After a really long time away - I'm back, for good!!

So it's over two years since I last posted, which is ridiculous, I know. There are no real reasons other than life got in the way and I gave up.
Writing has always been an outlet for me, a way to unwind and sort out what's going on in my head by putting it down on paper. I have been writing since I was six years old, so it's a very big part of me, and I miss it. It wasn't until speaking to a friend of mine this morning that I realised how much. She is also a writer and after chatting we both agreed that we need to make an effort to spend more time doing what we love. So I'm starting with this blog. Getting it back on track. I am going to make an effort to write every day - even if its just a couple of paragraphs.

The BIG Move

People say that the second most stressful thing you will ever do in your life is move house (the first is understandably bereavement). Over the past six months my little family and I have been trying to sell our house to buy a bigger house so that our family can grow (yes that's right Mum - I want more kids), and this week I am definitely feeling the stress.

So up until this week everything was fine - not too stressful. We had found the house of our dreams and were just sitting tight waiting for someone to buy ours. The market is slow, so we were prepared to wait it out.

Then two days ago someone came and burst our bubble. They came and bought the house of our dreams - snapped it up, and just like that my dream was over. All sorts of emotions ran through me, I wanted to find the person in question and tell them that we saw the house first and wanted it way more than they ever could. I had pictured the kids playing in the garden and envisioned how I would decorate every room. In some ways it already felt like home. Finally I realised I would just have to accept it and we would start to look for another house we could love.

Then the next day we get a call from the estate agent to tell us we have someone who wants to buy our house. Someone that viewed it over a month ago. I COULD HAVE SCREAMED with frustration. If only that person had agreed to buy our house 24hours earlier we would have got the house of our dreams. Now, not only did we lose out on the house of our dreams but we lost out by the SMALLEST margin. I was nearly sick. We have nowhere to go. We want to sell to the person who wants to buy our house, but he wants it now and we literally have nowhere to go.

This next week is going to be spent frantically trying to find somewhere to live. I felt rushed, panicked, flustered and just wanted to give up on the whole thing and just take the house off the market and stay where we are. Then I looked out the kitchen window and saw my beautiful boys running around the garden with big smiles on their faces and all my panic and frustration disappeared. They are my life, my whole world and as long as I have them I can get through anything. So I pulled myself together, calmly switched on the laptop and began to search for our new dream home.

Anyway... on a happier note I have started to decorate the house for Halloween. Pictures to follow :)

Back to School

September is always a bit of a crazy month in our house (probably in most houses with kids). Its the start of another school year which means new teachers, new friends and new names to learn, school books to cover and new homework to do. Aswell as back to sports, after school clubs and Sunday School.

My eldest son Ethan has started P3 and has settled well. He loves his new teacher and has made some new friends. There are always new kids that come to and from his school because we live close to an Army barracks.

Ethan leaving for his first day of P3.

 Oliver and Noah started Nursery School so it is a big milestone for them to be away from Mummy for the first time. They too have settled in really well, love their teachers and have made plenty of new friends. They come home everyday full of chat and with lots of pictures they have painted ready to hang on our kitchen wall.

Oliver and Noah ready to leave for their first ever day at school.

 Happy New School Year everyone!!!

Party Time!!!

I have been soo busy lately that both my blog and twitter have been suffering. In the past fortnight we have been to numerous parties, been camping in Donegal and been getting the kids ready to start back at school. We also have another camping trip coming up this weekend so I am frantically preparing for that!!
The good thing about being so busy though is that when I eventually do get a moment to blog I have plenty to blog about :)
Lets get started then! So a few weekends back (weekend of the 21st August) we had three parties in one weekend which meant a lot of excitement, late nights and cake!

The first party was the boys cousin Thomas' Train themed 4th Birthday party.

Ollie was thrilled to be in charge of Thomas' pressie on the journey.

The party was quite a low key affair with around ten children between the ages of 1-6  - just enough so that sufficient mischief could still be made.
First on the agenda was a collage activity where all the kids could join in decorating a large picture of a train with various different materials.

It took Ollie a while to get stuck in - he was more interested in posing for photos

Ethan busied himself using different fibres to make the smoke

While Noah added some black sheep

After the crafting it was time to pin the tail on the dinosaur

Followed by some pass the parcel

All eyes on the prize!!

After all that fun everyone was hungry so it was time to fill those little bellies.

The Birthday Boy and his Daddy at the top of the table

Goodies all round.

Ethan making some noise.

 

 

A great time was had and the boys were tired out, but we couldn't stop there. It was home for a quick change and then off to the second party of the day.
It was my Aunties 60th Birthday and to celebrate we were having a not so low key affair (around 200 guests) for a barn dance and BBQ at the local church hall. It was a really fun night. The boys all dressed up as cowboys and enjoyed joining in with the dancing. I was so busy I didn't have a chance to take many photos but I did get a lovely one of my boys (and a little friend) helping the Birthday Girl to cut the cake.

Looking cute.

So after what seemed like the LONGEST day ever we set off for home.
The next day we had another party to go to but I forgot my camera (I nearly cried) but it was much of the same kind of fun and games!!! It's fair to say we were all partied out!!!

Latest obsession

Every once in a while my boys will go through a craze of a certain type of toy or collection.  The twins usually follow along with whatever Ethan is into - if Ethan likes it then they reckon it must be cool.
At the moment its Lego Bionicle and Lego Hero Factory.

The boys proudly showing off their Lego Heroes and Bionicles

Lego is always a firm favourite in our house and we have lots of different sets that have been bought for Birthdays, Christmas and other special occassions. Apparently though, Lego Hero Factory and Bionicles are coolest of all.

What are your kids diggin' at the moment?

Knights and Dragons

On Saturday we took the boys to Carrickfergus Castle to look for Knights, Dragons, Pirates, Princesses, Skeletons etc...

First we took a walk around the harbour to see if we could find any pirate ships.

The boys keeping their eyes peeled for approaching pirate ships.

Having no luck on the pirate front we headed into the castle for some Medieval Adventuring. After purchasing our tickets and some (much needed) knights swords in the gift shop we were all set.

Three brave Knights ready for battle.

The boys had a ball. They found most things on their checklist and a few bonuses. Ethans favourite was John de Courcy on his horse.

Ethan and Ollie striking a pose.

They staged battles in various locations aroud the castle much to the amusement of the other visitors.

One of the many 'battles'.

Ethan learned how to load a crossbow

He was a bit dissapointed that he wasn't allowed to fire it.

The twins and I had a game of Medieval style snakes and ladders

Noah refused to put down his sword the whole time.

While Daddy and Ethan dressed up for battle.

{It was't a real axe - I'm not that relaxed!!}

My Husband...

They made lots of new friends...

And after a long day and much excitement my three little Knights had hungry bellies and were ready to go home.

My three knights in shining armour.

An Introduction

I have decided to start blogging as a way of journalling the day to day happenings of life with my boys. They are growing up so fast and I want to record their childhood in as many ways possible. I take so many photos everyday and I am a keen scrapbooker but its hard to keep up with it all!

Ok so... these are my boys:

L-R: Noah, Ethan and Oliver.

Ethan is my eldest. He is six going on sixteen - he thinks he knows it all...

Ethan: My water baby - LOVES being in the water.

Then I have Identical Twins Oliver and Noah - they are four.

The terrible two

My middle son is Oliver... well sort of middle because he is one minute older than his twin brother Noah. Oliver is the boss of the family and likes to think he rules the roost...

Oliver aka  'The Boss' LOVES to dress up.

And last but by no means least Noah is the baby of the family. He loves being the youngest and his brothers really dote on him.

Noah: Butter wouldn't melt...

So thats my boys in a nutshell.