Siblings – August 2021

The summer holidays are always a time for having lots of fun together and making memories. This is my time with the children – the time when they are all mine again and I can enjoy getting out and about with them, doing fun things together. We normally make a summer activities list of things we’d like to do over the summer holidays and this year Sophie has been the one to draw up the list and tick things off. So far we’ve managed about half the items on the list and I’m hopeful that we’ll manage to get through it all before the end of the summer holidays.

 

 

It is lovely to watch Sophie and Thomas together. They really are so good together and so happy in each other’s company. Sophie is a little mother hen, looking after her little brother and finding ways to make him laugh or helping him do things. It’s always a little bittersweet watching them together though, and especially so at this time of year. Having three children around for the summer holidays would have been even more busy and chaotic and I wish so much I could experience that. To be able to see Jessica helping entertain and look after her brother; to have seen my girls playing together once more. All those little if-only moments that I will always grieve the loss of.

 

Jessica is always very much missed but there are moments of joy and I am so very grateful for the little moments that I have with Sophie and Thomas; for all the memories that I am able to make with them. The summer holidays are one of my favourite times; a time for making magical memories together and we will continue to do our best to make happy memories, carrying Jessica with us wherever we go.

 

 

 

Thomas (3 years 0 months)

• Has now turned three and had a lovely birthday and party in Grandma and Grandad’s garden.
• Loves spelling out words that he sees around him with the letters he got for his birthday or just repeating the letters out. He made me chuckle when he introduced himself to another child by saying, “I’m Thomas. T-H-O-M-A-S.”
• Loved doing the feed run each morning during our holiday at Coombe Mill, especially feeding the chickens and the goats.
• Has started potty training. We had a lot of accidents on day 1 (I did worry at one point that we were going to run out of pants) but day 2 was much better and he’s definitely getting the hang of it now.
• Gave us a scare thanks to eating a yew berry and having to go to A&E for several hours for observation. Thankfully he was fine.

 

 

Sophie (7 years 9 months)

• Enjoyed having a sleepover at Auntie Loraynne’s house and going to the beach.
• Loved getting to hold lots of different reptiles at a “Meet the Reptiles” session.
• Had a lovely time at Coombe Mill and made a couple of friends on the feed run. She also enjoyed being able to be a little more independent and go off on her own with them to the playground or games room.
• Loves listening to the soundtrack from Six and asks for it to be played every time we are in the car. She’s also been making up her own dances to a couple of the songs.
• Enjoyed having a playdate at the park with one of her classmates and then an impromptu playdate a couple of days later after bumping into her best friend from preschool.

 

 

Jessica (forever 6 years 7 months)

• I’ve set myself a challenge to do 400,000 steps in August to fundraise for The Compassionate Friends in memory of Jessica, and to sponsor a poem that I’ve written as part of an anthology of poems written by bereaved parents.