photostory friday - two down, two to go

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

when i was pregnant with my first child, a mother of 3 tried to explain what it's like when you give birth to your 3rd. i still remember how she tried to explain, and how i didn't really 'get it' - until 7 years later when i had my 3rd child.

i won't try and explain here, but anyone who's given birth for the 3rd time (melinda, auntiegwen, amanda, cecily, mom of 3) - you know what i mean.

i had a 5 year gap between daughters 2 and 3, and it was like re-visiting an old friend. i've always been a fan of those 'first few weeks' and the third time around, it was just wonderful. having 7 and 5 year old helpers meant i could take a nap without the house falling in around my ears, and the baby slept in a bean bag in the middle of the family room for 3 weeks while life went on around her. at one point, DH said 'are you ever going to put her to bed?!' like i said, casual.

miss 11 (like miss 19), has made it through the last 11 years relatively unscathed. that is until this happened.

oh, i should say, if you don't want to see a toe that looks like it just went through the mincer, look away. ooops. too late. this is what happens when you take on a double piano stool. piano stool wins and you break your first bone - the 3rd metatarsal.

apart from that, it's pretty much been plain sailing, and when i mean plain sailing i MEAN plain sailing. that is until the hormones set up camp. if miss 11 was a cartoon character, she would be the one with thick black clouds above her head shooting streaks of thunder and torrential rain. she can go from sweetness and light to angry pre-teen faster than you can say 'dude, where's my car?'

you would think 3rd time around the puberty track i'd have it 'down', but they're all different. amen to that.

so without further ado, here's a few pictures of the most photogenic child IN THE WORLD!!!

1st and last days of primary (elementary school). check out how the fence shrunk lol...

i am so jealous she can wear hats

DH organising his trip to san fran on the morning of her birthday party. being a platinum frequent flyer means you get your very own personal shopper, so booking his fares the day before he left was a breeze

present opening - happy faces (and modelling new clothes). she is the EASIEST child to buy for

we took the girls to the "MAMMA MIA" movie singalong and decided to go in theme (why not?!) i bought these wigs and jangly belts in hong kong. hidden in a market, i found the BEST dress-up shop EVER!

junior dancing queensafter feeding the masses pizza, we played charades. i'll give you $100 if you can tell me which disney character tara's DH is trying to be!

ok, photos out of order.

during one of the kissing scenes, one of the girls was overhead to say "sheesh, haven't they done that - like 10,000 times already?" so cute.

'we wuz here'. those bloody dollar store feather boas SHED like nothing else!!!

happy 12th birthday! (and by the way, you are forbidden to turn 13 next year...)