Years Passed

I used to love coming to the blog and looking back, but now it just makes me sad.

You know, you get to a point, and you look back and you think what thing would you change, or what do you regret not doing and one thing that is high on my list is this blog.

I used to find it therapeutic and enjoyed keeping a log of our daily journey.  The days go so fast and I forget what I did yesterday, let alone what I did when Leo was 1.

Things are moving fast here.  We are still in the same rental house, which Rob still doesn't like, and I just make do as it is so local to the school and close to shops etc.

Oscar is starting school this September! Can you believe it!?  I certainly can't, and when asked about it, I cry all the time! I haven't come to terms with it at all.  I want another baby, and I want my babies to not grow up so fast.  Of course I want them to grow up.  That would be silly to try and keep them as babies forever, but I'm not ready for the next steps yet. I certainly better get ready as they will be here whether I like it or not!

Small update on each then...

...Oscar has just turned 4 (in March) and is a huge boy! He is wearing size 11 shoes which is what Leo wore when he started school!  He is in age 6 clothes, loves hats, glasses and loves to dance.  He started going to dance class this week and loves it!

He goes to forest school every Sunday with his brothers and is really getting into it.

He really does have a sweet tooth, unlike his older siblings and he enjoys making cakes.

His favourite meal at the moment is pasta, cheese, pepperami and garlic bread.

He hasn't lost any teeth yet, loves bedtime stories, playing on the iPad, going on the trampoline and snuggles with Mummy.  He asks for his Daddy a lot and sits on him as soon as he is home from work.

He still sucks his thumb a lot and I'm not sure what to do about that but will wait a while.  He might just grow out of it.

He loves music, dancing and to scoot and play outdoors but struggles with hayfever at this time of year.

He is obsessed with numbers, like the other 2, but hasn't really grasped letter sounds as well.  He has plenty of time.  He really enjoys going to preschool and has a ton of friends! All the Mums like him too and he gets a lot of compliments.  He is very kind, caring and thoughtful.

He loves sport, bowling, golf, football and basketball, and is very keen to try everything!  He is doing really well in his swimming lessons too.  He can almost swim across the pool.

I will miss him when he starts school.  We love our days together.

Leo, turned 6 very recently (May).  I really feel like I've missed a year or 2 with him.  He has suddenly shot up in size and is now my Lanky Leo and not Little Leo.

 Leo is very tall and slim and isn't very in control of his limbs.  Saying that, he is a great tree climber and his absolute love is hunting for Mini Beasts.  He does it every single day and constantly has mud under and around his nails, no matter how much I scrub.

His feet are a size 1 although I think probably nearer 2 now.  He goes through school uniform at an alarming rate because he is always climbing trees and going through bushes and getting covered in mud!

He really is a timid and gentle boy. He has calmed down from his younger years and much easier to look after now.

He has the worst diet out of all 3 as he doesn't eat any vegetables! He pretty much lives on cheese spread sandwiches, cheese strings, yogurt, crisps, chicken nuggets, chips and pasta.

He used to be terrified of dogs but seems to have grown out of that very recently.  He is great at swimming too, is an animal lover and likes plane spotting :)

He loves being outside and out of the 3 is more like me in his ways.  He is a little crazy :)

He sleeps quite well but out of the 3 wakes up the most. He has bad dreams and struggles with growing pains in the backs of his knees.  It gets really bad sometimes.

He had his ears fixed in July last year but had ear infections until the November, but since then he has been fine and his behaviour seemed to change over night! Having his ears fixed really made a huge difference for him.

He had sports day at school today and Rob and I were both really surprised and pleased at how well he did.  He was confident and happy and joined in with everything and knew what he had to do.  He even won his running race! Super proud parents.

He has lots of friends and even a girl friend!

Leo loves scooting, basketball, designing things, building things, trampolining, dominoes, Hexbugs, making videos on my camera, bowling and eating McDonalds food.

He is doing well at school now.  He had a difficult start, which I blame mainly on his lack of hearing, and is very good at reading.  He does spend a huge amount of time looking at the pictures though, picking fault and making up new stories from what he can see.  He has a great imagination.

He is certainly a Mummy's boy and loves snuggles.

I'm really excited to see what the future holds for my gorgeous boy. 

Ellis will soon be turning 8 (Aug).  8!!!!  When did that happen!?

He has 10 adult teeth, wears size 2 shoes, is about 135cm tall, but I still make him use a booster seat in the car, he loves eating Nandos food, really enjoys his sport, especially rugby and is learning to play the guitar.  His guitar teachers say he is really good.

He isn't very confident and does struggle in social groups but he's getting there.  He has a small group of friends who have a shared interest of rugby and he goes to Beavers with them too, which he loves.  He will be moving up to Cubs in September though.

He hates going to his swimming lessons and tries to avoid doing full lengths of the pool :)

He enjoys playing Minecraft and sports games on his iPad Mini, which he got from Santa this year.

He shares a bunk bed with Leo and really struggles to go to sleep most nights.  I have noticed that I've had to wake him up that last 2 mornings! Quite a new experience for me.  He is always after a LN (late night) where he would love to play a board game or sit with Mummy in bed on his iPad.

He did great at sports day this year, winning his sprint and hurdles race.

He can ride a bike and really enjoys doing it.  We just need to get out more for him to get some practice.

He has starting to get fussy about what he is wearing and is doing his hair regularly in a style, and has small arm pit hair growing which we have a laugh about.

He is really starting to blossom and I'm looking forward to watching it continue.

Enjoyed doing the blog tonight.  Might have a go at another tomorrow.  Won't make any promises though.

Right Back

Yesterday the boys had an inset day so I took them all to Puxton Park for a run around and some fresh air.  It worked out great as Nanny brought Cousin Chloe too and the boys had a brilliant time.

We stayed for ages! One of the highlights of the day was going on some bumper, squirting boat things.  Ellis didn't want to have a go but Leo and Oscar did and they needed to have an adult on with them.  Nanny refused to go on, so I had to go on twice!  To say I got soaked is an understatement.  Chloe just sprayed me the whole time and I was drenched.  They all had a great time though and Leo particularly loved it.

For some reason I didn't take a single photo or video of the day.  Don't think I've ever done that before and seeing as I'm blogging again, I find it very strange indeed.  I was just pretty relaxed, enjoying my day with my boys.

They all went back to school today.  I was uber organised last night so it was pretty plain sailing this morning.  I set my alarm too as we've been sleeping in a bit, which was a good idea as, as it happens we had a terrible night with Leo screaming in pain from his legs hurting, Ellis had a nightmare and Oscar came into me very early!

They all made it to school fine and went in with no problems.  I was quite surprised by Oscar as he sometimes struggles to stay behind without me sitting with him for 5 minutes, but he was ok today.

I went home to fill out some forms for his new preschool and then went back to the infant school to help out with the little ones.

I didn't get home to late lunchtime and by the time I had eaten and cleared up a bit, it was time to go and get them all again!

They all chilled this evening, playing on various computers, while I carried on cleaning upstairs.

More to do tomorrow but that's it for today.

Night x

Bye Bye

The time has come to sell the baby stuff.  :(  I'm not happy about it but we won't be having any more children and we need to declutter our house!

First thing to go is the crib.  I bought it second hand, so I'm not too worried about saying goodbye to that.  The hardest thing will be the bag of clothes.  All their little outfits that will bring back huge memories.  I might just charity shop the whole bag without even going through it.  That way I can't get upset by it all.

The original cot/bed we bought for Ellis is still in the loft and being used to hold things up, so I still get to keep that for a bit longer.

I've also saved all the cars baby stuff, like blankets, baby sleeping bag, mobile, bumper, curtains, light shade etc.  I was going to sell it as a bundle but to be honest it will be good to keep the blankets anyway.

Right off for some food and to do my puzzle that I started today.  Really enjoying it and Mum is going to borrow it too.

New Year, New Blog!

A new year has begun.  I find myself still dwelling on the fact that I haven't kept a blog, in any shape or form, for a very, very long time.

Maybe now is the time to get back to it, starting now.

The Christmas decorations are down.  E is engrossed in his new iPad mini, watching rugby videos and playing silly games.  He is also able to message his cousin, Nanny, Daddy, Mummy and friends.  It's great for him.

L and O also did well out of Santa this year.  L is still fascinated with dominos and plays with them most of the time and O is obsessed with computers! He likes playing sports on the Xbox and Cover Orange on the iPad.

I do enjoy Christmas but I'm always glad when it is over.  I want to deep clean my house and declutter as much as I can.  I contemplate going to a car boot sale but I just can't face it, so charity shop it is.

I still don't take as many pictures as I used to.  Maybe because I don't need to log things as much for my blog.  I also take most pictures on my phone, and the camera isn't the best on there.  A new phone is in order.

New years eve was good.  E had A over to stay and we played on the Xbox for a bit and watched the fireworks on TV at midnight.  O happened to wake up too so he was with us.  I felt bad that L was still asleep.  This did mean though that E was on the verge of breakdown yesterday as he was so tired!

E slept in today which is unheard of and L didn't come in to me until 7:45am, so a little lie in for everyone.

Off to the big shops as I call them to take some things back and maybe buy a new TV.

Hopefully be back soon!

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.