The Summer holidays are over. First day of grade 2 and grade 5. Age 7 and 10. The first day is always filled with such excitement about who their new teachers will be and which friends will be in their new classes. Ava now prefers a single pony tail to the two plaits she wore...

Ava. 10 years old. Starting grade 5. Currently reading Friday Barnes & Anne of Green Gables. Likes Goosebumps books and anything a bit scary. Watches Operation Ouch. Loves the movie Soul surfer. Interested in mermaids. Still loves dolphins. Wants to be a dolphin trainer. Cozi Zuehlsdorff fan. Amazing big sister. Sensible and smart. Maker of...

The portrait. Anouk, age 7 years and 8 months. Not a baby any more but still little in so many ways.

Ava and her friend Isabelle have been playing vets together since they were five. Now at age ten I’m not really sure when I’ll be witnessing the last game of animal hospitals, but I know it’s coming. They had fun creating, ‘animal files’ for the patients but I did notice that the game itself didn’t...

As a very young girl she loved to twirl and every wish she made was a wish to be able to fly. She jumped on the beds everyday until she finally got a trampoline. Now most days end with the sight of her flipping on the trampoline as the sun goes down. She cartwheels at...

The 25th is Pete’s birthday so I take an annual portrait of Pete and his girls. This one was taken on the hotel balcony before we checked out and headed 1.5 hours back to Sydney to further celebrate Pete’s 40th. Ava and Anouk had surprised Pete with handmade gifts and cards. Estelle had treated us...

Estelle’s first night in a hotel and that experience wouldn’t be complete without trying out the white bath robes. Why do I look at this photo and imagine them doing a re-take when they are 23 and 30 (with a glass of champagne in one hand).

When you are 7 and your best friend who now lives out of town, comes over for a full day of play and it makes your heart so happy. They built houses with wooden blocks, they made an under water world in a plastic tub, they played snakes and ladders in the sunshine, they played...