I could have sworn that New Years Eve was only 2 weeks ago, but somehow here we are at the end of February already.
These are our first Me & Mine photos of 2017 as lately I have been making a conscious effort to take less photographs - a strange sounding resolution to some I'm sure, but something that I need to do for my own sanity and something I'm actually enjoying more than I thought.
This restricted camera time is teaching me to get better at finding ways to fit photographs into our lives, rather than fitting our lives around photographs as I fear I was beginning to do a few months ago...on the day these photos were taken we had gone for a last minute nature trail walk in the forest, Tyne using it as a chance to play Knights in the forest as you can see from his interesting choice of outfit!
And whereas a few months ago I would have tried to talk him out of that outfit so that he and Noah could wear something cute and matching for our family pictures, I didn't bother...
And whereas I would usually have spent 20 minutes or so finding the perfect backdrop and getting photos that I was absolutely happy with - I decided instead to allow myself a few minutes, to set the timer onto Burst mode twice - giving me 20 possible photos taken in the space of a few moments.
And that whatever we ended up with would just have to do.
The kids were happy to indulge me in the photos for a few minutes - but any longer than this and they start to get annoyed, and who can blame them? They just want to play and explore, they don't want to be stuck waiting for me to get the settings right on my camera and to find the perfect spot for light.
And because the kids were happier, I was happier. It meant the photos were done and we could put the camera away, and enjoy the rest of the day in the moment....actually being a happy family enjoying their day instead of spending ages to get photos of us looking like one.
The photos are not perfect. Not at all. But that's not what matters. What matters is they captured a moment, and that's all they did - they didn't cause any tantrums, they didn't get me in a bad mood...and that's how I need it to be from now on.
So, how has 2017 been treating us so far?
The start of a new year always feels quite uneventful around here, but this year it's been different as we now have a February birthday to celebrate.
Our littlest man turned 1 on February 12th, and we marked the occasion with a family tea party and cake smash - it was a lovely day and I think he really enjoyed himself, particularly with the chocolate cake!
We also headed off at the end of January for a last minute adventure to Disneyland Paris, which was a fantastic treat - totally unplanned and last minute trips like that are my favourite, and despite a few little issues we mostly had a wonderful time.
This Month, Daddy Is Loving:
*The return of Modern Family on TV giving us something to watch on a Friday evening
*Me spending less time behind the camera!
Mummy is Loving:
*The Britney movie showing on Lifetime - bringing back lots of 90s memories!
*Spending evenings browsing holiday ideas and making travel plans
*Getting a little bit more interested in my YouTube channel
*Mummy & Son dates with Tyne - this month we've had cinema dates, theater dates and all sorts - one on one time has been lovely!
Tyne Is Loving:
*Learning more about Knights and getting a new helmet from the museum
*Friday night treats of Dominos & Sugar Rush deliveries when the babies are in bed!
*Making plans for his birthday party next month
*Watching My Knight & Me on tv
Noah Is Loving:
*Watching the Disneyland vlogs and talking about Minnie Mouse
*Playing hide & seek
*Dancing to "Bass Song" (aka All About The Bass) and constantly asking for it to be put on YouTube
Sailor Is Loving:
*Shaking his head "No" in response to any question
*Breadsticks
*Dancing!
I hope February has treated you all kindly, and let's hope that March has some good things in store for us all!
If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'