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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!

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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.

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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.

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Maggie:  As I said last night it was warm enough for post dinner play on the terrace. The girls had their dinner all over their clothes, so I stripped them off to nappies and singlets. Maggie is such a ragamuffin.
Elisabeth: In the next photo she is poking out her tongue!

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project. Only ten portraits left for the year.

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Maggie: Such an imp. 
Elisabeth: The moment after she was laughing like a loon. Almost a "Maggie" look.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project.

A lovely warm Spring day at the hut today. Lunch with family (home-made burgers and coffee ice cream), then a bit of water play (sitting in plastic cake containers of water), and a quick ramble up behind the waterworks reserve in the late afternoon.
Perfect.

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Maggie: We headed up behind the house to chat to the neighbour's cattle. A very cute Belted Galloway bull, a jersey cow and some black cows and their offspring. The girls love them, especially Maggie.
Elisabeth: you can't see it, but her face is covered in a mixture of dirt and cumquat juice! Seen here practising her tai chi.

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

Day 5 of Blogtober sees my regular post. We have spent the day together, I baked a  Lumberjack cake, Rob cleaned the hut, we went for a drive up the mountain to collect plants for Rob's prac class. Back home I did some tidying up of the girls toys and we popped some up in the loft for a holiday. Rob planted some basil seedlings in mini milk glasshouses and spring onions with the girls assistance. The meatloaf is starting to smell pretty good, so nearly time for dinner and bath time for the girls.

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Maggie: that is her classic laugh/smile face. I love it!
Elisabeth: Such a grown up girl. But they still fit the dresses as tunic tops that my sister gave them last Christmas.

Joining in a little late with Jodi's 52 portrait project.

A busy weekend and then I worked Monday instead of today meant my blogging was delayed. The girls aren't 100% either.....

I'm hoping to do a Blogtober fest over the next month. I'm aiming low, a photo for each day and maybe a few words, for the six other days of the week.

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Maggie: They are both growing up, literally and in their behaviour.  In a rare semi-serious mood, the rest of the photos Maggie was pulling crazy faces and laughing.
Elisabeth: So innocent, yet I think she was holding Maggie's head down!!!

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project at her blog Practising Simplicity.

We had a quiet weekend. Shopping for excellent bread at Pigeonwhole bakers, visiting my Mum in hospital as she recovers from a hip replacement, visiting friends for a lunch of baguettes and cheese and the best doughnuts, collecting eggs from their chickens, gardening together, eating together, taking backpack adventures (the girls favourite sort at the moment). Last Wednesday we had a check up at the NICU clinic. Girls are doing really well, no concerns or issues. Both had put on 2kg in the last 6 months, so Maggie is 8.6kg and Elisabeth 9.3kg. They were so funny after it had all been done, they climbed into the toy box in the Dr's room together for a chat. Even he thought they were so cute he asked if he could take a photo!

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It was Rob's turn this week with the camera. 
Maggie: My best friend sent these gorgeous little corduroy dresses and matching cropped cardigans down. The girls love to dress up and these new outfits were met with delight. I think they look a little like they should be in a Jane Austen TV show!
Elisabeth: What a cheeky look, tongue poking out and hands behind her back.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project at her blog Practising Simplicity.

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Yesterday we had a pretty much perfect Father's Day. I woke up first and went and got the coffee machine going and collected the gifts for Rob from the fridge and the garden. He woke up on the mattress on the floor with Elisabeth, Maggie slumbered on a little longer on the bed.
The girls proudly gave him the card they made at family day care and a little red takeaway box of fudge, and then preceded to help him eat it! Our gift were three pepper trees and some strawberry plants. After breakfast of toast and coffee we headed outside together to plant them. Rob declared them the perfect present.

We headed over the hill to Cygnet, the car packed with lunch provisions, picking up some fresh rye sourdough at Red Velvet Lounge we continued onto Garden Island Creek to celebrate a birthday (albeit belatedly) with friends who own the most perfect beachside shack. The day was gorgeous, we were all in shorts, t-shirts and Birkenstocks. Lunch with our friends always comes together with the least amount of fuss or organisation, a cheese platter, foie gras and our quickly-cured ocean trout (with lime juice, olive oil and decorated with dill, gherkins and capers) served with the fresh rye started proceedings with a bottle of bubbles. Main course was osso bucco and bbq sausages cooked over the sea-side open fire. We all have gardens so the sides are always impressive, salads, home grown potatoes, fennel, broccoli. The table outside looked over the water, and it felt almost summery with the warmth of the sun and the consumption of red wine. The girls sat in our laps quietly taking it all in, sharing our plates. Wet dogs ran in amongst our legs looking for tidbits.
Dessert was an array of cakes, our Chocolate Guinness cake joined a perfect duck egg sponge filled with cream and strawberries, a Kentish cherry almond cake and a Persian Love Cake! We had to drag ourselves away around 4pm, when the girls were looking a little tired.

Maggie: During dessert she relaxed and was happy to sit on our friend's lap to share her plate of cake. Smiling with her face covered in cream.
Elisabeth: Is more reserved in company, and stayed close to her Papa, preferring to hold onto his knee and just take in the conversation.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 portrait project at her blog Practising Simplicity.

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I haven't used a single image for both girls in their 52 portrait project yet, but with a very busy weekend I ran out of time to take their photos individually. We have been taking these monthly images since June last year, and it is a great way to watch the girls grow up. 

Maggie: I love the way she is cradling her chin on her hand, and her arched left eyebrow reminds me of her father.

Elisabeth: She refused to smile, a bad night had left her in a grumpy mood.

Joining in a little late with Jodi's 52 portrait project.

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Maggie: both girls have perfected their downward dog yoga move. That cheeky grin is classic Maggie.
Elisabeth: we visited a local market today and couldn't resist a small knitted duck for each of the girls. They kissed them all the way home!

Caught up with the 52 portrait project at Jodi's Practising Simplicity.

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Maggie: whilst the post is a week late, I took these photos last Monday on a morning walk down our drive. Wish I'd managed to get Nigella's head in the shot too!
Elisabeth: she's had a clumsy week, you can't quite see the scab on her chin from when she took a tumble. Yesterday she hit her head falling out of the pantry, so she is now sporting a big bruise.

Better go so I can take some photos for this week!

Joining in with Jodi at Practising Simplicity.