A "quiet" family Christmas...

A calm Christmas @ Four Acres!!!!

An acceptable wake up call at 0730 with 4 excited little boys and a bemused Leah as they all came to our room with their stockings, going downstairs to find out what Santa had left.... A scrambled egg and smoked salmon breakfast with warm pains aux chocolat before Chuch, then off to" The Limes" to say Happy Christmas to" Bumpa" and the residents and open presents from Bumpa. Back home to put goose in oven and start opening our presents....

As we had said that not all presents would be opened on the day, the children played with each toy as it was opened, no clamouring for more to be unwrapped but a calm excitment and tidy afternoon with wrappers being bagged at each opening session. We sat to watch "Five children and It" then had a late lunch (1530!) more presents and tv then Christmas pudding and Brandy white sauce for pudding/tea!!! Children in bed and still a few wrapped presents for Boxing day!!!

No time constraints, no pressure,no expectations.... just us! All 7 together for a quiet family Christmas.

Thank You Lord for sending us your son in the form of a newborn babe... The most loving gift ever given.
Let us be mindful to remember Christmas as a celebration of your arrival on earth, your forgiveness and the everlasting life promised us...

A Christmas greeting.

Merry Christmas,
thank you for visiting our blog!
See you in the New Year!!!
PS please click on link for a card!

http://www.dayspring.com/ecards/card.asp?ID=03b8a37d-bok

An eventful day...

What started out as a quick shop, quickly turned into my idea of a nightmare when running round the corner of one of the shop aisles, at full pelt, Isaac ran straight into one of the metal cage display tables...
All I can still see is him bouncing back from it with blood everywhere!!!!! Having split the skin under his nose and with two eggs on his forhead, as with most children's injuries it looked worse than it was, but as he did go very quiet and bit of an odd colour, the ambulance was called out as were the "first responders".
I did feel somewhat out of my depth as Tom was still London way and I had all 5 children with me (well three were in the bus!) But thankfully I'd seen Penny walk out of the shop as I had gone in so I rang her and she made her way back to Sleaford to my rescue...
Penny together with the Lidl staff got all the children rounded up, and then took Leah and Benjamin back to hers' as I went in the ambulance with a very brave if a little too quiet Isaac and big brothers.
To save on too much disruption the crew arranged for us to be seen at Sleaford medical centre who deal with minor injuries. Isaac charmed the nurses with his big blue eyes and by now had started to smile again and chat. The bleeding had stopped and they decided stitches or glue was pobably unecessary. There were no signs of concussion from the whack he'd given himself although he was very lucky his nose had gone between the bars... I dare not think of what might have happened otherwise...
My big brave soldier is now recovering with a bit of a headache and swollen lip and I think mummy's nerves will take longer to get over it than Isaac's face..... What will Malcolm make of having a beaten up shepherd for Sunday's nativity play in church!

Another birthday in the house....

I can't believe it! Matthew is 9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only seems like yesterday.......

He has had a great day, starting with presents and warm pain au chocolat for breakfast.... School carol service this morning and freeplay afternoon.... a surprise booking at the "Smiley Club" (afterschool) to have some more party fun and then a very" treat tea " @ McD's! and finally home to presents, cake and...the holidays!!!!!!!!!! How cool is that!!!


A little thank you card from him to you...:

http://www.batchmates.com/ecards/viewcard.asp?card=00390708313079130

The Grandparents

Having saved our last Ollan Mills photo session to give to Maman and Daddy for Christmas to have a photo taken of them with all their grandchildren, having arranged for Poppy to come up for the weekend for said photo session, having received a confirmation phone call for said photo session on Weds...... Picked up a message from Ollan Mills on Friday to say the company has gone into receivership..... NO PHOTO!!!!

I can honestly say that I was gutted but Tom put it into perspective for me.... think of all those young photographers who have just been made redundant, a fortnight before Christmas?!

We decided to go ahead with photo session with Four Acres as the venue......

Well I now know WHY we pay a photographer to take group photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of shouting, positioning, laughing, giggling, blinking, tilting heads, looking away, tickling, balancing,crying, sulking, getting bored.......probably in the region of 50 odd photos taken (thank goodness for digital cameras!!!) ... I think we have a charming OK photo! (disappointingly not one that jumped out and said THIS IS IT, although M&D have some more.)

Maybe we need to invite Fiona up again for a weekend and have an informal outdoor photo shoot...But we didn't get much notice for this one!!