All sweetness and light. Almost.

Ava was never one to do anything by halves. She was not just a dancer. She proclaimed herself to be a "dance teacher". No ordinary princess..She preferred the title of "Super Princess", if you please. We say, a hundred times a day, how amazing and beautiful and clever and special she was - more than every other amazing, beautiful, clever, special child out there, of course -because that's what parents are supposed to do, right? So, according to us, if there was a sweetness scale, she'd have fallen off the top of it but when I saw this today, I was reminded of her bossy side. Sometimes Crayton would tease her and say in a Deep South USA accent "Missy Ava comin' up the drive and she lookin' mighttttty mean"!!!

(And then she would whip around to me, mouth open and frown plasted like she'd just been soooo incredibly insulted and whine "MUUUUUM."!!!)

Happy 4th Birthday, My Sister Found.

I will dance extra steps for you today.

xxxxxxxxx

Dollfest.

These images are by Lou at Art and Ghosts whom I found at Etsy.. I just love her work - I want every single one of her whimsical, Alice-esque prints. Some of them would probably keep me awake at night but then that kind of adds to the appeal! I've bought two already but I'm not near done! If you're into quirky art, I really recommend heading over to her shop.

Speaking of dolls that keep me awake at night..here is Ivish yesterday. You'd think I'd tire of photographing her but I never do..I found a new spot to shoot in and combined with the most beautiful gift I recently received from my amazing photography forum friends - a new 50mm 1.4 lense - I could not resist dragging her out for a quick session before kindy. You can see by the pained expressions that she was totally over being told which way to look and what to do...she just wanted to explore, only to run back squealing, mock-terrified, moments later!!

Thankyou again girls for my amazing gift which really is so much more than a fantastic lense - it's inspiration in a box and I don't have to tell you what that means to me. :)

My Jenji.

On Monday I got this card from Jen. She often sends beautiful cards but this one was so sweet in it's simplicity. Luca was there when it arrived and asked what it said so I read it out. His response was "Why is it so short? What does it mean?" So I just said "Well you know when you're little and you have the yummiest ice block on a hot day and you're really loving it but then it falls on the floor and it's the worst thing ever?". He said yep and I then said "Well you know how awful you feel, Aunty Jennifer is saying that when I have really sad times like that, she will be there for me." He got it and was happy with my explanation.

Afterwards, I really pondered how perfect her card was. That such a simple child-like analogy could be so very fitting for what has happened - and to describe the unfaltering support she has given since my phone call to her at 3pm on February the third.

Thankyou sweetheart, your card was a gift to start with but explaining it was an ever nicer one. La la love you.

S xx

Mama's house.

After I posted yesterday, we went away to Brisbane for the night - what could be more comforting than a sleep over at Mum and Dad's? The older I get the more I just love having family around - I really do believe it's one of lifes simplest pleasures and the last six months, it has been my lifeline on many days. To sit at the kitchen bench with a wine in hand, letting the kids run around long after their usual bedtime...gossiping with Mum and Angie and hearing Dad and Crayte sharing stupid jokes.. we had a really lovely night.

I took my camera and had a superquick session with Ivy (they're all superquick come to think of it!) Here's a peek. (As usual, they look better bigger so feel free to click!)

Indi nabbed my camera and chased the boys around - she has a great eye and I just LOVE this photo!! So typical of The Dangerous Brothers - Luca never stops acting the goat and Mason nevers stops eating!!

I just have to share my conversation with the boys in the car yesterday. I'd just finished telling Crayte about the Blogger awards and L&M had been listening in the back...

Luca: "Mum, are you winning?"

Me: "No honey".

Luca: "Well who is?"

Me: "Oh probably Jessica Claire".

Luca: "Well you need to win Mum. You'll have to make your work better".

Mason: "Or I know Mum. It's easy. Just vote for yourself"."

Luca, getting rather animated : No, no, don't do that Mum. Just copy her stuff".

Mason, shouting: "No Mum. WAIT. I KNOW!!!.....JUST KILL HER."

Luca, nodding: "Yeah. And feed her to the dogs".

I could barely drive I was laughing so much. So Jessica, honey, please don't take it personally that my family are plotting your demise, it's just that you're too good!

Finally, I want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thankyou so much for all the support and comfort you all give - it really means more than you can imagine. The comments here, the emails, the beautiful words left at Ava's memorial site, the emergency phone calls from Carrie and the hugs, Mum..Ang..Aunty V xxx...I am always genuinely amazed at the beauty that surrounds us...every single day.

With love and thanks.
S xxxxxx

A lesser place..

She would have danced.

She would have been good at art.

She would have loved playing with Ivy.

She would have been a great shopper.

She would have made some boy so happy.

She would have made a wonderful mother.

She would have been beautiful.

It's six months today.

She's Ba-ack!

Bigger and badder than before! Missy Ivy is much improved and back to her devilish self.

Oh, I'm all embawwassed now.

Angie rang me jumping out of her skin with excitement today because she discovered this!!!



You'd think I've been nomitated for the Pulitzer Prize :)

Well thankyou to you beautiful people who have voted - I didn't even know I rated here - even though I browse through this site sometimes, not for a moment did I even think to search for myself!!! LOL!!! I'm very flattered and a wee bit embarrased. Thankyouuuu!

I'm just finishing the ordering for this shoot I did in January...luckily Tracey has been exceptionally patient, waiting all this time for me to get back into business mode. It was an unbeliveably hot day and they still managed to look this gorgeous!

...and just a few from another shoot I did last weekend.. at my place which is not the norm for me and required some frantic tidying and dispatching of my own children who saw no problem with putting themselves in the photos :p

I'm really excited to be taking bookings again and will launch a new site in a few weeks..A million thanks to Barb from Jinky Art for being so kind and helping me get inspired. It's been slow going, but it is coming together and I'm really looking forward to putting full days into photography again. xxxx

Allow me to introduce myself.

What a sweet email I got today from Tami asking for a bit of a rundown on us and if she could see photos of Crayton and I here. I've been asked before by others so....*gulp* here you go.

This is Crayte in April..


Whilst I'm sure you're waiting for me to divulge that he's a member of the Bandidos..he's actually a self employed options trader in the stock market...He absolutely loves it and (Mother, cover your eyes) dreams of moving to New York one day. I'm not sure he'd get away with jeans down at the NYSE though... He's pretty quiet unless you know him well, and then he doesn't shut up. He speaks with a fairly proper British accent, which I thought was fake the day I met him!! He's one of the only people I know who never, ever feels the need to impress anyone else...He's just not bothered by what anyone else thinks.. A great character trait except when I want him to wear something more appropriate.

In short, he's an amazing husband and Daddy and still, even still, manages to make me laugh every day.


So here's me at Keira's wedding in April also. I'm not sure why I look like I'm waiting to spin the Wheel of Fortune except to say Angie took the photo and would have been bossing me around :p Of course I'd prefer 10kgs lighter and 10 years younger but Photoshop doesn't quite stretch to miracles!

Well from my many varied posts I think you have a fair idea of "me" by now..I write just as I would talk and I don't think too long or hard about what I put here. I sometimes tell myself to just shut.up but ultimately, I'd prefer to be a little too honest and open than keeping up facades..I just don't do that well.

I could prattle on about a few of my favourite things but I'll end up feeling like I'm writing my profile for a dating service. For those who haven't met us, I hope that helps put faces to the names :)

S xxx

Something wicked this way comes.

Well the McNasty incident was just the start of things to come. Ivy has come down with a wicked virus and spent the last three days wrapped around my side..If I attempt to peel her off, she makes the motion that would normally go with screaming the house down except she has no voice... The first 24 hours of having sick children, you think "Oh poor baby" but I'm now at "Oh poor, poor Mummy". It's exhausting. In an attempt to pass ten minutes, I got the camera out yesterday - you would never know she's ill in these but I promise you, it's all smoke and mirrors..I just skipped over the grizzly ones. You can see where she's started to turn on me with the dribbling/spitting image. It was all downhill from there.

It's a non stop variety show with Luca and Mason.

I find them in the garden last week. Burying a wooden chest. As you do. The chest held all manner of essential items including this lightbulb..Luca, being the complete ham that he is, says "Hey Mum, I have an idea" and pops it over his head.... :p. Their favourite saying these days, mid-pesting, is "C'mon Mum, do it for the face"..and they put on the mock sweet expressions you see below. It never works. Well almost never.

Finally, Mason in the morning. The only time he slows down...

Ivy and The McNasty Incident.

While doing Belle's photos, India and Bass came to visit, along with their Glamazon mother, Angie.. You'd think I'd be used to seeing her all frocked up but every single time she sashays through my door, I'm still suprised that one would go to so much effort, from her hair net to her stilettos..and for no other reason than she be visiting me :) And to add to the simply charming vision that she is, she also arrives armed with a box of gourmet sweets... Honey, one of these days you might just inspire me to get out of my ugg boot/tracksuit combo. Just maybe.

Fast forward 24 hours and the boys are pesting to go to my number one no-no - McDonalds. Because I've had four hours sleep and because we're at day 14 of school holidays and because I'm about to eat my young, I give in and we head off, still looking about as impressive as I did yesterday. We arrive to a typical Sunday at your local large suburban McD's - packed to the rafters and I start to fret that I could actually run into someone I know.

As I'm standing in the middle of the queue mosh pit, I'm regretting my decision to walk out the door without even checking a mirror when suddenly, out of nowhere, Ivy projectile vomits, right over me and everything within a square meter of us. It really was like parting of the red sea and my gosh, the unmistakable aroma of baby sick...there's just no masking it. Of course Crayton has already found the McCafe and planted himself out of view, the boys find it hilarious and leave the scene immediately, and I'm left standing alone in shock and awe. Just when I truly believe that moment could NOT possibly get any worse, she starts to bellow, the whole of the restuarant looks over and just then she proceeds to do it all again, right over me.

So next time I feel dishevelled and horrid, I'll try to remember that at least I'm not covered in baby vomit in the middle of McDonalds.

xx

Just for you, Bellaboo.

I wanted to do something amazing for Isabelle's birthday today. I wanted to send the most beautiful gift or find the perfect words or take the most amazing photographs. I wanted to achieve the impossible and try and make today okay. Then I feel angry at myself. I, more than most, should know better.

D, I hope Belle's day was beautiful.. I hope she liked the balloons we sent.. I hope some smiles found you through the tears...

S xxxxxxxxx

Luca and Mason sat with me this morning and picked out the things to make this little card up for Belle..

My beautiful friend and amazing photographer, Kate, from Inhouse Studios fulfilled my request to find something pink and beautiful to photograph in honour of Belle and she happily obliged..I just adore what she's done - thankyou so much Kate :)

Love to you Danielle and Noel.

S xxxxxxxx