The Week in the Middle

Christmas day has come and gone, the new year has yet to begin and we are stuck in a strange place, not quite here or there.  We have no concept of which day of the week it is, mornings and bedtimes are later than usual and biscuits are an acceptable meal.  I love this week, the one with no routine, no schedule or deadlines or school runs, the one where we make our own rules.  We eat when we are hungry which isn't always at the traditional mealtimes and we go out when we get bored indoors.  

The Christmas break is so short, not even two weeks for Dylan and in the midst of the mayhem this week feels unusually calm.  I love waking up in the morning with no real plans for the day, playing it by ear, enjoying lazy mornings in my dressing gown and watching the children play with their new toys, their imaginations taking them to new lands each day.  

The Christmas tree is still up, the sun sets so early, the weather is getting colder and no resolutions have yet been made.  The kitchen side is piled high with goodies and we are drinking more cups of tea than ever with the excuse that we really should get through those biscuits soon.  

Today we have had a lazy morning, a late lunch, a long play and a glow stick disco in the living room with just the twinkly tree lights and our flourescent sticks stopping us bumping in to each other.  The children got to stay up just a little longer and we are eating leftover pizza for dinner.

I took a few photos of the boys at the beach in their new Muddy Puddles coats, they loved the sand all piled up and we were surprised at how busy it was for a December afternoon.  The beach is our go-to place to waste an hour or two and it doesn't matter what season it is, they never get bored of it.

School and Preschool restart on Wednesday so we only have a few days of this limbo left to enjoy.  This week in the middle is definitely one of my favourites.

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The Wild Child

Archie was born with a glint in his eye that immediately set him apart from his elder brother.  He was calm, wide eyed and curious and whilst he may be a lot less calm at two and a half, he still has the same bright eyes and that desperation to see everything.

At two and a half he is a typical toddler in many ways.  He wants to learn everything using all of his senses, he doesn't understand his limits and high up is a challenge rather than out of bounds.  He will argue with you all day that he is actually four and 'big enough' for whatever you tell him he can't have and he is learning at a rate so fast I can barely keep up. 

I love this age, I love his developing sense of humour, the 'shows' he puts on to delay bedtime each night and the way he expresses himself.  I love that he is starting to assert his independance but he is also still a baby, needing more cuddles and physical contact than either of his other brothers.

Archie is struggling with Dylan being at school.  He isn't happy to leave him at the gates and he is so excited when he collect him.  I hear their little conversations as they talk about how they missed each other and declare that they are still best friends. 

This picture sums up Archie at the moment.  I told him that he needed his wellies on to go in the puddle - he thought otherwise.  Once he had run through it once, there seemed no point stopping him, and I spent the next few minutes watching him in his element, running through, jumping, stomping and splashing.  He ended up soaking wet to his waist with a huge grin on his face all afternoon. 

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