Living Arrows 2019 – 52/52

So here we are, the last living arrows post of the year.

I know it’ll confuse me a bit when I look back on these pictures one day, because Nerys’ picture looks like it could’ve been taken on a warm spring day, not in the middle of Christmas week!

We’d been for a walk to the local shops and then popped into Cwmdonkin Park for a play and to test out the walkie talkies that Nerys had desperately wanted for Christmas.  She got so warm on the walk there that by the time we got to the swings her coat and hat had long been abandoned.

Learning to get herself going on the swing, and then swinging really high, is one of the big skills that Nerys has mastered this year.

She can be quite persistent when she wants to do something, and this was something she was determined to be able to do.  Now she just looks so confident and so comfortable up there, swinging up to the sky.  Those baby days of pushing her in the little swings feels like a lifetime ago.

Rhys has had a pretty big year too, in terms of the things he’s pushed himself to do.

He’s really surprised me a few times with the things he’s put his name down to do, and the things he’s tried even though he’s been really nervous.

He went away with school on his first overnight residential trip.  He took part in an urdd swimming competition with some other children from his school.  I was surprised that he even signed up to do it to be honest, and a bit bemused when he ended up doing the butterfly race when he’s not really learnt that stroke yet!  But I was unbelievably proud of him for stepping up and going for it, and keeping going even when he was clearly not going to win.

And he ended the Christmas term at school with a very spirited performance in the concert, winning over the audience with his dancing and inflatable guitar playing.  This from the boy who, last year, was too nervous to even join in with the hand actions to the songs.

Both Rhys and Nerys have joined new clubs this year and I think we’ve got a good balance at the moment of activities and down time.

They do cubs and rainbows and have both settled in really well in their packs.  And they’ve started doing some after school clubs too; yoga for Nerys and Taiko drumming for Rhys.  They’re both still really enjoying these clubs and I think it’s doing them good in terms of their confidence as well as the skills they’re learning there.

All in all it’s been a pretty good year for these two.  

Christmas has been really lovely, with plenty of time spent together as a family, and with their cousins on Steve’s side who we don’t see all that often.  I’m so happy we still have another week to enjoy before we jump into a new year and back into the school routine.

I’m hoping to see my sister and her girls at the end of the week, and we’re going to try and get to the cinema to see Frozen 2 before I give in and read all the spoilers online!  The children are mostly excited about new year’s eve though, because we’ve told them they can stay up until midnight to watch the fireworks on tv.

Who wants to place bets on who of us ends up having a snooze on the sofa before the clock reaches twelve o’clock?!