MONTHLY PORTRAIT: september

I love these pictures so much, there was no way I was only choosing one for this month's portrait! Part dreamy childhood magic part Royal Tenenbaums...

WHAT PHINEY & CORALIE SAID

A few favourites that we've been gathering over the last few months...

Josephine: 'Coralie's a naughty poo head!'
Daddy: 'That's not very nice, Phiney.'
Josephine: 'Fine! She's a very...naughty...bunch of flowers."

Mama: 'What colour's this Coralie?'
Coralie: 'Yellow!' (it's blue)
Mama: 'What colour's this Coralie?'
Coralie: 'Yellow!' (it's red)
Mama: 'What colour's this Coralie?'
Coralie after lots of thought: 'Green?' (it's yellow)

Josephine: 'I'm so combumulated!'
Mama: 'Do you mean frustrated?'
Josephine: 'No! I mean combumulated!'

Coralie: 'Mama, where my (Playmobil) girl?'
Mama: 'Which one, Coralie? What does she look like?'
Coralie: 'A boy.'

Josephine: 'What does it say on the weather cast?'

Coralie: 'There a Mini, Mama!' (whenever she sees one, and there's a lot in Bath.)

Josephine: 'It's my gradulation today!' (pre-school graduation!)

Coralie walks in wearing a witches hat: 'Look Mama, I'm a pirate.'

Josephine: 'Mama, how do seagulls make friends?'

Josephine does a loud trump: 'It wasn't me, it was Coralie...she's in my bottom and trumped!'

Coralie: 'What that smell?' (all the time!)

Josephine: 'Babies seem so lazy to me. They never walk or do anything.'

Daddy: 'So what's the biggest difference now you're four, Phiney?'
Josephine after a lot of thought: 'That I'm not three anymore.'

Josephine: 'Mama, I want 16 Playmobil things from Father Christmas!'
Mama: 'Wow, that's a lot! Coralie, what would you like from Father Christmas?'
Coralie after a long pause: 'A chocolate bar!'

Josephine: 'Mama, I love you on Thursdays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.'
Mama: 'What about on the other days?'
Josephine: 'Yeah, I love you then too.'

Josephine: 'Coralie, do you have a spoon? Oh blastin' 'ells you haven't. I'll go get one.'
Coralie: 'Kay.'

Josephine: 'I'll get the secret Mama.' (the receipt!)

Coralie: 'Nee-nee went to cinnamon.' (the cinema)

Josephine: 'Mama, it was the most massivist poo of my whole wide life!'

Coralie, in the middle of the quiet playground as all the parents waiting for the children to come out of school: 'Mama, that bird talking to me.'
Mama: 'Is it? What's it saying?'
Coralie: 'Me a poo poo head!'
Every parent bursts out laughing!

Josephine: 'Oh, it was years ago. When I was three.'

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Josephine: In her new desert boots and favourite Coco & Wolf dress.

Coralie: Little fingers and pretty florals.

Images captured on our Coco & Wolf AW16 shoot.

AUTUMN DREAMING

Dreaming of window seats and views over the Highlands today...

DANCING CORALIE

Last week Coralie started her dance classes and I can't tell you how excited she was about it. She's been watching Josephine dance since she was a baby and she couldn't wait to get up there and do it herself. We found her the sweetest tutu in H&M and some little white ballet shoes, and she wore Phiney's old ballet cardigan - I love seeing the pieces that have such wonderful memories tied up in them getting passed down from Phiney to Coralie.

Coralie has been telling everyone about starting dance class, and she knew it would be around the same time Phiney started school, so we had a few tears on Josephine's first day as Coralie thought she'd be off to ballet too :( So sweet when Thursday came and I could tell her it was tomorrow...she must have told us all a million times on Thursday how 'me going dance class 'morrow!'

My Mum even made her a little bag for her ballet shoes with her name embroidered on. She took it to bed on Thursday night and spent most of her dance class with it clutched in her hands.

As Coralie is starting a bit younger than Phiney, we have joined the Mini Dancers sessions which means Mama gets involved too. It was so fun skipping round the room and getting to be part of the lesson with her. It does make it trickier to record however, but next week I'm going to anyway - because it's just too cute to not have video evidence of.

I don't think I'll ever forget her happy little face and she twirled and twirled at her first dance class...

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Josephine: Her first day of school!

Coralie: Her first dance class!

GOLDEN CHILD VINTAGE: nell mallia photography

I was so excited to be contacted by Clio from Golden Child Vintage about doing a shoot with the girls for her new vintage store. As you know, I love vintage and love dressing the girls in it, so I jumped at the chance. Plus I'm loving doing lots of commercial work right now (you can see more over on my website) - as well as family sessions - it's fun to do something a bit different.

We headed to the fields at Rainbow Woods and watched the cows. The house in the background is the prettiest you'll ever see - it's like a doll's house. So incredible. The September sun shone done and both the girls loved their dresses.

It can be hard to beat a bit of vintage, especially for children. It's awesome knowing they won't be wearing the same thing as every other child in the playground, and I can't help but think of the first person to wear those dresses - their childhood adventures, the stories those pieces could tell and how different the world was back then.

Clio has really kindly offered a 15% discount to my readers with the code NELLVINTAGE so head over and snag something for your little ones. Golden Child Vintage has such a great range of wearable and affordable vintage - seriously if Josephine was a bit older I'd be buying this and I'm really tempted by this and Clio has a great range of Osh Kosh dungarees too. It's a pretty tempting shop!

Can't wait to share a few more photos next week on my website of this little shoot too, so keep an eye out...

FIRST DAY: our little schoolgirl

On Monday Phiney started school. She literally hopped, skipped and jumped her way through the doors and I left beaming with pride for our baby girl. No tears were shed by either of us (at least I didn't until Ben sent me the sweetest, kindest text message about being an ace Mama an hour later!) and she bounded out at the end of the morning with just as much enthusiasm, exclaiming how she couldn't wait to go back on Tuesday.

We had a little wobble on the walk to school yesterday (which disappeared as soon as we stepped inside the gates) and on our way home today she asked if she had to go in every day, but I think she's just so tired. It's an exhausting thing this starting school stuff, and this afternoon she mostly led on the sofa watching Tangled. Typically she also has a stinking cold (after two months away from pre-school and not a single sniffle!) which isn't helping matters. I think Friday and two days off will pretty welcome.

I know Phiney will love school - she just has a desire to learn and find out more about the world around her - I'm sure she's always had it. Always so many questions and, so brilliantly, always so much understanding. Mostly though, we're just so happy for Josephine. So happy that she's happy, and so proud of her.

We love you so much Phiney! xxx

JOSEPHINE: september 2016

Tomorrow Josephine starts school. I can hardly believe that this time has come already, those four and a half years zipped by so quickly. Our baby has turned into the most wonderful girl - so funny and serious and laid back and stubborn and clever and silly and kind and sensitive. She has an unbeatable imagination and wants to learn and discover and understand as much about the world as she can. And she's so excited about starting school. About making new friends and learning how to write, and about playing in the playground and with the pretend shop in her classroom; about wearing her school uniform and her beautiful new school shoes.

We're all about to embark on a new adventure. And tonight I feel sad that the first part of our journey together is coming to an end - those carefree days, where I have Phiney by my side almost 24/7. Where we know everything about her little life. But I'm also so excited. Education is such a gift, and one Josephine will appreciate every second of. She is so ready for this next step and I can't wait to see what it will bring. What she'll love and the questions she'll ask. Her new little school is awesome, and I'm so sure she'll thrive there.

Our beautiful Josephine, We're so proud of you darling. What a brilliant little woman you are, and what a brilliant adventure awaits you xxxx

I snapped these on holiday in Scotland and I just adore them of her. Our beautiful girl, inside and out xx

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Josephine & Coralie: Out with the babies and their prams, finding so much joy in such simple things. Walking up and down the street, spotting birds and planes and chatting about the world. One of our favourite past times.

iPhone pictures this week as I didn't get out my big camera once...savouring every second before school starts!

BANK HOLIDAYS: lazy days

The last bank holiday of the summer, spent lazing in the garden in the sunshine. The girls bought some of their guys out, we had a picnic lunch and Coralie searched for bugs. Happy, lazy days.

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Josephine: Enjoying the lazy bank holiday Monday sunshine in the garden. Looking ever-so The Virgin Suicides-esque...

Coralie: Searching for bugs, always.

MONTHLY PORTRAIT: august

Sitting on the stairs in our Airbnb cottage in Scotland. They spent so much time there together - holding hands, chatting, scheming, laughing...I hope they remember. We'll cherish them forever no matter what.