Long Time

Wow, it's been a seriously long time since I've posted anything!  Lots of things have been going on, but mainly I've become majorly disorganised and seriously stretched as a person.

I'm totally gutted about not being able to maintain this blog and I know I will look back with regret for not finding the time to make quick entries about things that have happened.  Oh well, too late now.

So just a small summary then for now:

Ellis - He will be six in August!  He has been going to school for 2 years now which is crazy.  He hasn't been getting on great which is a shame and causes constant worry.  He struggles socially and has problems with authority and doing anything he is told basically.  Rob and I are trying to set clear boundaries and sticking to them.

He is a perfectionist who likes to take his time.  He isn't very confident with anything unless he has done it lots of times before.

He is polite and pretty good with his brothers although they do all fight, all the time.  It is a constant struggle to stop them from physically hurting each other.

He loves sport and being active, but also enjoys snuggles with Mummy.

He can swim 25 metres but not officially as he struggles with confidence in the big pool.

He lost his first tooth last week and received £2 from the tooth fairy but didn't get a certificate like someone in his class so I haven't heard the end of that!

More Firsts

I taught Ellis to tie his laces! I'm so pleased with myself and him.  I remember my brother Craig teaching me to do mine on the bottom of my Mum and Dad's stairs.  Another first!

The thing about firsts, is that they are slowly becoming lasts.  The last time they are in a cot, nappies, baby car seat, certain aged clothes etc etc, the list goes on and on.  I know it's just a part of life and things do need to move on but I don't want to! Not yet anyway.  I really do want to experience it all again but the boys are a hand full so not sure how I would cope!

Don't know if you noticed but Ellis has had his hair cut!  He has wanted for ages to have it shaved off like Daddy, so I let him have it short, not quite shaved off.  He wasn't the only one that had a new style.

Before...

...after.

Before...

...after.

I've got used to Ellis' new style quite quickly but I haven't with Leo's.  Looking at these pictures, I still prefer his old style, even though it was messier.  He doesn't seem to be bothered either way.

We've been enjoying our Easter weekend break.  We haven't done too much really, and I did think we would do a day out somewhere but it just hasn't happened.  Rob and Ellis watched rugby til quite late on Friday night so Ellis was tired yesterday.  Then today has been so boring!  Leo and Oscar have been running riot most of the day which makes it harder.  I should have just got them out somewhere, even for a drive in the car!

The boys came down to their eggs from the Easter Bunny and I did a small egg hunt in the living room as it was raining quite heavily outside.

I've just noticed they all had their rabbits in their pictures.  Very cute.  Oscar's is called Bertie, Ellis' is Stringy and Leo's is Rumplestiltskin.  I love that they all love their rabbits.  Leo and Oscar still suck their thumbs.  Leo not so much anymore but Oscar does all the time.  So much so that it is red sore, like his lips at the moment.  I'm trying to use chapstick on his lips but he just keeps licking them!

Not sure what the plan is tomorrow.  It's my turn for a lie in which is lush, and then we are going to friends for lunch.  The boys need to be in bed at a good time though as they all have school on Tuesday!  I need to get organised for it.  Ellis still hasn't done his homework and I need to write in their homework books about all the reading they have done.

Loving blogging again. :D

Leo No Fear

The Easter holiday is flying by, although the kids do still have nearly a week off!

Today Ellis went to a multi-sports thing over at the school and I took Oscar and Leo up Mum and Dad's field.  We had a lovely time, watering plants, playing with water, brushing ponies, chasing chickens, fetching the eggs, bathing ponies, riding ponies, watching the baby pigs, giving Brook some love as he is sad, playing with bubbles and eating and drinking.

This is Brook, my sisters dog. He's sad because my sisters other dog, Tyler was put down last Friday and we think Brook is missing him.  He was with him from the age of 6 weeks to over 4 years and I've never seen Brook so subdued.  He isn't eating, and not really bothered about anything around him.  He follows you about and then just sits or lies there.  We've been giving him lots of attention and Leo even conquered his fear of him and gave him a cuddle.

I realise I didn't get any pictures of Oscar, which he was upset about so I will try to get some over the next few days.

Plan for the morning is to chill out!  We've done nothing but rush around so it will be nice to not have to nag the boys to eat their breakfast and get dressed.

That is all.

QUICK UPDATE

Life is speeding by and I find myself with no energy at the end of the day to do a blog entry.  Even just typing this is a struggle and I keep wanting to just click on the red x in the corner and go to bed.

The boys are growing up fast.  Oscar has hit that independent age but is very frustrated and angry at me a lot.  Leo is calming down a bit it would seem.  He is a lot easier to look after at the moment and is very cuddly and loving.  Ellis is our big boy, who is into his rugby and maths.  He comes into my bed in the morning (6:15am) and starts asking me questions like, "What's 28 divided by 7?"!

This winter has been tough going.  I'm so glad the nicer weather seems to be on its way.  I don't mind rain normally but continual rain for days on end is just not on!  I've struggled with a netball injury and virus after virus that has sucked the life out of me.  The boys have got away with it quite lightly this year.  A few tummy bugs but nothing major which is good for everyone.

Oscar is now in a single bed and a big boy car seat.  He is such a big boy for 3.  He is already in 3/4 clothes and wearing clothes that Leo didn't grow out of that long ago.  His feet are a size 9 1/2!  Leo's are 12 and Ellis 13 1/2.  Ellis seems to have had a growth spurt too as he needs age 7 trousers now and he usually falls in line with his birthdays for needing the next size up, if that makes sense.  And Leo is wearing Ellis' school trousers from last year, so he is catching up too.

We have lots of exciting things coming up over the next few months.  We are off on a rugby mini tour, with Ellis' rugby club which should be good fun.  Then we are going to Majorca for a week, which will be the first time on a plane with the 3 of them.  Then we have the music festival again, which we are all looking forward too but this year will be different in more than one way.   We have paid to stay in a tent already put up and also all our friends that usually go, aren't going this year, so it will just be us.  I told Ellis this yesterday and he was unimpressed as he likes playing and messing around with the other kids in the group.  Hopefully he will be okay and there is loads to keep them busy.  We also have a week away to Devon booked with Lucy, Craig, Shauna and Ashlee.  Very busy but fun.  I don't take anywhere near as many photos anymore and adding them to the blog takes so long, which is one of the main reasons I don't blog that often I think.

I'm still getting to grips with my new iMac.  I need to book in and have some lessons on it.  That's another reason that I haven't been blogging as it isn't that easy for me to do what I want to do.

Sleep is still hard to come by sometimes.  Ellis very rarely wakes in the night now but he does get up early in the mornings.  He usually up before 6:30am.  Oscar is the one more likely to sleep in and Leo can still be quite needy and many a night I spend in his bed.  Rob gets up early for work each day and the boys like to see him so I think they wake so early because of that.  There is also the race to be the first one to get to Mummy's iPad!

I love my life with my boys.  It's loud and chaotic but they are my gorgeous babies.  I would love to add one more to the brood but really don't think it will ever happen.  Maybe we will just get a pet.

Boat Trip

Had a lovely day today with my family.  Well, not a whole day as in the morning I went to see my Mum who is struggling a bit after having a car crash on Wednesday.  I really wish she would see a doctor but she doesn't feel up to it yet, which I know doesn't make sense.  We are wishing her a very speedy recovery and I sent her some nice flowers and chocolates to remind her of that.  Ellis also drew her a lovely picture of a flower.

In the afternoon, we took the boys into town and they got to use their scooters.  They zoomed about and loved it.  We stood for quite a while outside a Costa Coffee, drinking our tea and watching the boys go up and down some slight ramps.  They had a brilliant time.

Leo then had an idea.  He wanted to go on a boat, or train.  The steam train wasn't running so I suggested the river taxi/ferry.  We found the place where we could catch it and we didn't have to wait long for a nice boat to arrive.

The boys were really excited and behaved really well for the first 30 minutes.  The last 10 minutes, they were ready to get off.  It was really good though and I was very happy being out with my family, making memories.

After the boat ride, everyone was little bit cold so we decided to head back home, with quick stop at Burger King.  The kids haven't eaten there before but they were all very hungry and polished the lot off, even an ice-cream!

At home, they were all showered and then propped in front of the TV for an hour before bed.

Another busy one tomorrow.  Ellis is back playing rugby, it's going to be cold, and Leo is starting forest school, even colder!  I was planning on taking Oscar swimming but think Rob would like to go as a family again.  I think maybe it's a bit too much for them the day before going back to school.  We'll see.

Thinking of my Mum a lot.  Love her tons and hope she is on the mend soon. xxx

Oscar Update

It's a new year and I hear lots of talk of people not drinking, dieting, doing more fitness etc and all I can think about is this blog.

I am really annoyed that I didn't keep it up, even with the odd post here and there.  I did set myself too huge a target by blogging about every single day!

When it was just the 2 little ones, it was hard but manageable and I was certainly more organised then, than I am now.  Oscar came along and Ellis started school and suddenly I'm all over the place.  I suppose that is one thing that I want to try and improve on this year, and that's to become more organised.

Rob is working a new contract that only allows him to work a certain amount of hours in a 4 week period, so the plan is for him to get the hours in early and then take a day off.  We can use the time to either do something nice together, as all 3 babas will be at school,  or get some chores done that are really difficult when you have 3 little uns, like sort the garage out.

We have been in this current house for 3 1/2 years now and we have accumulated a ton of stuff in that time.  I really need to declutter and sort the rest of it out.  I know that will make me feel so much better.

The boys are all doing well, and growing very fast! Oscar is the fastest grower by far and isn't that far behind Leo.  He weighs 5lb less than Leo and is in age 3-4 clothes already.  His feet are a size 9!  He has reached that age where he wants to do everything himself but isn't quite old enough to do it yet.  He is the only one of the 3 to throw major tantrums, which usually I can just smirk at him and walk away but a lot of the time he properly kicks off and I have to try and calm him, which never works but I feel I must try or he might hurt himself, or me.  Other than that, he is lush.  He loves to clean and tidy up, loves watching Bubble Guppies and playing on the iPad.  He tries so hard to keep up with his older brothers which is cute but I wish he would wait.

Oscar sleeps in a converted cot bed but due to his size, and weight I think he could do with a proper single bed now.  He is in the very small box room though so it won't leave room for much else.  He is also out of nappies and has been for a while now. He has been so amazing!  He is even dry at night and wearing pants, not pull ups!  I actually, still now, can't believe how well he has done with it all.  We had a couple of issues with going to poo on the loo for a bit but other than that, he went straight to the toilet, hasn't had any accidents in his clothes, asks to go to the loo, and can hold it when I ask him too.  Fab!

He started pre-school in September, doing 2 mornings a week at the same place Leo went to.  I love it there, especially the staff and to start with Oscar settled in well.  Unfortunately we had a lot of illness in the months running up to Christmas so he missed a few sessions and since going back, hasn't enjoyed it that much.

His speech is no where near as good as the other 2 at the same age and his knowledge of stuff like numbers, colours, shapes etc is way behind, but I'm not bothered, he will get there.  He does actually pick things up quite quickly if given the opportunity.

See this blog entry was supposed to be a quick hello, and now look at it!

I'll try and come back to do an update on the rest of the family soon.