Looking Back At The Last Decade

I have 45000 photos on my phone. No joke. And probably a lot more on my computer. I love to take photos! But when I look back at ten years ago I don't have nearly so many. I know that is because we didn't have camera phones the way we do now and it makes me grateful that as the last decade went on, I was able to take lots of physical memories of the most special decade of our lives (and lots of video too over on my YouTube channel).

I went into 2010 having just experienced a miscarriage. Our longed for second baby didn't make it - we found no heartbeat at a scan at 12 weeks and I was totally devastated. I think that year Christmas and New Year carried me through and I struggled big time after that. I lost friends who couldn't understand the pain I was in and I closed myself off from the world. I remember on the baby's due date in the summer that year sitting in the garden with my best friend and making a toast to the little life I never got to know and finally feeling a sense of closure. Not long after that I fell pregnant with Miss J and who knew that ten years later I would have four children earthside. It just goes to show how things can turn around.

Three of our children were born this decade, and I know that it is going to have been the best decade of my life. I've loved every moment of having these small people and I would have a million more babies if I could. I simply don't want this phase of life to end. But as we head into a new decade I know that I must head into a new chapter too, embrace the children growing up and the freedom that will bring to travel the world and teach them new things. If there's one thing I want the next decade to be about it's about seeing more of the world.

I think over the last decade I really came into my own as a mum. I lost that sense of loss I felt when I first gave up work to be a stay at home mum and I now know and really feel the value in staying at home with the children. I am also very proud of my blog and the fact that I have turned a hobby into an income and have managed to treat my family to some lovely experiences and have earned some money to go into the family pot - after all four children are expensive! Blogging has given me something back that is for me and I think it has helped me to stay sane so I'll be eternally grateful to all of you who read this blog and support me for doing that.

I thought I would share here my top moments of the last decade - more for my benefit than yours so excuse the self indulgence but there are also many memories here that are from before when I was blogging so it will be nice for you to see those too! Bear in mind that the photos from 10 years ago are awful quality!

2010

I fell pregnant with Miss J - a long awaited for sibling for E.

E started school!

2011

Miss J was born!

2012

2012 brought about a few little UK trips, Bristol Zoo, Peppa Pig World and I took E to London for the first time on our own - it has since become an annual trip! It is also the year that I started blogging, albeit as a hobby and very sporadically! Who knew it would bring me here!

2013

We didn't get up to much in 2013 by the looks of it but I did visit Berlin on my own with friends which was amazing. I can't wait to take the family there one day.

2014

We had our first family holiday abroad to Cyprus.

Little Boy was born and Miss J started school. It makes me a little sad to look back at the school photos knowing how her school journey has panned out, but that's the benefit of hindsight I guess.

2015

In this year we didn't get up to much really, I think we were settling into life with three children! From looking at the photos we had lots of nice days out though!

2016

We said goodbye to our first home and said hello to our new one! It was a total wreck when we bought it and it was quite a daunting project but I loved every minute of it!

We also went camping for the first time!

2017

We started the year by visiting Disneyland Paris.

This is also the year that Little Boy started school and they were all three in the same school. The only time I'll have all of my children in the same school.

Our newly renovated house was featured in an interiors magazine - and I was on the front cover!

We also welcomed Lexi into our family - wow this was an epic year!

2018

I got pregnant with Baby N (so happy!) and we spent the summer in France, it was literally the best holiday, I'd dreamed of taking the children travelling and we were actually doing it!