7/52

Ellery: reverence, and a whale skull

Aubrey: kiss the baby

My big kid is growing up. Dressing himself, and voluntarily (gasp!) washing his own hair. His imagination and language floor us daily.

And the last portrait of Aubrey as a baby. He'll be one next week.

My little boys are growing up. Sob!

6/52

Ellery: dancing

Aubrey: flying

On a blustery day, Ellery wrote his name for the first time, tracing over my writing. Together, we wrote a letter to 'Magic', telling Magic that he'd like to fly. He had his first flying dream recently ... and magic made it happen.

On the same day, he also drew his first face. And we started reading him his first chapter book, George's Marvelous Medicine. He is in its thrall, begging for more each time we put it down. Suddenly so ready.

Aubrey is pulling himself up to standing on everything now. He is super mobile, after a few weeks of crawling practice. He loves to point and say 'dere!' and especially likes watching birds. Grandma will be pleased. Almost as much as Pop, who scored kisses over the phone. I can't believe he is almost one!

4/52

Ellery: big-rain watching in his Dad's ranger cap

Aubrey: babe in the big wide world

The heatwave, the monsoon.

Beautiful times with the big kid. He is older in the face. I'll try and get a nice close up this week! But those curls!

The smallest. Eleven months. ELEVEN MONTHS! Waay too fast. He is such a delight. Off and crawling, just before he entered his last month as a baby!!

3/52

Ellery: dinner in the lagoon

Aubrey: boy and truck

The golden hour at our favourite beach lagoon, cooling off after a few very hot days in the city.

Dinner is often had in the drink.

Milestones: Ellery using his new (Christmas-gifted) kickboard, feet off the ground! Aubrey, brrmmming, roaring like a dinosaur, and crawling (for the past four days).