Christmas past

So, Santa came down the chimney and left a sooty footprint on the hearth. That was barely noticed by the lads as they piled into their pile of presents. Rowan was matched by a Pooh Bear almost as big as him, immediately christened "heavy Pooh", a little tractor and other cars, some bath toys, a Tigger video and a Cars suitcase. "I go on my holidays." Finn came up trumps with a two-wheeled scooter, Mr. Incredible costume and a Mamma Mia DVD which we all sat down and watched after Christmas dinner. Sean didn't get the invisible paint he'd asked for (Santa must have put it down somewhere and forgetten where it was) but did get an Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD, some books, a jigsaw, Moon Sand and Twister. And the highlight for all three boys was two boxes full of Dino track which was soon wending its way around the playroom.

The boys didn't rise too early, managing to wait until their appointed hour, but they were keen to rouse Rowan and thrust the contents of his stocking through the bars of his cot as he struggled to open his eyes! Finn was a little overwrought over the day, still recovering from his cold and acting as through the excitement leading up to Christmas had been a bit too much for him. Nana and Papa had arrived on the 23rd and on Christmas Eve we headed into the Winter Wonderland on Princes St, Rowan and me joining the rest after a detour to Livingston. Papa took Sean and Finn on to the merry-go-round after Sharon and Finn had gone down the big helter-skelter slide. Once home and fed, Santa's supper was laid out in the sitting room and the boys went quite smartly to bed. Finn was a little apprehensive about Santa marauding through the house in the night.

We attempted a trip to church but I took the boys out after twenty minutes or so as they were not in the mood for an endurance test. Finn kept questioning loudly, "Why are we here?" and Rowan and Sean had faces that would have turned milk. After playing outside for a while I took them to the park at Falcon Avenue. It was a mild day and the fresh air was a pleasant alternative to the piles of wrapping paper and general feeling of anti-climax back in the house. Sharon cooked the turkey and trimmings with Marie at her side but Sean and Finn weren't particularly enthusiastic about eating. Rowan was napping by this stage. We were all still recovering from our various viruses I suspect (I took the 23rd off work as I was flattened by the cold and Sharon had a chest and sinus infection) so we were glad to all sit down and watch Mamma Mia.

On Saturday I dropped Marie and Michael into town then the rest of us drove out to Almond Valley Farm Park on a cold crisp day. The boys had a good run around, although poor Rowan was increasingly cold and miserable as his runny nose took hold, and we bumped into the Johnstons. A hot chocolate and a soft play revived the boys and we handed over the reins to Nana and Papa on our return home. Sharon and I then went for a leisurely dinner at First Coast in Dalry Rd and moseyed on round to Fountain Park to see the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. It's not often we get the chance to combine food and the cinema so we enjoyed the evening out. The film itself was OK, a bit of a brisk action film thin on plot: not as good as Casino Royale.

Marie and Michael were waved off today and replaced by the Valentines and Patersons, round for lunch and a play (the children) and some chat (the parents). It was good to get the children playing together (Zoe had asked Karen to text Sharon on Christmas Day to see if Finn was better as she was worried he wouldn't enjoy Christmas) and to sit down with an afternoon glass of port. Merry Christmas!