One of the best..

Yesterday one of my oldest friends passed away of cancer at the young age of 28. She is one of those people that just touched hearts. She had so much spirit it was contagious. Even when we were young, she did everything with great intention. She loved hard and enjoyed herself immensely. She felt things with great intensity, like when she was looking forward to something she really would be just so excited for weeks in advance. I loved it.

As friends do, we sometimes drifted apart over the years but it was always her that brought us back together. The first time we saw each other again after a dry spell over our high school years, she actually cried tears of joy. I mean, who is that loving?

I was lucky to have her get to know Bennett and Brooke and she again loved them both dearly. It is such a joy to see someone appreciate your babies like you do.

Jacqui was always so proud of her Mum, Dad and Brother. They were such a close family. I wish there was a way to take away their pain, they really don't deserve this. Her Mum shared a very touching picture recently {see below}. I do feel love is worth grief and eventually, when the wound is less raw, they can start to rebuild their life with each other as support.

Jacqui has taught me to appreciate life and never take a single day for granted. Even small insignificant days are days that shape your life and you should never let them go by unmindful. Life is a gift. Family is a gift. That is all that matters in the end.

Rest in peace sweet friend xxx

London town!

Ok well actually we were in Orpington and Kretingham town.....so this is my post on our ENGLAND TRIP!

We decided to take the blobs to spend Easter in England with my family this year. It's something we plan to do every  year with the babies and I know it will be something they  look forward to! England has so much to offer in regards to culture and I love seeing my family and extended family as well. It's so refreshing to go somewhere so different from where you live and appreciate what the world has to offer.

So lets start with the flight to England. Horrible, disastrous, felt like an eternity....we enjoyed it basically haha. This was Bennett's third trip to England and fourth on a plane and he has always done amazing! Ryan had never taken the long haul flight with him and I assured him our children are pros. Well wrong was an understatement, I think my children were the worst behaved on the entire flight. Bennett just couldn't go to sleep even though we were flying overnight. Once he finally did fall asleep, he was squished and uncomfortable. Then a noisy flight attendant woke him up and the confusion sent him into tantrum mode. I actually had to just place him in the aisle at one point and let him flail around there until he finally calmed down. This wasn't the end of the torture though we had spilled drinks, scalded babies, poo explosions {over Mummy and baby} and food on the floor. Needless to say we were happy to land :)

          

Once in England we spent one night at my parent's house and headed away for a week in the country side. We stayed in a 500+ year old cottage called The Potash. It was AMAZING! You really appreciate things like that when living in such an infant country in comparison. Ryan never wanted to leave! We spent the week visiting the coast, the pub, the shops, the local famous castle and having family dinner every night. It was wonderful! We also all took turns picking up Bennett's cold that he got during the flight but we all got better :)

   

              

          

 

We spent Easter back in Orpington {Brooke's first} and spent time seeing family. We also managed to get in more shopping, eating and even went to the fun fair one afternoon!

                        

              

 

           

The flight back was about 1000x times better. It was a day flight and we were lucky enough to get an extra seat beside Ryan for Bennett. He napped, watched movies and walked around the plane without even a single tantrum. Brooke and I were separated and only had one seat to ourselves {the man behind us with the empty seat refused to switch me seats EVEN THOUGH it was his wife sitting beside me}. So although our flight was squishy it was uneventful. Brooke only cried once when the milk was taking too long to heat up.

So that is the brief summary of our trip. WE LOVED IT and cannot wait to go back again next spring. In the meantime my little sissy's are coming here for the entire summer and then again with my Mum and Dad at Christmas. So we have alot to look forward to! xxx

My parent's street :)

Our little eight month old!

Our little girl is 8 months old! I seriously cannot believe that it has been 8 months already with this sweet blobina. It just amazes me that in 1 year, a baby can be born and grow up so quickly. Each month brings new rewards.....and challenges. Honestly though, I couldn't imagine life any other way :)

Brooke had a good month, she has such a sweet nature and is so easy to love. She wakes up smiling every morning and everything that we do excites her. She had her 7-8 month well check at the doctors office and her growth is on par. The only thing they brought to my attention was her weight. They said it is off the chart so wanted to refer me to a nutritionist!!! Isn't that hilarious?!?! I am taking no mind because Bennett was a little meatball at 8 months and now he has evened out perfectly. It's usually when they become mobile. Regardless, I LOVE MEATBALL STAGE. So instead of worrying, I'm just taking extra time to cuddle her while she is so squishy. 

Anyways, here are her updated stats and her 8 month photos!

Weight: 20.2 lbs {Bennett was 19.9....so close!}

Routine: She is sleeping through the night ONLY IF she is in our bed. I am still starting her in her crib but end up having to get up to move her over at some point. As soon as she is back with us, she will sleep solid until about 8 AM.

Eating: Formula 5x a day with rice cereal in the morning and puree's for lunch and dinner. 

Milestones: SHE SAY'S "MAMA"!! This is the cutest thing ever because Bennett's first {and still one of his only} words was/is "Dada". So I was secretly hoping Mama would prevail in Brooke's vocabulary. I still don't know if she is just saying it or applying it with thought but the other day I put her down, she then reached for me and started saying Mama! It was the BEST!!!

I love my little blobs, I constantly wonder how I got so lucky xxx

and for the comparison.....

Hozier Work Song

Ok peeps, this blog is typically about my babies but occasionally I will mention the music I'm currently listening to. Well to say I am OBSESSED with this man is an understatement. I have probably played Hozier's album and this specific song about 1000 times these last few weeks. It might be actually driving Ryan mad but I can't help it. I've fallen deeply in love with it and love dies hard. You probably recognize this {excuse my french} sexy Irish voice from his hit "Take me to church" which is all over the radio right now. Well I was surprised when my Mum played me the entire album to find he has an array of different styles. Some of his music is upbeat and catchy while other songs are slow and personal. This current song is called "Work Song" and it's just SO SOULFUL. Just watch, listen and enjoy! xxx

Bennett is 18 months!

My little baby is 1.5 years old {well he was on the 26th} and it's time for an update!

Bennett's last update was at 1 year which you can see here. At 12 months he had only been a big brother for 6 weeks so it was all quite new to him. He is definitely getting more used to the gig 7 months on. He finally appreciates that Brooke can sit up and do things with him. They are together 24/7 and now he notices that she giggles at him when he does something funny. So he will do it again and look for her reaction. She eats with him at the table now, so he will usually be gracious enough to slip her some of his food. She is also big enough to takes baths with him at night, so he always makes sure to splash some water into her face. Brotherly love :)

Bennett is SO PHYSICAL. This kid climbs everything, runs everywhere and flings his entire body around when he isn't happy. He loves being outside in the garden or at the swings. His Grandad {my dad} taught him to water things with a watering can while we were last in England and now he loves to do that. He even helped Aunty plant/water some seeds the other day and they are already doing great! Now that spring is here, Bennett goes into the garden every night with his Daddy. He runs around, tinkers with his wagon and usually ends up like this at the end of the evening....

My little blob still doesn't talk very much. He is running around 3 words but I am not that worried. Someone told me the other day that physical babies are able to get what they want so communicating isn't always priority. He still says "Dada" all the time and knows that's Ryan's name. Now he also says "no" and just started saying "Mama" again...FINALLY! He also babbles at us and I find it hilarious just seeing him trying so hard to communicate. Him and Brooke babble between each other too and maybe when she can talk...she will help him along abit :)

So here are a few stats for my little monkey and his 18 month pictures:

Weight: 25.7 lbs

Size: 18-24 mths. Our blob is still on the shorter side so his trousers always have to be rolled up. It's adorable. Both Granny and Gram keep him well clothed so I have hardly had to buy anything for him.

Routine: He has a 2-3 hr afternoon nap every day and also sleeps through the night from about 9:30 pm onwards.

Eating: Everything really. Breakfast is porridge and a banana. Then he snacks in the AM and PM between lunch and dinner {which is whatever we have}. I try and keep it as healthy as possible. He loves fruit....but like his Mama he also loves sweets, so we find a balance. He still has milk before he sleeps {which the doctor told me was horrible to do} but it puts him to sleep, so I don't care :) You also have to watch your alcohol around this one, he will steal anyone's drink and won't even flinch while drinking it {so funny but so embarrassing in public! Haha}. We even found him dipping his soother in my wine the other night. Lord give me strength.

Milestones: This one is hard because there is so much he does all the time. It's amazing to just watch how he is understanding so much more now. I will ask him to get a book so he will go and choose one and bring it to me. He is so quick on his feet and loves going down the slide by himself. He likes colouring and LOVES anything with wheels. Even the other day at my sisters house, he decided to steal Brooke's milk and of course she cried when he did. So he ran as fast as he could to find a soother, brought it back to her, stuck it in her mouth and carried on drinking her milk in peace. Haha little things like this honestly make my day.

 

LOOOOOOVE THIS KID!!!!