A Little Look at our Year

2014 has been an exciting year, with plenty of Surprises.  We leave it with the same number in our little family as when it begun, but not for too much longer.  Our baby has become a toddler and our toddler a preschooler.  A job change, a pregnancy a promotion and some amazing experiences have shaped what we take from this year, but looking back I see smiling faces, wonder in a little person's eyes and a year I want to remember.

January was mild in weather, and we were enjoying the simple things in life.  I went back to work after over 11 months of maternity leave and Archie was happy to spend one day every week with his Grandma whilst I did.  

February saw our littlest guy turning one and celebrating with a Very Hungry Caterpillar party that I had great fun planning.  At two and a half, Dylan seemed so big, and so funny and we were enjoying the freedoms that come from having two toddlers.

In March, we went on our first UK break as a family to Butlins  and enjoyed spending time together, watching the boys take in everything, and spending some time as an extended family as my parents came with us.  Archie started walking and his cheeky smile seemed to only get cheekier!

April brought with it a truly amazing experience, and we went on our first family Ski holiday with the lovely people at Snowbizz.  The bloke and I took to the slopes, whilst the boys enjoyed the creche.  They enjoyed it so much that even now Dylan still talks about it there.  We enjoyed French food, beautiful sunshine and the chance to hurtle down hills.

May saw the beginning of a summer and the perfect weather to explore outdoors.  We had our first picnic, looked at bugs with magnifying glasses and enjoyed making the most of every day the sun shone.  I gave up my job and started working from home doing something that makes me happy and the boys seemed to get closer as Archie became more mobile.

In June I stopped breastfeeding Archie after nearly 16 months, and spent a couple of nights away when I went off to Britmums.  The warm weather meant more picnics as well as days at the beach, sometimes combining the two.  

July was spent nearly completely outdoors, with day trips, mornings at the beach and afternoon fun in the sandpit.  The month started with a shock as I discovered that a third baby was on the way, and the exhaustion was much worse than with the other two pregnancies,  but we made it through.

 August was a very busy month, with Dylan turning 3, the bloke having a week off work for a local folk festival which we all enjoy, my birthday and our 12 week scan which meant we could finally announce that thing 3 was on the way.

In September we were lucky enough to head off again and spent a week in beautiful Rome, enjoying some sunshine, some beautiful sights and a chance to spend time together again.  Dylan started preschool, attending for his free 15 hours per week and it gave our week even more routine, although the early mornings were a massive shock for us all (and even now we struggle to get there on time!)

During October, we found out that baby pretzel will be a little boy, which made me think about quite how different our two boys are.  We were excited to see he was healthy and growing well and can't wait to see how all three boys differ in their personalities.  

November gave me two opportunities to spend some one on one time with Dylan, who was really needing it.  At three and a quarter he is a fantastic little guy, full of questions and curiosity, and I relished being able to enjoy him on his own.  My tummy seemed to expand at an incredible rate and we started to feel the effects of preschool, and look forward to the end of term and a rest.

 We ended the year feeling festive, with a trip to see the Snowman on stage in London, some Christmas crafts, a Preschool nativity and a lovely couple of days with family celebrating.  It was our last Christmas as a family of four and next year is going to be full of change, with a new baby due to arrive early March, and Dylan starting school in September after turning 4.  We have two more months to enjoy our two boys before the dynamic changes, and nine month to enjoy the freedom that comes from having no children yet at school, before our week and our year is dictated to us to some extent.  2014 has been a year of exploring, of growing and of play, a year of suprise, love and plenty of photos.

This was our year summed up, and we are looking forward to the next now!