Monday, April 30, 2012

Nate Giggles!


But first he pukes!

How gorgeous is that?? He still hasn't giggled for me.  He will only giggle for James!

31 Day Blog Challenge starts tomorrow!

Remember that the 31 Day Blog Challenge starts tomorrow!  I'd love for you all to join in.  It's a great way for your readers to find out more about you and I hope you will visit each other too... maybe make new blog friends!  Grab the button below if you like and spread the word!  

  

Sunday, April 29, 2012

31 Day Blog Challenge: Who's With Me?


Introducing the 31 day blog challenge here at Boy Oh Boy starting on 1st May.  Each day I will publish my own post to the days theme/ question/ prompt and I will set up a linky so that you may all join in too.  I've made a button to go along with your posts... spread the word!

So who's with me?  I can't wait to see what your posts!

  

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Embrace The Camera {1}





I don't get a lot of photos of myself with the boys.  I only have a couple... so I made a point to get one this week.  Boy, it's hard to do a self portrait with an almost 4 year old on one knee and a 3 month old on the other knee!

Project 365 Week 13 and 14

{11th April} A trip to the park with the boys and my bestie, Aimee and Godson, Leo.

 {12th April} I have been letting Nate have a go now and again in his Bumbo.  He likes it and his head control has improved massively since we started.

{13th April} Nate is now wearing 3-6 month sleepsuits!  He is growing so fast!

{14th April}  Nate's grasp on objects is getting a lot better.  He aims for toys he wants now under his babygym etc.  Here's Sophie The Giraffe.

{15th April} Coca Cola and a WHOLE bar of Cadbury Bubbly chocolate at the end of a hard day!

{16th April} James and the boys.

{17th April}  We broke out the Bonjela.  Pretty sure that Nate has started teething.

{18th April} Brotherly Love.

{19th April} Nate lying there being all cute!

{20th April} We got an exciting letter to say that Ollie had been accepted into Primary 1 at Forge Integrated Primary School.  He starts in September!

{21st April} Ollie and I made rock monsters together.

{22nd April} I spent Saturday morning in Knockbreda Health Centre with an asthma attack.  I haven't had one in YEARS and it was horrible!

{23rd April} Recovering at home with my inhalers and a course of steroids.

{24th April} Nate had to go for his second set of immunisations.  While there he was weighed and now weighs a fab 15lbs!!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

In 10 years time....

My friend Lisa posted about what she might be doing in 10 years time.  

I hadn't given the next 10 years a lot of thought to be honest.  Now that I've had a think, I can't stop thinking about all the things we might do/ accomplish etc in our family.

In 10 years time I will be 37.  That seems like a million miles away having not even celebrated my 30th birthday with a huge party yet!  I hope to be an established wedding/ portrait photographer.  I can't imagine doing anything else but take photos for a living.  I have a great camera that I bought last year, but have still not ventured off auto.  I am developing my skills in other areas but really need to learn how to use the camera to it's full potential!  I can't wait for the day that I can call myself a photographer and make money from my hobby.... I could never go back to working in an office again.

In 10 years time I would like to have travelled a bit more.  The boys will be older so I hope we will have seen some of the world as a family.  Travelling is important to me, and I haven't been on a proper adventure since our honeymoon in Cuba and India 8 months prior.

I also have a dream about creating a children's book, though I'd like that to be a joint adventure with my hubby.  He thinks up crazy cool stories and I would do the illustrations.

James will be 42!  That sounds crazy to me.  He doesn't act like his age half the time, so I doubt he will have caught up with himself by the time he is 42.  In terms of James' career, we may not even be living in Ireland in 10 years time.  There are a ton of places in the world that offer better opportunities for him.  I'm not sure where we may settle some day, but I doubt we will live in Northern Ireland forever.

Ollie will be almost 14.  He will have left Primary School and will have gone on to Secondary/ High School.  He will be studying interesting subjects and learning things that I will have long forgotten (being 20 years since I will have left school!)...

Nate will be 10.  He is so tiny now, to imagine him as a 10 year old is crazy!

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Monday, April 23, 2012

Rock Monsters!



Ollie and I spent Friday making Rock Monsters.  We used rocks that we picked up on our way home from a walk.... got out the goggly eyes, foam shapes, tiny pom poms and glue.... and I let him get on with it.  He turned out the cutest little rock monster family and it really proud of them.  He even gave them all names.  Aren't they cute?

Everything laid out ready to go!
Ollie's delight at the goggly eyes!
Having fun with the glue!

(*Original idea came from Jennifer's Little World)

Show Off Your Shot {10}


and
 then, she {snapped}


Little Nate is turning into a smiley wee thing.  He smiles SO easily.  Just waiting to hear some giggles from him!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Friday, April 20, 2012

My Week In Tweets!

{14th April}
  • Well… it looks like my littlest is teething. How unfair!? He is far too little for such pain!
  • Today must have been stressful! I'e just devoured an entire 2-people sized bar of chocolate in less than 5 minutes. So unlike me.
{15th April}
  • Sunday morning loveliness <3
  • Off to the inlaws for lunch on this sunny Sunday :)
  • Deconstructed burger for supper tonight :) (burger, cheese, bacon, avocado, chilli ketchup and cajun mayo).
  • Teething is the work of the devil. My poor tiny twelve week old baby!! Temp and red cheeks all day.... drooling and howling. Not happy :(
{16th April}
  • Woke up to two sicky boys today!! Oh joy!
  • My sweet dog, Dexter, snuggling up while watching tv.
{17th April}
  • Hubby is off to Gdansk, Poland today... 4 days of single parenting again. Me and the boys aren't well so here's hoping the days go fast!
  • We're at Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner.
  • Nate is sleeping all snuggled up as if butter wouldn't melt.

{18th April}
  • Having such a peaceful lunchtime with my littlest while the biggest is at preschool :) sigh.
  • Glee didn't used to be this cringey did it
  • I've had a productive day! De-cluttered Ollie's toy boxes, kitchen sparkling and have spent the last 2 1/2 hours IRONING! Me? Domesticated?
  • I'm wishing Friday would come quicker! Hubby is in Poland on business until Saturday and I hate when he isn't home!
{20th April}
  • My biggest boy was up most of the night with nightmares and sods law it's the night my littlest sleeps really well! 7 hour stretch! Go Nate!
  • Yay!! Ollie is starting Primary School in September!
  • A stroll in the sun always makes the day seem better :)
  • Nate is finally asleep after much screaming. Stupid teeth!!!
Joining in at:
iPhoneography at Courtney Noffsinger Photography
Instafriday at Life Rearranged
Life in an instant at Kids Stuff World

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Nate is three months old!


At 3 months old:

Nate weighs more than 13lbs
Is a smiley little thing
Has giggled for both my mum and James, but not me
Has started wearing some 3-6 month clothes
Has had some time in the Bumbo...
and is getting very good head control
Likes tummy time a little better
Got his first cold/ snuffly nose this week
His colic seems to have almost completely settled...
but his silent reflux is still an issue
Totally loves his big brother
and his Tomy BabySssh
Is still very good at settling himself to sleep
Takes a big big 2 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon... other naps are tiny
Loves white noise
Loves baths and nappy free time
He has gone bald on the top and back of his head!
Has started to coo...
....and teethe!

Friday, April 13, 2012

...on being a mama to boys


I never guessed that I would have not only one, but TWO boys!  I think I always assumed I would have a girl or two, seeing as all my dolls were girls... I loved dressing them up, doing their hair etc.  It never occurred to me that the sonographer would say "it's a boy"!  When we were told our first baby would be a boy I was so surprised and taken aback.  I wondered, how would I ever entertain a boy... boys like mud and trucks etc...how do you change a boy's nappy... gah a penis!!  I've always been a bit of a girly girl so entering the world of male babies was such an unknown.

Although I was so surprised to hear we were having a boy, it soon clicked and something just felt right about having a little boy.  I was so excited to have a mini-James.... and knew James was going to be the funnest dad a boy could ever have!

Roll on 3 years when we find out we are expecting boy number 2.  The moment the sonographer focused on the 'parts' I excitedly exclaimed "It's a boy isn't it??!" and she confirmed I was right!  This time around it didn't come as a shock, I had been expecting it and as soon as she said it was indeed a boy, I knew our family would be complete.

Now I'm blessed with an almost 4 year old boy called Oliver (Ollie) and an almost 3 month old called Nathaniel (Nate).  I couldn't imagine my life any other way.  The day we brought Nate home and I had Ollie snuggling him in my bed, I knew that was us.... our little family... the 4 of us against the world.  I knew that Nate and Ollie would grow up to be great friends and playmates.

My desire to have a girl someday is non-existant.  We're finished having children and I love being the only girl in a house full of boys (even the dog is a boy!).  Our house is full of trucks, trains, cars, lego, nerf guns, sand, pee on the toilet seat, random rocks etc in pockets and there is never ever a dull moment.  I love it.  I love the craziness!  I don't have to worry about braiding hair or dresses getting dirty... the boys have short hair and are SUPPOSED to get dirty ha!

I want to do my boys proud.  I want to bring them up to be good husbands and good fathers someday.  They are both already affectionate, cuddly little things... and Ollie is learning about manners.  He always let's ladies go first etc.

They both love their daddy and Ollie already tries to be like him in so many ways.  It's lovely to watch.

Party Time!

There's a party going on between now and the 20th April over at 5 Minutes For Mom and I'm joining in.  You should too!

If you're new, welcome to my blog!  Want to know a little about me?

Well this is me and my family.  There are 4 of us (and a dog).  My name is Emma!

I'm lucky enough to be married to an absolutely awesome man called James.  We've been together for 8 years now and married for almost 5 of those.  We got married in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland in a gorgeous castle called Belle Isle.

We got pregnant soon after we were married, and after a very easy/ uneventful pregnancy, I gave birth to our first son, Ollie.  He will be 4 in June!! Oh how the years fly by!!

When Ollie was 1 we decided we wanted to have another child so began trying again.  This time was not so easy.  We tried for 20 months in total and experienced 2 miscarriages along the way.  We fell pregnant in May 2011 and I gave birth to our second little boy, Nathaniel (Nate).  He is almost 3 months old now!

...and this is our dog, Dexter.  Isn't he adorable?  He is actually a very naughty dog (but very affectionate) and we are trying to train him at the moment in the hopes of a slighty calmer home ha!  I love him to pieces.

So I've been blogging since I was pregnant with Ollie..... this is my 5th year of blogging!  I started blogging as a way to document our life as a family, but it has been more than that.  I've made some fabulous blog friends along the way!

We live in Northern Ireland and I'm a stay at home mum.  I love taking photos (and really really want to learn how to use my DSLR properly), blogging, going on walks with the family, baking, cooking, music, making friends, date nights with the husband, pinterest, my dog, painting my nails and loving my babies!

You can find me on:

Thank You for stopping by!!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Project 365 Week 11 and 12

{28th March} Cutesy Tootsie in multicoloured stripes!

{29th March} Ollie wasn't very well.  He had a runny nose and wanted me to take funny photos of him!  Anything to cheer a sick kid up!

{30th March} Nate's head control and strength is just amazing right now.  He seems to have got it so fast!

{31st March} I arrive in London (on my OWN... no kids!) and go for a yummy meal with James.

{1st April} Hangover for hell, so we find the best burger place in the whole of London... more like, best burger place in the whole world!

{2nd April} London :)

{3rd April} Nate :)

{4th April}  Nate's very favourite toy at the moment is this little blue creature.  When you pull the cord it vibrates and Nate beams from ear to ear if you let it vibrate on his cheek or nose.

{5th April} Smiley boy.

{6th April} Dexter has taken to occupying Nate's changing mat when it is not in use.  Look at him lying there without a care in the world!

{7th April} Handsome Natey.

{8th April} Happy boy with his Easter treats!

{9th April} Handsome Ollie!

{10th April} Brotherly bonding under the baby gym.  My boys are so cute together!