lives) is continually being put on high alert. Two fires are threatening to become one HUGE fire like the ones you see above...since my sister and her daughter are bad asthmatics the smoke and embers are wreaking havoc with them...plus not to mention she is 38 weeks pregnant...so we've been watching and checking in with her every day to make sure everything is ok.

Amidst this tv watching my kids have been taking a keen interest in what's happening. We talked with them about it and discussed with them how much people had lost and how it was an opportunity for us to help in any way we could. The kids started going through their toys and deciding which ones they wanted to give away to the kids who had nothing left...we went shopping for lots of colouring pencils and books, undies and pj's. There are distibution centres set up throughout sydney that we could drop the items off at...but just as we were doing this...Jake brought home a note from school - there were some parents driving down to Victoria this weekend to donate stuff - Jake was incredibly excited that his school was helping and so we took all the things we had collected down to the school....

I guess why I mention this - because it's not the usual stuff I like to blog about...(I don't like blogging about my personal epiphany's - they're mine to ponder over:) - but I was amazed at the toys that Jake and Layne were choosing to give away...they weren't the old toys they don't play with anymore...they were new toys...some were ones they had just received this past christmas! My first thought was...'you just got that...you can't give that away'...but I stopped myself from saying it because I realised that if I did say that to them I would be in effect telling my kids that it was alright to feel compassion and want to help - as long as they didn't have to go without as a result...!! They reminded me that 'giving' pretty much always requires some form of 'self-sacrifice'. They even went so far as to pay for some of the pj's and undies out of their own pocket money...

what can i say??? I LOVE my kids...

note: please note that from here on there are bound to be grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, etc in my posts...I'm pregnant...and there is no promise that it will get better once the baby arrives! :)

Where did I go?

2009-02-02T12:00:00.003+11:00

I'll tell you where...absolutely no where...I was here at home with my head over a toilet bowl for the last 2 mths...I'm hoping the next 3 weeks will see me start doing the following though! :)

yes, in case you didn't guess from the above - I'm expecting our 3rd

the eiffel tower

2008-12-09T12:13:00.004+11:00

ahhh the eiffel tower...you finally get to see it...it took mike and i about 3 days to get here...not because we weren't interested...we just had other things to see...but when we finally did get here...

it was pretty great. there was alot happening in paris during the week we were there...aero exhibitions near the arc de triumph, employment expo near the eiffel tower so there were alot of tents etc set up all over the place - which doesn't always make for the best photos...but we went here on a sunday afternoon and spent the whole afternoon lounging around in the gardens and eating lunch...waiting for it to get dark so we could take some cool shots. they had it lit up in blue for some euro thing happening in paris that week - it was definitely very cool seeing it lit up like this... and just a note as to how SMALL this world really is - we were up on the first deck of the eiffel tower a few days later, when we ran into some family friends (from the hunter valley) while up there...! VERY freaky! we were both in a bit of disbelief!

the louvre

2008-12-09T12:10:00.004+11:00

we stayed near the louvre...this had to be one of my favourite parts of paris...not necessarily going inside but just the buildings outside and the gardens across from it.

we pretty much walked past it every day and sometimes just sat on the steps eating our lunch.

montmartre

2008-12-09T11:54:00.011+11:00

montmartre was amazing - we only went there once during our 5 days and i wish we had gone there more. it's very touristy but i still loved it.

we went up inside the dome of the sacred basilica...i'm not usually scared of heights but for some reason that day i couldn't deal with it...of course my husband thought it was hilarious.

the streets were soo pretty

and the windows!

...milo...

2008-12-08T13:41:00.003+11:00

...ok so i may have overreacted...

...just so EVERYONE understands...this was a very rare commodity on my mission...so of course if you were ever in an apartment with me when I had this product...AND you didn't appreciate it, I may have overreacted!

ps. once again this applies to the minority not the majority of readers...if you wish to be a little more familiar with this post you can read back a few posts in comments posted...:)

paris - palace of versailles and surrounding grounds

2008-12-05T16:46:00.005+11:00

i can't begin to explain how amazing this place was! my first impression upon arriving was - 'what's everyone going one about' - because the front looks somewhat gaudy had scaffolding everywhere...but then you get in side....and then when you experience the grounds...!!!!! we spent nearly 5 hours here and still didn't get to see all the grounds it was so massive!
you can hire bikes to ride around the lake and through the gardens or you can hire a boat to go out for a boat ride on the lake...this was by far our most tiring day in paris but probably the most amazing as well...the RER had been cancelled that day (sat) so we had to fight the crowds to change train lines a couple of times and then we stood in a one hour line for our tickets to get inside...i was about to give up! I was soooo glad I didn't!

I threw in a touristy shot for you...yes that's a rare shot of the husband and i!
I'm so glad we went on the saturday instead of during the week because Marie Antoinette's house, hamlet and grounds were open as well (apparently they are only open on the weekends).

apparently she didn't like the' grandeur' of the palace so decided to build her own place - a single level house/palace.

and she also had this hamlet built...it was perfect!

paris - notre dame

2008-12-05T16:30:00.005+11:00

it's so hard to choose which paris photos i want to show - i have 5 days worth!

we went to notre dame 3 times during that 5 days...because somebody's father is an architect and he has inherited some of the fascination that comes with being in a building such as this!...and even for those who knew nothing about architecture...it was still fascinating.

i didn't manage to get here at night - i think i could do another 5 days in paris an still not see everything i want to see!

...a bit of rome...

2008-12-01T15:44:00.005+11:00

ok so the rome pictures are finished...
rome was interesting...when you ask people if they enjoyed rome - there are always mixed opinions...i'm guessing it's because if you've been to any other city in italy - rome will probably be your least favourite.

we chose rome because we actually wanted to take a trip down to the amalfi coast and go to pompeii - but as it turned out we didn't get there. despite the disappointment in not being able to get down there, we still enjoyed ourselves.

i absolutely loved the piazza's - every alley way seemed to have quaint little places to eat. the husband had a large pizza for lunch every day...still can't believe he ate the whole thing!

we had gelato's nearly every day - our favourite little gelato place even had profitterol mousse!!!

one other thing i loved about rome was the paintings just set up on easels in the piazza's

all up rome was pretty fascinating, we enjoyed our time there. i can't wait to go back to go back and see more of italy!

...teaser...

2008-11-27T11:36:00.002+11:00

we were in Rome for 3 days, that means I have 3 days worth of photos...in case you don't know me that well, that means heaps of photos to process! So here's a little teaser for you from the first day.

2008-11-27T10:00:00.003+11:00

Ok so I just thought I'd let you all know that I have a another blog...it's only in the beginning stages - the plan is that I'll go private on this particular blog...but I've said that before...and haven't followed through...but the husband and I have been talking more and more about it lately.....

Anyway you can check out the other blog here.

Please note that the link address has changed from what it was previously. (for those that have already been accessing this blog for a while - ok so I'm lazy - I had to shorten it!)

2008-11-26T17:18:00.002+11:00

uhhhh I just changed my template....feeling a little upside down and back to front here....

2008-11-26T09:18:00.007+11:00

I want this in my house....

This makes me want to draw again!...I come from an artistic family we can all draw...I was talking to my Aunty on Sunday and she asked if I still drew ...I mentioned that when I start drawing I get into my 'zone' and I don't like to be disturbed...it doesn't quite work with kids! Thus I haven't really drawn much since having kids. When I saw this I recognised that old familiar craving to sit down and draw something...this particular drawing by Leigh reminds me of my older sister's drawings...

I think she looks good as a bee....

2008-11-26T09:15:00.001+11:00

Lenka...

2008-11-24T10:17:00.004+11:00

love, love, love this girl!

I always seem to find the best inspiration at 'a little sussy'

It all started with Analiese...

2008-11-24T09:25:00.003+11:00

For some of you T2 girls you may remember a night in the North Visitors Centre in one of the theatres where we were doing some kind of role playing/skits - I'm not really sure because there was only ONE skit I remember from that night...and it's left me feeling somewhat NAKED!...emotionally anyway...there are at least 3 of you that may read this that were a part of that skit...it was the MTC class....and each of you were playing yourselves...12mths - 18mths previous to this night and how you were feeling...yes...that's right you were sharing your FEELINGS! I remember Analiese standing up and saying: 'you want me to WHAT???...I ain't sharing my feelings!!' This got a huge laugh from the audience...mine included...but there was something DISTINCTLY different about my laugh to the rest of the audience that night...mine was coated with that 'nervousness' where you feel like you've totally been found out and you're not sure what your next move should be...while everyone else was sitting there laughing because it was funny and that's where it ended for them...me??? I was sitting there thinking: ' OH MY GOSH...SHE must have had the same teacher as I did in MTC...no way! I knew if that had been my MTC class up there...I would have had EXACTLY the same thing to say that night as Analiese did!
I may talk alot (yes...I AM aware of that fact), I may talk alot about surface stuff...and even things that might be personal..I'll talk about the 'facts' of that particular personal subject...but it's downright RARE for me to talk about my FEELINGS!!!

Fast Forward 10yrs: OH MY GOSH, Analiese is SHARING!!! haaa

Me???: 'I ain't sharing my feelings!!!!!!'

Who's 'evolved' here?

ps. some of you will be sooo lost on this post....it's ok...don't feel bad...you're part of the MAJORITY not the minority!

New York, New York

2008-11-18T18:57:00.010+11:00

We only had 2 days in New York...we knew that it was not long enough to see EVERYTHING...but we figured we'd still be able to see a few things and get some great pictures...um yeah...we arrived in New York late at night...early the next morning we called the kids to see how they were doing...my sister-in-law told us that our bank had been trying to get in touch with us concerning 'suspicious' activity on our account...we got on line to see what they were talking about...and our bank account had been CLEANED OUT!!! Sooooooo our first day in New York was somewhat stressful - we basically spent the day going between our hotel, calling our bank back home, calling NSW Police to file a report (which they wouldn't do over the phone), going to the Australian Embassy to get a statutory of declaration signed and stamped...etc it was ANNOYING to say the least...then we went to broadway that night to de-stress...the bank insured us and replaced our little stash of cash...so the next day was much more pleasant...BUT because of this we really only had ONE day in New York...has anyone EVER tried to see NY in one day??? We did our best and to tell the truth as I look back I'm pretty surprised at how much we ended up seeing BUT I was a little sad about the opportunities lost for some great photos...we basically had to see what we could when we could regardless of whether the time of day was going to make for a crappy photo!

We went to Broadway both nights we were there....there were soo many shows to choose from...I wish I could have stayed for a week! The first night we went to see Mary Poppins, and the second, The little Mermaid. They were both great but Mary Poppins was definitely my favourite!

We went up the Rockefellar building...didn't get to go up for my sunrise/sunset :( but it was still great...

We took a walk down Wall Street...it was on a day that the stock market had plummeted...so the place was full of CNN media etc...since 9/11 they have Wall street permanently blocked off to traffic and police with machine guns monitor the area. The New York Stock exchange building is permanently blocked off to pedestrians etc.

So I had to take some photos at the Natural History Museum for Jake...he was so excited that we went to the 'night at the museum'!! :)

Time Square - the atmosphere was great and this is the heart of broadway! But I have to admit...after fighting tour groups and crowds nearly ever place we had visited I was REALLY getting sick of battling the crowds!

Central Park

This was the only shot we got of the Statue of Liberty...we didn't go over to the island simply because there was an hour and a half wait for the ferry...it was ridiculous and we figured there was still plenty of stuff we wanted to see. The top right is Brooklyn Bridge...and the bottom left is Manhatten Bridge (taken from the Brooklyn Bridge).

So like I said...we did pretty darn good for only seeing ALL this in one day!

Nigella Lawson describes these as jewels....

2008-11-12T11:26:00.002+11:00

For some reason completely unknown to me these beautiful things are not common here in Australia...'apparently' we have so many other fruits here that the demand for these are very minor...

While on holiday my friend introduced Mike & I to our latest indulgence...now, although I'm grateful to her, I'm not sure if my purse is...since you can't find these at the supermarket and have to go the fruit shop, they're sporting a price of $3.50 each (which is above US$5). So um...I'll say 'thanks Kim'...but my purse won't...it's struggling with resentment issues!

And to think that my in-laws who are most likely moving to the Abu Dhabi in the Middle East in the next month will be surrounded with gorgeous amounts of these since the Pomegranate is native to the Middle East...and apparently was cultivated in Egypt before the time of Moses...and was quite significant in the Jewish culture...to the point of the design of the pomegranate being woven into high priests robes, and brass representations were part of the Temple's pillars. This fruit is mentioned 8 times in the Bible...and some believe it to be the fruit on the Tree of Life...whatever the truth be...I can totally see how they might describe this fruit as 'divine'.

And just for those of you who may not be religious & need some other reason to spend ridiculous amounts of money on gourmet fruit - here are some health facts about the pomegranate...(which is how Mike & I are justifying our expensive indulgence...) :
1. High in fibre
2. High in Vitamin C
3. The juice possess's almost 3 times the total amount of antioxidents found in green tea or red wine.
4. Supposed to work like 'aspirin' in preventing blood clots
5. Recent research has shown that 8 ounces of Pomegranate juice per day for 3mths improved the amount of oxygen getting to the heart in patients with coronary heart disease (prevents plaque building up in the arteries)
6. Research suggests that Pomegranate juice destroys breast cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone
7. Inhibits the development of lung cancer
8. Slows the growth of prostrate cancer
9. May protect the neonatal brain from damage after injury
10. Assists in the prevention of Osteoarthritis
11. It may prevent and slow Alzheimers disease
12. Lowers Cholesterol
13. Lowers Blood Pressure
14. Natural way to prevent Dental Plaque
....and the list goes on....

....hmmmm maybe it really IS the fruit from the Tree of Life...???? :)

Egypt...

2008-11-11T21:19:00.016+11:00

I'm so tired right now and all I really want to do is going to bed...so this is going to be a really boring post...I may have to add more to the post later to actually describe our experience in Egypt a little better...you know you're living on the edge when to enter your hotel driveway (which is like a mile away from the actual hotel)...your car is checked for bombs...hmm...
I just added a whole heap of photos here....sorry for the overload...I'm tired and can't make those intense kinds of decisions as to what photos to upload at the moment!

These are of the Citadel...I really loved the Citadel...it was a beautiful building...and for Cairo...extremely so...the airport (which IS NOT a new airport) still looked like it was in a construction zone...but I realised that most of Cairo looks a bit like this. It totally blew me away as to just HOW many people live there...it had to have been the hugest city I've ever been to, the population of Australia (20million) living in one city. It was sad in alot of ways. I'm sure at some time it would have been a beautiful city. The Husband loved it...he thought it reminded him of the Philipines in alot ways...he loved the chaos and the way they drive...like ANYWHERE...oh and mostly there are no traffic lights...whoever is in front...even if its by an inch...they pretty much have right of way!

We went to Khan al kalili bizarre...which is basically a touristy market where you go to get ripped off...when we went here, we were on a time limit because we had a driver coming back to pick us up at a certain time...so my plan was to go in and buy what we wanted as quickly as possible and leave...The Hsband had a very different plan...he LOVES to haggle and bargain even if it is over $1...the problem was he was finding the locals...well...the most ruthless and annoying bargainers he'd EVER come across...he was out to extract revenge...he was on a mission...so needless to say we bought one thing at these markets!

The other window photo was of a guy in Coptic Cairo. Coptic Cairo is the old part of Cairo - the Christian part...I didn't get to see as much of this part of Cairo as I would have liked...maybe next time...
Ok so I'm guessing you actually really want to see pictures of the desert and the pyramids...oh we have plenty of those...we spent 2 hot blistering hours out there in the desert....with a VERY stubborn Camel!

I've grown up riding horses...so I know how to ride one and I'm not scared of them...but this thing...this thing SCARED me! The Husband and I shared a camel ride and for some reason I let The Husband on the front to actually guide the thing...(like when he's probably ridden a horse maybe all of 3 times in his life) and having to trust that my husband isn't going to send us straight down the side of a sandhill was a little past my trust level! Oh and a camel saddle is so NOT comfortable! Mike wanted to trot or gallop off into the desert with the camel - I did not... we had a 'guide' with us riding a horse...he was supposed to take us to the 2nd pyramid and let us off and we'd walk back while I took photos etc...haaa yeah right...the guide pretty much held us hostage on the camel until we paid the tip HE wanted...and wanted it before we got back to the 'owner' so he didnt' take it off him...now this wasn't surprising at all to me (just ask 'lonely planet') but what was surprising to me was that my husband gave in so quickly...I think he'd had enough and lets face it...we were haggling over mere $2-3!!

ok so don't laugh at him for his fashion sense...we took one medium size bag between us - which meant 2 pairs of pants each ...the shoes on our feet, and a couple of shirts...The Husband and I both like to travel as light as possible...less baggage to wait for at the baggage claim belt!

The Sphinx is sooo much smaller than you imagine it's going to be.

Because of our stubborn camel and its inability to listen to instructions when given...like STOP! I found it difficult to get some of the photos that I knew would be good - I just had to try and do it from the camel and I didn't want to change lenses to get good close ups since it was slightly windy and I didn't want to get sand in my camera or worse drop my camera while our beloved camel was busy taking us for a ride!

So that's the pyramids of Giza...we didn't have enough time to go down to Luxor to the Valley of the Kings - we'll save that for another trip. We did however get to the Egyptian Museum...it was AMAZING!! I loved it! We got to see the mummies - which my husband was completely fascinated with - Hatshepsut and Ramses I, II etc- I had to come home and watch the Prince of Egypt just to make it complete :). We saw the coffin of Tutenkamen - since the actual tomb of king tut is in the valley of the kings (with his mummy) we didn't see this but the actual famous head piece and coffin is in the museum. Absolutely fascinating!

Chicago - the windy city...

2008-11-07T18:47:00.012+11:00

I mentioned before that it was between 4-6 degrees (c) while we were in Chicago...the wind definitely made it colder...and the day that I did most of my sight seeing and photography was the day that I was also walking around in flurries of snow...nothing much but definitely enough to make me contemplate praying for some big blizzard so I could get lots of snow pictures...but then I thought of my kids back home and how if there was a blizzard our flight home would be delayed...and...um...yeah...anyway I LOVE the Autumn foliage in Chicago - it reminded me of The Avenues in Salt Lake... it was sooo beautiful!

The husband worked while we were in Chicago - so I went sight seeing by myself...after having CROWDS of people to battle with in Paris, Cairo, Rome & New York...Chicago was HEAVEN!!! It was so freezing that no sane person was really out & about...I loved it! I had Navy Pier practically to myself!

I was wishing The husband and the kids were here for these mirrors...ooohh the photos I could have gotten with them :) instead I had to settle for photos of myself which since I also had to TAKE the photos were quite limiting! haa

...Chicago Bay Lighthouse...

So I walked down Michigan Avenue...it's a really picturesque street...although you wouldn't know that because I FORGOT to take a photo of it!...but got a photo of the sign :) I was too busy looking for the Pottery Barn that was no longer there...hmmm...I settled for Crate & Barrel!

And these are three of my favourites from Chicago....

Millenium Park

Untitled Sculpture by Anish Kapoor (I think he's British) in Millenium Park- I have to admit this was pretty cool...The Husband would have loved seeing this...I now wish I'd taken a photo from the underneath too.

And this was my favourite city skyline shot...I didn't go up Sears Tower - figured I'd leave that for next time.

So there's Chicago for you - Love, Love, Loved it! Definitely want to go back.

Halloween in Chicago...

2008-11-07T13:50:00.008+11:00

We got to do the halloween thing in Chicago too...we arrived the day of the big 'Halloween bash' put on by my friends' neighbour...since I only arrived that afternoon I took the first costume that was offered...being a 60's outfit...now if I'd had a week...well...I would have totally redesigned this and gone as a split personality and had half the outfit as 60's and half as a goth...with makeup split included...but I was happy just to have an outfit to go in so I wouldn't be only one not dressed up....or was i????...someone DID ask my friend if I was IN costume or if that was how I dressed up all the time!!! We had a pretty good laugh over that one...don't get me wrong...I love the 60's - but only for special occasions!

...no comment...

I soooo want one of these....

The husband wants one of these...not the decorations...just the basement!

and this is my friend...she's a bit scary...we had fun putting her makeup on...

Our other friend that has now moved to Chicago...had her boys carve these...they were pretty cool...the squirrels thought so too...

...Halloween at home...

2008-11-07T13:02:00.004+11:00

I guess a new post is long overdue...but to be completely honest...I've been enjoying my 'space & privacy' and even actually considered not blogging about my private life anymore and just maintaining my photography website...I know, how rude of me!!
...then I came home...

and was bombarded with friends asking me about our holiday and a husband that is pestering me to get my photos up online so his work mates can see them that I started to remember why I first started blogging...so I've given in...for the moment!! ha
I haven't finished processing all the photos (I'm still catching up on some clients photos that I took just before I left) so they may come over the next few weeks but I figured I'd start with Halloween and work backwards...
All I can say is that I LOVED being in the States for a bit of Halloween - just like I love Christmas there too. It was fun...but we arrived home on the 31st in time to take our own kids trick or treating as you can see from the picture above...Layne decided to become a Ninja witch and copy Jakes moves...hmmm

oh and we went shopping looking at all the Halloween stuff...We bought some halloween things for the kids, including a halloween carving set...and some Halloween lollies - they were pretty excited. I found these unreal cookie cutters at Crate & Barrel on Michigan Avenue...marked down for $2! For those who know me exceptionally well...I love collecting stuff like this...especially cookie cutters...and then decorating them....since I was completely jetlagged I made these the morning after Halloween at about 6am. I was sick of laying in bed wide awake!

We came home to 35 degree (c) temperatures and left chicago with 4 degree (c) temperatures that included flurries of snow.

Cooking with MaMa...

2008-09-20T17:37:00.008+10:00

So instead of having an actual birthday party for Jake this year we did something I had been wanting to do for awhile but hadn't actually got around to organising it....we got the cousins together and had a 'Cooking with MaMa' (Mike's mum) party.

We had a little chef party and made our own pizza's...and had spotty chocolate milk.

Now I had to add this one of Hyrum...so you know he was actually there...in the above party photos he's...well...Jake's toys - especially his star wars spaceship - just proved much more temptation than pizza! But he showed his face every now and then...

...and this is what mummy had been waiting for allllll day!
A chance to use the kitchen blowtorch...we made an icecream volcano cake for Jake...icecream in the middle, rice crispy treat next and then meringue on the outside...jake was insistant on the lava...actually running down the sides like it's supposed to - the picture only showed a little bit of sprinkled lava on the top...he said it wasn't like a real volcano...and so we did our best to accommodate his requests!!! You can't half tell he's an architects grandson....details, details, details!!!

2008-09-18T17:11:00.004+10:00

I was going through some old pictures from back in March...organising and all that...and came across this...it gave me a good laugh...I realise that some of you might find this rather hideous...and yes I agree...I can definitely appreciate that perspective...but I also find this quite hilarious...simply because it shows my kids at their best!! They love to make people laugh!

father's day & more...

2008-09-08T20:32:00.006+10:00

One afternoon a few weeks ago I took the kids out for some photos after school...I have to say I think we had one of the funnest afternoons in ages...the kids enjoyed it and they were really getting into it...I mean who wouldn't when your mother actually 'encourages' you to go hitch hikin'!

So these were some photos we took for Mike's mums birthday...I have to say this was my favourite part...I was trying hard not to laugh so that the pictures wouldn't be blurry when a car actually drove by with some old guy crackin' up laughing at my kids!...not helping!

And these were for daddy for father's day...yes we have father's day in September...NOT June!

the ebay sign was especially for Mike since he's always telling the kids if they're naughty that he'll sell them on ebay...which the kids find quite hilarious...and then they sit there and have a discussion on how much they think Daddy will get for them!

and this...

well this was just random...but Jake was in such a funny mood that afternoon that he started to do this hilarious little dance...this was definitely one of those moments that I wish I had my video camera on me!

homework...

2008-08-22T12:00:00.011+10:00

Not sure if anyone has experienced this problem, but it's a daily occurance for me...my husband works 'asian' hours - Hong Kong/Singapore are 3 hours behind us...which means he starts work when they start and finishes when they finish...so he gets home after dinner...which leaves the afternoon/evening routine to me....this has never been a problem, it's always worked well for our family but now that Jake gets homework, it's a become a juggling act! He usually needs a play and relax after school - but he also gets tired quickly...so I generally get dinner around the 5:30pm mark....which is also the best time for him to do homework too...I've found if I leave it too late he's tired and if I make him do it as soon as he gets home he will rebel! So I've found I have to juggle cooking dinner and monitoring/helping him with his homework tasks...he still takes awhile and generally we'll be there for about an hour. Now this isn't so bad...but add to the equation a little SISTER and it's a whole new ball game!

...Jake is easily distracted...

...it often takes alot of concentration for him to complete all his homework...

...this is one of my favourite parts...the tongue doesn't stop...

Now everything looks like its going just fine...but what you're not seeing is this....

this is Layne looking innocent and watching from the other side of the table...

.....closer...

...and closer...hoping we won't notice until she's practically hovering over Jake and telling him what he to do...

...and this is her telling me what she thinks when I tell her to stop hovering over Jake and leave him alone so he can do his homework! (I was giving her a peace sign, trying to make her laugh because she was sulking...)

Give her something to do??? ...oh we've been there...if she doesn't have the same work to do as Jake, she whinges...and she wants to give her homework to his school teacher (and I mean walk into the class room in the morning and give it to her - no way out of that one!)...and then if I give her something different...Jake wants to do what she's doing because her homework is more fun and his homework is boring!...a word he never knew until he went to school!

....and last but not least this gave me a good laugh - Layne wanted to be silly for the photo and right at the last minute jake flashed his pencil in front of the lens to try to ruin the picture...and look what we get...Layne hovering...to the point of biting his pencil!

Ok so maybe Layne isn't the only distraction...and maybe homework really is boring...because mummy was bored enough to get her camera out and start taking pictures...and still expected Jake to finish his homework with the distraction!

Unexpected...

2008-08-14T17:03:00.012+10:00

I've been spending time with family the last few weeks, with an unexpected visit to Melbourne for 2 weeks. It's been a sad and emotionally draining time for me with the loss of a much loved family member and have of course not felt like blogging.

Melbourne is and has always been a favourite for me - their old buildings amaze me and I love the scenery...but I don't like the COLD! I managed to take a few photos while down there and have come to the conclusion that although my heart wasn't in it....even if it was I don't think I could be a photographer in melbourne...I shiver and my teeth chatter too much in the cold and no VR lense is going to help with that kinda blur!!! I tried extra coats but it didn't really help.

My husband and the kids drove down about a week after I left to be with me... so I got some shots of them with their cousins...

Layne & Rylie are only a month apart...and Indianna and Jake...well they may be 5 yrs apart in age but I don't think there is an age on MISCHIEF!!

Please don't ask...I don't have an answer for this...she just came out like it...

Indi's tongue never stops wagging and those eyes are always bright with mischief...she provided us with a few good laughs!

I love these cherry blossom trees - and Melbourne is full of them...

We drove back last Sunday and got caught in a snow storm...yes...in...australia....my husband was a little beside himself with excitement, because growing up in Europe he was used to this kinda thing...but he acted like it was a miracle in Australia...ok so it doesn't happen often and NEVER in Sydney BUT it does happen...but it was the first time our kids had seen snow, they were SOOOO excited. We stopped to let them play in it for a little while but daddy wouldn't let them play for long as he was concerned about how bad it would get and how much of it we had to get through - none of us wanted to be stuck on a closed road in a snow storm....

so we kept going...it probably took us about 2 hours to get through to the other side of it which was about an hour south of sydney...and then it was completely the opposite - no cloud and all sunshine...two extremes!

Who needs a trampoline???

2008-07-24T11:06:00.009+10:00

So I got some new goodies for my camera and wanted to play - but when I want to learn how to use something or get used to a piece of new equipment...I need to concentrate...that means that I can't multi-task and entertain at the same time...so this is my answer...

...an indoor trampoline...

...this will keep her occupied for at least 1/2 an hour...

...then we might swap beds because it's always more interesting jumping on someone else's bed!...you will also notice she now has some leggings/tights on - I kept getting underpant shots...it was a bit scary!

...and after I am satisfied...and only then does she get to take a rest!...

Sleeping in...

2008-07-21T19:35:00.003+10:00

About a week ago on a Sunday morning...Mike & I slept in...yep...we were awoken only by the doorbell ringing at 9:45am...Mike got up to answer it...and guess who decided to visit us???
Our 5 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter! Sometime after they had woken up they had somehow managed to unlock doors and get outside...got their bikes out of the garage and were riding around out on the street! They thought it would be funny to 'surprise' us by ringing the doorbell.

Soon after Layne came in I noticed a nice giant sized egg in the middle of her forehead...I asked her what happened and got some story about riding Jake's bike etc. Needless to say she went to church looking like a 'Clingon' from Star Trek!
These photos were taken a couple of days later when the bruising had really started to show up...

Something different...

2008-07-14T22:54:00.002+10:00

Ok so my friend Kym has tagged me...so here goes....

10 Years Ago...I was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was companions with 'Kiahna' - I remember at that time thinking that it was a difficult companionship (I say 'difficult' companionship - but it was more likely that it was what I was dealing with that was difficult and not the actual companionship)...yet knowing that if circumstances were different we'd probably have gotten along great (and even as I say that I still remember us laughing alot???)...I was 3 mths off going home and was having a melt down of gigantic proportions and most likely taking it all out on her!...I'm sure she thought I was a freak - now 10yrs later (- she adamantly declares that 'freak' never entered her head (but I don't believe her! :) Kiahna moved to Australia last year with her work...either I'm not a freak anymore or she's adjusted...because we get along great and now that she has gone back home I miss hearing her and my husband debate about U.S politics...!
5 Years Ago... My in-laws moved to Hong Kong and they asked us to move into their house...'supposedly' so that Mike's brothers would have somewhere/someone to live with...since they were staying behind. But secretly I'm guessing it had more to do with protecting the HOUSE from the wild YA-ADHD parties that Glen(da) would surely try to have and Justin(e) would surely 'pretend' to have nothing to do with. I believe the experience was one of those 'unforgettable' experiences for them...no matter how much they'd like to forget it...they learnt about babies crying in the middle of the night, they learnt that 2 yrs olds don't always do their business in their nappy...sometimes it's all over the carpet and walls. They learnt that a pregnant woman can cry at anything...and will...they learnt that pregnant women can go into labour in the middle of the night and no its not funny to stand there and laugh at her when she's on all fours having a contraction and YES a woman in labour WILL certainly disturb you if you're up at 3am studying for an exam the next day!
5 Months Ago... I turned 32...I got a new camera...I was busy throwing out stuff and getting our house organised for a move overseas...was researching international schools in Singapore and looking at housing etc...Jake started Kindergarten...oh and the kids & I were going swimming nearly every day after school because it was HOT!!!!...
5 Things on my List of Things to do tomorrow...
1. Process some photos for a client
2. Take Layne to Pre-school
3. Take Jake to swimming lessons
4. Go bike riding with Jake's school friends
5. Do some laundry
5 Bad Habits... do you really want to know these???
1. Talking excessively
2. Interrupting people
3. Forgetting to ask my husband how his day was
4. Making dinner only 4 nights a week instead of the required 7 days a week
5. I hate dishes....(is that a bad habit??? or more of an attitude problem?)
5 Places I've lived...
1. Camden, NSW, Australia
2. Cessnock, NSW, Australia
3. Newcastle, NSW, Australia
4. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
5. Sydney, NSW, Australia
5 Things People May not know about me...since I talk excessively...there probably isn't anything...but I'll try.
1. I HATE public speaking (or standing up in front of a crowd etc)...I know I can do it, I just don't like to...still have no idea how I got through my mission!
2. I played for my school soccer & hockey teams
3. I was school captain at my high school
4. I used to ride horses - dressage, barrel racing, jumping and do endurance rides but refused to enter any competitions - see no. 1 (please note: soccer & hockey are TEAM sports therefore the attention was not soley on me...therefore entering competition was ok....Horse riding events...were SOLE events therefore entering competitions was NOT ok!)
5. I've never broken any bones
5 People I tag....
1. Nichole
2. Sarah
3. Ashlee
4. Melissa
5. Kristy
(all family this time...sorry guys :)

Problems...

2008-07-11T12:39:00.017+10:00

I have many...but the one I'm talking about now is...I've been reading your blogs and been trying to leave comments but my web browser is having some issues and just plain won't allow me to...and yes I hear you....my husband is an IT nerd...and logically that should be the answer...but it's not always the case! If you're not getting my point...think of it this way: IF your husband was a chef...do you think that -
1. He would WANT to come home and make dinner for you (especially after cooking all day)
2. EVEN if he was tired and agreed to cook you dinner...there's no promise that dinner would be served within the usual time frame...

Speaking of problems...my kids don't tend to pose for photos like this very often...that might be a problem for others - I know when taking photos for people alot of them tend to like their kids looking at the camera and smiling nicely...and they are nice, but I like letting my kids go a little wild...because I always end up with some photos that will make me laugh every time I look at them....because that's what they're really like...WILD!
This is posey one...I can still see the cheeky little look in Jake's eyes.

And then you get them doing something like this because they think it's SOOO funny...

...notice how big Layne's mouth is??? that mouth is constanly filled with as much food as she can possibly fit in it - and yes she chokes often...but it must go in, just in case Jake steals it!

This is Layne looking like cousin 'it'!...Her hair is all over the place!

...totally random - Layne's legs...

This is Jake going crazy...on the full size photo you can see his facial expressions...such a boy!

Jakes face in this one totally cracks me up!

...and I love how Layne is levitating in this one!

but this is my favourite...Layne looks like a puppet! :)

Party Aftermath = Sugar High

2008-06-29T11:22:00.019+10:00

There's always a sugar high for my kids after a birthday party - so after the PINK party we loaded the kids in the car and took off to the beach - our favourite beach, Bronte Beach. Not as touristy as Bondi so lots of room for the kids to run up and down the beach PLUS a big grassed area to play soccer or footy...which is essential when trying to get rid of excess energy in young children! Mike and the kids went for a swim in their wetsuits in the FREEZING water (since it is the middle of winter - the freaks) while I stayed nice and warm taking photo's on the beach...they weren't allowed to swim in the surf since 'apparently' the beach was closed to swimming due to dangerous conditions...and I say 'apparenty' because of course there must have been at least 40 surfers out....but this is what happened to at least 2-3 of those surfers during the short time we were there....

...so the kids went swimming in the ocean baths instead.

Layne must has run up and down the beach at least 10 times....which was great...I kept telling her I wanted more photos...until she told me she couldn't run anymore...hmmm...I was certainly satisfied...Jake...well he and Mike entertained themselves by trying NOT to get wet in the waves...Mike promising me that they wouldn't get wet and he'd put the wetsuits on later when they actually went in....well THAT didn't quite work out did it! Jake had to ride home in his undies and my jacket....it quite funny really.

Attn: GIRLS ONLY PARTY!!!!!

2008-06-29T09:50:00.030+10:00

The Birthday Girls Name:

The Theme: a PINK party!

The required dress code...pink ...of course!

The Venue

The balloons being the favourite attraction

This is how the Birthday Girl's brother handles the akwardness of being the only boy at a girls party....shows off of course....

...like how cool would it be to gather all the balloons and then go outside and watch them go into outer space??? ...hang on...oh yeah....lets get my basket and put some teddys in it and make an hot air balloon!!! ....I just might need a few more balloons....like 60 or more!

Some of the favourites on the menu

Some of the little Princess's

The Craft activity: Paper flower necklaces

BUSTED!!!

The Birthday Girl taking a sneak peek at the birthday presents...caught on camera!

Completely random...

What was my husband doing at the kitchen bench that warranted him a little fan club???

Last but not least....

Trying desparately to blow out the candles on her 'purse' birthday cake while still continuing to eat her biscuit...if you know Layne...you'll realise how typical this is...the girl can EAT!!!!

Flying High...

2008-06-16T19:03:00.014+10:00

This year have been somewhat of a rollercoaster for our family...last November Mike was asked to consider a position in Singapore within the company he works for. Mike served his mission in Singapore so he was excited to say the least. I had to do some hard core research first before I began to feel comfortable with it...since we had a son starting school in February...there was more to consider than usual. Singapore is an extremely expensive place to live especially when having to send your kids to intertnational schools and since Mike's company usually only does permanent moves - nothing would be financed by the company...so after waiting 7-8 months they finally gave us the financial package....which we promptly declined. I was somewhat surprised at myself to say the least...because after all the waiting and preparing and effort I put into research etc to do with moving...I thought that I should have at least felt like SCREAMING! (This isn't the first time this has happened to us!) But funnily enough both Mike and I just shrugged our shoulders and were like...whatever!...haaa there were no tantrums, PMS or screaming....in fact there has been no emotional display whatsoever...we were just happy to get on with our daily lives - where ever that was going to be!

Because of not knowing what we were doing we hadn't been able to actually plan a holiday so far this year...we have HEAPS of frequent flyers so we had been tossing up different holidays....should we take a trip to the snow (NZ), Fiji, the U.S???? but we were always undecided...within 2 weeks of us declining the offer to go to Singapore we FINALLY booked our holiday!!! So now we are showing alot of emotion....we're sooooo excited!!

I'm also feeling some anxiety to do this trip since we had to leave the kids behind...for 3 WHOLE WEEKS! I've never been away from both of them at the same time for more than 2 nights! But I'm not going to think about that for now!

So this is what we'll be doing and seeing during the month of OCTOBER!

First Stop

PARIS, France

Second Stop

Cairo, Egypt

Third Stop

Italy

Fourth Stop

New York

Fifth Stop

Chicago - the windy city!

Now it took us 3 days of hard core negotiating with each other to actually decide where we were going to go...I was willing to spend only 2 days in the States and the rest in Europe as both Mike and I have both lived in the States before...BUT Mike would have none of it...he wanted to spend practically half the time there...

In highschool more than half of my allotted units were History units...especially Ancient History - if I had gone to uni back then it would have been to become an history teacher...I LOVED ancient history...it just fascinated me. So of course when trying to plan this trip I was wanting to go to ALLLL the places that I had studied in highschool...Mike on the other hand didn't seem too interested in those places - he wanted to reminisce and go back to the places he grew up in...Germany, France, Switzerland....he wanted familiarity...he wanted 4-5 star accommodation, I wanted to Backpack through Europe....so the places I wanted to go were places like Egypt, Athens and the Greek Islands, Turkey, Middle East, Rome, Prague etc....of course the list went on....I figured since he kept the America leg - I could choose the Europe/Middle East leg...haaaaa I'm constantly amazed at his talents in the area of 'persuasion'!! The boy is gooood!

All in all it ended coming down to what flights were available and how much time we had...and Mike has promised me that in the next few years he will take me to Athens and the Greek islands since that was the one that I had the hardest time giving up!

Tedious...

2008-06-08T17:23:00.006+10:00

So awhile back I decided to start scanning our wedding photo's and making digital copies...not that I particularly like my wedding photos but I figured for posterity's sake I would concede....it's been a bit tedious and I go through apathetic stages of whether I really want to bother - I think a big part of it is all the annoying things that come to mind...like why oh why did the little rosebuds I put in my hair not stay LITTLE...and instead decided to bloom throughout the day which - of course - I was oblivious to it. But then you come across a photo like this...and suddenly you don't notice it anymore...

...that's my youngest sister...I guess she thought instead of TELLING me about the stupid damn rosebud she'd just simply go one up - she competed with the rosebud!

....Back to the rosebud...I've always wondered why Mike never mentioned it...well, no, that's a lie...I don't wonder...I know what he had his mind on...and I'm not going to say anything more about that!

Back to the rosebud...you know when there is something embarrassing about the way you look and they seem oblivious to the fact that maybe they should actually tell you...????

I'll never forget sitting down with two of my sisters at a church function a couple of years ago...our kids running around having fun...my younger sister started talking and immediately my older sister and I informed her that she had something green right smack on one of her front teeth...and since we had only just sat down BUT hadn't actually STARTED eating - she immediately realised that it had been there for a while and her husband had NOT told her!!! I can't really tell you exactly what happened next but it involved Ember & I acting out conversations she'd been having with other people...one of us being Alison and the other being the one that couldn't stop staring at the 'green' tooth...we nearly wet our pants laughing (because we just find ourselves so damn funny!)...while our husbands stood from afar watching us, they have a name for it when they see us like this - the silly hour - it means when we've lost all self control and it won't get better until they separate us...

They wandered over obviously curious to see what had us in stitches...so the three of us performed our role play for them, needless to say all six of us laughed till we were in pain because our stomach muscles couldn't cope with the workout they were getting!

I love that about our husbands...they totally get us!

Disclaimer: DAMN is NOT cursing/swearing down here...so don't go sending me comments telling me what a potty mouth I am! ha...take that!

Lost....

2008-06-04T17:35:00.002+10:00

If you're wondering where I am...or why I haven't posted...please see last post...I'm LOST in a world of books...I think I may have read 10-12 novels in the last two weeks...ok so I am starting to see that maybe I need to work on...balance? ...so...um...here is my effort!

Rainman????

2008-05-21T18:03:00.006+10:00

My husband has a nickname for me...it's 'Rainman'...not Raingirl or Rainchic but Rainman...basically he thinks I'm a freak of nature...simply because I read...FAST! (in my head anyway).

Since I've been married I've found that I don't read alot of novels and if I do they are usually ones that I have read before...like works from Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, C.S Lewis or L.M.Montgomery. I found once I had kids I read books that I would learn something new from...I love learning something new... it was also because I know what I'm like when I read a novel...I have to keep reading...I need to know what happens...it's a yearning that's so strong that it takes me into the wee hours of the morning till I gain the satisfaction that comes from knowing the way it ends. Having to get up to children and feed them in the morning - basically getting up before 11am after a night like this doesn't necessarily produce the best in my 'mothering capabilities'. So I stopped reading new novels and stuck to the ones that I had read before and already knew the ending...it was safer that way.

And of course the staying up to the wee hours of the morning to read is FREAKISH behaviour for my husband...

1. He doesn't understand how I can read a whole 630 ish page novel in a 1 day...and

2. He doesn't understand how and why I just HAVE to know how it ends...like NOW!

So in the interest of helping him to understand his 'freak of a wife' I asked him how annoyed he would be if every 10 minutes or so into a movie he paused it and then went and did something else and left it for a few days/week before he actually got to watch the end of the movie...and IF he did would he enjoy it as much as sitting right through it??? Needless to say he got my point... (I still wouldn't mind trying it out on him sometime I think it would be quite entertaining to watch him wandering around aimlessly, looking lost and unable to cope as I do when I have to put my book down...)

So earlier this year I was feeling like I wanted some 'light' reading...something that I wouldn't necessarily have to read with the pressure of focusing and learning about what I was reading...something else...and I ventured to think to myself... Can I handle it??? Will I be ill-tempered at the kids the following day because I stayed up late reading? Will I still be able to cope putting dinner on the table, getting homework done and putting the kids to bed??? It was a big decision...It had literally been years since I had allowed myself the freedom...so I tried a short novel by Janet Evanovich. I enjoyed it. I stayed up late. I was extra mindful of being patient with the kids the following day...and I was genuinely surprised at myself that I was coping with the 'short-term' effects of reading a novel late into the night!

Now there was a series that I had been wanting to read...since the first book was released...I had had HEAPS friends in the States tell me I needed to read it...one of the girls I served my mission with knows the author...I kept putting it off...thinking I don't know if I can cope with reading an actual 'series'...the effects on our 'normal' family life will be MUCH MUCH worse than just a novel!

My friend that visited about a month ago from the States sparked the desire to read that particular series again... So I caved...and decided I'd read the first and I would pace myself over the rest of the series...I could do it...really I could...

I think I have officially crossed the line...I have become a TWILIGHTER!!!....

I started reading on Thursday night...I finished on Friday morning, promptly showered and drove down to get the next one

I started reading this one Friday afternoon and finished Saturday morning...promptly got dressed and drove down and got the next one

I had finished this one by Saturday night...

So much for the self-control!!!!

I'm happy to report that I just read 3 novels in the course of the weekend - that's 3 LATE nights and I was still able to get dinner on the table, housework done, play outside with the kids...AND finish and thorougly enjoy my series!

The funniest part of this was that my husband was getting slightly confused because one minute he thought it looked like I was at the end of my novel and the next minute I was only at the beginning - I guess he was trying to judge when he'd have his wife back - I left him in the dark until I was getting toward the end of the last one and then told him that this was the 3rd one...he promptly decided to remind me that I was a FREAK. I didn't mind in the slightest!

But he was also somewhat curious about the book since he has tried to get me to sit down and watch 'scary' movies so that I'll cling to him for dear life...I HATE scary movies or horror movies...so for me to be reading a VAMPIRE novel quite intrigued him...I think 'TWILIGHT' the movie will be officially the first maybe 'scary' movie that I will see with him...but since I know the ending it might not have quite the same effect as he is hoping!

The saddest part about all of this is that I'm wishing I had not caved in quite so soon...because now I have to wait till August 2nd before the final book BREAKING DAWN is released!!! The agony is acute!

AAAANNNNDDDD I have to wait till December the 12th before the movies TWILIGHT is released...!!!!

Can I live through that kind of torture???

Hiding...

2008-05-13T14:30:00.001+10:00

In case you're having a hard time imagining what it's like to find a grown man hiding...(see last post)

7 Years...

2008-05-12T15:17:00.017+10:00

___

It's was actually 7 years yesterday...but I was busy yesterday with it being our Wedding Anniversary AND Mother's Day...yeah...I know I didn't think that one out too well...:) - (by the way it's extremely hard writing on your left hand when you're left-handed...)

___

...He worked all weekend....

...gasp..

___

OH PLEASE!!!

___

Really we have the whole of ..oh.. I don't know ETERNITYtogether - and even with working he still managed breakfast in bed and a 3 course dinner for Mother's Day...so he still did a pretty decent job of it!

___

And as for the Wedding Anniversary...we can just celebrate that one ALL week!...Now I realise that many of you don't know the MAN and even those that do, have the general impression that he is quiet and reserved (and yes he is)...and I totally make up for this because I'm so loud and obnoxious...but he also has a cheeky and mischevious side (which I might add has ALWAYS been there) and over the last 7 yrs this has started to become more obvious and my loud obnoxious ways are slowly being tamed...we're good for each other that way...

He's my favourite husband EVER!

___

He gets lots of these...but you don't really need to know that.

___

So for any of you out there that have believed all these years that the MAN is quiet & reserved...let me give you an idea into what he's really like at home:

___

It's called CHILDREN!

___

They tend to show off the worst and the best of us...and sometimes you're just not sure which it is...for eg take Primary Presentations of any kind at church...Jake's first Primary Presentation he had one line to say...oh and did he SAY it!!! In fact he yelled it into the microphone giving all the elderly in the congregation near heartattacks...while the adults mainly tried to compose themselves and the children cracked up laughing...(My dad, Mike and I?? we hid down the back cracking up laughing too...it was kinda funny you know). Or running around the hall with his elastic tye around his HEAD instead of his neck, shirt off, claiming he is a 'stripping warrior' (his favourite book).

He's my favourite son.

___

And then there is Layne our almost 4yr old - yesterday during the Mother's Day song presentation...not particularly happy about being made to stand up and sing some lame old song...hung over the edge of the pulpit area looking bored out of her brains for the most part and then decided to grace us with a 'spiced' up version of the song by playing the drums on the pulpit area in front of her, while staring out at the congregation DARING anyone to try to make her stop!

She's my favourite daughter.
___

The children tend to HIDE when they are fully aware they have done something wrong and they hear me coming and know they will be found out at any minute...the MAN has also been known to hide with them! - (you try remaining serious with absolutely no hint of a smile passing your lips when you have a grown man hiding with two children claiming he is innocent!)

____

Or try remaining serious when the MAN does something like this to his daughter while she's sleeping, even though you have already bathed her!

They're all my favourites!

My heart...

2008-05-12T09:16:00.003+10:00

J. got this at his Mother's Day stall at school on Friday...he was so excited. He couldn't stop telling all the other parents that he got a heart for mum. :)

Memory Lane...

2008-05-06T15:41:00.011+10:00

We took the kids apple picking on the weekend...

I love orchards...I used to live on one....

It's times like this that remind me of growing up...I lived with my Grandparents until I was 10 yrs old....in an old weatherbooard house with a huge verandah...with an apple orchard out the back and my cousins living up the back in another house. I have only a few memories at that house as we moved into town about the time I started school.

I remember not having a TV...in fact we didn't have one until I was 10 - and even then it was a tiny black & white one...

Lesson Learnt - If you don't have an apple orchard as a backyard...then get a TV...

I remember telling my sister, Alison, that the electric fence wasn't on and it was ok for her to pat the cow...and then peeing my pants laughing when she got an electric shock...to this day I still feel that temptation when I'm at my dad's place with my own kids...but I restrain myself...or have so far...

Lesson learnt - Simple - don't listen to a word I say!

I remember always thinking that my sister Alison had a cow lick in her fringe because our cow a licked her in that exact spot...hmm...

Lesson Learnt - don't let a cow lick you...you're hair will never be the same again.

I remember thinking that I caught the chicken pox from my older sister, Ember because I touched her 'contaminated' pencil case

Lesson Learnt - Don't touch your sister's stuff or you'll get germs!

I remember while my sisters and I had the chicken pox my Grandma bathing us and towel drying us on the open verandah and my sisters and I standing there NAKED as one of my older male cousins walked by and waved to us...OH THE SHAME!!! I remember feeling embarrassed - not sure if I showed it...but the feeling was ACUTE!...mind you I must have only been about 4 (as I hadn't started school yet)...which in itself is strange to me since my almost 4 yr old girl has NO SHAME in running around naked!

Lesson learnt - just don't stand on the verandah naked, the ending is never good...I don't care how old you are!

I also remember watching my two cousins chopping wood, wearing thongs (aka: flip flops for all you americans/canadians) and one of them chopping the other one's big toe off...yeah...nice memory -thanks for that Steve & Craig! I just stood by watching as I think my sister Ember washed the bloody thong...I don't really remember being that distraught...just thinking...I wonder if he will be able to wear thongs again??...

Lesson learnt -don't chop wood wearing thongs...not that I chop wood anymore...I live in the city...but if I had to...I still couldn't do it without thinking about Craig's toe...or was it Steve's toe???

And lets not forget my cousin Ashley talking me into going for a walk down to the river (without permission I might add...because why would you ask when you know they'll say NO right?)...We took the shortcut...meaning straight down..rock faces and trees (NOT merrily walking down the nicely grated road - because that would be just too logical now wouldn't it)...in the middle of summer...when all the lovely venomous red belly black snakes are out and about...and of course coming across one...we didn't really see it until we were quite close and by that time it was already in striking position...it went for my cousin and he made a dive for it...right down and over the rock face - me....I just stood there watching the snake slither off into the bush all the while thinking that Ashley was surely, seriously hurt on the rocks below...but Ashley was a man...at the ripe old age of 7 or whatever he was... He soon climbed back up the rock face...(because I certainly wasn't coming to get him...I was standing in that exact spot...I wasn't moving...I was going to pretend to be a tree because somehow that would fix everything!)
After he finished describing to me what happened - at the time I thought he must have thought I was like his blind cousin or something, but now, with the wisdom of age, I know it's just something a man feels a need to do even if you were RIGHT THERE! - he then, in all his wisdom, told me we should probably head back to the house for dinner....but deep down inside I knew he was SCARED OUT OF HIS PANTS!!!

Lesson learnt -Don't let Ashley talk you into anything!

Love them...

2008-05-06T15:21:00.006+10:00

These two are just so just so cheeky...and so much fun, I love it...

f2.0, 1/750, ISO 400, 50mm lens

f5.6, 1/80, ISO 400, 18-55mm

It's helps with this one to have a relatively fast shutter speed available on your camera...seriously...she never stops moving!

I'm thinking it's all in the genes...

2008-04-28T13:05:00.004+10:00

I'd like to say that it's just my kids...

But that would be a lie now wouldn't it?...

A little peek...

2008-04-22T08:19:00.016+10:00

Let me give you a little peek into what it's like in our house when friends come to stay with us...we often have friends and family come and stay with us...like at least once a month...and we love it...we often get comments like: 'Didn't you just have people staying with you?'...or...'Do you ever get tired of having people stay so often?'...The answer is always...NO!...I mean, really, how could anyone tire of having someone else for the kids to climb & jump all over? :)

Let me introduce you to our guests:

This is Jeanney & Matt...

Jeanney & I were mission companions in Idaho (yes I did serve my mission for the LDS church on Temple Square in Salt Lake but I was sent to Idaho Pocatello Mission for 3mths as part of that). Jeanney was known in our mission as the 'Deer Slayer' simply because she...well...she ran into a deer...and nearly wrote the car off...so I was known as 'the Deer Slayer's companion'... anyway she loved being companions with an Australian soooo much that she decided to up and MARRY one...which suits me just fine...because that means she visits downunder every couple of years and I get to see her much more often than any of my other comps.

So Jeanney got to know my kids this visit...she left her two daughters with her mother-in-law in Brisbane for a few days...she was missing her kids...so I let mine climb all over her...just so she didn't miss her own too much...you know because I ALWAYS think of others feelings before my own....ALWAYS!

Jeanney even gave her some flying lessons...

My son, being the clown of the family and having the unique ability to make things that are NOT funny, FUNNY, decided this would be his new trick...

and then he thought better of it and decided to use them in a more appropriate manner...

...and he still found it funny...

What??? MY GUESTS throwing snotty tissues at me??? what did I ever do to deserve that????

...well I must say Matt...the snotty tissue was definitely worth it...

Been Busy...

2008-04-16T13:28:00.006+10:00

We've had people staying with us the last fortnight...so I've been busy enjoying the company, catching up and taking advantage of having my friends visit...and by that I mean...new subjects to photograph!

So last week my friend from QLD stayed and I caught her boys in action...doing only what boys can do!...

We had fun with Aleigha, her daughter...my camera ADORED her!

My kids get soooo excited when people come to visit...they especially love sleep overs - they tell me where everyone can sleep and who is sleeping in their room etc...sometimes their 'carefully' planned sleeping arrangements aren't always the best plan for actually SLEEPING!!!...so there are often some minor adjustments to their sleeping arrangements!

If it's not one child...it's the other...

2008-04-16T13:09:00.003+10:00

Another black eye...and a bit of blood...

this is the damage a Nintendo Wii controller can do when her brother is totally engrossed in his game and she steps just a little too close!

Just because...

2008-04-08T13:01:00.007+10:00

...that's what my little girl says at the end of most of her sentences...because....it is or because...that's why...I love it, it makes me laugh...and that has absolutely nothing to do with these photos...which are of my friends little girl...

50mm f1.8, f/1.8, 1/8000, 400iso

I'm just blogging...not because I really have anything to say but because we're getting our ducted air/con in today and I'm hiding out in the study with gyprock falling down ontop of me...so I thought I'd post a few photo's...I have been taking alot for friends lately...(I like to say 'friends'...my husband likes to call them 'clients' because he's a professional you know and I'm just a housewife and all...we like it that way)...

50mm f1.8, f/1.8, 1/6000, 250iso

50mm f1.8, f/1.8, 1/1250, 250iso

She loves...

2008-03-27T16:32:00.003+11:00

to paint!!!....

50mm, f5.6, 1/30, ISO 500 .............................................. 50mm, f5.6, 1/30, ISO 500

in fact she loves to do anything that mummy is doing...as long as she can do it all by HERSELF!

.......................................... 50 mm, f5.6, 1/30, ISO 500,

...which is a slight problem if I'm using my sewing machine!

Harmony Day...at Easter time...

2008-03-27T14:18:00.006+11:00

Has anybody heard of Harmony day??? Well I hadn't until this year...apparently the 21st March is Harmony day and the colour is orange...harmony day is supposed to be about friendship and forgiveness...which I thought was really great for the kids especially with Easter being earlier than usual this year...since the 21st of March was Good Friday this year J's school celebrated Easter and Harmony Day on Thursday before school let out. As part of this celebration they had to work in teams and complete a project..the teams consisted of all ages/grades at the school and then the teams had to get up and present them in assembly and talk about the friendships they made and what inspired them to do the project they completed...it was a great start to easter...although I admit...I was a little swamped with the fact that we had New Beginnings night for YW's on Thursday and I was still trying to complete everything for that the night before when I realised I hadn't made J's hat for the parade yet!! ...so we combined a bit of easter and a bit of harmony day and made orange chicken hat!

f1.8, 1/2000, ISO 320, 50mm ............................................... f5.6, 1/13, ISO320, 50mm

He was soooooooo excited!

f5.6, 1/60, ISO 320, 50-200mm

...and yes just in case you're wondering...they ARE false eyelashes...the funniest part....with me being completely swamped with things to do I asked my brother-in-law, G. to go and buy them for me...AND HE DID!!!
(thanks Glenda!)

Just a bit of info...

2008-03-25T20:22:00.003+11:00

OK...so over the last few months I have started to get alot of questions in regards to what camera I use etc....and I've had alot of friends ask detailed questions about different photo's...so I'll do my best to give you what info I can as I go along (although I may get lazy at times)...as you will see from my last two posts I have information about what lenses I have used, the aperture, shutter and ISO...

For those who I haven't gotten back to I have a Nikon D200 and at this time I only have Nikkor lenses. I have three lenses:

50mm f1.8 portrait lens...which is by far my favourite...it stays on my camera most of the time and is great in lower lighting situations where you don't want to use a flash....because I NEVER use a flash...I like natural lighting...although I can feel myself gradually thinking about exploring that area to widen my knowledge...

18-55mm zoom (f3.5-5.6) lens...this one I probably use the least...maybe because I have my 50mm - but I do find this one maybe better for landscaping - you get a bit more of depth of field and picture in it!

55-200mm zoom (f4-5.6) lens...I needed some kind of zoom lens so this was the cheapest option at the time...I know it's bad that I'm going for the cheapest lens and putting it on such a great camera body but hey...I'm hoping to upgrade these last two in the next year...this lens is good when trying to get closer to your subject...although I'd prefer a better aperture range on this lens...like I said I wanna upgrade...

I find that the last two lenses are great in some aspects yet...because I'm a perfectionist and already spend enough time on Photoshop I would prefer them to be a little sharper...but I'm hoping in the next 6mths to come to the conclusion that it's just my lack of photography skills so that I can save myself alot of money and NOT have to buy more lenses!

Like I said I am addicted to Photoshop so I use actions and presets...mostly freebies I've found through blog hopping and flickr...

I'm still completely undecided as to what to do with this blog...I'm not sure I can keep up two blogs...that's why it's kinda turned into my photography blog as well...my tech nerd husband is begging me to let him do a website for my photography...but that's always dangerous.....if I let him have control for a moment...well I'm afraid I'll never recover (because I'm a bit of a control freak about that kinda stuff ...that's why we have our own computers..)...so for now this is it...(and he can just keep using his laptop...we have an understanding).

Feel free to ask any questions or to tell me how NOT helpful I am at explaining things...communication has never been one of my strong points...I grew up with my father (who incidently is set to live by himself on a farm in the middle of nowhere and talk to his sheep) what can I say?

55-200mm, f5.6, 1/20, ISO 125

Something must have been REALLY funny...

2008-03-24T20:50:00.006+11:00

or not...these two cousins will laugh at just about anything!

50mm f1.8 lens, f5.6, 1/200, ISO 320

Mud fight...

2008-03-24T20:10:00.006+11:00

It all started with a quick visit to my sister's place on our way to my dad's farm...

55-200mm lens, f5.6, 1/160, ISO320
Within 15 minutes my son looked like this...it was rainy, cold and....well...dirty! We were inside of course...because thats where adults tend to go when it's rainy, cold and dirty outside...

55-200mm lens, f5.6, 1/125, ISO320 f5.6, 1/200, ISO 320
Personally I would have been screaming at the outrageous idea of a COLD hose down...they were not...

We let her stand here like this for a few minutes...just so it would be etched in her memory...just how cold it really was...

55-200mm lens, f5.6, 1/100, ISO 320
Then we did what any decent parent would do and gave them all a nice warm bath...to make up for the harsh measures taken 10 minutes earlier...

My neice...

2008-03-16T19:25:00.006+11:00

I love this girl...she's sassy, she has attitude - her and my little girl are quite similar in that respect...but she totally gets into the posing too...

when I asked her to pose for me this is what she comes up with...totally cracking me up!
...i like to call the last one her 'karate kid' imitation...not that she has ever seen the movie..she's only 4!

Just had to share...

2008-03-16T19:13:00.003+11:00

I'm just loving this photo at the moment...

How much fun is she having!! In fact I have a photo something similar to this of all our neighbourhood kids but their expressions a somewhat more 'pained' than B's!...this was from back in December - our neighbours put their water slide out on their front lawn and all of the kids were taking a slide...

After the accident....

2008-03-13T20:13:00.004+11:00

He has a black eye....

He fell asleep in the car and daddy was so loving as to carefully get him out of the car to carry him to his bed...but he kinda forgot there was a car door behind him as he swung around....ouch!

We're just hoping there is no permanent damage...

Obsessions...

2008-03-13T19:29:00.004+11:00

This is the latest obsession in our household...and no I'm not talking about our son...he LOVES Thomas but I wouldn't really say he is obsessed with it...my husband on the other hand is definitely obsesssed.
We have a date morning every week (since he works afternoon shifts) and guess what we did for our date this past week?...we went to at least 3 different toy stores to find the exact parts that he wanted for J.'s Thomas set! ...he wasn't happy with the choice so he has been bidding on parts on ebay for the last week or so...and me? well I just thought he had been working hard because usually when he's sitting down in the study in front of his laptop..that's what he's doing...but this week...well he has been working hard...working hard on finding all the parts for his Thomas - state of the art technology - railway system!

To die for...

2008-03-12T16:03:00.002+11:00

So sorry ladies but this one is already spoken for...you see my little girl and this little boy have a prearranged marriage...this little guy has a thing for long hair...thus the reason my little girl will NEVER cut her hair again...she'll be Rapunzel and he'll be her Prince...and any of you that even think of the 'not-so-bright-idea' of being the witch in this fairytale...well you've never met my Layne now have you!

Anybody home?...

2008-03-12T15:36:00.003+11:00

I love it when I'm driving along and I see something fabulous like this...my family doesn't though because it usually means if the camera isn't in the car we have to go home and get it..and of course it's just alot of waiting around...actually I lie...they don't mind..at least I don't think they do...the only thing my little girl seemed to be annoyed at was that I wasn't standing where she told me I needed to...hmmm...who's the one with the camera here???

Anyway I just loved this letterbox...saw it this morning and just had to go and get my camera to take a picture...but you see it was such a long way to go back to the house and then drive all the way back to the letterbox...I was ALMOST convinced not to bother...I mean it is all the way at the other end of our street...bit of an effort really.

What actually cracked me up was that I have driven past this letterbox how many times??? AT LEAST twice a day since I drop off & pick my son up from school....glanced at it and all but I never gave it a second thought...but for some unkown reason..today this letterbox just looked fabulous. There is one thing I'm wondering about though...why would someone have a letterbox on an empty block of land??? hmmmm

Saturday afternoon...

2008-03-09T10:28:00.010+11:00

Yesterday afternoon we took the kids down to the oval/bike track to ride their bikes...well that and lots of other things...since my husband packed bikes, remote control car, bubbles etc I figured he was out to have some fun...and drag the kids along!

We got the bubbles out and some other kids came running over to play...there were 5 of them and they were SO much fun...the two older kids especially!

When the bubbles were all gone J. got his remote control car out...I was so impressed with the two older boys and how great they were with the little ones...they helped give each of them turns with the bubbles and lined them up to make a tunnel for the car to go through...J. was beside himself with excitement...

I just loved how these tunnel shots turned out...the kids were having so much fun...

School...and a pair of scissors...

2008-03-08T21:20:00.002+11:00

J. got in trouble at school last week for walking around trying to cut peoples hair with the scissors they were using during craft time...he got time out for it...the teacher informed me when I went to pick him up that afternoon...so we had a little chat about it and I left it at that...that night he was sitting down with me doing something on the computer...and I noticed this...now look closely the eye on the bottom (his left) the eyelashes are...well normal...now look at the top eye...(his right eye)...not so normal hey...I'm gathering that since he couldn't talk any of his friends at school into letting him cut their hair...he decided to try cutting his eyelashes...nice!!!

Bubbles and a Gerbra...

2008-03-05T13:55:00.007+11:00

We had some fun this morning...last week I found a big bubble blower on sale...so we took it out this morning and had some fun...

I love how she is trying to 'move' the bubbles...

You know, I really am addicted to Photoshop...I added a bit of texture and look what it gave me...I love this aged effect!

I'm watching you...

2008-03-03T20:30:00.003+11:00

Due to my children getting into things...mainly food items - like the cooking chocolate or taco shells - we have had to have a lock on our pantry door for years now...we started out with the whole childlock thing until at age 3 my son worked them out...we now have a full lock latch at the top of the door so that he cannot reach it...but every now and then my husband forgets to lock it and we find two little munchkins hiding in there eating every 'treatlike' food they can...now this wouldn't be a major issue for most parents...the issue would be more of a disobedience issue for them - let me tell you that''s the last thing on my mind when I catch them out - my mind is preoccupied with the issues I will be dealing with for approximately the next 5 hours! My son, being ADHD, is extremely sensitive to any portion of sugar and the following 5 hrs of him partaking of any thing of the kind is hard to describe if you have never witnessed it! Due to this, I have become extremely sensitive to discerning when the pantry door is being opened without consent, even when I am at the other end of the house. I usually sneakup on him to catch him in the act and he often jumps a mile high in fright (a secret love of mine). Slowly but surely he's learning that I am ALWAYS watching!

Pouting...

2008-03-03T20:14:00.003+11:00

My kids have never been pouters....they've been screamers...when they're upset they have no problem letting you know just how upset they are...so when on the rare occasion my little girl pouts...I can't help it but I love it!...

I was a pouter...it's moments like this that help me remember my own pouting issues!

On the rare occasion she does pout...it certainly doesn't last for long...she's very easily distracted!

For Ember...

2008-03-03T20:07:00.004+11:00

This is for my sister Ember.....she hates feet...sometime I scrunch my toes just to see her cringe...I love to stick my feet as close to her as possible...just to see her squirm!!! It's a bit late but Happy Birthday!

Self Portrait Challenge...ickkk

2008-03-03T19:55:00.003+11:00

One of the photography blogs that I peruse/stalk has been doing self portrait challenges...each challenge has something different that you need to try and incorporate into your photo...I've always hated getting my own photo taken but some of them were pretty creative...so I took the plunge and decided to get over my inhibitions...and try taking some...I didn't bother trying to meet the requirements as I figured it was a big enough challenge for me to actually be in front of the camera!!! A bit boring but hey my creativity has trouble flowing when I'm out of my comfort zone!

Gorgeous Little Things...

2008-02-27T12:01:00.013+11:00

My sister lives literally 5 mins from all this!!!

This little town is absolutely brimming with history...if I remember rightly it's where Arnotts (the biscuit co.) first started...the houses both large and small are beautiful..the whole area is beautiful...this little shop front simply summed it up for me!...and just in case you can't read it...it's called 'Gorgeous Little Things...'

This is right across the river....

...I have a thing for grass lately...paddocks of grass that is...it's sad, I know...

...and I love seeing fields of crops growing...this corn runs along side the road...

and you see lots of this...

And if you're concerned about it 'being in the middle of nowhere' it's really just a perception...because if you travel 30 mins east...you're at the beach!...if you travel 15 mins - 1 hr west you're surrounded by beautiful vineyards, olive groves and occasionally lavendar farms...if you travel 1 hr-2 hrs south...you will be on the central coast and then Sydney...if you travel 1 hr north...well then you really would be in the middle of nowhere...!

My idea of a pefect location is definitely this! Beauty, history and space like this....yet still within 15-30mins of large shopping malls and 30mins within a beach...

Attitude on a Swing...

2008-02-27T11:52:00.006+11:00

This is her favourite thing to do at the park....

Toughness

2008-02-27T11:36:00.005+11:00

This is my little 'attitude' with her cousin who is only a month younger than her...sometimes a video camera would be quite handy...since I didn't have one on me...I'll repeat the dialogue that
was going on between these two when I took these shots...

Cousin: 'I can lift my bike up real high...' Attitude: ' I can do that too...see'

...'real high'... Cousin: ' well I can do it even higher...'

and I'm sure it would have kept going like this if Attitude's big brother hadn't come along to distract them with better things to do...like climbing high up on the rope net and getting stuck!

At least she's not actually spitting...

2008-02-22T21:15:00.005+11:00

I love this girl...she's alot of fun...

Nothing interesting to say...

2008-02-21T19:18:00.007+11:00

To get the umbrella shots I shoved her out in the rain...with her umbrella...

while I sat in the car and took photos....

...ok so I'm kidding...it hadn't actually started to rain yet!

Me...DANCING??? What the....?

2008-02-20T14:28:00.003+11:00

So a friend of ours...every time I see him, he looks at me he can't stop laughing and shaking his head....he seriously thought this was me!!!

His wife and I were watching it today having a bit of a laugh...the ONLY people that I ever dance is in front of is my kids...because they love me regardless of how retarded I might look doing it...and A. if you're reading this...the only way you will ever witness this is if SINGSTAR becomes DANCESTAR AND THERE IS ALOT OF MONEY INVOLVED!!!