So, my first post for the new project is actually a roundup of the last week of 2012; the week all about Christmas!
The children were super excited and every day examined the Christmas tree and the presents underneath. The “Christmas Tree Gang”, led by our eldest, Barnaby, were very restrained in not opening any gifts early.

Christmas tree

We had friends over for carols on the night before Christmas Eve and the boys helped decorate my cake, and laid the table for our nibbles.
Meanwhile, daddy set about getting the fire pit nice and hot, to keep us warm whilst singing outside.

On Christmas Eve, I got the children ready for church and then for the torchlit procession, but felt it safer to leave the camera at home, with all the blazing torches and young children about! But Willow enjoyed dressing as Santa for her first Christmas Eve.

After tucking up the children in bed, I, whoops I mean  Santa, set about filling the stockings…
it was a long night!

My husband told me I had better be grateful for all my presents after he had spent two hours wrapping them! Having a sneak peek and seeing a new dustpan and brush, I thought about showing him how grateful I really would be!!!! Thankfully, for him, it was more of a joint household present (and I actually did rather well gift-wise, so he is forgiven)

Willow enjoyed her first Christmas and had a lot of help from her brothers with her presents. According to Alexei, she is the second best baby in the World, Jesus being the first best!

Exhausted by all the Christmas activities but needing to get out for some exercise, daddy went out for a few runs, but feeling lots of niggles each time, suddenly felt the pain in his achilles tendon and now might be out of action for quite a while. Luckily, strumming the new guitar (he is the lucky one huh?)  is somewhat of a compensation.

So that is a roundup of our final week of 2012. Tomorrow is New Years Eve and we are spending it with friends not all often seen, but well loved, we are really looking forward to it.