Siblings April 2016

Wow I can’t believe it is time for another siblings post already. Seriously where is this year going? April, wowzers.

This month has seen the arrival of spring, which has meant warmer, milder days and lots of fun outdoors. It has also been the easter holidays, which because of chicken pox and tummy bugs beforehand, seemed to last forever in our house. It has meant lots of time together. In other words lots of fun but also lots of screaming and pushing and getting on each others nerves. Lots of of Monkey getting jealous over the amount of attention his sister demands and lots of tantrums on both sides.

So it has been tricky at times but there are still many many times where they melt my heart and I really couldn’t ask for them to have a better relationship.

They have so much fun together now, with lots of chasing and giggling going on and that’s where some of my favourite shots of them together come from this month.PhotoGrid_1460371765179

I also love these shots. Yes they are both glued to my phone (stellar parenting eh?) but I love the way they are actually sharing it for once… Or at least that they start off sharing it… And that even though Monkey tries to move it away, I like LM’s determination to keep her eyes on it, and I love the way they are sort of snuggled in the end. Cuties! PhotoGrid_1460374522635

And finally, just because they are adorable, some of the other random shots of my little pair together. Love them!PhotoGrid_1460375615397

There’s no denying that two kiddies are hard work and I have to admit to being glad to getting back to routine this week with Monkey being back at preschool. But I love them so much and I love the way they love each other too.

Siblings March 2016

I love watching my funny pair and seeing their relationship grow. They get on so well (for the most part) and have a lot of fun together. They obviously have their moments of irritating each other where LM screams at Monkey or he shouts at her and tells her off. But the fun times are more frequent.

On a rainy morning last week I set them up playing with lentils in the tuff spot. They started off playing happily side by side, then after a reminder from Mummy to Monkey that he needed to share the bowl of lentils, played together a bit.PhotoGrid_1457528322846

Then things got a bit chaotic, in the best way. I think LM started it but I wasn’t watching at that moment so I am not sure. What I did see though was Monkey pouring lentils on LM’s head. Then her tipping some on his head. Then this happened. Just lovely and thankfully they are both so tolerant of each other as they were having so much fun!

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On another occasion, sat on the sofa watching TV, LM decided they weren’t quite close enough so started clambering onto her brother. He retaliated by holding a funnel on her head. As you do. She got annoyed and wanted off… at which point he clung onto her saying he wanted to cuddle her (awww) but she was not happy about that. It was getting a bit silly (not in a good way) so I separated them a little. LM hadn’t quite had enough though so carried on sticking her legs on him… at which point Monkey decided to go with it and started “fixing” her foot with the funnel. And she was completely tolerant of that. Random kiddies. PhotoGrid_1457528933011

Monkey has a thing at the moment where he likes wrapping himself in a blanket on the floor and being a caterpillar. LM loves it when he does this as she loves climbing on him haha.PhotoGrid_1457557914219

They really care about each other a lot too. LM has hated seeing Monkey unhappy and poorly with chicken pox last week and every time he cried she ran over with a very concerned expression to see if he was OK. And for his part, when I bring her down from her nap he greets her with “hello my darling, did you have a lovely sleep?”  What a cutie. 

There is so much I could say about this lovely pair’s relationship, so instead, here are some more snapshots of them together over the past month. 

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dear beautiful

Siblings February 2016

Wow how are we in the middle of February already? This year is already whizzing by and I have a feeling that won’t change.

My gorgeous pair are growing and developing all the time and their relationship is growing and changing with them. I just love to see them together, it makes all the tricky times that come with having 2 children so worth it.PhotoGrid_1455284539747

I love watching them play together, sometimes just side by side but other times helping each other, or copying each other. They just love to be around each other.PhotoGrid_1455284833865

And Monkey has some seriously tender moments with his baby sister where he just announces how much he loves her and bowls her over with a giant cuddle!PhotoGrid_1455285088321

For her part she just loves messing with her big brother. Difficult to catch on camera but she just comes up to him and starts messing with his hair. Or she lies with her feet on him kicking him. Or she runs up to give him something then snatches it back and runs away laughing. Such a cheeky madam and for the most part Monkey is so good and so accommodating of her cheekiness towards her.20160205_083628

Hubs managed to catch a video of this last weekend while I was away. It isn’t amazing quality as it was very early morning so quite dark, and post breakfast so they are still in their pjs. Proof that they did manage to have some nice times together while I was away though 😉 and a very good example of LM messing with her big brother, and him being amazingly tolerant of it. The toy she has is his doggy bear, his one special toy, and as a sign of how much he loves her he often says she can share him. Bless.

Of course there are plenty of squabbles and snatching of toys at times too. Monkey takes something from her and refuses to give it back no matter how much she screams and she does the same to him. He barges past her and knocks her over without realising she is there and doesn’t know his own strength and leaps on her when we are messing around. Sometimes, because he is the big brother and because he is so tall for his age, it is too easy to expect him not to do these things. But we have to remind ourselves that he isn’t even 4 yet. To not expect too much of him.

So instead we focus on the lovely moments, as they are far more frequent.

dear beautifulBest of WorstMummascribbles

Monkey Says – age 3 3/4

Our little boy seems to get cuter all the time. And the things he says these days? Oh he makes me chuckle, and sometimes makes me melt. He also makes me cross though, no doubt about that!

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So what little gems has he been coming out with lately?Well for a start he is now copying a lot of the things we say, and hearing a 3 year old come out with some adult phrases really is so cute. For example

What in the world!?” and “What on earth?” when he doesn’t understand something or sees something new. Then there is also “It’s the biggest I ever seen” and “I never seen it!” meaning he has never seen anything like it before. So cute!

Less cute is when he copies our stern voice and tells us off.  “Don’t do that to me” and “Ok I said” which really riles us up. Especially when he is steadfastly ignoring us and after repeating a request (for example, Please eat your porridge) he responds very loudly with “Ok!” ooh makes us grumpy! And then when he says “Ok just calm down guys” it either makes me chuckle or really winds me up as generally I am perfectly calm and wish he would just do what I am asking him to!

I have to admit I loved it when I was pulling a daft face and he put on his stern voice and pointed at me and said “Stop doing that face ever again. You mustn’t do that again ok?” haha bless him. Not sure pulling a funny face warranted the voice and commands usually reserved for him hitting or pushing his sister though!

The way he copies the things Daddy and I say to LM is interesting too. He is forever telling her off for throwing her food on the floor or for standing on the sofa which is very sweet but sadly she ignores him even more than she ignores us. Yes she really is a madam at the moment. I love it when he copies us by calling her a “cheeky madam” though. He really hates sharing with his sister at the moment and I did think it was very cute when he held up a toy in front of her and said “Father Christmas got me this so it’s mine, ok?

20160127_104051 (3)Monkey may be stroppy at times but he is such a softy and is so loving. Daddy normally does bathtime but I was having a bath with him & LM the other day and melted when he came out with “You’re very pretty aren’t you. I’m married to you aren’t I?” and he frequently tells us “I just love you so much” and he does include his little sister in this too frequently combining that statement with a huge hug that often knocks her over haha

The questions have really stepped up lately, though not in the way I would have thought. He is constantly seeking confirmation about things he has said at the moment. “I’m all snuggled aren’t I? That box is annoying isn’t it? I need another blanket don’t I?”  I think this is again something we do with him. When we are talking to him we sometimes ask questions at the end of a sentence to encourage a response and I think this is his version of this. I have to admit that it is frustrating sometimes though constantly having to respond to everything he says!

His imagination is really showing at the moment and coming out in the form of some cracking comments.

“That was a big poo poo. It’s like a creature or something!”

“I’ve got to go and look after LM”

When something was broken and I said it couldn’t be fixed “It’s ok, the elves will come and fix it, won’t they?” Errrrm

monkeysaurus rexHe gives his toys characters a lot of times and actually inanimate objects too and they after often missing their mummy or daddy, daft little cutie! He loves dressing up at the moment too and adores pretending to be Andy from Andy’s Wild Adventures… and dressing up as a dinosaur. But he does want to make sure that he is a “friendly dinosaur” and whenever we talk about any animals, tigers, lions, crocodiles, sharks etc… they must be “friendly” ones.

He is interacting more and more with friends now at playgroup and often comes home telling me so and so is his best friend – and it changes quite a lot! Harvey, Jack, Michael, Preston haha. He has also played so so nicely with some of my friends little boys recently which has been amazing for me as he has someone else to play with! He still needs a lot of interaction the rest of the time. I loved it though when he was playing with a friend the other day and he suddenly says “Mummy, LM isn’t bad, is she?” Of course I said no and he turns to his friend and says “see, LM’s not bad.” Bless him defending his little sister!

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One thing that he has picked up from friends that I am not keen on is the concept that some things are for girls to play and with and some things are for boys to play with. That’s just noth something I agree with and both kids play with dolls, cars, whatever and the only things LM can’t play with at the moment are those that pose a choking risk. So when he says “this isn’t for girls, it’s just for boys isn’t it?” m response is with a fairly firm no and telling him that both boys and girls can do the same things and play with all the same toys. We will see how that concept progresses over time I guess!

Another of Monkey’s favourite sentences at the moment is “Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t.” or “Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t” usually after we have explained something to him or talked about something. Sometimes it is very accurate but sometimes it isn’t remotely relevant to what we have been talking about haha. Clearly copies that from me though!

Phew I could probably go on forever as he does come out with such cute little comments, but I will leave it there till next time!

 

 

Siblings January 2016

Parenting 2 kids can be a lot of hard work, there is no doubt about it. But one of the best things about parenting 2 kids is watching them grow and develop together. I love watching my two have fun together, yes they annoy each other and bicker and snatch toys from each other but on the whole they get on brilliantly and I couldn’t ask for more. Monkey especially is so good and tolerant of his baby sister thank goodness and it is lovely seeing them together. So without further ado here are a few shots of my gorgeous pair over the last month.

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LM is screaing with joy here I promise!

 

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dear beautiful

Siblings, December 2015

My little cuties really grow and change so much each day, let alone each month, and their relationship grows with them. In many ways they are the same as last month, they are still very possessive of me and fight for mummy cuddles. As evidenced by Monkey’s most frequently uttered phrase at the moment “But I want you all the time!” and though she isn’t really verbal yet we get the idea that with her whines LM is essentially saying the same thing haha.

They fight for toys and wind each other up in the way that only siblings can, but they are also so so loving with each other and have a lot of fun together. They chase each other round playing hide and seek and laughing away at each other and it is music to my ears, especially compared to the whining, shouting and screaming that sometimes accompanies their playtime. Here is a little video of them having fun before bathtime this evening, just a little glimpse into their random world.

They get up to a lot of mischief together too. LM loves a good box of tissues… and one day monkey couldn’t resist joining in the fun. Cheeky pair honestly but I have to admit we did let this unfold for a bit… they were just having so much fun together!tissue box

One of their favourite places to play together is on Monkey’s bed, randomly enough. LM loves climbing up and sitting on his bed and they are so cute when they sit together or snuggle up… or play about like loons. Monkey quite enjoys bouncing on the bed and she generally finds this hilarious too.bouncing on the bed

They have so much fun though occasionally it ends in tears. Monkey was bouncing yesterday and singing about Monkey’s bouncing on the bed. Next second we hear a thunk, LM is on the floor crying and Monkey is pointing at her singing “one fell off and bumped his head… Mummy called the Dr and the Dr said, no more Monkeys bouncing on the bed!” Ah the joys eh ? Thankfully she didn’t actually hurt herself too badly!

Cuties though 🙂cuties december 2015