Christmas 2009

As the festive season draws to a close, Mama feels it's time to sit back and mull over the loveliness and craziness of the past two weeks. Christmas is a very sentimental time in the Sweetwater household and even Dada is feeling the love more and more each year. The preparations get more elaborate, the crafting more preposterous and the presents struggle to be in proportion to two small boys dreams.

It couldn't have started more idyllically with a large dumping of the white stuff on our doorsteps (and roads and airports and general infrastructure). Father Christmas wasn't panicking though. He's used to the snow and the reindeer weren't going to kick up a stink and declare the whole job beyond their capabilities. Children of the world breathed a sigh of relief, including Oliver and Pip, who would merrily tell the anybody who asked that F.C. was heading our way with a road sweeper and Lightening McQueen.

Indeed, F.C. did deliver and our wishes, with eyes squeezed shut and little hands clenched, came true. The letter that Oliver wrote at school to the man himself that included a list of what he would like for Christmas: namely a "machine with sweepers. And everything else in the magazine" paid off. In real terms, this meant the roadsweeper and everything else in the Playmobil catalogue he has been pouring over for the past three weeks. Pip was just happy to rip open presents and roar with happiness at everything he got. Then threw them across the room in his usual destructive manner.

Things pretty much continued in the same vein for the next three days, interspersed with some chatting, eating and drinking. Mama drank quite a lot of Winter Pimms - please try it if you haven't already, its delicious - and Dada had a his annual fill of brussell sprouts. We listened to a lot of Andy Williams Christmas CD and enjoyed the brilliant Gruffalo on TV on Christmas Day.

We finally managed to leave the house for on Sunday and felt groggy for longer than thought possible in the freezing winter. Mama came 6th in the club handicap despite being slowed down by her lame fancy dress outfit. She should explain the almost podium position by explaining how the handicap system works, but won't as it too embarrassing. But she did feel somewhat comforted by the fact that nobody had to come looking for her this time as at last club handicap she took so long they thought she'd got lost.

And so we head onto in 2010. Have you made your new years resolutions? Did you actually achieve any of last years? Mama can't remember what her resolutions were, but did take French classes and start exercising; and since they sound like the kind of vague non-specific nonsense one generally makes a list of in late December, she will give herself a big pat on the back. As a result, she is imposing very specific ones on the children this year whilst letting herself off the hook as a nod to the dizzy heights of last years achievements. ;-)

Have yourselves a very happy new year and a not too hung over new years day. May 2010 be a happy and healthy one for you all. And thank you for stopping by.

Love The Sweetwaters xx

If you look closely you can see all ornaments have been removed by small children (eaten), cats (swatted) or Mama (removed for saftey reasons) up to half way up the tree. We would come down every morning to find more of the ornaments spread around the kitchen after the cats had spent the night batting them round the room.

Present opening in tandem.

This was actually Oliver's present from F.C. but he liked Pip's Batman tshirt (complete with cape) more and they seemed happy enough to swap. For once.

Wow. Pirates!

The table.

We do really wish you a Merry Christmas.

Big G doing the honours with the enormous turkey that we were amazing worried wouldn't serve all 7 of us meat eaters. Just how much do we think we eat??