Lights Camera Dance

I spent the morning with my girl today capturing her on camera.

It is always beautiful to see her dance but it was fun today to be the roadie and cameraman...camera mum.

She has put a lot of work into get her audition tapes compiled for studies next year.....you never know it may just be the camera work  that gets her across the line. LOL

Pie face fun with friends

What else do you do on a day where you have 3 extras and a little sunshine???

Play a crazy game involving whipped cream and a trigger that is very random.......

 

and when every one has had their fill of cream in their face,up their nose and in their hair.....

Make banana splits for everyone......

and yes I did  have a turn...but managed to avoid the cream going off on my turn!!

Nearly gone

With just 50 school days left ever for our teen and two terms left at primary school for our other child, this little moment in time will soon be long gone.....

A moment where wet shoes left one without footwear...the other coming to the rescue.

When they start school these days just sem so long away...

Well they are here!!
 
 

Driving, dancing and growing up

I have shared the good stuff going on for the two males in our family....

So what's up with our girl......



Lots of time and effort have gone into passing the all important mid way driving test! 
Woo hoo is all I can say....we are now just 25 hours / 6 months away from the finish line...much rejoicing in our house is happening. Funny how she really is much more drive ready, half way through the learning process than we were when given our full plates!!

The other time allotment for her has been on her dance....yes she is the determined dancer in the family....and with just over three months left of her school life all attention is being focused on what next.

So the next three weeks are all about fine tuning and pulling together audition work for the application of courses for next year. Thankfully because we live in the most isolated city in the world most auditions can be done via recording and not made in person. ( Although I would be more than happy to trip around the country with her for the auditions)
So I have a few months in which to come to grips with our girl potentially heading off into the big wide world without us....{insert pounding heart and sweaty palms here!}
 We have always encouraged her to follow her dreams and so now we must stick to that despite how hard it is to let go.

Unfortunately the lovely little part time job she had close to home came to a sudden end when the business closed a couple of months ago. So after some financial independence she is feeling a bit blue without it....not that at the moment there has been too much time to commit  to work.

In three weeks - hopefully after the completion of audition work- she will be having a little surgery to determine whether she has inherited a familial genetic condition related to anesthetics. This will put her out of action for a few weeks but something that she will be better off knowing about going forward. So the race is on to have all her physical work done and ready for submitting.

So nothing much happening at all! 

It just seems like only yesterday she was beginning to dream about what life at 17 turning 18 would be like and where she would be.......and here we are.... {sigh}

 

The Girl Milestone.....AKA The Ball

While I am on the subject of feeling emotional about milestones...

This weekend our girl had her Year 12 formal....The Ball......

Wow talk about being out of my comfort zone....feeling like that time just flew by so so fast!

Despite the many horror stories I have read and heard about....this was a really lovely experience for me as a mum.

She took it all in her stride....organised herself with minimal fuss and presented herself beautifully when the time came.

She knew what she wanted and the only  little meltdown upon returning from the makeup sitting was averted really quickly by some calm thinking.

She had lovely friends to share the night with and they revelled in their opportunity to be so grown up for the evening.....who am I kidding they are almost grown up ..pretty dresses or not.

The whole preparation was a long way from my own experience  .....mine was lovely but oh just so much more simpler....nails and professional makeup were never on my radar and mum made my very simple but elegant dress for the evening.

I have enjoyed watching our girl maneuver through this time and was super proud last night as she drove off in the Stretch Hummer with all her friends.

Apparently being the Belle of the Ball was never on this girls radar...but being voted Best Dancer of the night by her peers was certainly the highlight of the night for this dancing girl of ours.

Now just to get back to a little reality and the business of finishing this year in style and working hard at chasing down those opportunities for next year and beyond.

Drill Performance

So Proud of our girl......great night last night...

You can check her out here




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17

You arrived in this world....to our family at a time that was tough....

You just missed meeting your grandma ( she would have loved you to pieces)
You arrived a little time after your big sister had the most life altering event

We were hurting a lot, reeling from the blows of life.....but full of expectancy that you were coming to join our little family.

17 years ago we became a family of four

You were tiny, petite and had the rubiest of red lips

and now here you are.....finishing your last year of school....making plans for the coming next stage....dancing your way so beautifully through life.

You are no push over, are determined, focused and ready for an adventure......

Embrace this year.....take every opportunity that comes and lets see where this all goes...

We love ya heaps.

First of the lasts

These two nutters set off today....both for the first of thier lasts

Last year of high school and last year of primary school

....and neither of them needed me today!

Oh well...they know where to find me if they do..

Hope your first days of school are smooth sailing and you get better photos of the occasion than I did!

Celebrate success

On different sides of the country today...we celebrate with our kids

One completed a successful week of new experiences in dance 

 

and the other successfully passed his swimming level  after two weeks of beach lessons.
 

Tomorrow we will all be back doing life together.

#1154   Thankful List - Goals achieved

52/52....and some

Him: Getting him out and enjoying the beautiful beaches with his dad.

and   beach fun is always much more fun with company

 

 Her:  Somehow the tall genes passed by our Meg...she sits right between these cousins in age.

and  She has a million photo faces.....hardly any of them are serious ones.



and for good measure...

US

{I think that will be the last of my 52 pics of the kids.....it has been harder and harder to capture them. I have loved capturing their growing up in this formal way....I aim to still record them here just wont be in a week to week way.}

 

Stepping out....

Sometimes it is totally worth having kept something 32 years...just to see your 16 year old daughter wearing it.

51/52

Him: This must be the first picture with Santa he has had since he was a baby....I guess there was safety with a cousin.

Her: Santa's missing reindeer has been found. 

My 52 weeks project 

50/52

Him: A family gathering to celebrate a birthday...always is the best when all his cousins are there.

Her: Some holiday baking...gingerbread men.

My 52 weeks project

49/52

Him & Her:  Ok not my proudest mummy moment......but you have to let them do it at least  once ...right???

My 52 weeks project

The Little Red Dress

Meg has a dance performance night next week.....two more outfits were needed....
A little white dress and a little red dress.

Money is tight but we were hopeful

White is in....everywhere...an easy pick....we found one that she is happy to continue to wear after the night and it was ok priced....

The little red dress on the other hand

Red is not in....watermelon- Yes...red...no!...not anywhere!

We searched every shop available to us...to no avail 

I was happy just to head home, Meg wanted to try an op shop. I love op shopping but I know that you can't just walk in and find exactly what you need without maybe traipsing around to them all.

I agreed we had time to pop into one op shop and take a chance.

In we walk and wouldn't you know it on the first mannequin.......

We checked the size....8

I suggested she go and try it on the see if it would fit....".of course it will fit" she said..."I prayed in the car park that there would be a little red dress that was just perfect!"

For a whole $6 we decided to take it.......

We get to the counter......half price purple ticket week...it cost us a whole $3!!!!

We had the biggest grins on our faces as we left the store....

Only to see this billboard at the end of the car park as we left......

 

Oh Yeah it was a good day .

48/52

Him: Convinced him a walk along the beach before dinner would be a great use of the beautiful evening.

Her: Lots of time considering and researching her plans for next year.

My 52 weeks Project

47/52

Him: Dont you just hate it when someone wants to wrestle you right in the middle of a serious game?

Her: ( A victory dance) She has had her learners for a few months now....but finally we have cracked the nerves and she is totally off and running driving now. 

My 52 weeks project