New house, new babies…

This is a rather belated post, being as we moved into our new house in June. But hey, we’ve been just a little bit busy…!

On New Year’s Eve last year, R and I went out for dinner at our fabulous local pub, while our grandparents babysat. We chatted about the year that had been and gone – the hard times, (there were plenty), the good times (there were some), our jobs, our finances, our family. Later on that evening, just before midnight, R said to me: “So, what do you want for 2017?”

“A house and a baby,” I replied, not missing a beat. He smiled: “Just something simple then….”

Of course, these are pretty big things to ask for. And it seemed like 2017 was going to have its work cut out. And yet – six months later, just a few days before my birthday, I was sitting in the garden of our new house, resting my hands on my bump, when someone asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I looked up at them, and said, with all honesty,: “Nothing. I have everything I want.”

God, I had surprised myself. I can be as materialistic as the next person – I love things, and possessions, and nice clothes, and smart furniture. I love posh holidays and swanky meals out. I love expensive handbags and spiky shoes. But in that moment, sitting there, feeling my babies move in my belly and watching the evening sun filter through the trees in our beautiful garden, I couldn’t honestly think of one single thing I wanted.

I do not think people always – or really ever – get this lucky. I know how special it is to have sent out to the universe exactly what you wanted, and had it delivered in more ways than one – literally. I feel more blessed with what life has given us this year than I have felt in ages. And as I sit here, at our large kitchen table, with my twin  boys sleeping in a Moses basket in front of the Aga, in our beautiful new home, I feel quite profoundly and truly lucky. I am not taking for granted how special this year has already been, and I feel incredibly blessed with all that we have. In a materialistic world, it’s pretty special to be able to say that.

Our new house has been a total joy to move into. The antithesis of where we lived previously, it is warm, light, clean, dry and safe for children. We can sit outside on the terrace, which opens out from our kitchen and gaze at the garden which is totally enclosed and safe for children to play in.

There is space everywhere – space in the  kitchen for a big kitchen table and a big comfy armchair; space in the sitting room for half the room to be given over to toy paraphernalia; space in our gigantic hallway to store buggies, car seats and many many wellies; space in the garden for toys and chickens and running riot; space in the twins room for a spare bed and a comfy feeding chair.

And there’s been space in Munchkin’s room to make a real nest for her, a real room she can call her own and trash treat as she pleases….

There was not the space for any of these things in our old house, it had character, but that was about all. Living here is simply easier, the kitchen has become the heart of the house, we sit around the kitchen table all day, passing babies between us, people come in for coffee, sit down, hold babies, and then move on; more people come, Munchkin arrives for her supper, the babies sleep, or wake, or feed, and still we are here, hanging around the table, circling our lives at the heart of the house.

Having our babies here has already felt easy and simple, they fit into our lives and our house like they’ve always been here and I know the fact that these early days with the boys have started so well is in part because being here is so effortless. And, we know we’re home.