Turning 30...

So I turn 30 tomorrow. And about 5 people to day have asked me if I'm ok... And I am. Not because I'm too-cool-for-the-freaking-out-about-getting-old-school, but because I reserve those freaks out for when I think about the babies growing up. Not often. Just when they go through the major milestones... Like when Euna got her first pair of two piece pyjamas or when Bow grew out of his bouncy chair or when Euna had the last day of her first term or preschool or today when Bow picked up his sippy cup of his own for the first time... You know, really pivotal stuff.

And because I'm feeling philosophical in the last few hours of my 20's I will share that whenever I do have a freak out of this variety I remember the wise words of my wise friend's very wise mum who said, when my friend had a freak out that one day (talking obscure one day in the future terms) her mum will die, "but if I didn't die you wouldn't be able to have your children". So there. That's my little anchor. If I didn't get old then I wouldn't of been able to have my babies, who are the absolute joy of my life. It's just gotta work like that. And I want my children to get their chance at this parenting lark... So I've gotta grow up and grow old. Thanks Sue. 

20's then. They were good. They were also a little bit hard. A little bit uncertain. As 20's are supposed to be. And as I've now had a last-night-of-my-20s-beer and still feeling philosophical here's what I'd take away from my 20's about being in my 20's...

1. Do what you want to do and generally you'll end up doing something you should do.

2. Everyone might get to different stuff at different times. DOn't worry about it. Keep doing what you want to do.

3. Keep making friends. Actively. After college/uni. All the time. Even outside of work. Don't ever think "right I've got my friends".

4. If you're thinking about getting married or having babies and you're thinking when you do it'll be the end of your life... It's not. Do it like it's the start of your life and it will be. 

4 will do. 4's a good number of "big" things to of learnt in a decade. Certain I'll unlearn them for periods to come.

Happy Birthday me! ;D

Nose in the Books...

Probably my favourite thing Euna does at the moment is "read books"... She plonks herself down and recites in her own gobbledegook language... Every ten seconds or so from the "oblidadada funner munner rahblah soololodeeee" pipes up a recognisable and topical word like "doggie" or "pooh bear".

Sweetie...

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Summer's Swinging...

Living a bit hard and fast here. It's a good hard and fast. Not overwhelming. Just quick paced, ticking through the days from meal times to nap times to fun times. Screeching in to the evening sticky with jam and sand summer-hands and with a general sweaty glaze all over... Grateful for a shower and a sit down. 

Summer in full swing. 

Euna has the paddling pool out everyday. Bow is fiiiiinally coming out of a desperately clingy phase and is happy to play on a blanket in the shade. The windows and doors are open permanently. We're spontaneously eating outside. And as one neighbour finishes their lawn I can hear another mower starting up. 

Here's a few randoms from our week enjoying the summer... I am absolutely loving the usability of my new zoom lens, it literally can not take a bad picture, total tog-porn <3... 

Back At Ya...

The other week Euna tried to get past me in our bathroom and demanded "MOVE MUMMY!" At first I started to tell her off that that's not the way you speak to Mummy... But the inflection of how she said it was so familiar I knew exactly where she'd got it from... ME! It's tempting to take an old-school line on it and think she's the child and I'm the adult so therefore she should do as I say not as I do... Just because it seems justified that I tell her to "MOVE!" when Bow's crying and dinner's about to burn and my brain's melting from her tired moaning. But to her that's no less urgent than her needing to rush past me to get her toy Tigger of for his nap in her big girl pram. So I think I'm just going to go ahead admit dropping a parenting ball here. That's not how I want her to speak to me because it's abrupt and kinda cold. So why am I talking to her like that? 

I shouldn't is the answer. 

Ergo I need to think about how I'm talking to her and when I do talk to her am I ok with her talking to back me like that? THAT is the question. 

So it's all about kind words, loving tones even when I need to be firm and trying my very very best not to vent frustration through how I talk to her... Even in my eyes. Let's face it, a "excuse me please darling, Mummy needs to come through" mean naff all if I team it with a "FFS-Euna-glare"...

And here's a fav from my working week...

Blessed is Our Bow Bow

So on Sarurday we gathered friends, family, cakes, champagne and some sentimental words to officially welcome our son to the world. No church involved but certainly a thank you to God. Our own brand of a blessing and a fantastic excuse for a new frock and a family photo!

And I thought I'd share the words we shared taken from a little game played at my baby shower... Our hopes for our Bowen... (AND CHECK THE CUTE HOT BALLOON THEME!!) 

I hope you learn to be yourself. I hope you learn to laugh. I hope you learn to love. I hope you learn that if you didn’t have downs you wouldn’t appreciate your ups. I hope you learn that you can never stop learning. I hope you learn tolerance. I hope you learn if you work hard you can achieve anything. I hope you learn it’s ok to be soft.

  

I hope you aren’t afraid of a challenge. I hope you aren’t afraid to try new things. I hope you aren’t afraid to take risks. I hope you aren’t afraid to show everyone who you are. I hope you aren’t afraid to ask us anything.

  

I hope you love good food and good wine. I hope you love the outdoors. I hope you love and allow yourself to be loved. I hope you love life. I hope you love your family. I hope you love to laugh and be mischievous with your sister. I hope you love what you do.

  

I hope you get a long, happy, healthy and wonderful life. I hope you get to see the world and learn how special home is. I hope you get someone wonderful to share it all with.

I hope you never forget the closest and bestest friend you will ever have is your sister. I hope you never forget to look after the people you care about. I hope you never forget how loved you are. I hope you never forget that you are incredibly special. I hope you never forget the times we share. I hope you never forget you are exactly who you are supposed to be.

I hope you ignore negativity. I hope you ignore the people in this life who want to take from you without giving back. I hope you ignore the rules, just sometimes. I hope you ignore ignorance. I hope you ignore the superficial.

I hope you become the best you you can be. I hope you become happy, peaceful and successful. I hope you become strong willed.

I hope you respect yourself, your Mum and Dad and those around you.

  

I hope you grow up full of smiles. I hope you grow up having experienced all that life has to offer. I hope you grow in heart and mind. I hope you grow in to a confident person. I hope you grow old.

 To Bowen...

(Rather hard to show the party in full swing on account of not wanting to have the awkward conversation "do you mind if I put you on my blog..." but here's a few of the stragglers at the end...)

Black and white... Because it's arty and atmospheric... Not because my make-up has slid down my face... Honest. ;)

BUZZING BEACH HUTS BATMAN!

I'm working hard and buzzing through the weeks here! Bow's blessing is this Saturday and MY 30TH BIRTHDAY is just a couple of weeks after that... Between photoshoots, editing, party planning and having a veeeery fussy teething 8 month old I'm finding I barely have a second for myself. My nails are in a dreadful state and I'd do anything for a day to myself to get on top of everything... So please excuse the pretty negligent blogging! My brain feels full to the brim and I find it hard to think of anything to say with these pics these days...

What I will say though is... The best thing about being at home with the babies in the summer is being able to catch the (unreliable) hot weather when it hits... AND to be able to catch it mid-week during school term times so all the best places are quiet! For this reason I'm almost certain I want to relaunch the persuasion assault on my husband for a beach hut... I'm pretty sure we absolutely, positively, 100% NEED one.

DO YOU HEAR THAT STEVE?! ;)

Slow to Stress Cycle

I don't really want to admit it but I keep losing my cool with them at the moment. Generally at the same time of day everyday. 6-ish. Bow's probably been grizzling since before dinner. Euna's in that slightly manic, tired phase of the day when she seems to want to be loud and make mess and just being a bit destructive around the place. Plus I'm trying to clean up after dinner, get pyjamas out, do baths, tidy... etc.

I can feel myself get totally overwhelmed and it feel like I crawl right up inside my own head and then it' just like a pressure cooker until I pop and I'm shouting stuff like "WILL EVERYONE JUST STOOOOOOOP CRYYYYYYINGGGGGG!"

Then thanks to the sharing power of the internet and far more articulate people than I, I found this via a friend on Facebook... "The important thing about yelling". You when things make you go "this is SO true!"? I got that. And I'm realising I need to slow down a little, that actually the yelling isn't about frustration with the babies. The yelling is about my frustration at not being able to do an unrealistic amount around the babies. 

I do this cycle a lot. Commit to too much. Get stressed. Blog that I need to slow down. Slow down. Feel in charge of my shiz. Feel a lull. And then I think... Hey you know what we should do?

So here's to the slow down chapter! And in the spirit of slowing down, here's a chilling Bow-Bow...

And here's a chilling Bow-Bow sporting two spanking new toothy pegs! :D