Lemonhead Time
In a little over two months, the Lemonheads will turn three.
Staggering, isn’t it? Three. Three. Years. Old. I can’t believe it. I think it was yesterday that they were born. Or, more likely, they’ve been here for eleven hundred years, since the dawn of time or invention of the rock. The bad news is they’re growing up. The good news is they’re growing up, and in that growing up comes a reduction in nursery fees (pause for a whoop).
They’re proper people now. Proper chatty, laughy, totally random people. They are so different it’s amazing and I love seeing these facets of their personality come out now.
Let’s go ladies first.
Nora has become something of a bossy stroppy cow. She’s miles ahead of Nick in language, and when she talks I swear she’s the poshest little girl this suck of Buckingham Palace. When she tells you she can’t do something, it comes out: “I cahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhn’t do it, Mummy.” She’s so posh she’s bypassed plum and gone straight to uber-Sloane. She also likes to boss Nick around, get him to be her personal slave, and is generally a slight primadonna.
She is also very loving and her smile can blind you.
Nora continues to be a ham. She’s extraordinarily interested in arty things like music and drawing. At nursery she’s prolific to the point that we’ve donated paper she’s such a fan of drawing. At home she loves to make noise on everything and does mess around with their toy piano (which, for reasons best known to Nick, was here in the naughty corner as Nick had declared “Music, time out! Musn’t bite Nick!”)
She turns everything into a musical instrument, including an inflatable England hand we bought them to play with during the World Cup (in those naive early days when England stood a chance, you know.)
She continues to love very girly things like dressing up, as seen here while drawing on their easel. She’s wearing a bandanna, a pair of pink fairy wings, and her “pretty dress”, which in this instance in an England flag.
Somewhere Winston Churchill is wincing.
What’s so amazing to me is that she is so imaginative – she was given a hand-me-down of a pink Disney princess castle and a sparkly necklace/tiara set (which, as you can see, went down like the Titanic with her).
I bought her a few dolls to play with inside of it, and at almost three she has them talking to each other inside of the castle, pretending to read books and walk around. This amazes me, this early foray into imagination. I absolutely love it.
They both are very imaginative. I had a box out from some things I’d ordered, and the two of them thought it was Christmas. Nick flipped the box over and decided to “drive.”
Of course, when the engine died he had the woman get out and push while he steered. Typical.
And this is the two of them inside their “falling cave”, aka the cheap tent I got them which more often than not winds up upside down, as the two of them giggle and use it as a virtual hamster wheel.
Nick has left the horrid tantrum stage (for the most part) and become a little heart. He doesn’t like to draw but he loves to sing. At any opportunity that boy will burst into song. I love it, though – it’s not self-conscious in the least, which is one of the reasons why I love it (also, because he says “Old MacDonald, how’s your farm?” What’s not to love about that?) This is him laying back singing “Baa Baa Black Sheep” (his favorite) wearing questionable fashion choices (aka toddler clothes).
He’s keen on things looking right, lining up just so, and is key to have patterns done. He’s still into lights in a very big way, as evidenced by him playing with two fairy wands which light up.
But his real love is transportation.
The boy loves his trains.
Last weekend Alastair suggested a day out, and we all went on the Watercress Line, which is a steam train line that is not far from us, and which runs on lines that were abandoned but are now maintained (as are the trains) by train enthusiasts (and Alastair is joining them as a volunteer. You may see where Nick gets his train love for here.)
To say it was a hit was an understatement.
Nick was mesmerized.
He was in his element, not even a bit frightened by the noise and commotion of a giant steam train (when he saw the train driver during a break, he even shouted “Hello, man!” to him. That’s our boy, the not shy type when it comes to trains.)
It was a brilliant day out.
His joy was infectious, and he was on full alert during the entire day, passing out almost instantly when he was strapped into his car seat.
And I’m always so amazed at the two little people that we share a house with. They’re still babies, I’ll always call them babies, but they’re people now. Cheesy little fuckers sometimes, but people.
Walking the dog this morning, I thought about my life. I thought about my job and my marriage and my family and my lot in life. And I say this only because it’s how I felt then and how I feel now, not as any kind of “nose rubbing” or anything like that – I am the luckiest woman in the world.
-S.
Thank you so much for sharing with us like this – these are wonderful photos and it is such a loving post. I wouldn’t call you lucky though Shannon, you’ve put in the hard work to get where you are. You deserve every moment!
PS going to Target this afternoon – want anything?
If you had a “LOVE” button on this post, I would click it.
So happy for you, enjoy your wonderful family!!
Beautiful. The *are* little people, and I can’t quite believe it.
You are the luckiest person in the world and have worked your fucking arse off to get here. Congrats!
Yep, love it!
Lovely post. Nora looks so much like you!
Heart. Swells. To BURSTING!
And on another note. THREE? No WAY! But yet, yeah. Time sure flies.
“And I say this only because it’s how I felt then and how I feel now, not as any kind of “nose rubbing” or anything like that – I am the luckiest woman in the world.”
You surely are. Thanks so much for letting us in for a bit. It has put a smile in my heart for the day.
That first picture of Nora made me catch my breath because I saw your face looking out at me.
They are beautiful and melt my heart in a big way…I just can’t believe that 3 years have past, it’s staggering.
Such a lovely post – and what a wonderful place to be in life eh? When it all just *fits* so well? Awesome!
Oh my goodness—-three?!!! I thought for sure they were only two years old! I love reading about their doings and I agree, you are the luckiest woman in the world. So glad things have turned out so well. I’m not your “oldest” reader but I have been here since before these little lovelies were born. They are adorable!!
Unendurable cuteness. I love your mommy-posts – they make me look forward to discovering the little person that will change our lives in a few months.
Oh, how sweet they are! Enjoy these wonderful years with the little people until school starts. Those are the very best!
I am so happy for you. They are beautiful and I know they bring you a lot of pleasure and love.
They are so freaking gorgeous!
I love those little people. I don’t care if I have never met them in person, I love them. I want more then anything to climb in their tent with them, or hear them play me a song-Nick on lead and Nora on whatever instrument she wants.
They are sensational-and they will be able to do whatever they want in this world, because they’ll know above all else they have two parents that support them. And hell, at three they already have fans. That’s pretty damn good if you ask me.
You have a lot to be thankful for.. and i am so glad for you.
They really are adorable.
I’ve always loved the Lemonheads. Classic blogging reasons being we were pregnant together which bonded me to you and to them, by reading your journey. I feel oddly connected to your family because of it- but I never “heard” them with an english accent- and now that I do- OMFG- they just got even better!
Oh my little Lemonheads, how you have grown! Three years have passed in the blink of an eye and I’m happy I’m still here to see how wonderful things have turned out for you.
Well, I love reading about their doings and I agree, you are the luckiest woman in the world. So glad things have turned out so well.
Loving how the Lemonheads are turning into their own little people, its quite remarkable how that happens!
What a lovely update. They are gorgeous and the joy just shines off the page – in your words and in the pictures.
The “get out and push” caption/picture had me very literally laughing out loud. You have a real shot at a career as a professional caption-er.
You ARE the luckiest woman in the world.
And so am I.
The nice part is there’s a superfluity of “luckiest” to go around.
It’s rare that I have an overwhelming urge to pray for someone, but for some reason (I believe the Holy Spirit led me), I had a strong urge to pray for you, Alistair, and your 4 children last night from 11:15-11:30 EST (which I believe is 4:15-4:30 your time. Since you were probably sleeping, I just prayed for safety and peace for your family.
I hope all is well and that everyone had a good night’s rest.
Pure awesomeness!
Strange. There seems to be a surfeit of “luckiest people/spouses/parents in the world” these days. And that’s a good thing.
You thought that those three years went fast? Just wait for the next three. Don’t blink though, or they’ll be graduating from college before your eyes reopen.