Christmas Day and the Best Present Ever!

After being pretty much snowed-in since Sunday we braved the elements to drive to Andy's parents' house for Christmas Day.

I really dislike driving in snow and ice. I'm terrified of having an accident. We live at the end of a lane, at the end of a cul-de-sac, at the end of an estate, ON A HILL, so it took a while before we reached the salted main roads. It was a similar story the other end at the in-laws. I was so relieved to finally get up their steep drive and into the house!

Huge thanks to Andy for spending most of the day going to and from the car with highchairs, travel cots, presents to give out and presents to take home!

I come from a small family where each present is opened in turn and recorded for the purpose of thank you cards. Andy's family is considerably larger. I love the happy hubbub, but I still can't get used to the frantic ripping of wrapping paper and the chaos of 12 adults and 7 children exchanging presents at the same time!

Presley soon got the hang of it.

So did Cash.

I struggled to keep track of who gave what to whom and I'm going to have to ring Andy's eldest sister to ask her what she bought Cash. I'm not even sure he opened it, we certainly didn't bring it home with us!

What we did bring home, and I'm amazed Andy got it in the car, was the best present ever.

Andy's brother is an upholsterer and he made the boys their very own child-sized two-seater sofa. We had no idea he was doing this and only saw its full glory when the boys unwrapped it (yes, it took a LOT of wrapping paper)!

Here it is:

The photograph doesn't do it justice, it is amazing and beautifully made. Zebra print doesn't exactly match the rest of our furnishings, but it certainly does stand out!

The boys love it and so do we.

Thanks Uncle P!

***

Andy's Mum catered brilliantly, there were 15 of us for lunch! Cash had his first taste of turkey, but Presley pushed his plate away without trying any. I think eating his own body weight in yoghurt coated blueberries had taken the edge off his appetite!

After lunch Cash had a nap and the rest of us sat and chatted. The little ones played on the new mini-sofa. There was a great deal of laughter and a few of us managed to force down a chocolate or two.

We left before it got dark. There was slightly less snow and ice on the journey home, but I was still shaking when we got in.

After tea we watched The Gruffalo (with the boys, sitting on their new sofa).

Once they had gone to bed Andy and I ate cheese and biscuits, watched Dr Who and Strictly Come Dancing, made a couple of phone-calls and went to bed early.

Christmas Day when you have children is pretty exhausting, especially when you've been up since 6.30, but I wouldn't change it for the world!