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A portrait of my babes once a week in 2015 (26 months)

I can't keep up with all the wonderful things you are saying right now. I love our conversations about your world, and listening to talk each other is one of the most wonderful things I will ever hear. The other day as we were driving to Kimmy and Bear's house I overheard this conversation:

A: And what shall we do in the morning? Play with fairies?

F: In our lovely nest?

A: No, in our cot.

Here are some other things you are saying right now...

Florence:

"Anyfing" (for everything and nothing)

Whenever we get in the car or are heading somewhere you ask "Where's our going?" (We are we going)

"I think so" in answer to many of my questions, most of them rhetorical

You love time references. I remember when you discovered the word "later" you were so happy to have a term to describe some time other than now. "Yesterday" refers to any past day and "tomorrow" is a way to delay things to some time other than now. You also randomly throw in days of the week - Me: We should go out for lunch some time, F: Friday! Me: That's sounds good. F: I think so. 

Anna:

When we sit down in the chair in the nursery as we are heading to sleep, before I nurse you, you always say, "I want HushNowBabyDon'tSayAWord, tell me about baby Jesus, and sing the song."

You love rhyming words and make up rhymes for everything - Francie Sugar wuga, Florence borence, on bon, etc.

You have a lot of empathy for some one so little. If you see some one upset you try and comfort them, "Don't wowee, me make it better."

You love fairies right now and refer everything back to them. "My fairies can't sit in this carseat", "These pants are for my fairies", "My fairies also like nectarines", "The fairies can't go there." "Eeyore" and "holiday" also feature strongly in your conversations.

"Oh boy... Oh girl" (Me say "Oh girl mama")

"That's so funny."

"So..." (When explaining things)

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A portrait of my babes once a week in 2015 (26 months)

"I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything. Maybe we're from the same star." Emery Allen

I always tell you that you're both from the same star, whispering it sweetly in your ear before you drift off to sleep.

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A portrait of my babes once a week in 2015 (26 months), photo by Tink Photography

How lucky you are to grow up around the corner from all your wonderful cousins. Today we celebrated Francie Sugar's christening. The ceremony was held in the church that bear's parents helped establish and build, and the luncheon was held in Kimmy and Bear's garden. Cheska and Kimmy put together a beautiful event, from flamingos on the lawn, to watermelon lolly pops, to giant balloons and party hats. Although hesitant at first at all the guests in the garden, you warmed up as the day went on and eventually you were diving right in and having a delightful time - hiding under granny nanny's iconic blue dress, nipping bits of chocolate biscuits, and running around the garden. 

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A portrait of my babes once a week in 2015 (26 months)

Kitten bunnies, Halloween 2015. 

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A portrait of my babes once a week in 2015 (26 months)

Summer Sundays at Kimmy and Bear's house are one of most favourite things of all. The whole family, and often some more, join for a day under the giant oak tree in their lush oasis where the world outside is forgotten for a moment - Wendy houses become hideaways and fairy gardens become playgrounds, a golden rabbit lazes just off the lawn and pathways lead you through a wonderland of plants and flowers and gnomes.  Sun dappled afternoons are characterised by bare baby bodies, little dips in the pool, trapoline jumping and adventures around the garden with your cousins, looking for fairies and going on trips. Late lunches that spill outside and sticky-fruit-fingered babes revelling in a day where time slows down and you never have to wander very far to find a pair of wide open arms ready for a hug. Sunlight fades and it's dinner time for all the littles and often a bath in Kimmy's huge tub. Then we head home, marvelling at the dark outside and the lights of the city, with tired eyes and happy hearts tucking these memories safely away. 

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A portrait of my babes once a week in 2015 (25 months)

You girls have the most wonderful papa. He's the greatest bedtime story teller, moon hunter, and bear hugger. The three of you create your own world of silliness, make-believe and adventure. This is a pic of a game called "back back" where he carries you both on his back. Making "kos" with papa is one of your favourite activities, usually conducted while the other one of you is being put to bed. He takes you on a culinary tour of whatever ingredients are making our dinner that night. As I come out the nursery I see him giving you tastes of pasta, and explaining how you cut herbs, I  hear him teaching you about cheeses - "mozarella" you repeat after him with flair, Your papa has only ever spoken to you in Afrikaans, and there are certain words you only know in that language. While you've understood what he says to you from day one, you're saying more and more Afrikaans words in your conversations with him (baard, skoene, werk, maan, kos, staan, man, and on and on) and I love this added layer to who you are. 

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A portrait of my babes once a week in 2015 (25 months), London, UK

Oh London we loved you. We loved strolling along the Southbank from Westminster to Borough Market, we loved visiting Tate Modern and running through the National Gallery to find one of our favourite paintings, we visiting the queen at Buckingham Palace and watching the gardeners rake the beds, we loved the good weather conducive to running through green Park , we loved nibbling on croissants for breakfast and eating out at restaurants and trying new foods and strolling back to the apartment in the evening when all the lights were glowing and city commuters were on their way home, we loved catching buses and underground trains and riding in taxis with no car seats, we loved watching the fountain in Trafalgar Square and listening to a street performer play his bagpipes, we loved walking around the cobbled streets of Convent Garden watching the world go by, we loved discovering Peter Pan's statue in Hyde Park, and visiting friends we've only met in letters. For us, it was fun to be back in a city in which we both once lived, and for you, it was fun to experience a big bustling city who's sights and sounds we'll talk about for many months and years to come.