35/52

"A portrait of my littlest, once a week, every week in 2013" 

joining in with jodi and all the others at che and fidel

jessica: oh my how i love you 

34/52

"A portrait of my littlest, once a week, every week in 2013" 

joining in with jodi and all the others at che and fidel

jessica: "before i was in your tummy, i was in the egg shop wasn't i? and i was safe and warm in the egg shop wasn't i? and the egg shop was in the hospital!" full of wonder of life and trying so hard to figure it all out... where she was before she was born and we were living life without her... 

little by little

my little one is growing in leaps and bounds, as they are inclined to do. i have noticed so many changes in her of late. until recently, her confidence when in company of her peers is one area that has been lacking. we have attended a local play group nearly every friday morning for the past two years and its only been in the past few weeks that jess no longer clings onto me or follows my every move when we are there. she has found some independence and is no longer afraid of the other children. more and more jess is interacting with other children and adults, it is a pleasure to see such a transformation.

jessica and i have pretty much been constant companions ever since she was born. i have never had more than a couple of hours away from her at a time. then it has only been if she is looked after by her dad or big sisters. i have kept her close (or she has kept me close!) and been her safe rock. i know we have quite an unusual situation and there probably aren't many kids these days that have spent so much time with their parents. i think we are fortunate that i am a stay at home mum and haven't had to send jess to child care and as we don't have any family living close by, child minding even for a fews hours isn't an option for us. it has allowed jessica to flourish and grow at her own pace into the bright and confident child she is today. 

saturday week will be a big day for both jess and i. we will be separated for a whole day while i attend the nursery with tim coulson. i am so excited to be doing something on my own, for myself and quite nervous at the same time. jess will spend the day with her big sister and is quite excited about it so i am sure she will be okay (and i will be okay too). little by little we will separate from each other.

33/52

"A portrait of my littlest, once a week, every week in 2013" 

joining in with jodi and all the others at che and fidel

jessica: you are in your element while 'c-raf-ting', whether it be drawing, painting, gluing or cutting... it absorbs you and your sweet little tunes fill the air.

loving... counting down the weeks

i am loving counting down the weeks until we welcome a new little one into our family.

and this little girl is so excited to become a big sister, it is her number one topic of conversation!

we are at 24 weeks already and it goes a little way to explain why i haven't been around on this blog much over the last few months.

thoughts and priorities are elsewhere and getting early nights and feeding myself well have been at the top of the list this winter. come spring it will be all about organising and spring cleaning and preparing and at the beginning of summer we will have our new little bundle in our arms.

loving... green

winter green

it is surrounding me at the moment...

everywhere i look...

the winter rains have been good to us...

replenishing our parched soil and providing growth in the landscape...

from the bush to the paddocks to the veggie garden...

i take the time to soak it in everyday...

for soon it will be gone...

as the season changes and the weather warms...

the green will disappear until next winter.

these days

this week...

and last week... and the week before...

i can't keep up with how fast the year is going...

1. we celebrated a birthday and i made the flourless chocolate cake from matthew evan's real food cookbook, it was good!

2. i often find scenes like this throughout the house thanks to jess and her insatible desire to pick flowers.

3. the weather has warmed slightly and the sprinkler has been in use once again.

4. the first ranucula has bloomed... and been picked by my girl!

5. "here's a flower for you mummy" and a few more blooms come inside.

6 & 7. we took a walk to the highest sand dune in town and stopped to take in the view before running through the bush down to the beach.

8. how this dog is loved. how sad that she is getting older and grumpier by the day. jess really needs to be supervised when patting tilly now as she is not tolerating much from the smallest member of our family.

joining in with Em from The Beetle Shack.

x

32/52

"A portrait of my littlest, once a week, every week in 2013" 

joining in with jodi and all the others at che and fidel

jessica: playing in the bush... winter is the only time of year we dare to do it... when reptile creatures are still asleep... we hope!

loving... citrus

citrus

... a squeeze of lemon in warm water, first thing in the morning

... a mixed grapefruit and orange juice with breakfast

... mandarines for morning tea

... and afternoon tea

... orange jelly before bed

loving citrus fruit this season.

loving... blossoms

blossoms

the seasons are changing once again.

while out in the car my eyes are drawn to the trees suddenly bursting alive with blossoms.

i want to stop at each one and linger there awhile taking in their fleeting beauty.

  at dusk on the side of the road i pick a few branches outside an abandoned garden.

a tall jar sits on the kitchen bench supporting the messy arrangement.

the petals float gently down, scattering themselves

and once again my eyes are drawn in their direction and instead of passing by i linger there awhile...

i haven't been around in this space much lately. i have barely managed to keep up with my project 52 posts along with throwing in the odd weekly stills post.

however, with a new camera in hand and a renewed passion for taking photos i thought i would ease my way back into blogging with a little series of the things i am loving at the moment.

31/52

"A portrait of my littlest, once a week, every week in 2013" 

joining in with jodi and all the others at che and fidel

jessica: at the moment the favourite way to wear your hair... "two plaits please mummy!"