41/52

Ellery: rainbow at his heels, friend in sight

Aubrey: boy and the ball

Somewhere along the line I've fudged the weeks. Two kids, two houses, a job and lighthouse logistics are getting the better of me.

The weather is sublime right now. We're booking a mini staycation.

Portraits from a week we had friends stay, a total rarity. And Ellery has been all sorts of gorgeousness, save his newly acquired whine, completing the big kid feel. 

39/52

Ellery: proud of your new chair

Aubrey: pudgy fingers and blueberry mouse whiskers

You both seem so much more grown up all of a sudden. It is breaking my heart a little.

This week you both got new chairs - in the hope it would make table time, whether eating or playing - a bit more focused. Tick.

38/52

Ellery: we played trains under the kitchen table while his brother napped

Aubrey: down the back steps

E: The past couple of weeks with him have been bliss. Tantrums at an all-time minimum. We are loved up, and my goodness it makes life infinitely better.

A: A nice knock on the chin where he fell into a table. And a fractured bone in his foot means we are back to crawling everywhere. Hashtag toddler lyf! Also, first haircut, over several nights whilst sleeping. It could still use a bit more choppity chop.

37/52

Ellery: intense focus

Aubrey: joyous jumping

11/52

"Ellery do it!"

The only time I had the camera out this week, he raced right over to me and wanted to click the shutter button. We sat in front of the mirror and he clicked away. So this shot is technically his.

Joining in with Jodi.

You can see the whole series of portraits here. 

10/52

My kingdom for those curls.

"Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

I've been looking back on baby photos and hearing this acknowledgement from the sage Doctor Seuss rebounding around my head.

As much as I try to be in the moment, and as much as I am in the moment, the moment passes. All too quickly. And its value accrues.

Is it ever really possible to know the true value of the present? 

I am evermore committed to memory-making. 
 
So many out-takes that are above being just out-takes this week from a lovely afternoon in the garden, playing in piles of freshly cut grass.

Joining in with Jodi.

You can view the whole series of portraits here.

9/52

Concentration. Sorting beans.

I had a few portraits to choose from this week. This one is super grainy but I just love those long lashes. I gave him some dried beans in a bowl, along with a cup and a scoop. It entertained him for a good 20 minutes - the longest he has ever sat still and engaged in an activity! I'd been wanting to give this to him for a while but was worried he'd just eat the beans. He did try to taste one towards the end!

The things I'm finding hardest with this portrait series are the lack of light in this house, my still unresolved lens issues, and trying to capture a toddler in perpetual motion. The conjunction of these things - oh, along with the weather limiting our time outside - is making it somewhat difficult to get anything in reasonable focus.

I am loving stumbling upon some great new (to me) blogs through this project. So many portraits from last week to love, but I really have a soft spot for this one of little Sage. 

Joining in with Jodi.

You can see the whole series of portraits here.

19 months today

You love tractors and diggers and all things that go.

And rainbows and bubbles and 'painting' with water.

You love helping with watering and sweeping and making food.

You often lean over to smell the rosemary as you walk by. You love inspecting the compost. And picking and eating capsicums whole from the garden.

Olives, avocado and kangaroo stew are all eaten with exclamation. Grapes and broccoli too. But most of all you love eating whatever anyone else is eating. "Some?"

Pink is your favourite colour and when you draw, it's always pink tractors.

You love dressing up in other people's clothes. Especially checked shirts. Which all seem to belong to Uncle Ryan.

Uncle Ryan would be impressed to know that he is also associated with the three-dollar checked bag under the house.

Today, holding onto the kitchen bench and balancing on one foot, you put on your gumboot by yourself.

You're drinking from a cup now, though you're often tempted to tip it's contents on the floor.

You're still dubious about ride-on toys, even the one that looks like a bee, though you've recently gained the confidence to start climbing things.

You'd much prefer to display your love of words. ❤

You can identify and name shapes of all kinds, even a hexagon and a trapezium! And count to three, and sometimes fire off numbers beyond.

Your word associations often have us in stitches. We made pikelets for breakfast and you kept calling them pipe cleaners!

Your sentences are gaining pace: "Daddy home afternoon. Tractor? Maybe."

It bores you to have books read to you - you pick up the words so quickly that 'reading' is now collaborative.

You can say goodnight in French. And are picking up a bit of Pitjantjatjara.

You seem much more like three, than the 16 months you should be.

You have a keen sense of hearing and love to copy sounds: the ocean, coffee pots, tractors. But you find big noises scary. And ambulances and tow trucks, but we're working on this.

Your most-loved toys are your rainbow stacker, empty containers (or anything requiring fine motor skills that involves a cause and effect), the water spray bottle and watering can.

You also have a minor obsession with your new potty book.

But by far your favourite thing is to be outside, rambling around the Cape or at the beach.

Me? I adore your curls, your wild fuzzy bed hair. The way you say 'help me?' when you want to help, and 'aw tuddle tuddle' when you rock your teddies. Somebody also taught you to say 'yo yo!' like a dude when wearing sunnies. Your wordiness is pretty cool too.

But my favourite thing is when you give us hugs, complete with back patting.

Can we keep you like this?