me and mine {december}

Daddy is loving

* seeing the kids' faces of wonder on the 25th.

* mini eggs back in the shops (which he also said in December 2013).

* eating Christmas dinner.

* new slippers.

* party with the extended family.

Mummy is loving

* celebrating our first Christmas as a five.

* her new rings.

* having lots of lovely family time over the holidays.

* practically everything in Next's new season of children's clothes.

* getting to be proud mama watching the big kids in their nativities.

The beautiful boy is loving

* absolutely everything about Christmas.

* being a narrator in the school nativity.

* watching videos about the solar system on YouTube.

* his new globe and atlas books.

* drawing pictures of his family.

The beautiful girl is loving

* that she finally got the Sylvanian Families otters for Christmas.

* dressing up clothes.

* her angel dress for the preschool nativity.

* eating popcorn and chocolate for breakfast.

* singing "Hello" by Adele.

The beautiful little lady is watching

* sleeping in her peanut swaddle.

* her Lamaze flower garden.

* sleeping in her snuzpod.

* practising her big beaming grins.

* just generally sleeping!

Damn you Christmas for being in December when the light is so bad. Our Me and Mine photos for December simply have to be from Christmas morning... because for me that's the very best bit. Yes we may still be a bit sleepy eyed, a bit bed-headed and barely awake (except for me, I was awake nearly two hours before anyone else decided to leave dream land and join the fun) but Christmas morning is when the excitement levels are sky high, and the magic is almost tangible. It won't stop me wishing that it was just a little brighter in our living room however. Ho hum, thats English winter for you I guess. It's part of what makes Christmas the twinkly, cosy, family holiday that I love so much. And Christmas is full of those quintessential family moments that simply scream out to be captured for posterity; silly festive hats in front of the christmas tree, christmas jimjams and stocking wrappings in Mummy and Daddy's bed, and the traditional new Christmas day outfits shot.

And so that's 2015 done and dusted. And another year of Me and Mine completed with it. This year saw a little line up change in our family photos, and one we simply could not be happier about. Although it seems totally mad to me that our littlest one is in three quarters of the photos... how can that be possible when she is still so new? It's been a quieter year for us this year, with less of our portraits taken off on adventures and more of them taken close to home. But it's been an amazing year for our family, and I couldn't be happier that we get to capture our life as a five right from the very beginning in our monthly family photos.

And woah, can we just take a minute for anyone who has been with this project from the start? It's been three years since I hatched a little idea, and 36 months later I haven't regretted it for a second. And I think if you've travelled along this journey with us then you deserve a big pat on the back. Maybe you started at the very beginning and you've done three years too, maybe you've just been joining in this past year and are celebrating with 12 photos under your belt this month, or maybe you just started... wherever you are in this project I hope it gives you all the warm and fuzzies that it gives me, and well done you, for making the effort to take those photos.

Now forgive me while I indulge in a little trip down memory lane...

 2013's Me and Mine photos... our first full year as a four, and one that saw our beautiful girl turn from baby to little girl.

2014's Me and Mine photos... an amazing year full of adventures and a little boy who lost his toddler look with every passing month.

and 2015's Me and Mine photos... a year that saw one very big and very special change, and a lot of fun and smiles along the way.

Capturing these memories of us all together has such a big place in my heart now. It's far too easy to snap away and take a hundred photos of the children, while hiding behind the camera myself. But I'm so proud of my little family, and nothing shouts that pride louder than getting us all together and capturing a moment in time that we never get to have again. I love the idea that a photo is a return ticket to a moment otherwise lost to the memory, and looking back over three years worth of our family photos is just so packed full of memories. Memories that I know I would likely have forgotten if the photos didn't exist. Memories that I'll forever be glad we made. So you'd better believe we'll be back next year for year four. Are you joining me? 

This year Me and Mine has been cohosted by Alex, Fritha, Jenny, Katie and Lucy. Do pop by all their blogs and see how their December's were too.

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