me and mine {july}

Daddy is loving

* a day in Vienna.

* going to the beautiful boy's graduation.

* the sausage and beer festival at Jimmy's Farm.

* having a therapeutic storage clear out.

* a day at the seaside with Nainy and Taid.

Mummy is loving

* sunshiny days at the seaside.

* learning how to crochet and making Flump a blanket.

* how cute, funny, talkative and musical the little lady is.

* getting to watch our little man graduate from preschool.

* celebrating six years of marriage today.

The beautiful boy is loving

* taster days at his new big school.

* lots of fun adventures now that the summer is here.

* having a special graduation from preschool and a family meal after.

* counting down to the new baby coming.

* dunking practically any food in ketchup.

The beautiful girl is loving

* nursery rhymes; listening to them, singing them, watching them on television.

* reading 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'.

* the new sister toy for her Lulu bunny, named Lily.

* collecting fists full of pebbles.

* bouncing on the bed.

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a favourite place

I love that we live where we do. Not necessarily our specific home or street, but the area. Because we are utterly spoiled with being surrounded by some beautiful parks and gardens and pretty spots, as well as being equidistant to the bright lights of London, and the calming air of the coast. We can be at either with 45 minutes, and I think it gives us the very best of both worlds.

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third timer

One of the things I felt most strongly about when we were still talking about baby number 3 as an 'if' and a 'maybe', was that I wanted to really relish and enjoy a final pregnancy. When I was pregnant the first time, I was full of all that nervous excitement of a first time mum, plus I was super busy with work, and I just had no idea what I was letting myself in for, so afterwards I felt like maybe I hadn't enjoyed it to the full. I think I wished it away in places, just desperate for the final prize at the end. Second time around I still had a baby to care for, our beautiful boy wasn't even a year old when I got pregnant and I just couldn't stop dreaming about the moment when he got to meet his baby sibling. We had always said three kids was our perfect family, so I think in a way I took that second pregnancy for granted a bit thinking to myself that I'd be doing it all again.

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him and her {week thirty}

he is a space expert and is going to be an astronaut,

or so he likes to keep telling us,

and loves initiating "group hugs" with his "bestest girls".

she is obsessed with 'the very hungry caterpillar'

thinks every meal should come with a side of cheese,

and sings nursery rhymes from when she gets up in the morning until she goes to bed.

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{flump} the pregnancy diaries - six months

It is beyond crazy that I've done my sixth month of pregnancy already. I thought my second pregnancy flew compared to my first, but it was nothing compared to this time... although I do also know that time tends to stand still a bit more in this final trimester, so I'm hoping that it isn't all over before I've had time to absorb it and make the most of every second. So, I'm back with my six months pregnancy vlog, and this month I'm talking about stopping work, the children bonding with their baby sister, nesting like a mad woman and Flump being big. 

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him and her {week twenty-nine}

he has graduated from preschool

and is now on the countdown to starting big school, 

but is exhausted after a busy term of fun and parties

and excited about summer adventures and having a little bit of a rest.

she is beautifully chaotic

and spending time with her always leaves you laughing,

her ability to destroy a room in a matter of seconds is astounding,

and her skills in wrapping us around her little finger with a smile are astonishing.

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we heart preschool

Last summer I felt so apprehensive about preschool... for the simple reason that I wasn't really ready to let my first-born baby go just yet. He was more than ready. We knew we had chosen a preschool that we were 100% happy with. But caring for him had been my job for his entire life, and I felt so weird about missing out on so much of his day-to-day life, of his development, and all the cuddles and smiles and laughs that he'd be having that I didn't get to be a part of.

To say our little man has blossomed this past year would be an understatement. Preschool has given him, and us, everything we had hoped for and more. It has prepared him, and me, for the even bigger step of 'big school' looming on the horizon. It has shaped him and moulded him in such lovely ways.

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siblings {july}

Right, I'm calling it... officially my new favourite photo of the two of them. Mainly because I think it captures the true nature of their personalities and their relationship. You can just tell there is cheekiness going on by simply looking at them. And that tends to be the story of our days. The biggest smiles always come from a sneaky bit of mischief, and sneaky mischief always happens when they are together.

I snapped these photos after they were having a particularly enthusiastic bed jumping session, which appears to be a new favourite thing for them to do, which is kind of annoying when you've just made the bed... for the fifth time that day. But the conspiratorial giggles and the shared naughty glances totally make up for the crumpled sheets and strewn pillows... just.

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preschool class of 2015

This past weekend our beautiful boy graduated from his preschool. It was a lovely celebration of his time there, and a day that made him feel super proud of himself, and us even prouder of the little boy he is becoming.

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him and her {week twenty-eight}

he just wants to practise maths problems,

and sing inappropriate Muse songs the whole day long,

in between saying cheeky things and then saying "but I'm only joking."

she is such a little song bird,

always singing along to songs she hears or making up her own,

and especially loves singing while jumping on the bed.

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making rainbows {52 adventures}

With the kind of hot weather we've been having of late, there appear to be two options when it comes to small children; hide away in the cool, or go for some water play. We definitely did our fair share of both last week, but my pair of water babies will always prefer the latter option and seem to be drawn to water like a magnet.

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him and her {week twenty-seven}

he is making the most of his last weeks with "his ladies" at preschool,

in between day dreaming about his new big school, 

and planning all the things he'll do when he has two little sisters.

she is obsessed with adventures at the moment,

and is always asking to go to the beach, the park, a picnic, the zoo, to see flowers, Disneyland...

our totally full-of-summer hippy girl.

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