dear beautiful {a family lifestyle blog}: bluebells

Showing posts with label bluebells. Show all posts

the sibling project {may}

Monday, 15 May 2017

One of the first things I fantasised about when I first found out I was pregnant the second time around, was that moment way-way-way-ahead in my future, when I would stand back, and watch Dylan and his younger sibling walked off together hand-in-hand. They'd be ready to explore and take on whatever the world threw their way, with their sibling at their side. And the fantasy came back thick and strong when I was pregnant for the third time; having watched Dylan and Everly forge such a special friendship, and love every opportunity to adventure together, I couldn't wait to see them both showing their younger sibling the things they knew.

While there are undoubtedly a few downsides to being a third baby (being dragged all over the place regardless of how you feel about it, having no toys to call your own, and the constant attentions of well-meaning siblings being just a few) I think what Quinn has in her big brother and sister, far outweighs any negatives. They love her so fiercely. They are desperate to teach her things; new skills and new words that bring her one step closer to being an equal playmate. They simply love showing her their world. And they scream blue murder if they think there is any possibility she might get herself into mischief (although I'm not sure that she'd always see that as a bonus!!!)

the siblings project {may}

Sunday, 15 May 2016

Something I'm learning about having a third child, is that there are some things about family life that never lose their sparkle however many children you may have. And a big one is watching the gap between siblings seemingly get smaller as your children grow. Before Ashlyn was born I felt like the gap between her and the bigger two was going to feel massive. I know that lots of people leave three years as a kind of "standard age gap", but having had Dylan and Everly nineteen months apart, the gap between the two girls seemed huge for us.

And when she was first born it was. Looking at that tiny, frail newborn made us see how far the older two had come, how much they had grown and changed. They made her look so impossibly tiny, and by contrast she made them seemingly grow a little older and a little taller overnight. It felt like it would be a long time before they would be 'close' to their baby sister. And don't get me wrong, Dylan and Everly are so bright and independent and Ashlyn is still only a baby, but as the days pass it feels like the three of them chip little chunks off of the gap.

Maybe it's where Ashlyn is growing up so fast; with more personality each day. Or maybe it's where we've all just slipped into the rhythms of life with three children now. But that little team of three I thought I'd be waiting a while to see... it feels like it's already there.

in amongst the bluebells

Thursday, 21 May 2015

Bluebells are something of an annual adventure for us. We've made a trip out to the woods to visit those beautiful purple flowers every single Spring, and it's always one of my favourite adventures. This year was definitely the best yet, with two bright and inquisitive little people searching for wildlife among the flowers, talking about bears and Gruffalos that may be hiding, and generally making the whole event into an even bigger adventure.