Annie's beautiful reading :-)

This is Annie reading her bedtime story to me :-)

Summer's Day at Miskin Street :-)

This day was super super steamy and humid, so I let the two little ones cool off using the hose :-)

Annie's End of Grade One Gig - Ironside State School

This is Annie and her grade one friend's singing some Christmas songs to farewell the year and entertain us parents. Just so so cute!

My home office.... complete with water dragon and turkey.

Another of Oliver's Master Pieces ;-)

I think this is something about the various 'bosses' in Oliver's life. I got a bad rap, but the DS did really well... he's a funny little man... :-) love him.

Me turning 37! Yay! :-)

Snapshots from Paris and Spain....

Halloween Fairy Oliver!

The children are trying on their various costumes for tonight's Trick or Treating. So far, Oliver is going as a fairy - not sure if he actually will though - but he did have this small performance for us in costume... :-)

Beggars and Players

Annabelle charged a minimum of 50 cents to watch her piano show on the new keyboard. Mmmmm.

Historical Village at Mt Tambourine...

This is a short clip of somewhere we stopped in the big rain at Mt Tamborine - some sort of little historical village - quite cute. Across the road from this is the entrance to one of the many good walking trails through the rainforest in Mt Tamborine. A beautiful area - even in the pouring rain.

Ken's 65th Birthday

Kids playing at home on the Spring Holidays, Sept 2010

Kids Feeding the Animals at Mt Tamborine

Llamas, deers, and hogs. Yay!

Bearded Dragon Cottage at Mt Tamborine...

This place we found out of desperation really (too too rainy to camp as planned!), and it turned out to be one of the cutest and nicest hotels ever. I really am NOT a fan of high rise apartments or being boxed in while on holiday, and this place is the total opposite to all that usual stuff. It is on the ground, built in a semi-circle over looking gorgeous gardens that you can sit in and eat in and play in. The place is surrounded by acres and acres of land with lots of horses and other animals. It is so peaceful and beautiful. I also really liked how they decorated the rooms - really classy and cosy. I totally recommend this place - right near Mt Tamborine's main drag and wineries etc. You can't go wrong :-) Oh, and they have Llamas. How cool is that!

In the rainforest, Mt Tamborine :-)

Spelling Time! (V funny :-)

Another Oliver Film.... :-)

Ollie in French X

This is what I woke up to last Sunday. Oliver had his earphones on and was learning French from Charlotte's CD on 'How to Speak French' that Santa bought her last Christmas. I think he is better at the accent than the actual language... anyhoo, didn't Oscar Wilde say something like 'accuracy is the last refuge of the inimaginative'? Something like that ;-)

The herb and veggie garden!

Piano Girls :-)

Skipping in the Backyard with Ben n the kids

Annie on the swing :-)

I filmed this because I think it is a beautiful thing to watch little kids on a swing, and time goes so fast that I always wanted to remember Annie-Rose when she was still little and still liked to go on the swing :-)

Baking Brownies or similar ;-)

Here are my kids baking stuff. They are pretty damn good.

Ollie on Double Bass

Oliver's work on his double bass started out reluctantly, but has improved heaps since I put his CD accompaniment on my Itunes and he practices next to me while I am at the computer. He is doing great and now LOVES to practice. Quite a turn around. He will be the next John Butler. No doubt about that ;-)

More of Mark X

The Eels, The Tivoli, Brissy, 2010

The Eels are a band that I have been a big fan of since the mid 90s. I love Mark Oliver Everett - he is just such a gifted song-writer. We finally saw them live for the first time last night. I was INCREDIBLE. I LOVED every minute of them being on stage. He was so engaging and so fun, and really moving as well. They really ripped up some songs and the energy levels were crazy high, but then they did some of their sad songs as well. They were beautiful and it as SUCH a good night out.

Annie_Rose C-C

XX

Charlotte's beautiful piano playing - Move over, Megan ;-)

It is winter, and Charlotte has been learning the piano for about 5 months or so. By coincidence, her teacher, Rebecca Davies is in my class at the University. Rebecca is in a few bands and is a talented player and teacher. Charlotte is picking things up very quickly and loves to play. She practices on a piano keyboard that was mine when I was about eight or nine :-) We thought this was a daggy practice instrument until we saw Megan Washington - v cool up and coming singer use it in her film clip, for her gorgeous song How to Tame Lions

Annie reading her poem

Annie has to learn a poem each week in school. This is her reading the latest one :-)

On Yer Bike!

Ollie filmed me riding Charlotte's bike around Oakman Park - I really want my own bike - there will be no stopping me! :-)

Charlotte Baking Bread...

Annie on her bike at Ollie's Footy Practice

This is Annie on her bike at Oliver's football practice at Oakman Park, Toowong, on Wednesday nights.

Ben on the Water at Byron Bay

Oliver's Film Making Debut on the Wintery Cliffs of Byron Bay

This really needs no explanation or interpretation by me. It is Oliver's work. I love it :-)

Sunday late afternoon...

This is our place on a Sunday late afternoon in Winter.

And another one - they sounded great on the night!

Regional Finals for Ironside State School Senior Orchestra!

Charlotte's Senior Orchestra at Ironside State School got into the Regional Finals after competing in a championships on Tuesday. It was a massive last minute attempt by Trudy (teacher and conductor) to get all 60 students available and ready to compete gain the next night, as no-one expected them to make it to the finals :-)! It was a great surprise, and while they didn't win, they performed so beautifully! Here is them playing - they are so so good - and Trudy Weekes, who I went to school with (just a coincidence :-) did a great job conducting!

Oliver James - Movie Director

This is Oliver making big plans to be a movie writer and director. He is a very creative being, and constantly thinks in terms of narrative and cinematography. I think he will do well one day if he gets to express himself really well.

Annie's Jujitsu Grading for Orange Stripe Belt May 2010

Here is some footage of the action with Annie doing her Kiays and her punches. Jujitsu is just so fantastic for kids! She is gunna be tough as! :-)

Ollie on Bass...

This is Master Oliver James C-C practising his double bass. He is starting to really get into it, which is great, because we had to nag him to practice at first :-) I think he will be the next John Butler for sure. Woodford here we come! The cool thing is, his Uncle Devon in Santa Cruz, California, USA also plays the double bass in a band called the Bluetail Flies.

This is Oliver and Annie-Rose playing their Nintendo DS's together. They get on so well, whether they are playing online or offline - a great team :-)

Come Sail Your Ships Around Me...

This is the family on the Saturday of the Easter Weekend having some time away from computers, Nintendo DSs and phones etc. We were making ships together and various crafty things from the materials on the art table. Time well spent :-)

Annie Boogie Baby :-)!

I had been wondering when my talent for playing the stereo would show up in the gene pool, and thank God it finally did in Annie-Rose. She loves it and plays her fave tunes all the time while rock-staring it up in her bedroom :-) She is going to be the next Suzy Quatro for sure ;-)

Annie the Poet for Fiona, Nanna, Grandad and Alex :-)

Annie has to read a poem each work for her homework, so this is her reading her latest item. She insisted on doing different readings for different family members! So here is one for Fiona, then her grandparents, then Alex :-)

Easter Hat Parade!!!

Well, if we had stopped at two children, we would have been on our last Easter Hat Parade LAST year, but we have our gorgeous Annie-Rose, so we have two more years to go of this marvellous and strange tradition! Here is Annie-Rose in Grade One doing her Easter Hat Parade walk and concert. It is hard to clap and film at the same time, hence the wobbly camera! :-)

Family Symposium on Cockatoos at Oakman Park

There is lots of amazing wildlife near Toowong Creek and in Oakman Park. They have some clever ecology type people working on the plantations in the creek bed, and the animals are responding well to these efforts. Here are a bunch of cockatoos and Oliver initiating a discussion about which are girls and which are boys, although I think Ben really had the edge in biological knowledge with his suggestions about pink bows ;-)

Muddy Puddles!

Here are all three children indulging in some serious mud puddling! This is in the local park after all the big rains we have been having.

Charlotte and Annie in Double-Act

Charlotte is learning some guitar courtesy of her Grandad Carroll, who has played for years and years and years :-) He is teaching her lots of songs, including this one. She sings nicely too!

Young Talent Time!

This is Oliver and Annie-Rose doing their best singing :-)! Fame and fortune are inevitable!

Dad Duty :-)

The kids thought it would be a brilliant idea to go to Perrin Park in the middle of the day in around 33 degree heat. They also thought it would be good to make Ben play tag with them and push them on the bike-track. Lucky he is a good dad and obliged them ;-) He has soooo much good karma in the bank, this man :-)

How to Live :-)

This is a snapshot of life on our deck! Charlotte is sitting at the table and I am in the hammock enjoying the peace and the view around me. Queenslanders are the best houses :-)