I've been feeling a bit sad that I haven't kept up with the 52 Project this year... (taking a portrait of each of my children each week - a project started by Jodi at the blog
Practising Simplicity).
Last year I managed to do the whole year and it was good. I recorded lots of little moments and it made me think more regularly about my photography and forced me to try to improve a little.
Despite the fact that I haven't really been committed to the project this year I have still been documenting life here and so I thought I'd do a round up of some of the best photos from where I left off a few months ago; around March time.
Sometimes the photos aren't so great but for me the moment was worth recording... and what is this blog if not a record of our family lives?
So as not to do too much of an overload - I'm doing Henry's selections first.
Also gives me a chance to do a little update while I'm at it.
11/52
Henry is getting into the swing of nursery and is happy to go most days. He's making friends - he's started his independent life away from me and often doesn't want to divulge what he got up to. From what I gather art isn't as popular with him as it was with Coco but he still manages to bring home a few bits each week.
13/52
Mud has started to appeal... digging and getting his hands dirty! He quite often comes home from nursery with muck under his finger nails & will often find a dusty/muddy hole in the playground to mess around in (although our playground has just got a sandpit too - which is equally as popular with H).
14/52
15/52
When he is tired he'll loll about, often in a position like this one...
16/52
Eating octopus at Brindisa - although Henry definitely has a sweet tooth he's a pretty good eater, Coco is a good influence and they are both happy to try new things most of the time...
17/52
Out in Richmond Park - it's very important to locate a good stick when you are near any trees.
17/52
After a morning out at Kew gardens Henry fell asleep in the buggy and I took a photo as 1) I can't believe how massive he looks now and 2) I thought it could so easily be one of the last time he falls asleep in the buggy - it gets left at home more often than not - the end of an era.
18/52
Coco and Henry are playing together more and more, it is such a pleasure observing their little games. They have a few funny routines, one is that after their shower/bath in the evening they'll escape naked and run around singing 'wiggle your bottom' in a sort of weird fake American accent. They've also invented the 'mogo' dance and will say conspiratorially to each other "common' let's do the mogo". On Sunday morning when I came downstairs they'd turned the toy kitchen to face the wall creating a little cubby hole behind it where they had their duvets and were playing 'camper vans'. The trip they were on sounded quite something - they were off to the jungle and then the farm.
20/52
Water water water! He still cannot get enough of water play. If he has quietly disappeared then you can guarentee he is playing with water... either inside or out. Last year we had to resort to taking the top of the outdoor tap off or he would have it running constantly, we keep in the drawer in the kitchen but Henry will now self regulate (ish) by taking the tap and putting it in his pocket and then he'll turn the water on for a bit but then take the top back off himself and keep it in his pocket...
This photo was taken at a friends house where all the children made a mud puddle - they were in heaven - but covered in mud! We lined them up and hosed them down! The face shows shock in this photo but was shortly followed by delight... honest!
21/52
Clambering around at Borough market...
22/52
He loves his bike! He's fully mastered braking and starting off by himself now and we've been on a couple of longer journeys with him on his bike... this was on a Sunday that we went to our local pool. He cycles to nursery whenever he can and sometimes when we get back he'll spend another 10 or 15 minutes riding up and down the pavement outside our house too. I'm still making him go on the back of my bike for the school run although he begs me most days "I want to go on my bike" and he'll use arguments like "but I
need to" or "I
am old/big enough". I did let him do it one sunny day and he was brilliant (it's almost a mile away) but he did tell me that it was tiring.... and it's pretty hairy for me having two children on bikes around the school gates where there is a constant stream of parents & other children on scooters or bikes with the odd buggy too... I fear for peoples ankles.
24/52
And finally - as much as this boy is growing up fast he is still my baby... the rare moments of calm certainly need to be savoured.
