Holiday Season 2019

We had another busy December, with various school events, a trip, and a surprise visitor for the kids.

Here it is in a nutshell.

Clara was a Christmas cracker in her first school play, about decorating the tree. She delivered her line loud and clear, and did a wonderful job singing along with the songs.

Lily had her last performance in the Infants Christmas production, A Royal Christmas. She was a servant in the palace, and one of the narrators in the nativity.  She had all of her lines memorised, and did a fantastic job as usual.

Since Miles is now part of the Juniors classes (Year 3-6), he now participates in a carol service at a local church instead of a play. He read part of a poem this year. Matt went with him, and I stayed home with the girls because Lily wasn't feeling well.

I attended a live wreath making night at the school, with snacks and mulled wine. It was great fun, and I was happy with the wreath I made.

I hung it out back so I could see it

 
We also celebrated Lily's birthday. She had been asking and asking to have her ears pierced, so that was her gift from us. We took her to a tattoo/piercing shop, and she was very brave in the face of the big needle. She chose dinner at a great Greek place in town, which was much loved by all.

For Lily's party, we did a Harry Potter theme just like Miles had last year. We used the same cafe, and they did not disappoint. The games, crafts, and food were all very nice, and the children had lots of fun.

We squeezed in a couple of lunch dates and coffees with friends before school broke up.

I think this was Clara's favorite breakfast ever

Once school let out, the five of us took a quick trip (more to come on that), and when we returned, the kids were surprised by a visit from Uncle John! They were so excited to spend Christmas and Miles's birthday with him, and I think he was just as excited to see the kids. We were pretty boring during this visit, but sometimes it's nice to just relax.

Finally it was Christmas! I loved watching Clara open her gifts - she squealed with delight upon seeing each new thing. Miles and Lily were less excited, and need to work on being grateful, but they still had a great Christmas.

Coding

Namaste

 
We had a meat platter and cheese assortment for dinner, and on Boxing Day I prepared the big meal.

Betty's Christmas pudding, much better than the one we tried before

We had more relaxing time between Christmas and New Years, but we did take the new scooters out for a spin.

On Miles' birthday, we surprised the kids and Uncle John with a trip to the pantomime, followed by Miles' choice of lunch - McDonald's. Back at home, we had cake.

We said goodbye to Uncle John a couple of days later, which was hard for the kids. Now we're just trying to prepare for the return to school and our normal schedule. What a fun and exciting whirlwind!

Beast from the East

At the end of February, we were hit with the Beast from the East, a weather system that brought subfreezing temperatures from Siberia. At the weekend, Storm Emma came up from the south, hitting the UK and Ireland. I believe that the worst of both was expected in Scotland and southwestern England and Wales.

Our snow first came overnight on Monday. It wasn't bad though, and the roads were clear. It snowed on and off throughout the day, but really only accumulated on the grass.

Tuesday evening, and throughout the night, snow was falling heavily.

By Wednesday morning, we had maybe six inches, and it was still snowing. Our school wasn't officially closed, but they did send an email that basically said don't feel obligated to bring the kids in. So my kids happily put pajamas back on and we settled in.

By Thursday morning, we had gotten another couple of inches, and school was officially closed. The kids were initially disappointed to miss World Book Day, but that disappointment didn't last long. We did (briefly) play outside on this day.

Thankfully, school was open again on Friday. The main roads were clear, and it had stopped snowing.  The sidewalks were still full of packed snow, though, so we didn't get out much.

There was some snow on and off through Saturday, and then on Sunday we started getting messy half snow/half rain.

It was gloomy all day, but it didn't make the roads slick. Over the next few days, the snow melted, and we hoped that the Beast had passed. There was one last gasp the following Thursday. It snowed heavily and fast in the morning. I did drive the kids to school, but it was slippery, and the drive home took 20 minutes instead of the typical 5. But by the time school was out, everything had melted.

Morning

A few hours later

Overall, being snowed in for a couple of days was inconvenient but not too bad. Some other parts of the UK had it a lot worse- trains and flights were delayed or cancelled, and there were major traffic jams. Parts of continental Europe were also hit harder, even in places where residents are more accustomed to wintery weather. I'm glad that it's over, and I'm hoping that spring conditions are right around the corner.