Captains Flat supermum Claire Hooker officially became an Aussie on Australia Day, 13 years after migrating from England and more than a decade after having nine little Australians of her own.
The 33-year-old became an Australian citizen as part of the Queanbeyan Australia Day celebrations, watched by her husband Mark and their nine children aged from one to 11.
She arrived in Australia on Australia Day in 2007, so Sunday was especially meaningful.
"What an amazing day to have my ceremony on," she said.
"I have wanted to do my citizenship for so long but life got so busy and I kept putting it off. Now seemed the perfect time to do it.
"I feel proud to become an official citizen. Australia is a beautiful country and I am to be so proud to be a part of it."
That life "getting busy" bit would be raising their nine children in Captains Flat - and home schooling the older ones. Claire also writes a successful blog called This Tribe of Mine and has more than 14,000 followers on Instagram.
There are eight girls - Georgina, 11, Charlotte, 10, Franchesca, 8, Abigail, 7, twins Elizabeth and Catherine, 6, Rose, 5, and Matina, who turns three next week.
The only boy and the youngest, Michael, is two next month.
Claire was born in Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, Kent.
She met Mark, an Australian, when she was 19 and working a second job in a bar. He was living in England for a year and would "drive me home after work even though he lived completely the opposite way".
They were engaged in England on December 30, 2006. Claire followed Mark back to Australia, arriving on January 26, 2007. They married on May 12, 2007 and a year later welcomed their first baby.
It is an especially exciting time for Claire, who will soon be seeing her parents Steve and Jan for the first time in 11 years when they visit Australia.
But it has also been a stressful period, with the fires and the family's car damaged in the recent Canberra hailstorm while Mark was at work.
She says her family and her faith get her through difficult days.
"I feel so blessed to live in this amazing country, with an amazing husband and our children," she said.
"I don't know what the future holds, but I will cherish every moment with my beautiful family."
The citizenship ceremony was held in Queanbeyan Park with Queanbeyan-Palerang Mayor Tim Overall officiating. Eighty-one people from 24 countries became new citizens.
"You feel like you belong," Claire said after the ceremony. "That I can contribute to democracy."
Mark was very proud of his wife.
"It's wonderful," he said.
And the nine kids were happy, too.
"Oh yeah. I don't think they understand too much. They just said, 'Are you having a party'?" Claire said, with a laugh.
