Checkout these cuties...

Here we have Sebastian (on the left) who's birthday we went to on the weekend...
And on the right is little Gabriel, brother to Sebastian - isn't he a little cutie? He is such a happy little chap and totally adored looking at the camera (oh I just loved that!)... He makes me a bit clucky... *cluck cluck cluck*... :)

Birthday Party...

This morning we went to our friend Sebastian's 3rd birthday party... it was at a park with little steam trains run by the Lion's Club for the kids to ride on. We had a great time... We didn't get to ride on the trains (Beth got too tired before we got a chance, but I suspect she wouldn't have wanted to go on them... they were moving pretty fast!) Beth spent most of the time eating and I had a fabulous time taking photos of the party and the kids. I've been going through a bit of a down period in my photography... I just don't seem to be making the progress I want to be making (I can "see" photos in my head, but have so much trouble executing them!) but today was so great - it just gave my confidence a whole boost and I have discovered that I take photos of other people's kids better than I take photos of my own little Beth! Isn't that weird?... Although I have heard it said before that pro child photographers hire other child photographers to take photos of their own kids because their kids don't want to pose for their mum's camera anymore! I do believe that has really become the case with Beth... she is sooo over me and the camera lens being pointed at her all the time. So today, I took some of my best photos ever of Sebastian and his little brother Gabriel... Sorry I can't share until their mum gives the okay... but I was sooo happy with todays photos.

But anyway here are 2 of little B enjoying a bite of fairy bread -

Checkin' out my feet...

Going back through some photos and this one was taken back on the 30th of May... It was cute 'cos she was sitting on the stairs just kicking her feet and watching them... little amusements...

What We Made On A Dreary, Rainy Day...

It rained *all day* today... we went to playgroup this morning... although, I did have my reservations about going... it just seemed like too much effort in this horrible weather... but I'm glad we went... there was a small turnout today (the weather obviously scared off a lot of people!) so it was really nice and it was just good to spend a few hours out of the house. After her nap, we decided to do some baking for the dual purpose of (1) warming up the house by having the oven on (it was a bit cold inside today) and (2) giving us something to do and having something yummy for dessert. I've discovered *the best* cupcake recipe ever... and then decided while we were at it to go all out and make some icing and decorate them up for fun (and a bit of practise). Beth got freaked out everytime I turned on the KitchenAid... but she loved licking the remnants of cake batter and icing out of the bowl. She also enjoyed watching me pipe the icing on the cakes... she giggled everytime I squeezed icing out of the piping bag. Really happy with how these cakes turned out... they look so cute and are sooo yummy!

An Artiste at Work...

I took this footage this morning... she was being very cute and drawing and muttering to herself... you can't really hear her muttering on the video footage, but she's still cute! :)

I stayed up last night until 1am (!!! Unheard of for me!!!) to watch le Tour De France... don't ask me how I managed to get enthralled in it so much that I needed to see it to the end... but I found it very exciting. Oddly, I'm not that tired... so I've done laundry, made chicken stock and prepped dinner for bun thang, read Beth a heap of books... I'm sure it will all catch up with me tomorrow... perhaps even more so, if I stay up again to watch tonight's stage of the Tour!

Blurring the lines for a moment...

I've posted some exciting news on my digi-scrapping blog, but I know a lot of you don't read that blog, so I just wanted to show off here too...

I recently received a RAK (RAK - Random Act of Kindness), where a designer gave me one of her digital kits for free, just because she's lovely! Anyway, I loooved the kit 'cos it was super cute and I made this LO with it -

Journalling Reads -
We went to the park one Saturday morning so that you could play at the playground and stretch your little legs. You had only been walking for about a month and were still a bit wobbly on your feet, so I still liked to hold your hand to help you keep your balance. But you were “little miss independent” that day and were quite adamant in not wanting to hold my hand. How it makes me smile on the inside seeing you assert your independence and watching you develop this little personality which is full of confidence in yourself. Never lose that faith in yourself and your abilities.
Love always,
Mummy xxx
1st March 2008

Thought Bubble Reads -
"No Mum, I will not hold your hand!"

Credits -
Kit - Summeroo - Amy Sumrall @ Sunshine Studios & Gotta Pixel
Font - Christy, Pea Shelley Thin


Anyway... this LO has made it to Layout of the Week at on one of the digi sites that I post to - Beth and I are on the home page of Gotta Pixel if you want to check it out! I'm pretty excited... it's a big accolade for little ole me... Thanks for letting me share my excitement here... :)

There's an elephant on the roof...

Well, it sounded like it anyway... Last night just as Phan and I were drifting off to sleep at about 11:30pm, there was 3 or 4 *huge* thumps on the roof which jolted us awake. We think it was a clumsy possum falling over on the roof... but damn, it sounded like it was an elephant!!!

Nothing too much going on here... Beth has a cold... a runny nose... I'm feeling not quite 100%... not sick... but just really tired and kind of had a niggly sore throat, but that's getting better.



I'll leave you with this photo of Beth cuddling her new dolly from Chu Phi... cute huh? (I should mention, I know this photo isn't that fantastic, but this photo was near impossible to take! Beth would cuddle the doll, but the moment she saw the camera she would dump the doll the floor and hide!) She's had a few "issues" with this doll (meaning, she has stand-offs and has been pushing it away!)... but we're getting better and now Beth just loooves playing hide and seek with the doll... when she wants to play hide and seek, she brings Dolly to me and then runs off and hides... it's very cute. She also shares drink and food with Dolly too... I'm really glad she has the doll actually... it's teaching her some "social" skills! Does anybody have any suggestions for a name for the doll? At the moment it's "Dolly"... but I don't really like that name 'cos it reminds me of the sheep! If you have a suggestion - leave me a comment!

Uh Oh....

Beth is starting to really understand what it going on when she watches TV... Everytime she hears someone go "uh oh" on tv, she says it too... and it is surprising the number of times "uh oh" gets said... the Teletubbies say it *alot*!

She was also watching Play School today and they were singing "Row Row Row Your Boat" and she started doing the rowing arm motions too... it was too cute! Beth has also developed an obsession with stacking blocks... she has these Peter Rabbit nesting blocks that Bac Bao Anh got her for Christmas and she just loves stacking them up and then pushing them so they fall over (she's a little bit destructive!). Oh, and we are having some hilarious interaction (or rather non-interaction) with Beth and the baby doll... we were playing playdough today and I was pretending to feed the doll some playdough... and then Beth fed the doll too (that's big progress!) but then when I tried to get Beth to give the doll a drink from a little plastic cup, she took the cup and "drank" out of it herself and refused to share. And then she took away the stool that the doll was sitting on... and stood in a corner and looked at the doll... quite anti-social, but really amusing... I'm working on getting her to interact with the doll more... Although, it could just be that Beth is like me... I never played with dolls as a child (was never the maternal type of child)... so perhaps that's what it is... although, I don't think I would have had stand-offs with a doll if I had had one.

Nothing else too much going on here... the weather has been terrible today... Yesterday was gorgeous and balmy (I was walking around in a t-shirt) but it suddenly bucketed down with rain in the evening and has continued to do so on and off for most of today... it is just horribly dreary... Beth also woke up from her afternoon nap with a runny nose... she didn't have it this morning, but it suddently developed after her nap... doesn't seem to bother her too much ... it's actually bothering me more because I am constantly wiping her nose (she isn't too fond of).

I don't know what was reported on the news nationally, but it was lucky that Ong Ba Noi flew out on Monday, because on Tuesday a fibre optic cable got cut on the Gold Coast and crippled the entire Optus network for South East Queenland... now Optus has all the government contracts and the airport contracts so a lot of businesses came to a stand still and had problems (the airport included!)... Apparently there was a huge backlog and delays at the airport (they showed the Jetstar counters on the news crammed full of poeple)... so we were very lucky there.

I'll leave you with this photo from the weekend... it's one of my favourites... just so candid and natural...

Bye Bye Ong Ba Noi...

Well after a fun filled 4 days, grandma and grandpa are going home. I'm a sad to see them go, because Beth had such a great time with them... I don't think she realises they have gone yet, but she'll probably understand when she sees them on web cam tonight...

I just wanted to post some of the fun pics I took over the weekend...

More photos of our cool girl... :)

Grandpa is funny (aka as the sleeping machine)

After my last post, I went upstairs to do something and heard Dad snoring in his room... it wasn't even 9:30pm! Mai really did tire him out! And then this morning Mai and he didn't wake up until 8am! Today we did some baking in the morning (made this really simple, but yummy oatmeal slice which is a bit like an anzac biscuit but easier) and played with playdough. Then Mai had her nap... and Dad fell asleep on the couch *again*! I smsed Phan to tell him how hilarious it was that Dad kept sleeping and later on in the afternoon Phan sent him an sms which said "Did you come to Brisbane to sleep? :)"... that just cracked me up! When Mai woke up from her nap, we went to Chermside to do a spot of shopping... we spent 2.5 hours there (we were accidentally running on Adelaide time, Dad hadn't changed the time on his watch!). Beth had a hilariously silly time... we let her walk instead of taking the stroller and omg, she was a handful... running around, rummaging through clothes, bouncing, frantically waving around a balloon on a stick... Lucky there were 3 of us to look after her... but even then Mum and I lost Dad a few times in the shop when he went chasing after Mai! Dad looked exhausted by the end of it! I'm exhausted too, so I'm calling it a night... but I'll leave you with this photo of Beth... she was laughing whilst playing "throw the ball" with her grandpa... very funny!

Joy and Silliness...

Just a sneek peak of a photo I took to give you a taste of what's to come from the park photo shoot today - this photo really makes me smile... she looks so carefree and is so joyful, but is a bit silly at the same time ...

Ong Ba Noi are here!

Phan's parents arrived late last night for a short little visit. From the moment they have been here, Beth has just loooved having them around. She has been a bundle of energy and laughing and smiling and being hilariously funny. She was a lucky duck this morning and woke to a *huge* pile of presents (and when I say huge, I mean the presents took up half of their luggage!). She was majorly spoiled... a cute baby doll, adorable clothes, funky shoes, books and a Thomas the Tank Engine train set (which has been a *massive* hit!)... She loved it all! We spent this morning playing with the new toys, then doing a bit of art and craft before Beth crashed for an early nap (she had woken up *way* too early!) and then in the afternoon, she played with grandpa whilst I napped on the couch (that was lovely!) and then later we headed out for an hour or so at the park. Beth was a crazy bundle of energy... climbing the playground equipment, running and showing off... playing soccer with Ong Noi... chasing birds for miles (and the grandparents will vouch for the "miles" I speak of... seriously... we walked heaps far!) I took my camera to the park and got some lovely natural shots as well, so stay tuned for photos!

When we got home from the park, Beth had her bottle of milk and grandpa lay down on the couch... Here is a video snippet of what Beth did to grandpa -

Obviously, Beth wore him out a bit too much at the park... So much that he was snoring (Not sure if you can hear it on the video clip that clearly, but it was *loud*)! Btw - Hi5 was playing on the TV and Beth was playing and he managed to sleep through it all. I'm sure he is going to be hugely impressed that I am posting this on the www... but it cracks me up!

Something Beth found ...

Yesterday, Beth had woken up from her nap and I decided to have a little lie down and have a rest on the floor of her room... Beth was exploring her room (it's quite funny observing and listening to her potter around her room... she likes to sit in her built in wardrobe and lie under her cot and play with the slats... and when she's bored she'll come and roll on top of me to get me moving... ) Anyway she discovered the third drawer of her tallboy... which contains lots of clothes that are too big for her or are unseasonal ... She rummaged and found her bathers... and then proceeded to pull out every article of clothing and try it on (which means flopped it over her shoulder and her neck). Amongst all the clothes, we discovered this cute little hoodie, which is marked as a size 2T (american size 2), but looking at it, I thought that Beth could probably fit it... so I put it on her and it was a perfect fit! It is so cute... I'm not normally one for fluffy, fake fur trimmed things, but this little knitted hoodie is just adorable! She's actually watching Phan play Mario Kart on the Wii in this photo... she thinks it's fun! And yes - her hair is long... I forgot to clip it back... it's such an impractical length at the moment... can't really do a lot with it!

It's raining, it's pouring and little Beth is snoring...

Well... it's only 7:15am as I write this, so she's allowed to be snoring, but I'm going to have to wake her up so we can take Phan to work, because he can't walk to work in this rain! It's been raining non-stop since about 2am this morning.. it's very grey and overcast... really feels like winter.

Not too much going on... waiting for the grandparent's to arrive so we can have some fun with them for four days! ;)

We need to get out of the house today though because we are getting a bit restless being at home... I think we'll brave the crowds at Chermside today...

Apparently playdough is "yum"...

We were just playing with playdough and Beth was pretending to eat it with a miniature spoon, fork and knife that she has and she kept on saying "yum" everytime she pretended to eat it... I'm sure she actually ate some playdough too when I wasn't paying complete attention, but I did manage to stop her most of the time....

She's currently walking around with one sandal on ... looks like that's what the cool kids wear these days ...

Low Key Days...

We've been having a low key week... it's the first week of Brisbane school holidays, so I've been avoiding Chermside because it'll be packed full of parents and kids... and also because the huge July toy sales have started yesterday and today and I can just imagine the chaos in the shops!

Yesterday we didn't do anything... I was a bit grumpy because Beth had had a crappy night's sleep which involved me having to be awake for about 2 hours in the middle of the night.

But then she made up for it last night, when she only woke up once and was easy to resettle and then slept in until... wait for it... 8:30am! So this morning, I did some weeding in the back garden... took me 90 minutes to get rid of most of the weeds and Beth just pottered around with me helping me ... although her version of weeding involved grabbing huge fistfuls of dirt and bark chips and putting them the bin I was using to put all the weeds in... She was also flinging and sprinkling the dirt everywhere... including sprinkling it over her head. But she had fun and was well behaved, and I got entire back garden done which I am happy about.

When were finished, we went upstairs and got cleaned up together... I really needed to give Beth a bath to clean her up - she was really quite dirty! I turned on the shower, so I could rinse off and for Beth to play under as well and she had a ball... laughing with such infectious-ness... she had me cracking up with laughter too!

Is it July already?!

Can you believe it? We have been in Brisbane now for almost 6 months! Time has really flown by. Not too much to report... little B has decided to have a little sleep in this morning (the first time in over a week), so poor Phan had to walk to work... and I'm getting to have a little quiet time this morning... :)

Yesterday was low-key... no KindyRoo, so Beth and I did some tidying upstairs (which mainly involved her jumping up and down madly on the bed!) and I was trying to reorganise my wardrobe and had pulled the clothes out of the builtin wardrobe shelves, and Beth decided to climb into the second to bottom shelf! I gave up after that and we came downstairs and she watched "In The Night Garden" (which is her favourite TV show at the moment... I think it's really weird!). She was ravenous for lunch (which was a nice change... lately she's been a bit fussy about her food) and then she had a looong 2 hour nap... we popped out to the shops and then some quiet play at home after the shops. Pretty much an uneventful day. Trying to think of something interesting to do today...

Last night, I was planning to go to bed a little early and snuggle up in bed and read this fabulous cookbook I borrowed from the library called "The Silver Spoon", which is apparently the bible of Italian cooking. Instead, I ended up getting distracted and made a new winter-y themed blog header... :)