ahhh…

Posted on August 24, 2010

A couple of Sundays ago, I took my tribe + 1 to the park for a picnic and a play.  Twas a loverly afternoon. Exactly how afternoons should be spent when you have five beautiful little girls to entertain, and it is a gorgeous winters day.  I packed up a couple of smoothies, some strawbs, sangas and deliciously yummo corn chips and dip. Perfect.

Milla spent the majority of her time lounging around on the rug munching grass (note to self – FEED HER).  Murphy spent the afternoon in the swing OR eating.  Hard for her to decide which was the most satisfying.  When she was done with those – she ‘cartwheeled’! the Mackenzinator drifted – picking flowers, cuddling mummy, eating and playing.  Madison and her buddy were awfully busy being 7 and 8 year old girls.  Full of singing, secrets, cartwheels and giggles.  *sigh*.

Enjoy.  I did.

I think this last one may just be my favourite.  Funnily enough – it’s only the littlest M that is looking at me.  The rest of the gang are all about Murphy.  I think she is cartwheeling, or standing on her head.  Either way – she calls the shots!

I love all of these little moments of us just being us.  This is totally natural.  I don’t spend hours editing and massaging the photographs.  Usually just a quick click here and there and upload.  I like to preserve the moment just how it is.  I use my family photographs to experiment a little with processing. I am not experimenting with my style of shooting – this is the way I shoot.  I like to tell a story and document the moments.  I think I have achieved that.  They are not all perfectly in focus, nor are they all technically correct.  They are not boring. To me -  I am showing life.  My life.  Our life.  The life I have built with my fabulous husband (who – by the way – is at this moment recovering from having his nose broken in surgery and all the gunk cleared out.  yes yes – I know – I could have broken his nose for him – as could many others that offered – but apparently it had to be in a sterile environment – I just couldn’t swing access to one of those!).  This is the life I love.  This is the way my photography is heading.  Storytelling. The moment. Stay tuned for more moments.

mini mini mini sessions…

Posted on June 29, 2010

Last Saturday I held a mini mini session day.  it was super successful and the gorgeous families that came to see me were fabulous!

here is a super sneak peek for everyone!

Such fun to be had!

Up up and away

Posted on April 30, 2010

Ok. So I have been absent. A screaming baby will do that to you. Something had to give. Since I couldn’t give Milla to anyone – blogging had to go. Horrendous choice I know. I apologise.

Milla is doing much better. A combination of medication and excellent chiropractic care seem to be making things manageable.

Currently I am on my way to the airport. This is the up up and away part of the post. Port Douglas here I come. Thanks Canon. (no pictures or pretty links coz blogging from the iPhone won’t let me).

testing testing tested….

Posted on April 16, 2010

See that little face up there.  Those poor little red eyes.  That’s what you get when you spend the day screaming.

Yesterday was tough.  Super tough. I had a super horrid night’s sleep – both Milla and Murphy tag teamed it through the night – and managed to keep me from sleeping too much.  Murphy decided that it was the night where she would like to go to the potty thank you very much rather than use her nappy.  At 12:15am. WHAT! Who was the duffer that toilet trained a two year old that still can’t even pull down her own pants? Whilst I was dealing with that – the light woke Miss Milla.  Apparently 12:15am is the PERFECT time for a feed thanks mummy.  Even though she hasn’t had a night time feed in oh – um – 8 weeks. I tell you what – I whipped that booby out quick smart and she had the quickest feed she’s ever had – threw her back into bed and attempted sleep – only to be woken again by Murph grizzling.  She ended up in bed with me. Humpf.  Akin to sleeping with Mr Snuffaluffugus.

SO – I started the day all cranky.

I walked off some of the cranks – but then then it all went pear-shaped.  Milla spent hours screaming. Blood curdling.  I just though she was over-tired – so I kept trying to resettle etc etc etc.  To no avail. Happened upon our gorgeous Maternal & Child health nurse (whoops – I unknowingly missed my appointment….) who mentioned reflux as the casue.  Quick call to the fabulous Dr L.  I am now armed with medication and tools for combat.  We will get through today.

Oh – did I mention – my favourite external hard drive also had a case of the cranks.  Fixed that up quick smart!

On a fabulous note – I received my travel itinerary for the Canon photo5 trip!  So excited. (quick newsflash for new readers – I won the ‘portraiture‘ category in the 2009 Canon photo5 competition.  My prize was a Canon 5D MkII, 24-105L series lens and a 3 day trip to tropical North Queensland).  It looks to be fabulous! Am looking forward to meeting Chris Bray – awesome adventures he has!

Oh oh oh – on ANOTHER fabulous note……. the fabulous MAEVE magazine will be debuting in 15 days…….. check out this little tidbit……..

Today will be a good day.  A little bitty babe is coming here to be captured – looking forward to meeting him.  Milla will be restful and happy, Murphy will not be too cyclonic, Madison will have a fabulous day and Mackenzie will ROCK her little world.

my april fool

Posted on April 2, 2010

I have never claimed to be a practical joker.  In fact – my practical jokes always fall flat. I am not good at them – so I rarely give it a go. SOOO…… yesterday morning when I was still awake at 12:20am, I remembered it was April Fool’s Day – ohmygoshI’llplayatrickonWilburandpretendIampregnant’.  Yes – it really came out that quickly! I whipped onto twitter, and posted the following…..

I had a little giggle to myself and went to sleep – not expecting much….

Little did I know – by the time he rang me at 9:30am – poor Wilbur had totally rearranged our lives, fitted five children into a new car, redesigned the caravan, grew a headful of grey hair, and subsequently decided he could manage five children – even if it was another girl!  This is only after the complete and utter shock had worn off!  Poor bloke – he read my post at 5:30am, and then spent the next for hours sorting everything out in his head!  never once did he question that a)maybe I would have told him quietly first (and most likely in tears) before telling the whole world), and b)apparently you need to do some horizontal folk dancing to make babies (and who has time for that when you have a 13 week old, plus three others that are all like mini-cyclones!).  All the blokes at work were still laughing at him late in the day – and we had a huge belly laugh over it ourselves.  I still let out a giggle every now and then!  Sometimes the most impromptu things are the funniest- and make the best jokes!

To clarify – there is no 5th baby.  There will not be.  I am still getting my head around four of the things.

In other activities….. Madison decided to get her hair cut the other day – so we took some photos of her – to show the before….. we haven’t had a chance to do any ‘after’ – but she did pose a little in the car for me…..

Okay – so you can’t really tell – she is all glasses, and only the last one is an ‘after’!

The other day – I discovered that the Mackenzinator has no ball skills.  her ball skills are right up there with her ’swimming like an elephant in quicksand’ skills. I have made it my mission to at least get her to be able to catch a ball without looking like she is a seal flapping its flippers at random fish.  We bought her a very retro-like ball and off we went to the school basketball courts.  Hmm – it’s going to take more than one ball session to get that seal-flapping out of her!  She looks pretty cool though…..

The photos up the top there are a random few from our little jaunt to the school playground – I even sneak into a few… SURPRISE!

Four children that are my own are hard to photograph – together. This is the best and ONLY I have of all four – and I LOVE it! It is a little squiffy – and yes – taken with my iphone – but it is ALL of them TOGETHER – in one frame.

Makes me happy.

Happy Good Friday to all – we are heading off camping for a few nights – all of 5 minutes down the road to the foreshore – gotta test the ‘container on wheels’ set-up!

That makes me happy too!

not again……

Posted on April 1, 2010

I will be in a heap of strife when this child starts to move – or develops the ability to turn her head away from the big black box!  Until then – I am going to continue capturing her sweetness and ‘girlishness’.  Simply because I can!

the fabulous C’s…

Posted on March 30, 2010

I tell you what – this family were a treat!  The mum (S) rang and wanted to use the gift voucher she bought at a fund-raising auction, but indicated that her girls weren’t much into having their photos taken.  I must admit – she left me a little skeptical.  WOW – she couldn’t have been more wrong!  the girls were fabulous – I just LOVED their look and their hair.  S just wanted a few relaxed portraity type of images – so I think we delivered!  Thanks S and family for being so fantabulous – you gallery will be ready super soon!

there are four in the tribe

Posted on March 25, 2010

but only one will let me photographer her!

Miss Milla Macey is 13 weeks old.  Why is it that the first 13 weeks of a newborn goes by SO SO much faster than the first 13 weeks of pregnancy?  This child is a trooper.  She had just slipped on into the tribe beautifully. She can roll.  Yes.  Roll. WHY WOULD SHE WANT TO ROLL WHEN SHE CANNOT LIFT HER HEAD YET?  I don’t get it.  She rolls over onto her tummy, then complains coz she is suffocating.  Are things really that bad!  I guess the look says it all!

tick tick tick…

Posted on March 24, 2010

tick tick tick…. can you hear it?  My brain is working overtime.  Lots to think about.

We have just put our house on the market.  SUPRISE! I am sure there are people reading this who know us quite well, but didn’t know we are planning on selling.  Gotta keep you all on your toes! We are selling our little piece of paradise (paradise is used loosely!), and are throwing in the shack as a bonus!  Our big plan is to hop in our monster caravan that is akin to a massive container on wheels, and do some travelling.  Yep – we will become trailer trash.I cannot wait.  I am not sure which part excites me most – the actual travelling bit, or the ‘getting rid of all the crap we have accumulated over the years’ bit.  We don’t own alot of stuff – simply because we have nowhere to store it.  BUT there is some stuff that is exactly that STUFF.  We will get rid of it.  Have a $1 sale day.  That includes Wilburs ‘dodgy’ magazines and blokey paraphernalia that he is clinging to – albeit in a box in a shed that hasn’t been touched for at least 5 years (need I say more)!  I am sure I have stuff that needs to go as well – definitely less dodgy than Wilbur!  We have boxes of little girls clothes that we have been given or bought.  Some things we were given that are just not ‘our style’, and will never see the light of day on our girls may just make another family VERY happy – so out it will go on $1 day.  Purge cleanse purge.  I am sure there are five thousand six hundred and two other bits of ’stuff’ roaming around that need to go. AWESOME.  Be gone with you.

So we are going to travel.  Not sure for how long. Maybe a few months – maybe longer.  Our inital plan was to whip up and down the east coast of Australia.  Have you seen how big that is.  Apparently there is more to Australia than just coastline.  Now that I have been vaguely looking at maps – there’s a whole inland area I want to see.  How about that!  We are going to explore – and see where the road leads us.  As far as schooling goes – we are looking at enrolling in Distance Education for the girls.  My two big M’s need structure.  I need structure.  We will have work sent to us to complete AND we will explore and learn on our own terms.  best of both worlds I believe.  The plan at this stage is to leave around May, and travel until the beginning of Term Four, when the girls will go back to school.  That may change if schooling is going well whilst we travel.

Whilst we are exploring – I am planning an idea……stay tuned……

Oh – the delicious photo above is from a few months ago when I took the girls for a little picnic in a park – such sweetness..

the oh so patient A’s…..

Posted on March 23, 2010

This gorgeous family is fabulous.  So super patient.  It took a while to schedule their session – the weather, my pregnancy…. and the resulting baby Milla.  Finally we managed to make stars align and we were off.  I whipped down to their AWESOME holiday ’shack’ a weekend ago, and spend some very relaxed time wondering the beaches and boardwalks of Cannons Creek.

Thanks for having me A’s….. your gallery will be up super doooper soon!

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