me and mine {august}

Daddy is loving

* coasteering in Newquay

* our family beach hut day.

* having a go at surfing.

* that the footy season has started

* learning all about the Solar System with the beautiful boy.

Mummy is loving

* lots of family time at the seaside.

* having Sons of Anarchy marathons in the evenings.

* walking through a field of sunflowers.

* crocheting blankets for her babies.

* enjoying days out that have become our family summer traditions.

The beautiful boy is loving

* learning everything there is to know about planets and the solar system.

* paddling his feet in the sea (and throwing himself in for a swim).

* sneaking off to his bedroom to read a book.

* counting us all down to Flump's arrival.

* bouncing on the bed.

The beautiful girl is loving

* being mummy to her baby dolls.

* sitting in her 'paddling pool' at the seaside.

* playing with her Sylvanian Families.

* singing nursery rhymes from dawn till dusk.

* having so many soft toys in her bed that there is barely room to sleep.

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him and her {week thirty-five}

he brave and crazy and just loves being outdoors,

is the biggest beach bum I've ever known,

and would live on a beach in summer permanently if he could.

she is such a funny mixture of wild and fearless as she runs around like a fairy,

while also being a bit of nervous one who is scared of waves, 

but my goodness is she in her element at the seaside.

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farewell to the summer

Just because its summer. And because there is simply no such thing as too much beach spam if you ask me. I bring you yet another beachy adventure. This time lady luck was seriously on our side, because we booked our 'farewell summer' beach hut day back in the winter and while the days either side of our little trip were overcast, wet and a bit cold, the day of the trip dawned with blue sky, bright sunshine and it was so hot that I think we were definitely in the best place; enjoying the coastal breeze with natures paddling pool a few feet away.

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him and her {week thirty-four}

he is driving us all crazy talking about planets 24/7,

is now the proud owner of school uniform ready for September,

and is completely obsessed with taking ages to wash his hands.

she gets up practically every morning and asks if she can go to the beach,

has developed a sudden, real fear of spiders,

and loves singing little nursery rhymes and songs the whole day long.

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a 'just us' weekend

We are a seaside family. It's our happy place. And I say it all the time, but it just makes us all smile to have sand between our toes and a nice salty breeze in our hair. 

At the moment we are in that strange limbo stage while you wait for a new baby to arrive, where it feels like an era is ending; and while we are all so excited to become a five, it also makes us desperate  to cling onto these memories of life as a four. And where better for a beach loving family to make some lovely simple memories, than a weekend at the seaside.

So we borrowed my Nan's static caravan on Mersea Island and we had the loveliest time together. Mersea has to be one of our favourite places; we just love spending time together there. It is the quintessential seaside town, but so unspoiled and so beautiful, with the added touch that it gets cut off from the mainland during high tides. It really was the best kind of weekend. We played, we ate ice cream, we paddled our feet, we saw crabs, we hunted for shells, we took lots of sunshiny walks, we counted boats, we spotted jellyfish, we went out for breakfast, we met a friendly seal, we rode on a boat... and we came home with that sun kissed skin, windswept hair, sandy toes and suncream smell that tells you you've had a perfect weekend.

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siblings {august}

I often feel like a bit of a stuck record talking about these two, because honestly I'm a little bit obsessed with watching their relationship. I have been since before the beautiful girl was even born. I dreamed about the day I'd introduce my first born to his baby brother or sister, and their bond has continued to fascinate me ever since. It's such a fluid thing; it changes and grows with them, but is probably one of my proudest things as a parent... I watch them with a big smile feeling ridiculously proud of myself, because "I gave them that."

People seem to assume that brothers love rough and tumble 'boy play' best with other brothers, and that sisters have this special unique 'girls with sisterhood' bond... and honestly it makes me a bit defensive of my little brother-sister pairing. Because I honestly think they have the perfect best friend in one another. Yes they have days when they seem determined to just irritate the other slowly but surely, and they have days when they seem to practically ignore one another as they happily go about their own things. But they are always connected. Which I am aware sounds a bit weird, and it's a hard thing to explain, but I just feel like they are somehow always aware of the other, even when they don't seem to be actively interested in what each other are doing. So many people who meet my children, even when it's only for a few minutes in a cafe or a queue in a shop, will comment on how close they are and what good friends they are. It seems to shine out of them when they are together I think.

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him and her {week thirty-three}

he seems to have his nose in a book so much of the time lately,

has taken an interest in space up to obsessional levels,

and is teaching us so much about the planets that we didn't know ourselves.

she always seems to have a cheeky twinkle in her eye,

as if she's about to do or say something funny,

or is just thinking about something naughty she might do later.

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him and her {week thirty-two}

he could talk the hind legs off a donkey,

loves candlelit dinners,

and is thoroughly loving summer holiday adventures with his little sis.

she is the best little mini mummy that ever there was,

is obsessed with dry roasted peanuts,

and loves waking mummy in the mornings when she creeps into bed for a cuddle.

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him and her {week thirty-one}

he has a smile that will move mountains one day I swear,

seems to be more and more independent each day,

and says all the time that I'm "his best girl" (an award I'm going to keep forever).

she has the most amazing little personality right on the cusp of something;

all grown up with witty things to say and the cutest manners one minute,

then curling up in your lap and wanting her hair stroked so she can sleep the next.

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