Favourite Photo Friday - 19/6/15

A young lady is turning 4 in just a few short days...... it seems like just the other day I was waddling around and thinking she would never come out to meet us!  This weeks photo Friday, is 5 of my (many) favourite Astrid pics.  One from each of the last four years!

2011 - 2 days old

Astrid had just had her first bath and was looking at her Dad all wide-eyed and cute....

D80 with Nikon 50mm f1.8
ISO 400 focal length 50mm

Exposure: 1/30 @ f3.2

2012 - 8 months old

Astrid enjoying the last of the Summer sunshine in the garden.......

D80 with Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro

ISO 125 focal length 90mm

Exposure: 1/200 @ f3.2

2013 - 22 months old

Astrid and Anto enjoying a walk around the Yarra in Melbourne.......

D7000 with Nikon 35mm f1.8

ISO 400 focal length 35mm

Exposure: 1/1250 @ f3.2

2014 - 2 years 11 months old

Astrid participating in one of her favourite activities - jumping in muddy puddles!

D7000 with Nikon 35mm f1.8

ISO 100 focal length 35mm

Exposure: 1/1000 @ f2.8

2015 - 3 years 9 months old

Astrid enjoying a post dinner play on the beach in Khao Lak, Thailand........

D7000 with Nikon 35-70mm f2.8

ISO 160 focal length 35mm

Exposure: 1/100 @ f5.6

There is a panda and a tiger on the loose in our garden........

Our back garden may already be out of the ordinary with a couple of alpacas wandering around (not to mention the resident tame pigeons).  The other day we had a tiny panda (with zebra legs) and toddling tiger on the loose..........

Astrid dressed herself in matching black and white animal clothing (and looked pretty cute). Soren stole his big sisters tiger hat, and both went on a pumpkin hunt......

There were quite a few pumpkins to be found (we may be eating this Autumn's supply until next Autumn). Luckily the Camelid Castle resident tiger and panda are fans of many pumpkin based dishes.

The backyard wildlife are mostly cute and cuddly rather than ferocious........ aside from the odd tantrum of course!

Favourite Photo Friday - 5/6/15

I've been a little slack with the photo taking and blog posting the last few weeks.  Everyone has been sick, it's been cold, and we've been trying to organise our next overseas trip (I'll post more about that later).  I have managed to take the odd picture or two though, and I'll catch up on some blog posts in the next week or so, but for now here are a few of my favourite snaps of the week.

Astrid 3 years 11 months & Soren 19 months

D7000 with Nikon 50mm f1.8
ISO 160 focal length 50mm

Exposure: 1/160 @ f2.5

D7000 with Nikon 50mm f1.8
ISO 200 focal length 50mm

Exposure: 1/1000 @ f2.0

D7000 with Nikon 50mm f1.8
ISO 160 focal length 50mm

Exposure: 1/800 @ f2.5

D7000 with Nikon 50mm f1.8
ISO 200 focal length 50mm

Exposure: 1/320 @ f2.0

D7000 with Nikon 50mm f1.8
ISO 200 focal length 50mm

Exposure: 1/400 @ f2.0

D7000 with Nikon 50mm f1.8
ISO 200 focal length 50mm

Exposure: 1/640 @ f2.0

The sick, the snot, but oh so cute together........

Oh how we all hate sick kids! The best bit about more than one kid is that they make each other sick (and usually us too!).  Twice the germs, snot, tissues and grumpiness. I feel for those of you with three and four kids, it must be a nightmare when they get sick one after the other.

We've had more than our fair share of colds and ear infections this year. It's been pretty much constant since about February, with the maybe a week here or there without someone being under the weather.  Now the cold weather has hit and of course we all have colds again.  A nasty, sore throat, sore eyes and sneezy, snotty (oh the snot) cold.  We can't even blame Astrid for bringing this one home from preschool as Søren had it first.

When sick Søren turns into a grump (understandably), but wants all the cuddles and all the attention. It used to be that only I would do, now his sister is just as good, if not better.  Normally I'm made to sit with him while he eats, drinks or whinges but when Astrid goes into big sister mode and gives him cuddles and attention it is the best thing ever.  He loves having her feed him biscuits and hold his drink bottle for him and generally be his slave.

He went from bottom lip out like he was a pelican out fishing, to grinning like a Cheshire cat once his sister was 'helping'.

A couple of days later and Astrid is the one who is feeling very under the weather. Despite being sick himself Søren felt the need to return the cuddle favour to his sister.  Astrid was curled up on the lounge looking very miserable and Søren would take himself over the lounge, crawl up and give her big squeezy cuddles. It didn't matter how many times I removed him, he would run straight back and lay on the lounge cuddling his sister...........  he also likes to poke her eyes and eyelashes and generally climb all over her - but it was done with the utmost care and affection!

Oh the cute, even if Astrid was not feeling well enough to appreciate the gesture.

Playing in the Autumn leaves..........

Autumn has been pretty non-existent this year. No gentle transition from Summer to Winter. It's been hot then cold and damp with lots of wind.  Sadly, very few of the glorious Canberra Autumn days we are normally treated to. Even the poor trees are confused, a lot barely changed colour before dumping their leaves in a hurry.

We did manage to pick one nice May Sunday morning to have a play in the leaves and a gallop in the sunshine.  When you are almost 4, and 18 months old, running around flinging huge piles of dried leaves into the air is pretty much the best thing you can do. Who needs toys when there are leaves ready and waiting to be thrown?

When you aren't throwing huge piles of leaves on yourself and your sibling it is good to run around in the sunshine, play hide and seek in the trees and enjoy the lovely Autumn weather......... which incidentally didn't really last past that day!

Even thought they do fight a bit these days, they are still best friends some of the time.  It was worth the muddy and wet clothes just to get them being cute together on camera.

We did manage to get the adults in the odd photo (rudely interrupting the leaf throwing fun)........ one day we might manage to get one with all 4 of us again!