day one hundred and eighty-three | 2011
Can you see what I see?… this was the view in my side mirror today (don't worry – the car was stopped, I was just about to turn into our driveway)
day one hundred and eighty-two | 2011
Business trip today… to my favourite city in Australia – Canberra ♥
day one hundred and eighty-one | 2011
So here's the scene – it's the middle of winter; it's dusk; the air is very still; it's getting dark; and it is damn cold… now here's the question – what do you do?
Well, if you are Xan and Willow, you dress in in t-shirts and shorts/skirts, and run up and down the road, trying to make your kites fly (did I mention how still the wind was?)… that was your answer too, right?
day one hundred and eighty | 2011
Getting a bit sick of losing light so fast… but the flash (and a willing model) helps a little!
day one hundred and seventy-nine | 2011
Not long from the land of nod… Wiilow, lying on the ottoman, watching tv… (that's Pooh Bear she is using as a pillow)
day one hundred and seventy-eight | 2011
Xanthia made herself some fairy bread for afternoon tea… and couldn't resist having a bit of fun!!
day one hundred and seventy-seven | 2011
A quick snap of Darci Bingley before driving her into work ♥
day one hundred and seventy-five | 2011
This is the view of Jaimi we see the most! lol!… staring into her Gameboy DS XL.
day one hundred and seventy-four | 2011
Ok, let me explain this photo – Willow came into my study to say goodnight, so I grabbed to camera to take my photo for the day… she started pulling faces and staring at the flash ("coz it's funny to see black spots in front of your eyes")… I took a couple then told her she had to behave so I could get 'my' shot… then the camera battery died! Bugger.
Now I do have a spare battery, of course, but it was in my camera bag… in the car… and it was cold outside 🙁 … so I decided to make do and pick the best of the bad lot that Willow gave me!! Lucky she is cute, huh?
day one hundred and seventy-three | 2011
They are supposed to be asleep… they're nearly there, right??
day one hundred and seventy-one | 2011
Darci… home from "probably the worst social "… but she looked goooood ♥
day one hundred and seventy | 2011
hahaha… I caught Willow, just getting out of the shower! Don't ya just love mothers with cameras!!
day one hundred and sixty-nine | 2011
I have just picked Darci up after her first ever shift at her first ever job ♥
day one hundred and sixty-eight | 2011
It's been way too long since I had Jaimi as my photo of the day… it seem that, as in all things, the squeaky wheel (read: Xanthia and Willow) get the oil… so today I took a photo of the quiet wheel! ♥
day one hundred and sixty-six | 2011
I came home from work a bit late… and light was fading fast… so I grabbed my camera and made the call out, down the hall "who wants to be my photo of the day"… I had one lonely reply… and here she is!… my Willow ♥
day one hundred and sixty-five | 2011
I tried to get a photo of Xanthia sleeping – just to prove she does actually have an off button… but she opened her eyes when I pointed the camera at her – cheeky bugger!… so instead, I have a photo of Willow sleeping… thumb in her mouth and 'Raffie' in her hand… awwww ♥♥♥
day one hundred and sixty-four | 2011
One last photo op with dad before he had to go back to Sydney… we miss him already 🙁
day one hundred and sixty-two | 2011
My theory is – you can never have too many girls in the house!!… so we have three extras for the night!… my pseudo daughters – Isabella, Charlotte and Inez ♥
day one hundred and sixty-one | 2011
My little running champion, Xanthia, has shown her true talent again today… after coming second in her school cross country, and second in the district cross country, today Xan ran in the Zone Cross-Country… and came 8th!! 8th out of about 30 girls from many different school… and completing the 3km course in under 14 minutes!… her awesome result means she has now qualified for the Regional Cross Country to be held in a couple of weeks!
You are a super-dooper, amzing, champion Xanthia! We are so proud of you!!
day one hundred and sixty | 2011
My ranga is home!!
Ok, technically speaking, their daddy is home… and it took a few minutes of screaming and giggling and cuddles before I could actually get at him!… but it was worth the wait!
He is only home for the long weekend… but we haven't seen him since ANZAC Day so it is all so very exciting!! Love you baby!!
day one hundred and fifty-nine | 2011
I know I don't include many photos of Zeus… and it's not that I don't love him as much as Cleo… it's just that he hates it when I put the camera in front of my face, so he always looks so sad in photos 🙁
day one hundred and fifty-seven | 2011
My poor Cleo has a huge heat spot on her shoulder that won't heal, because she won't leave it alone!… solution: my old t-shirt! (here's hoping!)
day one hundred and fifty-six | 2011
Willow was my photo assistant today… and her first job was to help me test the lighting conditions… of course, she put her own spin on it! lol! Girl Power!
day one hundred and fifty-five | 2011
Thanks to my wonderful mother, who traveled over from Bendigo last night, so she could take Xan and Willow to hockey all the way down in Altona today… I finally got to see one of Zoe's hockey games!… and she was AWESOME!! They ended up with a 1-1 draw, but what a great game!
day one hundred and fifty-four | 2011
With singer, P!nk, announcing the birth of her new baby girl 'Willow Sage' today, it seemed only fitting that I should have my Willow as my photo of the day!
day one hundred and fifty-three | 2011
After running really well at her school Cross-Country a couple of weeks ago, Xanthia qualified for the District Cross-Country which ran today… she moved up an age group this year, and as a result, also moved up a distance class – she had to run a full 3km!
Despite being quite nervous for the past couple of days, Xan was relaxed and energetic leading up to her race… just havin' fun with her besties!
Well, after lots of mucking around and frivolity – the time had come… all the 11 girls (for those who turn/ed 11 in 2011), from five different schools, lined up… and away they went!!
I am so, so, so, very proud to say that my tiny, little, 10 year old, Xanthia came second… SECOND!!
This girl is seriously amazing!
day one hundred and fifty-one | 2011
I guess they look pretty cute – but they are really a PITA!!
ps: Yes; they are tongs in Darci's hand… and No; I have no idea why!
day one hundred and fifty | 2011
Darci's room… a glimpse into her mind… it's a scary, scary (somewhat psychedelic) place! lol!
day one hundred and forty-nine | 2011
this is such a cop out… but this wasn't meant to be my photo of the day… I just forgot to take another one, so this is it!
day one hundred and forty-eight | 2011
This is the sorry sight I woke up to this morning… Cleo with the bin lid stuck over her head!! Gee, I wonder what she got up to last night?!
day one hundred and forty-six | 2011
Zoe's Art Portfolio is due tomorrow, so it is all hands on deck to help with the final touches.
day one hundred and forty-five | 2011
Today I was invited to my first ever State-of-Origin party… and let me tell you, these NRL people are a strange lot!… or is it just Queenslanders who are strange?
Thank you to my awesome hosts, Joe and Eileen for a great night… and thank goodness, Queensland won… Game One, anyway… two more games to come!
So much awesome food!… and how cute are the little shortbread queenslanders?!
Ready for the game to begin…
… after the singing of the National Anthem, of course!
day one hundred and forty-four | 2011
She was home from school, sick, yesterday… but you would never know it today!
day one hundred and forty-three | 2011
Look who's on guard in the doorway to my study… ferocious, huh?
day one hundred and forty-two | 2011
Darci had a friend sleep over last night… they went to the movies to see 'Battle: Las Angeles' and 'The Green Hornet' (2 movies for $6 – bargain!) and then they come home to continue their movie marathon… I'm not sure what time they went to sleep, but I woke at about 2:45am and could still hear them… this was them after lunch time today!
day one hundred and forty | 2011
I love my work… this is how I spent my Friday afternoon at 'work'… kickin' basketball ass! (obviously I'm not on there right now – someone had to take the photos! – but I did play too)
day one hundred and thirty-five | 2011
Today, my eldest child turned nineteen… yep, you heard right – NINETEEN!
I'm not going to say that the last nineteen years with Jaimi has been easy, because frankly, it hasn't… she had an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Intellectual Disability, and, just for kicks, she also has Hypotyroidism… that's not to say the trying times haven't been worth it… but trying times, there have been!
When it came to buying Jaimi a birthday present this year, I was a bit stumped… what do you buy the 19 year old who has everything she could possibly want? Laptop, game boy, TV, DVD player, Wii… she has it all!! So, I went with the 'experience' option and bought her (and I) tickets to see the Walking with Dinosaurs Arena Spectacular!
We headed to Melbourne on the train… grabbed some lunch at Southern Cross Station and then jumped on a tram to get us the rest of the way to Hisense Arena for the show… and what a show it was! Jaimi was so excited and loved every minute of it! She gave me (and the people around us – oops!) a running comentary of each of the dinosaur periods and species… and speculated on what dinosaur was coming next!
After returning home by train, Jaimi and I stopped at the supermarket for her to pick out a cake… a chocolate mud cake, of course! Her favourite!
All-in-all, a very successful day, if I do say so myself!
day one hundred and thirty-four | 2011
… there is someone sleeping in my bed!… and how cute is she?!