She carries this table cloth to Pete and requests swinging, “winging? Winging?”. She gets bundled up in it and swung while she sings to the rhythm of the swings, “wiiing-ing, wiiing-ing”. Yay for strong dads and the fun of being little.

Ava. 11 years old. I started this project in the Summer before her first year of school and now it’s the Summer before her last year of primary school. I remind her that she’s in the last season of her childhood and she should hold on to every last bit of it! She agrees, but...

Her curls. They catch the light and bounce behind her head when she runs. As each one appears it’s like witnessing a flower bloom.

The picture we take on Pete’s birthday each year.

Our peaceful sleeper. She turned 17 months old yesterday. She naps once a day for about an hour in the middle of the day & sleeps for 12 hours (with a couple of dream feeds) at night. We held her in our arms for most of her day naps until she was about 15 months...

Anouk. 8 years old. If she hears a song she likes, she adds it to her play list. Has 349 songs on her play list. Often listening to music. Doesn’t have a favourite song but knows the words to many. Very good on a pogo stick. Rides her scooter every day. I have to empty...

Their bond delights me. All through my pregnancy people told me our baby would have 3 mama’s and I agreed that they would be great helpers with our baby. I pictured them helping with nappy changes and bringing me a towel to help get her out of the bath. I just didn’t realise how utterly...

Estelle Miette. 16 months old. Likes: music, mango, watermelon, broccoli, breastfeeding, bath time, bubbles, slides, swinging, the beach, water play in every form, dancing, looking after her baby (doll), drawing, goodnight kisses, babies, visitors, her sisters, being included. Says ‘mmmm’ when she eats ice-cream. Calls her sisters “Ah-vuh” & “Ahkou”. Pretends to play guitar with...

She’s a toddler. I love the way her feet thump on the floor as she zooms around the house looking for people and fun.

In January most of our days end like this. Playtime at the beach. We eat dinner later, go to bed later and start our mornings later. All so we can linger at the beach until the sun fades and make the most of these longed for Summer days.