Sale shopping

Richard was off work and the kids had got some money for Christmas so we went sale shopping.  Caitlin had a voucher but she forgot it so she couldn’t get as much as she wanted.  She got another outfit for her build a bear, Rosie, that she got for her birthday.  Noah and Austin did really well….they bought some fake Lego that was half price so they got these 2 big boxes of bricks for £18….

Noah also got himself a hat, scarf and gloves set and a torch.  And Caitlin and Noah got headphones as the ones that came with their ipods kept falling out of their ears!  We had some lunch and looked around some other shops then we headed home to play with the Lego.  With help they all built this….

and this….

Austin really surprised me by making the little police bike completely by himself.  It wasn’t many pieces but he’s never really played with Lego before.

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2nd Christmas dinner

We normally have our own Christmas dinner on boxing day but this year we decided to have it on the Tuesday as Richard was off on the Wednesday so didn’t need to be up early.  Noah had a birthday party to go to in the morning and Richard was working so we all had to go.  Caitlin and Noah played in the room next door for most of it (on the ipod and fireman Sam!)  After the party we went home and started on our Christmas dinner!!

I forgot to save us some crackers so it just looks like a normal roast dinner really!!  But it was nice!!

Boxing day

Richard had to be in work for 6am on Boxing day morning so we got up and had a lazy day.  We listened to their new cd’s…played on the ipods….watched some tele….and eventually when it was late enough played on the drums!  Austin spent all of his time either playing with or just holding his fireman Sam engine!!!

Once Richard was home (and Austin in bed) Noah was allowed to get his woodworking set out.  He got a set with “real” tools and fake wood.

He had a great time sawing the wood and hammering nails in, and he made himself…….

…a toolbox!!!!!  He was very pleased with it.  The set was great but you don’t seem to be able to buy more wood for it, so once your wood is sawn…it’s kind of gone!  We’ll have to look out for something that he could use in its place.

After tea they were all sharing their chocolates and sweets with us so Richard offered them one of his liqueurs.  In true Austin style of being scared of anything unidentifiable he refused his.  Caitlin went first and was very nearly sick….

…and Noah wasn’t keen either…

I think we can safely say neither of them are big Teachers Whiskey fans at the moment!!

After tea it was back to playing with fireman Sam….until Noah managed to somehow (we weren’t there so I dread to think exactly how) crash fireman Sam into Austin’s head!!!!

…so he now has one cut and one imprint of the sirens on the front of the engine!!!!!!!!!

He’s been!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At a very respectable 7.30am Noah finally woke the house up with “he’s been” yelled up the stairs!!!!!  They all got their stockings and took them into Caitlin’s room in the hope the shouting wouldn’t wake the neighbours from there!!  Austin was over the moon because he got to eat some chocolate before breakfast….

Once all of the stockings were investigated and some chocolate coins eaten we went downstairs to see if he had left anything else…..

Caitlin picked her smallest parcel to open first and was very pleased to discover an Ipod …..just like she had asked for….

Noah was ripping into his parcels and eventually he found the one he had been waiting for….

…and he was suitably impressed!!!!  Austin was a bit over whelmed really and just stood looking!  We had to keep telling him to open them.  Finally we got his drum set together and he was allowed to have a go even though it was just gone 8am (the neighbours were definitely awake now!!)

We then had bacon and egg butties and got dressed into our new clothes before heading off to Nanny & Grandad’s.

Once we got to Nanny’s house it was time for more presents….

umbrella, cars and a million other things for Noah….  more cars, a suitcase and a million things for Austin…

…and books, cd’s and a ton of stuff for Caitlin…

Once they had opened their things the adults all opened theirs and I got a cool campervan planter….

as well as loads of other things!

Then the rest of my family (Aunt’s & Uncles etc) arrived and it was more presents from the people who couldn’t stay for dinner.  Once they had gone we all sat down for a massive Christmas dinner….

…followed by pudding!!

Over Christmas Caitlin has been eating more and more chocolate, ice-cream and other milky things and fingers crossed she seems to be ok….so we think she may have out-grown her milk allergy!!

There are always about 20 people at my Mum’s for Christmas dinner and it is completely chaotic.  It was very funny because my great-uncle had been there for about 4 hours before noticing there were 2 small boys there and then got confused as to which one was Noah…and then asked who the other one was!!!!!  Here he is with Noah??…or is that Austin!!!!!!

After dinner was cleared away it was time for MORE presents!!!!!!!!  They all had so much stuff we couldn’t fit it in the car and have had to leave my planter and fabric I got behind!!!

Once we got home it was way past bedtime (as usual for Christmas at my Mum’s) and so they all went straight to bed and we unpacked the car!!!

Christmas Eve….

We spent the day wrapping the last of the presents and finishing off a bit of sewing, then we decided to go out for tea and as usual it took us longer than we expected so by the time we got home it was quite late!  Father Christmas still had chance to leave them all a special early present of new pj’s so we had a quick bath and put them on.  Noah couldn’t wait to get to bed so that Father Christmas would bring his other presents.  So they all raced off to bed with their stockings.  Austin then became hysterical about Father Christmas coming in his bedroom so we moved his stocking back outside and off he went again.  We then heard more tears…Austin had decided he wanted his stocking on his bed, I think he was worried he wouldn’t get any presents if it wasn’t in his room…so stocking on bed and Austin back in bed!!  A few minutes later..more tears….stocking back out of the room!!!!!  And again more tears…back on the bed….and finally back out of the room!!!!!  We then remembered in the rush they hadn’t left anything for Father Christmas and Rudolf so I got Caitlin and Noah up.  I left Austin for fear of sparking another in or out of the room dilemma with the stocking!!

I took them into the kitchen to get the mince pies we’d made earlier in the week and Caitlin asked if Father Christmas liked beer, so I said yes probably and she got him a beer!!!!!!!

…and off they went to bed (again!)

Making Christmas presents

While Caitlin was out Noah was in charge of making some more Christmas presents!!  We were making bird feeders and I had this great idea that we’d shape them using cookie cutters….so we had cars, hearts, trucks, flowers…and all kinds of shapes all filled with seeds and lard! 

…we put them in the fridge to set and went to collect Caitlin from her friend’s house.  On our way home we went for a drive to see a house that had great Christmas lights.  It took us a while to find it but we finally did….

It was quite cold so we didn’t stay long but they were very impressed with all of his lights.  This is the view from across the road!!!

After that we went home and got our bird feeders out…as we removed the cutters they all just fell apart so we pushed them into yogurt pots and gave up!!!!  We did put the extra out in the garden so although our presents were a disaster our birds are very well fed!!!!!!!!!!  Can you tell we’ve never made bird feeders at home before!!

School’s out!!!!!!!

Yay…school is finished for Christmas!!  No more rushing about in the morning, and days to mess about and do what we want!  Today Caitlin was at her friends so we decided to line up all the cars!!!!!!!!!!!

…so we started at the back with the bigger cars and worked our way forward with the smaller ones.  We saved all the minis, beetles and campers and put them on the right/bottom as we have the most of them…..

..and then we counted…..443 cars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…although I am sure we can improve on that number in the next few days!!!!!!!!!!!!  (and I’m sure there are a few lost ones!!!!)…not to mention their collection at Nanny and Nan’s houses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandad’s birthday & another grotto

We went to collect the kids and say happy birthday to my Dad.  The kids opened all his presents for him….and we had cake….

After that we went to see Father Christmas in his grotto at the Trafford Centre. 

It was ok….but just ok really.  Better than others we’ve been to but not as good as Farmer Ted’s that we went to a few years back.  First of all we went in and saw a 4D film which was good, but it was hard to see the screen and they split the kids up from their parents which meant lots of the littler ones kept running to the back to see their parents (Austin included). 

Once the film was over they called out half of the children’s names and they had to go forward.  There was a lot of shoving and me & Richard ended up way back from the kids, which in the end worked out ok because we were just ushered into a room where the kids were all sat on the floor where Father Christmas was waiting to talk to them.  He had a list with everyone’s name on and he spoke to them all individually and talked about their hobbies, pets and what they had asked for for Christmas.  That part was great, they were amazed how he knew so much about them!!!!!!  Ironically the people who had pushed us out of the way to get into the room ahead of us hadn’t had their name called which meant they were in the wrong group and Father Christmas had no information about their child which was a real shame for the kids but serves the pushy parents right!!!  Another let down was the present, it was unwrapped which wasn’t great but was also a book…of which we now have 3 identical copies….

The kids loved it though…..think we might go back to Farmer Ted next year though…..

Snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We woke up this morning to snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Not much but just enough to stick!  It was party day at school and so Caitlin was in a not very warm party dress….that didn’t stop her desperately wanting to go outside to play in the snow!  They ate their breakfast in record time and ran outside to play before school…..

..somehow they didn’t freeze…

They had a great time and went off to school!  Me and Austin went shopping and to get my haircut where the snow seemed to be getting heavier and heavier…luckily it stopped for when we came out of the hairdressers.  That night was the last swimming lesson and then a massive rush to Richard’s work do and the kids to Nanny’s!!  Which reminds me…they all got badges at swimming last week.  Caitlin and Noah both got their 25 metre badges which I was so proud of.  I still can’t believe less than a year ago they couldn’t take a stroke unaided, but now can swim 32 metres unaided!!!!!!!!!  (The pool is 17m long so they swam a circuit of it for their badge which was 32m)  Austin also got a badge, but I’m not sure what his means he can do…. possibly swim with aids.  With his belt on he just swims around the pool for ages, without he can only do about 2 metres, but even he is making amazing progress.

Austin’s Christmas party

We went to the playgroup Christmas party…..

…you have to buy a ticket to get in but the kids get party food and crackers and the adults get nibbles and coffee.  Austin was having a great time admiring his food (he hadn’t long had breakfast and since he has no appetite at the best of times he ate nothing) and pulling his cracker!!

The Father Christmas paid a visit!!  There were lots of tears…from Austin and a lot of the others!!  You each buy, wrap and label a present to your child and take it along, which is great because it keeps the cost of the ticket down and your child gets something they like.  Father Christmas called Austin’s name so I took him up.  He really didn’t want to go up, but he saw his present and he must have really wanted it because he suddenly decided to go up.

He really wasn’t keen but he did go up!  He looked much more relieved and happy once he got back to his seat with his prize!!!!!!

…and he was very impressed with the contents….

He was so impressed with the cars that he took them to bed tonight and snuggled up with them!!!!!  I can’t imagine they are very comfortable…..