Christmas (Part 2)

After returning home from Suffolk, we welcomed Debbie's parents to Kenilworth for a few days, filled with more present opening, good food and game playing (this time Carcassonne - rapidly becoming a favourite). Despite some dismal weather, we made the most of our time together, including a fun day at Warwick Castle. Ben was a little disappointed to be refused access to the dungeons by a ghoulish woman who told him he was too smelly, but dressing up as a knight in the Princess Tower made up for it!

A couple of days later we returned the visit and headed to Debbie's parents for our final Christmas celebration - a lovely afternoon and tea with all the family (below). And then it was all over. Mark's two week "break" seemed to fly by all too quickly. The only thing we didn't get for Christmas that we wanted was a decent night's sleep. Oh well, maybe next year?

Christmas (part 1)

This year we spent Christmas with Mark's family in Hollesley. As well as Thomas' first Christmas, it was the first time that Ben really started to understand what was happening, so we had lots of fun.

Christmas Eve we celebrated Grandad's 65th birthday and went to the crib service at the village church before returning home to leave out a mince pie for Father Christmas and hang up the stockings. Fortunately Ben's excitement didn't cause him to wake too early, so it was 7:00am when we all raced downstairs to see whether he had been. He had! Ben's squeal of delight when he discovered that Father Christmas had "looked in his sack and found me one of those" (a microphone he's had his eye on in the ELC catalogue) was magic. Christmas Day was taken up with the traditional present distribution, playing with new toys, a fantastic lunch and testing out a new game (Ticket to Ride).

The photos below give a bit of a flavour of our time in Hollesley. Ben grinning from ear to ear as he waits to open his presents. Thomas looking on eagerly. Ben getting to grips with the contents of his new dressing up box (a present from Mummy and Daddy), and Thomas on the beach at Shingle Street, wrapped up against the cold wind.


Here's everyone having their Christmas dinner. Thomas missed out on most of this, being safely asleep in his cot, so we were able to relax for a little while.

On Boxing Day, we all went to see the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk in Ipswich. Ben thoroughly enjoyed it - although after about 20 minutes, he did ask "where's Jack?" Eventually he appeared and all was well - Ben joined in with gusto and is still re-enacting it now! All in all a lovely Christmas.

Ben was Three

Much of November and December seemed to pass by in a fuzz of seasonal illnesses, sleepless nights and a desperate attempt to get ready for Christmas and birthdays and now we find ourselves into the new year and not even having posted an entry for Ben's birthday at the end of November.

This year Ben's birthday was nearly cancelled - first due to some hideous behaviour (!) and then due to a horrid virus (which probably explained the first). In the end, with the aid of Calpol, Ben rallied for his birthday weekend and enjoyed a lovely party at home with friends followed by a family day and meal out with grandparents and aunty and uncle.
Here he is modelling his Chef's outfit - a gift from the 'birthday fairy' (aka his lovely friends from Debbie's old 'bumps and babies' group, still strong 3 years on).

And here he is at the end of the 'teddy bear's picnic' party lunch with his lawnmower birthday cake (for which, as in previous years, we are indebted to http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/)

And finally a photo of the four of us out for dinner on Ben's birthday. The candle in his ice cream was a hit!

At the grand age of three Ben is insistently a 'big boy' with a big personality, a determined mind and the same infectious smile and great sense of humour. Singing, role play, and cooking are favourite activities - walking, getting dressed quickly and getting enough sleep are not!