The Need for Speed

We take slot car driving very seriously around here :-)

He's Home!

Steve's home! We are so excited to have him back :-)

For those that haven't heard the long story of why he had an extended hospital stay...

After Steve's type of surgery, they make you wear pressure bandages on your legs to prevent clots. They pump up to a certain pressure every couple of minutes. Steve's however, weren't working properly. While he still had the epidural in, the bandages were pumping up far more than what they should have, hence bruising the muscles and restricting circulation in his legs. Once the epidural wore off, Steve had severe muscle pain in his legs and could feel the bandages tightening WAY too tight.

So, as you can imagine, we were not thrilled with this and Steve's longer stay has mainly been to get the pain in his legs under control. He's doing much better now, he still has pain in his legs but it's now mainly nerve pain. Because the operation moves his spinal cord into the correct position, it also "jerks" all the nerves that run down his legs into a slightly new position also. This is making his legs and feet very tingly and sensitive to certain pressures. This will go away slowly and hopefully significantly so in the next week.

His back itself feels really good and is only causing a dull ache. Everything's healing well so he just has to keep taking it slow until everything re-adjusts. After his check-up with the surgeon in around 5-6 weeks, he'll be able to start rebuilding the muscle he's lost with some physio. Till then it's just gentle exercises and letting everything heal properly.

The kids were so excited to have Daddy home! There was an extra special suprise of a flash new slot car set when they got home - something special and "easy going" for Daddy and Isaac to do together until Daddy's better! They are in looking at it as I type, so I better go and check it out before this year's Bathurst gets underway right before bedtime :-) :-)

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An extra special thankyou to Mum and Lyall for having us stay while Steve was in hospital. If you need somewhere to stay in Redcliffe it's five star... you get porridge for breakfast, washing magically gets washed, they mind kids, co-ordinate hospital visits, do kindy runs... and Isaac is also now experienced in installing water tanks :-) :-)

Seriously, I could not have got through this last couple of weeks without you both, you are wonderful...thankyou so much from both of us xxoo

Kids in Flannies

I love my kids in flannelette PJ's. They're just so warm and cuddly!

This is Cassidy at Nanna and Pa's, as usual, getting undressed. I find her undressed most mornings, either that or in some outfit she's chosen for herself.

She loves being naked and it's sometimes hard to keep clothes on her. Her other favouite pastime is changing clothes....she stands on a chair to get clothes down from her wardrobe and then leaves items of clothing all over the house.

I thought I'd have a few years before this started but trust Cassidy to catch me while my defences are low... :-)

Ava's Memorial Website

Sheye has started a memorial website for Ava. Please visit it and read Ava's story in her mummy's own beautiful, eloquent and raw words. Sheye has a way of putting her feelings into words that is nothing short of breathtaking.

http://avarosemeyer.memory-of.com/

Sheye's Blog

http://www.sheyerosemeyer.blogspot.com/

Sheye, I could never hope to find words like yours to say. I can only send my constant prayers and my deepest love xxoo

Steve

I'm so relieved to post that Steve's operation went really well. They have already had him up and taking some tentative steps, which was painful for him (I was watching him and suddenly I could see all the colour simply drain out of his face...a bit scary) but the surgeon said everything is fine. He's doing a bit of physio each day and will probably try some sitting up tomorrow, just for short stints at a time. The epidural is out and he's mainly having panadeine for the pain. His lega are very sore because of the way the operation has shifted his nerve endings, but that will gradually get better. He's had to have pump-up leg bandages on to reduce the risk of clots, but he's hardly slept at all because of the constant tightening and deflating. Luckily they took them off this morning so I'm really hoping he gets a good night sleep tonight.

I took Isaac in for a visit yesterday and he was most interested in all the contraptions hanging off daddy! Today he asked me some very indepth questions about "what the doctor did to daddy's back" and I went into an lengthy explanation of how inside daddy's back the pieces are like a tower of leggos and one of the leggos had slipped out (rather creative I thought, I was very proud of myself) until Isaac shot me down in flames with...

"you meant to say bones, didn't you mum".

Nothing like a four year old to keep mum's creativity in check :-)

Five Little Ducks

Missy Moo really loves the collection of ducks they have in their bathroom. I bought a big one for using for shoots, I was given one other big one by a lovely client, and I bought the little ones for Cassidy because she loves the "Five Little Ducks" song. Today she actually asked me to take a photo of her with her little ducks, so here she is!

Super Duper

I think I may have posted these shots before, but I've only just got around to scrapping them :-) Did you know we have our very own Mr Incredible around here? Well, we think he's pretty incredible anyway...

An Interesting Day...

What a day, although the lead up to it really started on Sunday...

On Sunday Isaac came down with a bit of a tummy bug. Not too bad, but he was sick off and on all day Sunday and Monday. This morning Steve and I got ready to go into the hospital. Steve was feeling a bit "squirmy" but again not too bad. When we went through all the pre-op discussions at the hospital, the surgeon said he couldn't risk the operation because of the risk of infection. They don't like operating if there's the chance you have a virus which could get bacteria into your wound.

So home we went! All a bit of a let down as we were packed, organised and geared to have this over with. We will speak to the doctor tomorrow, but Steve's likely to go in next Monday or Tuesday, so hopefully there'll be some better news next week!

Let's just call today a dry run :-) :-)

Steve's Operation

Just to keep everyone in the know...

Steve is going in for his back operation next week on Tuesday the 17th. He'll be in hospital for up to a week, maybe less, it will depend on how he goes. For anyone that can't reach me at home or on my mobile, I will probably stay at Mum and Lyall's for the week to make it easier with the kids.

I'll be sure to post the first chance I get and let you all know how he went. Once back at home, we'll be laying low to give him the best chance to get back on his feet as quickly as possible. From all of us, we value your love, thoughts and prayers at this time.

Looking forward to having our healthy daddy and husband again :-)

Miss Amelie

I don't normally post clients on my blog, but the three lovely ladies I did a session for today don't really count as clients :-)

I have done photos for Grant and Cathy and the gorgeous Amelie before but this time I got to meet Cath's mum, Carol for shots of just the girls.

It was a session meant for the studio, but Amelie took one look at the big scary "moon" (my studio light!) and point blank refused to go in there! We decided rather hastily to head down the end of our street for the shots instead!

I haven't had the chance to sit down and look through them all properly yet, but here's a few cute ones that caught my eye. (Yes Cath, I changed the colour of the lollipop in the close-up of Amelie to match her cute shoes!)

Self Portrait

Okay this is scary :-)

Since I haven't made Steve's usual calendar this year for our anniversary, I decided to have a go at a self-portrait...using my tripod and a timer obviously! It was really hard. First of all I felt like a complete wally. Second, it was near on impossible to get the thing to focus when I wasn't sitting there to focus on (I had to press the button on the camera then run into postion as my timer lead wasn't long enough). To a fly on the wall, it must have looked hilarious.

Anyway, this is the end result.

My darling husband bought me the dress recently :-)

Rain Rain Don't Go Away

Still playing catch-up with my scrap-booking :-) Click on it if you want to see it larger :-) :-)

Jumping Bean

Whenever we go over to Bruce and Gill's (or Hannah and Declan's as the kids would say!) the first thing Cassidy does is go straight to the trampoline. Isaac loves it too, but not like Cassidy. We have a hard time getting her off it the whole time we're there. She takes her "baby" on there with her and off she goes! At least we have a good idea for Christmas presents this year....

Friends

My photos have built up on me lately but I'm slowly going through and sorting them. I can't remember if I've posted this one before :-) but it does show what good friends they are sometimes. I think one of my favourite things to hear is when one of them says "Come on Isaac" or "Come on Cassidy" because it's one of them calling the other to play. Usually something cheeky- like jumping on the bed like they were doing a few moments before I took this shot!

No More Lambs

I used quite a small, fine text on this one so you may need to click on it to be able to read it :-)

New Look for InHouse

Finally the first part of my logo makeover has been decided - the business card design! The confirm email has been sent to the printers, so it's done now! I have been so frantic to get it "right" this time, I'm still not sure what "right" is. But I knew I wanted a fun and funky new look (the old one was always too corporate looking for me) that focused more on kids and family, which is what I want. I've know got to sit down and design new pricelists, DVD covers, forms...ahhh my mind boggles with it all but I do like doing it just the same. I just need TIME!

Just to explain, this is the "inside" and "outside" of my business card. Imagine the two stuck together back to back and folded down the middle like a birthday card. I wanted something a bit different so hopefully these accomplish that! The colours probably look a little "flat" because I had to convert to cmyk colour space for printing (I don't reccomend anyone trying to do that, it's a nightmare).

Also I must mention that the extemely talented Nathanael Moore, a friend of Steve and Emma's, created the door and other graphics for the new website for me. He is amazing, you tell him what you see in your mind and he gives you a graphic! Great person to know when you want new logos :-) :-)

Cooking Jamdrops

I think I went a little mad today....

I decided to make jamdrops. This was okay. The kids wanted to help. Although unnerving, also okay. It then started to go downhill. I burnt half the batch of jamdrops to an inedible state whilst I was trying to stop them eating the other half of the mix. Then, I had an even sillier thought. I'll make a cake while the kitchen's a mess and I have all the stuff out!
I sent the kids upstairs to get ready for rest time when I realised Cassidy had been to quiet for too long. I went to investigate. I could smell the nail polish from the third step. I found her in our ensuite with nail polish on every digit up to the first knuckle, down one leg, on her relatively new Pumpkin Patch top, the tiles and the vanity. I stared almost blankly at the devastation before me, sat her on the toilet (actually I think she was too scared to move) and started the very slow cleanup.

Hence, by the time I had her in bed and had sat down to collect myself was about the same time I remembered my cake.

Note to self: next time, stop at the jamdrops and move the nailpolish to another drawer.

Beautiful Boy

Leave it all Behind

Couldn't resist scrapping that cute backside....

Cute Kiddos

We went to feed the ducks yesterday after the doing the groceries - always a good bribe! I didn't get any photos of feeding the ducks (kids very close to pond edge makes mummy very on edge also!) but got some afterward of my mad two running up and down the grassy slope.

Cassidy chose that point to wet her pants :-) and I had no spares on me, so I stripped her in preperation for going back to the car. She took off on me, bare backside on display for all the lovely people walking their dogs along the boardwalk! Such a charmer, my daughter.

The Best Songs

I had just hopped out of the shower this morning when I heard the strains of the theme song to "Max and Milly" in the background. I peeked around the corner, and there were my three tinkling away on the piano having a lovely time. The were so gorgeous sitting there...until there was a scuffle about seating arrangements that is. I have to photograph the peaceful moments around here, cause they just don't last very long :-) :-)

It's really scary to think that this is my first scrapbooking page in about 2 months! I haven't stopped taking photos along the way, so this is a bad sign! I reckon I need two solid days in front of photoshop to catch up. As I've always said, you have to scrap them as soon as you take them otherwise you lose inspiration for the shots and the feeling that goes with them. How am I sure of this? Because I only took these shots this morning and voila...a finished page in under an hour!

Hard Day at the Beach

I was cleaning out all my photo files that I haven't sorted and found this one - taken by Steve - when we camped at Marcoola. I was really lazy that weekend and didn't take any photos but Steve got this one at the beach one morning. Cassidy had been up early that day, and a couple of hours at the beach was just all too much. She spread out her towel on a boogie board (she's not all the fond of sand, so one can't be too careful!) and went straight to sleep just like that. Steve had to carry her back to the campsite laid out like this and people kept asking her if she was alright! She's just so cute sometimes :-) :-)

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.