#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (July 2014)

I had grand plans for this month.

I had it all decided that, on one of our family days out, I'd take my 'big' camera and set up a lovely photo of us all.

I had taken a 'selfie' shot of us as a back-up fairly early on in the month.

The back-up has since become this months actual photo!

I honestly don't know where the time goes. The months seem to be hurtling by so fast. We are now in the second week of the school holidays and it's lovely having MC at home. I think TC loves it too - their sister and brother bond is amazing to watch.

The gorgeous weather this month has helped so much. The first week of the holidays was lovely and so hot. Lots of days out and ice cream have been on the menu! Not doing much for my diet but at least we are all having fun.

We've also had some lovely downtime too.

My photo this month shows downtime. It's not the best photo but it's 'us'. We settled down one afternoon to take a break from the midday sun and watch a film. It was 'How To Train Your Dragon'. One we've seen before but we wanted a re-cap before watching the sequel. Does anyone else do that? Matt and MC were engrossed but TC suddenly became transfixed by a fly that buzzed in through the French doors and was circling the centre of the lounge.

As I say, it's not perfect (we're all so hot and tired) but it captures a snapshot of normal family life and that makes me happy. It's these type of photos that you don't often see. So turns out I've become rather happy with my back-up.

Sister And Brother

28th March 2012.

The day our family was complete.

Since that day you two have shared an incredible bond. You love each other so much and it makes me so proud.

When I see you together my heart fills so much that sometimes I think it might just burst.

Sister and brother.

What a bond.

I worried at first. I worried that life with one of each would be hard. That your differing genders may impact on your bond.

I needn't have worried.

Of course you have your moments. All children do.

Very occasionally the two of you can test my patience but, on the whole, you love being in each other's company.

In fact, you don't like being apart and on the rare occasions you are you will always ask where the other one is.

You don't like it when the other one is upset or hurt.

Sister and brother.

What an incredible bond.

You play happily together. 

You make up little games all the time and you spend ages playing hide and seek whilst giggling uncontrollably.

You share so many kisses and cuddles. 

It's the cutest thing ever.

This week sees the start of the school holidays when you will both be at home with me. I'm sitting here planning out the days to make sure I make the most of this time I have with you both because, as of September, one of you will be at school again and the other at play school. 

I won't get this time back. 

I need to make it count.

You love being sister and brother.

And I love being your mummy.

My children. 

My world.

Don't ever change.

#SilentSunday 87

Inspired by...

#SilentSunday 83

Inspired by...

Being A Big Sister

Being a Big Sister is a tough gig but someone has to do it

Being a Big Sister means you can make your Brother cry if you shout at him when he's tired

Being a Big Sister means you get your face felt. A lot. It makes you giggle. A lot.

Being a Big Sister means you have to think of new ways to stop your brother getting your small toys

Being a Big Sister means you get to hold your brother's hand

Being A Big Sister means you will always put a protective arm around your Brother

Being a Big Sister also means you help to get your brother 'dressed'

Being A Big Sister means you can read your brother a bedtime story

Being a Big Sister means your brother loves you just as much as you love him

NOTE: No babies were harmed during the making of this post.

Flashback Friday - Happy 40th Big Sis!

It's my big Sister's 40th birthday today.

I can't believe it.

I can't believe it because in just over 3 years it will be my 40th birthday. Eek!

My Sister has actually featured in the last two Flashback Fridays I've joined in with (see Beach Holidays and Scary Bear) because, thankfully, I have so many pictures of us together as kids.

My Sister and I have always got on well, although we did go through a stage in our late teens/early twenties where we used to wind eachother up quite a bit.  Usually because she would make a mess of my bedroom trying to borrow my clothes and make-up.  I even remember driving up to the local pub because I knew she's pinched my favourite lipstick and we had a massive row in the toilets about it.

Through our 20's and 30's though, my Sister and I have become like best friends.  I feel like I can tell her anything and I love spending time with her.  She's also a great Auntie to Mini Cheddar.

So Happy 40th Birthday Sis.  I love you.

Now head over to Cafebebe and check out the other entries and why not join in yourself?

Flashback Friday - Scary Bear

You think of childrens theme parks and you think of Disney World maybe...or perhaps the recently opened Peppa Pig World in this country. You have visions of people dressed in fantastic character costumes delighting the children!

Even now with holiday parks such as Haven and you think of lovable characters such as Rory The Tiger or Bradley Bear. Ah, how fabulous.

So, what was on offer at our holiday park when my Sister and I were kids?

A big moth-eaten scary old bear that's what!

I'm useless with ages but I'm guessing that I'm about 5 or 6 in this photo (I'm the one on the right) which would put the year at about 1979/1980.

Every time my Sister and I see this photo we end up in hysterics laughing at the state of the bear.  This was obviously taken in the days when you could sit on a bears knee to have your photo taken (what a shame!).  I do believe there is another take of this photo where my Sister and I are looking totally horrified but I can't find it.

I'm not surprised we were looking horrified, just look at the state of the bear. Look at his shoes sticking out the bottom of the costume. Look at his eyes! 

It's a wonder we didn't have nightmares if I'm honest.

Now head over to Cafebebe and check out the other entries and why not join in yourself?  The link up has been struggling a little the past few weeks - I know I've not joined in because of holiday and other commitments - so let's keep this wonderful linky alive!

Flashback Friday - Beach Holidays

It's all kinds of crazy in my life at the moment and the main reason is we are preparing for a trip abroad. Trying to organise things for a holiday with a toddler is demanding to say the least.  Added to the fact we chose now (why?) to get our bedroom and en-suite decorated.

With the holiday just around the corner, it got me thinking what Mini Cheddar will make of it this year. Last year she was only 13 months old so was limited in what she could gain from the experience.

It also got me thinking about holidays I had as a child.  We never went abroad for our holidays when I was young, actually I think I was 13 years old before I first went on an aeroplane.  However, I have such fond memories of our holidays.

We wouldn't always go far, sometimes even just an hour and a half away to Black Rock Sands where we would rent a caravan for a week or two.  Quite often my Grandparents would come over to join us on the weekends.  My Sister and I would love spending time on the beach.

I hope that Mini Cheddar also gets to experience this kind of holiday too.

Me (on the left) and my big Sis.
Check out my strap marks!

That's right, take a photo where we have
to look directly at the sun.

The windbreak is purely to protect my
Dads mahooooooosive sideburns

My Sister loves me so much she decides to bury me

I get my revenge my chopping her head off
and feeding it to our pet poodle Tina.

A helmet haircut and a home-knitted cardi...
I was always at the cutting edge of fashion!

Now head over to Cafebebe and check out the other entries...

Flashback Friday - Do You Take My Little Sister

I really can't believe it's almost 4 years since I said "I do" to my wonderful husband Matt.

This coming Wednesday (18th May) will be 4 years to the day that we exchanged rings and became man and wife.  I feel like I've known Matt all my life but then when I think back to how we first met and our wedding and honeymoon, it only seems like yesterday.  For those of you who haven't read the story of how we got together, even though I say it myself, I recommend you do, it's a good one - 'He's Definitely My Favourite'.

Matt proposed to me 31st January 2007, over dinner, at one of our favourite restaurants.  We had gone out for a meal to celebrate 3 years to the date that we first met.  He took me totally by surprise saying how much he loved me and how much he couldn't imagine ever being without me and then presented me with the ring box and said "Will you marry me?".  I didn't need asking twice.

When I accepted his proposal, his exact words to me were:

"I want a marriage, not a wedding"

I couldn't have been happier.  Neither of us wanted to wait, nor did we want a big wedding so we planned it for May 18th of that year, a mere 3 and a half months later.

My Sister is a Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths at a nearby registry office and luckily the registry office where we planned to get married knew of my Sister and granted her permission to perform the ceremony.  My Sister wrote out a special ceremony for us as a surprise.

I'll never forget the moment she said:

"Matthew, do you take my little Sister Heather to be your lawfully wedded wife?" *

I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

We wanted only our immediate family and closest friends there (if we could have run off and do it we would have!) and a meal afterwards.  We chose The Stables Restaurant where Matt had proposed to me and just invited our other friends over for a drink in the bar at a local hotel in the evening.  For us, it was perfect.

To complete our marriage celebration we booked a fantastic honeymoon - 3 nights in San Francisco, 3 nights on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii (where we learnt to surf) and 9 nights on the island of Maui in Hawaii.  It was amazing!

Our first wedding anniversary in 2008 we spent on a self-planned 21 day holiday tour of America and Canada. We spent the night of our first wedding anniversary and the night after in a gold lake view room here at Chateau Lake Louise. It was magical!

So anyway, how are we spending our 4th wedding anniversary next week?  We are travelling down to Hampshire on the Wednesday of our anniversary for 2 nights and taking our daughter to Peppa Pig World on Thursday. Oh how times have changed! Although I'm sure it will be amazing and magical for other reasons.

Friday 18th May 2007...MwaH!

Signing the register - Matts family weren't happy he
decided not to wear a tie to the wedding...the rebel!

Our balcony over-looking Waikiki Beach in Honolulu

Yes that's me riding the waves of Waikiki Beach. What a sight!

Now head over to Cafebebe and check out the other entries...

*Obviously she read out our full names but I felt a bit strange about writing our full names (and my maiden name) out on the Internet and yet photos of me looking a bugger surfing (or looking like Deirdre Barlow)  I'll happily post.  If the link doesn't work there that's because BLOGGER are IDIOTS and they still haven't restored my post from Thursday!

Flashback Friday - Barton Springs

LtoR - my Sister, my youngest cousin at the back, me seated, my older cousin

This is my Flashback Friday this week....no, it's not the auditions for the film Dumb & Dumber, despite the dodgy bowl cut hairdos...this is a picture of my two cousins, my older Sister and I at Barton Springs in Bedfordshire.  I'm no good with ages and dates but I reckon this was taken about 28-30 years ago.

My cousins still live in Luton but we moved up to North Wales when Mum was expecting me.  My Sister and I always went down to Luton to stay with Nan & Grandad and loved our time with our cousins.

My Nan took us out this day to Barton Springs which is situated in the Barton Hills (part of the Chilterns) which are near the village of Barton-Le-Clay.

I actually remember this day vividly.  We took plastic cups to drink the spring water and had such good fun there.   My Nan took this photo - sadly she passed away a few years ago now before I had my daughter.  I wish she had been able to see her beautiful Great Grandaughter.

I'm the one sitting down in the middle.  Jeez, if only my legs had stayed so svelte!

Now head over to Karin's place at Cafebebe and check out all the other entries...