*e*

five years old

the ol' cliche is true - feels like yesterday that this little ray of sunshine was born, but here she is turning FIVE! oh, this girl. she is such a sweet one i tell ya. her only requests for her special day was 'strawberries and cream for breakfast, and a sprinkles party'. here at birthday central we aim to please - so breakfast in bed was served, and a simple birthday party with a few friends...and a LOT of sprinkles was held in our backyard...

i got some great party food ideas from pinterest, my fave being the little toadstools (above) made from cherry tomatoes and mozarella cheese! and i made the most of that big jar of sprinkles i bought - dipped the rim of the cups into agave and then into the sprinkles - lots of sugary fun! also, this 'hedgehog' watermelon, which one kid asked me if it was a groundhog. i have no idea what an actual groundhog looks like, but really?!! i think i went a bit wrong on the nose (snout?!) but hedgy didn't seem to mind...

it was a lot of fun, and lovely to finally have the space to host a party at home! five is such a fun age to be don't you think? i love having this five year old girl in our family!

a birthday tale

on the morning of her fourth birthday, a little cherry faced girl named yindi got out of bed ready for the happiest of happy days. the fairies had come in the night and left sparkles and sprinkles, the house had been decorated in her honour, and her family showered her with love and affection, for truly, she was a special girl.

with birthday dress and crown on, she was ready to greet the pile of presents from loved ones near and far...

by far the most exciting gift (and secret her big sister could hardly keep!) was that of a little pet bunny! the birthday girl could hardly believe her eyes!

after a yummy breakfast and lots of bunny-caring, the birthday girl set out to help her mumma make the most delicious cake. strawberry was the request, and of course birthday requests must be granted!
then, off to the lake to await some friends for playing and cake eating!

both of which were done with much enthusiasm, as only a four year old can...

yes, it's pretty great to have a fourth birthday indeed!

and it's pretty great to have such a great four year old!

the end.

*(tent we made for yindi inspired by this DIY)

hanging with my dad...

is what i have been doing all week.

as well as last minute family-cramming, devouring of all those favourite aussie treats, a few last bushwalks and a heartfelt goodbye for my nanna.

thanks for all the wishes and thoughts lovely people!

xox

nanny

i'm supposed to be on a plane right now on my way to los angeles, but my dear, sweet nanny passed away quietly yesterday afternoon - about 15 hours before we were due to leave. fortunately we have been able to postpone the flights for a week to be here and support my dad and be here for her funeral.

i felt really close to my nanny. i was one of only two grand-daughters so i always knew i was special. i have so many wonderful childhood memories of time spent together. i'll be speaking at the funeral so all the lovely images and moments are swirling around in my head right now as i plan what to say. she was a dear one - fiercely family oriented, farmer's wife, wonderful cook, knitter, homebirther. she always spoke her mind and had a great laugh. my dad was her baby - her golden boy, and i loved to ask her about him as she always lit up reminiscing about his chubbiness, beautiful curls and cheeky ways.

i went to see her last thursday to say goodbye. she wasn't too well - she dozed on and off during our visit. but it was special, i knew it would be the last time i saw her and i felt like she knew it too, without saying anything. we gazed at each other smiling for a long time, i stroked her hair as she lay like a sweet little child all tucked up in bed. i told her i loved her. i know she was ready to go, and i'm grateful she was able to do so peacefully in her own bed with two of her three children there. i will miss her so much, but i know she is free now...and with her soulmate.

(nanny meeting banjo for the first time, october last year)

 

(nanny meeting yindi for the first time, january 2008)

seven people

  while these photos are horribly bad in quality - they are so very precious to me, as it is the very first time the seven of us have ever been together! the first time in about 5 years that all three of my brothers are i have been in the same place (due to different work + travel situations!). the girls were very excited to have all unkies together this week. it was like a little piece of heaven.

let me introduce you to these three hooligans i had the pleasure of growing up with. i am the eldest, then comes ollie. he's 28 and is fiercely proud of his mullet. a super super hard worker - he's a diesel mechanic who works away 4 weeks on, 4 weeks off and is about the most sensible, level headed guy i've ever met. he thinks things through. he is sure of himself and his decisions. this past year we have become close friends and yes - i know we look alike. i'm scared to ever cut off my dreads because we will seriously look like twins! (i will pass on the mullet though). i love him.

after ollie comes sam - our little daredevil boy. he's been doing hardcore tricks and stunts since he started walking when he was 9 months old. now he's almost 26 and a famous downhill mountainbiker. you know you've made it when they wikepedia you. he travels the world 8 months out of the year doing what he loves (riding a bike. fast.) and is only home right now because of a shoulder injury from a race a few weeks back (poor him but lucky us, or we would have never had this night together). sam is totally his own person and has his own language. nothing is what it seems. he's been calling me 'ethel' for the last 15 years or so. he has a special name for everyone in the family. he's crazy and spontaneous and full of energy that one. i love him.

little toby is the baby of the family. i was 10 years old when i saw him enter the world in our bathroom one night. he's been my little love heart ever since, i carried him around on my hip and changed his nappies and pretended he was my own little baby. i also dressed him up as a girl and curled his hair but he prefers not to talk about that anymore ;) tobz is an apprentice chef, is charming as heck (the girls love him, who wouldn't?), knows how to make any situation a fun one and always makes the most out of life. he recently turned 21 and partied for a whole month in bali to celebrate! he's a wild one and i love him.

the girls are completely smitten with each and every one of these boys. and they have them all wrapped around their little fingers ;) yindi declared last night that she was going to marry unky ollie! all three of them are amazing with my children. after years of them stealing my stuff, trashing my room, teasing and harrasing me no end - to now see them all gooey and silly and shopping for frilly dresses for my little girls? priceless!

banjo looks exactly like my brothers did as babies. he's a little hill boy, which makes me so happy because i love these hill boys, i do.

when i was a little girl i wished for a sister.

but i couldn't be happier than i am with my three brothers :)

that yummy juice wot grandpa makes...

yindi LOVES to run up when she hears the juicer going to watch grandpa...and enjoy the results!

i enjoy the crazy clown smile she wears for the rest of the day after drinking it!

my dad is the coolest

if this picture (circa 1973) isn't enough to convince you - i'll tell you why my dad is so great.

he calls me 'milly-molly-mandy', and has since i was about 6 years old when he used to read me the books at bedtime.

when i was about 10 i desperately wanted to go to the roller-disco with him, and he agreed (although i'm sure it was the LAST thing he'd ever want to do on a friday night). while i zoomed around the ring happy as can be - dad clung to the railing making his way at snails pace, i know what an act of love that must have been for him!

he's been letting us live in his house for the past year in exchange for nothing but a home cooked meal each night.

he's also been letting us drive his once pristine car (no, not the one pictured above) which is now scuffed, stained, littered with small shoes, books, hair ties and has sultanas/cracker crumbs wedged into every crevice imaginable.

every night he cranks up his juicer and brings me down a nice fresh glass of beetroot (and other mystery items) juice to keep me healthy.

he loves my little ones, he tickles and teases them just like he used to do to me. he even changed a pooey nappy once.

a few weeks ago - mick was away and i'd had an especially awful night with banjo. he offered to take the two little ones for a walk so i could have a nap. when i woke up it was raining and i went up to his house - nobody there. i heard noises and found all three of them in the (tiny) cubby house - yindi banging on pots and singing at the top of her lungs, banjo wailing and groaning and dad cramped in the corner with them looking very frazzled! i had to laugh! he's a good one.

tomorrow he's back off to work again (he works offshore and does long stints away from home), and we will have to say goodbye...by the time his roster finishes we will be gone (and hopefully have his care nice and clean!) - he will have his quiet and less complicated life back again...but i know, deep down - he will miss the madness of having us here!

dad, i love you more than you loved that mini of yours, you know it!

banjo the bully

 

today

loving all over this little boy. i still can't believe sometimes that i am now a mother to a BOY.

a boy!

we are all a bit sick and sorry for ourselves - so lots of laying (and some jumping, but i assure you not from myself) on the bed, cuddles, plenty of drinks and even some movie watching...

oh, and much nibbling of those juicy cheeks!

circus school

one of the reasons we went off camping in augusta (aside from the obvious beauty of the place!) was for ivy to attend a week of circus school at the lunar circus. oh what fun it was to go there each morning and watch the craziness! a bunch of big top and smaller tents on acres of bushland is home to an annual festival where performers from all over the world come together, and leading up to the festival they hold workshops for all ages! ivy was in a general circus class where she did tumbling, poi, juggling...

her very favourite thing was the balancing and pyramid work...

the teacher called "one, two, three - SPLAT!" and down they go, with a multitude of giggles and squeals - this was then talked about all day long with more giggling!

my favourite thing was the silks workshop...the silks and ropes are my favourite act in a circus, so it was exciting to see how it was done...

 

pretty cool hey?

mick's highlight of the week was attending an afternoon trapeze workshop (i was a teeny bit jealous watching from down below -  but very happy for him, it was a dream of his to do). of course he was the star of the group (granted the other attendees were 3 middle aged women, and a squealy teenage girl) who was called upon to demonstrate each technique...yeah, us girls were proud of him - and c'mon, he looks like a natural doesn't he?

 

yindi? well, this girl makes fun wherever she goes. she never once felt sad just being an onlooker - there was plenty of action going on all around her and plenty of spare cushiony mats and hula-hoops to practice her own tricks on.

as for me, my circus skills extend to contorting my body into strange positions to breast-feed babies in their car seats while on long road trips. impressive, i know.

falconbridge family circus, here we come!

(lunar circus festival is on this weekend if you are in the area - it will be amazing!)