Friday Focus 11/02/22 – Delightful

The last week has been a delightful one on the whole. We had a lovely weekend away in Torquay for the Land’s End – John O’Groats Association annual dinner and awards evening. Sophie and Thomas had a wonderful time, enjoying the arcades and the swimming pool at the hotel and spending a couple of hours on the beach. It was so good to get away for a mini-break and enjoy family time together and to catch up with some of the other members of the Association again. They’re such a lovely, friendly group of people.

 

 

I’ve had some delightful moments with Sophie and Thomas this week. Sophie surprised me by swimming confidently across the deep end in her swimming lesson and getting her green swimming cap. I hadn’t expected her to move up just yet so that was a lovely surprise. I think having a bit of extra swimming practice during our weekend away helped with that. It was ‘bring a friend’ week at Sophie’s dance school so she brought Thomas along to the baby ballet class that she helps out with. He wore Jessica’s old ballet shoes (she would have been tickled pick to think of her baby brother wearing them) and thoroughly enjoyed joining in. I don’t think he’s quite ready yet to join in properly but it was lovely to see him and Sophie doing a ballet class together.

 

My sister also shared a rather delightful dream-visit that she had from Jessica. In the dream, Jessica had Thomas on her lap and was hugging him. She was showing him a map and telling him about the places she’d been. Thomas then looked at the map and pointed out the places where he’d seen her. It was lovely hearing about Jessica and Thomas having time together in my sister’s dream but then I suddenly remembered that when Thomas woke up that morning, he asked me, “where’s Jessica?” I’d quite like to think they were having the same moments in his dreams.

 

 

What I’ve been grateful for this week:

 

 

• Day 35 – I am grateful for puddlesuits!

 

• Day 36 – I am grateful for a lovely day at the beach.

 

• Day 37 – I am grateful for a lovely weekend away and for getting to catch up with friends on the way home.

 

• Day 38 – I am grateful that the evenings are starting to get lighter and going to and from evening activities is no longer all done in the dark.

 

• Day 39 – I am grateful that Sophie has moved up to green level in her swimming class. She started off in the amber class as usual and then all of sudden I realised that she’d been moved to the deep end with the green group and was confidently swimming across the pool. Super proud mummy moment.

 

• Day 40 – I am grateful for crocuses appearing in the garden.

 

• Day 41 – I am grateful that Thomas enjoyed getting to join in with the baby ballet class with Sophie helping him along.

 

 

Other things that have made me smile this week:

• The joy on Thomas’s face as he splashed about in the toddler pool at the hotel.

 

• A sleepy Thomas at the LEJOG Association annual dinner (we moved him to a more comfortable spot after taking the photo!)

 

 

• Sitting out in the garden eating my breakfast listening to a little robin singing away.

 

• Having a chat about Jessica with the mum of one of her classmates. It is always lovely to be able to talk about Jessica, and to be told that her classmates still remember her and talk about her means so much.