26/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013

Ruby :: a friend from school now has to wear reading glasses. She came home to find her 'seeing glasses' and didn't take them off until bedtime - which meant she wore them in the shower. I did explain that even people who need to wear glasses all the time still take them off when they shower.. she wasn't convinced.

Cole :: a little dishevelled and still in his pjs for lunch, a cool cat all the same.

Eliot :: slurping his noodles with the winter sun warming his little back.

Thankyou for all your well wishes for Eliot following last week's post, he has certainly improved and back to his happy self aside from a very nasty fall off the play equipment at the park on Friday.. I am now officially 42 instead of 32.

Favourites from last week..

/ Belinda's different approach

/ Sweet and cheeky Wilf

/ Erica's little Stella

/ Catherine's beautiful girls, especially Miss 13

Enjoying the 52 Project each week with beautiful Jodi

My 52 series so far

*After publishing and checking this post, I just realised the unintentional glasses theme this week.. perhaps a little slow here this Sunday morning..

loving lately

It's Friday! End of term! Can't form sentences! Watched Revenge! Cliffhanger agony! Daniel killed Aiden? Sister and I disagree! Voices Masterclass tomorrow! Then work! Then collapse on couch! Stay in PJs indefinitely! Holidays!!!!!!

The list!

Motherhood with a Camera / powerful stuff
Wildflowers Photography / the Prouty family's first few weeks on the road
El Hogan's studio build / greeeen and noted for dream build
Can we all just pull our socks up? / Pip's eloquent words
Good news / happy hearts
Updates / tiny limbs
Tried this / yum
SYTYCD / season 213 / still loving it
The Time of Our Lives / the husband thinks I would enjoy it / are you?

Happy weekend, friends!

revenge

Today I had to cancel plans, plans I had been so looking forward to. Catching up with some of the girls and littles from my mothers' group who I haven't seen in a long time. I had an uneasy feeling when I woke that today would not go to plan. After Ruby had climbed in next to me, sometime around the stroke of six, the boys soon followed. Cole elbowed me in the boob. Bullseye to the nipple. The kind where you cry instantly. Oh yes, today was going to be brilliant.

Ruby stayed in bed for another half hour which is completely unlike her. She's been suppressing this horrible phlegmy cough all week because she knows if she coughs properly, she'll have to spit it out. So it's been building up to the point where a cough vomit is imminent if she doesn't get SOMETHING out.

Eliot has been unwell for more than a week now and while he has improved, he's still Master Crankypants.

Lunches were made and packed for our outing, bags and coats by the door. Every attempt made to dress the boys and get them out the door was met with a barrier. Tiny barriers all joining together to form one giant blockade to finally stop me in my tracks and think, I'm going to stop now. I stopped pushing, I stopped trying to dress them. I let them play with their trains. I called my friend and said we weren't going to make it. And she totally understood. She had to do it herself just yesterday.

I left the lunches packed by the door. We walked around the corner to the park for a lunchtime play. Within two minutes of arriving, Eliot flew down the big slide and straight off the end into a puddle. Soaking wet bum and back of his trouser legs. He barely noticed. The boys burnt some energy, we ate lunch, Eliot thought it would be fun to play with the dodgy drink fountain which shoots the water up to your mouth but also right down the sleeve of the arm that's pushing the button in. A third squirty bit shoots it down the front of your trousers. So now the front of his pants matched the back. I stripped him off, down to nappy, beanie and gumboots.. and put on his coat. Wrapped his legs up in the blanket.

Perhaps today has been like this for everyone. Off kilter. Crappy from the start. At least us Aussies anyway. It feels as though there's a dark cloud hanging over today after yesterday's political soap opera drama. I haven't heard anyone say ANYTHING positive about what went down yesterday. Except Rudd. Because he's his own number one fan.

I am certain I will never understand politics as long as I live. And most of me doesn't even want to. The behaviour of those involved usually makes me screw my face up in disgust or disbelief. Yesterday was no exception.

I am not an avid news watcher. Or paper reader. I am fairly happy living in my little bubble. I only learned of the leadership spill around 5.30 yesterday afternoon after getting home from swimming lessons. My mouth almost hit the keyboard as I read what had been happening throughout the day - and what was to come. I HONESTLY couldn't believe it. I could barely watch a minute of Rudd's speech claiming to be some sort of messiah we had all be waiting for. How short his memory must be.

I could never share my honest opinions of the complete fuck up that is our political climate, right now. Not eloquently anyway. Or devoid of profanity. So I'll let Beth do it. Because she does it SO damn well. And yes - yes Beth, I would prefer to bleach my own arsehole before talking about this stuff AGAIN.

I'm off to NOT watch the news, to NOT see what old, recycled bullshit Rudd has come up with to flaunt himself as the greatest leader that ever walked. I have to catch up on the Revenge Finale. Kind of a theme going on there, huh?

*Chubbiest of chubby baby legs belonging to my nephew have NOTHING to do with ANYTHING. But they make me smile. And we all need a smile today.
*I think Pip had the right idea too.
*And did you see this?
*Apologies for the shameless self promotion. Actually, not really.

meet the bernau family

Come and meet the lovely Bernau family.

things. people. family. animals.

His drawings have finally become THINGS. And not just any kind of things. People. Family. Animals. He's been writing his own name, sometimes the right way, sometimes perfectly backwards, which I just love at this age. He's showing all the enthusiasm and initiative which used to come from his big sister. He would only draw if she asked him to join her. Now he doesn't need to be prompted.

As soon as he gets up in the morning - Mum, I want to draw!

I just LOVE it.

thankyou

I have been overwhelmed by the response received from Gerry and Gabriel's story, shared last Friday.

After hitting publish mid morning, I could not have been happier to walk away from the computer after spending every evening throughout the week editing, sorting, exporting, burning, selecting, drafting posts. I have all the best intentions to spread the workload out before deadlines appear, but some weeks, it just doesn't happen that way. Stuff happens. Life happens. Life with children happens.

I wish I had a good chunk of time in daylight hours, even just once a week, to commit to the workload. I wonder how efficiently I could work in the hours when I am most alert and energetic, instead of the scrappiest hours of my days, after the kids are in bed and the weariness of the day has fallen. I know it will seem, in no time at all, that I will have all day - at least between the hours of 9 and 3 - to commit to the workload. While some days, it's not ideal working late into the evening, when I should be going to bed with my husband, when my eyes are begging to be closed, this is how it is for now. This is how it needs to be to make a start. To start something wonderful. Something worthwhile. And as exhausting as it can be, the satisfaction of slipping those discs into the big red post box, followed by the hopeful anticipation of a happy email from a client telling me they love their photos, then receiving the actual happy email from a client telling me they love their photos - well that makes the tiredness feel pretty bloody great.

Photographing Gabriel's birth for Gerry has most certainly been the highlight of my short career. It means nothing to compare such an experience to photographing families, something I truly love. Neither one is better than the other. They're just different. That is all. And to have been able to experience it in the way I have - knowing I wanted to photograph a birth, to better myself as a photographer, searching for someone who wanted the same, being trusted with such a beautiful, raw event, and to deliver the very first pages of Gabriel's storybook of life, with the greatest emotion and gratitude from his beautiful mother - it just makes it all the more sweeter.

Thankyou. YOU. For your beautiful comments, emails and messages. After working so closely on these images, I began to wonder whether only those of us present at the birth of Gabriel, would be able to feel the emotion through the screen. I was wrong. And so very happily so. Some of your comments brought me undone. Your generosity of words cemented my feelings that I have chosen the right path. Receiving honest praise from people I truly admire or complete strangers - it doesn't matter. You took moments from your busy days to be sure I knew you had been moved by what you had seen, and felt. And I thank you. Sincerely. You really are a beautiful bunch who come to visit me here.

XX

25/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013

Ruby :: every spare minute this week has been spent drawing - so much so she's missed the line up before school a few times because 'I just HAVE to finish this!'

Cole :: he pestered me for a crown made from the new 'little coloured paper'. we taped two pieces together, he cut it out, wore it ALL WEEK, only removed it for showers.

Eliot :: my darling wee one has not been himself for just over a week now, a combination of head cold and two year old molars. I don't remember the last time he had a day sleep that wasn't in transit. I laid down with him in the darkness late morning, he gave no fight. I love how tiny he still looks in our big bed.

My beautiful friend Lou is now a mum of three following Cedar's arrival to the Buma gang! Definitely a favourite from last week, along with Jo's beautiful snap of her daughter. 

Enjoying the 52 Project each week with beautiful Jodi

My 52 series so far

welcoming gabriel

A few weeks ago I was blessed to witness and document the birth of a tiny baby boy. You can read Geraldine and Gabriel's story here.

bloglovin

You know I'm a little slow on the uptake. Like not knowing what Robin Thicke actually looked like until earlier this week.. or that blogs actually existed.. all the important stuff, really.

In the spirit of taking my sweet time, I've just switched over to Bloglovin and you can find me over there. Apparently. So go forth and follow!

jazz hands

Do you dance in the shower? The kind where you're queen of the dance floor? Pulling out moves you wouldn't dare try at your relo's wedding because the guest list just isn't the crowd to appreciate such greatness? All eyes on you cause you're THAT damn good? Me too. Last night my silky moves were courtesy of the shady tone and (equally shady) lyrics of one Robin Thicke. The shadiness stops at Pharrell. The man is just plain COOL. My sister and I had a funny exchange via text following Thicke's performance earlier in the week on The Voice finale. Forgive my lack of musical knowledge but he wasn't what either of us were expecting. Leaving his arrogance, poor facial grooming and head-stuck-up-his-own-arse GOLD microphone aside, the man oooooozed confidence. I found him - or perhaps his hips - strangely attractive and disturbing all at once. But that's not important. The song's killer and my bathroom tiles appreciate the performance. Every single time.

In other music news this week at Chateau P, my one true musical love Johnny, released the first single from his latest, upcoming album Paradise Valley. It would appear he's still channelling his cowdy phase which is okay by me. August can't come fast enough. While doing some editing last night, Spotify played this for me - on repeat. I listened to the same song for three hours. I am not sure Joanna should be prancercising in public and I have no idea what John was thinking when he coined the idea for this video.. but that's not important. The song's killer and my bathroom tiles will appreciate the forthcoming performances. Every single time. Yes, there's an echo in here.

Meanwhile.. we should seriously consider bringing back the high waisted legging. Or is that a unitard? Whatever it is, the belt finishes it all off perfectly. Bust a move. Or prancercise. Whatevs. Just DANCE.

meet the harris family

Three families wanted me to come to Canberra to photograph them. Beautiful friends among them. I scribbled notes, I checked flight times, I decided it could be a fly up and back in one day gig. Of course once everyone was booked in and it came time to book some flights, I realised I had used weekday flight times to produce my schedule for weekend travel. Canberra likes to be a little sleepy on the weekends. Flights arrive later and depart earlier. Cue cold sweats and mouth agape when I realised THIS WASN'T GOING TO WORK.

My dear friend Rachel and her lovely husband Mark, offered to have me overnight so that our schedule would remain in tact. In hindsight this was a WAY better plan than the up and back in one day idea. I flew out of Melbourne as the husband was bathing the kids. I listened to my music, read my book, ate my cheese and crackers, drank my juice, pinched myself this was actually happening, wondered who people would assume I was without the trail of children behind me. I arrived to open arms and warm hugs. Excited little ones just before the Sandman arrived, and delicious fish curry. A warm, quiet house, ADULT conversation, scrumptious Toblerone mousse, cups of tea and laughter. The crying kind of laughter. Hours disappeared as we shared stories across the dinner table, catching up on eighteen months of life since they left Melbourne for their few year stint in Canberra. It was wonderful. SO wonderful.

My suitcase was packed with mostly gifts for a new arrival I had not met, and two other little people who had grown so very much since I last saw them. Ruby had put her capable hands to good use producing a family portrait now that Gil had arrived. I was welcomed with handmade cards and special drawings taped to the wall above my bed. In that moment, just for a split second, I'd be lying if I said a little bit of doubt hadn't followed me through the door.

Can I do this?
Can I give them what they want?
OF COURSE YOU CAN.
Just breathe.
And SEE.
See them.
And so I did.

24/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013

Ruby :: making.. ALWAYS making..

Cole :: as I snapped a Kids Were Here frame in the bathroom, he came in and asked for a little photo shoot - this was his STOP! pose..

Eliot :: who knew Thomas the Tank Engine (aka 'Tho-eee') could be SO mesmerising?!

Last week, I just couldn't go past Babs' new addition, baby Hawkin. Seriously - this must be Year of the Baby?! I've lost count how many new additions have arrived this year.

Enjoying the 52 Project each week with beautiful Jodi

My 52 series so far

hey baby

Most of you will know Lou. She's wonderfully talented with camera in hand, a beautiful and honest writer and all round ace person. And today? She's a mum of THREE. Baby boy made his way into the world yesterday and he's completely perfect and delicious, just like his big sisters.

Lou asked me to be part of her Hey Baby! series which documents the awkward/awesome/anticipating aspects associated with mama's growing belly and emotions, and baby boy's journey into the Buma clan. Week 36 and Lou was in fast forward as the family prepared for the early arrival of No. 3.

It was a bit of a mad rush to the end, between hospital visits and monitoring for Lou and far less impressive, yet equally necessary commitments at my end (relatively speaking of course, ahem).. but we made it to the Collingwood Children's Farm for some lunch and a wander with the smalls so that another week's growth and count down to baby's birth could be remembered in frames. A freezing, windy morning turned into a beautiful, bright afternoon with the sun ducking in and out of the clouds.

This was the first proper time I had met Lou - in the flesh (the first real time was when we randomly ran into each other in the city last month). Like many a blogger, I felt I already knew her so well because of her open and honest personality. I've watched her for a long while professionally, and she has sat high on my list of favourite photographers since I found her. Now she was asking me to photograph her. I was a little overwhelmed with it all if I'm being honest. Photographing someone who - and whose work - I admire and respect so much. On the back of a hectic and exhausting month, my head was a bit all over the place. Thankfully my desire to please was lurking somewhere at the back of my messy head.. and was relieved to hear Lou critique her Week 36 frames as BEAUTIFUL (yes, she used CAPS - yes, I may have high fived myself). Thankyou Lou - thankyou for asking me to be a part of such a special project.

What a sweet trio these girls make. Jake must be over the moon he's got a little bit more testosterone in the house now.. albeit in it's teeny tiny form.

Welcome Baby Cedar! X