Me and Mine {March 2016}

Oh March! Suddenly we are a quarter of the way through 2016 and I do not know how!

This was the month that springtime arrived, with sunny spells and galeforce winds, with a little trio who really have found their feet with each other now. A web of little relationships, all interweaving... The girls, the biggest and littlest, the youngest two.... And my favourite combination of all - the three together!

They are growing up so fast, these little ones... Far too fast for my liking. With every me and mine picture I take, I notice the little changes. Jonas is turning into more and more of a little boy and ever losing that baby look. Heidi is losing those little chubby cheeks and hurtling out of toddlerhood, and Ava - well, I'm starting to glimpse a picture of what she will look like as a grown-up. Her baby features are now long gone.

I thought it would be bittersweet, this growing up malarkey. But somehow I'm actually enjoying it all. There is something lovely about having all three stages at the moment - child, toddler, baby. It may seem like madness to some, and it is sometimes a little (lot!) on the chaotic side, but it's about embracing that, don't you think? I'll never get these little years back, and so I'm savouring them for all they're worth!

I'm enjoying heart to hearts with our big girl, effervescent displays of affection from our little girl and babbling galore from our baby boy.

Our pictures this month were taken on Easter Sunday by my brother's lovely girlfriend (thanks Emily!) and I think they are some of my favourites. They have the usual imperfections - not everyone's looking at the camera, eyes closed, crumpled dresses, but they are a realistic portrayal of the stage of life we're at. Lots of fun, a little bit of chaos, and a good dose of mischief.

Papa is loving...

* Watching the cricket

* The Easter Holidays

* Emergency dentist appointments 

* Antibiotics that work wonders

* Football, cricket and tennis with his girls in the garden

Mama is loving...

* Indian Summers (channel 4 on Sunday nights!)

* going Marie Kondo mad on the house

* reading aloud to the children

* helping out with our church Kids Club

* Having Papa home for the holidays

Ava (4 years 7 months) is loving...

* Writing letters for her loved ones

* Playing sports in the garden with Papa

* having lots of time to play with Heidi

* Cuddles with Jonas

* Zoe's Zauberschrank on YouTube

Heidi (3 years) is loving...

* Being very vocal about how much she loves people

* deciding she's going to marry her little friend Noah when she grows up

* lots of Easter chocolate

* Church ("I love church!", "can we go to church today?")

* Beauty and the Beast

Jonas (9 months) is loving

* Time with Papa

* Big, long morning naps

* Babbling like mad

* Trying to crawl

* The washing machine on spin setting

And that's it from us in March! Tomorrow we head off to beautiful Wales for a week of fun, friendship and great bible teaching with around 2000 others... We can't wait!

April is looking to be jam-packed with big family birthdays (a 60th and a 21st), my sister's hen do and the start of a big project on the house!

Eek!