Spring is here...

~Gostrey Meadows // SLIDE // Waverley Abbey~

~35 + 5 weeks // LOVE // Climbing Trees // Spring lambing at Newlyns Farm~

If you go down to the woods today...

This morning the girl and I headed out into the Spring sunshine to Forest School, an outdoor session run through a local pre-school in Frogmore.

The Forest School is on a Wednesday morning as a drop in two hour session for toddlers, babies and of course their parents/carers. The kiddies are given all weather gear (we rock up in our own Wellington boots) and then are free to set off and have some muddy, forest-y fun! Today we certainly had the weather on our side.

I took along hubby's camera (mine has sadly gone to camera heaven) and took a few snaps of the girl and her bestie having a blast in the great outdoors.

The kids dug in the dirt, climbed over logs, rambled through the trees, roasted marshmallows, went on the hunt for Easter eggs and chicks, as well as sang songs around the camp fire.

We will be going back for sure!

Wordless-ish Wednesday

34 weeks and 5 days

...Sporting a make-up free face, jogging bottoms and my Mother's Day T-shirt.

Not long now...

Current Reading # 3

You've Got Mail.

**Why did I not publish this? This post is from early February**

Nothing beats getting a parcel from 'home.' Every couple of months my Mum will send us a box of goodies with gifts and bits and pieces for the three of us from Australia. Sometimes she has bought us something new, sometimes it is foods that I miss, trinkets from my childhood bedroom and like today, lovelies I have purchased in Australia and got delivered to my parents house to forward on.

I finally got my Precious Moments Pendant that  have had my eye on for so long. The above photo does not do it justice, it is absolutely beautiful. Included in the package were belated Christmas gifts from my brother and his partner, as well as a 'mix' CD they made for Grant and I.

My parents bought the sweetest swimming costume for Avalon with matching sun hat and flip flops, a floral 1950's inspired 2 piece. Grant is going to start taking her swimming on the weekends which will be great when Baby arrives (so very soon!)

Girlie Giggles

Avalon & Izellah

Photography by Nina

Yo' Shorty(s) It's Your Birthday(s)

Well January through to April seems to be the time for having babies. Within our circle of friends everyone's little ones have been born over these last 4 months and we have had a busy social calendar of st & 2nd Birthdays and it has been a blast! Kids Birthday Parties are so much fun! We have been Pirates (twice!), Monsters, Jungle Animals & Scavengers...

Here are some photos from our party season- Happy Birthday Joab, Jasper, Izzy, Jack & Noah- as well as Tomos and Abbie,  both of whom we either missed their parties or are without any photos.

23 months

Photography by Nina

Tie-Dye, Flowers, Haggis & a lot of Love...

Today is Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom and as an antipodean I am lucky enough to celebrate it twice a year. I have been looking forward to a sleep in all week and really, that is all I could ask for on Mother's Day. 

Our weekends are so precious here with Grant at work 12 hours a day. I relish the Saturday and Sunday mornings that hold such promise of a family day and the chance to get a little 'me' time as Daughter and Daddy time takes place as well. I know how much he misses his girl during the week and I can sense the contentment he feels on the weekends when he is home with us.

I woke at about 7.30am after quite a rough nights sleep- Although sleep has been a luxury over the past 2+ years anyway, these last few weeks of pregnancy have brought on the insomnia I dealt with in the early weeks of pregnancy- All part of preparing the body for restless nights I guess? Either way, a 7.30 wake up was good enough for me.

You really can't beat waking up to the smell of bacon wafting up the stairs but even better the sounds and giggles from Grant and Avalon working magic in the kitchen. I lay back in bed listening to talk of pirates, chatter about 'Mummy' and harmonica playing- a long forgotton instrument that had been retrieved from the bottom of the toy box.

I was under strict instruction from Grant to stay upstairs in bed until I was summoned by the girl, only 10 minutes later, in pirate hat and Raggedy-Ann apron. She burst through the bedroom door explaining 'I can cook!' and a huge smile- Why, yes you can my precious!

We made our way downstairs and were greeted with a breakfast spread of French toast, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, and haggis (my ever adventurous husband!) accompanies by juice and fresh coffee... perfection.

At my table setting there were 2 hand-dyed T-shirts (one in pregnancy size, one in regular Mummy size) neatly folded, some hand-picked flowers foraged from our garden earlier that morning and a card, signed by Avalon. I knew these two had been up to something downstairs in the basement and found out later the T-shirts had spent the week drying in the cluttered garage but what more could you want on Mother's Day than time with your family, handmade gifts and a home cooked meal!?

I feel so blessed with my family; a healthy girl, a supportive and loving partner and another baby on the way who is co-operating in every way by keeping head firmly day ;) It amazes me that the dynamics of our family are going to change again in just a few short weeks. 

The last 2 years have been an incredibly whirlwind of soaring highs and yet also crashing lows (those which I didn't expect)... and would I change a thing? Nope-- not one! 

Our experience has got us 'here' and we are grow each day in love for each other... we learn and we work together along the way.

It is an overused cliché but I cannot think of any other word but 'blessed' to describe my lot in life- and I have these 2 people to thank for it.