oh the places you'll go Dylan {2017}

0

oh the places you'll go beautiful boy {2016}

4

introducing... dylan aiden

It feels so incredibly strange to be writing this post... it's like a birth announcement 5 years late! When I first started to write a blog, it was private. And it was simply for me to write and share photos, and for family to read and catch up on what Dylan was up to. In those days I used his name. But when I discovered the blog community and decided to "go public" I quickly made the decision to edit those early posts and remove his name. When I tucked him in at night I would say "sweet dreams beautiful boy" and so I just went with that. A snap decision. And one I based my whole blog on. I didn't know at that point that blogging was going to become quite such a big part of my life. Along the way it's become a big part of all our lives really. 

But five years on, it actually feels really good to be sharing his name. My beautiful boy. My Dylan Aiden. And I promised all the details on his name, so get comfy and let me introduce my little man.

14

oh the places you'll go beautiful boy {2015}

5

preschool class of 2015

This past weekend our beautiful boy graduated from his preschool. It was a lovely celebration of his time there, and a day that made him feel super proud of himself, and us even prouder of the little boy he is becoming.

24

from the other side

Handing your children over to another person and walking away is always hard. We all know that it is part of them growing up, part of us growing as parents too, and that it is necessary; but it's hard. Because for so long, when they are teeny, we make every single painstaking decision for them. The decisions feel so hard and so scary at first, and like such a massive responsibility that we're constantly terrified we might get wrong. But over time we get used to making all those choices, to always being there to love, to cuddle, to teach, to discipline, to know that everything in their little world is just the way we would like it to be.

7

a birthday in london {52 adventures}

You only turn four once... so it pays to do it in style. Birthday days out are kind of a family tradition of ours, and we absolutely love them. Nothing quite celebrates a birthday like an adventure with your favourite people. And for the beautiful boy's fourth birthday he had very clear ideas about what he wanted to do to celebrate; he wanted to go to London, he wanted to ride the underground with his Uncle Matt, he wanted to go on a ferris wheel, and he wanted to have lunch at Planet Hollywood. Well we gave him all those things, and we threw in a boat ride and a wander around Docklands in the twilight for good measure.

9

happy fourth birthday beautiful boy

Just like that, you really aren't a baby anymore!

While three could still be considered toddler territory,

four is big boy territory,

and you are so ready to fill those big boy shoes.

Every amazing year seems to fly by

as we pack our days with fun and adventures

and this year has seen to you taking little adventures of your own;

adventures independently of us,

as you've started preschool and classes which are all your own.

You've embraced this opportunities with such excitement and enthusiasm

and words could never really express how very proud you make us.

You are so sensitive and kind,

so hilariously funny and cheeky,

so inquisitive about the world,

so keen to learn,

so polite,

so warm,

so friendly;

and I thank my lucky stars every day

that I get the pleasure of raising you,

and witnessing all the fantastic things you are becoming.

As you turned one, and two, and three,

it made me so emotional to think how far you had come from those baby days,

how far we had come together.

And this year is no different.

Four seems so big.

Four will see you start primary school.

And while you have without a doubt got the energy and personality to absolutely rule at being four,

sometimes I look at you and still see the baby you once were

and just can't believe that we have come so far

and how far your legs are going to take you in life.

You rock my world little man,

and I couldn't be prouder that I get to be your best girl

and your best friend

and your mummy.

Happy fourth birthday beautiful boy.

I love you more.

I love you most.

x x x

10

{little christmas moments} nativity

Nativity is one of those little things which is a real milestone of childhood Christmases. I remember being in them as a child, and planning them as a teacher, and it has always been a major Christmas highlight for me. There is something about small children proudly performing their parts, acting out the Christmas story and singing all those well known festive songs that just never fails to get me in the mood for Christmas (and to bring a big lump to my throat with the sheer cuteness of it all.)

8

oh the places you will go

12

out of the mouths of babes {june}

Nanny: "Did you have a lovely time at the seaside?"

beautiful boy: "Yes I did."

Nanny: "Did you go in the sea?"

beautiful boy: "Yes I did."

Nanny: "And did you get very wet?"

beautiful boy: "Yes Nanny, I did. I fell in."

Nanny: "Oh dear, was it very cold?"

beautiful boy: "Yes it was. But Mummy was my hero and saved me."

12

switched off

One of the little downsides of summer with small children

is that the lighter mornings often mean earlier wake ups.

Our children are, on the whole, fantastic sleepers,

but some mornings they get disturbed by the over enthusiastic dawn chorus

and the fact that it looks like midday by 6am.

Anytime after 6am I can just about deal with,

after 7am is the norm,

and any time with a 5 at the beginning is still night time if you ask me.

12

him and her {week twenty-two}

he would rather jump and run than walk any day,

would watch himself on video all the time if we let him,

is getting really great at writing his name

and pulls the cheekiest faces that it's impossible not to smile.

she seems to permanently have her tongue stuck out at the moment,

tries her luck and asks for chocolate three or four times a day,

grabs her favourite rag doll Blossom for a cuddle as soon as we put her to bed at night

and is obsessed with shoes.

9

out of the mouths of babes {may}

Mummy: "Come on, eat up your dinner so you grow big and strong."

beautiful boy: "I will have big jeans like Daddy."

while watching Happy Feet (a film full of penguins)

beautiful girl: "Duck. Duck. Duck."

Mummy: "No sweetheart, not duck. Penguin."

beautiful girl: "Duck."

Mummy: "Can you say penguin?"

after a long pause

beautiful girl: "Duck duck."

beautiful boy: "I'm poorly Mummy."

Mummy: "Oh no. Do you need a big cuddle."

beautiful boy: "Yes. And I need some medicine to feel me better."

Mummy: "Shall we get some lunch?"

beautiful girl: "Chocat?"

"Oh Mummy, there are so many planets on the Earth. Shall we go to the moon first?"

"I want to go outside with my feet I do."

beautiful boy: "Are you happy Mummy?"

Mummy: "Yes I am."

beautiful boy: "Well can you be happy with your teeth?"

beautiful boy: "I don't feel very well."

Mummy: "Oh no, what's wrong?"

beautiful boy: "I'm not quite sure. But it's making me feel very sad."

Mummy: "Oh dear. Well would a cuddle make you feel better?"

beautiful boy: "No. It wouldn't. But a kids would work."

talking to some old ladies while we were in a queue in a shop

Old Lady 1: "Oh isn't he handsome?"

Mummy: "Yes, we certainly think so."

Old Lady 2: "What's your name?"

beautiful boy: "[beautiful boy]"

Old Lady 2: "Well thats a lovely name, isn't it?"

beautiful boy: "Yes it is. What's your name?"

Old Lady 2: "Well I'm Milly and this is Trish."

beautiful boy: "Hello Milly and Trish."

Old Lady 1: "Oh he just charming."

Mummy: "Haha, yes, he has his moments."

we moved forward in the queue a bit

beautiful boy: "See you soon Milly and Trish. Have a nice day."

Old Lady 2: "Thank-you [beautiful boy]. And you too."

beautiful boy: "Mummy? Are those girls going to come for lunch with us?"

… Cue much giggling from said "girls". He made their day!

15

him and her {week twenty-one}

he says some of the funniest things ever,

thinks the Disney Store is one of the best places in the world,

and is just totally charming.

she talks non-stop, just not in any language that we can understand,

is totally obsessed with all things duck,

and will now sleep without a sleeping bag like a big girl.

3

him and her {week twenty}

he never stands still, even for a minute,

is obsessed with maps and loves to look at them and point things out,

and wants to do everything by himself unless he's asked for help.

she can empty a bookcase in the time it takes you to make lunch,

completely refuses to listen when you tell her "no", simply smiling at you instead,

and is a total firecracker who makes us laugh everyday.

5

three and a quarter

In the quarter year since your birthday you had changed so much.

4

him and her {week eighteen}

he can make anything into an adventure,

likes food the best when he's helped make it,

and insists on saying cheers when we brush noses,

just so we can giggle about it afterwards.

she is a fearless little climbing monkey,

who seems to permanently be scruffy or messy,

but has a cheeky smile that makes us melt

right when she's doing something naughty.

3

out of the mouths of babes {april}

Mummy: "What ARE you doing?"

beautiful boy: "I'm being a bit mental."

as we pulled into a motorway services:

"We've made it to the weewee station we have."

Princess Anna: "Can I say something crazy?"

Prince Hans: "I love crazy."

beautiful boy: "I love crazy too."

beautiful boy: "I am going to go to Hong Kong."

Mummy: "No you're not sweetheart. Nanny and Pops are going to Hong Kong."

beautiful boy: "No, I am. And I'm going to swim all the way."

after doing a wee...

Mummy: "Right, now shake."

beautiful boy: "Shake it off, shake it off,

shake it off, shake it off,

oh woah oh,

shake it off, shake it off,

shake it off, shake it off,

oh woah oh,

and it's hard to dance

with the devil on your back,

so shake it off,

oh woah oh."

(He's clearly a Florence and The Machine fan. He sings this every. single. time he goes for a wee.)

beautiful boy: "There. I ate my cracker. Can I have a Pringle now?"

Mummy: "No. I said you had to eat ALL of the cracker. You've only eaten one bite."

beautiful boy: "But I really want a Pringle."

Mummy: "Well then you need to eat all of your cracker."

beautiful boy: "No I don't need to. Because I don't want to."

Mummy: "Well then there will be no Pringle will there?"

beautiful boy: "URGH! You are getting on my nerves now Mummy."

Daddy: "Do you want to go to Nanny and Pops' or come to the pub with me?"

beautiful boy: "What's a pub?"

Mummy: "It somewhere where Daddy will drink beer and hang with his friends."

beautiful boy: "I want to hang with Daddy."

Daddy: "What would you like to watch on the Xbox?"

beautiful boy: "Nothing. We are sleeping. And boys can't sleep if they're watching Xbox."

Daddy: "Oh okay then. I'll watch what I want to then."

beautiful boy: "No Daddy. We need it off so we can sleep in quiet and peace."

"It's slippery, slimey soap Mummy, so I'm going to call it sloap."

8

bluebell days

I absolutely love bluebells.

And anyone who has been following this blog for a while

will know that popping along to the bluebell woods

is a scheduled in part of Dear Beautiful spring times.

21