the me and mine project {june}

Rich is loving

* doing panini stickers with Dylan.

* watching England v Wales in France.

* having fun at Jump Extreme in Bolton. 

* beach hut fun and the kids on the beach.

* seeing Ramsey Bolton's demise on Game of Thrones.

Lucy is loving

* a gorgeous beach hut day to celebrate my birthday.

* off the shoulder tops and dresses.

* Mummy and Quinny adventures in London. 

* a nearly finished happy place blanket.

* having a weekend together at the seaside.

Dylan is loving

* family picnic at school.

* our weekend at the caravan. 

* his first sports day. 

* playing in the maze at Open Farm Day. 

* the bouncy castle at the family party.

Everly is loving

* wearing summer dresses.

* singing and dancing and putting on little performances.

* collecting My Little Pony blind bags.

* taking Pops to her special Father's Day afternoon at preschool.

* her phonics classes and practising letter sounds. 

Ashlyn is loving

* her first play in the sand. 

* eating pink wafer biscuits. 

* having a first dip in Nanny's hot tub.

* making lots of new friends to smile during BML16. 

* playing with packets of baby wipes. 

44

her chariot {silver cross wayfarer eton grey}

We refer to our Silver Cross Wayfarer Eton Grey as our chariot. And that sums up how we feel about it pretty effectively I'd say. It is a classic, quality and high-end piece of baby kit. 

1

the siblings project {june}

These three.

Honestly... it feels like my heart could actually burst.

Their three faces, the relationship between them all, their smiles, and the obvious love they have for one another. It's just hard to find the right words sometimes...

I think this month's photos are the sort that we'll all look back on for years to come, because I think these photos really capture this moment in time for them all so perfectly. Dylan is so proud of his younger sisters; he loves leading this little troupe and being the oldest one, the one that they look up to and quite frankly worship, he's such a natural big brother. Everly is just such a delight to watch with both her siblings, with such strong but such unique relationships with them both, she is quite literally always in the middle of things with one, or other, or both of them. And Ashlyn is on that cusp, where she is becoming a fully fledged little person, and the older two are relishing it, and she is loving the attention it earns her.

This... this moment right now with these three. If I could bottle it I would. If I could freeze it I would. Because it is so perfect. 

I mean, obviously it isn't perfect, because life isn't. But it's pretty damn near to perfect from where I sit right now. 

Loving them. Raising them. Spending my days with them. And getting to watch them grow together. It's everything. 

Their stories so tangled into one another's that they'll look back and won't quite remember where one's story ended and the other's began. I so wanted that for my children. I so love that they have that. 

And knowing that they are mine... well today, looking at these photos, it's that kind of love that actually hurts my chest a little bit, that brings a big lump to my throat, and that makes me just want to pinch myself to ensure that I didn't just dream it, I actually get to live this life.

26

you are eight months old {dear beautiful little lady}

dear little Quinny,

It is crazy to think you're eight months old already... in another months time you will have been out in the world longer than you lived in my tummy, and that's such a mega milestone! But that's a month away, so I'm not going to let myself think about that too much. It actually feels like ages ago that I wrote your last monthly letter, so maybe life is finally listening to my requests for time to slow down a little. In actual fact it's probably just that we seem to have crammed quite a lot into the past month.

12

our thoughts on the snuzpod

I feel like I could really write this entire review in just three words... We love it!

But that doesn't really do a very thorough job of it, and it definitely doesn't do the SnuzPod justice.

I originally planned to write up my thoughts on the Snuz quite a while back when Ashlyn was still very new (like in that top picture - just look how teeny she was!). I mentioned it in my post on how we helped our baby sleep and in my 10 best baby products vlog too, but I decided to hold off a bit on doing my full review. Newborns spend their lives in a cycle of sleep, feed, nappy change, sleep, feed, nappy change, sleep... they aren't the best test subjects. At least Ashlyn wasn't, she just slept whenever and wherever she wanted to. So she was hardly a good judge of what made a good crib. That being said even as a teeny baby, she definitely seemed to prefer snoozing in the SnuzPod to anywhere else, and always had her longest naps in there compared to sleeping in her carrycot, bouncy chair or in our arms.

For anyone who isn't familiar with the SnuzPod concept; it is a bedside crib that attaches onto the side of the parents' bed to keep baby close at night, but with a space all their own. It features a zip down side which allows you to move baby to and from your own bed with ease (definitely a great feature for those inevitable night feeds.) It is technically a 3 in 1 crib, because as well as being used as a bedside crib, it can be used as a stand alone crib or the top bassinet part can be taken off to use alone, for naps elsewhere in the house for example.

2