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Evelyn: I've said it once, I'll say it again, you are most happy by the sea

Zalia: I can see the woman you are going to become

                                                      

 

Our family photo shoot

**This is by no means a sponsored post, I paid full price for our photo shoot, I just wanted to share them with you**

When Evelyn was a young baby we went and had some "professional photos" taken at a high turnover type studio and I was so truly disappointed with them. Every time I think about it, it breaks my heart that we don't have any decent photos of her as a baby. So, when I fell pregnant I was determined to find a photographer come and actually capture our baby and the essence of our family.

When I was at a girlfriends place and saw the photos of her and her baby son I was flawed by the natural, lifestyle appeal of the photos and asked for the details of her photographer. Turns out that the photographer was actually her friend and a working Mum, who was a reader of this here blog! So I contacted her through facebook and asked if she would be able to come out and photograph my family once "Jelly" had arrived.

At four weeks old, this beautiful girl named Krystle turned up on my doorstep. I was a nervous wreck, did we all look okay? Was the house tidy enough? Would Evelyn warm up to her and behave? I opened the door, a bundle of nerves and she just smiled. She was warm and lovely and beautiful and friendly. 

I am not sure if she noticed the house, or the fact that Evelyn and I weren't wearing shoes. Evelyn was her best friend in moments and before I knew it we were being photographed. But we weren't. But we were. She was so easy and comfortable and she made this awkward and shy family feel right at ease in her presence.

So here are a few photos of my family

Krystle runs KE Photography is based in Sydney and I highly recommend her, she is warm and gentle and just so easy to work with. 

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Evelyn: My beautiful angel, fairy princess. On this particular day you were teased for the very first time. You held yourself tall and did not react, Mummy was so proud of you!

Zalia: Fascinated by life, soaking it all in with a smile on your face and joy in your body. You are just so beautiful

Dear Evelyn

"You are two years and four months old.
Your favourite tv shows are Peppa Pig, Dora and Raa Raa.

Your favourite toys are still your beloved Mr Rabbie, your blocks and your bike.

You are toilet training, on your own accord, and doing amazingly well. We are so proud of you.

Your talking is incredible. 

You can count to 6 without confusion, but know all the numbers up to 10. 

You know all of your colours and lots of shapes.

Your favourite foods are strawberries, spaghetti bolognese and tuna mornay."

You make me so incredibly proud my dear Evelyn Rose. On a daily basis you astound me with your smarts. You make me laugh with your humour. You warm me with your heart. You fill me up with so much joy and love and warmth. I have to be one of the luckiest I have ever been.

You have a beautifully warm and caring heart and every time you demonstrate this I am just amazed by how a two year old can care so much about the people around her. You are so aware of other peoples emotions, always giving a pat or a cuddle when someone is hurt. Asking if they are alright if they are sad. A kiss to make them feel better. You are full of empathy and compassion. 

I am so proud of you and the young girl you are becoming. Always know that you will make me proud with whatever you do and you will always have a home with me. I am so glad that you are mine.

I love you, darling girl

xx

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Evelyn: filling your childhood with scraped knees, dirty clothes and memories

Zalia: your perfect baby skin and body is changing so fast, I don't want to miss a thing

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Evelyn: You prefer the cupcake batter over the cupcake itself, I always oblige

Zalia: After weeks of staring down my food I give you your very first taste, you are amused but not convinced

Returning from a blogging holiday

I have, inadvertently, taken a two week break from writing here. I was finding that life was so busy and full, yet I was lacking the words, time and motivation to come here and write. I was feeling a little lost in what I wanted from this space and where I wanted it to go. It is so easy, in the blogging world, to get caught up in what is expected and become carried away in the changing currents. Feeling like you need to produce multiple posts, of quality writing and entertainment, for your audience. Watching fellow bloggers open sidebar advertising, or welcome sponsored posts. I began to get carried away with it and lost sight of what this blog means to me. 

Whilst I have absolutely loved building an audience and a relationship with my "readers", some of who have become close friends, this blog was not created for any kind of readership. I am honoured and delighted that I do have people who take the time to read and to comment and to support me. More than I could ever possibly describe. I have found great support here from you. I have found love and kindness. I have found the village that I have always craved.

I have loved watching my audience grow and have been blown away by the words that have been left here for me, by you. It really is such a magical thing. My entire life I have felt like my voice was not heard, that I was invisible. But when I write here, you hear me, you respond to me. You don't talk over the top of me, you don't disregard me, you actually choose to take the time to listen and to talk back. That has been such a gift to me and has really encouraged me to find more confidence within myself. But, that is not the reason why I started writing here.

I created this blog to mark time. To create a special place where I can record my daily musings of a stay at home Mum. To record the changes, the milestones and the achievements of my children. To give my thoughts a place to have the voice I felt I never had. I have lost sight of this a little bit. No longer writing to my children but feeling like I am writing to an audience. I began to question if I can say this, or will this be entertaining enough. I stopped monthly letters to Evelyn when she turned 2 as I thought it would bore you. 

In the last two weeks I have thought about this a lot and I realised how much I miss those monthly letters to Evelyn. I asked myself, why? If I love writing them and I miss having that record, then why am I not doing them? So, whilst I would love you to continue reading and to continue building my relationship with you. I need to go back to my core and start writing, not only for people to read and relate, but to my children. Marking their lives and our journey together.

Nothing much will really change here. I will still be the same voice telling the same stories but I will be writing the posts that I want my children to read in the future. Not the posts that I think will be entertaining. As I sit down to write each post it will be for the purpose of Evelyn and Zalia. Because at the end of the day, I am just a proud Mother wanting to record and remember my kids lives. 

I am by no means a writer.