6/52

Littlest - giggling up at her brother and sister. A constant ( and very stubborn) delight.

Poppet - running in her grandparents back garden - I think she might be pretending to be a pigeon.

Sprocket - thoughtful. He's just gone back to school and it's a hard adjustment. There are tears every morning and much discussion of his old school back down in Victoria - you know, the good one, with all his friends. It breaks my heart in a thousand different ways.

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones once a week, every week in 2015.

4/52

Poppet - with her favourite book at the moment. Jane Ray's beautifully illustrated and beautifully written The Apple Pip Princess. We've been reading it at least once a day and often two or three times all week.

Sprocket - his Grandpa aims to turn him into a pigeon flyer. He's just released one of the young birds to the sky.

Littlest - my sleeping beauty - with her little doll from Paris. Paris was a bit of a disappointment (possibly because I had a flu that turned very nasty) but we found a very good toy shop and went a little bit wild on a we're-sorry-we dragged-you-half-way-around-the-world-and-it's all-so miserable way. Note: even the toy shop owners in Paris are snooty. This made me giggle between coughing.

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones once a week, every week in 2015. 

2/52

Poppet, laughing with her Aunty on a boat on a canal in Amsterdam. 
Sprocket, in a favourite pub in London, a double decker bus passing. 
Poppet. My Joy. Somewhere in Europe. 

We're home now, having journeyed from Paris to Brisbane in the space of forty-eight hours, in my in-laws place in Queensland, where we'll be until we find or build our own place. Sick. Jetlagged. So completely bone weary it doesn't bear thinking about.

The kids are pulling the house apart. We got home at 11pm last night and by 7am this morning Sprocket hadn't managed to sleep for more than an hour but had found four cane toads (that I know of) and dozens of  skinks. One of which lost it's tail in the living room. There was also talk of a brown snake sighting but when we traipsed out after him to the stand of bananas he claimed to have made the sighting I became a little suspicious.
"How many snakes were there, Sprocket?"
"Forty! Forty king brown snakes and forty taipans."  Wordless return (coughing) to the house.
"It was real. Really really real." A-ha.

Joining with for Jodie for a portrait of my little ones once a week, every week, in 2015.

52/52

My little ones in Edinburgh. Sprocket with his Pictish warrior paint (in texta, luckily washable), Littlest (AKA Hoggles) with the 'Hairy Coo' (or Highland Cow) hat and Poppet with her 'magic amulet' (just out of view).

We're in London now, just about to bring in the New Year. My Beloved and Littlest and I have spent the day wandering around the British Museum and Bloomsbury while the older two are at the Zoo with The Grands.

So Happy New Year everyone! May 2015 bring you all love, joy, health and happiness!

Joining with Jodi for the very last portraits of my wee ones for 2014.

Here's to all the promise and possibility and those amazing moments of magic for 2015...

51/52

Littlest- being held by Nana in her ergo. All rugged up in winter warms.

Sprocket - still a little chesty and sleepy. By the Christmas lights in Jenners.

Poppet - By the Christmas lights in Jenners.

We are now approaching wellness and our time in Edinburgh is turning delightfully dreamlike. Beloved's mum, sister & a good family friend have arrived bringing lashings of food, drink, good cheer and extra hands to herd the kids. The city continues to fill me with constant heart palpitations at the sheer beauty - the castle on the skyline… be still my heart! We met yesterday with my cousin's family and it was so so lovely seeing her and the little ones and watch our little ones play together! (Our girls share a love of pink, plastic ponies in pastels and bling)

It is possible that Father Christmas has been hitting the Edinburgh op-shops pretty hard in cahoots with his/my sister-in-law. Edinburgh op-shops are brilliant! (Also the gorgeous one-world shop under St John's.) Father Christmas only has a stop off on the Royal Mile now for Hairy Coo's (Cows) and a little bit of tartan stuff and I think he's done. (He didn't do any shopping in Australia so he's been a bit busy…)

Joining with Jodi from Scotland for a portrait of my little ones every most weeks in 2014. 

49/52

 

 Sprocket - playing with an old oar in the driveway down at the beach in the early morning.

Poppet - still sleepy and hair all mussed, eating her porridge. (Made with instant milk as we haven't got to the shops yet after our epic drive across the state the night before.)

 Littlest - no matter how early her smile lights up the world. (If you have a magnifying glass you might just see her new tooth)

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones every most some weeks in 2014.

We have begun our move to Queensland. We've said our bitter-sweet farewell to the fibro shack that has been our home for the last four years and that Littlest came home too. (Beloved still has to go back for one last tidy, and then some unknown time next year to load our boxes and stuff up and bring them up, but the kids and I have said our farewells.) We're stopping at the family beach house to rest and recharge a little before making the trip up North. New beginnings here we come! 

48/52

Sprocket - a responsible big brother - otherwise a grubby faced and very inventive storm of destruction. Heavily bribed to stay still so I can take photos for the Christmas card.

Littlest - she learnt to pull herself up on the bars of her cot this week and stand on pudgy legs. (The same week we thankfully upgraded her from her bassinet.)

Poppet - my darling diva and wonderful helper. Her grin is so infectious.

Joining with Jodi to take a photo of my kids every most some occasional weeks when the planets align and the moon is full in 2014.

We move house (and state) in two days and the house is full of boxes and jammed with piles of clothes, toys and books for storage, to take to the UK, the op-shop or Queensland. Chaos is my dear friend but I wish he'd visit some other family for  a few days! 

38-39/52

- Littlest, on the rug with her favourite toy. It is true love.
- Littlest, rugged up for the beach with grandpa.
-Poppet, by the shore in evening light.
-Poppet, walking the beach paths in her princess dress.
-Sprocket, engrossed in sand and water play.
-Sprocket, in the ti-tree grove.

We've had a blissful week at the beach - but I rarely got out my camera. In fact, only really on the one overcast morning of the week.

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones once a week every most some occasionally in 2014. 

37/52

- Sprocket, up a tree. A favoured place. He was throwing down blossom for me - delightfully fragrant.
-Littlest. She loves to be standing, and standing on the trampoline with all the pack is the biggest of delights!
-Poppet. My bold and brilliant girl. Red suits her - she is flamboyant and dramatic and full of stories and  vitality. She's finding Littlest taking up so much of my time, and so much of everyones attention hard, but she's trying so hard.

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones once a week every most some weeks in 2014.

35/52

- Poppet, just home from a 'rainbow' party and sitting in the windowsill.

-Littlest's darling little fingers. The strange thing about babies is how perfectly they're designed to be absolutely and completely adorable in every way. Except perhaps the waking up all through the night bit.

-Sprocket, upside down on the trampoline. He's just had a rather brutal haircut and I'm taking awhile to grow used to it. (The boy before us in line at the barber had his head shaved, so this was a compromise!) He looks so much older, such a school kid, but the thing about hair? It grows back...

Joining with the lovely Jodi for a portrait of my children every most some weeks in 2014. 

34/52

- littlest
-poppet
-sprocket

We have had glorious weather recently - sunny & blue skied & mild, with the air all scented with blossoms & jonquil. The hills around have been outstandingly beautiful & I've sighed & smiled & said how can we ever leave. We've tried to be out in it as much as possible. Spring is so close we can taste it.

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones every most weeks in 2014.

33/52

- my Poppet, running in late afternoon light. You can see some of the scratches on her face where Kik-Kak protested her excessive love. She instantly forgives him. I… do not. She asked for her hair to be cut short like her cousins this week and I'm loving the flapper bob. We've nearly, but not quite, got rid of the evidence of her time-alone-with-the-scissors.

-Littlest. Uncharacteristically solemn. She so wants to be up and playing with the big kids. She has been giggling this week and it's the most gorgeous sound.

-my Sprocket, climbing in the playground the afternoon before we went to the hospital to get his grommets put in again* and the unexpected removal of his adenoids. He is also displaying the results of Kik-Kaks protestations.

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my kids once a week most weeks in 2014.



*just before that someone told us how they'd had grommets put in nine times. And we know the studies show that the long term benefits of grommets aren't great - but it's so hard for Sprocket just not being able to hear, that we'll settle for short term benefits. 

31/52

- my Poppet, in her princess dress, down by the beach. So hard to believe she's nearly four. My bold, brave extravaganza.
-my Sprocket, early morning on the verandah down at the beach house. A little out of focus but I love the colours and his expression. My little-big boy.
- my Littlest, already over the camera, on the beach her daddy proposed on. She is growing so quickly I blink and miss something. I so wish I could pause and rewind. If every minute was an hour and every day a week I would be very grateful.

I've missed a lot of weeks with the 52 project, but now things are (sort of!) back on track, we're (sort of) getting back into routine I want to try to start documenting the weeks again. They are all growing so very very fast. Once again joining with Jodi for a portrait of my kids once a week, every most weeks in 2014.

20/52

-Littlest, outside, enjoying the mild Autumn weather.
-Poppet. Just after her ballet lesson. She is so exuberant, so enthusiastic.
-Sprocket. It's been a busy morning and the evidence is on his face. Helping rake up the leaves in the garden. We've loved being outside and reclaiming our garden after all the weeks of smoke and then rain.

Joining with Jodi and all the other lovely bloggers for a portrait of my little ones once a week, every week in 2014. 

19/52

-Littlest. Eight days old she is just back from the hardware shop and sitting in her pusher for the first time as she supervises me planting some lavender. She is a constant delight and we are all besotted.
-Poppet. The cold weather has finally arrived and I am loving the gentle falling rain and rugging up. Poppet at the playground.
-Sprocket. About to launch across on the flying fox. This week I saw him swing himself up on top of the monkey bars and then dance on top of them. I also heard an older kid point him out to an even older kid as completely fearless. I have resigned myself to a broken limb some time, and am looking around for a gymnastics class to enrol him in.

This week, our first with Littlest, has been indescribably sweet, chaotic, sleep-deprived, busy, and beautiful. The rain has fallen gently, the skies have been grey, the mornings misty. The autumn colours have burst into their full glory and I have tried desperately to remember each moment. I don't want to forget so much as a second.

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones once a week, every week in 2014. 

18/52

- Our Littlest. We are all completely entranced. She was born on Friday and I can hardly look away from her. I still can't believe she's finally here and so completely perfect.
- My Poppet, waiting to hold Littlest. She is besotted with her new sister. "Littlest is adorable." She sings her lullabies and strokes her head.
- My Sprocket with Littlest. She is right to look a little wary. "Littlest can't eat anything? Not Jelly snakes?" "No. Just mummy milk." "Not pasta?" "Not pasta. Just mummy milk." "Not treats?" "No treats. Littlest's tummy is so small - this small - she can only have mummy milk." Long pause. "Not sausage?"

Joining with Jodi for a portrait of my little ones once a week, every week, in 2014.