playdates and picnics in the park

This morning I took two of my monkeys to the park for a playdate with my mothers group. Little Miss started the day somewhere around 5am so she stayed home with hubby for a much needed sleep. I met my mothers group when I was pregnant with Monkey Man, and we attended antenatal classes together at the hospital. I hear lots of horror stories about mothers groups being cliquey and bitchy but I love mine, and wish we could catch up more often. Maybe the vibe is different in ours due to how we met but I'm very grateful for our group. We've been through those last few anxious months of your first pregnancy together. We've been though the first few weeks of no sleep, endless screaming and the whole 'what have I done' thing you go through with a newborn which funnily enough is magnified when its your first. Since then some of us have had more babies, most have returned to work in some capacity and we're all at various stages of toilet training and bed transition. Seeing our babies become little people is truly special but honestly if there wasn't photos to remember by I doubt many of us would remember the always screaming, feeding constantly, needy babies we had. Its so hard to imagine your bossy, chatty, speedy, independent 2 year old as a newborn baby.

So this morning there was 7 mums and well.... alot more kids than that. When we sat them down for a snack we laughed at just how much they outnumber us.

Watching them run and play, seeing them all play together was pure entertainment and frequent heart attacks all at once. Monkey Man was either jumping off something, falling down, climbing to the highest peak of everything or heading off into the horizon at 100 miles an hour, at every given chance. Luckily for me, Missy Moo is a calmer and more reserved personality and stayed close to me pretty much the entire time. After a (tiny fluffy friendly) dog jumped up to greet her she freaked completely and wrapped herself round me like a koala for the remainder of our time there. I could take them to the park every morning and let them run, with me chasing them and I'd be fit in no time. Their energy truly knows no limits. 

My cheeky monkeys:

oh to be a toddler again, when life is simple, food is prepared and served for you and someone else worries about everything you do, wear, say etc etc etc. I look forward to watching all our babies growing together, and can't wait to meet the newest additions due later this year. 

xx