I have totally neglected this series in the last couple of months, but seeing as I have been pretty busy with the arrival of Luna I’m not going to feel too bad about it! But I love writing these little diary posts (and I hope they will be something the kids all look back on in the future) so it’s about time I resumed normal service. This is a bit of a catch up post so in no particular order, here is what has been making me smile over the last few weeks.

• Luna Grey – the littlest member of the family has slotted into our lives seamlessly, she is of course adored by us all and is just the most chilled out baby. I wasn’t expecting her to be such a good sleeper or so easygoing and we are super lucky. I have tried so hard to soak up every newborn second, it’s hard to believe how quickly the weeks have gone by and she is already seven weeks old!

• Liverpool – it is definitely one of our favourite places to go to, we usually go a few times a year and even had a mini babymoon here before Luna arrived. We decided not to book a proper summer holiday this year as Luna would be so tiny (which I now regret if I’m honest) but just have a few days away in Liverpool instead. We just went for four days with Tinker, Totsy, Luna and Milly (who definitely shares our love for Liverpool and is hoping to go to uni there next year) and had a lovely time as always (despite not getting off to the best of starts when we stopped for a coffee at Starbucks drive-thru on the way there and Mr T managed to drop mine all over me!!) Even Tinker loved it with no real meltdowns or bad moods (her moods can make or break any trip but we pretty much managed to keep any stroppiness at bay with the promise of either a Lego figure or an ice cream!) She even loved shopping there (she’s not usually much of a shopping fan) and said she loved watching all the people and when we were in our apartment kept asking if we could go in to ‘the city’. While Milly had a few hours to herself to do some shopping we took the girls on the ferry across the Mersey which was a definite favourite for Totsy (I was not quite so enamoured as it was a bit rough and we went up on the top deck only to come straight back down as it felt a bit precarious holding Luna – one poor bloke was nearly having a heart attack thinking I might drop her!!), visited Crosby beach, did plenty of shopping, drank a lot of coffee (and a bit of wine!) and ate some delicious food. It’s such a friendly city with lots to see and do, well worth a visit if you’ve never been.

• While we were away in Liverpool Matty had his driving test. We nervously waited for news and it was fabulous when he called to say he had passed, I was so pleased for him! He has now bought a car and he absolutely loves it! I am obviously so pleased for him but I don’t think any parent can ever relax when their offspring is a new driver though, so my most frequent conversation with Matty from now on will probably consist of me saying ‘Text me when you get there’ (the modern equivalent of giving three rings!) and then not hearing from him, imagining every possible scenario and frantically texting him only for him to reply ‘Sorry, I forgot, yeah I’m fine’.

• Summer holidays – because we both work in a school we always love the school holidays, but with our new arrival Luna being born a couple of weeks before the end of term, this one has been particularly welcome. We are always at our happiest when we are all together but with no school runs, Mr T at home with us most of the time and the freedom to go out and have adventures (so far other than the places mentioned in this post we have been to Birches Valley, Shugborough, Calke Abbey and National Forest Adventure Farm), go to the park (we have done this a lot!) or just stay at home, play in the garden and do things at our own pace, it’s been absolutely lovely. I’ve really been able to focus on Luna which is so important, especially for breastfeeding, in these early weeks and it’s great having Mr T around to play with the girls or get them yet another snack while I’m busy with feeding. It’s lovely that Mr T has got this extended time with Luna too as it must be so hard to be out at work all day and barely spend any time with a new baby. I think it has really helped the girls to bond with Luna too as they absolutely adore her, and with the both of us being at home they haven’t felt any impact other than a really positive one and there has been not even a hint of resentment or jealousy from them.

• Thomas Land – I happened to see an offer for half price tickets for Drayton Manor theme park on Facebook, so on a whim we booked up. We had the best day, it was really great and I’d highly recommend it, so much so that we are seriously thinking about getting season tickets next year. There was loads to do, plenty of rides for 2 year old Totsy in Thomas Land but also for 5 year old Tinker who prefers something a bit more exciting (and there was plenty for older kids too). Luckily Grandma and Grandad came too so it meant Luna got lots of attention while me and Mr T were able to go on the rides with the girls. Neither Tinker or Totsy are particularly huge Thomas the Tank Engine fans, but that really didn’t matter at all, they absolutely loved every minute and we will definitely go back.

• IKEA – half of our house furniture is from IKEA so it’s fair to say we love a good IKEA trip (I say half of our house, but actually 90% is probably more accurate!) Last Friday we had walked into town with Totsy and Luna (no Tinker as she was at her dad’s) and on the way home we were discussing what we needed to put the finishing touches to Tinker and Totsy’s room. Before we knew it we decided to get home, feed Luna then take a spontaneous trip to IKEA in Nottingham, so that’s what we did. We arrived about seven, had dinner in the restaurant because it’s just so cheap it would be rude not too (although not meatballs, shock, horror! Can recommend the chicken supreme though, lovely!) picked up some picture shelves which were the purpose of our visit (and a few extra items like some bathroom storage and a few plants that were not on the list because obviously no one can go to IKEA and not get stuff that is suddenly essential though they didn’t realise they needed it until that moment) and we were home about half nine to open a bottle of wine after popping a tired Totsy into bed. Not a very rock and roll Friday night, I admit, but it was strangely enjoyable all the same!

Keep smiling! xx