I'm baaaack

Just a super fast post to let you all know that I'm back. I didn't want to leave you all alone for too long... :)

I had the MOST fantastic weekend. I missed my family like crazy but had sooo much FUN! These are my girls...

Left to right: Tam, Jen, Boo, Lis and Me.

Leaving you all

I thought that I had better post. I know there are sooo many people that look forward to reading my incredible witty and intelligent posts and seeing my award winning photos...

Yeah, I'm joking. I thought there may be one or two people out there though that would like to know that I'm going away!!! 5 days without Danny or the kids. Wow... I've never done this before. I know that by the time I get home I will have missed them like crazy but I'm sooo looking forward to 'me' time.

I'm going to Melbourne with 4 other women that I met on a message board (2Peas). It's going to be soooooooo cool... well, it better be! :p

So, I'm sorry to leave you all in the dark empty place but I will come back to shine light on you all again :)

Pssst... look what I did

I'm not totally happy with it but it's my first ever digi-layout. Does the 'melt my heart' make sense?

Busy weekend

Danny's Nan & Pop surprised us on Thursday night. It's been about a year since we saw them last and it was so great to see them again.

We went to this really cool big playground together on Saturday.

The kids all had a great time. There's so much to play on and it's really spread out. It's also fenced so you feel really safe letting them run around.

We had a BBQ (cook out, for my American buddies).

It was a really nice, busy, fun, spring weekend.

How to really love a child...

About a year ago I met a fantastic woman online (actually, 4 of them but this is all about Tam). She's got the biggest heart and she's a super talented scrapbooker. I was trying to think of a quote to add to my sidebar when I remembered a layout she'd done. One of the things that stands out to me in her layouts is her journalling - it's always honest and always straight from the heart. The journalling on this particular page was perfect for what I wanted. I did have to shorten it though so I wanted to add the full version here, as well as a link the the fab layout in question.

----------------------------------------------

Be there ~ say yes as often as possible ~ let them bang on pots and pans ~ if they’re crabby, put them in water. If they’re unlovable, love yourself ~ realize how important it is to be a child ~ Go to a movie theatre in your pajamas ~ read books outloud with joy ~ invent pleasures together ~ remember how really small they are ~ giggle a lot! ~ Surprise them ~ say no when necessary ~ teach feelings ~ Heal your own inner child ~ learn about parenting ~ hug trees together ~ make loving safe ~ bake a cake and eat it with no hands ~ go find elephants and kiss them! Plan to build a rocketship ~ imagine yourself magic ~ make lots of forts with blankets ~ let your angel fly ~ reveal your own dreams ~ search out the positive ~ keep the gleam in your eye ~ mail letters to God ~ encourage silly ~ plant licorice in your garden ~ open up ~ stop yelling ~ express your love ~ A lot ~ Speak kindly ~ paint their tennis shoes ~ Handle with caring Children are Miraculous... ***** Tamara *****

----------------------------------------------

Link to Tam's layout on Two Peas In A Bucket

I'm still too chicken to post a photo of myself, so here's one taken on a trip to Sydney in April of this year. The tootsie on the left is mine and the nicely manicured tootsie on the right is Tam's.

As you can see, I'm half way through giving the blog a facelift. There's still more to come but I'm happy for now. I'd love to add a song, that you can turn off if you want, that doesn't have a video clip with it. Anyone want to point me in the right direction?

The battle wound

Poor little princess...

Not only did she have her head wound to deal with, but she tripped over and scrapped her knee. She always feels better when she has her daddy (otherwise known as her 'King' or her 'Higglytown Hero') with her when she's hurting...

Daddy soaked off most of the padding in the bath and had to pull the last bit off... it was stuck to the glue. He let her pull the one off her knee though. She was so brave - such a big girl. Hopefully now she can heal and there'll be no more.

What's funny though, is that I think she's really not meant to have long hair. She's cut it herself 4 times now. It was just about long enough again to get cut at the hairdressers and brought back to normal and this happens. She's had quite a big patch shaved off and almost to the bottom. It's very, very, very short too... going to take years to grow back.

Ah well... here's the head shot. I kept it small so I wouldn't gross anyone out. :)

A new camera lens

Gotta love this boy!

I got a new lens today thanks to my Mum! Sooo totally cool. I knew it was coming but thought that I was getting on my birthday in January. Nope, it's for my birthday but I didn't have to wait until my birthday.

I didn't really play with it alot. It was latish afternoon when I got it. I did manage to get this shot though. I shot wide open - because I could - but know that I have to learn when to open up and when to close up. I wasn't going to post the photos I took but I love this one. He's such a boy! He wanted to take screaming photos like his big sister did.

So yeah... I'm in Heaven. Well, Nirvana I guess. ;)

Oh yeah... no editing on this one except for defog and usm.

My best shoot so far...

Had the BEST time yesterday. It was the first time that I knew while I was taking the photos that they were going to be good. This is Jessie, my gorgeous 11 year old stepdaughter.

Without further ado...

Did I mention photo overload??? :p

Today we made a rainbow

But shhh... it's a secret :)

The smallest child holds the most power!
It so great to be outside and WARM!!! We were sooo over winter...
We got her... he he he
"Ready? Here I goooo......"

This is my favourite shot from the day. After - calmer, wetter, cooler, happier :)

I've been feeling lately as though I can never learn all there is to learn and that I'll never be 'there'. I've been so concerned about the technical aspects and getting the perfect photo that I'd forgotten to take photos just for fun. These were still shot in manual mode. I know there's a ton technically wrong with them... but I have fun. Thanks to my friends at 2 Peas for helping me find fun again...

Quick update on Piper

Piper is doing fine. She was really tired today and had a headache. We went shopping and she got to buy a pretty hat to wear (yes, photos coming when she feels better) and she also spent her birthday money.

Piper's battle wound

Well yesterday was fun. Just when it was time to start cooking tea everything went crazy!

Bailey and Piper come running to me. Piper is screaming and crying... almost at the holding her breath stage. I'm trying to settle her down and all I got from Bailey was that they had been playing and she'd fallen and hit her head on the TV cabinet. I finally got her to calm down enough to let go of me. I said "let's look at the bump on your head".

As she pulled back I saw blood on my neck and chest. I looked at her and it was dripping down her neck and had already made the mess you can see on her shirt in the photo. My heart was thumping so hard as I was trying to move her hair aside to find the cut. I'm dreading seeing a massive gash.

It wasn't too bad... probably about an inch long. It was really open though and still bleeding. I held it together, I didn't panic - honest. Took her to the bathroom and got a handtowel onto her head. Jadzia came in to hold it there while I called my mum and asked her to come take us to the hospital - Danny was at work with the car.

She ended up having a patch of hair shaved and glue to patch her up. She is supposed to keep the bandage on for 2 days and not get it wet at all for 3 days. Poor baby.

She was sooo good though. I'm so proud of her. After I calmed her down the first time she didn't cry again. She did sook a little as they were cleaning and sticking the wound but that's to be expected. All she wanted was her daddy though. She got to fall asleep on the lounge next to him and she slept in between us last night.

What had happened was that Bailey had been carrying her on his shoulders (no, he's not allowed to do it) and tripped backwards. She'd fallen and hit her head on the corner of one of the TV cabinet doors. She didn't pass out or anything which is great. Actually, she didn't even complain of a headache at all.

I always say... life is never boring with my kids!

The quest begins...

I'm determined to get a photo of all our children. I want to have it by the end of the year. Next year, Jessie goes to high school... I can't believe how grown up she is.

So, I know I need a lot of practice before I can get it to work so I've decided to start trying. Jessie wasn't with us but I had my hands full with these four. Pacey would not look at the camera. Piper did everything she could to aggravate Jadzia. Jadzia was being a major pain in the ass. Bailey... well, Bailey was doing really well actually. On top of that, Pacey and Piper both have battle wounds on their faces. *sigh* Let the laughs begin...

I think this is my favourite. At least they are all looking at the camera. I told them to scream, hoping they'd laugh when they finished...

This pose was Bailey's idea. It would of worked well except for the half hidden heads.

Do you think this was exactly what Jadzia wanted to be doing?

I'm sure I don't need to point out what's wrong with this one...

This isn't too bad I guess... for some reason Pacey's forehead looks twice the size it should.

Something in the teeth?

I took about 50 photos and these were some of the better ones. I'm not even going to mention the technical mistakes, the background or the clothing choice. Like I said, this was just practising... learning how to get them all to listen to me, working on composition.

PS - What do you think of the new watermark?

Bailey was LOVING the camera!

Oh yeah! He's been in a phase where he hates the camera for quite a few months now. I was having to bribe, bargain, beg...

Yesterday we went out to my mum's house while Danny was at work. Bailey WANTED his photo to be taken! He was begging me!!! He had his eyes open, was smiling, getting into different poses... it was so fantastic. He could be completely over it by the next time I pick up the camera but I took it for what it was worth...

Not usually a fan of B&W but it works for me on this one.

He looks far too grown up here...

...and here.

He was playing up to the camera so much. This is his 'Gollum' pose. You know, from Lord of the Rings. It's a little freaky to me but he loves it so I couldn't resist adding it here.