Hyde Park

This morning, me, Sam, Jacob and my parents dog, Skip (who we are looking after while they are cruising the seas!) set off for Hyde Park. The boys were so patient with me yesterday while I had lots of work to do, so this morning was a special outing just for them.

What made it even more special, was meeting a gorgeous family while we were there. The girls adopted Sam and Jacob and spent the next hour playing with them, while I sat on the bench with my new friend, Lyn chatting the morning away :) We wouldn't have met them if it were not for Sam going up and sitting next to them on the bench and asking if he could have a piece of their watermelon! 

Sam telling his new friends that Jacob was his brother :) Cute!

Jacob fell asleep in Lyn's arms :)

Overall, a great day!!!

Day 17

Hyde Park ... isn't it a lovely place? :) 

Day 16

So much for today's post being a better one! I tried....I really really did try!!! I didn't have much time today, but I took my camera with me on the way to the shops to get some dinner, and stopped past the vineyards on Benara Road. I only had time to take a few sets of pictures for HDR.. but NONE of them worked!! I wasn't happy with any of the results, but just to prove that I really did try to get a good picture for you, here is a Black and White copy of one of the photos I took :)

P.S I really enjoyed Cemetery Junction :) 

Day 15

I was supposed to take a photo of my parents, my sister Pam and my nephew Caleb before they headed off on an 11 day cruise up to Bali and back... but I forgot my camera. 

So, instead I took a photo of the DVD store down the road... the photo is awful. I did a 'point and shoot' because I didn't want to bring attention to myself getting all 'practice photographer' on the store :)

1. We got out Repo Men  and Cemetery Junction

2. Cemetery Junction was written and directed by Ricky Gervais

3. Lewy and I LOVE Ricky Gervais

4. We owe $26.50 for past overdues... we are hopeless

5. I will let you know if the movies are any good

6. I love writing random information down and putting numbers next to them

7. This may be one of my most boring posts

8. Tomorrow's post, I PROMISE, will be better :) 

Day 14

The Breakwater at Hillarys is fast becoming one of our favourite places... we went there this afternoon to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy the view :) We were very lucky that 2 dolphins decided to put on a little show right in the water below where we were sitting :)

Day 13

I'm grasping at straws for today's photo! It's been a busy day, we've been out and about, here and there, mixed in with lots of work deadlines that cropped up throughout the day. So today's photo is of Sam and I, taken by Lewy. It doesn't get more real than this - no posing, my hair/clothes ... well I don't need to explain, I clearly haven't made an effort!.... just a photo taken at the end of the day, sitting outside having cuddles with my little guy :)

Day 12

I enjoyed taking a few photos of Perth and Kings Park. This is one of my favourites, although I will have to come back when they have finished building that sky scraper! 

I didn't take the tripod on purpose for this outing as I'm too tempted to focus only on creating HDR's when I have my tripod with me.. this way I can practice taking normal photos as well! Plus I didn't want to be so caught up with photography today that I missed out on just being with my boys :) 

You know what I am going to say don't you.... there are more photos on my Flickr site!! 

Kings Park

This morning's outing was a last minute plan ... but so so wonderful :)

I took my boys to Kings Park, to the main look out area and then to the Synergy Parkland. It was a fantastic morning, wandering around and enjoying the fresh air. Sam played HARD and had so much fun while Jacob enjoyed chilling back in the pram, taking it all in, and smiling at anyone who looked at him :) It was one of those mornings to put into the memory bank as precious quality time with my boys.

Who needs food when you can eat the pram handle?

Sam's 'friend' having a rest

Here's a good tip to save you money - don't worry about buying a pram that fits 2 kids in it.. just pop your toddler onto the front foot rest - problem solved! :) 

Sam made a friend, they had a ball jumping around this puddle together. 

YES.. I was nervous watching this!

Two funny things Sam said today:

1. Sam- "Mummy, where's my colour book?"

Me - "Under the kitchen sink" 

Sam - "How is that possible?" 

2. He gave me a big hug and kiss and said "Mummy, ohhh you're my little friend!"

Day 11

My little ray of sunshine...

Day 10

The many faces of Sam! He is camera shy.. obviously :) 

Day 9

I have done 3 very important things today.

1. I have committed to FIVE runs for this year through the WA Marathon Club.. of which I'm soon to become a member. And by 'committed to', I mean I have written them in my diary in PEN - so that's as good as confirmed! ha!
1st run - a 5km evening run next Sunday night. The 2nd run will be 10kms in April, 3rd - 10kms in May, 4th - 14kms also in May (the HBF Run For A Reason), and finally the 5th - City to Surf 12kms in August.

Now that I've told you all my plans - I HAVE to do it! (This is what I'll tell myself anyway when I start to get nervous and want to back out!!)

2. I have ordered a Day Walk Map Pack for the Bibbulman Track.. for a 17.4km walk that Lewy and I are going to do in February or March.

3. I have re-committed to a 99% of the time vegetarian diet. The 1% exemption will be when we go out to someone else's house for lunch/dinner etc where I will enjoy any meal I am given!! I wish I could say that I prefer a vegetarian diet because of my love of animals (which I do), but it's actually because it seems to really suit my body and makes me feel so much better than a diet that includes meat. Any one that wants to send me their favourite vegetarian recipes - please do!!

Photo of the day - my vegie burger for dinner :)

Day 8

It's been a big day today. I'm having one of those days where my mind is working overtime and it's wearing me out! Mix that in with the HEAT and it's a tiring day all around!! 

Some big POSITIVES for the day though are -

1. I went out this morning by myself (what a treat!) to drive around and take pictures. I was originally just going to go around the corner to Guildford, which I did, but then I ended up in Perth and East Perth ... so a very productive trip! Only got a few pictures that turned out okay, but the main thing is I had time to wander around and practise :) I was also able to spend some time thinking about where I wanted to take my Photography (for my personal enjoyment only, not professionally of course!!) and what specific courses I could take... so that is exciting :) 

2. While Sam spent some quality time with Nanna... Lewy, Jacob and I went to our favourite restaurant of all time - Stewarts in the Swan Valley. That place never fails to satisfy - the food is always gorgeous! Jacob slept in his pram (angel!), and we enjoyed a relaxing and yummy lunch together. 

Today's picture was taken at the Supreme Court Gardens in Perth. Some more pics from today are on my Flickr site. (It's cheating a bit isn't it, telling you that I have other photos on Flickr! This way I have the best of both worlds - I can still show my other favourite photos while sticking to ONE photo a day on this blog!)

Matthew 11:28-30

Day 7

This morning we headed out bright and early (and by early I mean we were on the road at 6.30am!) with my mother-in-law Sharon and her partner Ray to Bassendean for a boat trip along the Swan River. It was a gorgeous morning, the weather, the scenery and company, it was a great way to begin the New Year. Sam absolutely loved being in the boat!

Afterwards we went back to their place for coffee and breakfast... it was so relaxing that after filling up, Jacob and I fell asleep on their couch :) Perfect morning if you ask me!!

I hope everyone enjoyed bringing in the New Year, best wishes for a fantastic year ahead! x

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......