Counting and Father Christmas

Both boys have learnt to count a bit more in the last few weeks, little brother can count to 10 now although he often misses out 9, it was 7 with big brother but he got there in the end.  Big bro can count to 20 now and   points out all the numbers above the aisles in Tesco!

We have also hit the terrible two's again, even though he is not 2 for another few months, the tantrums and stamping feet is outstanding,  big brother was never this bad but then he didn't have anyone to annoy him i guess!

We visited our first Grotto of the year at the weekend, for the first time ever we managed to get big brother to stand and talk to Father Christmas, he normally won't go near him but this year he stood and told him he has been good (hmmm!) and that he want's some train track for Christmas.  He is going to be disappointed with this request as we haven't bought him any as he has no more room for more track!

Birthdays and pony rides

I am the mother of a 3 year old.  How did that happen already??! We took the boys to Trethorne yesterday which gets better each time we go as the boys get that much bigger and can play with the bigger stuff.  They were impeccably well behaved, they make us so proud, not once were they told off all day.  Big boy is finally the proud (very proud) owner of his treasured Thomas Engine Sheds that he has been asking for for months, and he is now looking forward to his party and cake at the weekend.

The not so little brother has his first ride on a pony yesterday too while Daddy and big brother were on the dodgems.  He would stay with the animals all day, i'm sure he is going to be a Vet....or a Farmer....or just have lots of animals!

Chicken Pox and Parent Rep

So the littlest terror has more than likely got the chicken pox bless him.  To be fair he doesn't seem that bothered by it, i'm dreading the older drama queen getting it though, he doesn't do "ill" very well at all.

On a much brighter note, i have been asked to be the parent rep for our toddler group so i am wearing a little chufty badge this afternoon :)  3 years ago i would never have imagined even going to a toddler group without earplugs in, let alone being the rep for one, how times change......

Been to the cinema

We took the boys to the cinema yesterday for the first time to see the new Thomas the Tank Engine movie, they loved it!  At nearly 3 and just turned 18 months, they were as well behaved as we could have hoped for - eldest didn't move a muscle and the little horror only started getting restless the last 10 minutes, possibly when his popcorn ran out!

They had a great time and it was nice to take them somewhere different for a change, we will be going again next time an appropriate film is on for them, roll on Toy Story 4!

He swallowed a penny......

At nearly 3 you would think that he would listen but no, apparently not!  He swallowed a penny last night and then promptly fell asleep so we rang the out of hours GP who advised to take him straight to A&E because he had gone to sleep.   3 hours later they ran a metal detector over him and decided the penny was indeed in his tummy so it was safe to let him go back to sleep and come home.

Lesson learned, probably not!

Potty Training

He has cracked it!  I started him on the potty 2 weeks ago and for the last 4 days we haven't had any accidents, quite the opposite, he even asks to have his bedtime nappy off to go!  We are immensely proud of him, he got the hang of it so quickly :)

He did frighten himself the other day though when he did a rather large number 2 in the potty, he looked down and bottom-lipped me saying "Mummy, there was a snake in my bum!!"  Yes son, your Daddy would have been proud of that one too......

Little brother has to get in on the action too though, he will randomly sit (fully clothed) on the potty throughout the day, then after a few minutes get up and clap his hands.  I think i will have 2 dry boys before too long!

Lappa Valley

We took the boys to Lappa Valley yesterday, its a little train place near Newquay.  Big boy loved it, his little face lit up when he saw the first steam train as we were getting out of the car and he beamed all day bless him. I lost count of the times he shouted "Mummy! Look! Big train!" or similar!  He really does love trains.  The little hellraiser had a great time too running around on the slides and tractors, all in all a great day out!

Tonsillitis and a new TV

So the baby has got tonsillitis and is very grumpy bless him, i can't blame him, i get it quite often so know how bad it is but he will only sleep on me so i have had about 10 hours sleep in total since Sunday and it is now Thursday so i'm done in!  He seems to be a bit better today so hopefully he will sleep properly tonight and be back to his normal naughty self by tomorrow!

On a much brighter note, we won a new TV this week from an online competition, should be here in the next couple of weeks and then i am going to try and convince the boys to have a duvet day with me...........

Homemade biscuits

I bought some silicone baking trays the other day so what better way to try them out than with homemade biscuits!  Big boy helped me as usual while the little monkey is asleep, we also made Peppa Pig cakes which he has been asking for since we bought them, he doesn't even watch Peppa Pig!

Fathers Day

So we took the boys (or did me and the boys take Daddy??) to Trethorne for Fathers Day, they had the best time ever this time round.  There were newborn piglets and lambs, big boy even helped feed one of them with me, very brave!

They both had great fun in the sandpit and the softplay bits, but the favourite bit was the animals, big boy gave me instructions as to which ones i was allowed to feed (who is the parent exactly?), while the little one was running around and pointing a lot, he didn't want to leave the animals at all, he would have happily stayed there all day!

Rain rain go away!

Ok so i'm not a sun-worshipper by any means but i'm a bit sick of the rain now, it's June!  Even the big boy has started huffing and saying Rain Stop!

We had to go into town today to pick out some Fathers Day cards, they really aren't into crafting to make their own, hopefully next year!  We did manage to pick up a couple of Christmas presents though for various hampers, got to love the special offers!

In other news, the big boy weewee's on the toilet have continued!  We have progressed to pull up pants now in the hope it spurs him on a bit more, he gets so pleased with himself when he goes on the big boy toilet, nearly as pleased as I am!

Our wedding anniversary

Rich had the day off yesterday as it was our 2nd wedding anniversary.  We took the boys to their regular playgroup where they had a paddling pool out so guess who dived right in, yep, the littlest horror, we had to strip him down to his nappy so he could splash around getting everyone wet!

After that we took them to the aquarium again as they both love it in there, they love running free and looking at all the different fish and at least it was somewhere dry, i'm beginning to worry the UK is going to disappear in a big puddle with all this rain!!

I really must sort out some photos for on here too!!

He asked to use the toilet, finally!

So biggest boy has been sat on the toilet a fair few times but to no avail, until this evening!  I told him that one of his friends was a big boy now and didn't wear stinky nappies anymore, i didn't think he believed me as he gave me his "yeah whatever mum" look. 

But, a few minutes later he stood up in the bath holding his crown jewels and said "toilet mummy" so i whipped him out of the bath and sat him on the toilet and he did his first ever big boy weewee, i'm so proud and even better was that daddy was there to see it too as he often misses big moments due to working. 

Let's hope its not a one-off!

Car booting

We got up very early yesterday and did a carboot with some of the boys old clothes and toys, we made over £100 which shocked us!  We would have been happy with half of that!

What surprised me was the amount of people queuing to get into the carboot to buy, not sell, buy, at 6am, i'm sure i wouldn't be up that early unless i had to!

Been to Nursery

The terrible twosome went to nursery for the first time ever today, meaning it was also the first time ever they have been left in the care of someone other than parents/grandparents.  Did they miss me, did they fret when i left them, did they pine at the door? Hell no! As i left the room the eldest was dragging the pretty blond (funny that) nursery assistant to the bookshelf whilst the youngest was climbing around and exploring his new surroundings.  Did i fret, did i pine at the door? Of course!

I was only 2 rooms away from them on a first aid course which meant i could pop along and look through the window/hear their screams etc, but they were fine, loved it in fact!  The nursery staff even said how good they were considering they haven't been abandoned/left before, proud mummy moment :)

Paignton in the rain

We took the boys to Paignton yesterday with Rich's mum and dad, of course it rained, doesn't it always in Paignton?!

They have really updated the big green field area by the pier, it is full of swings and climbing frames now so we will have to go again when the boys are a bit bigger.  The youngest has been a bit poorly with his teeth again the last few days bless him, he really suffers but only a few left to go now so worst is over for him.

Our Holiday

This year we took the boys to a caravan in Brean, we went when the eldest was a baby but this was the first time as a family of 4.  The boys loved the caravan, they even slept better!

We went out somewhere each day to various animal parks and soft play centres,  we also took them swimming which the youngest loved, he is a true waterbaby.  Biggest boy was better than last time we took him swimming, he really doesn't like it but he is getting better now he sees his little brother enjoying it so much.  They also went to the fair a couple of times where the youngest had his first real experiences of going on the big boy rides, we could hear him laughing over the sound of the fairground!

The boy can walk!

A quiet month for us, we all had a tummy bug over easter and the weather has been rotten so not really been out and about much except for playgroups etc.  The youngest has however finally taken his first unaided steps at 13 months!  He was so determined to throw a duck in the bath before his brother, he didn't realize i had let him go and he walked right across the bathroom floor....so i made him do it again, and again, and again, no fluke!

To celebrate, we took him into town today to buy his first proper shoes, picture to follow.  He doesn't like having shoes on and had a fantastic wobbler but he will get used to them,  I seem to remember someone else doing the exact same thing not so long ago!

The Ladybird on the Stairs

I spent a precious 20 minutes or so with the boys yesterday watching a ladybird make its way down our stairs.  They were both engrossed with watching it crawl along the step then spread its wings to fly down to the next step, crawl to the edge then fly down again.  I was engrossed with watching them....they were both fascinated, it was magical for all of us. 

The ladybird finally made its long journey to the bottom stair and the eldest said "No more fly" then flicked it across the floor!  Certainly "no more fly" now little bug :(

Potatoes in the bath.......

The eldest has, at last, starting forming sentances all by himself, without any prompting, we are so proud of our funny little man.  His classic this week was when watching me peel potatoes for a roast dinner, i asked him where the peeled potato (tato) should go now....His reply on pointing to the saucepan of water..."tato go in the bath"...too cute!  He has also taken to calling is father Silly Daddy, who am i to correct him!

The youngest has mostly tantrummed this week/month, the boy has a fantastic temper on him.  I'm surprised the neighbours haven't called the police as it sounds like he is being murdered, especially at nappy change times or when the bath hasn't run quick enough, he is a true water baby, he even loves having a shower which Big Brother hates.

Mothers Day

The boys bought me some new slippers and some craft boxes for Mothers Day which was exactly what i needed so that was really lovely.  Below is a picture of the cross-stitch card i made for my mother-in-law, we also bought her some flowers and a lovely new vase.

We took the boys to Newquay Zoo for the day, the sun was out but boy was it freezing, the boys had little red noses and were shivering bless them.   Most of the animals felt the same as they were mostly curled up in their beds but we had great fun watching the penguins and meerkats as they were all out and about. 

We took a picnic with us so we were surrounded by swans and peacocks while we were eating which the baby loved but the eldest wasn't impressed, he kept moving his plate around the table to stop the birds pinching his food!

Big boy bed

The big boy's new single bed and mattress was delivered yesterday, so i thought it would be a good idea to build it myself while hubby was at work.........what was i thinking!??  I built it, and it didn't actually take that long, but i had to build it with the baby jumping up and down on my lap having a tantrum because he wasn't allowed to play with the screws (yes i know, mean mummy), and the toddler running off with the poles.  But hey ho, it's built and i'm proud of myself.

So he spent his first night in his big boy bed last night, slept like a log and didn't even come close to falling out.  I checked on him several times of course!  I didn't think he would as he hasn't really ever fallen out of his cotbed but we haven't put side rails on his bed as he is very confident and it is only a bit higher than his cotbed, just a lot wider and longer.  Now its time to build up the cotbed back to a cot so that the baby can upgrade (second hand upgrade?) to a bigger cot.  There is no way i can let the monkey go into a bed just yet, he is far too lively, he still needs to be on lockdown!

Bugs

We all seem to have been hit with the flu bug this week, lots of snotty noses and grumpy faces so not a great week.  The little one has mastered climbing down the stairs though so that is fun....older brother comes running to tell me Baby Stairs! if i haven't got there quick enough, he loves his little brother, or is he just a grass?!

Eldest is getting really good with forming sentances at last, still lots of frustrated screaming from him on occasions but it is getting less as his speech improves.

I have also refound my crafty bug which has been AWOL for a few months.  I need to take down and re-sew the babys curtains, they were my first project on the sewing machine so now i am more experienced i know i can do a better job with them, i was/am proud of them though for my first attempt with no lessons.  Have nearly finished knitting a cardigan, now that the summer is here lol, and i have also dug out my cross-stitching to start a sampler for the babys bedroom.  Toddlers is done, just need to frame it now.  Oh yes, and find some spare time to get it all done!

Birthdays and Penguins

Baby had his 1st birthday this week, he started off the morning by giving himself a fat lip, of all the days!  Both boys had fun though with lots of people around and sweet stuff they don't normally have, and both very well behaved, they make me so proud, every day.

We took them to Living Coast the next day to see the penguins, baby called them quack quacks all the way around and the eldest ran too fast and fell and grazed his face but they (and us) enjoyed it.  Was lovely to walk around Torquay after with sunglasses on, its finally getting warmer!

Made cakes

Today we made some Smarties cakes, not from scratch sadly, just from a ready box mix to see how he got on.  Last time we made cakes he really wasn't fussed but today he enjoyed mixing and putting the bun cases on the tray, although possibly it was more that he was allowed to stand on a chair that he was enjoying! Maybe next time we make some i will do it from scratch so he can weigh out the flour etc.

What made it really special though, was once they had been iced and had set, he asked for a cake so i let him choose which one he wanted, then he picked another one out and said it was for baby, good boy for sharing!

Been to the Zoo, zoo, zoo...

We took the boys to Paignton Zoo yesterday for my birthday, this was the eldests first time where he could name all of the animals and the youngests first time where he really paid any interest so it was a good day out for all of us. The eldests favourite was the choo-choo train, no surprises there! He did spend a while watching the Elephant, Giraffe's and Monkeys though :). Baby was fascinated by everything (What's that?! was said a thousand times), he giggled at the baboon's but his favourite thing was a tree, strange boy that he is!

Been poorly sick and ill!

So the boys have been poorly this last week or so, baby had a viral rash all over his body but wasn't really unwell with it.  Poor big boy though, he really suffered bless him.  He had his first ride in an ambulance but he didn't really know what was going on, and his first overnight stay in hospital with a drip in his hand for antibiotics.  He was pretty good, he didn't try to pull it out, i think he knew it was making him better.  They are both back to their normal cheeky selves now thankfully,  babys bad attitude continues to go from bad to worse and big boys speech is improving every day.  Hard to believe it is the babys first birthday soon, where did the year go??!