We have just returned from Lancaster visiting Stuart's family. It was the usual adventure of trying to see everyone, get us all enough sleep and making sure Harry ate something other than chocolate but it was great fun. The boys had a lovely time, especially playing with their cousins. It is so nice to see Harry now running off to play and hold his own with a 6 and 8 year old! Harry and Peter have 4 great-grandparents too, who love to see them.
We are all just about recovered from the travelling and broken sleep, as we welcome the new year. Harry has been very interested in the change, although he doesn't quite comprehend it. We have spent a lovely afternoon with some of our NCT group, where the children all had a great time playing, uninterrupted by photo calls or sit down meals, a welcome break from the family Christmas festivities.
And so what of the old year? 2011 was notably special for bringing us our precious second baby son, Peter. We have learned to live together as a family of 4 and to share our time and attention with a new and demanding family member. We have had some turbulent moments, where we have all been suffering from sleep deprivation, times when the volume of things to do was just overwhelming and times when the sharing became difficult. But we are here at the end of the year, and we survived, as a family! We have seen the wonder of a tiny baby grow and reach out to us, sit, crawl and laugh at being tickled and chased. We have seen our toddler turn into a child who has shown patience, resilience, love for his brother and ever increasing amounts of independence and creative thinking.
We are looking forward to the new year, whatever challenges it may bring. I am almost certain it will be easier, allowing more fun and more equally shared attention and time. I am excited about continuing our home education journey and excited for Harry and Peter as they will enjoy increasing interaction. Stuart and I may even get a few hours on our own, stranger things have happened! We are ready for it all!
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