New Start

The time has come to send the littlest one off to school. Most of his years have been absent from this little blog of mine. Things got busy, and I simply lost confidence. That is about to change. With Alexander starting school I’m hoping to find more time for me – yes I still need to work, pretty much full time, but I’m hoping to carve out at least a few hours a week to focus on writing and building up this space of mine, and perhaps a new project or two.

In the meantime, let me tell you about this darling littlest boy of mine.

We had a few trials to get to Alexander, but oh he was worth the wait and all the heartache. He made us complete, and I couldn’t love him any more than I do. He is a bundle of happiness, chatter and hugs (he’s very keen on the hugs) and he has a wonderful way of making everyone around him smile.

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At nearly 5 (his birthday, like his brother’s, is in December – well done us!)  he is so ready to go to school. I’m not sure I’m ready but then I don’t think as a mum you are ever ready for your babies to start their journey away from you.

I know from experience that the school years go so quickly – Elliot is going into Year 3 and it only seems like yesterday that it was his very first day in Reception. Alexander will have the same Reception teacher as Elliot did, which is lovely.  I’m sure they’ll notice some similarities between them, but in other ways they are very different.

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I’ll be posting updates on both boys soon, as this is definitely a blog to chart their story  and one that they can look back on when they’re all grown up.

In the meantime I’d like this September to mark a new start, for my boys, and for me. Hopefully I’ll be posting more on here, and I am very keen to start some projects I’ve been thinking about for some time. Watch this space!

End of term 2017

Somehow we’ve reached the end of the summer term. Elliot has finished in Year 1 and Alexander only has one more year in Pre-school before he starts Primary school in 2018. These babies of mine are sure growing up fast!


To mark the end of the school year, we took a little quiz – we’ll aim to do this year by year and hopefully see little personalities coming through and developing over the years.



Elliot, aged 6 1/2. End of Year 1:

What is your favourite food? – “sausage roll”

What is your favourite colour? – “green and blue”

What would you like to be when you grow up? – “a builder and a footballer”

What is your favourite film?  – “Star Wars”

What is your favourite book?  – “Calvin and Hobbes”

Who is your favourite superhero?  – “Spider-Man and Captain America”

 


Alexander, aged 3 1/2. Pre-school:

What is your favourite food? – “Milk”

What are your favourite colours? – “Pink and green”

What would you like to be when you grow up? – “a builder or a milk delivery man”

What is your favourite film? – “Octonauts”

What is your favourite book? – “Thomas books”

Who is your favourite superhero? – “Robin and Hulk smash”

I’m quite excited at the prospect of a building company run by brothers. I know Alexander would definitely be in more of the demolition trade based on his tendencies with LEGO in this house!

It’s been fun asking them questions and noting them down. Will definitely try to make this an annual exercise just to see how it changes!
Photos by Jamie Conroy, Witney 

Alexander James – you are three!

Oh Alexander, you’re somehow, unbelievably, THREE!

How did that happen?

I can’t quite put into words how bizarre it is that our tiny baby is now a chatty, inquisitive, three year old. Suddently, we’re no longer a family with a baby in it and that is taking some getting used to!

You’re a bundle of loveliness, cuddles, kisses and such a wonderful giggle and your favourite thing above all is definitely your big brother, Elliot.

We couldn’t be prouder of our littlest boy. Three years since you came along on that blissful (no lie!) Monday morning. Three years since you completed our family, and made me a mother of two. Double the love, and double the fun.

You’re amazing and we love you!! Happy (belated) birthday!

All my love,

Mummy xxx

 

Siblings {August}

I think I’ve been putting off writing this month’s Siblings post. It’s the last one before Elliot starts school and I think the fact that they won’t be in the same place as each other every day is going to slightly change the relationship these two have carved out over the past 20 months.  Or maybe it will change nothing at all and I’m just being anxious for no reason. I hope that’s the case.

  

In all honesty, Elliot is Alexander’s favourite person. He regularly looks for him and enjoys finding toys that are his and telling me proudly “Lellot!” – it belongs to Elliot. He loves anything and everything that Elliot does, and likes to follow him about (whilst also doing a lot of adventurous discovering himself, being a lot braver, or maybe risk averse, than his elder counterpart!) 


Elliot is still loving his role as big brother and often recently I’ve seen him take Alexander’s hand and walk with him. 

Alexander is taking a while to actually properly learn his own name. The boys do look alike and at the moment if you ask Alex who he’s looking at in a mirror, he’ll be quite adamant that it’s “Lellot”! 

  

The boys are pretty keen on snacks, and iPhones. Please don’t judge! It’s hard to get them sitting in one place long enough to take one photo let alone a few to choose from!

  

 

Maybe next month we’ll have Elliot in his school uniform. I’ve just finished labelling it all 🙂

Check out the other lovely posts from this month over with Dear Beautiful:

dear beautiful

Siblings {May, June & July!}

Oh dear oh dear! All good plans can suffer I guess. I had hoped to at least be able to take one reasonable photo of my boys and get it posted here once a month this year but these last few months have seen me focus attention elsewhere and for one reason or another I’ve neglected this little space. 

I guess I’m struggling a bit with the fact that people “in my real life” do actually read the stuff I put up here (n.b. this isn’t a shock, I do realise that I am posting on the World Wide Web, but you know it just feels odd that’s all..).  This tiny slice of the internet was only ever really about filing away memories for my little ones to read when they’re older (who am I kidding, it’s mainly for me….am so worried I’ll forget the magic of having grown two little people that I want to capture the whole damn thing so I get to look back when I’m older and greyer), anyway I kind of forgot that for a bit and got a bit freaked, and then didn’t do any capturing or filing away. Basically a bit of a vicious circle.. So I now have a three month gap to fill.

Three months in which LOTS has happened.

I did my first whole (mini!) triathlon in June and my little future Brownlee boys helped encourage my training:   

We went on holiday. Twice!:

      

Elliot finished at one Pre-School, and will be leaving his other one at the end of August, ready for starting school in September – how on earth is he old enough for that? 

  

And Alexander seems to have developed the ability to do forward rolls, at 18 months, which is pretty scary I can tell you…I think we have Tumbletots to thank for that, he loves it!

 

So, all in all a busy little time in our family. The boys continue to get on really well and they clearly love each other loads. Alexander can now say “lellot” and likes to point him out when we go to collect them from nursery. He’s really going to miss him when he goes to school I think. Big changes are on the horizon! 

dear beautiful