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My darling Dad's 70th birthday celebrated with family this weekend.  There were pictures on display from the whole of his life, from him as a small boy, through the 60's and 70's with much longer very dark curly hair, to now.  I don't think either of my parents change much, they don't look any older/different to me, just themselves, but I concede that they have changed, although I feel only for the better.

We gather with my side of the family only a few times a year.  My eldest brother lives in the NE, as does one of his daughters and her family - the gorgeous mother of the two youngest in these shots, my great niece Aurelia and my great nephew newly arrived, Dristan.

It's lovely to get together, maybe because we don't do it so often it feels a real treat.  So lovely to see our girls with the chance to take care of little ones, something they both enjoy so very much.  Time seems to have gone so fast, I love where we are in our lives with our children but it so amazes me how quickly we seemed to leave that phase and get to this one, with children approaching young women.  I can only imagine how my parents must feel to have three generations in front of them!  I don't know that either of my parents expected to be a great anything, but we all are!

Happy Birthday Dad, it was a wonderful celebration of a wonderful man.

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How did we get here so super fast, a decade having passed since I birthed our first child, our beautiful Ella. I can no longer really remember what it was like before she was here with us.  I have plenty of memories of course, but the feeling of being without her, or being unaware of her, I can't recall that at all.

She's a serious child, at times, but has a crazy silly sense of humour as well.  She's great at silly voices and as many male mates have funny discourses using "in the know" language, she does the same with her dad.

Super creative, losing herself in her drawing for hours at a time, she is a talented young woman who I hope never loses her passion for making.

Still sensitive and easily wounded she has found ways to protect her heart more than she did in younger years, but has also now managed to surround herself with gorgeous young friends who are as similarly kind and gentle as she.

Happy 10th Birthday Ella.  We love you so xxx

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I know the picture doesn't change so much year to year, but the people in it are slightly different each time.  I have a wonderful Dad and he's an amazing Pa to our girls.  Here's to another year Dad, Happy Birthday.

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Happy Birthday Mum.  You are loved.

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It may be commercialised, but you don't have to buy into that side of it.  What can be bad about a day celebrating love??  I hope your significant loves have remembered you.

T-B   Love notes with sweet treats; decorated dinner table; my homemade gift to G; one sister's secret card to the other and love for Uncle Mike; a card for Pa from L.

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Phewee it's a stinker today isn't it, currently sitting over 40C.  Of course today was Leila's party, outdoors, in the park, in this weather, hence the red faces!

We brought the start forward as early as we could (9:15am) to try and avoid the worst of the heat.  Leila's request was to have a party with her friends, playing tiggy in the park with some cake.  Can't really argue with that, even given the weather, it's a pretty undemanding request.  My oh my it was hot and although they did run around for the first 45 minutes, they then crashed and were content to play chinese whispers and eat watermelon and icypoles.  One and a half hours went pretty quick.

A woodland cake was requested, and delivered.  It was cute, but it's tough when so many little friends are in the photos, I wouldn't dream of posting full face photos unless I'd discussed with the parents in question, so this was a snap I took at home thinking (rightly) that the buttercream would instantaneously self destruct when the sun hit it!  The cake's quite similar to last year, Leila's request - a woodland theme.  They always look better from a distance.

We'll bunker down for the rest of the day, hide from the sun, read our books, perhaps watch a movie, play with some new toys and just get through.

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Our gorgeous babe turned 6 today - six I tell's you!  I swear, I told her this morning, she'd grown taller overnight.

A wonderful, ridiculously fun day of birthday celebrations.  Nan and Pa, cake, presents galore and then hours and hours spent at Luna Park.  We thought we'd only be there a couple of hours and were there nearly 6!  Geoff and I went on tummy curdling rides, the girls laughing while we cringed and held on for dear life.  What a wonderful day together.

Leila babe, my darling girl, you look after your family so well, so caring, so generous with your love most of all.  You are a riot at home, crazy voices, dance moves, outrageous really.  Slowly that whacky personality has been showing itself outside of home and I'm interested to see how it will change at school this year.  I hope 6 doesn't mean an end to daily early morning cuddles, to needing mama most of all, to wanting to be with family more than anything.  You declared today, the best birthday ever, I think I agree.

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 Happy New Year lovely people.  Let's make 2013 amazing.

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Phew, the craziest days are done and now we're winding down to just be, together.

Christmas highlights included time with family, for the girls time with their fave cousin the highlight.  Great desserts on consecutive days, a Christmas spiced meringue torte one day and a prosecco jelly the next. Basketball game at the outlaws, old favourite card games wink murder and piggy with my parents.  Generosity towards our children with long lusted after gifts and thoughtful purchases for us.

Time with my beloved when he can rest and just be, with us.  A wedding of two dear friends yesterday - celebrating a very loved up couple reminded us again of what's most important in life.

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In amidst watching pannetone rise, waiting on spiced nuts to finish toasting in the oven, prawns being shelled and last minute presents being wrapped, I wanted to take a moment.

Casting my eyes back as well as forward, 2012 has been a good year.  It wasn't as I expected it to be, but overall I am so pleased with the path I'm walking right now.  There have been big highlights, new friendships and love revitalised, lowlights such as leaving work that turned into highlights such as discovering balance and happiness again within my home's walls and finding that my family and home life is all I need and so much more.

I love Christmas, I love the anticipation and the excitement, so I'm going back to soak it all in.  I wanted to wish you all a wonderful time with your nearest and dearest.  Hold those you love close, watch the lights twinkle and clink your glasses in festive cheer.

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Each Chrirstmas we make calendars for the upcoming year for ourselves and the grandparents.  For the grandparents the girls take turns to decorate different months but also mix in some photos.  For ours I keep it to photos, as I love turning the page and being reminded of past moments sometimes over a year later and reliving them for a month at a time.

I found it very hard to decide so ended up selecting 37 images for a required 18!  Is this what it's like being a professional photographer, trying to choose your best shot!  Not quite, but I can imagine.  I just love seeing them all laid out on the kitchen table, a year in our lives.  That's why I maintain this blog and enjoy contributing, for us in the years to come, but it's even more vivid seeing all the images together.  It makes me feel both happy and lucky.

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Two more hairy looms.  In the four years I've been making these decorations I've developed a habit for finishing two and having the others half done - makes the following year exactly the same!

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Every year we celebrate an early Christmas at our place with some of our dearest friends and their three children.  We have crackers, a real Christmas sized spread (together with Christmas sized servings of Christmas cheer!), listen to daggy music and then last night walked down to some local lights.

Watching the kids walking hand in hand, the girls playing with each other's hair, the ease of good friendships, it's what life is all about.

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Snow globes - WOO HOO!!!  I have had the best of intentions with regards to making these with the girls for at least the past two Christmases, but I pulled out my finger and here they are.

Two empty olive jars, 2 of those little Schleich animals, 2 jars of white glitter, one sprig of fake greenery and a small jar of model paint.

Leila was confused when we shook the snow globe, because it was over so quickly and it isn't as much fun as the ones that are suspended for moments in liquid, but I love these all the more because of it.  The little fingers that fussed painting the trees on the jars, building up little platforms for their creatures to raise them a little beyond the thread of the jar, Leila being sad to lock away her deer.  These snow globes will come out at Christmas for a very long time to come.