Once upon a time...


In a land far far away, there lived a king and a queen and their four beautiful children... Unfortunately they were way too boring to write about, so you're all stuck with the Dimmock's instead!

We're a bit of a fractured fairytale.I can't promise to update every day...I'm a bit slack like that (shhh), but I'll do my best to keep it up.

And they all lived happily ever after...well that's the plan at least :oP

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Project 365.

What have I gotten myself into? Over on my photography forum, a bunch of us decided we needed a bit of a challenge. Something to encourage us to shoot every day, and to think and see more creatively. So we've decided to jump on the Project 365 bandwagon.

Each week a new theme is selected, and then we have to submit a photo a day. Coming up with 7 unique ideas for theme's such as "weather" sounds fine in theory...but I have the sneaky suspicion that in practice it's going to be a little trickier to execute.

We shall see!

First weeks theme is "green with envy". I've started a new blog for it so I don't flood this one. I'll put the link down the bottom though in case anyone is interested. And don't mind my shockingly awful photography. I just don't photograph "things" very well.

Project 365

xx

Monday, March 30, 2009

You might notice...

That I've started watermarking all the images I put on here. Hopefully it won't stop you from enjoying them, but I just feel that I need to protect my work as much as I can. Obviously someone with a passing knowledge of Photoshop could clone it out in 5 minutes, but it's better than nothing. I could restrict right-clicking, but they'd still be able to do a screenshot, so that's just a waste of my time I think. I know that if someone is going to steal my photo's they're going to do it regardless of a watermark, but it might put a few off (the ones who don't have Photoshop maybe?).

I'll try not to mess it up during the changeover, but if you notice a picture missing, that's why. And I'll fix it ASAP :o)

xx

today...

We had a bad morning. Saxon woke up on the wrong side of the cot and was cranky from the start. We thought a walk to the park might cheer him up. We were wrong. After listening to him scream like someone was trying to eviscerate him and trying to flip himself out of the pram, we came home. Poor Wyatt was so disappointed. So we put Mr Grumpy pants to bed and headed outside to take some photo's. He had a great time climbing trees even though we got a few funny looks (we were on the footpath outside the house). It's a lovely spot though :o)

For anyone interested, these were all taken with the D700 and Nikkor 85mm 1.8 lens. It's the first time I've used this lens since I got my new camera and I was really pleased with the results. Definitely my favourite outside lens at the moment.
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xx

Thursday, March 26, 2009

today was not a good day!

We had a little episode last Friday where Wyatt thought it would be funny to run off in a shopping centre and thereby prematurely age Mummy by about 15 years (a year for every minute the little shit was gone). He bolted while I was putting Saxon in the trolley. After the first 5 minutes of searching and calling and not finding him, my brain switched from "where did he run off too" to "someone has taken him". We found him eventually. He was (literally) hiding in the toy dept. Because that's funny. Making mummy cry is also funny apparently. As you can imagine, by this stage, I was trying to give him away!

Anyway...we've had lots of big talks since then about behaviour etc, so this morning we thought we might try again.

Ha! We got out of the car at the supermarket and walked over to get a trolley. I put Saxon in and Wyatt was spinning around the bar showing me how clever he was. So I said "That's very clever, come on we have to go inside now". Well no...apparently Wyatt doesn't. Wyatt was going to stay in a busy car park and do gymnastics. After a few minutes arguing about it, he agrees to come with me... but he's going to walk ssssssllllllooooowwwwwwlllllyyyyyyy *insert me jumping up and down pulling my hair out* and proceeds to take almost a minute to go the length of a single car. My pleas of "Please Wyatt, just keep up with Mummy and be good" were met with screeches of "Don't talk to me!!!"

Well I'd had enough by then. I stuck the trolley back, got Saxon out of it, and dragged Wyatt back to the car, all the while he's screaming at me "I don't like you! You're not my best friend anymore!!!" GOOD! I don't want to be your best friend! I don't like you either! Of course being the mature adult that I am, I didn't actually say that. Well not very loudly anyway.

So then Saxon was screaming because he didn't want to get back in the car, and Wyatt was screaming because I'm not his best friend, and I wanted to scream because obviously the universe hates me, and some snotty cow with a bunch of older kids gives me the filthiest look ever - because apparently her kids were all born 15 yrs old and never threw a tantrum before.

So what was the lesson learned today? Don't leave home with toddlers. Ever. For any reason.

And because I'm not loving them so much at the moment I thought it might help me to look at them when they were still cute. And not quite so vocal.

Wyatt (Sept 2007)
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Saxon 5 days old - my first time touching him since they took him away after he was born :o(
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xox

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Happy (UK) mothers day!

Yeah I know...late again! To be fair though, Mothers Day in Australia isn't until May, so if you look at it that way, I'm way early! And Grandma got flowers! A day late, but still...I hope they were pretty :o) And Saxon sends a "kiss blow" to everyone...
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And just because I love the expression on his face! He's so funny. After every photo he has to look at the LCD and he does this big gasp and giggles when he sees himself.
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And Wyatt has been practicing his Photoshopping skills. Not bad for a 3 yr old, right? Better than most of the "professional" photographers in this town anyway...none of them would know how to post process a photo if Photoshop jumped up and bit them on the arse. Sorry...kind of went off on a tangent then, didn't I? It's a bit of a pet peev of mine. I'll shut up now :oP
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And how he did look before his big brother cloned teeth into his eyebrow...
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xox

Sunday, March 22, 2009

happy birthday baby...

I just wanted to take this moment to say that while I'm sure my lovely husband gave his mother many (many many?) sleepless nights in his lifetime, that the end result is quite spectacular. I say this, not because he's mine, but because it's the simple truth. I honestly don't believe that there's ever been a better husband or father than Steff. He was born to do this. And I'm sure that there's people out there saying that I mustn't know him very well to say that (ha!), but he really was.

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So happy birthday baby... I'm so glad you married me to stay in the country ;o)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

February Faves...

Yeah, I know...I'm a month late (how's that for a potentially scary sentence? :oP )

This one is just for Grandpa :o) In my defense, he did this himself!
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I'm not allowed to dress them in matching clothes. Shhhh ;o)
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Saxon getting some Daddy love.
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Wyatt giving us an example of just why Mummy and Daddy need a new mattress.
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Oh no, this isn't cheeky...much!
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Jasper...see him trying to hide behind the toy bucket on the end of the bath? That was after he managed to escape the trolley of terror.
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Wyatt's new hat. Don't ask me, I just take the photo's...
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Just for the record, I do love our other 2 children, they're just not so willing to be snapped as the little 2. In case you were wondering ;o)

xx

Monday, March 16, 2009

Finally!

After having a desk in the corner of the dining room for the last 7 years, I finally have my own space. And it's gorgeous! This used to be a seldom used verandah off the back of our house. And while Max and Lola aren't too impressed with losing their spot, I couldn't be happier!

My wonderful husband did this, by the way. We had someone come in to do the outside walls, but the inside, the painting, desk building etc...that was all Steff. And the filing cabinets? He did those too...they used to be dingy grey K-mart cheapies. Now they're beyond awesome.

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And my favourite thing about it all is what I found under the desk...
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And he asks me why I love him...

xx

Sunday, March 15, 2009

This week...

It's been awhile since I picked up my camera. I seem to have lost my way a bit lately, but I'm working my way back now.

Just a few snapshots from Friday afternoon.

Some classic Saxon expressions...

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And my beautiful big boy. We have this deal now that I get to take one "nice" photo, and then he gets to do a "silly face" photo. So far so good...

Mummy's photo...
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Wyatt's photo...
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On Thursday last week "Ninnies" came to visit! The boys are both so in love with her. Wyatt wants to keep her (so does Daddy) *awwwww*...

Lilli Grace - 4 months.
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Saxon had to lay down beside her to drink his milk...
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xx

Saturday, March 14, 2009

hahahahahhahahahaha

I'll say goodbye now because when he sees this he's going to kill me! Steff thought this was coming via snail mail and has been trying to intercept the postman for the last week. Ha! Sucker! Would you look at that lip? Mr Pouty! He's so cute! Saxon has the exact same mouth.

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Thanks Janet! :o)

xx

Ok, just one...

Because he's just so gosh darned cute! And yes, I'm aware that this photo is completely out of fucus, but it's just sooooo Saxon. This face is usually accompanied by "Get aways!" or "Go away ways!".

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I'll be back with more. In focus even. xx

Our biggest "problem child"

Meet Max. He might look like a big tough American Staffy, but don't be fooled. He's really the biggest wussy boy pansy you'll ever meet in your life. He has a few issues (like he can't go walking because he hyperventilates and passes out. No really - you try carrying a 30kg lump of hair covered concrete 4km's because he's frothing at the mouth and fainted!), but he seems to be getting worse as he gets older. His big thing these days is thunderstorms. Or anything that remotely sounds like a thunderstorm.

On to my story...I'm sitting in my new office (woohooo!) the other day and 5 times I had to stop him from climbing through the railings on the stairs, trying to climb through the glass door to get inside. So I walked to the kitchen to get the phone to call Steff and ask if we had anything I could put there to stop him falling to his death, and in that 43 seconds that my back was turned, he managed to get his big fat head, 2 front legs, and 1 of his back legs through the gap between the 1st and 2nd rail.

I couldn't open the screen door to get out because his foot was in the track, so I had to run out the front door, through under the house, and up the back stairs, all the while the dog is literally dangling by one leg 12 feet above the concrete down below. I couldn't pull him back onto the stairs, because he just wouldn't fit - he's a big dog! 30kg's and built like a tank. I still don't know how he squeezed through the 6 inch space as it is. My only option was to push him through, which meant I had to hold him so he didn't fall.

Picture if you will, me in my Tweety Bird jammies, leaning over the railing holding onto the scruff of his stupid neck with one hand, while trying to push him through with the other. The dog is crying because the ends of the rails are sharp and cutting him, I'm crying because all I can think is that I'm not going to be able to hold him and I'm going to have to watch my beloved (but Ohhhhh so freaking stupid) dog go crashing to his death, and the boys standing at the office door crying because Mummy and Max are crying.

Then picture my next door neighbours, who obviously thought this was all for their entertainment and stood there and just watched the whole thing without offering to help. But I digress - that's a story for another day, and another post, probably entitled "The people who live in our neighbourhood and why they should all die!!!"

Fast forward 20 minutes, and I finally managed to get him through, caught him with one hand and kicked his hairy arse all the way down the stairs. I was filthy! So poor little Wyatt had to stand in the office doorway and yell at Max every time he tried to do it again (never been one to learn from past mistakes - takes after the other children!), while I had a shower.

I'm now, 4 days later, covered in bruises that have faded to lovely shade of baby poo yellow. Oh yes...I'm nothing if not glamourous and attractive!

Here he is...our first "baby". Steff and I bought him together a couple of months after he arrived in Aus in 2001. (Don't believe the stories he tells you about foot stomping and tantrum throwing in the pet shop either - it's all lies!) He's off to the vet soon to have a full assessment of his mental health. It's looking like he's going to need full time anti-anxiety medication. Awww isn't that sweet? He really is mine! We share the same chemical imbalances :oP

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I'll pop by later and post a couple of new pics of the boys. And next week I'll do the big reveal of my new office, which is just supercallafreakinAWESOME! Because I have the best husband in the world.

xx

A little about us...ok, mostly me...

Hey there! I'm guessing that most people who drop by to visit us here already know who we are, but just in case...

My name's Nikki. I'm mum to 4 (yeah, 4...can you believe it? No, me either *shudder*) kids, aged from 16 down to 4. My husband, Steff, is originally from the UK - I stole him away from the cold and the damp to live in Central Queensland, where he must endure almost endless sunshine and blue skies. Somehow he manages ;o)

I started this blog as a way to keep family in England up to date with our comings and goings. And it lets me show off how cute the kids are getting!

A little about me...I'm a professional photographer, I'm obsessive about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, love Harry Potter, Sookie Stackhouse (only book Sookie, not True Blood Sookie. It's an important distinction!), (the 10th) Doctor Who, cupcakes, and Spuffy fanfic (although not necessarily in that order). I'm also an extreme perfectionist with a love of the creative and original, who has a very low tolerance for stupidity. If you ask my husband, he'll tell you I'm a huge snob - I'm really not. I just think I'm better than everyone else :oP (That's a joke, ok? Pretty much).

Oh, and please leave a comment to tell me how fabulous you think I am...it makes me write faster and more often ;o) No really...that part wasn't a joke...

xox