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Candy Cane 4

Candy Cane 4, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (P365 January 2, Template edited) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, Naughty Or Nice Elves by Chelle's Creations, Sparkilicious Stitches by Ziggle Designs and Peace Love and Joy Collection by Jen C Designs. Fonts are DJB Andrea D by Darcy Baldwin and Same Sex Marriage Script by Luke Owens.
Journalling reads: 24th December - The kids are super excited that today is Christmas Eve, although they are sad that it will soon be time for Candy Cane to go back home to the North Pole. When they came down this morning they thought it was really funny to find him watching Christmas films on my computer. They were really surprised later in the day to hear the special sleigh bells noise to say Candy Cane had done some magic. They came flying down the stairs to see that he was sitting on the sofa with Kinder bears for each of them. It was a lovely surprise in between all of the last minute Christmas preparations. They sat down in the evening to open a few of their presents from Nannie and Grampy. Leia was really poorly and kept being sick. Candy Cane seemed to really love listening to Logan playing with his new drum kit and seeing Lukas’s excitement at his brand new television. 25th December - Lukas managed to interrupt Candy Cane’s last trick, It looks like he was trying to make our living room into a winter wonderland. He had covered the floor with white glitter felt, and placed a big bowl of cotton wool snowballs for the boys to throw at each other but he hadn’t managed to get the fake snow made (add water in a bucket and it increases by 100x)

Candy Cane 3

Candy Cane 3, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (P365 January, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, Naughty Or Nice Elves by Chelle's Creations, Sparkilicious Stitches by Ziggle Designs and Peace Love and Joy Collection by Jen C Designs. Fonts are DJB Andrea D by Darcy Baldwin and Same Sex Marriage Script by Luke Owens.
Journalling reads: 17th December - Found Candy Cane sitting on top of the curtain pole, it took a while for the boys to spot him. That elf is getting very sneaky. 18th December - That cheeky Candy Cane managed to get both of his feet stuck in the pocket’s of the Santa advent calendar, when he was trying to steal the boys chocolate, sometimes he is such a naughty little elf. 19th December - Today was Lukas’s Christmas carol concert. We had found Candy Cane sitting on top of the coat rack. The boys decided this was his way of telling us that he wanted to take another ride in the push chair and see Lukas’s performance since he had already been to see Logan’s. 20th December - Candy Cane was tired out after all of his adventures yesterday. Today was Logan’s last day and both of the boys had their school Christmas parties. When they came in from school, they found him eating a banana, to recover his strength. What was funny though was that later the banana was all gone and Candy Cane had fallen over. Guess he must have ate too much or maybe poisoned himself when he ate the banana and the skin. 21st December - Today was Lukas’s last day of school and since there was an early finish, Candy Cane didn’t find any time to get up to mischief today. 22nd December - Candy Cane was sitting on my desk again, it looked like he was having a very interesting chat with the paper snowman ornament over the kids snow globe. 23rd December - This morning the kids came down to see that Candy Cane was sitting on the shelving unit waiting for them. He had bought each of them a special Christmas Kinder Egg. Unfortunately Mummy forgot to take a photograph of it. Lukas was upset because Leia and Logan had little penguin Christmas ornaments for the tree inside theirs. It was nice to see that Logan decided to let him have his, what he didn’t let on to Lukas was that it was because he had already had one from the egg he got when we went shopping in Tesco.

Candy Cane 2

Candy Cane 2, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (P365 January, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, Naughty Or Nice Elves by Chelle's Creations, Sparkilicious Stitches by Ziggle Designs and Peace Love and Joy Collection by Jen C Designs. Fonts are DJB Andrea D by Darcy Baldwin and Same Sex Marriage Script by Luke Owens.
Journalling reads: The boys were so surprised to receive another message from the elf this morning. He said that it turned out his leg was only badly sprained and Santa had managed to fix his leg enough so he could come and visit with us. They found him sitting in the Christmas Tree. 9th December - This morning we found Candy Cane in the cereal cupboard, peeking out of one of the cereal boxes. The boys thought that it was really funny and said he must have been feeling really hungry. 10th December - We came down this morning to find that Candy Cane had helped Daddy to finish hanging up all of the ceiling decorations in the living room and then he had fallen asleep sat inside one of them. 11th December - Today was Logan’s nativity play at school. We found Candy Cane sitting in the fridge. Since Logan was worried about standing in front of everyone, we decided that it might be nice if Candy Cane came too. He got to ride in the back of the push chair and stay for the whole of the performance. He thought Logan made a really adorable little cow in his play. 12th December - Candy Cane was tired out after his trip yesterday so he spent today relaxing. 13th December - Candy Cane was sitting on Mummy’s printer, we’re not really sure why but he seems to really like to sit up on top of Mummy’s desk. 14th December - We found Candy Cane sitting in the other fridge today. Not sure if he hungry or just missing the cold of the North Pole. 15th December - We found Candy Cane driving the kids toy fire engine on my office chair. I said it was probably because they had made the floor too messy for him to drive on, but they think it’s because he was flying it around the room with his magic. 16th December - Guess Candy Cane was feeling a little crafty last night, as when we came down this morning he was on mummy’s desk next to a cross stitch of a candy cane and the word hi. He is such a clever little elf, the boys are very impressed by his sewing skills.

Candy Cane 1

Candy Cane 1, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (P365 January, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, Naughty Or Nice Elves by Chelle's Creations, Sparkilicious Stitches by Ziggle Designs and Peace Love and Joy Collection by Jen C Designs. Fonts are DJB Andrea D by Darcy Baldwin and Same Sex Marriage Script by Luke Owens.
Journalling reads: This year we decided that it might be fun to start a new Christmas tradition and invite an Elf from the north pole to spend December with us. It was going to be a surprise for the boys but things didn’t exactly go to plan. On the first of December, the boys received some text messages on my mobile phone from their Elf. He told them that he was the elf assigned to them by Santa, but he has slipped on some ice in the North Pole and broken his leg. He said that once they named him, he would receive his magic and he would try his best to make their Christmas special. They chose the name Candy Cane. He told them to listen out for sleigh bells when he did magic and then he left Lego Advent Calendars for them to find. This month is going to be so much fun.

Christmas Card 2

Christmas Card 2, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered templates (Graduation Announcement, Template 1 and Stained Glass Pieces) both by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, Hints Of Fall by Jen C Designs and Trixie Scraps and Peace, Love and Joy Collection by Jen C Designs.

Harrods 2012

Harrods 2012, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Big Photo Volume 5, Template 1) by Moments Scrapped, December Photo Mask by Indigo Designs and Winter Sparkles Collection by Jen C Designs. Font is The Typewriter by Heather Hess.
Journalling reads: It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. Aristotle Onassis.

Santa At Ikidz

Santa At Ikidz, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered templates (Baby It's Cold Outside, Template 2 and Perfect Plastic Pockets) both by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, Peace, Love and Joy and Date Its Volume 1 both by Jen C Designs, Super Stash Stitches and Super Stash Paints both by Memory Clips By Ramona.

It's Cold Outside Harrods

It's Cold Outside Harrods, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Simply Circle, Template 2) by Moments Scrapped and Peace, Love and Joy by Jen C Designs.

Leia On the Train

Leia On the Train, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Double Blocked, Template 1) by Moments Scrapped and Peace, Love and Joy and Smells Like Christmas both by Jen C Designs. Font is Santa's Sleigh.
Journalling reads: I really love these photographs of you that I managed to get on the way home from London. You were wide awake so we decided to let you out of the pushchair. The last time that we took you on a train you were too little to care, but this time you were curious about everything. At first I sat you on my lap but you kept playing with the pull down table and trying to peer over the seats. Eventually I just pulled down the table and sat you on it. You thought it was a great seat and were able to use it to enjoy a whole jar of baby food. While you were distracted looking at the lights outside and growling at the sight of your own reflection in the window, I was able to brush your hair and get it into some fairly even ponytails 28th November 2012.

December Desktop

December Desktop, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Desktop Volume 1, Template 2) by Memory Clips By Ramona, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, CU Banner Templates 2 by Josy Carson and Counting Down To Christmas by Jen C Designs. Font is Scrap Casual.

December Signature

December Signature, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (All You Siggy) by Missy's Moments and Counting Down To Christmas by Jen C Designs.

Reindeer

Reindeer, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Bits N Pieces Volume 3, Template 2) by Memory Clips By Ramona and Winter Sparkles Collection (slightly recoloured) by Jen C Designs.

All I Want For Christmas

All I Want For Christmas, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (December Humpty Dumpty Challenge) by Memory Clips by Ramona, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, CU Sheers Ribbon by Chelle's Creations, Layered Titles Christmas Set 1 by Cindy Schneider and Snowball Fight by Jen C Designs. Fonts are Honey Script and DJB I Feel Pretty by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads: I have always hated to have my photograph taken when you add in the fact that I really don’t like giving the camera to other people because I am worried that they won’t get all the shots that I want. So we ended up with a lots of photographs from trips and things we did with the kids, where it doesn’t even look like I was there with them because I was always the one behind the camera taking the photos. After Leo died it made me really sad to see how few photographs there were of me with him. That’s when I decided that something had to change. I wanted my kids to know who Mummy was. They won’t care how fat or ugly I look in photographs they will just like to see that I was there with them having fun. Letting go of some of my perfectionism over photos is never going to be easy but I am trying.

Snowball Fight

Snowball Fight, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Snowscapes, Template 3) and Snowball Fight both by Jen C Designs. Font is KG A Thousand Years by Kimberly Geswein.
Journalling reads: When we experienced the higest amount of snow in 50 years, it closed all of the schools for over a week. So it’s kind of ironic that the only chance you got to play in it, was the one day your school managed to open. You and Daddy were able to have some snow fun, including a snow ball fight on your walk home. I’m kind of sad that I missed being there with you, but it was just too cold to take Logan out of the house. At least Daddy remembered to take some pictures so I could see how much fun you had. 13th January 2010.

Bunchies

Bunchies, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Minimal, Volume 8, Template 1) by Moments Scrapped and P2012 Spring by Jen C Designs. Font is DJB All The Cool Chicks by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads: Leia, you have the craziest hair I have ever seen on a baby, it’s curly and flyaway and there is just so much of it. We have taken to referring to it simply as “the hair”. Add in the fact that you tend to growl and try and bite the hairbrush it makes taming it hard. Nannie Donna suggested using tiny bunchies. It sounded simple in theory, but I wasn’t counting on you trying to climb up the chair while screeching like a monkey. After 30 minutes, I had managed to get 3 in your hair, and gave up in frustration. Yet somehow it only took you 3 seconds to rip them out! Oh well it looked really cute while it lasted. 22/10/12

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Twisted Pixels, November 2012) by Isabel Mendez (Crisdam Designs) and P2012 Winter by Jen C Designs. Fonts are Pea Rachel's Chicken Scratch and DJB Holly Enchanted by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads: Lukas and Logan, 1st photo of the new year 1st January 2010.

Santa At Milton Keynes

Santa At Milton Keynes, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Talk Back, Template 3) by Jen C Designs, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, November Photomask Challenge by Indigo Designs and Smells Like Christmas and P2012 Fall both by Jen C Designs. Fonts are Maggie Moo and Walking Around.
Journalling reads: We are always looking out for fun new things to do at Christmas with the kids.. Since we generally do not tend to have many options close to home it means we have to travel. When we just had Lukas it was much easier for us to try a new experience every year because we could use the coaches or the trains. In 2007 we decided to try taking Lukas to Milton Keynes to see Santa. I had a lot of fond memories of how beautiful the Christmas scenes were when we visited as kids. We made a really last minute decision to start out our day by visiting the small local grotto at Templars Square before going to catch the coach. When we got to the centre MK we were not really sure where to start, there were so many things to look at. We had to reserve a time slot to see Santa which gave us some time to kill. We had an awesome time walking around near the grotto and looking at all the handmade goodies available for sale in all of the little wooden huts. Lukas got to ride on the carousel twice, before I managed to convince them to let me loose with the camera to try and photograph the amazing Wind In The Willows scene. I think I could have happily spent the entire day trying to capture all of the tiny details they had included and still only managed to scratch the surface. All of the little animals were so adorable. I was quite sad that I could not spend longer admiring all of the beautiful scenery and appreciating all of the little details before we got to go and see Santa. Our time slot was quite late so unfortunately we did not have the chance to go back for a second l look around after we had finished our visit to see Santa. After looking around we only had enough time to go and give Lukas a quick change of clothes, before we had to queue up for our visit to see Santa. Lukas was really excited and he loved all the elves chatting to him while we were waiting. When we got to the front of the queue we handed over our ticket once I had asked them if I could have it back and begged them not to damage it too much because I wanted to scrap it. They looked at me like I was crazy but they were happy to oblige. Once it was our turn to see Santa, we were led through in to the grotto. Lukas was able to talk to Santa for a while about what he wanted for Christmas. Then one of the elves was nice enough to offer to take a photograph of us as a family with Santa in addition to the official one. I was thrilled as we very rarely manage to get photographs of us all together as one of us is usually taking the pictures. Lukas choose a magic set as his present from Santa. Our last stop was at the photo booth, we decided to buy a magnet and a key ring in addition to the standard photograph. We also got a newspaper featuring our photograph, which we had to have posted to us. We just had time for some quick shopping and a trip to Mcdonalds to try their festive menu before we caught the coach home.

Wind In The Willows 1

Wind In The Willows 1, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Page Fillers, Template 2) and P2012 Fall Embossed Solids both by Jen C Designs.

Eating Snow

Eating Snow, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Holey Moley, Volume 1 Template 2) by Down This Road Designs, Brush Genius 6 and Edge Genius 2 Overlays both by Mad Genius Designs and Cocoa and Candy Canes Collection by Jen C Designs. Fonts are Lobster and Faux Snow.

Logan's First Christmas

Logan's First Christmas, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Sunday Brunch Crunch, 18th November 2012) by Colie's Corner and Happy Holiday Collab by Gotta Pixel Designers. Font is DJB Holly Serif by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads: I think that these are my favourite photos from your 1st Christmas. You were still too little to really understand what was going o, but that didn’t stop you from enjoying yourself. You loved being sat in between us in your swing seat to watch Lukas unwrap all of his presents. You were perfectly content to just sit and look around at everything. The noise that the wrapping paper made fascinated you. You didn’t really have any interest in any of your presents. The only exception was this story book, no idea why, but you giggled out loud and smiled at it when I first showed it to you.

Ella

Ella, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered templates (Minimal Volume 7, Template 1) by Moments Scrapped and Mix & Match Girly Accents (currently available as part of Mix & Match Variety Grab Bag) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs and Witches Brew Collab by Jen C Designs, Connie Prince, Trixie Scraps and Wordart World. Font is Jellyka Delicious Cake.

Snow Angel

Snow Angel, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Blends 4, Template 2) by Jen C Designs and First Snow Collab by Mad Genius Designs and Carin Grobe Designs. Font is Shadows Into The Light by Kimberly Geswein.
Journalling reads: Snow is not something that we get to see very often. So on very rare times that we do, all the adults seem to try and experience the snow that we never really saw when we were kids. Me and Mark are no exception. So when we woke up to such a crazy amount of snow we were insanely excited. As much as we wanted to give Lukas the experience of playing in it, we were just as eager to enjoy it ourselves. After searching around the house for gloves, hats, scarves, and wellington boots we were finally ready to go outside. We raced out into the garden and after some quick photos of the scenery we were ready to start the fun part of playing. Lukas jumped on the snow covered trampoline and I managed to fall off it while trying to take photos. Mark and Lukas built a snow baby and had a little snowball fight. Eventually we got the idea to continue or snow fun at a nearby park. As we walked to the park, we had a great time looking at all of the snowmen people had created. Once we got to the park, we had a lovely time running around under the trees and shaking the branches to create snow storms on each other. Lukas was crazy enough to slide down the slide into the huge snowdrift at the bottom. We sat down on the grass and had some snow cuddles. Then just before we decided to leave and go home to warm up, I got the bright idea of laying in the grass to make snow angels. Lukas wanted to make one too but Mark refused, although we were able to convince him to climb up the climbing frame to take some photos. I may have looked more like a snow whale than a snow angel, and had to walk home with a wet bum, but we had an awesome time.

Cupcakes

Cupcakes, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (November Challenge Template) by Kawouette and Celebrate Collection by Jen C Designs. Font is Set Fire To The Rain by Kimberly Geswein.
Journalling reads: Lukas & Logan had a great time decorating cupcakes at the school Eid Party 15th September.

Leia At The Park

Leia At The Park, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (One 'N Only Vol.1, Template 1) by Keepscrappin Designs, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs, Sun Kissed Photo Action by Coffeeshop Photography and A True Diva Charity Collab for Eva Kipler by various designers.

Christmas Card 1

Christmas Card 1, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Card Swap, Volume 1, Template 3) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, Smells Like Christmas by Jen C Designs and Winter Dawn Glitter Styles by Aimee Harrison Design Studios. Font is DJB WhataBabe by Darcy Baldwin.

November Desktop

November Desktop, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered templates (Dashing Desktop, 1280x1024, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs and Banner Templates 3 (Template 3) by Josy Carson, CU Stitching Action by Mommyish Designs and Fall Festival Collection by Jen C Designs. Font is Annie Use Your Telescope by Kimberly Geswein.

Eskimo Baby

Eskimo Baby, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Minimal Volume 6, Template 2) by Moments Scrapped and P2012 Winter and CU Bunch Of Buttons both by Jen C Designs.

You Are Beautiful

You Are Beautiful, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered templates (Minimal Volume 10, Template 2) by Moments Scrapped and My Pretty Garden Border Templates by Twin Mom Scraps, Beautiful On The Inside Elements and Krafties by Aprilisa Designs, Holiday Cheer by Crisdam Designs, Christmas Holiday Embossed Papers by Lindsay Jane Designs, You Matter by Trixie Scraps, Smells Like Christmas by Jen C Designs and Winter Dawn Glitter Styles by Aimee Harrison Design Studios.

Breast Cancer Ornament

Breast Cancer Ornament, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (XOXO, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs) and Smells Like Christmas (slightly recoloured). Font is DJB Ann Marie Script by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads: I love finding new ways to support charities that don’t involve just dropping money in a bucket. When I was a bit younger I used to have a fairly large collection of charity pin badges. When I saw this little Christmas ornament for breast cancer in the Avon catalogue, I couldn’t resist it.

Santa's Wish Kingdom

Santa's Wish Kingdom, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Big Picture, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs), Banner Templates by Josy Carson and Smells Like Christmas by Jen C Designs. Font is DJB Christina by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads: We decided that during our trip to London, it would be fun to try and visit lots of different Santa’s Grottos. Of all of the different grotto’s we got to see, this one at the Westfield White City Shopping Centre was by far our favourite. It was called Santa’s Wish Kingdom and it was a really fuh 3D experience. On our first visit there actually weren’t any slots available, it looked so interesting we decided to visit the others and then come back later. It had been a really long day and by the time we got back there we were all feeling tired. There was still a fairly large queue, so we went and bought some yummy pretzels and pretzel dogs from a nearby stall and came back. We were not really sure what to expect. As the elves led up in we were sat down in front of a large screen. It ended up being a short animated film, about a snowman They had added in extra effects like blowing wind and fake snow on us to make us feel part of the experience. It was similar to the Bob the Builder film we had seen at Legoland. Lukas thought it was really cool. Then we got to go through to another room to see Santa and have some photographs taken. Both of the boys got these adorable little snowmen toys. We had to take this photograph from the upper level of the shopping centre as it was the only way to get it all into a photograph. 19/12/2009.

Tunnel

Tunnel, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered templates (Minimal Volume 5, Template 1) by Moments Scrapped and Mix & Match Clusters 2, Template 1 (currently available as part of Mix & Match Variety Grab Bag) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs and P2012 Summer by Jen C Designs.

Wooden Cube

Wooden Cube, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Little Bit Boyish, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs), GAB Fibres by Terry Maruca and P2012 Fall by Jen C Designs. Font is The Monkey Bars by Heather Hess.
Journalling reads: Nana decided to surprise you with this cool wooden activity cube, after she saw you playing with your little bead toy at the hospital. Each of the sides is different, there was a shape sorter, a maze, O and Xs and an abacus and the top has a large bead toy on it. You were so excited you couldn’t even wait until we got home to try it.

Hometime

Hometime, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Little Bit Girly, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs and Change by Jen C Designs. Font is DJB Squirrels In My Pants by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads: After 15 long days in special care, it was finally time for us to bring you home. You looked so tiny in your little pink snowsuit and even needed an extra insert so that you were able to fit safely in your carseat. 03/11/11.

Warm & Cozy

Warm & Cozy, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Class Clown, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs and P2012 Winter by Jen C Designs.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Minimal, Volume 9, Template 1) by Moments Scrapped and Sick Days Bundle by Lindsay Jane Designs.

Me & My Dolly

Me & My Dolly, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Trio Trio, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs) and Memories Of Fall by Jen C Designs. Font is DJB Malea by Darcy Baldwin.
Journalling reads:I have always been a firm believer that it’s important for you to have a variety of toys. While I love buying you little cars and trucks and all sorts of other vehicles and boy toys, but. I also decided that it was important for you to have some less traditional toys too including a dolly and a little folding pushchair. Lukas always loved to carry the doll around and push the pushchair and I always thought it was a nice touch to dress the doll in some of my favourite cute outfits that you had outgrown. This was the first time that you saw the baby dolly. At first you really seemed to like playing with it, you were chatting to it and stroking it’s little plastic face. You seemed intrigued by the blinking eyes and kept staring around curiously to see where the clicking noise was coming from. You chattered away to it and kept holding it out at arms length to stare at it with a little smile on your face. It was so adorable to watch you playing with it. Then all of a sudden it was like someone had just flipped a little switch inside you from love to hate. You had decided that you wanted that doll as far away from you as humanly possible, you shoved the doll off your lap on on to the floor and then started to scream. Poor dolly. I’m not sure what it was that changed your mind but there was just simply no denying that playtime with the dolly was definitely over for the day. Photos taken on the 1st February 2010.

Lego

Lego, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Multiple Photo, Volume 4, Template 2) by Moments Scrapped, Brickworks by Lindsay Jane Designs, BlockZ by DeDe Smith and Office Space Alpha by Tracie Stroud. Font is The Vintage Typewriter by Heather Hess.
Journalling reads: Ever since you started being interested in Lego, building them from the instructions inside the box is always the least of your fun. You spend hours building little vehicles and creations from your imagination. You always hate to dismantle them once you are done so you beg me to photograph them so you can remember what you have built.

Not So Scary Pumpkin

Not So Scary Pumpkin, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Ainsley, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, A Halloween Nightmare Addon by Britt-ish Designs and Mummyish Collab by Mad Genius Designs, ADB Designs. Aimee Harrison Designs and The Urban Fairy. Font is The Wolff by Heather Hess.
Journalling reads: Even though they are slightly blurry and out of focus, I think these 3 photos are some of my favourite photographs of you from your first Halloween. We decided that it would be nice to take you and Lukas to Legoland for the day. I dressed you up in this cute fluffy pumpkin suit hoping for some cute for photos. Hardly any of the photos I took throughout the day turned out great. So by the time we were leaving to go home, I was feeling pretty fed up. On the way home from Legoland. The bus was so crowded that I decided the safest thing to do, would be to sit Lukas in one of the few remaining seats and sit you on his lap. I stood right next to the pair of you just to make sure that Lukas didn’t drop you. He was thrilled to get to hold you and I wanted to capture this sweet moment between the two of you. Only for some reason you decided to lunge at him and try to chew on his face, then you started grinning at his reaction. Seeing your cheeky little face was so funny. It’s kind of crazy to think that you were already so awesome at winding your brother up at just a few months old, and you only got better at it with age. 31st October 2009.

Meeting Harry Potter

Meeting Harry Potter, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Round & Round, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, Wizarding Magic Collab (slightly recoloured) by Creations By Rachael, Chelle's Creations, Erica Zane, Happy Scrap Girl and Haynay Designs and Glitter Style by Anna Forrest. Fonts are DJB 4 Lynette by Darcy Baldwin, Magic School One and Magic School Two.
Journalling reads: When we took you to see Santa at Cowley Centre, the toy store were running a promotion on some new Harry Potter themed toys, somehow they had managed to borrow the Ford Anglia from the films and had these two lookalikes walking around to promote the magic wands. It was really funny how excited you were to see them and you begged to have your photograph taken with “Harry Potter”, even though you knew it wasn’t the real one. Luckily they were more than happy to oblige and you left with a huge smile on your face. It didn’t matter to you that some people thought it was a little strange. 1st December 2007.

Cheerios and Chat 2

Cheerios and Chat 2, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Write It Down, Volume 3, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs) and Forever Friends by Jen C Designs. Font is KG Always A Good Time by Kimberly Geswein.
Journalling reads: It’s always lovely to have someone that you can call a close friend. Someone you can chat to and share secrets with. It’s even better when that friend is also family. You have always had a really close relationship with both Conor and Ella but because Ella is closer in age to you, the two of you seem to have more to talk about. To me there is nothing cuter to watch than you and Ella sitting down together to have a chat. I managed to get these super sweet photos of you on my birthday, the year that we ended up redoing Christmas. You were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a bowl of cheerios. When Ella came in she asked if she could sit with you and have some cereal too. As you were both sat there I just started taking photos. For a change you both decided to ignore me, and just carried on your conversation in between spoons of cereal, like I wasn’t even there. I was struck by how grown up the two of you looked. It always used to make me laugh that you both always started out these little chats looking so serious, but it only ever took minutes before either one or both of you ended up giggling uncontrollably. The two of you would chatter away without a care in the world for ages, but usually the minute that you saw me standing there you would either start whispering to each other or just stop talking and stare at me until I left. These photos are definitely not the best ones I have ever taken of the two of you, but I think they might be the only ones that really show how close the two of you are.

Cheerios and Chat 1

Cheerios and Chat 1, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Abigail, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs) and Forever Friends by Jen C Designs. Font is KG Always A Good Time by Kimberly Geswein.

Brothers

Brothers, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Grunge Vol.1, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, Curled Border Templates and Actions by Marcie Reckinger and Traci Murphy, Red, White & You by Bella Gypsy Designs and Beaded Clip Alphas by Meghan Mullens. Font is Constantia.
Journalling reads: Halloween Hocus Pocus @ Chessington 2009.

Lukas and The Pumpkins

Lukas and The Pumpkins, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Big Photo, Volume 4, Template 1) by Moments Scrapped, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs), Too Cute Wordart Freebie by The Hawt Mamas and CU Edge Genius 3 Overlays and Lets Fall In by Mad Genius Designs.

Diva

Diva, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Sole Photo Volume 4, Template 2) by Moments Scrapped, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs) and Witches Brew by Jen C Designs, Connie Prince, Trixie Scraps and Wordart World. Font is CK Amour.

Lions

Lions, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Big & Beautiful, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs and Furry Friends by Jen C Designs. Font is The Boldstroke by Heather Hess.
Journalling reads: Trail Of The Kings Chessington World Of Adventures. 29th September 08.

Squirrel Monkey

Squirrel Monkey, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (123ABC, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs) and Furry Friends by Jen C Designs.

He's Tired Out

He's Tired Out, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Duo Photo, Volume 4, Template 2) by Moments Scrapped and I Do Collection by Jen C Designs. Font is KG The Fighter by Kimberly Geswein.
Journalling reads: You were in quite of few of the wedding photos from Uncle David and Auntie Liz’s wedding, but without doubt these two are my favourite. It had been an early start because we had you, Joshua and ourselves to get ready. Both of you looked so handsome and grown up in your little white shirts, waistcoats and trousers, you even had a little jacket and cravat. You were both really well behaved during the service, but I will admit that the chocolate buttons and cars I bribed you with may have helped a little. You were really excited about going to the reception and even the rain as we left the church didn’t dampen your spirits. You ended up having an awesome time. Everyone made a fuss of you and you had a blast chasing the balloons around the room and rocking the dance floor like the energizer bunny. I think you danced every dance. Poor baby, you got so hot from the running around, I had to change you into your spare shirt and trousers because you were drenched in sweat. But eventually even your energy ran out and you laid down on one of the sofas with your bottle and fell fast asleep. You were so tired you didn’t even notice the noise or the disco going on all around you. You looked so adorable and peaceful laying there with that tiny bit of your belly on show. It almost broke my heart to have to disturb you when the taxi arrived to take us home. 13th August 2005.

Hedgehog Rescue

Hedgehog Rescue, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Vintage Baby, Template 2) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs and Hints Of Fall Collab by Jen C Designs and Trixie Scraps. Fonts are The Only Exception by Kimberly Geswein and The Boldstroke by Heather Hess.
Journalling reads: This little nocturnal visitor got wedged under our garden gate, while trying to escape from the evil cat across the road. With the help of a pillowcase we were able to rescue the poor hedgehog. Who promptly took up residence underneath our shed.

Bucket

Bucket, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Baby Blues, Template 1) by Little Bit Shoppe Designs, CU Stitching Action by Leah Riordan (Mommyish Designs) and Day By Day by Jen C Designs. Fonts are DJB Bailey by Darcy Baldwin and KG Ways To Say Goodbye by Kimberly Geswein.
Journalling reads: When we became parents, we really had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for. I can honestly say that despite having 3 kids, there are still lessons we end up being taught every single day. Some of them are hard and difficult lessons but most of them are just so simple you wonder why you never knew about them before. I think that some of the most important lessons we have learnt from the kids, are that we should always expect the unexpected, never lose our sense of humour and always be very specific when giving any of the kids instructions. This was a really great example of that lesson. Logan wanted to help unpack the shopping. Mark gave him the bucket and simply said “Logan, can you take this upstairs and put in in the toilet please” we were busy so neither of us went with him or checked that he had understood what he was asked to do. He came back downstairs looking so pleased with himself that he had been able to help. It wasn’t until much later when Lukas called us to come upstairs, that we saw just how literally he had taken the instructions, by putting the bucket inside the toilet. It looked so funny none of us could stop laughing. Poor Logan just looked so confused and kept saying “what’s so funny I put it in the toilet like you said” which just made us laugh even more.

Trick Or Treat ATC

Trick Or Treat ATC, a photo by Lukasmummy on Flickr.

Credits: Layered template (Paper Play, Template 2) by Jen C Designs and Halloween Collection Cardstocks, Halloween Collection Scatter Borders and Halloween Collection Orange Alpha all by Mad Genius Designs.