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Matilda: If you haven't woken up to use the toilet before we go to bed, we will take you to the toilet ourselves. You hardly wake at all, it's very cute and pretty funny, too.

George: Oh George. Most photos of you look like this one recently. You spot the camera and out comes the crazy cheese face! Think I'll have to get using some sneaky picture taking tactics.

Joining in with Jodi and many, many lovely others for the 52 Project in 2014.

The Year In Books / January

Before my days of play-doh, crayons, porridge in my hair and partying all night with the small people, I had nothing but time to burn (though I hardly realised it) and a head full of whimsy.  I could spend hours, if I wanted, wrapped up in a book and often did from a young age. I think I was  maybe six when I read Roald Dahl's 'Matilda' cover to cover, over and over again and when I wasn't reading the book I was trying with all my might to be the incredible little girl in the story. I may never have managed to make things fly with my eyes but I'm certain I took huge strength and belief in my small self from Dahl's tale. These days, I'm grateful to have my Matilda and George to pass a love of books onto but for all the many, many stories I may read and make up for them, I'm not so good at making time to read myself. I had promised to pick it up again as one of my many aims for the year but decided, when I saw Laura's post to hop on board with The Year In Books. A book for every month of the year, sounds alright to me. I'm starting with 'The Poetics of Space', this has been on my shelf since art college and hasn't been read since then. Something to wake up my sleepy brain a bit. We'll see how this goes, ey.

WE LIKE TO READ / The Day The Crayons Quit

These days, there aren't so many grown up books in this house. Not by comparison at least, to the hundreds upon thousands (maybe not that many, but possibly hundreds-ish) of picture books and children's literature we have acquired during the four years of life so far with with the small people. But I love them and I am always so happy when Matilda and George are gifted books.  There is something so thoughtful about a well chosen book, I think. I have a friend by the name of Laura who always includes a brilliant book with her excellent parcels for the children and for Christmas she sent this gem,  'The Day The Crayons Quit', for George. I adore Oliver Jeffers' Illustrations so this one was a winner from go.  (I may have actually taken this book to bed to read myself after first opening...)

Sharing stories over at Tigerlilly Quinn.

good things and small happenings

1.  Slowly growing, slowly, slowly.
2 + 3. George is very much loving on his best friend, Matilda and is never far from her side (except for when he's pulling her hair or biting her, of course.) I'm so glad they've got each other.
4. It started with a bit of collage and ended in a sparkly sea of glitter.
5. Always laughter.
6. When the weather is fine, we jump ship pronto pronto.

Sharing some small snips of recent days over with the ever lovely Em's 'Weekly Stills' in 2014.

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Matilda: Messing around in some very rare recent sunshine.
George: "Eddy, deddy, GOOOOO!!"

Using photos from my phone for the first time ever. I cannot make them any bigger and I can say that the Blogger for Android app is rubbish. Hey ho - I hope everyone is having a good week, we are, too.

Joining in with Jodi over at Practising Simplicity

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Matilda: Always in character.
George: And then he was two.

I am a little excited to be joining in with Jodi's 52 project from the beginning this year. I decided to hop on the bandwagon partly through 2013 when I started this little blog and am very glad I did. In another 51 weeks from now there will be a whole set of 104 portraits of Matilda and George and I'm looking forward to seeing them, start to finish.

So, the new year is upon us, evidently and oh I am glad. Am I the only one who is relieved to have Christmas done for another year? I'll be packing it all away into boxes tomorrow night once the littles are in bed and then that's it. Mister 2014, you'll be good, won't you? Yes, yes, you will. I'm not making resolutions. I just don't like them but I do have a pretty exhaustive list of goals and aims. Some big, many small or just for fun but all important. You can miss one or two goals in a match and it's not a total fail, is it? It just feels better, for me anyway.

I couldn't write a post without mentioning that our lovely George turned two on Hogmanay. I keep reminding myself that it happeed, that he is two now. And while of course it is bittersweet to be growing out of his baby skin, it is with enormous joy, we watch his little personality grow and unfurl. That boy, he gives the fullest, warmest loves I've ever known and I often wonder when will it be that I stop wanting to actually eat him a bit? Yes, we love him a lot.

Happy new year to you! Here's hoping the first week of 2014 has been good.

52

Matilda: Forever fond of your reflection. Less for the vanity, more for the intelligent conversation. (Maybe a little for the vanity...)
George: When I first met your Daddy he made me laugh by saying what a great Batman he would be because of his good jaw and mouth area. It's true! And you have inherited his lovely lips it seems.

Joining in with Jodi once again. (Despite completely missing last week - I know it's a bit cheating, since the whole idea is a photo a week but while life definitely was happening, the blogging of, was not - life just got the better of me for a small while there )

Tonight we had a pre Christmas dinner with Tom's parents as they're off down south and we're staying put so we won't see them 'till after the new year. A lovely time and a gorgeous feast was had- Venison Wellington made by Tom. Tasty doesn't cover it, just SO delicious. So I'm going to sleep tonight with a happy tummy and a happy heart and looking forward to what will be a quiet but lovely Christmassy time with my favourite small people and Tom too, of course (when he's not busy making Christmas happen for lots of people at the Hotel, that is).