Hello and I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. My photos are from Sunday 22nd December until today the 31st. I have to admit that they are not the most exciting because for the first part I was busy getting ready for Christmas, then entertaining and we did not get out as much as I normally like. But they are memories of our festive time nonethless. I wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to catching up with you all again on the project 365 xx
Sunday
While tidying up this morning I found this unopened enevelope as I forgot that in yesterdays post a card arrived from Santa all the way from Lapland (thanks to Laura), which made the boys day! This afternoon we took the boys and their cousins to watch ‘Frozen’ at the cinema and at only 2 1/2 Jenson did so well to sit still and watch it (some chocolate buttons may have helped!). Tonight I went out for a curry with some friends to celebrate Elaine’s 40th which was good fun although I did not drink as I had to drive to meet them.
Monday
Following a very last minute trip to Tesco at 12.30am this morning to get my Christmas food shopping and not getting home until 2.30am and to bed at 3.30am after unpacking it all, I spent pretty much all day prepping the vegtables and making the stuffing, mince pies and a dessert for Christmas Day! Felt good to get most of it done to be honest! Plus we also all got our hair cut and I collected the turkey from a local farm shop. Then after tea we took the boys for a drive to see some festive lights and displays and this one at Yelland always goes OTT each year to raise money for chairty. I like doing this – makes us feel all Christmassy 🙂 (not that I need much encouragement)
Tuesday / Christmas Eve
I got up early and did more prepping” this morning as I wanted to be finished so we could go and visit Father Christmas as soon as the grotto was open at 11am at the garden centre. For £5 each the visit included a santa hat, a gift and a christmas tree sapling which I thought was great value. The boys were entranced by him and he was really lovely and chatted to them for a while. When he asked them what they wanted for Christmas , Burton said he wanted “everything and a dinsosaur” and Jenson replied a Raa Raa (The Noisy Lion) DVD (yay as that was what I had got them). When asked if they had been good, Burton admitted that he had been a little naughty but had helped me prepare the brussel sprouts yesterday, so that was good! Lol!
Tonight OH’s parents came to stay the night and the boys had their new Christmas pj’s and a new Christmas book each for bed. They also put their sacks out by the fireplace and left some food and drink for Santa and Rudolph.
Wednesday – Christmas Day (Yipppeeeee!!!)
I had a rubbish nights sleep as Burton came in at 2am asking if Santa had been! I explained he had to go back to sleep so he got into bed with me and between him fidgeting, and OH snoring I did not get much sleep! Anyhow, I got up at 6am to put the turkey in. Burton woke up at 7am and I woke Jenson up 15 minutes later as Burton was almost ready to explode to go into the lounge and see if Santa had been! He had of course and we had a wonderful day and you can see more photos here if you wish and it was hard to pick just one photo so have cheated a little!!
Thursday – Boxing Day
We went to my Mum’s today to see my family and my Nanny and brother were there too. It was nice to have a day off cooking and entertaining to be honest! We had a lovely dinner of leftovers and some more presents to unwrap. This afternoon we got outdoors which I was pleased about and took Shadow for a walk and Burton found this huuuge branch/stick and insisted on dragging it to the stream and launching it into the water and falling into the mud! LOL! I would have loved to take a pic of him in the mud but my priority was to help him up and not fall over myself!
Friday
We brought my brother back with us last night to stay with us as our Dad was coming today with his wife for lunch. It was nice to have Nick stay as the boys do not see him often as he lives in London. It was nice to have Dad and Sheila here and the boys liked the fact that they had more gifts to open! I made a Christmas pie with the leftovers too which was yummy. Here is Jenson with chocolate ice cream around his mouth wearing his purple (his fav colour along with green) cracker hat. Everyone left late afternoon – Dad back to Cornwall and Nick back to Mum’s as he returns to London tomorrow.
Saturday
Had a lazy morning in my pj’s until about 11am this morning which was lovely to not have to do anything much. The rest of the day was spent visiting Gran and popping to town quickly. Christmas is tiring with later nights than normal and Burton had a little doze in the car this afternoon, holding tightly to his pogo stick!
Sunday
Took the boys to Granma and Grampy’s this morning to see their cousins and we ended up having lunch there too. This afternoon we took two of their cousins to the park near Granma’s which was lovely to get out of the indoors and get some much needed fresh air. When we got home I bathed the boys, put pj’s on and allowed them to watch a film while eating their tea in the hopes of putting them to bed early. Jenson fell asleep on the sofa at 5.45pm so off to bed he went and Burton went as soonas the film ended. Both boys in bed by 7.15pm – result!
Monday
The boys slept until 8.15am this morning which meant I did too – yaaay! Another lazy pj couple of hours watching some christmas cartoons that I recorded over christmas, then we got dressed and while the boys played I did some cooking and baking to use up the leftovers from Christmas day. After lunch (turkey and cashew nut byrani for me and daddy and pigs in blanket pasta for the boys) we took Burton and Jenson to the park with their bikes which was lovely after all the rain and wind we had all night and morning.
Tuesday – New Years Eve
I feel really sad as I write this and almost didn’t post a photo as I have nothing to show for our day. After all the happy photos before today’s too. I had all these plans in my head of what we could do today – a trip to the National Trust or the park again and then a little early party tonight with some sparklers for the boys before bed. BUT as you can see from today’s photo, I discovered a ‘B’ and a ‘U’ scratched into the bonnet of my car. I have no idea how long it has been there but only one person could have etched that into my car’s body work! I just feel so sad because for one thing he denied it for about an hour until he gave in and admitted to doing it, and because it meant that he spent the rest of the day upstairs in his room and all my plans had to be halted. But, more than this I feel sad because I cannot believe he did it and then lied about it and I was genuinely shocked and I feel ashamed sharing this, but as I said our day did not amount to anything in the end 🙁 and this is a daily diary of our life. He and Jenson are in bed now and its 5 1/2 hours until the new year and a new day. Oh well another lesson in parenting.
**Sorry to end on a downer BUT I do wish you all a very Happy New Year and see you on the other side x x
The boys look like they had a lovely Christmas. Sorry to hear about what Burton did. It’s hard when they let you down like that. We had a lovely day today and then H made some spiteful comments (for which he later apologised for, but it wasn’t nice at the time). Love Burton’s expression in the onesie pic. Have a wonderful new year!
Looks like you had a lovely Christmas. Sorry to hear about the car. It’s like when they draw on walls and stuff and you think why on earth would you think that was OK? I hope you have a fantastic 2014! x
Jenny Christmas looks so wonderful and I can’t believe how big and grown up your boys are becoming. Mine look so tiny in comparison!
I’m impressed at your late night supermarket trip…although I do think you are slightly bonkers. lol.
The final photo, I’m so sorry he did it and that he lied.
xx
they are big boys and Burton has def shot up again as his trousers are too short again! and yes i am bonkers!! thank you for your comment about the bottom photo too x x
Lovely Christmas photos – shame about the end to your year though 🙁 I hope 2014 gets off to a better start for you!
Glad you had a lovely Xmas, love the photos. Shame about the scratches on your car, but don’t feel too bad about it. He is little, and am sure he will learn from this.
That house covered in lights looks amazing and how sweet of Laura for sending the card – we got one too!
Love the pic with Santa and think out boys have the same coat – in the pic with the huge stick!
Sorry B was naughty and the last day was on a downer – I think he’s the same age as Isaac and we are going through something similar here – he won’t admit doing anything even if I’ve actually seen him!
Hope you have a very happy new year and can’t wait to see you pics for 2014!
The boys look lovely in their new pjs. Our Ashley would have had Jenson off that truck!!
What a shame Burton scratched up the car. No child is perfect and they will get up to all sorts of mischief. It’s how we as parents deal with it and to make sure they feel suitably punished for the deed and understand that it was wrong to do it.
Wishing a all a happy new year – looking forward to seeing the boys grow for a another year. Thank you for being a regular commenter on mine. 🙂
What a shame about the last day, I expect you felt even worse being it was NYE too. They don’t really get lying do they and realise that we know when they are.
Without meaning to sound flippant I’d have been glad it happened after Christmas though as what would you have done about Santa bringing presents to good boys – could have been a disaster!
But sounds like you had a fab Christmas and I’m very envious of your present opening being spread over a few days, that’s the downside of going down to my parents on Christmas day!
Emma – I hasd that exact conversation with Jon last night, what if we had found this out xmas eve? Would we have not given him his presents???? eeeeek that could have been a nightmare xx
awww honey, sometimes Children are sent to try us arent they! I remember my brother doing something similar to my Dads car when i was little too x
I am wishing you Health and Happiness for 2014 my lovely x
yes they are lovely, yes they are! thank you x
I hope the boys had a great Christmas, it looks like they did…shame it ended on such a downer.
I can’t believe how much they’ve grown and changed over the course of this year.
thanks Darren and i could say the same about your girls – that is why i enjoy doing this project to see my chidlren grown and change and those of my blogger friends x x
Oh Jenny, what a nightmare with your car. In the past year Rosie has smashed my ipad with a wooden egg, coloured in biro on all our expensive furniture, scribbled on all our dinning room chair covers and denied all. Might not be as bad as scratching a car but the feelings of how could she lie, do the act in the first place, frustration and anger would be similar. Sending you big hugs and a. Reminder that you are a fabulous Mum!
Love all the other photos though, the Santa one is so cute, the crocodile onsie adorable and the Christmas hat too cute. Wishing you a very happy 2014 xx
Oh no Karen that is awful! I ahve to admit to feeling comforted by how supportive you and other parent bloggers have been about the car incident , and how it appears Burton is not alone in the lying and denial about it either!It is not a nice thing to admit that you child has done is it?
so thank you very much for being so lovely and (hugs) back to you x x
I love that the boys got the Christmas tree from Father Christmas. I’ve tried twice to grow a Christmas tree and haven’t succeeded. I’ll keep trying though!
I’m glad you all had a lovely Christmas but sorry the end to the year wasn’t a good one.
I want to thank you for always taking the time to visit and comment on my 365 and your support with my weight loss last year (seems weird saying that!) really means a lot.
I wish you and your lovely family a wonderful 2014 and I look forward to sharing it with you through the 365 🙂 xx
sadly they dont understand about lying as such, they just assume if they deny it they wont get in trouble, but you were right to punish him in the way you saw fit.
Lovely Christmas seems to have been had.
It is a mad time to go shopping but if it was the only chance you had without the children and the only time you could find then needs must.
Great to see them getting out when you have the chance.
Have a great new year Hugs to you and yours from me and mine.
Some great pictures and lovely memories. Sorry to hear about the car, that’s not so good. They can be little nightmares at times. Big hugs x
I love the photo of Burton in that onesie, he doesn’t look sure at all! I hope that the boys had a wonderful day? I’m so sorry that Burton did that to your car, that’s not like him and you must have been more upset that he wouldn’t own up to it? The Boy has fibbed once or twice and it has really upset me that he would do that. Big hug for you.
Thanks for linking up to Project 365 and well done for completing the year. Here’s to 2014!
Gorgeous Xmas photos, it seems like such a long time ago already! Such a shame about the car, I would be so upset by that. Still important to focus on the positive and it looks like you had an amazing Xmas. Happy new year and well done for doing the whole year.
Oh hun, there is nothing to feel ashamed about. Kids do get up to mischief and lie. I caught my 7 year old lying as she had pulled off the logo off the PC and denied it until I gave her one final chance to own up. I know its nothing as major as scratching a car, but I guess they think lying is better than owning up and getting into trouble!
That aside, happy new year! Yours is one of my fav blogs to come and see your 365’s so looking forward to your pics in 2014!