Cassidy's a Big Girl!

Steve and I had three nights away last weekend at Mt Tambourine - which was lovely - then we got to come home to the wonderful suprise that Cassidy had started doing wees on the toilet for Nanna! (Wouldn't do it for Mummy after she begged, pleaded and bargained, but did it for Nanna no worries :-) ) Since the breakthrough, she hasn't looked back and has been going so well...I've even been taking her out in undies with success! Miss Tamara is very proud of her at Kindy and Cassidy's been coming home with handfuls of stamps from her efforts. It's so strange looking into the bathroom and seeing my baby up there like a big girl...Mummy and Daddy are very proud of you sweetheart xx

Remembering Ava

Ava's funeral will be at 10am on Saturday. They will be releasing pink balloons after the service. Please think of and pray for Ava's family on Saturday for God's peace, comfort and healing in a time unimaginable to all of us.

Woody Point Park

I took the kids down to Woody Point Park for a play on Wednesday afternoon. We haven't been there before and I really just drove the peninsula until we found a different park...we're in a bit of a park slump! This one didn't have heaps of stuff, but it did have this great flying fox that was nice and low for the kids. I sat on it with Cassidy on my lap....an interesting sight I can tell you :-). Then we went and got some fish and chips (Steve is away on a work trip this week) which we ate on the beach with about 20 million seagulls....it was lovely.

The Little Things

I was cleaning up this morning...the daily ritual...and when I went into Isaac's room, he had collected every car, truck and plane he owns and lined them up, nose to tail, on the floor. It stretched from almost to his door to the back of his bed. I asked him what was with all the cars, and he said the traffic was a bit heavy this morning (my common phrase when he ask's me why we're going slow in the car).

I was about to clean them up when I realised that Ava's mum will never again get to trip over her toys, wash her dirty clothes or clean up the makeup she got into in the bathroom. I stood in Isaac's room and cried when I thought of how the jobs I complain about every day are something I'd never really want to be without.

Sometimes I have questioned why I take so many photos of the kids. But not anymore. In fact, I'm going to try to take more...and more of the everyday things like cars lined up on the floor. Because real photography is not just "nice" pictures of kids smiling...it's one of the only ways we have to remember our lives as they are right now.

Please say a prayer for Ava's family today - the funeral has been set for Saturday.

Shoot for the Moon

Needing something to cheer me up so I scrapped this shot of Isaac I took today at my grandparents. He's looking so grown up and so much like his dad. He really need his hair cut, but I love that rough and messy little boy look he gets when it's a bit long :-)

A little girl called Ava

You might have heard on the news recently.....a little girl at the Gold Coast got herself locked in the back of a car, had to be ressucitated and went into ICU. They kept her in a coma hoping for healing and things were looking positive.

You may also have heard on the news last night that the little girl passed away yesterday.

Her name was Ava, she was three years old. Her mum, Sheye, and I are apart of a photography forum together, with a heap of other photgrapher-mums all over the world. We have all become great friends through our photography and it is a real support network for all types of things, not just photography. Sheye and her husband, Clayton, have three other young children. Their parents live next door and the kids run constantly between both houses. Ava wanted to get something out of the car in the backyard to give to her grandfather and got herself locked in...she couldn't get out the back because of the childlocks and didn't know to try the front doors. Sheye missed her 30 minutes later because she usually wouldn't stay over at her grandparents for that long. Her grandparents naturally assumed she was with Sheye, and vice versa.

Such a horrible, terrible accident that could have happened to any of us. A beautiful, healthy little girl gone...just like that. Everyone on the forum is now trying to raise awareness of hot cars....you don't have to leave a child in a car at the shops for it to happen. Please leave all cars out in the heat locked at all times and hopefully no-one else will have to live the nightmare that for this beautiful young family has become a reality.

Please pray for healing for the sort of pain we can't even begin to imagine.

The photography of Ava is by her mum, Sheye and the banner was created by a good friend of Sheye's and another forum member, Carrie.

Heidi & Kate

Found this one also...Heidi's brother took it while I was doing a shoot for them up the coast a while ago. Aren't we just beautiful :-) :-) :-)

We love our Daddy

Found this one while cleaning out my photo drive...I didn't notice it when I posted our pics from our holiday at Caloundra. I love this one....daddy is just the best you know.