me and mine {july}

Daddy is loving

* going back to 'where it all began'.

* visiting Helsinki for work.

* reading books more.

* eating Bobby Bangers at Jimmy's Farm Sausage and Beer Festival.

* watching Hannibal.

Mummy is loving

* the sunshine.

* an amazing long weekend in Scarborough walking down memory lane.

* the beautiful girl talking more and more, and saying "Mummy" finally.

* watching The Vampire Diaries (it's my new guilty pleasure.)

* that we've been married for five years today!

The beautiful boy is loving

* learning to read.

* playing 2p machines in the arcades with Daddy.

* having picnics.

* a day at the farm with his best buddy.

* throwing… even when he isn't supposed to.

The beautiful girl is loving

* monkeys and pirates.

* saying everyone's names, repeatedly.

* eating bananas.

* running free on the beach.

* cuddles with Blossom and Bibi.

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a little getaway

A few weeks back we went to Scarborough for a long weekend,

and we were lucky enough to be there as guests of Park Resorts.

They offered us a chance to stay at their Cayton Bay resort

and we were really excited to check it out.

3

enjoying the sunshine

Mummies worry...

It's a big part of the job description.

We want our children to always be safe

and we want to do anything we can to make sure of that.

5

him and her {week thirty}

he just wants to read, read, read all the time,

and is the best big brother in the world,

who will play 'round and round the garden' with his little sis constantly 

just because he knows she loves it.

she is completely obsessed with monkeys,

has transitioned into her big girl bed like a pro

and is heart-meltingly cute when she blows kisses.

2

boys will be boys

I've always loved watching my boys enjoy things together.

Back in the days when we were a three,

I would spend a lot of time sitting back

and just witnessing them;

their bond and their relationship.

1

summer adventures

There's been a kind of theme around here lately;

the sun comes out and we head off in search of adventures.

It's one of the reasons I love the summer so much,

and it definitely makes life so much easier as a parent,

to be able to head off somewhere new and fun and interesting,

and then sit back and watch your children explore.

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me and you {july}

We went on an emotional walk down memory lane this month,

by revisiting the place we met.

We walked the streets we did as young love birds,

we stood in familiar places 

which had unknowingly become a part of our family story.

It was nostalgic, 

it was emotional,

it was fun,

it was so, so lovely.

Earlier this year we celebrated ten years of being together,

and later this month we will celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary,

so it definitely seemed like a fitting time to go back to where it all began.

And as much as couple time reconnects us,

being back in this special place did too.

So many memories came flooding back as we travelled around,

and so many of those stories we'd forgotten

reminded us of all the reasons we fell in love in the first place.

Being able to tell our little love story to the children,

even though it probably meant very little to them,

was so amazing.

That story is ours,

but it's also part of their story,

that they'll listen to again and again over the years.

The story of how a boy met a girl

and together they started the most beautiful adventure…

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him and her {week twenty-nine}

he loves any play that involves water,

seems to go temporarily deaf when he's told the word "no",

and has the cutest flip flop tan lines.

she seems to perfect a new word every day,

would take her Blossom and Bibi everywhere if we let her,

and cannot go to the beach without collecting treasures.

3

keeping summer memories

I'm all about having things in your home that mean something to you.

I want to come home be surrounded by familiar and special things,

full of our stories and memories.

Summer is my favourite time of year,

and we have already made some absolutely amazing memories this year,

some of which I wanted to display as a little daily reminder.

A little corner of our home dedicated to our love of the beach,

and to some amazing days spent at various beaches this summer.

A hurricane lamp full of shells;

little treasures collected from our day at Barafundle Bay

and our weekend on Mersea Island.

Little wooden beach huts and a light house

from our special weekend in Scarborough,

there is even a little seagull there,

which will always remind me of those bruiser seagulls that Scarborough is full of.

More beach huts on some beautiful drift wood,

and where would summer be without a spot of bunting too.

And a perfect summer smell to top it off;

Yankee Candle's Coconut Bay.

It might seem a funny time of year to be lighting candles,

but I tend to light them most evenings all year around.
I just love a scented candle
and I have far too many.

This scent is so perfectly summery,

it reminds me of tropical beaches,

sun tan lotion

and a pina colada in my hand.

1

life is better at the beach

There is a quote that goes something like:

"Memories made at the beach last a lifetime".

I know for a fact that some of my best memories are from seasidy days.

And I can say with my hand on my heart

that I won't ever forget this perfect day at the beach.

At one point I watched my beautiful children and my lovely husband,

as the sea lapped around my ankles,

with the warm sun on my skin

and a sea breeze ruffling my hair,

while the sand crept up between my toes,

and I thought to myself

"Never forget this moment, this day,

and how you feel right this second"

because I genuinely could not have been happier anywhere else in the entire world.

I stood and breathed it all in,

and I've locked it up tight in my memory,

never to be forgotten.

12

just being us

We have been so lucky to get so many chances to be away from home lately,

 and we have all been loving all these amazing summer adventures we've shared..

Our weekend in Alton Towers,

our week at Bluestone,

a long weekend in Scarborough,

and even just lovely long days at the seaside,

they've all given us a real taste for getting away,

of escaping the every day and enjoying some holiday time.

9

a walk down memory lane

Scarborough in North Yorkshire holds a really special place in our hearts.

It was while we were both studying there,

that my husband and I met and fell in love.

It was the backdrop to the beginning of our story.

It was the very beginning of our family.

16

him and her {week twenty-eight}

He would play 'flashy lights' (2p slot machines) for hours if we'd let him,

is so totally absorbed by reading at the moment and wants to know what every word says

before committing them to memory, only to surprise us be reading them days later,

and is the kindest big brother on the planet.

She seems to have more personality with every passing day,

such a fascinating, stubborn, adorable little lady,

with a cheeky face which is totally her Daddy's,

and a twinkly smile which is completely Mummy's.

1

siblings {july}

I've always seen giving my children a sibling as a total gift.

I love that they will always have someone to go through life with,

that constant and loyal companion;

someone they can sit happily in silence with, 

and who they can laugh raucously with.

It's such a beautiful thing to see them;

embracing the world together,

exploring things side by side,

sharing new experiences,

and enjoying their adventures more,
simply because they've enjoyed them as a pair.

I feel so lucky that they are such good friends,

and that they seem to love each other so wholeheartedly.

I know they won't always feel that way about one another,

but I hope they'll always remember that they were each other's first friend,

and that together they were always happier.

37

him and her {week twenty-seven}

He can be so incredibly grown up and sensible,

then in the next second do something totally insane,

and he's definitely learning the power of making us all laugh.

She just doesn't stop talking,

she wants to try and name everything she sees (except Mummy - still won't say that),

and has the most gorgeous, soft, strokeable hair.

1

out of the mouths of babes {june}

Nanny: "Did you have a lovely time at the seaside?"

beautiful boy: "Yes I did."

Nanny: "Did you go in the sea?"

beautiful boy: "Yes I did."

Nanny: "And did you get very wet?"

beautiful boy: "Yes Nanny, I did. I fell in."

Nanny: "Oh dear, was it very cold?"

beautiful boy: "Yes it was. But Mummy was my hero and saved me."

12

free range fun

Holidays are all about adventures and relaxing,

being together and making new memories.

That's what I go on holiday wanting,

and that is what our holiday at Bluestone gave us in abundance.

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