I’m rather embarrassed to admit that I’ve not done anything with our phone video footage since November last year. Now I know I’ve had a relatively good excuse what with Ez being born, but as he’s approaching 10 months old, I figured it was time to get on with it.

I decided to work backwards from the most recent videos back to the December one purely because I thought it would be funny to watch the kids getting younger, so here’s July 2012…

July 2012 from Em on Vimeo.

July saw a gorgeous mini heatwave, some apocalyptic rain, Annie making up verses to Row Your Boat to cheer up Ez and lots of dance parties from Annie. We took trips to the Pick Your Own farm, Slimbridge with Helen and Harry and the park and Annie discovered that she loved washing windows!

The music is Old Pine by the fantastic Ben Howard and I urge anyone who doesn’t own the album to go and buy it. I love this song, it reminds me of Campfire Kansas by The Get Up Kids even though it doesn’t really sound the same, I think they share a sentiment. Both outstanding tunes that everyone should own!

How was your July? Did you get up to anything fun?

Oh Summer, oh how do I love thee, let me count the ways…

* The heat: I run cold so I love the hot summer weather, it’s a chance for me to ditch the sweater and expose my scarily pale legs to the world!

* Paddling pools: Watching Annie splash about is just magic, she loves the water and begs to be sprayed with the hose win it gets hot (tiny weirdo). Also she just got a Slip and Slide for her birthday and I can’t wait to try it out, something tells me Annie is going to love it.

* The light: Our house is quite dark so having all this light streaming through the windows is a dream for me, goodbye blounced flash and hello gorgeous buttery summer light.

* Picnics: What’s not to love about eating a meal outdoors, maybe apart from wasps.

* Light mornings and nights: It’s so much easier to get out of bed at 5.40 when the sun is already up and the birds are singing. I love the light nights too, I retire early in the evening and like to look out the window as I’m drifting off.

* Ice lollies: No need to elaborate on that one!

* Garden time: The ability to chuck Annie in the garden and let her run / bounce / yell / slide some of that excess energy away.

* Holidays: We’re not going away this year, but next year we want to head over to france for our summer holiday, a chance to enjoy good weather, lovely food and some gorgeous scenery.

* Days Out: So much more fun when you can be sure the weather will be nice and the day will be long, days out make a summer stay cation much more fun.

* Bubbles & pavement chalk: Not just summer fun, but so much better when it’s not freezing cold and your artwork does’t get washed away immediately.

* Fruit picking: I’d never done this before last summer and I’m hooked, food tastes that much nicer when you’ve picked it yourself.

What’s your favourite thing about the summer?

* Ez’s crazy hair:It naturally falls into a little faux-hawk and makes him look like a little rocker with buckets of ‘tude, when it actuality he’s the chillest, laid back baby I’ve ever met!

* Playdates with lovely peeps that allow us to discover awesome new places to visit like Welly Boot Land at Slimbridge: (and friends who lend Annie a waterproof coat when I forget to pack anything waterproof!)

* Siblings who love each other even more than I could have hoped for in my wildest dreams: (& my new kick-arse quilt)

* My insanely fearless thrill-seeker daughter:

* Having Mum to come visit this past weekend, it was lovely to spend time with her and to watch her with the kiddos: