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A portrait of my kids, once a week, every week, in 2015.

Mahlia: A play date at the beach with friends. She is becoming so much more confident in the ocean now, duck-diving under waves and trying to body-surf back in. She's also mastering stand-up paddle boarding on her own!

Leila: This is the face we get when we ask her to smile for a photo. She tries so hard to give her biggest smile, that her hands are in fists!

Archer: He loved sitting on daddy's paddle board at the beach and was practising climbing on and sliding off again. He had to have the paddle resting on top too. Sandy cheeks, sandy ears, sand everywhere!

Joining in with Jodi at Practising Simplicity.

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A portrait of my kids, once a week, every week, in 2015.

2015! How did that happen?! With all the festivities over and done with, we have spent most of our time so far this year at home. I'm getting back into doing my groceries online in order to avoid the shops and spending money. The kids are enjoying having the time to play with their new gifts, and I think they need the down time, as do I! Here they are enjoying some cooling water play, and probably getting bitten by mosquitos.

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A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.

Mahlia: We took the bus to Terrigal for ice cream and a splash in the rock pool before catching the bus back home. This is a typical Mahlia pose when we're out and about—watching others intently and playing with her hair, almost in a trance.

Leila: She followed her sister up onto the rocks and found a little seat for herself. But she doesn't sit still for long, as usual, and was back screaming in the water in no time. I love her pout and look of determination.

Archer: Showing off his rotund tummy and sporting a fetching quiff. He was very happy lying on the grass watching the world go by. Not so happy when I put him back in the sling to go home. 10 weeks old now.

Joining in with Jodi at Practising Simplicity.

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A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.

It's been a hot week here, so there's been lots of cooling off down at the beach, at Nanna and Pa's pool or in the paddling pool. Our house is surrounded by trees and we are lucky enough to live close enough to the beach to get a cool breeze through the house, so we don't tend to suffer too badly in this heat. But come winter, we are freezing! 

Mahlia: She made a complete road network on the beach, complete with houses, a rubbish truck and tip! I love the imagination of a child.

Leila: Those blue eyes! Some backyard fun in the paddling pool, when I just didn't have the energy to go to the beach again—there is a ridiculous amount of stuff to take with three kids!

Archer: Enjoying watching the trees in the wind in the backyard while the girls were splashing nearby. I adore his little tongue poking out. He loves to be outside. He's almost laughing this week. He is such an adorable baby, and a good sleeper so far (the girls were great too until about 12 weeks, then it all went downhill from there!). His favourite spot is on his change table, we have many a good conversation there!

Joining in with Jodi over at Practising Simplicity.

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A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.

Mahlia: Five now, and concentrating on her new vet Lego that she received for Christmas. She wants to be a vet when she's big.

Leila: We're spending lots of time at the beach now. She's 'swimming' through the rock pools.

Archer: My little chilled-out man. He's dipped his five-week-old toes in the water three times now. Daddy can't wait to take him surfing. I, on the other hand, want him to stop growing and stay my bubba forever.

Joining in with Jodi over at Practising Simplicity.

The week that was...

Since the rain subsided a week ago we have been desperately trying to spend as much time as possible outside, enjoying the return of the warming sun. We missed a third of the summer here, when we travelled back to the UK for Christmas, so I found it quite hard to adjust to summer having already ended when it felt like it had only just begun!

We are lucky enough to be able to walk to the beach, so as soon as the skies cleared last week, that is where we headed. It was still fairly gusty but it was so worth it! A salty, sticky foam had developed from the ocean and it was just so much fun for the girls.

We spent time in the park with friends, we enjoyed the garden sprinkler and began a new veggie patch, where we came across a new friend.

We've taken long walks in the morning sun. We (well, the girls) climbed trees and watched the local bats.

Helping her little sister over a fallen branch... bless.

Mahlia and Leila sitting in a tree
K I S S I N G

We spent an evening bathing in the rock pools, searching for crabs and watching a very enthusiastic Taiwanese fishing TV personality film his show. We spent this evening running down the sand banks at the beach and then chasing the waves in and out of the ocean. Both girls stripped down to their birthday suits, Leila's feet were constantly washed out from under her but each time her head popped up from the white wash with a big smile. Mahlia's lost her fear of the waves... she jogged home in the nude with hubby, while myself, Leila and the dogs drove home in the car.

We're not ready for summer to be over, we're holding onto its long, warm days for as long as we can. Are you still enjoying long summer days? If so, how are you spending them?