*e*

having the happiest time

 

our days here are whizzing by and we are cramming in as much fun, family and friends as possible! it's full on, but in the best way. the kids are soooo so happy being in the sunshine and with all our family - and it is so nice for me to have a break from chores and work and just spend my time with them. i really like these little people of mine!

we greet each day with energy and thanks, and collapse into bed tired (and often pretty dirty) and happy at night.

these are just a few snapshots from the past week. i love seeing these smiling faces in each one, it is a true reflection of our time here.

rehearsing

when a rascally two year old boy is ring bearer, a wedding rehearsal is a must! getting banjo to walk the aisle (with a detour to an interesting looking log on the way) actually went smoother than planned. i guess having 3 of his favourite ever people standing waiting for him helps! the kid LOVES his unkies! a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e...but his attention was short lived - after giving each of them a cuddle he raced off down the back again to play with his toy cars!

not to worry - the girls performed their flower girl duties with the utmost precision and dedication...yindi has only spent the past 6 months practising her walk/hair/coming up with flower girl outfits from the dress up box!

all their dreams came true when auntie kez took them on a girls shopping day in the city - oh, there was such excitement and twirling and wide eyes! i don't think i have ever taken them to a department store or clothing dressing room so it was all very fancy and thrilling! and we did find some gorgeous dresses...although these aren't the ones ;)

less than 2 weeks till the big day - fingers crossed the sandals i ordered online arrive in time or it will be birkenstocks for me, which won't do much for my 'crazy hippie sister' status i'm trying to downplay for the sake of my sensible, mature little brother!

with the ones we love

(top to bottom: my dad, my brothers ollie, sam & toby, my almost-sis-in-law kezza, mick's dad aka "grumpy", mick's mum & nana, my lovely mum)

may i make up for my lack of visiting this space recently with a bombardment of cheesy-smile photos?

welcome to the family! there are a lot of us (these are just a few!) - i am the eldest of 4 kids, mick is the 2nd eldest of 7! lots of aunties and uncles and grandparents and great-grandparents love for my children right now, we are all so happy to be here and spending time with all the family...so so yummy and GOOD to be with our people who know us and love us.

we spend our days floating from one family members place to the next, enjoying catching up and everyone getting to know mr banjo who wasn't much more than a blobby ball of baby cute last time they all saw him!

it's been fun taking the kids around to my old childhood hotspots and reminiscing, and devouring all sorts of treats we've missed - jatz, choc chills, cheesymite scrolls, aussie yoghurt (so good!), pasito, bubble-o-bills, frosty fruits, redskins, pasties, fish & chips!

the days are going much too quickly and we all fall asleep at night happy and exhausted from packing so much goodness into one day. love love love being back!

here

 


(banjo + 'grumpy', my awesome father-in-law)

the kids and i landed here in western australia last week! what a gift it is to be back, and so exciting too to see the land and the familiar sights and all our beloved family members!

it was no small task over the past several months, planning and scrimping and organising and piecing together various family members airline points and credit cards to get us here! and there were many tears saying goodbye to daddy. and then the wretched journey over! but we are here and we are grateful. grateful for the time to soak all of this up, and be part of my brother ollie's wedding at the end of the month. so exciting!

we arrived just in time for a heatwave, so the past week has involved daily swimming, icypoles, barefeet (ie burned feet!), watermelon and forgetting how ridiculously hot a car gets after being parked and that sort of thing! and of course squeezing in hugs and reunions with everyone...banjo is completely enamoured with all my brothers and his new fave, grumpy who takes him bush bashing on a motorbike and promises to have him speaking like a true aussie by the end of the month! lets hope so.

it's so good to be back :)