Just the Three of Us

Our lives seem busy, without me really being able to explain why.  Playdates, play groups, picnics in the park, people to see and places to be.  For two days a week the boys are in childcare whilst I work and for at least one day every week we have an extra toddler whilst I look after a friend's little boy.  At the weekends we enjoy time as a family of four and it is lovely having two of us around to do the parenting.

That doesn't leave a whole lot of time with just the boys and I, and after an extended maternity leave where we spent nearly a year just the three of us, we are still adjusting to the changes.  The time I do spend with my children is all the more special because of this.

We don't do anything particularly exciting, and that is what I most enjoy.  No day trips, long journeys or big days out.  We stay close to home so that we can enjoy each other's company.  We play at the park, we walk into town to pick up some groceries and have a cake at our favourite tea rooms, we play with playdough on the dining room table or we have a picnic in the garden.  

There is no stress, nobody else to please, nowhere to be, and we go back to the simple life.  We laze around in our pyjamas longer than we should, eat more cake than we need to and snuggle up together for stories.  As much as we love our busy social lives, and seeing friends and family, sometimes we just need to be together, just the three of us.

I love watching my children bond as brothers without any barriers.  They love to copy each other at the moment, and Archie follows Dylan around, mimicking his actions, whilst Dylan copies every noise that Archie makes.  They sit together giggling, they thrash around in the ball pit together and they share their snacks.  

I know that things will change.  It is only just over a year until Dylan starts school, and only three months until he starts at a local pre-school.  I know that time with just us will be ever more limited as the boys grow, so I am making sure we enjoy it now, whilst they are small.

These days seem like the unimportant ones.  Nothing much happens, we don't take photos, we don't do anything unusual or exciting but I have a feeling it will be some of these quiet days that we remember the longest - three straws in a milkshake, snuggles on the sofa watching cbeebies and feeding the birds at the park. Those simple moments, just the three of us.