Budapest - Day 1

We've never done a December trip before, because of  all the typical holiday activities. However, in November, we impulsively booked a short trip to Hungary to see the Christmas markets.

We left a few days after the kids got out of school, and they were excited for a trip so close to the holidays. We flew in the afternoon, which is another uncommon occurrence for us, so we arrived in Budapest after dark.

She did this pose on her own

Beautiful Yorkshire

Hello Budapest

Yes, those are my kids playing on the airport floor

When our planes land, we usually wait until everyone else has passed before getting out with the kids. This time, we patiently waited until there was a large space for us to get through. Matt and the older two walked toward the front, but Clara was a bit slower coming out. An older woman came up behind me and started pushing me forward. I told her not to separate me from my child, but she just kept walking into me. Luckily Matt saw, and came back to help me. Gladly, we did not see that woman again.

As we waited for our pre-booked taxi, a man came up to me and asked if he could help me. I thought it was just a random guy wanting money or something, so I said no. I was embarrassed to find out that it was our driver, though Matt found it very funny. We checked in to our hotel/apartment and went to find a place for dinner.

We settled on a Jamie Oliver pizzaria nearby, and sat on the covered patio. There weren't many people around, apart from a larger table of Estonians having their work Christmas party. Two of these party people started sword fighting with bread boards, and accidentally knocked one toward our table not far from the kids' heads. We weren't upset, but they came over and apologised profusely. They even bought a bottle of prosecco for Matt and me, and hot chocolate for the kids. One of them (Guido) came to our table a few times to talk to us, which started getting a little weird, but they were nice and left soon enough. The food was not bad for a chain restaurant.

That's Guido sitting next to me

The kids spotted this outside and insisted on pictures...

photo by Miles

We were all tired by now, so we went back to the hotel to get the kids to bed. We had two bedrooms and a sofa bed, and had thought that we could put all three kids in one bed. That was a poor choice. We eventually put Miles and Lily on the sofa, and Clara in the 2nd bedroom on her own. She finally fell asleep, but then Miles and Lily were up giggling and messing around. We sent Lily in to sleep with Clara, but Clara did not sleep well. She was up and down, whining much of the night. I ended up sleeping with her, and Lily went in to sleep with Matt. It was a rough night, and I was very much looking forward to coffee in the morning.

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!