8/52 2016

A portrait of my babes once a week in 2016 ( 2 years 6 months)

Self styled.

7/52 2016

A portrait of my babes once a week in 2016 ( 2 years 6 months), renovation plans for our new apartment

Three things abut this picture:

1. You are in your preferred state of undress

2. We are talking excitedly and often about our new apartment. When I ask what colour you want your bathroom you both tell me "pink, blue and white.' And the same colour selection for your bedroom. (It is also the colour combination you suggest I request when I go for a pedicure).

3. Florence asked which bedroom Charles will have (Charles is the previous owners' grown up son whom the girls met when we came to look at the house). She thought he was going to be living there with us. 

6/52 2016

A portrait of my babes once a week in 2016 ( 2 years 6 months), in your nursery

You sing "Happy Birthday" a lot in this house. Usually to Anna or "birthday girl" or another on of your imaginary friends, or in fact any lucky family member you've selected. You make cakes out of the strangest objects you find lying around (a scrunched up glasses cleaner cloth, a wooden block, an elastic band), you place equally strange objects on as candles, and then you light the candles, cut the cake and make a wish. Mostly you sing the normal "Happy Birthday" but the other day I overheard you singing "Dreams Come True."

Happy birthday to you

May all your dreams come true

May you always walk in sunshine

Happy birthday to you

I feel so privileged to witness these scenes of role play and make believe, a glimpse into your world where your imagine expands every day and possibilities are endless. 

5/52 2016

A portrait of my babes once a week in 2016 ( 2 years 6 months), on top of Table Mountain

We're in Cape Town for our annual family holiday. I love bringing you two here as you make us completely embrace the this beautiful city. Our days were filled with riding bikes on the Seapoint promenade, hanging out on different beaches, exploring the Company gardens, going up Table Mountain where we followed fairy paths and looked for dassies (dissies), visiting different playgrounds, swimming in the public pools, trying different restaurants, eating dinner on the beach with sand in your toes watching the still-sweltering sun slowly slide down the sky, and dipping in cool waves while gripping tightly onto my hand. You sleep soundly at night, sharing a double bed, little bodies resting up for our busy days, and little minds swirling with new experiences and reference points and conversation snippets, little eyes visiting a dream world of new tastes and smells and sights, all absorbed with wide-eyed wonder. Cheska and Francie Sugar join us for the second week. We hire a van and drive around the city altogether in a cloud of giddiness and exhaustion as we continue our daily adventures. With happy minds and happy hearts, we're already planning our return.