Day 6

Me holding 2 very precious boys... can't think of a better photo to end the year with than a photo with my lovely boys in it (and my other precious boy taking the photo!!!) :)

End of Year Post

2010 is almost over .. in almost 5 hours to be exact... what a year it has been! The best things from this year are:

1. Jacob - He is my sunshine, my angel and makes me smile every time I look at him. Lewy and I always dreamed of having 2 sons, so when Jacob was born he filled the spot in our hearts that had been set aside for him long before he arrived.

2. Sam - This little guy continues to amaze me. He is so confident, happy, curious about everything and has the cheekiest little personality (he gets that from Lewy I'm sure). Can't wait to see more of his great personality thrive next year :)

3. Friends and Family - This year we have built on some already wonderful friendships. We feel very very lucky to have such good friends in our lives. (You know who you are!) I've also been so happy to be able to keep in closer contact through this blog and email etc with very special friends who don't live here, it means a lot :)  As for family, wow -  I don't know what I'd do without such a fantastic family, my parents, sisters, mother-in-law... are all so special to me. A special mention for my sister Pam - so many times she has been the light at the end of the tunnel for me and I am so lucky to have her as not only my sister but my friend. :)

4. Photography - I'm so in love with this hobby/obsession... I'm a total amateur but it just makes me very very very happy to learn more about it and to practise (but also can be very boring for others when I get a bit too carried away talking about it... a specific sorry to Lewy who has to put up with it!!!)

5. Working - strange I know, but I enjoy it and I feel good that I've been able to take on more this year and feel a part of the working world in a small way, even if it is from home on my laptop!!!

6. Fitness - for the last half of the year anyway when I wasn't pregnant! It's been SO good to feel healthy and fit again, this has become a very important part of my daily routine and I'm glad I have met my goal of reaching 5kms. You'll be pleased to know that I'm still keeping it up nearly everyday, and Lewy and I are going to go on some runs next year which is some new goals to look forward to.

(On a side note: I had been training for a good number of weeks to get my fitness level up and slowly reaching toward running the 5kms... Lewy on the other hand, just before Christmas decided he wanted to start running with me so he jumped on the treadmill and not only ran 5kms the first try but also did it 6 whole minutes faster than I can!!! That's not entirely fair is it! hehe) On the bright side, it's great to have a running partner and we keep each other motivated.

7. Its Only the Beginning.. My Blog Title. I chose this name because it really does sum up how I feel as the year is coming to an end. I feel a contentment I've never felt before. I'm so excited to see what the next years holds for our family.

8. Lewy - I left him last on purpose, saving the best till last :) I have an amazing husband. If you can't tell by now, I often come up with little ideas and projects (sometimes crazy ones!) and no matter what it is Lewy supports me in every one of them. One thing I just love about Lewy, is that without fail when he wakes up in the morning he is HAPPY.. it's contagious, his positivity and energy is catching. He is my best friend and the best person I know :)

I just re-read what I wrote and it sounds like I am giving my speech after winning an Oscar or some kind of special award hehe.... I can only dream hey!

SO that brings me to the next part! NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!!! These aren't actually new goals but ones that I had set in my sights a few months ago that I wanted to complete throughout next year.

1. Read the Bible - beginning to end.
2. Go skydiving (Lewy is doing this with me... it's the only way I will do it if I have him there to support me!)
3. Run the City to Surf 12kms in September (and at least 2 other runs throughout the year)
4. Do a Photography course

I have a list of personal goals/growth/development things I want to achieve, but I won't write those down just in case I fail miserably and then have to explain what went wrong!!!

So some photos to end the post with....

We went to the beach this morning... love watching Sam in the water :) 

When I started this post, I looked down to see this spider...I couldn't concentrate very well, I am NOT brave when it comes to spiders!!!!

My beautiful boys :)

HDR taken today at the beach

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!!! 

Day 5

How is this for being organised with today's photo! Posting at 5.39am!

I woke up at 4.15am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep... unfortunately it wasn't until 4.50am that I got the idea of going outside to take some pictures. I stood in my PJ's in the middle of the street to take this HDR photo, thankfully it seemed I was the only person crazy enough to be out in the street at that time of the morning!

ETA - Seen as I was up so early, once the boys got up I took them for a drive through John Forrest National Park to take some more pictures. On the way home I stopped past Guildford Grammar School to take a picture of the church on the school grounds. I have been wanting to take a photo of this church for a long time, but have always been too scared considering there are signs all over the place saying 'No Trespassing' and '24hr Video Surveillance"!! I decided the worst that could happen is someone could come and tell me off so I took the pics I needed for HDR and then ran back to the car like a naughty school girl getting up to mischief! My new photos are added to my Flickr site if you want to look! http://www.flickr.com/photos/traceyrankin/

Day 4

Day 3

I have a wonderful husband, I really really do :)

I woke up this morning really regretting the challenge I set for myself of a photo a day for 1 whole year!!! (I thought it would take at least a good few weeks for that to happen.. but 3 days in?!). I was telling Lewy how I wished I could travel somewhere to take some HDR's for inspiration and how I really needed a decent tripod and how on earth would I be able to meet the 1 year challenge! My lovely husband then went out as soon as the shops opened to get me a fantastic new tripod (it really is so cool!) and came up with the idea of going on a day trip to the country, to one of my very favourite places - New Norcia.

New Norcia is the only town in Australia to be founded (in 1847) and run by monks (and other people too who they hire).. it has the most amazing spiritual and peaceful feel to it and I love the old buildings. We had a great time driving around taking photos and then stopped at the hotel to have lunch. The thing I love the most is that you can sit on the massive verandah at the hotel and without fail you will find someone to have a chat with. It's a special little town that's for sure.

Today's photo was taken about 10kms out of New Norcia. I have put all my other photos from the day into my Flickr website if you want to have a look. http://www.flickr.com/photos/traceyrankin/

Day 2

Here are some of the goodies I bought in preparation for next Christmas. What isn't included in this photo is a whole lot more tree decorations, wrapping paper and a beautiful Nativity Scene I managed to buy for half price... I'm in love with it and can't wait to set it up next year!!!

Day 1 - 26/12/10

You won't believe it... I have decided to try another photo challenge. A photo a day for 1 YEAR! Yes, that's right.. one whole year.

Am I crazy??!!! Quite possibly!!

This could either be a lot of fun and something I actually stick to OR this blog could become so boring that everyone disappears and stops looking!

The only difference this time, is that I will still update with my random photos and posts about random events when I feel like it..so this blog is going to be pretty jam-packed very quickly!!!

So here we go! My first pic... I took a pic of myself moments after committing to my brilliant idea (or ridiculous idea... only time will tell which one it will be!)...it's only a half smile because I'm still trying to decide whether or not I will regret this challenge in weeks to come......

Christmas 2010

It's been a very busy, but really fun Christmas. We went to my parents house in Mandurah the day before Christmas Eve, and stayed until Christmas morning. Christmas morning we drove home, then out again to Chesters Restaurant in the Swan Valley for lunch with Lewy's Dad.  Be warned, there are a stack of pictures in this post!!!

The Christmas cake..made by my very talented mum. Sam kept hanging around this cake and trying to get his little fingers into it the whole time!

Sam helping Nanna in the kitchen, of course you must wear an apron and chef's hat to do this... 

Cooking a carrot

Pop and Jacob

Blurry photo, but the sky was amazing. Everyone got sick of me talking about clouds after awhile... :) 

Nanna and Jacob - after bath time

My parents live a 1 minute walk away from this beach... it's gorgeous. 

On the way home, Sam walking Dad's dog Skip. Sam accidentally (or so he says) fell into the water so had to wear Dad's jacket home. 

The night before Christmas Eve, some of our relatives came for a visit. This is my Aunty Michele. 

My Nanna

My mum's cousin Karl visiting from England.. imagine coming from snow to our Aussie heat!

Nanna, Karl & Dad

It took about 20 photos to get this one kinda okay photo. Lewy thinks it's really funny to pull faces in every picture. It's funny for the first 3 or 4 photos...mmmm!!!

All ready for Christmas morning.

CHRISTMAS DAY!

It's never too early in the morning to do The Robot

Sam on his laptop sending some emails.. 

Jacob can officially sit up by himself and he even crawled for the first time on Boxing Day.. what a little champion :) 

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Chesters Restaurant is a gorgeous restaurant/winery in the Swan Valley. This restaurant used to be a fruit drying shed, which was built in the early 1900's that has been refurbished to the restaurant it is now- these poles that you can see are the originals used when it was first built. We had a seafood themed lunch, it was absolutely beautiful and the perfect food choice for the weather. 

Starters - 1. Cherry tomatoes with basil pesto filling and feta. 2. Salmon on buckwheat pancakes with  salmon caviar. 

Starter - 3. Smoked chicken and corn chowder (this looks ordinary but was SO YUM!)

Entree - Crayfish and Yabby with an avocado, tomato and 'other stuff I can't remember' side... I enjoyed every mouthful of this!!!

Main - Barramundi with potatoes, tomato and a 'green but not basil pesto' sauce. 

(I thought it was a basil pesto type sauce but Lewy said it wasn't, I asked him what it was and he said "I don't know, but I know it's green but isn't basil pesto"... whatever it was, it was delicious!)

There was dessert but I only remembered to take a photo after I had finished it....that's how yummy it was :) 

When we got home from lunch, Sam went for a nap at 3pm... and we didn't see him again until the next morning! It had been a VERY busy time for the little guy! 

This morning my mother in law, Sharon and I hit the Boxing Day Sales .. and boy did I pick up some Christmas decoration bargains! Let me just say, bring on next Christmas because I'm totally organised!!! 

So overall, it's been a really enjoyable and special Christmas spent with our gorgeous boys and family :) The only downside was the unbearable heat on Christmas Day. For the first time in my 31 years of being an Aussie (or should I say an aussie living in WA).. is that I am completely and utterly sick of this hot weather! It's far TOO HOT and someone should complain (possibly to Julia Gillard?? maybe she can do something about it?! hehe) that we need to cool it down a few degrees to a more reasonable temperature. Anyone want to take on the mission? :) 

I did it!

I wasn't going to post again until after Christmas but I just had to share my good news, that today I hit my goal of running 5kms! Woohoo!!! Even though afterwards I looked like I had dived into a pool, I felt GREAT! Originally I was impressed thinking I was going to quite easily make it to 4.5kms then I thought how cool it would be if I made it to 5km so that I could write it on my blog hehe.... see, this blog is more than my random thoughts and pictures, it's becoming a good motivator!!!

Now the next goal is to actually keep it up and make running 5kms a daily habit.

The Christmas spirit is alive and well.... our lovely elderly neighbours bought me some roses from their garden, a bottle of wine, some home-made shortbread and a Christmas present for Sam. They said they miss having young kids around them as their grandkids are teens now... so I've promised that I will visit often with the boys :) They made my day :) 

Wishing you all a fantastic Christmas break! Thanks for reading my blog - I'm really enjoying it and love that you read it! xxx

Carols by Candlelight

Last night Lewy and I took Sam to Carols in Bassendean while Jacob was fast asleep at Nanna's house.  It was night of adventure :) I had visions of Lewy and I sitting on our chairs with Sam playing nicely on the picnic blanket, and us singing our little hearts out getting into the Christmas spirit. Well, well, it was lovely vision!

Sam getting excited about his new found freedom to run wild

This was the reality:

Picture this... a park packed full of people. It's getting darker.. Sam is wearing glow sticks around his neck, thankfully because for the most of the night that was the only way we could locate him in the crowd. Sam, being one very confident, fear-less, sociable little guy, wanted to individually go and visit everyone at the Carols, run around like a nutter, and investigate the stage and everything that was happening.

Eating cherries, getting his strength up for Project "Embarrass Mummy in front of the whole crowd"

So here we are, Lewy and I sitting back, enjoying the atmosphere when they bring the puppets out and invite all the kids to go to sit down the front to watch the show. Sam bolts to the front, we can see him so this is fine. All the kids sit down, I see Sam is still standing, I figure someone will tell him to sit down so all will be fine. Still standing.... and then I see him starting to walk over to the 'out of bounds' area of the stage which happens to be the actual front of the stage.. in full view of everyone at the park. I realise that unfortunately I am going to have to go into the spotlight to bring Sam back.

So here I am running to the stage, while all the kids are sitting nicely watching the show, Sam bolting up to the choir, past the presenter, right in front of the puppet stand.... he decides to stop here right below the puppets and face the entire audience. I am frantically scrambling almost on my hands and knees to get to him, while trying not to get in the way of the show, apologising to the choir, the presenter and everyone that I am getting in the way of... to grab Sam and pull him to the ground... by this stage I am feeling rather mortified and wanting to get us out of the spotlight as soon as possible!!!

You might need to click on the pic below to enlarge and see the full extent of Sam's adventures. After the first journey to 'out of bounds'.. I took this picture the SECOND time he decided to visit the stage... with another presenter and a puppet... As you can see, by this stage I had given up on being a good and responsible parent and left him to it... :)

Just when you thought I had spared you all from another sky shot........ isn't it beautiful?

So there is a little insight into our night.... life is never dull let me tell you! In all seriousness, and moments of mortification aside, I love that Sam is so full of life, confident and outgoing - as a parent I love to see these characteristics in him. Watch this space, I'm sure I will have plenty more 'Sam Adventure' posts to come!!!

A day in the life of....

I decided this morning that I would take photos throughout the day as a bit of a snapshot of what a typical day is like in our little household! Just a warning...this has the potential to be the most boring post ever... 

Morning activities... 

"Look how strong I am mum!"

Sam came up to me dressed in one of Lewy's work shirts and told me that he had packed his lunch and he was off to work .... he asked me to walk him to the door to say goodbye.  I said we needed to take a picture of his "first day of work", he was happy to pose to capture such a big moment.. my boy makes me laugh :) 

"Cheer up my lovely boys, it's not that bad"

"Ummm I guess that's a bit better?!" :) 

Breakfast time .. (note that Sam is still wearing his "work clothes" :) 

I got a lovely surprise this morning.  My boss called around with a beautiful hamper to say thank you for my work during the year. It meant a lot as doing well at my job is very important to me.  (See that bottle of wine in the middle? I'm enjoying that right now :) 

I managed to find 10 minutes to sit down and read the Bible... nice refresher and time out :) 

Lunch time! I made Sam and I some yummy wraps. See that Heinz jar? That is Mayonnaise Aioli with Dill... I HIGHLY recommend this, it's gorgeous!

Treadmill time! Guess what... I made it to 4kms today :) It's amazing how quickly your body gets back into the swing of things.  I have realised that I can trick my mind into thinking I am actually a better runner than I really am! I can do this by doing interval sprints. That way after 1 minute of a sprint, by the time I get back to jogging my mind says "this is WAY easier than sprinting.. I can do this for ages!". Woohoo! 

Time for work. This is my work area... I probably should organise something more permanent. but the dining table will do for now. And while I work I can look at the treadmill with pride knowing that I've used it well... (this works the other way too.. if I haven't done a run, the treadmill sits there taunting me)

Beautiful :) Sam and Teddy = best of friends who enjoy napping together. 

Look at my precious Jacob - this is the look I get when he wakes up from nap time. There is nothing more beautiful to me than seeing such a big lovely smile on my sons face. Obviously Jacob has been having some fun moving around while he waited for me to come and get him.  

Next task of the day - tidy up the patio area while Jacob supervises.  I meant to post a completed patio picture a long time ago.. so here it is :) 

Sam was still napping, while Jacob and I enjoyed some nice quiet time together. 

Intermission Note: It might look like it's all relaxing and fun here, but I have spared you all from posting pictures of me doing the dishes, laundry, nappy changes, cleaning up messes made by a toddler, more cleaning and tidying, work that has come through during the day, phone calls, dealing with unsettled kiddies etc etc! 

Dinner time

Okay, so having crayfish for dinner certainly isn't the norm! But definitely a lovely treat. :) 

So that sums up a kinda normal day in our house :)