me and mine {september}

Daddy is loving

* the new FIFA game.

* the little man loving school.

* a fun day out for the beautiful girl's birthday.

* seeing a couple of mates get married and enjoying the party afterwards.

* a trip to Switzerland with work.

Mummy is loving

* the great start that the beautiful boy has had at school.

* hearing all about the little lady's mornings at preschool.

* finally feeling ready for baby Flump to arrive.

* having a gorgeous dress to wear for our month of weddings.

* reading The Great Gatsby.

The beautiful boy is loving

* school and all the fun things he's learning.

* his best friend Lucy, he never stops talking about her.

* seeing the super blood moon lunar eclipse.

* reading his school books to us.

* going to the sealife centre.

The beautiful girl is loving

* being a three year old.

* being back at babyballet and also starting dance classes at Mummy's dance school. 

* playing with Sylvanian Families.

* cheese sandwiches.

* rice krispie crunch birthday cake.

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being ready

"We creep a little bit closer to being ready for this little bubba each day. I remember with my previous two, how in the last few weeks I'd wander into the nursery just to ponder what was ahead. I would open drawers full of tiny little clothes all freshly washed and neatly folded. I would arrange and rearrange soft toys. I would stare at those teeny newborn nappies and try to picture the little person who would wear them. And this time is no different (except her bedroom is my bedroom) and I love taking that little bit of time to bond and dream and think about the bomb of love that is about to go off in our lives."

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him and her {week thirty-nine}

he has settled into full days at school like its no big deal,

and is loving getting to stay for lunch and try new foods;

proud just doesn't seem like a big enough word for him sometimes.

she is three now,

utterly loved being the centre of attention on her birthday weekend,

but is having a few little mummy separation anxiety wobbles at preschool and dancing.

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happy third birthday beautiful girl

And just like that,

in what feels like the blink of an eye,

our baby girl is three.

While you were still two

it felt like we could cling onto the last of those baby days,

but really, in actual fact, you left those behind some time ago now.

You are 100% a little girl.

And you have completely blossomed this past year,

in ways I knew you would

and in ways I didn't expect.

You are still the cuddliest, most affectionate little thing, 

who can always stop whatever you're doing to have some snuggle time.

But you have also gained so much independence over the last year,

you have dropped so much of your clingy nature

and you are so brave and friendly in new situations,

with a happy little approach to everything that gets thrown your way.

You are oh-so-caring,

and seem to want to love and nurture everything in sight,

but you are also our total little wild thing.

Right from when you were a baby,

we knew that you were going to march to your own drum;

and we weren't wrong.

You are so happy to be doing your own thing,

you dance to your own beat,

and you make it all up as you go along.

And we wouldn't have your free spirit any other way.

Not a day goes by where we don't laugh at something you have done or said,

and you love nothing better than pulling a cheeky grin

when you know you've done something to make us smile. 

You are messy,

you are creative,

you are super sharp and don't miss a trick,

you are silly,

you completely know your own mind,

you are our little sunshine,

you are more than a little bit chaotic,

but loving you is just the greatest adventure ever.

I love you so much,

my beautiful little girl.

And I feel so grateful and happy every single day,

that I get to be your mummy,

and that you get to be my girl.

Happy third birthday.

x x x


(Here are her first and second birthday letters... can't believe how much she's changed.)

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him and her {week thirty-eight}

he is a school boy now,

and could not be happier about it,

after an exciting and fun first week

he already can't wait to get started on full days.

she is so so nearly three,

but doesn't seem very happy about the idea of having a birthday next week,

is still loving her preschool mornings,

and absolutely shining in her ballet classes.

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siblings {september}

September has been a big month for these siblings of mine... and there is another big month to come in October too. After a whole summer of living (and loving being) in each others' pockets the entire time; it's been back to school time. And back to school has meant big new starts for the two of them and more time apart. 

I thought all the upheaval of new routines, preschool for her, primary school for him, and suddenly being separated more would be hard on them. But in a style which seems to be pretty typical with these two; they've just got on with it and there have actually been some beautiful moments where they have actually supported each other through these big changes. On the one moment when we wondered if our beautiful girl might wobble when we left her at preschool on the first day, it was her big bro that swooped in with a big kiss and cuddle and told her what great time she was going to have that saved the day. And his excitement at his first day of school was so contagious that she was practically bouncing up and down as she screamed to "have a good fun times" as he strolled into school for the first time.

So, their photo together for this month had to represent the big milestones this month has seen; with them both proudly showing off their uniforms. But what I hadn't counted on was the effect that these photos would have on me. When I uploaded them on to the computer to look through them; they made me cry... and not just a little bit. Because I looked at these photos and I realised something; I have children. Children. Not babies. Not toddlers. But children. And I have children who are really truly friends. Proper friends. The kind of friends I could have only dreamed they'd be. 

And I hope with all my heart that the friendship they have is going to support the two of them through the changes that will happen over the next couple of months. I have no doubt adding a third wheel to this little twosome is going to have its challenging moments... and it's breathtakingly beautiful ones. I just hope that they continue to turn to one another the way they have during the changes of the past few weeks and that it makes the transition easier for the two of them. 

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oh the places you'll go beautiful boy {2015}

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him and her {week thirty-seven}

he has loved some mummy-son time this week,

especially drawing space pictures together,

and a trip to the swimming pool

where we were both total water babies.

she is officially a preschooler,

and appears to have grown up drastically before our very eyes this past week,

with her brave, happy nature

and just how exciting she's been finding her first solo adventure.

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{flump} the pregnancy diaries - seven months

I am so late posting my seven month video diary. I recorded it in good time but a bad back and a busy life have kept me away from the computer. So I've edited it together and am getting it posted just in time to start planning the next one. This month I am talking about extra scans, freaky belly buttons and how we're prepping for Flump's arrival. 

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oh the places you'll go beautiful girl {2015}

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him and her {week thirty-six}

he is starting to get twitchy to get back into routines,

has officially begun his big school countdown,

is obsessed with telling us all about the solar system,

and loves eating party rings (especially the pink ones).

she just can't get enough of the simple things in life,

like playing out in nature,

removing her shoes and socks,

and eating a big block of cheese.

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pregnant mummy guilt

I would definitely say that I have reached that period of being pregnant where my overriding feelings a lot of the time, aside from tiredness and generally aching, are pure guilt. I know I went through this last time around too, but the feelings seem to be a lot more amplified this time; maybe because I have more children to feel guilty for this time around, maybe because this time my children are older and seemingly more aware of my recent short comings; but either way I feel pretty rubbish as a mummy of late.

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