Ben's Scrunchy Face

This shot of Ben was taken in my Brother's shop way back in October. This was about the time when Ben's Scrunchy Face was at it's most powerful. He would pull this look on a regular basis. We think the Scrunchy Face was some kind of smile, but there is a remote chance that it was actually a grimace. Either way it made everyone around him laugh, which of course increased the ferocity of the Scrunchy Face. We only occasionally see the Scrunchy Face now, so when I stumbled upon this photo tonight I thought it was important to document it before it disappears all together. Those ear decorations are jewellery boxes. Am pretty sure they weren't hurting him (I tried them out on my ears first). I love this photo, it still makes me laugh.

While We're Talking Weddings

I've mentioned before how behind I am with my blogging, but this is a bit ridiculous. Dad and SongXin were married on 6th October 2007. But because it was such a hectic time and all of us got sick I just didn't ever end up putting anything on the blog. But I figured with all my recent talk of weddings it was about time I posted a few shots.
The wedding was at Aanuka Beach Resort, which is such a beautiful spot. Brother was a groomsmen and looked very sharp, as did the rest of his family (pictured above). Emma, Justin and the three boys (Fergus was only two months old) all came from South Australia for the event. They also brought an unwelcome visitor with them. More will be said about that later.
The wedding was lovey. SongXin looked beautiful. She initially wore a western style wedding dress and later got changed into a traditional Chinese dress. Dad also got changed, but I can't say he looked anywhere near as glamorous as SongXin. SongXin's parents had come from China, and her brother, Travis came from the Netherlands. SongXin's parents don't speak English (and none of us speak Cantonese or Mandarin) but Travis was able to interpret for us and it was very nice to get to know them a little. One of the really special moments at the wedding was when SongXin's father sang in Cantonese.
Unfortunately Matt wasn't at the wedding to hear the singing. Hence his notable absence from the photo to the right. The reason he wasn't there is because he was back at the apartment being violently ill. This is what Matt was doing while the rest of us were dining on Atlantic Salmon and Creme Brulee. We now know that Matt had fallen victim to the extremely nasty and contagious adenovirus, which those naughty Lanes had brought with them from South Australia. Ben got sick shortly after Matt did, which was extremely worrying and stressful and has been documented at some length in postings last year. And just when I was congratulating myself for having such a strong immune system I came down with it too. Ben and I ended up having a brief admission to the ED of Coffs Harbour Base Hospital, where the shot above was taken. Poor Mum, who had come to help look after the boys while we went to the wedding also got sick, but it didn't hit her until she got home to Maitland. And Aunty Chris, who was sat at my table at the wedding caught the bug as well, which she was (understandably) not at all pleased about. Luckily the bride and groom escaped infection, as did all of the Chinese visitors.

Vineyard Wedding # 2

March was obviously the season for vineyard nuptials. I barely had time to get my dress dry cleaned before we were back amongst the grapes at another wedding. This time it was Matt's college friend, Chuck, who tied the knot with his beautiful bride, Sally on 20th March at Pepper's Creek Chapel. Chuck and Sally have lived all over the place. In fact we don't actually know where they're living now. We think it's somewhere in Asia, possibly Hong Kong or Singapore. They have a lot of friends and we felt very lucky to be invited. The wedding had a real party vibe, and because Chuck and Sally have been living (somewhere) in Asia for at least the last few years there was also a flavour of the Orient. The reception kicked in immediately after the ceremony and champagne and finger food flowed all night.

Unfortunately my high-heel-clad-hoofs didn't hold up to the rigours of the finger food party very well and we headed home earlyish. But we did stay long enough to catch up with lots of Matt's friends from college days. It was a great party with one of the highlights being Chuck singing to his new bride. Chuck had been having singing lessons and he performed a stellar rendition of INXS' Never Tear Us Apart. It was very impressive!

Vineyard Wedding # 1

On 15th March our friends Lydia and Nicholas were married at Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard. Lydia is one of my longest serving friends. She is also one of the nicest people I've ever met. She is absolutely always smiling and has one of those personalities that makes everyone around her feel good. I've known Lydia since she was 12 and I found myself feeling quite nostalgic at her wedding. At times I could hardly believe that she was grown up enough to be married. But it was wonderful to see her married to such a lovely man in Nicholas. Matt and I met Nicholas when we were living in Sydney and he proved himself to be a match for Lydia as well as a pretty handy member of the Monday night trivia team.

The wedding was a fabulously multicultural affair. Lydia's Dad is Indonesian and Nicholas' family have a Greek heritage. So we were witness to a Greek Crown Ceremony as well as a Chinese Tea Ceremony (I don't have any decent photos of either of these - but have plenty of shots of the gorgeous wedding party with their Indonesian parasols). There were also about 20 page boys or flower girls from all over Australia and Indonesia (again I have no good photos - they were very cute though). It was a very beautiful wedding and the setting was sensational.




For Matt and I it was a particularly special setting, as we had our wedding photos taken there four years ago.

After the ceremony we were treated to drinks and nibbles and a chance to mingle. Our good friends Cain Beckett and his Mum Debbie Beckett were there and we caught up with people we hadn't bumped into since we lived in Sydney.


The wedding was followed by a beautiful reception at Casuarina in the most opulent marquee I've ever seen. The food was so yummy and the Funky Doo-Daas kept every one grooving into the night. The speeches were fantastic (Matt and I are both firm believers that speeches make or break a wedding) and for me, a highlight was Nicholas' cousin who belted out an amazing rendition of "At Last".

It was such a fun night. A fitting beginning to a marriage that I'm sure will be wonderfully long and happy.

Little Brother Turns 30!

As I mentioned in a previous post, there have been three special birthdays recently. Mum turned 60 on 27th March (which was also our 4th wedding anniversary), Benjo turned 1 on 28th March and Brother turned 30 on 31st March. To help Brother celebrate we travelled to Coffs Harbour on 5th April and joined in the party. We arrived in enough time to take Kodi, Charlie and Ben to Digger's Beach. Brother, Michelle and the kids live in a fantastic spot within walking distance of the beach. So Kodi, jumped on his bike, we strapped Ben into the kiddie seat on Michelle's bike and Charlie walked with Mum and I. The dog (Kia) also came along and added to the carnival atmosphere.

I love this shot of Kodi, Ben and Matt on their bikes (that's Kia's rear end in the background too). This was only the second time Ben has ridden on a bike and other than the slightly-too-big, perhaps a-little-too-pink helmet he seemed to enjoy it. Kodi also seemed to have fun and he took Ben and Matt on something of an adventure on the way home. I'm still not sure where they went, I guess they'll keep their men's business a secret.

For some unknown reason I didn't manage to get single shot of my brother at his party. I can't blame this oversight on tequila. I didn't drink any, but there was a lot of that stuff being consumed. Perhaps I sub-consciously decided that the subject matter was getting a little too blurry. Suffice to say that a great time was had by all. In the absence of any party photos, I've posted a couple more of Matt and Ben at the beach.

Brother backed up from his party, by cooking us pancakes on Sunday morning. As you can see from the shot of him at the very top of this posting, Brother takes his pancake making very seriously. We were all happy recipients of his expertise and dedication.

Dad and SongXin were at Brother's party of course and they also joined us for the pancake feast. This shot was taken just before we packed up to come home on Sunday. It was a very full weekend, with Matt and I even managing to have a swim together. Thanks for inviting us Brother and Michelle, we had a great time!!

Fearless Hunter

On 23rd March Ben went hunting. He was tracking the highly-sought-after Lindt Chocolate Egg. But every time he got a hand to it, it sprouted wings and flew away to another hiding spot. The fact that this Egg could fly before it hatched only added to the Hunter's determination. Obviously the Egg was an advanced and rare specimen. Finally Ben cornered the Egg in the washing machine. He attempted to transport the Egg to his "research" lab, but the frenzy of the chase overcame him. He succumbed to his primitive impulses and devoured the Egg. The only evidence of the pursuit was a crumpled piece of gold foil and some tiny choc crumbs on the laundry floor.

The Joys of Winter PJs

One thing I love about winter is snuggling into a pair of flanno PJs. Last winter Ben was very much a wondersuit baby and didn't get to experience the same joy. But this year he's graduated to big boy jammies. The shots above were taken on the first night Ben wore these PJs. I think he looks so cute in them. The same night, I convinced Matt to join me for a family flanno portrait. The first of many I hope!

Mum's Diamond Jubilee

As I mentioned in the previous posting, it was Mum's 60th birthday a couple of weeks ago. We'd been planning the celebrations for ages and people came from all over Australia. Special mentions go to Auntie Gae and Mum's friend Mary Petrou who came from Perth. We were also joined by Mum's friend Beth, who came from Goulburn, my sister Emma and her littlest one, Fergus came from SA. Brother, Michelle, Kodi and Charlie came from Coffs Harbour. Unnie and Bop came from Baker's Swamp, and Auntie Judy drove from Taree, stayed for the party and then drove home. I have to also mention Auntie Chris who once again added the finesse to the occasion. She made Mum's cake, which was a big hit with everyone, especially the kids. It was made up of a whole lot of cup cakes with some strategically placed head shots of Mum's family members on little curly sticks. We had the party at Lexies on the Beach at Stockton and it was the perfect evening for it. The dress code was "a touch of bling" and everyone looked very glam. It was especially nice to see Mum having a good time with so many of her closest friends and loved ones. Mum has a full and amazing life and she has met so many people along the way. There were so many characters at the party from various chapters of her life. From Cessnock, to Perth and her newest friends in Maitland. With so many people coming from miles around there were several full houses over that weekend. At our house we had Emma and Fergus staying in Ben's room, and Ben came in with us. Brother, Michelle and Charlie stayed in our spare room, and Kodi on the sofa bed. Mum moved into her friend Judy's place for a couple of nights and was joined there by Auntie Chris. Meanwhile the Perth/Goulburn/Sydney crew of Auntie Gae, Mary, Beth and Glenn stayed at Mum's, and Unnie and Bop bedded down at Jane and Trent's.

It was a great party, which ended up spilling over the entire weekend. Thanks to everyone who contributed. I'm pretty sure Mum had a fantastic Diamond Jubilee (she deserved to!)

A few party animals kick on at our place.

Ben's 1st Birthday

Ben celebrated his first birthday on 28th March. This was a very different birthday in comparison with his noughth. On his noughth birthday Ben was dressed in little more than a smear of vernix and a smattering of his own poo. This year he was dressed very sharply in his Baby Gap romper. Last year I went to bed at 10:00pm on the night before Ben's birthday, but it soon became apparent that the baby was completely cooked. This year I also went to bed at 10:00pm, but we kept things a bit simpler and merely cooked a cake.

The cake was a big hit in the end. I had wanted to make a cake that looked like a soccer ball, in homage to Ben's recent love of balls. But I couldn't channel the creative energy required, so I settled on the caterpillar you see pictured above. I figured the little caterpillar segments looked a bit like balls.

The cake was just one of the highlights of the day, which started at about 7:30am when Elliott arrived! Elliott had promised to spend the whole day with Ben on his birthday and he was such a delight to have around. He really made Ben's birthday a party. Elliott has such an impeccable sense of timing, that he even had a two hour sleep in the middle of the day so that he was ready with all his senses on high alert for the cutting of the cake in the afternoon.

We were also visited by Susan and Will Allardyce (in town from Melbourne) and Pauline Longmuir.

And then of course the family started rolling in. Ben was so lucky to have Aunt Em and cousin Fergus (all the way from SA). Aunt Jane and Nick and Will were also there, as well as Unnie and Bop (all the way from Bakers Swamp). It's lucky that Ben was born in close astrological proximity to his Nanna. All these people were in town for Mum's birthday party which took place on the 29th.

Thanks to everyone who helped make Ben's birthday very special. Especially Nick, who's pictured above helping Ben unwrap one of his presents. I have to make special mention of Nanna Marion (Ben's Great Step-Grandmother), who is renowned for her punctuality in sending birthday cards to all of her kin. We were not expecting to receive anything from her for Ben. To be honest, I was completely surprised that she even knew it was Ben's birthday. But there in the letterbox, on his birthday, was a card and a gift. She's really got a knack!!

Life is Very Full

Lots going on lately!! So much to blog about, not much time to blog!! Have decided not to fall into the trap of wishing life was simpler (particularly if my only complaint is that I don't have time to record it). Since I last posted an entry on the blog I've been to two weddings, put the final touches on Mum's 60th bash (which went off with a bang), and joined in the fun at my brother's 30th in Coff's Harbour. Have also had many much loved visitors coming from all over Oz to spend time with our extended family. And I've been working at a local cafe on Saturdays. The work cup has also runneth over, with blood, sweat, toil, tears and almost-certain-mould-spore-infestation going into the planning and running of a very intense workshop with two wonderful colleagues. In addition to all this, our little man turned one on the 28th March. I'm lucky to have so much sparkle and snap in my life!! Will be trying to update the blog over the next few days.