Goodbye 2009... Goodbye to the noughties!

Hello, hello! It's new year's eve night and I can barely believe it, the ups and downs of this year are many and I've certainly fitted a lot in but the year has gone very fast for me... Christmas was lovely, unfortunately the children were both poorly but the presents helped perk Lyra up; I will put up a couple of photo posts to summarise the whole of my busy December but will have to put the pictures on the pc first :o)

So a new decade... At the start of this decade I was in my final year of school so in the midst of a-levels. I went to plymouth uni in September of 2000, meeting the love of my life soon after though it was october 2001 when we started dating as I started the 2nd year of my degree.... In September 2002 we moved in together after a difficult year long-distance, I graduated with a 2:1 honours degree in psychology in 2003 and we moved to Bristol to look for jobs... And in 2004, a couple of months after David proposed (on a gondola in Venice! Who says romance is dead?!) we moved to Taunton... 2005 was the year that we married and bought out first house as soon as we returned from honeymoon. 2006 was one of ends and beginnings; my grandma passed away on mothers day and Lyra was conceived around our anniversary. My pregnancy was difficult and I spend more time throwing up than is fair, the birth was worse though and nearly finished me off.. However Lyra and I both survived her arrival in January 2007 though I found that year very hard I never neglected to notice how beautiful, sweet and clever my little girl was. In 2008 I started a new career when the bank I worked for neglected to have a job for me and made me change contract.. I began work as a healthcare assistant at the local hospital. We decided to try for another baby in the summer and Logan was conceived immediately just like Lyra had been. Logan arrived in march this year and 2009 has been a year of blissful motherhood, despite a few challenges and the anxiety of Lyra starting preschool!!

Every year has brought huge changes to my life and the lives of my little family. I do hope that the next 10 years is a little less testing but I am undeniably happy with my wonderful husband and beautiful children. I am in two minds about returning to work in march, I must admit I wish we could afford for me to stay at home with the children but I do love my job and it carries its own rewards.

As for resolutions? I would like to resolve to be more organised in 2010.. I hope to be able to fit in plenty of crochet and making things for my family and I am so busy that organisation can only help! Perhaps this will be something I can teach myself this year? I want to be more positive and try not to take things so personally too. I do tend to interpret things badly and assume people think the worst of me, which is silly really since it is me who is hard on myself... Finally; I intend to do more exercise and have a generally healthier lifestyle because my pelvis pain has meant that I have done much less than I want to in 2009....

HAPPY NEW YEAR! xxxx

Christmas Eve

Phew I've been busy! A few weeks ago I thought I was ever so organised
for Christmas then everyone here started getting poorly & the weather
became decidedly yucky... So naturally I've ended up running around
like a headless

10 days to go!

Goodness it HAS been a little while since I've blogged hasn't it! I've been rather caught up in Christmas preparations, childrens parties and the plague that always seems to abound at this time of year... Christmas is so close I can practically taste the turkey!!! Lyra is very excited (particularly about father Christmas) & I'd be lying if I said David and I aren't too. I'm almost bursting with Christmas spirit despite a head cold making me feel like I'm on a boat. I want to make some cranberry mincemeat tonight but have crocheted presents to make before I can appease the Nigella in me. I have made bunting, the childrens stockings, Logan's Christmas trousers (with braces!) & various presents but the unwellness has put a spanner in my works so I need to focus now! David only has 3 days left at work so I'll have some help soon at least..

My main news is that i'm feeling almost totally back to my blissfully happy self due to a rather unexpected turn of events. I had been continuously feeling very low and decided enough was enough. I went to the doctor to see if there was anything to be done, terrified of sinking into full-blown PND again. After a bit of to-ing & fro-ing I very suddenly felt a LOT better at the exact same time as developing a pain in my right breast... Back to my doctor then... It turns out I
had an infection on my right mammary glands for about 3 months that has almost certainly played merry hell with my hormones & has caused my dipping mood. This came to a head, developed into mastitis & I felt better because my body was finally fighting it off!! I've just
finished a course of uber strong antibiotics so that will hopefully put an end to that. Unfortunately this means I've been feeling yucky over my birthday but better than major outbursts! Hopefully normal service shall now be resumed.

PS Lyra has been so funny lately I have to share what she said to David yesterday when he got home from work ; "daddy, why are you like a small potato"
Hmmm!! No idea Lyra :)

Thankfulness...

I'm so thankful for my family who I
so much

I know I'm in the UK But I reckon it's great to be thankful for what you have.... OK right now I'm very thankful that the children are both asleep after a VERY trying day, that David is letting me sit quietly for a bit and that I have a nice big bottle of Baileys to dip into this evening. However I am mostly thankful for my wonderful family, despite the difficult days. Everyone has those and it makes us appreciate the good after all. We are all healthy, happy and really don't want for much at all. Except sleep. Oh yes that would be good....

I'm hoping Logan's teeth will finally break through soon as he is obviously in pain with them poor little lamb - poor me too as he screams a LOT at the moment & is usually such a happy wee boy. He does find playing peepo hysterical & laughs at his sister doing funny things so much. Baby laughs are so infectious!

Lyra has also been teething! her top and bottom 2nd molars on her left side are finally through (weren't 2 weeks ago) & hopefully the right ones will follow soon. all her teeth came through left side first. She has been very lovely & very trying in equal measures today. She is so good at emotional blackmail & sobs when I leave her at preschool only to stop the moment I leave almost in tears myself. She says "I love you sweetheart" to me so often & thanks me beautifully by saying "thank you for boughting me (XYZ) I love you honey" how heart-melting!

As for me; I saw my ward Sister today after physio (my boss) & have started the ball rolling for my return to work starting with one 12 hour night a week in March as I need to take my holiday first. she has referred me to Occupational Health. My hip is improving slightly. I've not had to use my crutch at all since tuesday. Still hurts a lot but not as bad as last week at least. at least my hands are OK so I can still crochet! I finally put up my pig pattern on Blog 2....

David is still obsessed with Stormtroopers & is off on a troop on 2nd December & he won't be home until 11pm - having left for work at 7.30am. rather sucks for me but he does enjoy it I suppose. I'm not sure about my feelings on the matter at present I must admit.... but i do love to see him so enthusiastic.

& it's not just my little nuclear family that I am thankful for; my lovely sisters who I love so much and appreciate hugely; my parents; the CAT even!! What would life be without such love? I'm a lucky mummy/wife/daughter/sister/friend....... How about you?

My darling 8-month-old

My beautiful boy Logan was 8 whole months old on Friday, & oh my
goodness I have no idea that time has gone! He is still a badly
teething toothless wonder but now crawls well & pulls himself to
sitting and standing easily so is a lot less frustrated than he was a
month ago. The clever boy responds to his name, waves bye bye & says a
lot of things that he obviously means (such a pity we can't quite
understand him yet). He can put the ball in the top of the vtech tree,
spin things & can roll cars along; it's lovely to watch him play now
he can do things himself. He LOVES the bath & gets very impatient
while I get him undressed.

Lyra is becoming such a grown-up young lady. She gets so upset at the
idea of leaving me that I still know she's my baby though. She comes
out with some very funny things just yesterday she kept saying "i
don't like it, i don't" apparently she doesn't like ants in her pants!
She also makes me lots of imaginary ice cream and food at the moment;
to make my hip feel better so she says. Her vocabulary is astounding
and her thoughtfulness very touching. I've spent the last week on and
off crutches due to my continuing SPD & PGP & am on some pretty strong
painkillers and she has been very concerned and actually pretty
helpful with her brother. Also Stroppy sometimes but she is 3!

I feel so blessed to have mylittle ones and simply can't wait for
Christmas, really I can't!

Counting down..

Last night we went to the town lights switch-on and firework
display... Both children loved the fireworks and lights, though the
loud bangs worried Logan & he cuddled up to me. The children were both
asleep by the time we got home so the change in routine has led to a
bad night of sleep for us all. However I am feeling buoyed up by the
feeling that it is now well and truly time to start counting down to
Christmas. & I am so excited already goodness knows how hyper I will
be by December, after all I have my birthday to look forward to with
anticipation too on the tenth.

Of course in a house with two children and a husband who loves
Christmas I am certainly not alone in my excitement. Lyra carried her
chocolate advent calendar around with her constantly for a week before
opening it and eating all of the chocolate over two days. The
chocolates all fell out of their moulds and gathered at the bottom so
it had to be opened really. We can use the moulds for chocolate making
though so that's ok

Last night I knocked up 1 1/2 Christmas stockings and the Christmas
present buying, making and wrapping is well and truly underway. I have
air-drying clay, card, paint and glitter by the ton for makng
Christmas tree decorations and cards, fabric bunting is the next
project as are a couple of secret makes I can't reveal until after the
big day itself. Oh I've also started organising a toddler & baby Xmas
party for mums & little ones we know.

So ho ho ho, bring on the Christmas cheer; I'm waiting with open arms!

Down came the rain...

It is bonfire weekend so of course the weather is particularly wet and miserable. This spider is clinging on & hoping she doesn't get washed out by it all as it's taken me a while to climb this water spout. Confused? Sorry!

I've had a rather emotionally draining couple of weeks and hope that I can spend some time tonight tucked up on the sofa with a film, a hot drink & of course David for some well needed relaxation therapy. The rain reflects my mood and compounds it, isn't it funny how the natural world still has such power over us despite the fact we pay it less heed than we should.

Autumn does have its beauty though. The other day Lyra said to genni & I while we were driving to my mum's "I love the trees, they are beautiful. They are a myriad of colours" a what? I ask. "a myriad" says my innocent/wise daughter. "they are red and orange and green and yellow and purple. And blue" the eyes of children really do capture the wonder if life don't they.

I so love my family, they are truly my sunshine :o)