Mummy Time

Steve has been away since Thursday night, until Tuesday night, on his annual football Coloma Wanderers trip.  His mum and dad very kindly offered to have the boys over while Steve was away... not together, of course, Sam for two nights and Tom for one.  It has been simply WONDERFUL and I am so grateful to have such lovely in-laws.  We drove through to Guisborough on Friday morning, (early doors because we had to be back by 12 to wait in for the gas man, he arrived at 5pm!) dropped Sam off and then Tom and I came home.  My friend Katie came over with her children (Tom's friend Billy and baby Florence) in the afternoon and we chatted while the boys played beautifully.  Then they headed home and my neighbour and her youngest boy came over for tea (lasagna, salad, garlic bread and a delish bottle of rose).  Claire and I had a good old gossip and the boys had fun together.  Finally got Tom to sleep at 8:45, but didn't feel stressed or irked by it, I felt relaxed!  Saturday Tom and I pottered around in the morning, doing a bit of cleaning, reading and playing,and then in the afternoon we hit Waves for an hour of fun in the water.  And it really was fun!  We actually made it out of the ankle skimming depths of the pirate ship and into the thigh skimming depths of the children's pool.  I wasn't tense and so I just had fun with my little guy.

So alike...

and yet so different!

On Sunday something awesome happened - Tom didn't wake up until quarter to nine!!!
We went to collect Sam, had a gorgeous Sunday dinner, and left Tom with Grandma!  He was ok, had a bit of a meltdown when Sam and I were actually in the car, but when I whispered in his ear that Grandma still had ice lollies in her freezer, he set off at a run shouting "chocolate one"!  Sam and I went to watch Toy Story 3 (which was fab, I cried at the end when Andy says goodbye to his toys and goes off to college, made me think of my boys growing up up and away) and then went to Pizza Hut for a late tea.  On Monday Sam and I went to Emma's house to celebrate Andrew's first birthday, which was lovely.  I realised while we were there that I wasn't going to be able to drive there and back to Guisborough again, especially as the rain was pelting down, so rang to ask if we could all sleep there that night and head home the next morning.  My wonderful in laws offered to drive Tom home to spare me the trip!  It was very kind of them. and hugely appreciated.

It was fantastic to have some time with each of my boys on their own.  This summer holiday has made me realise how hard it is to keep them both happy day after day, to make them both feel like they have some uninterrupted mummy time.  Sam in particular has really struggled, as Tom is very jealous at the moment, and does not like to even let Sam sit next to me, so it felt so good to just concentrate on him and listen to his stories and thoughts, and to spoil him a little bit.  As we spend all day of every day together (more or less) I am made aware of how different my boys are, not only in temperament, but also in the differences that their ages have on what we can do.  Tom is just too young to play games even like snakes and ladders, and Sam has out grown things that still entrance Tom. I thank god for whomever invented the wooden train set, with all its different bridges, turntables and engines... it keeps all three of us busy and happy for ages, as even I enjoy the challenge of creating a new layout every time!!
Will it get easier as they get older?  Or more difficult?  Only time will tell!!!!