When it comes to blogging I am a firm believer if you haven't got anything to say, don't say anything at all. And for the last 2 weeks I have been trying to find the words, the right words, to convey my love and respect for the bravest people I know.

On the 29th August my cousin Sally's little boy Skye died peacefully at home. 

I have seen the piles and piles of letters and cards sent to Sally and Andrew, kind messages on their Loom to the Moon Facebook page and tributes on Twitter. But I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers, wonderfully thoughtful people who have been touched by his story and felt compelled to send me a message, an email, a text or a tweet. 

And it's only when you re read every single one again and again that you truly appreciate just how extraordinary Skye was. To at 5, have a voice that has made a mark.

A boy who has made a difference.

No parent should ever lose their child. It's a pain that you can visibly see rips someone's heart out. And it's a pain that you are helpless to heal. How do you learn to live without that child? In all the countless parenting books you read when you are pregnant, there is never a chapter on this horrendous experience. Life carries on, but for them life has stopped. No one can prepare you. No one could prepare any of us for the reality of the day when we lost him and the day we said goodbye.

Skye B, you will never be forgotten. You were mature beyond your years, with a wit that could outsmart children and grown ups alike. We always said, with your soft blonde curls, that you looked like a little angel, and it seems so dreadfully unfair that you are now an angel in the sky.

You have made people think differently about their lives, to be more grateful, more patient. Sally and Andrew put together an incredible order of service for his heartbreaking funeral and shared their own guide to parenting. Points to remember that we all take for granted so easily. 

The best thing you can give children, next to good habits, are good memories.

Sally and I had our boys within months of each other. It is hard to fathom that we won't have 4 boys having adventures. They shared clothes, milestones and both of us share that quest to capture those times with video and photos. And I am so grateful now, because my boys can remember all the happy ordinary family times we've had together.

Skye B you have given us so many treasured memories and we will all miss you forever.

He had a final message to all his supportive fans on Facebook. A message that I will strive to live by.

We all need to remember to make the most of what we've got. 

Make the most of every day. And hug your small or big ones a little bit tighter. Now go and find the dressing up, or whatever makes your children happy and make them smile like cheshire cats. 

Linking up with The Ordinary Moments

From the age of 6 weeks old I have been visiting our family holiday home in Southbourne. It's the place in the world that I feel truly relaxed and I get hit with a tidal wave of nostalgia that knocks me into a happy place with the full force of childhood sentimentality.

The beach hut is full of photos of all the family and every year we have a week on the sand, come rain or shine. 

Southbourne, thank you for the memories this year. It's such a pleasure to see the boys reliving my childhood, that somethings never get old, feeding the squirrels, running on the bandstand, digging huge holes on the beach. Well this year it was a Red Arrow! 

So here's my Me and Mine for August 2014, recreating the first time we took baby Ollie to our happy place.

Four pairs of long legs! 

Now it's time to head back to Weston and start packing! Moving day is less than 3 weeks away! Somerset here we come.

I've shown you me and mine, now show me you and yours! 

Head over to Lucy's blog and see what her sweet family have been up to. I've been pouring over Lucy's blog this month and her beautiful family portrait sessions they have had and definitely want to book one of our own. I love the snaps we have captured over the Summer but sometimes letting someone else take control of the camera shows you a whole dimension of your family you sometimes miss behind the lens. 

I can't wait to see all your family photos this month.

This Summer has been a Summer for family and blogging has firmly taken a back seat. 

I have hundreds of photos to share of our happy times but have run out of time each day to blog them! I have often been guilty of spending so much time recording the moment, rather than enjoying the moment, but was determined this year, to make the most of our holidays with family and adventures with friends before we move.

Of course we all want to share our fun times and there's a strange sense of achievement when you get a large number of "likes" for a photo but this Summer there's only one thing I want you to like. 

If you follow my blog on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook you may have seen me talking about Loom to the Moon, the vision of an incredible little boy.

Skye is 5 and slowly losing his courageous fight against a disease he developed following treatment for an aggressive brain tumour.

Exactly a year ago my sister and I spent a week at our family holiday home in Southbourne and on a sunny day as we sat on the deck of the beach hut we received a call we would never wish on anyone. That our cousin's little boy had cancer.

Sally and I have grown up like sisters and had our sons just months apart from each other. 4 healthy boys who have spent many happy times together and 2 that were due to start school. Except Skye never started school. His uniform was never collected and whilst we've watched with pride as Sammy conquered two milestones this Summer, learning to swim and riding a bicycle, my cousin has watched her darling boy deteriorate. 

We were so lucky that they were able to join us for a day at the beach hut this week, a precious day making memories that will need to last a lifetime.

I am often teased in our family for endlessly taking photos. And I always say "You can't get these times back you know!" This has never been more true of this photo of 5 out of the 6 cousins. It breaks my heart to think we won't get the chance again to capture these beautiful children together. And when Sammy kissed Skye goodbye and told him he loved him, I felt like someone had shattered my heart into a thousand pieces.

Skye encapsulates the word brave. He has exceeded all expectations by undergoing intensive radiotherapy without the need for a general anaesthetic, lying completely still during the frightening process, in a mask that covered his whole face and body like something out of a horror film, and displaying a determination to walk again after his surgical procedure.

And it feels terribly and painfully unfair that after everything he has been through, he won't share all the happy times we have ahead in the future.

I want everyone to know how proud I am of Skye, what a remarkable son he is to Andrew and Sally and what an inspirational big brother he is to Jesse.

Most recently they have tried a hyperbaric chamber treatment, to try and halt the progression of the disease, and it was in the chamber which felt like a rocket, that Skye suggested they try and Loom to the Moon.

If any of you reading this have spent the last few months cursing these tiny rubber bands, hoovering them up when your children weren't looking, or popping a few ropy lengths in the bin then I need to ask you a favour! Please send them to Blue Skye Thinking, 59 Hendred Way, Abingdon, OX14 2AW, to help Skye achieve his dream of the world's longest loom band.

Over the Summer Sammy and Ollie have achieved some major childhood milestones. Sammy hopped on a friend's bike the other night and suddenly rode around the garden! Both of the boys have learnt to swim, Sammy blowing us away with 3 lengths of a 15m pool, back to back. Ollie decided this week to abandon his armbands and at just 3, is now confidently swimming a width of a 4m pool. We've had play dates with friends, including Sammy's sweetheart Katy. They are both convinced they will get married one day and this innocence is adorable.

Skye has a sweetheart and it's been heartbreaking thinking of all the things he won't have the chance to do in the future. So my cousin gave him a wedding, with his little beloved Ellie! I think these were the photos that stung the most. Seeing the stark difference in such a short time.

If you haven't already please pop onto the Facebook page and like it and follow Blue Skye Thinking on Twitter.

You can also donate to Skye at his Just Giving page HERE. 

Now go and hug someone you love, life is precious.