Helper.

Roman really enjoys getting involved in household tasks. Whatever we're doing, he wants to be a part of and putting away our shopping is no exception to that. So when it arrived today, in the van he loves so much, he was full of excitement. I have to say I was pretty excited, too, as it came as a surprise from my Aunty Jeannette. We like to be self reliant and self sufficient but the reality is that we do need our family and we've been more than blessed when it comes to family helping us, supporting, caring, understanding this situation and loving us. Times have been tough around here, but that's how it is when you're in your early twenties, married and are parents or so I am learning.

When the shopping bags were unloaded into the hall he started on the rice milk; trying to pierce the foil to have a drink, then once I'd confiscated his precious nectar he dug deep into the bags and ran through to the kitchen with it. "THERE YOU GO!" he announced on his arrival into the kitchen, handing over these laundry tablets to Bryan.

Stuck On You.

Lately I've found myself not 'looking' for chances to get photographs - there are so many missed moments for photographs; the seemingly 'perfect' picture taking opportunities crop up but would come off as a set up. Plus every mother might know by now that our children have inbuilt sensors to pick up on when we don't have a camera around and they take this chance to do back-flips/somersaults through rings of fire in the interim of grabbing our cameras ;).

Today, however, I felt quite proud of myself for documenting this blurry moment where Roman covered Bryan's hand in stickers. He doesn't stick to tasks for very long, maybe 3-5 minutes per task on a good day, so I was surprised when he was happy putting stickers on every surface (human and couch) he could manage. Roman's apparent neglect of my need to keep surfaces sticker-free and you know, clean, just showed me that I can either be a good mother or a perfect housekeeper and as babies don't keep I chose good motherhood as my path. I'll see the clean house in 20 or so years time I'm sure! 

Spiced Cupcake.

I can't help myself when it comes to children enjoying their food - it is such a satisfying sight. As adults we can be so self conscious and so self aware of eating in front of others but it seems that children just go full throttle with the eating and I love it :).


This afternoon Roman, his granny and me made spiced cupcakes and not too soon after they were cooked, cooled and iced they were being consumed quickly by Roman. He decided they didn't have enough of a kick so added his 'juica' (juice) to them ;).

Kiss.

Two tired faces; one receiving a kiss (lick?) and one giving a kiss (lick?).

Pull Up.

Bryan enjoys showing Roman the ropes of the pull up bar.

Rash.

Today: you woke up with a spotty rash which you told me was itchy. "Scratch it," you said, clawing your skin. I'm not entirely sure what goes on with your tender skin at times but sometimes it flares up; a little red patch appears on your left cheek but today the flare up was all over your sides and back. I'm not sure what went through your head before bath time but you were very keen to get into the bath - perhaps to soothe the skin?

Music Man.

I got this guitar when I turned 12 (or the day after I turned 12, seeing as I'm a Christmas Eve baby and this was my Christmas present that year) under the impression that I'd learn to play it and totally master guitar playing. Well that impression was somewhat of an illusion because I didn't self-teach the way I thought I would and I've never been a great guitarist or musician. Roman, he's different; he observes in a way that musicians do, he has this passion and curiosity to music that I've never had. I enjoy music, but I do not enjoy being a part of the music. I'm too clumsy and heavy handed. Hence why I gave my musical brother this guitar.


When I was 13 or 14 I auditioned at school for drum lessons, simply because no other girl would. I didn't really want to learn to play the drums nor did I believe for one second that I would understand a single instruction or enjoy the drums...I just wanted to show the teachers that girls could play drums, too. Well that didn't go very well for me. The teacher grabbed some drum sticks, placed them into my hands and told me to tap along to the rhythm they played out on their guitar. At first I froze and on my second attempt I messed up big style. The teacher didn't rush or panic me, he waited and waited where most adults gave up on me but when the audition was over he told me I wouldn't be getting lessons because I wasn't 'good enough' to be taught. Ever since that incident, and giving up on my guitar (I wasn't disciplined enough to self-learn and didn't have enough money to take classes), I've given up on ever being musical. 


My family is arty, creative, technical and musical - all of the things I am not and will never be, so it is a little odd to see that I haven't inherited these over powering genes but that Roman displays genuine abilities with music. He watches people playing the piano and imitates their movements, his fingers reaching for keys to lightly play out specially formulated Roman tunes instead of the usual toddler fist pump. On the first day we were in Thurso Roman spotted this guitar and made a beeline for it, not afraid to lift it up and start strumming straight away. Where I'd take a step back, he takes giant leaps forward. Where I'm not musical, my son is. My little guitar boy, my little music man.