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Families, holidays and Christmas, oh my!

January 23, 2013 by Stacey 22 Comments

bubbles view

Over Christmas, I spent a lot of time at my momma’s new house in the mountains.

mums house and tree

It’s so peaceful, and pretty. The frangipani trees are huge, the air is fresh and cooling, and the view is ridiculous. You can see all the way down to the coast and it never gets old. I spent a lot of time with my family, which isn’t something that happens often. We are spread far and wide, always busy, time goes too fast and there’s that whole business of keeping ourselves to ourselves that’s been a theme in the family, for better or worse, for the whole time I’ve been growing up. I guess that sort of happens when everyone lives so far apart, we get together sporadically when we can, but we are ok with that. We’re all pretty headstrong, independent people, but the dynamics swing back to old rhythms pretty quickly when we are together again.

The pictures I took are lies, all lies. We look relaxed, happy and quiet. In all honesty, we were sort of frazzled, awfully happy and not the least bit quiet at all. Everyone says it is true of their own families that they’re crazy, and loud and nobody understands their humour but them… and that’s the way it goes with us too. It is ridiculously loud. There are seventeen conversations, all with different people, all going on at once. It is uproariously hilarious. Fun gets poked, drinks get drunk, jokes get made, and babies are kissed. Mostly by me.

matty

bubbles inside resized diptych

granny resized

nana and pop

mim window diptych

This is my Aunty Mim. “You better put me on your blog while I’m here, or I’ll punch you,” she says.

mim window funny

Lulz.

bubbles kids bubbles grass bubbles kids tree 300 diptychabby entranced resized

It’s nice for my kiddies to see their family and get to know them. For all our space and apartness and stubborn strong-headedness, we do being there for each other pretty well. Plus my kids are really cute and who wouldn’t want to blow bubbles for them fourteen hours a day, or dance Gangnam Style repeatedly, and have tea parties and watch cartoons?

I am not biased in the slightest.

gangnam style fwower family lunchmiriam lunch resized

It is wild and crazy and I left every day with a headache, but it made me feel good. It’s holidays, it’s relaxed, its a sneaky glass of wine at lunch, it’s several pairs of hands to hold the baby and someone always knows where the toddler is. It’s people telling stories of when you were little, getting to know the people you love’s people they love, and laughing until you squeak and go several shades of beetroot.

sparkler resizedIt’s also really, really quiet now.

 

 

Filed Under: Life

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. carmen@musingnmayhem says

    January 23, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Beautiful. Sounds a little something like ours! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Michelle Lisle says

    January 23, 2013 at 9:06 am

    It sounds like you and I grew up with similar families…..mine is loud, crazy, all talking at once, laughing our butts off, making fun at each other (in good humour of course) and general madness…..and we too have our apartness but are always there for each other….it’s strange growing up in these loud crazy families and unless you live it not many understand it…They drive me mental at times but i wouldn’t change them for anything….oh and I love that massive frangipani at your mums house, just beautiful…xo

    Reply
  3. Leah says

    January 23, 2013 at 9:07 am

    This is so lovely. I love a loud family!

    Reply
  4. Aunty Mim says

    January 23, 2013 at 9:20 am

    Love you, now I feel sad……you were such a great help to us while we were there and nothing was a bother to you (well no that you let on, anyway). You are a beautiful little soul xxx

    Reply
  5. Christie Connelly says

    January 23, 2013 at 9:35 am

    Oh-Em-Gee Pepper is gigantic! Love the way she is looking at her Dad. Cute x

    Reply
    • Christie Connelly says

      January 23, 2013 at 9:40 am

      Ps. Poppy favours an Axl Rose style dance so her and Abby would look a sight on the dance floor!

      Reply
  6. Katie Rainbird says

    January 23, 2013 at 11:13 am

    Christmas 2012 saw ALL of us together for the first time in donkey’s. You describe the family dynamic well. Wish it was Christmas once a month! x

    Reply
  7. Shari Wakefield says

    January 23, 2013 at 12:40 pm

    Beautiful – we spent our holidays with my family in Kiama. My parent’s rented this great house which meant that my parents, my sister, her husband and my niece, me and my husband and my brother could all stay together and have the greatest time. We look forward to doing something similar next year when my sister and I add two new additions to our clan. Shari from http://www.goodfoodweek.blogspot.com

    Reply
  8. Maxabella says

    January 23, 2013 at 3:11 pm

    It does look blissful and serene, but loud and crazy is way better anyway. x

    Reply
  9. sarah says

    January 23, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    I added home-made arancello to my family’s special brand of crazy over Christmas. It was good fun. Your pictures are gorgeous, looks like a loverly time. 🙂

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      January 23, 2013 at 8:26 pm

      What?!! I need this!

      Reply
  10. Mother Down Under says

    January 23, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    Can Abby please teacher Toddler C to Gangnam?

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      January 23, 2013 at 8:26 pm

      Haha it’s a date.

      Reply
  11. Lisa @ Greek Vegetarian says

    January 23, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    Loud, laughing family. Sounds like a Greek family! Christmas is our loudest day ever. 31 of us in a small suburban house – the whole street can hear us! Your family’s house in the mountains looks gorgeous. Is it in Queensland?

    Reply
  12. Missus Sabbatical says

    January 23, 2013 at 10:20 pm

    last night I wrote something similar – it is that time of year for family catch ups. we are just finishing 2 weeks with my parents and first time Crazy has seen them and her cousins in a year, it has been lovely, manic, stressful, wonderful, fabulous and painful all at once but it is family and it is the way it is….. and I know it will be so quiet when we go home. xx (ps – so so cute x)

    Reply
  13. Kate says

    January 24, 2013 at 1:32 am

    Oh my goodness… these photos are perfection. And can I say that I just love her shirt in the first photo? x

    Reply
  14. Kate says

    January 24, 2013 at 5:55 am

    That goes a little something like ours..
    Stacey, I started following you a couple of months back. You inspire me, as do Kara rosenlund and little shop of handmade and roger federer- I’m addicted to the tennis! I have a ten month old beauty who has changed the way I see things, how I love, but has also made me accept all the roller coaster emotions you have when you become a mama. We have family interstate and I’m going to start a blog. It has to be done. Thanks for your gorgeous work! Love the afternoon tea blend blog.. Can’t wait to try some. Might have to raid the meatsafe to use one of the nice cup and saucers.
    Enjoy your day. Glad aunt Mim got her mug in the shots.,

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      February 4, 2013 at 11:23 am

      I’m so sorry – disqus ate my reply to you last week! Stupid disqus. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your kind words. Children to terribly crazy-wonderful things to us and it’s nice to know there are others out there who feel the same way! I very much look forward to reading your blog… do let me know when you get it started!

      Reply
  15. Lisa mckenzie says

    January 24, 2013 at 1:20 pm

    Love this Stacey I love your Mumma’s new house it is beautiful and location location,love and the family pics,beautiful,thankyou for sharing you can tell you all love each other a LOT!!

    Reply
  16. Kelley @ magnetoboldtoo says

    January 24, 2013 at 4:12 pm

    family time is wonderful.

    In small doses.

    Heh.

    Glad you had a wonderful family time. x

    Reply
  17. SarahMac says

    February 2, 2013 at 9:07 am

    I love my family too, but they are EXASPERATING sometimes and we are all spread out and divorced and gah. But we do try and mostly it’s good. So glad you had a lovely time. I’ve been reading lots of your posts today! Catching up. Love your blog. PS your mum’s place is in a great spot! What a view. Give me the mountains over the beach any day! Un-Australian I know…

    Reply
    • Veggie Mama says

      February 4, 2013 at 11:24 am

      Nope, I totally agree! Mountains, trees, forests… I’m so much better at them than sand! And so pleased you like the blog, I get a kick out of it 🙂

      Reply

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