We just got home last night from an amazing couple of days in London and you both were so tired and fell asleep pretty effortlessly but this morning you, Forrest woke up around 6:30 and usually you and I would just head downstairs but today is a special day as it's your 1000 day bday and it's Nixie's 2351 day bday and me and daddy decorated the lounge and got you both a couple of presents so we had to wait until Nixie woke up.

I just need to say that in just this past week, your vocabulary and talking has just exploded! You have gone from the odd word here and there to short sentences! You love repeating things we say and whenever Nixie is reading out loud, you always copy the words she says. Just this past week you've started saying: "look at me!", "Look at us" (when you and Nixie were snuggling), "drink milk peeease" (with a little drinking hand gesture), "yummy", "why?!?" (Oh you are always asking why and the tone you use when you do is the sweetest thing ever, it's very dramatic), "no, I luv u mor!" (when I jokingly say I love you more), "found it!, And "put it away", "one more". You are just in such an incredible stage at the moment and it feels so amazing to be able to chat with you more!

When we could finally make our way downstairs and you both entered the lounge and saw the decorations and presents your little faces lit up! You were both very surprised. Straight away you opened your presents and Forrest you got a remote controlled steam train and Nixie you got a remote controlled dinosaur and you both loved your gifts so much!

Yesterday when we were on our way home we stopped at a service station I sneakily bought us some Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the funny thing was that when you woke up from your nap you needed to use the bathroom and when you saw the doughnuts at the shop you begged for them but I said no. So when I brought them out this morning as your special bday breakfast you were so excited!

The next few hours we could not get you away from your new toys and our morning was filled with so many squeals and giggles. After a while you, Nixie and I prepped your painted seashells but before that Forrest helped with drilling holes into them. You painted the edges of them with glue and then sprinkled Epsom salts on them. You want to crystallize them.

Forrest you were snuggled up with daddy on the sofa reading your new Thomas the tank engine book. 

Nixie, ever since we found our first penny bun you've been obsessed with wanting to find more and whenever I show you photos of other people's baskets full of them you get super jealous so we decided to go for a little walk in the woods to see if we could get lucky with finding more. 

As we got out of the car and headed towards the gate leading into the forest, you, Forrest had to be the one to open the gate. You are at a stage where you need to do everything yourself, you are becoming more and more independent. After just a few steps into the woods you found a little black slug to love and you really didn't want to let him go. I love your new love for all the small creatures! Nixie, you ran ahead and began climbing trees. When we all caught up with you daddy had turned around and discovered the most beautiful vapourer moth climbing an oak tree, it always feels so special when we find such beautiful little creatures.

At first we were all surprised that we hadn't seen a single mushroom but then you, Nixie, while high up on a fallen tree spotted the first ones and then we just turned around and saw so many bracket mushrooms all over the place. From then on we kept discovering more and more and also a bunch of different species, some of which we had never seen before, including cauliflower fungi. 

We walked to the edge of the woods into the heathy area and mushrooms seemed to be everywhere! You and Forrest were enjoying walking through the boggy areas and you helped him across some small streams using a stick which has become a common occurrence when we're out these days!  For some reason Forrest, you kept trying to take your waders off and I kept trying to convince you not to which only made you want to take them off even more! But eventually you agreed that it was a good idea to keep them on. We eventually made it to a small little conifer forest and we all had fun searching for more mushrooms and we kept finding blue pieces of wood (my favourite) which had been stained by pixie cup fungi and to this day I've never actually seen the fungi.

After a few hours we made our way back to the car climbing trees and finding treasures on the way and as soon as we arrived back home, you, Forrest started playing with your train set. You, Nixie, and I finished our crystal experiment but I'm pretty sure I messed it up because I think I added too much water!

We made dinner but before you, Forrest, could have a chance to eat you fell asleep at the boob and I brought you upstairs. It was around 18:30 and I felt exhausted and decided I needed to also lay in bed next to you. I had some reading to do to prepare for my upcoming doula preparation course. you, Nixie, and daddy had a great time playing downstairs with the balloons and glitter. I kept hearing your giggles and squeals throughout the evening. I think I actually managed to fall asleep before 20:00. My body, my mind, and my spirit needed sleep.