Siblings

Siblings April 2017

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I’ve always loved watching the relationship between my siblings grow and develop and it’s lovely to look at how much their relationship changes month by month. IMG_20170413_200214_004

They play together a lot more now, which brings with it a lot more bickering. I was away a couple of days this week visiting my very poorly aunt (I may share more about that one day if I have the strength) and when I called hubs at one point, the first thing I heard was Monkey yelling “LM no! Don’t do that!” haha. A good reminder that life goes on. Anyway, LM loves to try and boss her brother around and he’s very sweet so sometimes he concedes, but actually it is making him stand up for himself by saying no, which is good for him. It’s funny how they learn so much from each other, it’s not a one way street and I really love that.

There’s a lot going on at the moment so I’m keeping this short and sweet, and here are a few photos of my little pair, just going about their lives, together. PhotoGrid_1492153918094

Plus I love this one that Hubs took while I was away.. IMG-20170412-WA0014

And this one really sums up their relationship I think. A very put upon little Monkey being squished by a cheeky sister who loves nothing more than trying to wind him up! (Excuse the mess of our house lol!) 20170401_160614

So there we have it, our little siblings in the last month. They do love each other though and love a good snuggle too. IMG-20170412-WA0013

Motherhood

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It’s Mother’s Day coming up, and the lovely people at Ollie and Leila asked me to share my experience of motherhood. We are all different and our kids are all different, so I think it is inevitable that we all experience motherhood differently.

WP_000183I always knew I wanted to be a mum, but only in a vague way really. I wanted to live a bit first and then assumed it would happen when it happened. Ah the arrogance of youth eh? I was one of the lucky ones, I know that now, as it did happen for me, and pretty easily. Far more easily than I thought it would actually. I came off the pill (that I had been on for over 10 yrs) and was pregnant by the next month.

We were a bit shocked but it was what we wanted and we were ready for it… Or as ready as you can be. I don’t really think anyone can truly be ready to be a parent and no matter how much you talk about it, or how many friends and relatives you have seen become parents, it is still such a shock to the system when it is your turn.

DSC_0552I haven’t always found motherhood easy. We’ve dealt with colic and lactose intolerance and silent reflux. We’ve had fussy eaters and late talkers. The constant wondering ‘am I doing the right thing?’ can be so hard and I’m finding that doesn’t really stop. Nearly 5 years on I still have no idea much of the time whether I am making the right decisions or doing the right thing. But, my kids are happy for the most part and healthy so I guess I must be doing ok.

It’s exhausting too, especially so since our Little Miss joined us and made us a family of four. Going from one child to two is not an easy step. In many ways you know what is ahead of you, and I guess some mums are more relaxed second time around… But there a whole host of other challenges. First time round you didn’t also have a toddler to deal with while you were cluster feeding a newborn or changing outfits thanks to a pooplosion.WP_20141030_09_21_13_Pro

With two children, I have found it so difficult to find a balance between the needs of both children. At different ages and stages they need different things from you… But they both still need you. There’s jealousy, squabbles and bickering. Sometimes it is easier to tell Monkey to give in to LM when she wants something, to keep the peace. But that isn’t fair on him and actually doesn’t give her the right message either. That doesn’t mean I haven’t told him to do it though, because sometimes you just want an easy life.

Then there’s trying to find time for yourself, to still be you, when you have the constant demands of children. To make time for your partner when you’re both so so tired by your day. Making time to see friends, to have a hobby, to take care of yourself. It’s all too easy to let one or more of those things slip.

Motherhood is hard, it’s all consuming and it’s exhausting.

But.

I wouldn’t change it for the world.

These little people who run me ragged, who drive me crazy and who push me to my limits. These little people are amazing, and I’m so lucky and so grateful to be their mama. It sounds twee and cliche but it’s the truth. My little boy tells me that I’m the best Mummy ever and I melt. My little madam snuggles in for a cuddle, or gives me her cheekiest look and I just adore her. I watch them playing with their daddy or just messing with each other and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. It all happened so fast and my life has changed so much, but I couldn’t imagine life without this little pair, I really couldn’t.PhotoGrid_1489340144996

Motherhood is hard, but worth it.

Disclosure: I was gifted a beautiful necklace in exchange for writing this post however all thoughts, feelings and photos are my own.

Siblings March 2017

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It’s that time again to have a little look at my pair of siblings over the last month. The end of February saw half term for us, which meant Monkey and Little Miss got to spend some time together, and I have to admit I loved how well they got on for the most part.

They both love to get dressed up, and they spent quite a large proportion of the week dressed up as a Tiger and “a miaow”  (actually a zebra costume but LM is convinced it is a cat, and I can understand why!) which was lovely. We had fun snuggled up at home but also lots of fun little walks where they ran around chasing each other and just looking really cute haha. They have a lot of fun together they really do.PhotoGrid_1489307069697

It was also lovely seeing them on days out together over the week. It was so cute at the zoo when Monkey would lean in to his little sister to tell her about the animals. He did it loads, talking just to her and I thought it was so sweet of our boy. They had a great time running around together there too.PhotoGrid_1489308361849

There were so many other little moments that week, both at home and out and about where they were just having fun together. It was lovely for them to spend some time together. PhotoGrid_1489308839128

They obviously do squabble and bicker though like any siblings and drive each other mad. LM can be very bossy with her brother and of course he doesn’t always want to do as she says. One thing this week that was so funny though was at mealtime. Monkey can take ages to eat his dinner, he procrastinates and daydreams and plays so we are constantly having to remind him to keep eating. LM has obviously picked up on this and Friday it was just the two of them at the table (hubs and I were planning a cheeky takeaway that evening) and she took on the role of parent “No, Cugger, ng, now!” in LM speech that tanslates to “No, brother, eat, now!” Monkey was not impressed by this and got very cross, shouting “you are not in charge!” back at her.

20170306_075539So they do have their moments, but I know on the whole we are lucky with how well they get on. One morning Monkey was supposed to be getting dressed ready for school, and I went in his room to find the pair of them sat quite happily playing lego together instead. Cute…. If we hadn’t had to be out of the door in 15 mins time!

They still love to mess with each other, with lots of tickling and chasing each other round. LM loves to wind her brother up by taking his toys to make him chase her and of course sometimes he gets massively annoyed but other times he takes it in fairly good humour! There’s also a lot of snuggling together under blankets,  which is adorable, and there’s been quite a few kisses and cuddles recently too, which I adore!PhotoGrid_1489309323757

So there we have it, my little pair of siblings over the last month, with tonnes of pictures as usual! Ending with my favourite shot of the month, showing just how much they love each other. IMG_20170308_195837_998

Siblings February 2016

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My two little people really do adore each other. Yes, they bicker and argue over toys. Yes, they compete to get our attention and, yes, they can seem oblivious to each other’ pain sometimes. But that’s all siblings, right? And at all other times, their love for each other is clear to see.IMG_20170113_084940_763

After school one day recently, we got to the playground and LM immediately started shouting “Cugger, (her word for brother) where are oo Cugger?” and she often asks me where her “cugger” is during the day when she wants him with us. When he us home, and if he is sat watching the tv, she will sit and rest her head on his shoulder, which of course utterly melts my heart.PhotoGrid_1486989108560

As Monkey was 2 1/2 when she was born we aren’t sure how much he remembers of a life pre-LM. But recently he was talking about before she was born, and said he likes it better now, which I thought was dead cute. I wasn’t surprised though as I know how he loves his little sister…. Even though he does like to wind her up… And gets wound up by her! PhotoGrid_1486738394407

He is the only one she will listen to at times. When I can’t get her to budge during a stand off on a walk, he is the one who can get her to come with us, by taking her hand. If I tried that it would be a scream fest haha.PhotoGrid_1486738594516

Life with two kids can be really hard, as any parent of 2 or more will know. But during a recent after school painting session I realised how far we have come and how much more manageable it is these days. Where in the past it would probably have ended in meltdowns all round, this time it went really smoothly. No meltdowns and no paint everywhere!IMG_20170208_162823_214

Of course there are times when the pair of them drive me completely and utterly bonkers… But there are also times when they are really just great fun!PhotoGrid_1486737985059

Siblings January 2017

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Here we are at the middle of January and time once again to catch up with my lovely pair of siblings. After spending so much time together over the holiday period together they seem closer than ever. I’ve loved all the family time and watching my two play. We are well and truly back to normality now though so it’s actually lovely to look back at some piccies from our relaxed time off together.20170112_111450

Of course they have their moments and squabble in the way only siblings can really. LM is a bossy little thing but our Monkey doesn’t like to be bossed so she doesn’t always get her own way with him. For the most part he does play along though, he is very tolerant but I also thin he just loves having her to play with.

Some of my fave examples of sibling fun from the last month are:

Having fun at a John Lewis cafe when we visited the sales.photogrid_1484133222193

Having a floor picnic (and lots of snuggles) in their Den when we got home.photogrid_1484133444707

Some very cute moments on Christmas Day itselfphotogrid_1484133772799

Some lovely moments out and aboutphotogrid_1484135504333

And, all of these other times too!photogrid_1484136124159

Finally, in the smattering of snow we got yesterday I got a very lovely one of themIMG_20170113_084940_763

The outtakes for this are hilarious as at one point Monkey clearly got some snow in his face that he wasn’t all too happy about haha.PhotoGrid_1484299838207

I know there’s tonnes of pics here but all the time they’ve spent together have given me a lot of photo ops. Plus, to be honest the only thing that really keeps me blogging these days, is the desire for a record of my kiddies as they grow, and witnessing the development of their relationship is all part of that. Monkey is 4yrs, 8mths and LM is 2yrs 3mths.

Siblings December 2016

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My little pair of siblings. Honestly I feel so lucky as we have the cutest little pair of partners in crime. They have so much fun together and you can honestly see how much they love each other. Our Little Miss is so cheeky and adores messing with her big brother, and thankfully her big brother is an incredibly tolerant Monkey. He finds her hilarious and loves to play along and to give her a big tickle.

There have been so many examples of them having fun together so as always I have put together some collages of the pair of them over the last month. There is lots of messing but also some seasonal fun, meeting Father Christmas, dressing in cute outfits, and one of them sat in a bookcase when we helped my little brother and his fiancee move house. All good memories 🙂photogrid_1481723538026photogrid_1480770914765 photogrid_1481722939060

As an example of her messing, I adore this little clip of Little Miss getting one over on her big brother. She is the cheekiest of the pair by far!


A really cute development is that now LM is talking more. She calls him her bujjer (instead of brother) and does like to boss him about a bit. He doesn’t always want to do as she wants to but bless him he is so good with her and does often play along. Like when she plays the “I’m stuck under the sofa and need my brother to pull me out”game (she adores that one) or the “my brother has to stand exactly where I tell him and race me to mummy” game. Very cute, and she does try to say his name now although she mispronounces it very cutely I can’t put it on here. They play together a lot now and their little rock band was a fun, if noisy, afternoon activity haha.photogrid_1481723356146

My little lovelies in December 🙂

As it is December I have also decided to do a little round up of some of my favourite shots from the whole year to see how much they have grown, so here it is! Jan-December, a year in the life of Monkey and Little Miss. I love the siblings project for reminding and encouraging me to capture this pair and their relationship, so thank you for hosting Lucy & co.siblings-2016

Christmas Wishes

As a slight aside, you may have seen I’ve been a bit quiet on here lately, and that is mainly because there is just a lot on going on at the moment, as I am sure there is for you too. So, as life must come first I will probably be pretty quiet now until after the big day.  In case I don’t manage to publish anything else before then, I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. I hope Father Christmas brings you all you could wish for and you have a happy day with the ones you love

xxxxxx

The Me and Mine Project

Siblings, November 2016

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Ah my little pair of cuties. It’s been an interesting month for them and definitely with some ups and downs. In my last siblings post I mentioned how their relationship had altered as a result of Monkey starting school and how they seemed a little less close. Well their has been more changes this month with both of them learning a little more about what it is to be a sibling I think.

It was LM’s 2nd birthday at the end of October and it was a challenging time for Monkey. It was the first time he has had to properly cope with his sister getting so much attention. He was very excited by all of her toys and she didn’t mind her brother playing with them at times, but there were times when he wanted what she had, and we had to explain to him that they were her toys and it was her birthday. That he was allowed to play with her toys but that if she wanted them, that he had to let her have them.20161113_204135

It was the first occasion where she was old enough to really relish the attention. At her first birthday and last christmas she was much more along for the ride really, and Monkey was able to hold the lime light.. now though, she can hold her own and of course it was all about her that day. For the most part Monkey coped really well, though there were moments where it was hard for him bless him. They did also have some lvely sibling moments that day, especially on our bed in the morning sat playing together!

At her birthday, LM got some paw patrol toys and both kids adored them and yes squabbled over them. As they are her toys unfortunately Monkey was the one to lose out if LM wasn’t in the mood to share. Shortly after her birthday I found some cheap paw patrol toys on ebay and bought them for them. These toys were very much for both of them but ooh LM did not want to share them. It was a lesson for her, and I have to admit the first of many similar lessons for her. At 2 she is no longer a baby and as I have mentioned previously I may have been a bit too soft with her at times and let her get away with a bit much, and she does need a little more discipline…

Anyway I digress. The point is that both kiddies have had to learn that they have to share with their sibling. There are squabbles most days and I try and let them resolve most issues themselves.. as I fear these squabbles will be around for many years to come and I don’t want to be their constant referee!

Despite the squabbles and learning to share however, their relationship hasn’t suffered. In fact it seems to have recovered from the changes of last month. There has been some seriously adorable moments between them that I have loved watching. From simply sitting together or playing alongside each other…

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To messing with each other, clambering on each other and having lots of rough and tumble fun!20161113_205522

They really love each other and though their relationship will always have their ups and downs and they both have so much to learn, I love watching them grow and learn together.20161113_210416

dear beautiful

Siblings October 2016

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It’s been an interesting month for our little siblings the month. It’s the month that their relationship experienced a big change, with Monkey starting school full time. After a wonderful summer where they spent almost every day together this has been a huge change and I have noticed the difference in their relationship.

In many ways they are the same as ever, messing with each other and enjoying each other’s company. They just get to do this a lot less.photogrid_1476447680705

We’ve also all been ill quite a bit since Monkey started school and that hasn’t helped as what time they have had together hasnt been as fun for them. They just don’t seem quite so close at the moment though. There’s a lot more bickering and Monkey especially is more possessive over his toys and doesn’t want to play with his sister as much.

It’s not a big deal and they do still love each and have fun together biu their relationship has definitely shifted a little. I thought LM may miss Monkey with him being at school but although she is glad to see him at the end end of the day, if anything she is more excited about the friends we meet at the playground.

The after school, before dinner, time can be tricky for us. Monkey can be tired and basically wants to watch the TV or do some drawing, whereas having usually had a nap, LM can be full of beans and wanting to do something. So it can be a difficult time to manage both of their wants and LM definitely gets jealous when I try and spend a bit of time with Monkey or do any of his phonics homework with him. Which irritates me as she has had me all day and I feel for Monkey as he wants some attention too.

I guess it is still early days with school and we are all still adjusting. Their relationship is growing and changing all the time and as ever I look forward to seeing how it changes over the months and years to come. They are still a pair of cuties. photogrid_1476447956906

Did your siblings’ relationship change when the eldest started school?

Siblings September 2016

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We’ve had such a lovely summer holiday and the last month has seen so many gorgeous moments between our lovely pair that I don’t really know where to start. As such I apologise for the glut of images but I can’t help snapping away when they are being adorable with each other, and this linky does give me the opportunity to show those images to the world.

So, as ever, my children love to mess with each other. It’s pretty equal and both usually give as good as they get, and are tolerant of each other, resulting in lots of lovely giggles. There are times when one isn’t in the mood but those times are rare and they generally have so much fun together. photogrid_1473602607206

They love playing together and although there are times when LM messes up what Monkey wants to be doing (like running over to stand on the picture he was painting when we were painting outside last week, before running off with a huge cheeky grin on her face!), there are more times when she just plays alongside him. I particularly love how they sit and play lego together in his bedroom. So cute! photogrid_1473603516697

Monkey is so overprotective of his sister and always wants to make sure she’s ok. Sometimes I have to tell him that he should go and have fun as I am there to look after her. He doesn’t always think I am doing a good job though, so I am not sure what that says about my parenting haha. In truth though he thinks he is a parent too I think which is lovely but I do wish he wasn’t such a worrier sometimes. Still, it makes for some lovely moments where he says he is looking after her. photogrid_1473685688524

The loveliest recent development is that LM, who is not the biggest of hand-holders at the best of times, now loves to hold her brother’s hand. It started on a recent outing where we had a stand off going and LM would not walk the direction we were going. We were trying to move on so she would catch up when she wasn’t getting our attention for her behaviour, but Monkey, with his over-protectiveness, did not approve of this method. He did not like that we were leaving her behind so I announced “I will go get her.” Now, if hubs or I had gone and taken her hand to lead her then all hell would have broken loose, but, miraculously she allowed Monkey to lead her by the hand. photogrid_1473604113753

From then on she has not only allowed him to hold her hand but actively demands he hold her hand sometimes, which we do find completely adorable.photogrid_1473607111665

Monkey doesn’t always want to comply with her demands, it has to be said, but is a bit of a softy and usually relents. I love this video of a very reluctant superhero gradually giving in to his little sister’s demands and holding her hand!

Another little development has been an addition to our bedtime routine. Once LM has had her stories read, it is time for her to say goodnight to her brother with a kiss and cuddle. Just adorable! 20160912_142002

I think that covers most of their recent cuteness together! When this post is published Monkey will have only just started his week of mornings at school and I think LM won’t really have missed him much. But I get the feeling that as he starts doing full days that she really will note his absence. I wonder how their relationship will change as a result.

dear beautifulEthans EscapadesBest of Worst

Siblings August 2016

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I love the relationship between my little two. It’s everything a sibling relationship should be, in my mind. They have so much fun playing together, they mess with each other, wind each other up, drive each other crazy and love each other fiercely.

The big change this month though is how protective our Monkey has gotten over his little sister. Such a good big brother but I do wish he would worry less sometimes, as that’s our job. She’s at an age where she falls over a lot and seems to have constantly grazed knees, this doesn’t bother her for more than a few seconds each time, but he hates seeing her get hurt and constantly tries to prevent it. “don’t run! Mummy stop her running. Mummy you have to carry her so she doesn’t fall over!” He’s also her little defender “Mummy, you took that away from LM and that’s not fair!” Never mind the fact that she just whacked me with it or threw it!

LM is talking a bit more now (I will write a separate post about this) and Monkey loves it. He can’t wait for her talk and gets so excited and proud of her when she says something. He has also started initiating little conversations with her.
Monkey: “Ooh look LM I’ve got longer legs than you”
Me: “Yes you do have longer legs than LM”
Monkey: “Excuse me, I was talking to LM”

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They have so much fun together and I adore hearing the giggles as they play, and looking to see what they are up to and seeing their grins. But it also makes me chuckle when they wind each other up as actually for the most part they both find it funny when they do it to each other. But of course Monkey can annoy her by going too far, and vice versa.PhotoGrid_1471092104152

Still, all part of the sibling fun eh? We are actually very fortunate with how well they get on though,and they sre cute with each other far far more than anything else. We shall see how that changes as they grow and when she can answer him back haha.

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dear beautiful
Little Hearts, Big Love