2013 Round Up - January to June

2013 what a year you have been!
We have had a lot of ups.
We had a massive down.
But all in all it has been, as always a busy year!

Our first year in our first home!

This is my round up of the first 6 months. I am doing it in two separate posts because the first 6 months were all great months. Some were busy and others were quiet but each month was great because we spent time together as a family doing things that we love.
The second half of the year was not so good and will be harder to write.
So here's my round up of January to June 2013...
 

January

At the end of 2012 I faced the uncertainty of whether my voluntary redundancy would be accepted.

Just the thought of leaving my babies to go back to work made me feel physically sick not to mention the financial worry of whether we could afford for me to work.

Thankfully in January I got the news I was praying for.

My voluntary redundancy had been accepted!

I rearranged my hours to part time hours and spread my annual leave over my remaining time until my redundancy date arrived!

I didn't have to leave my babies!

I was now, officially a stay at home mummy!!!

The twins started to move more. They rolled and shuffled everywhere. This is the month we had to start "twinproofing" the house!
 

The twins on the move

Joseph looking forward to the coming year

Me and my babies!

 

February

 

In February our beautiful babies turned 1!
How could their first year go so quickly?
They have come on in leaps and bounds during their first year.
They were no longer the two little premature babies!
For their birthday I made my first novelty birthday cake!
As I used to worked full time I never had the time to bake, so Joseph's birthday cakes were always bought ones. So this year I knew that things would change and I looked forward to baking their first birthday cake!
When we moved into our house just before Christmas 2012 it really was a rush to get in for Christmas and the bedrooms were done in a hurry. So this month we tackled Joseph's bedroom. As there is quite a big age gap between Joseph and the twins he often needs his own space and time out. So his room was the first that needed to be done. We removed a large wardrobe that had been put in there and replaced it with a tall boy to go underneath his high rise bed. This made his room feel bigger and gave him a great room to call his own!

Our babies turn 1 year old!

 

Twins 1st birthday cake

Joseph loving his new room

 

 

March

Not a lot happened in March. We continued getting settled into our new house.
The twins grew even more and became more mobile.
Of course we also had mothers day and I got well and truly spoilt!

The twins were really coming into their own!

I got spoilt on mother's day x

April

In April we had our first holiday as a family of 5!
We had a great time up in Northumberland. But we had terrible nights with the twins. Every night I was in one bed with Taylor whilst hubby slept in the other with Isabella.
The travel cots were not a success!
Despite the bad nights we had plenty of fun days out as a family and had my mum and dad around to help and to keep Joseph occupied.
In April the hubby and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary.
A lot has happened in our marriage.
I became pregnant with the twins only 3 months after our wedding so it has been non stop since we started.
Hubby has always been my rock and is literally my other half. I just wouldn't function without him.
April also saw the arrival of the two newest members of our family.
Our two chickens!
They are great animals to keep, not just for the constant supply of eggs but I also love the children's reactions to them. They love going down to see them and wait to see if we have any eggs!



Ready to go on our first holiday as a family of 5

Isabella discovers she can pull funny faces

A cool, spring day at Alnwick Castle

Celebrating two years of marriage with my hubby x



My hubby on our lunch date to celebrate our wedding anniversary


Our new arrivals

May

We have walking twins!!!!
Apart from walking and running twins May was pretty quiet so we started working more in the garden.
The twins and Joseph enjoyed the first bit of good weather that we were having and made the most of it by going outside to play when we could.

At first Isabella hated the grass
so spent the time sat on a blanket
playing with her toys

Taylor discovering the outside playhouse

My 3 beautiful children enjoying the sunshine

Joseph loves being out so when the sun returns he is outside

June 

June was my birthday.
I never look forward to my birthday's.
It's another year older.
This year I was 35 which is quite scary.
As I certainly do not feel my age, apart from when I get forgetful but I blame the children and not my age!
We spent every dry moment that we had in the garden both playing with the children and tending to the plants.
We really do love this time of year!



Exploring in the garden

Fun in the sun with my little lady

Joseph is still not too big for a love

 



This is the first, happy half of the year.
If we had anticipated what was going to happen in the second half of the year we may have spent more time with my grandparents. However no one can guess what the future may bring so I will not look back and think like this.
The next 6 months did have smiles, giggles and good special times along side the heartbreaking, hurtful times.
But it is the hard times which will take me longer to write so please bear with me.
Plus the second half of the year saw my little blog born so there is more to tell!!!


 

Childless Lunch Date!

Yesterday the hubby and I enjoyed a rare childless lunch date.

My mum and dad had the three children so that we could have a few hours, just the two of us!
This is something that we do not get very often so when we do we really do treasure the time that we get!

As much as we love and adore our children it is lovely to have a break and be able to devote our time to each other instead of rushing around the kids.

We took the children down to my mum and dads just in time for their mid morning nap and off we set.

We had planned to go to a local pub for a meal as they do the good old bargain meals 2 for £10. However when we got there it was packed so we had to change our plans and we went to Frankie and Benny's.

In fact our local Frankie and Benny's is where my hubby proposed to me so it is quite a special place for us.

Whenever we go there or even just drive past, remembering the night he proposed makes me smile.
We had only been together for 4 months but we both knew that it was meant to be! I found out afterwards that hubby had planed to ask me to marry him while we were enjoying our meal but decided against it when he saw how the lights died down and congratulations music came blaring out for someones birthday. So instead he gave me the most beautiful ring and asked me to marry him in the car park. I couldn't speak I was so overjoyed so I just screamed at him and cried! So since that wonderful night whenever we get some time to ourselves we love to go there to eat.

We enjoyed a lovely, relaxed meal together. We even managed a stroll around the shops afterwards, this really was a treat!

To finish off the day, once all of the children were tucked up in bed, we settled down with some delicious Italian meats, cheeses and a bottle of wine!

I know that it will be a while until we get time together like this again so I treasure the time we do get.

But we do have two more planned for the new year!

In March we are going to the Cake and Bake show! Yes I managed to pursued my hubby to come along with me!

Then in May we will be having our first night away, alone, since the twins were born when we go and see Paul Hollywood's Get Your Bake On show! This really will be a big deal for us! I am really excited to see the show and cannot wait but I am also really looking forward to a full nights sleep and a lie in!

The new year is bringing some times that we will treasure!

My Blipfoto for yesterday is a picture of the hubby and I whilst out and about!
http://www.blipfoto.com/HijackedByTwins

The Bug Continues!!!

Arrrr!!!
I thought that the dreaded bug was actually leaving us!!!
But no!!!
Isabella has started with a temperature this afternoon and hubby has come home feeling like death warmed up. To top it all I am not feeling too great either, but on I plod!
Joseph is the only one, touch wood, who is still feeling ok.
I am just hoping and praying that we get a good nights sleep and that in the morning that we are all feeling better.
I am not the greatest of nurse when it comes to my poor, patient, hubby. I think that, as a woman, I just get on with it. I think that it is a well known fact that men get everything worse!
I really do need to brush up on my nursing skills, which I am sure he would agree, and try to be a bit more patient with him.
Sorry huni, I will try, I promise!
At the moment everyone is tucked up in bed so I thought I'd have a cup of calming chamomile tea and have a quick blog while it is all quiet.
I have got so much to post and so little time.
Having Taylor poorly at the beginning of the week has meant that I have got behind with everything.
Today I thought that I could start to catch up and then little Isabella starts with feeling bad.
On a good note though, I had Joseph's parents evening today and I am so proud of him. His teacher has told me that, overall, he is doing great. Excelling in maths and achieving great improvements in his literacy and reading. We just need to work on his spellings which is what I expected. I have always struggled to get Joseph to practise his spellings, it is something which he really does dislike, and don't I know it! But he is doing great and I am sure that he will continue to.
We have started to have some regular me and Jos time in an evening. I have been making sure the majority of the jobs are done while I cook tea or just before the twins bed time so that when we come down I can give him 100% of my time. We have started to read a book that we have got to review and we are both thoroughly enjoying having that bit of bonding time.
It has been missed so very much!
I have still got to post about my easy peesy yummy salmon dinner that I made the other night, I have made some new bread rolls today which I will share and I have a cake to make!
Along with our daily on goings and stories I have so much to tell.
First I need my lot, and me, to get fit and healthy again and kick this bug out of our house.
Hopefully it'll be gone tomorrow.........
Fingers crossed x

3 Years Ago

Three years ago today I had a very special ring put on my finger.
Three years ago today my hubby asked me to marry him.
We had only been together 4 months but it felt like so much longer. Since the day we got together we were inseparable.
The night that he proposed we had gone out for a meal. I had no idea how our evening was going to finish.
When we had finished our meal we went to the car to go home. It was then that hubby produced a little box and asked me to marry him.
I didn't actually say yes straight away, instead I squealed with excitement! Hubby sat there looking at me and said
"I take it that's a yes?"
Of course it was!
It was a yes!
Then he slipped the most beautiful, sparkling ring onto my finger.
At that moment I knew that I was getting the happy ever after that he had told me I would have!
We decided that there was no point in waiting, we wanted to get married, so the wedding plans began pretty much straight away.

This post is for my hubby!

Thank you for making me the happiest woman ever!
The day you proposed you made my dreams come true and I knew that you would always be there for me.
You are my everything, you my everlong. You have given me everything that I have ever wanted. A happy home, a loving husband, beautiful children and a feeling of contentment that I never thought that I would actually have!
Even when times are stressful, when we are tired, when the children are being demanding never forget that I love you and always will.
Siempre y para siempre xxx

Worrying Sunday in A&E

What started off as a lovely, relaxing Sunday ended in a worrying afternoon sat in A&E with hubby!
We were busying around as we usually do on a Sunday. I usually bake while hubby gets some gardening done and yesterday started off just like that.
Hubby's job yesterday was to trim the hedge in the garden. To reach the top of the hedge he was using my Dad's step ladders.
All of a sudden I could hear Joseph scream and cry so I rushed to the door expecting to see Joseph with a bump or a graze.
But no. It was hubby!
He had his t-shirt held up to his eye and I could see that it was covered in blood! He rushed past me and went straight up to the bathroom. I ran after him asking him what he had done.
I followed him into the bathroom as he was starting to wash his eye and there was blood everywhere. When he finally let me have a look I saw that he had a huge, deep gash under his eye. After quizzing him what had happened, I discovered that the platform had given way and he fell through. Joseph was upset because he had seen him fall and had seen him bleeding. Bless him, he was so upset and worried.
Part of me breathed a sigh of relief as I had immediately thought the worse, I thought that he had got something actually his eye. I could see that it was deep so I told him that we would should take a ride to A&E as he'd need a stitch in it. As soon as I had said that hubby blew his nose to get rid of some blood and as he did his eye blew up like a balloon!
Arrrrr!
What caused that!
Normally I am not good with blood and my tummy turns circles. Yesterday I just went into auto pilot. Got the kids sorted to go to my Mums, calmed Joseph down and got ready to go.
We arrived at A&E, got booked in and the wait began.
In total we were there for nearly 6 hours!
Checked by the triage nurse, sent to wait.
Checked by the doctor, sent to wait.
Went for an x-ray, sent back to wait.
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting the doctor came to see us and we were told that hubby had fractured his cheek bone and had an open fracture. The swelling that occurred after he had blown his nose was in fact blood which had caused a haematoma under his eye. This haematoma had also cause blood to accumulate on his eye ball, which as hubby says "looks freaky!". We now had to wait to see if the specialist in another hospital was happy for him to come home with antibiotics and pain killers or if he wanted him to be transferred to the other hospital which is a good 45 minutes away. So back to waiting it was!
Thankfully the reply that we got was what we were praying for. Hubby could come home with medication.
When we got home the children were so tired as it was way past their bedtime but they were doing so well. We got them both to bed and then gave Joseph plenty of love and reassured him that his Dad was going to be ok.
We need to go back for a check up on Tuesday which should hopefully be a straight forward appointment.
This week I am not only Mum and housewife, but I am also adding nurse to my repertoire!
Hubby has woken up this morning with more swelling around his face as the bruising is coming out. He also has various bruises down his side. He is also trying to cope seeing with the one eye as he is unable to see properly due to the swelling and haematoma. As he is struggling to chew food I have made a yummy smelling "make you feel better" soup.
This is going to be a busy week so hopefully after all of my hard work I will be rewarded with a much deserved lie in at the weekend!
Hint, hint!!!

To My Fantastic Husband

This is going to be quite a soppy post, you have been warned!
I just want to say how lucky I feel each and everyday and how thankful I am for having such a fantastic husband.
My husband knows me better than even I know myself.
After yesterdays devastating news I have tried to go on as normal today. I honestly thought that I was doing a good job. I haven't been, consciously, thinking about everything and the future. But it wasn't until my hubby asked me what was wrong I realised that is was in the back of my mind and that I wasn't going on as normal.
I have never had anyone in my life, apart from my dad, who can read me like he does. This tells you how close we are. My husband is my rock, my lover, my best friend, my soul mate, my everything. He is the other half of me and I would not function without him. The only time we have been apart was when I was in hospital having the twins. We do everything together as a family and I love our life. I would not change it for the world.
James, I love you so very much, with all my heart, body and soul. Thank you for putting up with me and for knowing me the way you do!
Xxx