him and her {week twenty-two}

he would rather jump and run than walk any day,

would watch himself on video all the time if we let him,

is getting really great at writing his name

and pulls the cheekiest faces that it's impossible not to smile.

she seems to permanently have her tongue stuck out at the moment,

tries her luck and asks for chocolate three or four times a day,

grabs her favourite rag doll Blossom for a cuddle as soon as we put her to bed at night

and is obsessed with shoes.

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me and mine {may}

Daddy is loving...

* going to the gym.

* catching up with family at the scouse wedding.

* riding roller coasters at Alton Towers.

* finally playing football again after a year.

* going on the water slides at Splash Landings with the little man.

Mummy is loving...

* having an amazing weekend together at Alton Towers.

* being a finalist in the video category of the Brilliance in Blogging awards.

* watching her little water babies enjoying swimming.

* everybody getting all dressed up for a family wedding in Wales.

* that the hubby has gone back to using an old aftershave from when they got together.

The beautiful boy is loving...

* going to Splash Landings water park.

* eating risotto.

* riding on the pirate ship at Alton Towers.

* jumping, jumping and more jumping.

* watching videos of our adventures.

The beautiful girl is loving...

* chocolate... always chocolate.

* emptying the book case and 'reading' all the books.

* saying more words and smiling at the great reaction she gets.

* splashing in Nanny's hot tub and at Splash Landings water park.

* walking on tiptoe like a dancer.

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adventures in water

music credit: Radioactive by Kings of Leon

A few weeks back my little water babies and I were delighted to announce 

that we had been chosen as Swimologists, 

meaning that we would be ambassadors for Konfidence.

As part of that role we all got to enjoy a weekend at Alton Towers,

in order to give their swim aids a good test.

Well test them we did,

and we are so so SO impressed with all the items they sent.

1

out of the mouths of babes {may}

Mummy: "Come on, eat up your dinner so you grow big and strong."

beautiful boy: "I will have big jeans like Daddy."

while watching Happy Feet (a film full of penguins)

beautiful girl: "Duck. Duck. Duck."

Mummy: "No sweetheart, not duck. Penguin."

beautiful girl: "Duck."

Mummy: "Can you say penguin?"

after a long pause

beautiful girl: "Duck duck."

beautiful boy: "I'm poorly Mummy."

Mummy: "Oh no. Do you need a big cuddle."

beautiful boy: "Yes. And I need some medicine to feel me better."

Mummy: "Shall we get some lunch?"

beautiful girl: "Chocat?"

"Oh Mummy, there are so many planets on the Earth. Shall we go to the moon first?"

"I want to go outside with my feet I do."

beautiful boy: "Are you happy Mummy?"

Mummy: "Yes I am."

beautiful boy: "Well can you be happy with your teeth?"

beautiful boy: "I don't feel very well."

Mummy: "Oh no, what's wrong?"

beautiful boy: "I'm not quite sure. But it's making me feel very sad."

Mummy: "Oh dear. Well would a cuddle make you feel better?"

beautiful boy: "No. It wouldn't. But a kids would work."

talking to some old ladies while we were in a queue in a shop

Old Lady 1: "Oh isn't he handsome?"

Mummy: "Yes, we certainly think so."

Old Lady 2: "What's your name?"

beautiful boy: "[beautiful boy]"

Old Lady 2: "Well thats a lovely name, isn't it?"

beautiful boy: "Yes it is. What's your name?"

Old Lady 2: "Well I'm Milly and this is Trish."

beautiful boy: "Hello Milly and Trish."

Old Lady 1: "Oh he just charming."

Mummy: "Haha, yes, he has his moments."

we moved forward in the queue a bit

beautiful boy: "See you soon Milly and Trish. Have a nice day."

Old Lady 2: "Thank-you [beautiful boy]. And you too."

beautiful boy: "Mummy? Are those girls going to come for lunch with us?"

… Cue much giggling from said "girls". He made their day!

15

a whole lot of fun

music credit: On Our Way by The Royal Concept

A couple of weekends back

we got to visit Alton Tower's Splash Landings Resort.

We had an AMAZING time.

We swam, 

we laughed, 

we scared ourselves silly, 

we splashed,

we bounced, 

we rode rollercoasters,

we smiled… a lot!

We crammed a lot of fun into one weekend,

and we are so so SO grateful to Konfidence for sending us.

The trip was part of our role as Swimologists for the brand

and we gave their swim aids a thorough test while we were there

and we were really, really impressed

(check back later this week for the full low down on what we thought).

You have a chance to win of £50 prize package 

containing some of the Konfidence goodies you can see in our video.

Pop across to this post to enter.

You can also check out our previous videos on our movies page
or on YouTube.

26

him and her {week twenty-one}

he says some of the funniest things ever,

thinks the Disney Store is one of the best places in the world,

and is just totally charming.

she talks non-stop, just not in any language that we can understand,

is totally obsessed with all things duck,

and will now sleep without a sleeping bag like a big girl.

3

twenty months new

Twenty months seemed like such a big age for our little girl.

1

me and you {may}

My husband is my best friend.
First and foremost, his most important job is obviously that of 'daddy',
and he really is a great husband,
who manages to put up with me after all these years
(which is no mean feat I tell you)
but most importantly for me,
he is the number one person who I want to talk to,
my sounding board and my support.
He keeps me tethered to the ground when I'm being a bit flighty,
he picks me up when I'm feeling a bit low,
and he's always the person I want to share my stories with.

Some days I think I'd quite like him to take a long walk off a short pier,
but most of the time I genuinely don't know where I'd be without him.
He's my team mate
and my best friend,
and there is no one else that I'd rather be sharing this journey with.

20

him and her {week twenty}

he never stands still, even for a minute,

is obsessed with maps and loves to look at them and point things out,

and wants to do everything by himself unless he's asked for help.

she can empty a bookcase in the time it takes you to make lunch,

completely refuses to listen when you tell her "no", simply smiling at you instead,

and is a total firecracker who makes us laugh everyday.

5

water babies

music credit: I Do Adore by Mindy Gledhill

My children are total water babies

(they get it from their mama)

and are at their happiest when they're splashing;

be that in puddles, in the bath, or in a pool.
As a self confessed water baby myself
nothing makes me happier than seeing them enjoy the water.

14

siblings {may}

Every afternoon these two have a patch of what can only be described as crazy time.

They go, quite frankly, a little bit bonkers.

It's that funny period of time between nap time and dinner time,

and as often as possible I'll try to get us out of the house at this time

so that they can properly let of steam.

It's exhausting,

but honestly, there is something about that time of day

which is totally full of magic

and an undefinable quality that I wish I could bottle up and keep forever.

This is the time of day when they really play together.

They will chase each other,

up and down, and round and round,

all while squealing with laughter

and occasionally falling into full blown hysteria.

They get so noisy and so over-excited.

And it would be so easy for me to get annoyed,

to try and stop the racket,

and sit them down to do something quietly instead.

But it's in those moments every afternoon

that I see so clearly

why having more than one child was so important to us as a family.

Because they quite simply adore each other;

as they laugh and chase and share smiles,

and delight in a crazy game that we'll never quite understand,

but which is theirs.

So long may our crazy afternoons continue

because the sound of their combined laughter

is the best sound on earth.

  

51

him and her {week nineteen}

he loves a really good 'squeeze cuddle',

can learn the words to songs after just a couple of plays,

and would play on bouncy slides all day long if he could.

she is so totally fearless and full of fun,

will stare innocently and give you a coy smile if you say "no" to her,

and adores "chocat" more than anything on earth.

6

may day and storytelling

music credit: Stardust by Lena

We are so lucky to live in a beautiful little village,

and every May on of our absolute highlights

in the May Day Fayre. 

We love that we can stroll across the bridge from our home

and be right in the thick of the fun.

It's such a lovely, fun

and quintessentially English event

and it always feels like the beginning of our summer.

This year I filmed our day

so that we could share it.

4

girly girl

This beautiful girl of mine has always been a headband girl.

As a baby she was rarely without one

and they quite quickly became her trademark.

At one stage we got so used to seeing her in one

that she didn't look right without them.

Her hair is a getting longer by the day

so we change up the headbands for bunches some of the time these days,

but I still have a big place in my heart for headbands,

and my little lady is still seen wearing one more than she isn't.

  

7

three and a quarter

In the quarter year since your birthday you had changed so much.

4

him and her {week eighteen}

he can make anything into an adventure,

likes food the best when he's helped make it,

and insists on saying cheers when we brush noses,

just so we can giggle about it afterwards.

she is a fearless little climbing monkey,

who seems to permanently be scruffy or messy,

but has a cheeky smile that makes us melt

right when she's doing something naughty.

3