memories

when you suddenly realize that woah, you're 18, YOU'RE GETTING OLDER (!!!) and time isn't slowing down at all so stop and make some memories. also think back to those wonderful memories you hold dear to your heart from your childhood. and you go back through your family's photo archives so you can reminisce and you can't help but think that your readers might like to share in some of your memories. so here we go. photos from both our computer and our photo albums.

memory - all those fun things we did. trying out sailing, complete with a turn at the helm and those hideous floppy sunhats we always had to wear outdoors in summer. and still do. some things never change (well the sunhats have changed, we have bigger ones now because our heads have grown).

memory - little me who was at the mercy of my older sister, often! she would think up all sorts of things for us to do like sit in a cardboard box.

memory - all those magic shows we used to do. magic shows are awesome! especially when you are the assistant and your sister is the magician and everything is improvised. look at that beach towel on our magic table.

memory - picking daffodils and blossoms. my love for spring has not changed at all.

memory - sitting on all the fallen blossoms in our backyard to eat lunch. picnics! also don't zoom in to this picture please because I have a very grumpy expression. 

memory - matching clothes! 

memory - more matching clothes

memory - even more matching clothes. Mum used to put us in matching clothes a lot. Ben isn't left out because look, our socks are all blue which matches his outfit.

memory - fun with my sisters. (I'm not going to mention the matching clothes). the good thing about being close in age is that you have lots of friends who are all similar age to you and live in the same house! yay for close siblings! the four of us were such partners in crime. lol. we did all sorts of fun things like playing with our sylvanian families (we collected those things like some people collect lego) and carting our little brothers around.

memory - more matching clothes and more picnics. also I didn't have much hair when I was younger.

memory - celebrating Christmas with the family. We'd usually be with one of the sets of grandparents. it was so much fun. we ate a lot of food and played games and played with presents and often went swimming or went to the beach (Christmas in New Zealand is summer, you jealous?). 

memory - holidays in Paton's Rock! some of my favourite memories are from this place. it has to be one of my favourite spots in the whole world. we would spend ages in this hammock just swinging and enjoying life.

memory - up at Paton's Rock there was this goat. it was a very cute goat. it liked being fed bread. also do you like our sunhats?

memory - cooking damper and marshmellows over that tumbledown barbecue fireplace thing. holidays are amazing. look Dad has got barefeet! :O

memory - this swing. to be honest this swing is one of my favourite things about Paton's Rock. it is the best swing I have ever swung on in my entire life. you haven't tried a swing until you've tried this one. so many memories! aahhhh and look there's the sea. and little us down below.

now I'm getting all nostalgic. there are so many memories I don't have photos of. playing with Dad in the evenings when he got home from work. helping Mum cook. spending time with our cousins and grandparents. the excitement whenever Mum brought home another precious life to join our family. the Sunday afternoon excursions to the Botanic Gardens or Lyttelton or Sumner Beach and the pier or Birdlings Flat. but I'm going to end this now. and definitely not go and sit in the treehouse and have a nice little cry over nostalgia and then go make some more memories.

memories are wonderful! didn't that swing look awesome.

Linking up here.