sophia and grace Archives - Kate Waterhouse

What I Wore: Marlo Kids Mummy and Me

7th September, 2021

Living room dance parties are one way to break up our routine in lockdown and the girls and I have an absolute ball just letting off steam. We were also very excited to get out of our comfy clothes and into some fancier threads thanks to the new range from Marlo. I’ve always loved the brand for Sophia and Grace, but they’ve now released a mum range which has some really fun dresses for spring, and some mini me versions too. Needless to say the girls and I jumped at the opportunity to embrace some matching looks.

The floral print is perfect for spring and I like the freshness of the crisp white livened up by the splashes of blues, pinks and purples. I opted for the long sleeved dress as I liked the drop waist silhouette and matching belt and we went for the same dress for Sophia who adores it and just wants to wear it all the time now! For Grace I couldn’t look past the cute romper in the same print. The scalloped sleeves add a cute finishing touch and makes a nice accompaniment to the gorgeous spring florals.

The girls and I really enjoyed getting to dress up and having a little fun — even if we didn’t go further than our living room! I think it’s all about finding ways to add a little novelty to our days.

Credits: My dress, Sophia’s dress and Grace’s romper, all Marlo

Fashion, What I Wore

What I Wore: The HauteCouchture intiative

11th April, 2020

Yes, this is me with the girls all dressed up and absolutely nowhere to go. And it was fun! My friends Nadia Fairfax and Montarna Pitt have started a fashion initiative #HauteCOUCHture and #GetUpandGlamUp to inject a little dose of fashion, and some lightheartedness into our days. And you know what? It was actually such a lovely feeling to be able to put on a great dress and have something to take my mind off everything that’s been going on. Sophia and Grace had a ball too as they love anything that involves playing dress ups.

I thought it was the perfect opportunity to wear this beautiful gown by Needle & Thread, and also for the girls to wear their dresses from the kids’ collection. I’m such a huge fan of this British brand, their aesthetic is all about feminine silhouettes with beautiful, intricate detailing and each piece is such a showstopper. Their kids’ range is equally as gorgeous, and the features just as pretty. I always enjoy a little mini me dressing with the girls, and it’s always great when a label I love also does a range for children.

Even if we’re all at home for awhile, this was a great exercise in reminding me to embrace all the things that I enjoy and bring happiness into my days. While I may not have had anywhere to go, the act of just putting on a beautiful dress was enough.

Credits: Dresses: Needle & Thread (mine here, Sophie here, Grace here)

Lifestyle, Lifestyle & Social

Sophia and Grace interview Luke for Father’s Day

1st September, 2019

One of the most wonderful things about my husband, Luke is that he is an incredible father. From the moment he became a dad he’s been nothing but the most loving, encouraging, fun and caring presence in Grace and Sophia’s lives. They simply adore him. One of the many great qualities that Luke has as a father is that he’ll do anything to put a smile on the girls’ faces. From playing silly games to throwing himself wholeheartedly into playing ballerina with them or spending time splashing about at the beach, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for the kids. We always love spending quality time with Luke on Father’s Day but this year, I thought I’d give our kids the chance to have a fun D&M of sorts. Given how close they are to their dad, I thought I’d give Sophia and Grace the opportunity to talk all things fatherhood with him. And here’s the heartwarming result…

What do you like about being a dad?

So many things – but watching you both grow to be strong and confident makes me happy.

How did you feel when we were born?

The love and bond is overwhelming.

What’s your favourite activity for us to do together?

Any type of playing that generally turns into you both generally jumping on my back and tackling me to the ground.

What’s one thing you’d really like to teach us?

Not sure I can teach happiness – but to give you the tools not to sweat the small stuff.

There’s always room for having fun when it comes to Luke and the girls

What do you hope for us in the future?

Have a full life of adventure and happiness.

What’s one thing we do that makes you smile?

When you both cuddle each other.

What’s your idea of the perfect Father’s Day?

Definitely to be spoiled by my three girls.

What’s something that you’re proud of when it comes to the two of us?

Your both sincere and care for one another.

What’s your happiest memory of us?

I’m sure it’s yet to come – but spending time down the beach, on holidays or at the farm watching you both enjoying the freedom of the outdoors.

What’s one thing you can’t wait to do with us?

Travel adventures as a family.

Fashion

International Women’s Day with Sophia and Grace

8th March, 2019

It’s International Women’s Day today and there couldn’t be a better time to say how proud I am to be raising two amazing little girls. Being a mum to Sophia and Grace is without a doubt the toughest, most rewarding and amazing job I’ll ever have and it comes first and foremost over everything else. Watching them at the age they are now, where they’re developing their own distinct personalities and becoming a little more independent each day, I’m looking forward to seeing how they are as grown women. My greatest hope is that they’re happy, strong, confident and ambitious and that they’re able to go after their dreams and achieve all they want.

I’m ever so hopeful of everything the future brings but I also know that being a woman can be tough at times whether it’s dealing with career, societal expectations or the pressures that come with being female. My hope is that Luke and I can instil in them the resilience and confidence to weather anything that life throws at them and that they’ll always know that we’re there no matter what.

I’m also thankful for the wonderful women who are there for my girls and for me. My family, especially my incredible mum and all my smart, successful, kind and loving friends form the support network that allows me to not only achieve in my own life, but to be the best role model and mother I can be to my daughters.

So to all the wonderful women out there Happy International Women’s Day. Here’s to strong women: may we know them, may we be them and may we raise them.

Fashion

Behind the scenes on The Australian Women’s Weekly photoshoot

12th September, 2018

It’s always really lovely having the opportunity to do photo shoots with my family, especially when Mum the girls are involved. We recently did a shoot with The Australian Women’s Weekly which took place at our family farm in regional NSW. It was still winter during the shoot but we were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather for it and the country backdrop worked perfectly with the beautiful earthy colours which were the theme throughout the story. It’s also great to be based at home when doing something like this as the girls were able to run around and play, however they were still plenty curious about what was going on, with Sophia even helping out the crew! Check out a few behind the scenes snaps from the day below and if you want to check out the finished product the issue is on newsstands now.

Three generations in one photo

One of the great shots with Sophia and Grace

Mum getting her hair and makeup done

Grace was happy to get involved with everything

On set with The Weekly’s fashion editor, Mattie Cronin

Had to get a snap of this incredible dress

Sophia and I in our winter florals

Rugged up and getting ready to shoot

Sophia became the youngest member of the crew

In between takes

Loving this complementary mother/daughter colour palette

Selfie time in this heavenly yellow velvet number

Lifestyle

Celebrating Father’s Day

2nd September, 2018

Celebrating Father’s Day every year is always special for the girls and I as we get to spoil Luke and honour the wonderful father that he is.

I always knew that Luke would be a natural at parenting but he never ceases to amaze me with just how made for fatherhood he is. He’s always extremely hands-on with the girls and is always the one to play silly games with them, read to them and do everything he can to put a smile on their face. Also, I am constantly thankful for how easy it is to parent with Luke—we’re constantly on the same wavelength with how to raise the girls so we never really ever have issues with how to approach it. I know this isn’t always the case with everyone so I’m always thankful that I get to go on this crazy journey of parenthood alongside Luke.

As the girls get older it’s nice to see that their relationship with their dad just gets stronger. They’re always wanting to chat to Luke or show them their latest toy or invite him to play with them and I hope that this bond is something that continues to grow. I can already see that Sophia and Grace will be as close to their dad as I am to mine which makes me so happy.

I would celebrate Luke every day of the week if I could but it’s nice to have one day which is dedicated to acknowledging all that he does for our little family. We’re certainly going to spoil him today! And for all the other dads out there I hope you also have the most wonderful day.

Fashion

What I Wore: Easter Time

24th March, 2018

I’m so looking forward to the Easter long weekend next week. I love being able to hang out with my family, especially Luke and the girls and just enjoy spending time together relaxing. And hey, it’s also a good excuse to enjoy an Easter egg or two!

It’s always nice to dress the girls up a bit during this time, especially when they’re off on an Easter egg hunt as it makes for such cute photos to look back on. I wanted to go all pink this year with the girls’ outfits and it was Seed Heritage to the rescue. They had so much pink to choose from that it was actually hard to narrow it down to just two looks. In the end I settled on the below ensembles as I love the cute bunny motif on Grace‘s dress and the pom poms on Sophia‘s jumper. Also it was pretty much mandatory that we incorporate a tutu in the mix.

As for my look, I thought red would make a great contrasting shade to the girls’ pink outfits. I’ve found grey is always such a good colour to pair with red so finding these jeans at Seed was a good find. Plus the outfit is so comfortable so it’s ideal for running after two excited and active little girls who have been enjoying a few chocolate eggs!

Credits: Kate: Jumper, Jeans Sophia Jumper, Tutu, Backpack, Gumboots Grace: Dress, Shoes, all from Seed

Photography: Sophia Athas

This post was created in collaboration with Seed