My Two #7

My first, 'my two' post of 2018.  I am still striving to be more consistent with my blog but, as I am sure anyone who reads my blog understands, the pressures of a full time job and being a mama to two small children.

We entered this new year with a 4 year old Posey and a 3 year old Lochlann.  It is so strange to me that we are leaving the baby and toddler years behind with these two.  I feel like I have been a mother to babies for such a long time with them being so close together.  They were so excited for their birthdays.  However Posey now walks around telling me how she is nearly five.  Why do children do this? Ha.  I remember doing it as a child.  If only we had the ability to savour our childhood when we are children.

Anyway, I digress...

#1
Our biggest love, Posey Margaret Ivy.  Our sassy, bright and inquisitive little four year old.  She continues to love school and life in the sunshine but misses some of her family terribly.  Here in Abu Dhabi we are unable to use things like FaceTime and Skype meaning that talking to loved ones, back in the UK, is pretty impossible.  Unfortunately it affects our little P the most.  She's a brave one though.  If you ask her at the moment, her favourite friends in school are Eduardo and Isabella and she loves reading and writing her name.  She has definitely got into crafting and art of late.  She has a great imagination and is often drawing and creating pictures to give to family at home when we visit in the summer. One humorous yet tiring thing to note about P at the moment is that she often wakes in the night to tell me she is hungry and that she must have a snack.  I am thinking it is down to a growth spurt and that it won't last long!  She is very much into babies right now.  She is desperate for a little brother or sister, in fact she has put in a request for one of each (I am massively broody so I won't deny that I am pleased she would like more siblings).

One final thing to note about little miss P right now is how excited she gets when she goes to watch her daddy play rugby.  She beams with pride and gets all giddy.  It really is the sweetest thing.

#2
Without a doubt the biggest thing to note about our littlest love, Lochlann Armstrong Samuel is that he is FINALLY toilet trained.  Can I get a hallelujah?!
We are so, so proud of him.  He has just turned three and in all honesty I was beginning to panic about this but we are there, he's done it.  In fairness he has actually done really well which goes to show you really just need to chill and they will do it in their own time, when they are ready.
I am not sure whether it is that he has turned three or what but I have noticed recently that he has become a little more stroppy and defiant at times.  The time out spot has remained pretty warm of late.  The term, 'threenager' has definitely sprung to mind once or twice.  Nothing we can't handle though.  His is such a funny little character, he often has Sam and I in stitches with his facial expressions and outlook on the world.  He is such a wind up merchant too, always winding his sister up!

He is continuing to do well at nursery and plays with the other children more and more.  This week we have had a little mid-term break but L has still been in nursery.  Instead of taking him in for seven on the dot we have had slowish mornings and dropped him off between eight and nine.  This has meant I have been able to see him happily skip off and play with a few lovely little children that are so happy to see him.  My mind has been put at ease now.  Yes this is a little boy that is happy in his own company which is great but now I am confident he has some little friends too! What more can a mama ask for eh?!


And there we have it, a little update and the two smallest and most special people in my life.


Quick question - we would love more littles but can't decide on the number of them.  If we wait another year or two for baby no.3 do you think stop there as I'll be 31/32 or go for baby no.4 too?!  I would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you are a mama to 3 or 4.

Thanks for reading,

Shop small in 2018.

So,  I wasn't sure whether to write about this now or save it for February (I am longing for pay day don't know about anyone else).  But, after watching so many lovely ladies on Instagram supporting small brands over the Christmas period, I really wanted to write a post about which small brands we love and why.

All my life, my dad has run his own business.  It's a football merchandise business and I spent many a weekend working for him.  He, pretty much, works every day of the year with really long hours so I have seen first hand the blood, sweat, tears and passion that goes into running your own business.  This is why I think it is so important to support small brands and help their business grow if you can. At the end of the day,  supporting the brands I am going to feature in this post allows a mama to keep doing what she loves and spend more time with her children too - whilst allowing you to enjoy amazing products.

I hope you enjoy this post; let's get into it.

Brand 1.  Birdies and Bearcubs http://www.birdiesandbearcubs.co.uk

This is a brand I have been admiring for about two years now.  They are a children's clothing brand and do a few items for adults too... after all twinning is winning!  They stock tees, sweaters, hats and hoodies.  Our most favourite items are the tees and sweaters.  Most recently,  we purchased their special edition Santa tees. For Christmas,  Posey received the gorgeous red 'we both matter tee' and Lochann got the Mumma's boy tee in a beautiful burgundy colour.  I also have my eye on the, 'darling you're different' tee for Posey and the, 'I am enough' tee for myself.

The quality of this range is really brilliant, I honestly cannot fault it.  The clothes are really comfortable and my children love wearing them.  In fact,  my son often strops if his momma's boy tee isn't clean! I often size up when I buy for my littles from this brand but that is purely because I want them to fit them for as long as possible as we love these items so much.  They wash really well too, which is a winner!

Jade, the lovely lady who runs Birdies and Bearcubs, is really friendly and super stylish.  She also gives me major hair envy as she has gorgeous locks and a fringe to be proud of! 😊 You can follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jadelarrah/

Tops: Birdies & Bearcubs.  Shorts Cribstar 

Tops  Birdies & Bearcubs 

Brand 2. Cribstar https://www.cribstar.co.uk

Ok, Cribstar is another stylish children's clothing brand run by a lovely mama.  This is my go to shop for trendy little tops for birthdays.  Last year,  I got my children matching ones that said, ' not your basic 2 year old and not your basic 3 year old.'   This year, we went for something slightly different and bought the candle tees which both the children love.  Again, the quality is great and the prices are reasonable.  For P and L's birthday outfits this year, I also treated them to a pair of matching shorts each.  They are comfy little grey numbers with a leopard style print on them.  I love Lochlann's little bottom in his and Posey looks super stylish in hers.  I like to team these little outfits with their converse.  Honestly my children are far better dressed than I am!

Top Birdies & Bear cubs Shorts Cribstar 

Top: Cribstar Shorts: Next from a pack of three.

Brand 3.  TeddyandCo http://teddyandco.bigcartel.com

This brand is a little different as it isn't a clothing brand.  This lovely lady sells prints and wooden peg dolls.  I have followed her instagram shop for a while now and have often sat and thought about how much my two would love the peg dolls.  I love the fact they are not plastic- fantastic, much more pleasing to my eye!   Plus I love the idea that these are custom made.  I decided to buy some for Lochlann's third birthday.  We are now the proud owners of Batman, The Joker, Woody and Buzz!  Both Posey and Lochlann love playing with the dolls.  They are brilliant quality and look lovely sat on the top of our Ikea play kitchen too!  Another fabulous thing about this brand is ' Fiver Fridays.'  Every Friday,  you can grab yourself a peg doll or a print for just five pounds.  How great is that?
I am planning on adding to our peg doll collection very soon.

Photo credit  Teddy and Co. 

That's it.  There are LOADS more small businesses that I could mention but these three are my favourites at the moment.  Three great quality brands, three lovely mamas and lots of beautiful products.

I know there is a general consensus that buying from small brands is too pricey and I do sometimes understand where people are coming from.  In all honesty though, the brands I have bought from have produced some lovely things that are really great quality.  I plan to buy less ' stuff ' and spend more wisely in 2018.  I am going to shop small in 2018.  I love so many small businesses and what they are all about.

Which are your favourite small brands?  Share yours in the comments!

Thanks for reading.

Lots of love,

A letter to our boy.

Dear Lochlann,

My dear boy, my quiet sensitive little soul who happily plays on his own for hours, is almost three.  I am sat writing this not long after you had an epic tantrum down at the pool.  This proved as a stark reminder that you are still so young even though three seems so grown up.

Truth be told I probably do baby you a little.  Your daddy tells me I do.  But you're so quiet and with those beautiful blonde curly locks, how can I not?  You still use a dummy and we are struggling to potty train you but having spoken to many boy mamas recently I am not too worried.  We will get there, you're just not quite ready and that is okay sweet boy.

You coped with moving out here better than I thought you might considering you are such a home boy.  You are forever asking if we can go home yet, whenever we venture out.  It turns out though, that home to you is wherever your things are and wherever your mama, your daddy and your sister are.

Once in nursery you enjoy it, especially as it has it's own soft play and park.  I know you are safe there and happy.  Your teacher says you will always happily join in during teacher led activities but that you are most happy when in your own little world playing with trucks and trains.  You have made a couple of little friends though and you talk about them which is lovely to hear.  I worry a little for when you move up to our school in September.  I wonder whether you would be better off staying in a small, private nursery instead of in FS1 at school.  But I have faith in you and your sister will be a friendly face just down the corridor.

This Christmas you were an absolute delight.  You asked for one thing and one thing only- a fire engine.  Boy do you love fire engines.  Last Christmas you were more overwhelmed than excited so this year has been just brilliant.  You and your sister buzzed off one another's excitement and I will never forget the pure joy on your face when you finally opened that fire engine.  You seem to love anything with an engine, trains, trucks, tractors and diggers though we never pushed gender specific toys (after all your sister was here first so there were plenty of other toys around).  But there is no doubt about it you are an engines boy.  You love racing them round your road rug and will happily play with them for hours.  You also love playing kitchens and more recently you and your sister have started playing mummies, daddies and grandads which is just the sweetest thing ever.

We all love you so much little Lochlann.  You are a quiet one but come out with little one-liners that can leave us all howling.  I am proud to say that you are a mama's boy but of course you love your daddy too.  Lets see what the year of three has in store for you (apart from potty training, giving up a dummy and starting pre-school- phew).

We love you dearly Lochlann Armstrong Samuel.

Happy birthday my boy.

Lots of love,

Mummy xx

My Two #6

As I write this post I am sat with the air conditioning on, a Bath and Bodyworks candle lit and Christmas songs playing.  I may live in the desert now but I am determined to enjoy the run up to Christmas.

I decided that my next blog post should be an update about the two littlest people in my life because they are the reason I started this blog after all. So without any further delay here are a few words about my littles.

#1 

Miss Posey Margaret Ivy our little school goer.  I still cannot believe she is in school.  It is only FS1 which is nursery nevertheless she is attending school full time and looks adorable in her little uniform.  We are really proud of how she has started her school life. She bounces into class daily, she loves her teacher and has made some lovely little friends.  We have a class dojo app which is great as it means we get a little insight into how she is doing every day and it is so lovely to see her confidence and her feisty little personality developing.  She was totally ready for school and is relishing all the opportunities it is giving her.   On a Sunday she swims at school which she absolutely loves.  Her confidence is growing in the water and she will soon be swimming like a fish.   She continues to assert her own independence wherever she can and even tries to shut me out of the public toilets when she needs a wee!  I find myself having to reason with her about the fact she may lock herself in nearly every time! LOL #mumprobs
She really is becoming my mini best friend though and my one of my favourite things about living out here is the fact I have the opportunity to drop her into her class everyday, watch her skip in happily and then collect her at home time and listen to her stories of the day.

In Dubai Mall on our first visit there... we loved it! 

#2

Now onto that curly haired wonder of ours.  Lochlann is settling slowly and that fact that is nursery has it's own soft play and a mini road with toys cars that he can zoom around on, has absolutely helped!  He still enjoys his own company in nursery a lot of the time but that doesn't worry me too much.  I know my boy, he takes his time and does things when he is comfortable.  Plus he has a play mate at home in his big sister.  With his 3rd birthday looming we have introduced the idea of potty training... Again.  We made a special trip to Ikea for a potty (jokes we are there every bloomin' weekend at the moment).
He is super proud of his potty and will sit on it but is more interested in the convenience of a nappy!  Once the holidays arrive we will have three weeks to crack it so I'll be whacking out a sticker chart and keeping my fingers crossed.  P was quite easy to potty train, so any tips on training a boy would be gratefully received.
One thing that has really stood out about this boy for me most recently has been his kindness.  Sam has this thing where he races Lochlann into nursery at drop off in an attempt to overcome any tears or meltdowns.  This week it was Sam's birthday and Lochlann said, 'its ok daddy you can win today because it is your birthday!' CUTE.

Being a boy mama has been such a pleasant surprise, I love how cuddly and sweet he is.

Sibling kisses showcasing the outfits they choose. 

I am counting down the days to our winter break now.  I cannot wait to soak up the spirit of Christmas and spend some quality time as a family, especially as this is our first run up to Christmas in a different country.  I am desperate to put my tree up and P and L keep asking if Santa is on his way yet!  What are you excited for this Christmas?

Ikea cuddles whilst waiting for a hot dog.  Too cute not to share. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Lots of love,

Holly x

My Two #5

Half term has rolled around again which hopefully means I will have a little more time to update my blog.  I love having this little slice of the internet, I just wish I had more time to work on it and I wish I knew what I was doing... I am not brilliant at the whole technology thing.

Anyway here are some some little words about my two littles. 

#1

Posey is almost three and a half years old.  I know it is a cliche but where on earth does the time go? When we move to Abu Dhabi will we be prepping her for starting school, I just can't get my head around it.  For so long I have been used to having two 'babies' as we had our two so close together but now I realise in reality I have an actual child,a proper little girl with her own thoughts and feisty little temper!  The threenager stage is still very much a reality for us over here but I know she is just testing the boundaries and that is ok. I need to remember to breathe and not let it get the better of me.  Despite this stage, she is sweet and kind.  She dotes for her little brother and although he drives her crazy at times she is fiercely protective over him.  

She doing really well at preschool and has recently been introduced to phonics.  She is desperate to be able to read all by herself! Slow down little one, you may be the eldest but you will always be our little girl. 

#2

Lochlann is almost 2 and a half years old. He is as cheeky as ever and thinks everything is ridiculously funny at the minute.  We have tried potty training a couple of times but after a poop in the garden without him even realising he'd done it we have decided he is just not quite ready yet, bless him.  In other news though his sleep is improving again and hes now had the side taken off his cot (emotional day for this mama I can tell you).  He is doing so well with that and is yet to fall out or scream at the gate on his door, although I bet I have jinxed that one now!  He is still very much a home loving boy, whenever we are out no matter how much fun he is having it's not long before he is asking when are we going home.  He just loves being at home with the three people he knows and loves the most.  It is just so sweet, he isn't quite as independent as his sister.  He likes being close to his mama and I am still flavour of the month, which in honesty I absolutely love... except for at 6am when I am the only one that he will let change his nappy! I do worry about our little boy and how he will cope with our move to Abu Dhabi.  In my heart I know he will struggle more.  I guess we just gotta keep that in mind and be patient with him.  He is a gentle soul and is still only 2 years old, after all.

Despite the ups and down and the constant guilt of being a full time working mama, these two littles have changed my world.  I honestly feel like before them and their daddy, my life was a little empty and I was never sure what my purpose was.  Now I know, I am here for them.  To be their mother, to learn and grow with them. With the events that have gone on in Manchester this week I cannot begin to describe how much I love them and how incredibly grateful I am to the universe for my two beautiful, healthy and most importantly safe children. The world around me has seemed blurred this as my only focus was these two little people that inspired this blog, I have wanted to stay home, safe with them in our house in Warrington but my I am still a teacher with a job to do and that job seemed all the more important this week. Especially as I teach in Manchester itself.  My thoughts constantly wander to the parents involved in the atrocity on Monday night.  I cannot imagine the depths of their despair and I cannot help worrying somewhat about the world our children are growing up in.  But what I do now is that children as resilient, they are strong and they can surprise us all.  

P & L, be strong, love hard and be forever grateful for your safety and your happiness. 

Lots of love from mummy xxxx 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Holly xx

My Two #4

Still not managing to keep this a weekly thing! But anyway here we go...

#1
Little P's character is developing at such a fast rate at the moment and over the holidays she tested the boundaries and my patience quite a lot at times.  The word, 'threenager' springs to mind once again in this post but honestly I wouldn't have her any other way.  I know that it is normal to test me and for her to explore her own identity... even if she tells me on numerous occasions that I am a, 'naughty mummy.'   Something that was really lovely this week was that one of the sweet girls that works at Posey's preschool pulled me aside to tell me how wonderfully bright Posey is and that she had been making the girls laugh all day long! It is such a proud moment when you hear that your little girl brings joy to other people.  Princesses are becoming a strong interest for this little girl.  Ariel is the new fascination although Belle remains the firm favourite. Posey thoroughly enjoys belting out a line of, 'Tale as old as time' or 'Be our guest!'

#2
Little Lochlann is finally feeling better after Scarlet fever and it is so refreshing to have my sweet boy back.  Although as I write that the first thing that springs to me to write about him is the fact he is obsessed with saying poo poo and wee wee.  If he is mad then you're a poo poo, if he's excited everything is poo poo and wee wee! Apparently this sort of conversational language is pretty hilarious when you are a two year old boy! We are on the cusp on attempting potty training with him again.  Last time didn't go so well but I am hoping he will be more cooperative this time.  Whilst we were away in Ireland we had the opportunity to take P & L swimming a couple of times and it was brilliant to see that Lochlann's fear seems to have disappeared.  He is now rearing to get into the water and thoroughly enjoyed a good splash about! This makes me happy as we are certainly hoping fr lots more fun in the water when we move over the Abu Dhabi in August.  Should also mention the fact this boy has me wrapped around his little finger and everytime he says, 'I need a cuddle Mama' my heart literally melts and I become a soppy idiot... even at 3am! Nice work Lochlann.

Another lot of ordinary moments documented, time to get back to the grind,

P & L you amaze me, thrill me and test me every single day.  I love you both immensely and I am so, so proud of you.

Thanks for stopping by.
Lots of love, xx

My Two #3

Confessions of a full time working mother... I haven't kept up with this post nearly as much as I had hoped but I am still going to do it as and when I can.

# 1

Recently Posey has become quite obsessed with all things Disney Princesses! She is literally in love with Beauty and the Beast which I am so pleased about because it has always been my favourite Disney film,  If you read my post about going to the cinema recently then you'll know this already! Posey will request to watch the film two and three times a day,  It is the sweetest thing catching her acting out scenes from the film or singing the lyrics to Tale as old as time or the song about Gaston.  It does however slightly concern me that her favourite character isn't Beast, or Mrs Potts or even Belle.  It's Gaston!  I fear this may be her first bad boy crush! LOL! 

Another thing I really love about Posey at the moment is how passionate she is about so many different things; Beauty and the Beast, acting out, 'hi guys' videos as she call them (where she reenacts kids videos she has watched on YouTube), cooking up a storm in her kitchen, making people cards and playing football with her daddy.  We recently went to Heaton Park in Manchester for a couple of hours in the fresh air.  She requested we take a ball and spent most of the time running in the fields and dribbling the ball, quite well actually.  A girl of many talents, my girl.  I honestly believe this one is destined for pretty great things! You can tell our Little P is poorly in the photo below but that blue ice-cream excited her so much you wouldn't believe and I have got to remember the huge smile on her face when she saw it.  I'll think back to it when I am older and far more grey than I am now.  That ice-cream was the first thing she managed to finish eating all day! It totally soothed her sore tongue and throat! 

 # 2

My little Lolo.  He sure is a mama's boy at the moment and I adore it.  He is so sweet and cuddly which has of course only intensified whilst he has been so poorly.  He has literally been attached to my hip but I am savoring every moment because I have seen him grow up so much recently that I know he isn't my baby boy anymore.  In fact he will shout at you if you even mutter the word, 'baby,'

'I am a big boy mama' he says.  

I am still marvelling at how much his imagination has sparked recently and if I remember rightly that is what I wrote about in my last post about my two.  But it is true, his imagination amazes me at the moment.  His current obsession with firefighters and aeroplanes means we have watched ALOT of the Disney Pixar Planes 2 and his favourite bed time story at the minute is a made up story by his daddy called, 'Fireman Lochlann.'  It is so lovely to hear the sheer excitement in his voice when he asks for daddy to tell him the fireman story at bedtime. 'Please Daddy, one last time!'

CUTE.

He is such a caring little soul too.  Whenever he asks for a drink or somethings else (usually an apple or a biscuit) he will always say, 'and one for Popo too mama!'  Apart from when he is fighting with her over a toy you can see just how devoted he is to his big sister.  He adores her and always wants to look after her, letting me know if she is sad or if she needs something.  I really hope this is a sign of just how thoughtful he will be when he is older.  I think it is, despite his little temper he is a gentle, kind soul.  I am so proud of my curly haired boy. 

So there we are, another short post about my two favourite littles and what I am loving about them at the moment.  I cannot wait for P & L to look back on these in the future. 

Posey and Lochlann if you are reading these I hope you enjoy hearing about all your little interests and obsessions and that you don't find your mother's ramblings too cringy.  You two light up my world and give me purpose.  I love you both to the moon and back again (and as Posey currently says) and I'll still love you in the morning when the sun comes up! 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Lots of love. xx

Sunny Sundays.

Today the fog lifted and by fog I mean Scarlet Fever.  Wow what an intense few days it has been in the Brookes household.  Lochlann has been poorly for over a week and slowly but surely we all started to succumb to illness too.  It has been quite a sorry state of affairs.

It all started last Friday when it seemed Lochlann had unfortunately picked up yet another sick bug but when it hadn't left him by the weekend we started to suspect Scarlet Fever as his nursery had emailed confirming cases of it over the past week.
I wasn't sure what to expect but soaring temperatures of 39.5, two very poorly children and in the end two rather sick parents was definitely not what I had anticipated. I fear the children in my class have probably forgotten what I look like as I only managed to work one day this week between Lochlann being ill, then me.
On Friday I was all ready to haul myself into work despite feeling terrible, it was assessment week and I had lots of loose ends to tie up before the end of term.  I was up dressed and ready to leave the house.  My aunt had come over early in the morning to take care of the children and Lochlann was slowly but surely on the mend.  I went to Posey's room to give her a cuddle and a kiss goodbye but was greeted with a very sad, swollen, red and puffy face.  Scarlet fever is a bitch!  I called work and explained and then rushed Posey off to the doctors to make sure she started a course of antibiotics straight away.  This illness has knocked us all off our feet and was not the start to the Easter holidays that I had hoped for!

In spite of all this doom and gloom this morning, I woke up to a beautiful blue sky and a daughter happily whispering,'good morning mama' in my ear.  We all sat and managed to cheerfully eat breakfast after our first dose of antibiotics of the day and Lochlann actually asked for seconds (which to be fair is normal Lochlann behaviour but the boy has barely eaten anything in over a week).
We still spent all morning at home pottering, cleaning and playing before sending the littles off to bed for a long, entirely necessary nap.  Whilst they napped, Sam insisted that I sit down, drink tea, eat toast and rest.  He's a damn good husband when he wants to be! Together we enjoyed the quiet drank our tea whilst it was hot and caught up on some reading (well I did Sam sat and grunted at his playstation whilst driving erratically and shooting people).

When the children woke up it was clear the long nap had done them the world of good and we decided to go out on a walk to feed the ducks.  It was another glorious day and I didn't want it to be wasted sat in the house willing the illness to go away.  Posey and Lochlann love to go for walks and its one of those rare times where they don't bicker... which of course I relish.

So off we went, hand in hand on our traditional walk down by the ship canal to find some ducks to feed.  It was the best idea we have had all weekend.  Lochlann loved searching the skies for areoplanes whilst Posey raced her Daddy and searched for the perfect stick to do her, 'work.'
We ambled along the path in the warm sunshine and chatted about future plans and our impending mini break to Ireland with Sam's family.  The littles loved it and so did we.

A memory I so don't want to forget is Lochlann shouting at the ducks to eat their food and eat it NOW! ... It was hilarious, bless him.

Now we are home and I have a Sunday lunch food baby in my belly, our littles are sound asleep and Sam is chilling on the sofa next to me.  I hope today signals the end of Scarlet fever in the Brookes house...

For any other mamas or dads out there reading this Scarlet Fever is highly contagious and seems to be spreading round the country like wild fire at the moment.  Lochlann's illness was actually asymptomatic according to the doctor because it took so long for his rashes and high temperatures to appear so be vigilant and do not be afraid to take your littles to the doctor.  It is what they are there for and it is peace of mind for you.
Signs to look out for are;

• redness in the face/ cheeks - can look like sunburn 
• a temperature
• a rash spreading all over the body but in particular around the ears, under the arms and across the torso 
• sickness/ vomiting
• a red and white or spotty tongue. 

I am not a qualified medical professional so if you are concerned make sure you seek medical attention. 

Here's to happier and healthier days for us all to enjoy for the rest of our Easter holidays. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Lots of love.xx

My Two #2

This week I feel as though I have barely seen P & L.  Work life has been hectic and the weekend is literally flying by! Still, there are small, ordinary things that I would like to remember.

#1
This week P has been so sweet and kind towards her brother.  Of course they still argue over toys and things but I won't ever tire of hearing her say, 'whats wrong Lochlann, sweetheart?'  She is wise beyond her years in so many ways and I really think you this is obvious when she is being motherly towards her brother.  Her favourite thing to do this week is play tea parties and put on a birthday party for her puppy.  I also introduced her to the delights of Britney Spears which she loved!

#2
As for Lochlann, after a week away from nursery I nervously anticipated the Monday drop off expecting it to be pretty awful.  In actual fact he has done really well this week and has really enjoyed nursery.  He even asked if he could go this morning, which is a huge improvement for him!
Another thing which has literally made my heart swell is that he can now sing every word of, Twinkle twinkle little star and it is the sweetest thing you've ever heard. Lochlann's love for everything trains, cars and dinosaurs is still going strong but this week his favourite thing to do is to say, 'morning football' to his Daddy... which I have no clue where or how it began but they both find it hilarious!

Thanks for stopping by and as always P & L if you are reading this, mama loves you to the moon and back again.
Lots of love xx

My Two.

So this is a post I have been inspired to do... it will hopefully allow me to record those small, ordinary things that happen on a weekly basis (hopefully if I can keep on top of it) where the littles make us proud or raise a smile with something that they say or do.  All my photos are currently taken on my phone so aren't anything spectacular but they are of my children and I hope that they will enjoy looking back at life when they were my littles. 

So without further ado... 

#1 

During half term it has been an absolute delight to spend time with this girl.  Little P absolutely loves singing and it has been so lovely to listen to her making up her own versions of songs or blasting out the classics like, ' All about the bass' and 'Shake it off!'  

I have been really proud of her listening skills over the last few days; there is definitely a progression in her understanding.  I can actually reason with her and she can see why doing something is the right idea.  She really is my best little girl-friend. 

#2 

 This little boy can finally jump! I mean like actually jump; both feet off the ground.  I know that sounds like such a silly thing to be proud of but trust me, the look of sheer pride on his face when he does it, would warm any heart.  I have also really loved listening to this little one playing with his toys.  His imagination has really sparked recently.  Although, most of his toys are generally under threat from a big fire, a dinosaur attack or a two minute time out! So funny. 

I have so loved just being mama and wife this week.  The quality time together was desperately needed and tremendously appreciated.  We have made some lovely memories that I will cherish. 

Posey and Lochlann, mama loves you to the moon and back again. 

Thanks for stopping by.

x