the me and mine project {january}

Rich is loving

* stocking up on mini eggs.

* eating fancy soups.

* visiting Poland.

* Quinny grabbing his head for cuddles.

* getting prepped for moving house.

Lucy is loving

* going for walks with Quinn in the buggy.

* having new make up.

* making plans for the new house.

* taking weekly portraits of the kiddos.

* the evenings drawing back out.

Dylan is loving

* planning his new bedroom.

* naming capital cities.

* making his solar system model.

* going to Jump Street for his best friend's birthday.

* counting down to being six.

Everly is loving

* playing with her Belle and Moana legos.

* her snugly new duvet cover and pillow.

* eating mini eggs.

* the day she stays for lunch at preschool. 

* looking after her baby Rapunzel doll. 

Ashlyn is loving

* Kit, her cat.

* climbing on the sofa.

* giving cuddles.

* eating raisins.

* emptying the book shelf.

30

these three {week four}

The map obsession continues with this one; old maps, new maps, artistic maps, technical maps, globes, poster... he's not fussy, and he'll spend hours staring at them and taking it all in, finding the countries and cities that interest him most, talking about what continent they belong to. He gave us a bit of scare too this week, when what seemed like a simple cold suddenly left him gasping for breath; a call to out of hours resulted in a visit from an ambulance, but fortunately it wasn't anything too serious and he's bounced back quickly.

She's always been such a walking contradiction; she can be a total wild child, bouncing from crazy game to crazy game, singing a song, pretending to be a popstar, while bouncing on the bed in a cloud of messy hair and noise. But she can also be so incredibly grown up, sensitive and caring. This week I sent her to collect her shoes, ready to head home from my mums, and she came back with her shoes and my nan's walking stick... simply because she knew G.Nan was going home too, and she thought she would want it. Totally unprompted. She just seems to be in tune to peoples' needs and feelings in a way that is wise beyond her years. 

This little sunshine is such a total hoot to be around at the moment. Just in this past week she has worked out how to climb up onto the sofa, has learnt to blow kisses, and has given about a million cuddles. Having never shown any interest whatsoever in the television, she's suddenly showing a fondness for The Teletubbies, and for good old Mr Tumble. And speaking of fondness, she's head over heels in love with her cat Kit; every nap and night time in the past week, we've found them snuggled up together... and of the million cuddles she's doled out this week, he's easily been on the receiving end of half. 

6

these three {week three}

This guy... I know for a fact he knows more countries and capital cities that I do, and I'm pretty sure everything that I know about planets I learnt from him. I have no idea how he manages to remember so much! He's been busy with some sort of birthday party marathon lately, but this past week included a Jump Street party, and ones with an old school disco and party games; both of which were apparently 'the' best party ever.

She has got the funniest little sense of humour on her, this one. She just seems to have this way about her that keeps us all smiling. Except at meal times... at the moment meal times are trying. Not because she's a fussy eater - she eats most things we put in front of her - but because she just takes soooo looooong to eat. Hopefully she'll speed up a bit before she starts school, or she'll lose her entire lunch time looking at her dinner.

What can I say about this little smasher that I haven't said a hundred times before? She's just amazing. She's getting a bit of a temper on her, and can throw the most impressively dramatic strops if you give her the last raisin and don't magically produce more. But she's also getting funnier and cheekier by the day. And she's so incredibly affectionate; she loves grabbing our necks and pulling us in for a cuddle, and if Dylan or Everly are upset they get constant hugs and strokes and "ahhhh"s until they are smiling again.

8

these three {week two}

Well what a week it's been for this one. He's had his first full week back at school, and has moved up yet another reading level, received his first rosettes, and won the dancing competition at a birthday party (he was the absolute best, I saw it myself!!!). And all while he's been feeling a little under the weather. This kid is total pro!

She spent her christmas money on a Moana lego set and has been obsessed with it ever since. She absolutely adores singing with her brother to the 'Lava' short Disney film, it's the cutest thing! Oh and the final deadline has passed for school applications, so we're now officially in that long wait to see that she got into school. How is this baby going to school this year?

Our little Quinny is back and firing on all cylinders after weeks of poorliness. She's started properly hugging us this week; grabbing us around the necks and pulling in close while saying "ahhhhh". And we get kisses, big wet open mouthed ones. She says hello now too (it sounds more like "hay-low") although she happily uses it for both greetings and goodbyes. And she's basically been a human dustbin, eating everything in sight, so she's clearly having a little growth spurt. 

7

the siblings project {january}

Oh these babies of mine, where do I even start? I honestly cannot think of a single thing that makes me prouder than seeing the three of them together. I wonder if it ever gets old, if I'll get to a point one day where I won't feel like I have to pinch myself that they are mine. This little brood of mine just makes my heart so happy. 

And after the excitement of December, January has brought quiet; peaceful days at home, simple walks, new toys. It has been lovely. I didn't want the school holidays to end, and neither did they. Now don't get me wrong, I'm always a school holiday fan, but part of me always get twitchy to get back in routine as they draw to a close. But not this time. Our Christmas break was so slow paced, so full of honest, simple, not exciting, but totally perfect, family time. The children completely loved it just being together, and there were so many beautiful moments. Nothing monumental, just the kind of moments that make up family life, but when you stand back and really take them in, it makes you so proud. 

Dylan taking time to painstakingly teach Ashlyn to use her stacking rings. 

Everly offering, unprompted to share her Christmas chocolates with her big bro.

Ashlyn making a beeline for the older two whenever they are doing something together.

Both Dylan and Everly requesting sleepover after sleepover.

And then the sight of their limbs all tangled up together in slumber.

Everly constantly requesting that she wear the same clothes as her little sis.

Quinny coming over, stroking them, and saying "ahhhhh" whenever either of the older two are upset.

...It's in those simple, ordinary interaction that I feel like their relationships blossom, and I love watching that. Because month on month it feels like I say that they are closer, and yet some how the next month they seem closer still. 

42

home life project {january}

2017 will be a year of change for us. Looming on the horizon now is our impending house move. Still so far away that it doesn't seem quite real yet, but coming up fast none the less. This year with see Everly start school, yet another big and important milestone which seems to be racing up to meet us a little faster than I'm fully prepared for. I know from experience that this second year for Quinny, will change her so much; while still a baby now, she really won't seem that way in the not too distant future. Life does hurry on, doesn't it? And it's so exciting, but I do find myself grabbing at it, trying to keep a hold of it; not to slow it down, but just to make sure I took it all in, enjoyed it, remembered it.

These four walls have known our family forever. They could tell our whole story. And it is a strange, "end of an era" type of feeling, to know that we will be moving on soon, to write our stories in different walls instead. And it makes me want to bottle up this time, to keep it safe. Will my children remember living here? In this first place that they called home. In the place where we went from two, to four, then five, six and seven. It was just Rich and I once upon a time. But two fluffy babies, and three human babies later we've definitely created one hell of a story from these walls, we've created a family.

15

these three {week one}

He was so excited to get back to school, and apparently spent his first day back "having lots of chats". He has been loving making a solar system model from a kit he got for Christmas. He is such a perfectionist and has such high expectations of himself, but he's such a sensitive little soul sometimes; and I know exactly where he gets it from, and sometimes when he's being really hard on himself I wish I could take that feeling away.

She has the most creative little mind, watching her at play you never really quite know where it will all end up. She loves mothering her new Rapunzel doll, it's rare we see one without the other at the moment. She uses the most hilariously high pitched voice when she's playing with her baby sister; its a stereotypical baby voice, but it just sounds so funny to hear my big girl (who is still so little really) pretending to be such a grown up. 

She has been so poorly since before Christmas, and it's broken our hearts to see our happy little sunshine looking so sad. She like sunshine and rain though, because she has recently started throwing the most epic little wobblers. She loves all food; she's seriously like a human dustbin, and she'll stand in the kitchen pointing at cupboards or pots demanding whatever takes her fancy; except mash potato - mash potato is the food of the devil, apparently.

19