Sophia Archives - Kate Waterhouse

Sophia’s 5th Birthday

29th May, 2019

It only seemed like yesterday that Sophia was born so it’s hard to imagine my little angel is now five! To mark such a milestone occasion we threw a party for Sophia at my parents’ farm in the Southern Highlands in NSW. We always like to host parties there as there’s plenty of room for the kids to play and run around.

This year the theme was pretty much what every five year old girl I know is into: Disney Princess! I love a themed party as it makes everything else easier from the cake to the entertainment as there’s a distinct theme to work around.

For food, we did a sausage sizzle which is something we’ve done a couple of times that works really well for feeding both adults and kids. That’s my number one piece of advice when throwing a kids’ party: don’t double cater. We also had a few fruit and cheese platters and sandwiches, whilst the kids had a few treats like popcorn and lollies. We had a Disney Princess cake by Sweet Mama Cupcakes and cupcakes by My Little Cupcake.

As far as entertainment went we had pony rides for the kids (always a crowd pleaser!) and a jumping castle. I also always hire a birthday fairy to help keep the kids entertained and in the one spot. The kids love it but as a parent it’s always good to know that all the little ones aren’t running off doing their own thing.

We had gorgeous weather for the party so it was a perfect day for Sophia to celebrate with all her friends. Until next year’s party!

The birthday girl getting ready to blow her candles

Party details

Entertainment: Princess Belle by Birthday Fairy

Jumping Castle: Princess Carriage Combo by Castle Kingdom

Cake: Custom made by Sweet Mama Cakes

Balloons: Highlands Helium Balloons

Cupcakes: My Little Cupcake

Lifestyle

Sophia’s 4th Birthday Fairy Picnic

30th May, 2018

I still remember sharing Sophia’s first birthday on the blog with you all so it’s so hard for me to believe that she’s now turning four! I’m sure most parents would agree that time really does fly and each birthday comes around quicker than the next. This year we decided to hold Sophia’s party at our family property in the Southern Highlands. Given we were going for a fairy picnic theme it seemed the perfect setting.

We decided on a picnic as it made a lot simpler to style and we just wanted guests to feel relaxed throughout the day. We stuck to a simple colour palette of soft pink and white with little touches of gold which we carried through to everything from the lollies to the cake and the decorations. Sophia was able to have a little more input in her party this year and she actually chose her tutu (from Tutu Du Monde) and the cake that she wanted. We found the cake on Instagram (from @sweetmamacakes) and it worked well with the theme as it was a fairy with a mushroom house.

In terms of decorations we opted for a few balloons and some bunting to give the party area a festive atmosphere. We put down a few pink and white blankets on the grass and scattered a few pillows for the kids to sit on and dotted the place with flowers and gold confetti. It dressed the area up quite easily and it didn’t require us to spend hours decorating.

We didn’t really want to be stressing about catering on the day so we stuck to a simple menu. We had finger foods such as sandwiches, fairy bread (of course!), sultanas, popcorn and cupcakes and fruit platters for the little ones. For the adults we had a few cheese platters and fruit platters and had a good ol’ fashioned sausage sizzle, which worked out great as it was quick and easy.

We always like to have some entertainment on hand to keep the kids occupied so we hired a birthday fairy and she did everything from dancing with the kids to games like pass the parcel and activities like colouring in. As a special treat we also had pony rides with our family ponies Harley and Jack, and we dressed them up with unicorn horns in keeping with the magical theme.

It was a great day with a few close family and friends and Sophia had the time of her life. I’m sure the next birthday celebration will sneak up on us just as quickly!

Photography: Sophia Athas

Party for the kids

The birthday girl

The picnic set up

Sophia with her friends

Sophia with the birthday fairy

It was a great day for the four of us

The kids having a ball

Grace and I with our friend Emma Watkins aka the Yellow Wiggle!

Cutting the cake

The gorgeous cake

A great day with family and friends

Fashion, What I Wore

What I Wore: All the Grey

31st March, 2018

I’m a huge fan of the colour grey. So chic, versatile and wearable—all the things I’m after when it comes to outfits that I wear when I’m in mum mode with Sophia and Grace. The wide leg pants formed the basis for this look and I decided that I wanted to keep the top in the same hue so opted for the high neck, frill sleeve top in grey marle. White sneakers seemed the perfect footwear choice given I was going to be running around after the girls. Along with being comfortable the colour was just the right pairing for the rest of my look.

When it came to Sophia’s outfit, I knew I wanted to work everything around the cute statement bomber with floral embroidery. The white winged tutu dress (yes, it has detachable wings!) was just the right whimsical piece to pair with it. Plus the dress features sequinned unicorns which Sophia particularly loved. And I’m already teaching my daughters the appeal of a statement shoe—in this instance super cute iridescent high tops.

Grace loves a tutu so I knew she’d be really into this outfit. I wanted to make the tutu a touch more casual so a marigold jumper and rabbit beanie complete with pom pom seemed the perfect complementary pieces. And what better finishing detail than gold bunny mary janes which frankly are just too cute for words.

Credits: Kate: Top, Pants, Shoes; Sophia: Dress, Jacket, Shoes, Seed; Grace: Jumper, Tutu, Shoes, Hat, all from Seed

Photography: Sophia Athas

Fashion, Shop

What’s on Sophia and Grace’s Christmas list

15th December, 2017

Shopping for Sophia and Grace‘s Christmas presents is one of my favourite parts of the festive season. Without a doubt seeing their little faces excitedly light up when it’s time to open gifts come December 25th is a highlight every year. However as anyone with children can attest what’s in one minute, will be out the next so I try to pay close attention in the lead up to Christmas when it comes to what the girls are loving. Here’s what I’ve narrowed it down to…

Alimrose Willow Fairy Doll

The girls are into all things dolls and fairies so I’m sure this will be a hit.

The Wiggles Dress Up Emma Doll

I’ve posted a few times on Instagram about Sophia’s love for the The Wiggles. It’s no surprise that she’s been eyeing this Emma doll for awhile and she’ll love the fact she can play dress ups with it.

Micro Scooters Mini Micro Deluxe

My girls are super active, especially Sophia who is at that age where she’s constantly running around. I can see her using this when we go on our daily walks.

Our Generation Clydesdale Holiday Horse

It must be a family thing because the girls love horses! This one comes with cute Christmas accessories.

Witchery Tie Front Shoe

I like to get the girls new shoes every Christmas and this particular pair has a cute bow detail that they’ll love.

Tutu du Monde Swan Queen Tutu Dress

I’m a huge fan of everything by Tutu du Monde—everything they make is so intricate and beautiful. The girls love their dresses too and I can’t resist how cute they both look in a tutu.

Witchery Girls Pearl Headpiece

I think most little girls love hair accessories and my girls are no different. I really love this headpiece for the girls to wear on special occasions.

Marquise Strawberry Underwear

Yes it’s totally practical but look how cute they are! I like incorporating practical gifts in the mix and underwear is the kind of thing that the girls can never have enough of.

Camilla Girls Tank Dress

The print on this is so cute for summer. I like vibrant and colourful pieces at this time of year and this is totally on trend.

Rock Your Kid Unicorn Circus Dress

Unicorns plus pink equals every little girl’s dream come true. The tulle skirt is also a pretty touch.

Zimmermann Swim Lumino Bikini

We’re lucky enough to live near a beach so we pretty much live there all summer which means I’m always on the hunt for cute swimmers for the girls. The print on this is gorgeous.

What’s on your kids’ Christmas wish list?

Fashion, Lifestyle

Vogue: Behind The Scenes

16th October, 2014

I’m so excited that Fashion Bloggers finally premiered on the Style network last night! I hope you all got to see it. It’s slightly nerve wracking to let people into your world but it’s so much fun that you get to see what really goes on in the life of a fashion blogger! I was thrilled they were able to capture a fly on the wall perspective of my recent Vogue shoot. I felt so honored that Vogue asked the women of our family to take part in a shoot on our family property. The shoot was the first time I let my baby girl, Sophia, be photographed for a magazine so it was a very special moment for me and I will cherish the photos forever. It was also the first time my sister in-law Hoda, let camera’s in with her daughter Rose so it was so nice that both our daughters were able to be shot with “Grandma Gai” – making it a very special moment for us all as a family. The shoot was such a fun day, one I will never forget. The Vogue November issue is out now and here are some behind the scenes photos taken on the day.

Kate x