sibling love

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 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

Siblings July 2016

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As often happens before a siblings post I can be wondering what I have to say about my pair that is new. Then, as also often happens, they are so so cute together that I know exactly what I want to share. In many ways the relationship between this cute pair hasn’t changed much since last month, other than that they have grown ever closer and have more fun together.

On a day out at a country park last week, what started as LM moaning that she wanted to sit on a wooden egg, turned into the loveliest game of them chasing each other round the eggs with the most gorgeous giggles! PhotoGrid_1468230177250

Then later that afternoon when flopped on the sofa, as often happened LM started messing with her brother. She loves to mess with him and I find it pretty incredible how tolerant he is of her. When she poked him in the eye I told her off, only to be told by Monkey “it’s ok, I like it” (huh?) then when she started kicking, I told her off, again to be told by Monkey, “I’m OK, that was lovely kicking” and when she stopped, he asked her to do it again. I give up. PhotoGrid_1468230299443

Obviously there are tantrums and squabbles over toys and things but for the most part we see so so lucky how much fun they have together. LM is without doubt the leader of the 2 and Monkey often copies her when she is acting loopy, he just loves having her to play with I think. PhotoGrid_1468230819572

So that’s my little pair at the moment. There are big changes ahead with Monkey started school in September, so I am looking forward to having a lot of fun with them both over the holidays.

dear beautiful

SIblings June 2015

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I love watching my little pair and seeing their relationship grow and develop as each month passes. This month they really seem to have grown the tiniest bit closer. I wouldn’t have said it was possible, as they were already so close, but they have. I think partially because LM is getting older so their interactions are changing. Looking through the photos from the last month there are so many examples of the fun they have together!june siblings

Sometimes they are content to play alongside each other, both doing their own thing but simultaneously, which I do love and is seriously cute. It also makes a change from arguing over things or messing with each other.june siblings 1

Because oh they do like to mess with each other, in pretty good spirits most of the time. LM is a cheeky thing and she does do most of the messing. From just going up to her brother and poking him in the face (haha) to playing peepo with her brother from behind his chair at the table.june siblings 2

Very often when they are sat on the sofa together LM will sidle closer and closer to her brother until she is basically on top of him and sometimes it gets very giggly and silly which is lovely. Add a front facing camera in to that and it can get a bit bonkers hahajune siblings 3

It’s funny to watch but though she is younger LM is the bossiest of the pair, she knows her own mind and what she wants to do, and a lot of the time Monkey is very happy to follow her lead. He will often copy what she is up to and follow her. Difficult sometimes when obviously we are a bit more lenient on her due to her age but expect him to know better than to copy her naughtier behaviours. We aren’t that lenient on her obviously and so she does have tantrums. On a recent walk, in the midst of her mini meltdown, LM plonked herself on the path and refused to move, beacuse a blade of grass annoyed her I think (honestly sometimes she is such a drama queen it actually makes me chuckle, but thats another story!) and bless her big brother he sat down with her out of solidarity haha cutie.june siblings 6

A great example of her bossiness that I happened to capture was when she wanted to lie on the beanbag but Monkey was on it. After a very brief argument (wordless on her part) he gave in, rolled off.. and well as you can see LM was quite pleased with herself.june siblings 4

Bathtime gives the best and most fun example of her dominance and is also the best example of the fun they have together. They are such a little duo in the bath and most of the time he copies what she is doing… which she loves and plays up to. For obvious reasons I am limited with how much I can share visually to show this, but suffice to say bathtime can get very loud and very wet! It is also very fun though.june siblings 5

They are such a lovely pair and yes there are the odd arguments and squabbles but I think we are lucky for the most part as it is very rare. Just this morning I saw Monkey take his sister’s hand and I say “you’re my best friend.”She shook him off and ran away giggling but that’s just the way they are. So lucky to have each other.

dear beautifulEthans EscapadesBest of Worst

Siblings April 2016

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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.