Lovely Little Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Lovely Little Family
    • Faith
      • Sunday Scriptures
    • Things We Do
  • Lovely Little Home
    • Budget & Finance
    • Happy Homemaker Mondays
    • Little Kitchen
    • Sewing & Crafts
  • Lovely Little Crochet
    • Free Patterns
  • Faith & Finch

Emma

First Day of School

14 September 2016 by Naomi 4 Comments

emma-first-day

Today I dropped you at the school gate,
Our first time doing this.
You ran ahead full of excitement,
My grown up little Miss.

I slowed you down and took your hand,
I felt nervous for you.
I’m not sure why, you’re rarely shy,
Confident in all you do.

Ready to meet and make new friends,
To play, to chat, to learn.
I hope you stop and listen as well,
Remember to wait your turn.

It will be so strange when you’re at school
For so much of the week.
I’ll miss our funny chats, your constant singing,
Daddy’s games of hide-and-seek.

But I can’t wait to see how much you grow,
and the ways that you will shine.
I’m sure you’ll have such fun this year,
So I will try not to pine!

I think your brother will miss you most,
You’re his favourite play mate.
You make him laugh like no-one else can
and it’s only you he’ll imitate.

Good luck for your first time at school my love,
I can’t wait to hear about it.
Three o’clock will be our new favourite time of day,
Weekends more special for it.

So this is for you my crazy Emma,
My little baby girl.
A baby no longer, you’re getting so grown up.
Let’s give school life a whirl!

Naomi-16

Posted in: Lovely Little Family Tagged: Emma, family, parenting, school, September

To my little big girl… Your last week at nursery 

21 July 2016 by Naomi Leave a Comment

I can’t believe I am here writing about you leaving nursery already, it is utterly surreal to me.

Most people who know us know that before you were even a year old we had decided to home educate. For so many reasons I won’t go into now we thought it would be the best choice for you and for our family. I stood by that for so long I have curriculum plans and a cupboard full of resources I stockpiled. Until this time last year it all changed.

I used to get equal parts furious and amused when family and friends would respond to our home school plans with the same stock responses, ‘what about socialisation?!’ ‘how will she learn to make friends?!’ All I could think was have you ever met my little Emma?! My feisty, independent, confident, oh so social Emma?!

But, of course, it was exactly this that changed our minds. You thrive being surrounded by your friends and we eventually decided to ask for your opinion. Simplified, that conversation went a little like this… ‘Emma would you like to learn at home or at school?’ ‘School with other people. Duh.’

In a bit of a mad rush we got you enrolled in a wonderful little nursery with some of your friends. The day we went to look around you strolled in and it was like you had always been there. The nursery manager was explaining the staggered settling in process and looked over her shoulder at you and said actually I don’t thinks she needs it.

It was such a good decision. Nursery has been the perfect place to just absorb and direct all the energy that bounds out of you. When you started you were all over the place, couldn’t stay still, didn’t focus very long on one thing and your listening wasn’t the best. Now you have so much more focus, you can concentrate on one task for a reasonable time and your listening skills are so much better. You are still an independent, energetic 4 and a half year old, but goodness you have bloomed in so many ways.

September to July. So much growth in every way. I am always so glad that your strengths and weaknesses reported at nursery are the same at home. That you are exactly the same little girl you are to me for everyone else, warts and all. I pray this remains the same as you take on your reception year in school. I pray you stay as confident, curious and characterful as you are now. Let school be a place for you to continue to grow, don’t shrink back from any of these things, that while challenging at times, make you Emma.

I think we will both miss nursery from the staff and your friends to the relaxed reliable routine. I hope we are both ready for the rigours of the school timetable when September comes.

For now I hope you always remember the amazing fun you had this year. I hope you always remember Nicky. I hope you always remember finishing your last day in true summer holiday style; an excess of cake and ice cream, surrounded by your best friends, splashing around completely care free in the sunshine.

summer fun

If ever you can’t recall these moments, ask me. I will always remember your first last day.

Naomi-16

Posted in: Lovely Little Family Tagged: Emma, family, July, little letters, nursery, summer

The Ordinary Moments #3

21 March 2016 by Naomi 1 Comment

It’s funny, if you asked me my favourite colour I would probably say I don’t have a favourite and then choose green if you pushed me.
If you asked Emma what mummy’s favourite colour is she will undoubtedly tell you it’s purple. Just as she tells me!
But as I looked back through the photos I have taken in the last couple of weeks there does seem to be rather a lot of purple. As if I gravitate towards it without noticing, yet Emma had!

crocus patch

I too often forget that at the age of 4 she is much more observant and aware of what is going on around her than I tend to give her credit for. She also has a long term memory that defies belief and is starting to catch us out! (Like the Eeyore teddy that was an unfortunate victim of a sick bug when she was barely 2, it was never going to be clean in my eyes again so got chucked. This went by completely unnoticed until she asked for it recently, recalling the exact circumstance in which she last saw it two years ago.)

dsc_0831.jpg

I find that I am spending more and more time battling with my expectations of Emma. I flip between ‘Am I expecting too much, 4 is still so little after all!’ and ‘She’s 4 of course she should be able to …..’! Parenting can definitely be a battle but I am starting to realise most of the battles take place between me and myself.

I am much the same with Matthew, on the one hand I am desperate for him to stay my baby because he will most likely be our last and I can’t bear the thought of him turning 1 next month (this deep seated denial is probably why I’ve still done nothing about a birthday party!!). On the other hand I can’t wait for him to start walking a little and be safe on his legs so I can safely put him down when my arms are aching and I’m trying round up Emma and her shoes/bags/cardi’s/coat/random items at nursery.

Emma Matthew

Perhaps lately I have spent too much time over thinking and not enough time doing. I really want to make the most of the next 5 months, making memories with my lovely little family as we are now before September arrives and we enter a whole new season of life. Between the weather and many little illnesses I feel we haven’t got off to the start I’d hoped but it was the 1st day of Spring yesterday so hopefully we can turn a corner and get out a bit more!

We have managed a couple of little walks recently and I’ve taken to demanding a cringeworthy family selfie each outing which I actually love. One of my biggest bug bears is that we have virtually no pictures of us as a whole family and if this is the only way to do it then so be it!

family shot 1

family shot 2

This post has turned into something of a brain emptying exercise, I hope my rambling just about makes sense. These are certainly our ordinary moments though!

Linking up with Mummy Daddy Me for #OrdinaryMoments.

Naomi-16

 

Posted in: Lovely Little Family, Things We Do Tagged: Emma, family, March, Matthew, nature, ordinary moments, outdoors, parenting, Spring
1 2 3 4 5 … 12 13 14 15 16 Next »

Follow me…

Follow My RSS Feed Follow Me on Facebook Follow Me on Twitter Follow Me on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram
All About Naomi of Lovely Little Life

What are you looking for?

My Crochet Patterns / Tutorials

Flower Power Baby Sandals Teeny Tiny Heart Sandals Stripey Owl Baby Rattle Beaded Wire Bracelet

Archives

disclosure

Any links to diythemes.com or Thesis in the sidebar are affiliate links. Clicking on these links and making purchases with these companies earns Lovely Little Life a few pennies. Thanks!

keep in touch

To subscribe enter your email address:

tag cloud

August autumn baby Bible blanket challenge Christmas craft crochet December Emma faith family February flowers free patterns garden happy things home homemaker mondays January July June kitchen March Matthew May nature new year October organising outdoors parenting post-a-day scripture September sewing Spring stylecraft summer sunshine treats walks winter yarn

Copyright © 2023 Lovely Little Life.

Family WordPress Theme by themehall.com