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Dappled light on Mother's Day | Chasing me with her magical wand

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2/52 Family

This week was a tumultuous sea of dips and peaks. We shared adventures to Aboriginal sacred sites, watched golden and cherry blossom pink sunsets, played in the sand and came together after Love's accident. As a parent, it's easy to carry the guilt of not-getting-there-in-time. It can be hard to let go of this heavy feeling, but surrendering to the understanding that we try to be where we are needed at the times we are needed most helps us to heal and to support each other through these troubling moments.

Byron was distraught following Love's fall. I could hear it in his shaky voice and see the fear in his expression, even after she had been released from hospital. He kept apologising to her and to me and I kept soothing him as gently as I could manage.

You did the right thing, you brought her to the hospital. You're where you need to be. She's lucky you were there.

These two extraordinary people are my family. I could not have hoped for a better man to share my life and our beautiful daughter adores him.

Joining Jodi and friends

Sharing more photos of beautiful families on our photography website

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33/52 Happy First Birthday Sweet Baby Love

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Happy first birthday my little Love. Your Papa and I are so very grateful for your bright, bubbly laughter, your natural curiosity for all animals and the world outside, your gorgeous wide chocolate eyes, your warm cuddles, your husky first words, your wobbly (assisted) first steps, your kindness towards others and your youthful, happy personality.
You're a bit quirky, a bit cheeky, very funny and oh! So lovable.

This has been the greatest year of our lives and we owe it all to you. Thank you for teaching us patience and how to love more deeply than we ever imagined possible before you came into our lives.
Here's to many more birthdays! I hope they are as fun as your jungle party!

Happy birthday!

Joining Jodi and friends

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25/52 Typically Red Pixie Hat

Oh how adorable our little Love looks with her soft chocolate locks poking out from beneath her new deep red pixie hat. Many thanks to the lovely Greer Worsley for hand knitting this beautiful woollen hat in time for our chilly wintry beach walk and also to Jodi Wilson for hosting the Typically Red giveaway on her blog, Practising Simplicity. Don't you just love the colour? I've posted more photos here.

Oceans of love,

Bella xx

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Love's beautiful pixie hat arrived yesterday afternoon. It was a little tricky to take her photograph with the pixie hat on her little head without her trying to pull it off... That was until she had a FaceTime conversation with her Australian grandmother (who I overhead telling Love that she looked like a gumnut baby).

Oh how adorable our little Love looks with her scrunched up smile and pointed elf hat. Many thanks to the lovely Greer Worsley for hand knitting this beautiful woollen hat in time for our chilly wintry beach walk and also to Jodi Wilson for hosting the Typically Red giveaway on her blog, Practising Simplicity.

I want to give thanks to these ladies, including Katherine, an old friend of mine, for sharing their love of homemade, hand stitched clothing. Katherine writes a few blogs, most notably, Lamb Loves Fox however, she also writes Crochetlatte, which is where I found her pattern for a beginner's crocheted baby bonnet. I am currently stitching my first crochet project for my friend's newborn baby boy with Katherine's easy pattern and am thrilled to see this garment come together between my clumsy fingers, in-between breastfeeding and my other typical mama duties.

My next projects will be a bonnet for Love, a pale olive jacket (eek!) and hopefully Susie the Reindeer (if I haven't gone mad). x

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50/52 After the Storm

Love: Enjoying the clean, still air and golden glow moments after the sun had set, following a week of tropical storms.

Joining Jodi and friends.

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