Monday 7 March 2016

Happy Mother's day!

To all the new mums, old mums, step mums, mum-in-laws, mum's to be and mummy's to angels, I hope you had a lovely day yesterday. 

There really is nothing quite like being a mummy, it is the most challenging adventure of all. As mother's we are all in this game together and we need to support and embrace each other. All of our similarities and differences make us who we are, and we need to celebrate our own, and other's journeys in motherhood! There aren't enough words in the world to sum up the immensity of motherhood, but taking a day out of the year to stop, and just celebrate our mum's is lovely in my eyes. Plus, I didn't realize before today how important food is on Mother's day! Or maybe that's just in our family? 

Anyway- here's how we spent the day!


What I just said about food? This was our first breakfast. We have pretty big thing about french toast in our household and here Elin (AKA James) whipped up eggy bread fingers stuffed with raspberries and nutella, with cinnamon sugar and maple syrup for good measure. Need I say more?






These last few weeks Elin seems to have totally changed. It really is as if someone has taken our baby and replaced her with a very determined, head strong toddler. Certainly some of tantrums have been very toddler-esque recently too! I wouldn't change any of it though, its just the next phase of our journey together. Although I'm not sure I'm totally equipped for it! Anyway, yesterday she did so much walking! Even taking her first (and amazingly confident) steps in shoes. That was enough to make me so proud!



I love these two pictures together! Its so Elin. Her smile is the most infectious thing ever and truly lights up any room. People are totally in love with that smile of hers, myself included. But she's got a hell of a pout to match too! Here we were practicing all those walking skills by spending about 40 minutes walking down the peir. I'm gonna have to start budgeting time to go at an Elin pace.







I love these photos here! |Elin has started sharing her food. In fact if she's refusing to eat theres no better way of guaranteeing she does than 'eating' it ourselves and letting her steal it back from our mouths! The things we do as mother's hey? It is seriously cute though when she shares things with Daddy and mummy, and even our friends dog. We also rarely get photos of all of us, and who doesn't love a good selfie? Her smile is looking more and more like Daddy's!




As it was nap time, we went for a long walk over the cliffs. I love walking. We start talking about all sorts and its so quiet without all the distractions we really connect. Also in our family we have to have a smooch when going through a kissing gate! Its country law. As you can see Elin totally conked out! I'm dreading the day a wrap doesn't work its nap-time magic on her, especially as boobing and the carseat aren't always so effective these days! (We obviously didn't leave her at this angle longer than it took to take the photo!)




Elin (again James) surprised me with the most lovely afternoon tea at the Station Kitchen. James enjoyed winding me up all day about having a roast for dinner (I really don't like roasts!) so this was a lovely treat. Its a new cafe sat on the old railway. They're getting an vintage train carriage here too soon, so you can eat in that too. I love this little place- its tiny but amazing and so full of charm. And the food is something else!



I love a good afternoon tea. We even had one as our wedding reception! I have to say though this was the best I've ever had. (even better than Harrods in my eyes!) It was amazing. Champagne to start, with canapes, followed by finger sandwiches and chunky chips, with the best set of scones and cakes to end with. We even had mini home bakes hot crossed buns. It was beyond amazing! Elin enjoyed her first afternoon tea too! The attention to detail was amazing and so lovely. They even gave a gift to each mum, and nice gifts too! I got some bath products from the white company which was a lovely treat. I'l be doing a post about this place later on, as James and I (well, Elin really!) won a selfie competition so will be having a free dinner later this month! I'l do my best to capture just how charming it is here. 




I'm obviously a huge fan of Mother's day after all this! We had such a lovely time together. I will never tire of family days spent like this. And watching Elin really get to grips with walking was extra special. 

As much as this day is about mothers, for me that is just as much about celebrating our babies. After all without her, all of this amounts to very little. I consider it the greatest privilege to be Elin's mummy. She is my favorite adventure of all. Being a mum for this last year, has taught me more about love, life, family, patience and kindness than I ever knew possible. She has transformed our lives and in having her I feel as though I have found myself. I am forever grateful to be on this journey with her. Nothing can prepare you for motherhood, and nothing, nothing prepares you for the amount of love you can feel!

So Happy Mother's day everyone! No matter what you did, how ever grand or simple or even if you did nothing at all, know that you are doing an amazing job and for the littles in your life you are their entire world. 

Have a lovely week!




Thursday 25 February 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!

I've been pretty quiet over here on the blog, and its not with out good reason. I'm busy launching a very new venture and all will become clear in good time, but its keeping me on my toes. That, plus ELIN LATHEY'S VERY FIRST INDEPENDENT STEPS IN LIFE, and things are pretty manic. I'v now missed two installations of 'the little things', my 365 (although thats 364!) photo project, but don't worry, those photos were taken- just not shared. I'l catch up soon, I promise!

But I'm really here to wish that husband of mine a very happy 26th birthday!

I love you so very much, James. We are so lucky to have you in our lives and you make things amazing for our family. Honestly, I am blessed to call you my husband, and Elin is the luckiest little girl, as she gets to call you Daddy. I hope you have had a lovely day celebrating! Here's to many more years with this family of ours.

Heres a few photos from our day!



Thats an eggy bread, cinnamon and banana sandwich with mapel syrup strawberries. The only thing that makes  a 5 o clock wake up bearable! Your welcome James, don't get too used to it!



Don't mind me, I'm just drivin' my Daddy's truck!





Ever just look at a photo of your baby and it just takes your breath away? I mean, I see her every day, but a camera has the power to freeze time and in these precious photos I fall in love with her all over again. Plus these eyes? Yup, they spell out trouble when she's older!



We had lunch at the trading post, which is a converted train carriage serving ah-maz-zing organic, homegrown food. Sometimes all that floral food leaves you hungry twenty minutes later, but here we get the best most healthy, hearty food, feel full to the brim and don't need to feel guilty either! Plus its so quaint. You cram in on tables sharing with so and so from so and so and its just friendly. We love it. Its got so much charm about it too.




See what I mean about the food? SO good. Plus it feels a little bit cleansing too as it really is that organic, homegrown, gluten free sort of meal. Elin is eating so good these days and loved her humus, bread, beetroot and potato salad! I love that she loves food- a girl after my own heart!




She loves her animals and here she's meeting Mr dog! I can't get enough of her- but she really is looking SO grown up!






We spent the afternoon at the local wildlife park. We're so super lucky to have got membership passes for christmas, and seeing as Elin LOVES her animals we like to spend some time here exploring. Its such a friendly, lovely place. As I mentioned, Elin took those all important first steps. It was so exciting, bringing tears to this mumma's eyes! She's still a little way off running wild, but today was also the first day that she really just wanted to walk, so we went round the entire park like this^. Safe to say, it took a while! and was  a window into future days!

She also learnt 'duck' today which was pretty cool too!




I loved today. It was so wonderful to spend quality family time together, celebrating the birth of the man who changed my world! (God- I am so cringy right now!) Haha! but in all seriousness, we need to try and appreciate the people in our lives as often as possible, and today reminded me of this! 

A final HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my partner in crime. 
The luckiest, oops, I mean LOWLIEST husband ever.

You're now near 30 than 20! Congrats!


Thursday 11 February 2016

The little things. 6


Unintentionally, today's round up of 'happy days' has a very spring like feel to them! Daffodils, ducks, flowers and pancakes make for a lovely February week in our world. With lots of flowers popping up, little buds in the forest poking out their heads, February celebrations underway, (albeit wintery) sunshine and 'april showers' it really does feel as though spring is creeping into the world once more. I couldn't be more grateful or excited. 

I do love winter, but I feel we've had our share now. We've embraced the season, the holidays, we've bundled up warm, enjoyed all that great hearty food, all the warming drinks, and its been great. But I am now more than ready for spring and summer. With it comes easter egg hunts, welly walks and strawberry picking. And also, a certain someones FIRST birthday! I'm feeling all the feelings about this, But I'l save all those real and overwhelming feelings for a post of there own. 

Anyway, here's my happy moments from this week! 

I hope you have had a brilliant start to February too.

Love, Us