I read a post the other day about enjoying the little moments with your children, because you never know when they will be the last - there will be a last time they ask you to kiss their grazed knee better, the last time you breastfeed them to sleep, or a last time they sneak into your bed for a cuddle in the middle of the night,  or the last time you kiss them goodbye at the school gate. It's easy to get caught up in the trials and tribulations of day to day monotony that comes with raising young children, and forget to cherish these moments and remember one day they won't do it again. And you will yearn for just One More Time.
I certainly know I am guilty of it, FAR too guilty. I let myself get stressed too quickly and when in the moment, can forget to pay enough attention to the grubby little hand giving me a bunch of flowers with stalks to short, or the extra kiss request at bedtime instead of carrying on with the washing or getting annoyed because I just want them asleep.
So I am trying to pay more attention. I am trying to slow down and soak in these moments. With Jaxon being almost 9 and Meisha just turned 7, I know I have inadvertently skimmed over some of these 'lasts' and it's true, I do yearn for One More. We have thoroughly enjoyed Olive as a baby, and now she is two-and-a-half, she is gaining independence at a rapid speed. Just a few weeks ago, I changed her last daytime nappy without even knowing it at the time. She decided she wanted to start using the toilet, and that was that. Nappies over. It's exciting but there is a certain sadness that comes with this newfound determination she has to be a Big Girl. We are well on our way to having 3 big kids and with that comes the realisation that the baby years are over for us. Don't get me wrong, I don't want anymore, but my gosh my children were lovely babies. I will remember those years with such fondness in the years to come.

In my last post, I mentioned studying and childcare. We have enrolled Oli at a lovely childcare centre and she has started going two days a week. She absolutely loves it. She is very independent and runs off on her own to play as soon as we get there, without so much as a backwards glance to me. It makes me really happy to see her in an environment where she feels safe and happy, with other adults who she is comfortable with. The teachers have been fantastic with learning about her nevus and paying attention if she falls or knocks it, to check and make sure it hasn't torn.
Olive takes herself to the toilet there and has had no accidents! I'm so proud of her, especially considering she is one of the smallest kids there and has to use the stool to get on and off the toilet, and to flush!
Along with toilet training herself, she has also started sleeping through the night in her own bed. The Bottle Fairy came a few weeks back and took away her bottles and since then, Oli has been fantastic at sleeping all night in her bed. The last few nights she's woken and wanted a cuddle, but hey - it might be the last right? ;)

With Olive being in care for 2 days a week, it means I have been able to have a wee break to do things like the groceries (oh, exciting!) or catch up on programmes I have missed like My Kitchen Rules (or My Chicken Rolls, as Olive calls it!), or to write on here! It's also given me a chance to think a bit more about what I want to do next year. I have decided not to do the Diploma in Not-For-Profit Management at this stage, as there are some course requirements which will make it very difficult for me to participate effectively. That's ok - what will be, will be and something else will come along, I am sure!

For now, I am enjoying some peace and quiet a few days a week and then enjoying my little darlings the rest of the time. This photo was taken by Eddie on the weekend. Olive completed a star chart for sleeping through the night in her own bed, and was rewarded with a trip to Chipmunks playground. She had an absolute ball.