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Maggie: I put her hair up in a mini-bun on a whim, but it made her look so much older! What a year it has been for my Maggie-moo, only just crawling when I took the first portrait, and now she can run! She is still the same cheeky little monkey. making us laugh with her impish ways. She doesn't speak as much as Elisabeth yet, but she still communicates with us and her sister very well. But goodness she is a determined little miss, a bit of a dare devil, her anger can quickly flare up at any perceived injustice or when she is unwell. For example kicking the doctor when he was giving her a vaccination earlier this year! She loves cars, bikes, the mower, but also cuddling her babies. She is affectionate with her sister, and will kiss and cuddle her.
Elisabeth: she astounds us every day at the moment as she forms sentences, rattles off family names, and understands what we are doing. Although the younger sister, she is always ahead of Maggie in terms of development, walking first, talking first. She is a regular chatterbox now. Very much her Papa's girl. She still is bigger than Maggie, which makes her feel more sturdy, but whenever she has been sick, I think she is actually more fragile than Maggie. She has firm opinions about how things should be already (help us!), but is also very affectionate with us and protective of her sister. If she hears Maggie cry she will find her to see if she is ok. IF she think Maggie is doing something a little too daring, she gets very worried, and will come to get us to stop her.

Joining in with the final 52 portrait for 2014 with Jodi. I am so thankful I did it- every photo is a digital SLR photo, sometimes they were taken by Rob, but for the most part, this portfolio of our daughters is mine. Or should I say theirs?

I am already looking forward to next years photos, wondering how much they will change next year. I am wondering how much more difficult it will be though!

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Maggie: I realised I haven't taken the weekly portraits myself for the last four weeks! Rob's new camera is a bit more sophisticated than the previous one, so I have been a bit scared of it. Last night after dinner, despite the nasty arrival of a head cold for both girls, we headed down to the big tree near the dam for a bit of fresh air and to catch the last of the warmth of the sun. Poor Maggie, not a happy camper!
Elisabeth: She started peeling bark off the eucalyptus, which is ok, as it is actually a smooth-barked peppermint. Lovely to see them interested in their surroundings.

Joining in with the penultimate 52 portrait for this year.

I'm hoping the cold quickly resolves before Thursday, as we are hosting my families Christmas here at the hut. I finished work on Thursday so am slowly starting to enjoy my holidays. I have half written a birthday post, which if the girls nap, I might be able to finish today!

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Maggie: Rob took the photos again this week, these on the eve of their second birthday. We can't quite believe they are two now. Maggie had grabbed the sticky tape and was busily sticking it to herself!
Elisabeth: She has such a sweet smile.

Joining in with Jodi at Practising Simplicity. 

I hope to find time this week to write a little about their birthday party, it has been a big week and both girls are asleep on the window seat, and I think I might just join them!

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Maggie: hmmm, I am detecting a theme for my December portraits. The girls got to celebrate their second St Nicholas, and they are still as unimpressed by Christmas pjs. Chocolate on the other hand? They though the Lindt Santas were for cuddling though, so not sure how melted they will end up!
Elisabeth: She refers to Santa as Santa baby, always. They were pretty impressed with their loot. 
Rob took both of these photos again. 

Joining in with Jodi for the final four weeks of the 52 portraits.

We have a very busy week ahead. Grade 12 speech night and formal for the girl's older sister. Birthday party prep for Saturday. Can you believe they will be two on Friday? They can, both girls respond with a perfect "two" when we ask "how old are you going to be?"
We just started teaching them Happy Birthday, which they seem to enjoy very much. Elisabeth asks "again" so we sing it up to 10 times!

They have been very good about the tree really, they were so excited by everything, pointing out "birds", "socks", "balls", "Santa baby", and we're working on Reindeer.

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Maggie: I think Christmas is going to be fun this year, we put up the tree and decorations today and the girls were highly excited.
Elisabeth: She calls the stockings socks and the baubles balls. 
Both photos were taken by Rob.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project.

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Maggie: a rare day time bath meant Rob could make the most of the light in the bath (he took both of these photos).
Elisabeth: they are always so shocked by when we pour water over their heads! They don't seem to have changed since the last bath shots in late February.

Joining in with Jodi at Practising Simplicity.

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Maggie: Cheeky imp pulled a model pose.
Elisabeth: We fear we are entering the terrible twos, the pull and tug of growing independence and learning to share with each other. We've been playing umpire to a few scuffles this week. Sometimes they start off as fun, and end a bit roughly.

Joining in with Jodi at Practising Simplicity, for the 52 portrait project.

This week has been full of snot. Maggie came down with a cold on Sunday night and it has slowly been passed on to Elisabeth, Rob and finally me. They missed care, and Rob and I took turns of caring for them at home. But on Friday I felt so sick myself we all stayed home together. Not looking forward to picking up the extra work next week. The final rush to our month long Christmas holiday will start to ramp up from now on.

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Maggie: Our first Christmas cake was baked today. The girls needed to taste test the mix. Maggie took it very seriously!
Elisabeth: She kept coming back for more. That cute little tongue cleaning up her cheeks.

A quiet weekend, full of time together, out shopping, eating ice cream and donuts, baking cake and bread and butter pudding, trying the paddling pool, house tidying, lawn mowing (the last two were Rob), then tonight a perfect evening to enjoy bolognese sauce and rigatoni, and a bath to clean the girls up!

Poppies and lupins

Sorry, after my Blogtober I was a little burnt out, added to a busy work week the camera had stayed in the corner of the room all week.

I rushed out this morning to catch the morning light in the flower garden.

The red poppies are about to go nuts.


The bumble bees are quite fond of the lupins.

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Maggie: I took the girls into the garden to take some photos for our Christmas card. I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to get any decent images on my own, but I think we did ok. Now I have to stop myself from sharing any of them until Christmas! In the mean time, this was one after the hats had fallen off. Yes those shorts are the same ones from last year, they still fit! I was pretty happy with the photo, and then Rob had a play in Lightroom and it improved!
Elisabeth: Rob took this photo of Elisabeth in a head scarf the girls like to wear.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project.

Day 31 - Kardinal

So Blogtober began with the Queen of the Night tulips and closes with a Kardinal rose.
The flower garden has changed dramatically over the month, and I may not have noticed how quickly if it wasn't for the blog.
I have captured snippets of our life, perhaps a little mundane at times, but it is all real, and where we are at right now.

I hope I can continue to blog more frequently, maybe not everyday but a few times a week. It has felt a bit like a deadline to meet each day, but I did enjoy taking photos and briefly writing to them.

Thank you for reading along and commenting. Glad to know people do still visit!

Day 30 - A Rob day

When Rob is at home with the girls their day is completely different to the one we share when I'm at home alone with them.

They clean the house. Bottle beer. He lets them get wet in the dog water bucket.

They pick flowers for me.


They read different books.

They play in the garden and get dirty and have muddy faces and hands.

When I got out of the car, two little girls walked around the corner of the hut with big muddy grins and we had a big hug together. He told me Elisabeth said "Mama" all day long.
A cliche I know, but it is a wonderful thing to love and to be loved in return.

Day 29 - Home day

Apart from a quick visit to the GP to check out Elisabeth and secure a medical certificate, we stayed at home. Poor Elisabeth is still suffering from her tummy bug. So my day consisted of frequent nappy changes, washing the dirty bedlinen from a midnight vomit in her cot, and trying to make sure she was getting enough fluids. The GP recommended any form including diluted cordial, jelly and icy poles!

She's been in remarkably good spirits despite it all.

Day 28 - One of those days

Today was a day when we should have looked at the teeming rain, wind gusts and snowy mountain and stayed in bed.
After a week off care the girls were keen to head back. So we braved the weather and headed off. Didn't start well when Elisabeth trampled fresh wallaby poop into the family day carer's living room.
Or the hour that Rob and I spent in banked up traffic due to an accident.
When I finally rushed into work and downloaded emails, I'd only just started working when I got a text from the carer giving me a heads up that Elisabeth wasn't feeling the best. We agreed to see how she was  after her morning tea but suspected we'd need to come back and pick her up. Elisabeth didn't perk up but fell asleep so we came and picked up the girls after her nap around lunch.


She seemed happy enough at home, so Rob set about baking Anzac biscuits to keep the girls amused. But then tummy cramps set in and multiple nappy changes over a short space of time, and then a double melt down by the girls over dinner meant that we're all feeling a bit frazzled, and to be honest a little nauseous!


Let's hope one day all I remember is the baking.

Day 27 - Roast chicken

It's nice to be able to cook again. I found it impossible with two babies, but now the girls are a bit older, often I can distract them with books or toys, or even get them to help a bit with prepping dinner.

We headed out in the morning to find a chook for dinner. So this afternoon, while Elisabeth napped, I talked Maggie through teasing the skin away from the breast and stuffing it with butter and tarragon.
Then rubbing the skin with olive oil, salt and pepper, before squeezing half a lemon over it and stuffing it in the cavity with some more tarragon and garlic.

I popped it on a bed of red onion slices and more garlic and into a hot oven. We baked some pumpkin as well, boiled some new pink eye potatoes and served it with asparagus and peas.


A Sunday roast, a day late.

I'm sure her namesake, Maggie Beer, would be proud!

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Maggie: She has such an intense look into the camera sometimes!
Elisabeth: I have to admit that we think our girls are beautiful, but we are heartened to see their inner beauty too.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project.

A big weekend with a trip up north for the Walk for Prems. We were in today's paper and on the news tonight too (we don't have tv so hoping I made sense on camera). Will write more about it tomorrow. For the moment we're all a bit tired and I'm looking forward to my own bed.

Day 25 - On the road

We'll be travelling tomorrow, so here's a post I prepared earlier!

Thinking of our dogs, Nigella and Claudia, as they have gone to stay with my parents for the weekend. They'll be having a great old time!

Day 24 - Freesias and the first rose of the season

A quick Friday flowers post.

The freesias keep blooming, and although the coloured ones are striking, I think I prefer the creamy original "Grandma's Freesia", with a hidden golden throat.


I picked my first rose for the season today. Elle.

Day 23 - First golf lesson

Rob has been keen to get the girls into golf. This afternoon was sunny and a perfect time for a first lesson on our lawn.









Claudia is always keen to steal the balls.

Day 22 - Hot

Today was warm. We stayed at home keeping inside where it was cooler. Eventually in the heat of the early afternoon the girls were tired enough to go to sleep for a nap without much fuss. Elisabeth in her cot, Maggie next to me on our bed. After a quick tidy up of the living area and kitchen I joined Maggie and napped for the first time in ages. It was heaven.
Unrelated photos from today.


The girls and their trikes. It's love. Maggie likes to turn hers upside down to "service" it, carefully cleaning everything.


After dinner while I did the washing up the girls joined Rob in the flower garden for a feast of freshly picked alpine strawberries and some weeding. Have I mentioned how much we love daylight savings?

Tomorrow is a public holiday thanks to the Hobart Show, so I am looking forward to a quiet day with Rob home.

Day 21 - Picnic in the park

We had a surprise day together today, as our Family day carer was unwell, so I took the day off to be with the girls. It wasn't a difficult decision to make, especially with the perfect weather.

So we headed into town at lunch, picking up Rob from work and heading to one of our favourite parks in Battery Point with provisions from Jackman and McRoss. The girls enjoyed seeing their Papa in the middle of the day, and we enjoyed eating outside in the shade of some trees together.



It's meant to be even warmer tomorrow, so on our way home we went shopping for bathers and rash tops to go with their new paddling pool.