Happy Birthday. I did think of you yesterday as I celebrated with a 'real life' friend who also has a birthday on the Spring Equinox. How nice of the hens to give you a gift. I hope it's the start of many more. Jealous!

I hear you! The unusual snowfall here this week brought out some rare unconditional smiles from my soon to be twelve year old daughter (my eldest too). We don't see them so often these days so I'm as pleased as you that I captured the moment on 'film'. I just read somewhere that pre-teen's are a lot like toddlers as they struggle to achieve the independence they desire Having both in the house currently I can attest that that is certainly true. Won't eat, won't sleep and stroppy most of the time, but adorable when they want to be! Whilst I have a library of toddler books I am realizing it is time to start reading up about this new and terribly challenging phase of teenagerhood. I wonder what you and your readers would recommend? Happy Birthday Calvin!

I first heard of Simplicity Parenting through you and it is the most helpful parenting book I have ever read. I found it to be especially helpful for widely spaced families like ours. I would love to do the course as no matter how much simplifying I do, it's not long before chaos returns!! There's nothing wrong with legos - my husband and his college friends all started their engineering careers with lego in the playroom and my 9yo girls are having the most wonderful imaginative time with the lego they received at Christmas. Another plastic toy that's not so bad is GeoTrax trains. My girls were gifted a set when they were two and it has never been put away because it is loved so much. My 2yo daughter is currently obsessed with the choo choo and never tires of playing with it. Love the photos for this post, but especially Pirate Finn in the fog. That's a keeper!

Lovely. You have really captured the silence of the snow.

This is such a lovely post and before I got down to the words I was already mentally buying and sewing that pattern for my little girl, knowing that you would have provided a link. A mark of good etiquette in my opinion not product placement. Thank you for supporting a small Etsy seller and recommending a pattern that worked so beautifully for you. Of all the blogs I read, your sponsors are the least intrusive and most valued and I love your links. I first discovered the wonderful world of Anna Maria Horner through your blog (none of my local stores carried her fabrics) and that has been positively life changing - not least because I made a treasured real life friend through AMH's flickr pool! Your blog is your livelihood and I'm sure most of us reading here recognize that. As someone who struggles to post one or two blog posts a week, I am in awe of the hard work and dedication that you put into writing your blog. Thank you, Nicky (half way around the world in France!)

Funny, I just sat down to write my first blog post since Christmas. I had good intentions but there was never any time to go through the photos and write. Elving for for four is hard work but I wouldn't be without it. My ability to be creative with my girls at the age they are goes in fits and starts but my desire never wanes. Last year I said I would try and find an hour a day for myself. Sometimes and hour a week is more realistic but looking back I have achieved and learnt an awful lot. Clean house not necessarily included! Looks like you had some fun times. Happy New Year to you all.

Perfect family portraits. Looks like you had a lovely Thanksgiving.

She looks so cozy and comfortable. One of my daughters was just asking for something similar - maybe I'll give this pattern a try? I've made toys for my girls with that fabric and, knowing the story of Heather's inspiration, I thought of Adelaide the whole time I was sewing. A special fabric indeed.

Our week has looked a lot like this and I chose a fireside moment as well. Bon weekend! http://growingberries.blogspot.fr/2012/11/this-moment-jeu-de-societe.html

Such great photos of a fun activity. Enjoy your time away even though it will be hard. The unbroken nights sleep will be a strange luxury!!

Love it! You must be so happy! Here's our moment of Summer fun. Happy Weekend! http://growingberries.blogspot.com/2012/07/this-moment-bubbles.html

Have a fabulous time! Having just one child with you will seem like such a vacation!

Taking time away from putting together a yearbook for my eldest daughter's fifth grade class to say how gorgeous Annabel's 'yearbook' is. She clearly loves it.I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who gets and idea and HAS to do it even though there isn't actually time :)

What a lovely set of photos. There is something about playing on the sand that is so joyous. I grew up at the beach and nowhere else feels as much like home to me. Love the Ergo 'apron' too - I am always sporting one of those! Happy Birthday Finn!!

My 8yo twins listen to that every night as they go to sleep we know the whole thing by heart!

Wow that fabric was made for you! So perfect I'm sure we'll see it in your photos all summer long! Girls look so cute in their dresses as well. Sometimes it's fun to match!

So sweet and their names are perfect! A silly moment from us this week: http://growingberries.blogspot.com/2012/04/this-moment-moules-mischief.html

Only today I was looking at the perfect plastic container I bought a year ago to put Florence's homemade play doh in so that she could be like Finn. She will be two next week, I have never yet made play doh (very difficult to find cream of tartar in France is my excuse) nor has she ever played with any let alone attempted to put it away!! THANK YOU for showing your new normal. At least you had the energy to actually get the activity out ;) On the up side, we did teach her to drink out of a real glass just like you showed Finn doing and that has been the greatest gift here in France where children's tableware is never forthcoming in restaurants.

Such an idyllic end to the week that began so badly. Happy Easter to you all.

Well, we have all girls but they can certainly make their presence felt in restaurants when they want to. We never give up though, just keep on eating out where we want to and they learn the etiquette! Have a wonderful vacation. I am off to New York for a long weekend (without kids but with husband - yeah!) soon and I can't wait!

Perfect moment. You and Adelaide must be so happy! We have a dog whispering moment (of sorts!) today: http://growingberries.blogspot.fr/2012/03/this-moment-in-charge.html

Just gorgeous and so sweet to see both boys so involved. We are experiencing our first spring in our house too and right now have spring flowers popping up all over the lawn. Such a nice surprise!

Gorgeous photo and amazing moment! We have baby sister learning from big sister today too: http://growingberries.blogspot.fr/2012/03/this-moment-ballerinas.html

Funny, I just finished up editing a whole bunch of photos of my almost two year old joining in with her much bigger sisters' games - and being allowed to for the first time! Your boys look to be having so much fun and kudos to you for letting Lachlan eat the paint and get it all over the handmade shirt!

Reading this in the warm Spring sun here in France. My first European spring for ten years (after living in California).The air feels different and it makes me happy. Those muddy hands made me smile too although I'm glad I didn't have to clean them up!