My brother in law is 30 today and we are off to Windsor tonight for a celebratory meal complete with non alcoholic cocktails for my pregnant sister.
30. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was breast feeding Ollie upstairs in our bedroom, above the kitchen, and all I could hear was my family busy blowing up balloons and hanging decorations (my husband did good).
I felt a rise of panic thinking thirty? How could I be thirty?! It's like I clicked my fingers and we went from being two 17 year olds excited to have their first car, to parents of two, waiting for a grey hair to make an appearance. My husband finds back hair, which seems to be an ever increasing incidence year by year, a particularly startling experience. I don't know why, the silver back male look has always been a preference of mine.
30 is when you are supposed to feel like a grown up. Responsible with responsibilities. Yet I look sometimes enviously at my Facebook friends photos and status updates. Jetting off to sunny climes, dancing on tables at weddings and climbing a lofty career ladder.
But then I creep in the boys rooms at midnight, after I've shut down the laptop and washed up a couple of milk cups ready for the morning, and see two tiny faces, snoring, vulnerable and who have my unconditional love.
And I wouldn't change it for the world.
My thirtieth year brought me my sweet second son, a family time to Barry Island I will never forget, 3 weddings, a christening, a trip to Tokyo, two visits to America, a first family holiday, the first time seeing the Red Arrows, my big boy starting pre school, my best friend and a baby girl, a new family member, a Jubilee celebration, the Olympics and I posted my first ever post on Capture by Lucy.
All in all it was a very good year. 31 was rather lovely too. Take time, just for a minute and instead of thinking about the things you don't have or are missing out on, think about what you have. I feel like the luckiest 30 something in the world.
Happy Birthday to my wonderful brother in law, scrap that, my brother, Andrew. Love you lots xx
