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.'

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.

MONTHLY PORTRAIT: june

Standing in front of our first flat. It's where we got engaged, started our married lives, decided to have a baby. And now, here our girls are. I couldn't have imagined all that has happened, both amazing and heartbreaking, in the five years since we lived here.

My heart bursts a million times a day for those two little monkeys. How I love them so xxx

MONTHLY PORTRAIT: may

The ever-changing relationship of sisters! Most of the time they are so happy to play together and be with each other. They're the best of friends. And other times...not so much. And it can all change in the blink of an eye (or a dispute over who was playing with which doll/car/playmobil guy or getting too many cuddles!) xx

MONTHLY PORTRAIT: april

A little bit late, but here's April's sisterly Monthly Portrait. Playing and laughing on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Royal Crescent. Beautiful, darling girls xx

19/52

Josephine and Coralie: They'd happily water the plants all day, every day.

SPRING: fun in the garden

Saturday afternoons in spring are for being in the garden, playing football, catching bugs and planting seeds. It's so nice that Coralie has so much more freedom out there too now. Before the winter she struggled with the steps and was a bit of a liability, with plenty of trips and falls. But not any more, and it was lovely to see her mooch around doing what she wanted. Phiney spent ages mixing concoctions of sticks, leaves and mud before we kicked the ball up and down the garden. Ben was mending and painting some old tools he bought in an amazing vintage garden store down the road from us, and then we all headed in for tea.

As long as the hours can sometimes be; as tired and as broke as we are - these are the days :)

MONTHLY PORTRAIT: sisters

At the Royal Crescent in the sunshine. Looking for bugs and trying to catch them.

Watching them play and learn and chat and laugh only gets more beautiful as they get older. It's an honour to watch their relationship blossom. Such a proud Mama.

MONTHLY PORTRAIT: sisters

We say that Coralie is like Josephine's little shadow. Always doing and saying the same. They ask where the other is when they're apart for more than two minutes. They giggle and laugh and sing songs together and for each other when they wake up in the morning. Josephine tells Coralie that she's proud of her, and Coralie gently pats Phiney on the head like a little dog to check she's ok if she's unhappy. They squeeze each other in Phiney's bed before we say goodnight, noses touching. They're becoming such good friends. I love that this portrait captures all that.

SISTERS

WEARING: [Josephine] Next dress and cardigan // La Coqueta tights // Clarks boots [Coralie] Dress found at T K Maxx // H&M cardigan // Coco & Wolf bloomers // La Coqueta tights // Clarks boots

The friendship between our girls has really developed over the last couple of months, and it makes my Mama heart so happy to see them laughing and chatting, and genuinely enjoying each other's company.

I think with Coralie changing so much since Christmas - she can talk so well now, and make herself understood much more - things are much easier for both Josephine and Coralie. There seems less frustration and arguments, and much more getting along and playing games together. It's so lovely to see.

Of course there is still friction - Coralie isn't the most delicate person, and train tracks and Playmobil scenes can get quite easily destroyed - but Phiney is appreciating that it isn't Coralie being naughty and just that she isn't quite as co-ordinated, or doesn't quite understand the game yet. For someone who is normally rather lacking in patience (just like me!) Josephine often blows me away by how calm she can remain when it comes to dealing with her little sister. Not always of course, but mostly :)

I'm so proud of these girls. So proud to be their Mama.

Also, I love the series of portraits of them outside our front door that's growing.

DANCING JOSEPHINE (and her little helper)

Snapping some pictures of Josephine last week, Coralie wanted to be involved too, and I just adore this capture of the two of them. And I can't get enough of our Dancing Josephine...

NEW YEAR'S DAY: a little family walk

There's no better way to start the new year than a walk with the family, so that's just what we did. The weather was kind to us, but thank goodness for waterproofs and wellie boots as the mud was pretty spectacular! Much to Josephine's delight.

We walked and talked and I took a few photos. And I even handed the camera over to my sister, who captured some beautiful moments. I'm so happy I remembered to step in front of the camera - it only makes me more excited about our Capturing Motherhood series, and what portraits that project will inspire and produce.

It's so lovely to see Josephine, Coralie and my brother's two boys Tyler and Coby play together, and form such beautiful relationships. There's something so special about cousins. Josephine and Coby chatting and holding hands melts my heart and the picture of all four of them makes me so proud, as a Mama, auntie and member of our wonderful family.

As the cold wind got to us, we headed home, ate lunch, put Coralie down for a much needed nap, and then collapsed on the sofa with the last of the Christmas chocolates to watch Despicable Me 2 (again - it's a firm favourite in this house) I hope there are many more days like today to come this year.

I shot some videos too and hope to make them into a film over the next week, so check back for a link to that soon.

Hope you all had a lovely first day of 2016 xx