Christmas day 2011

Here it is the big day. Up quite late really 7am! Ben had tried at 5 but had actually gone to bed when told it was too early. The little 3 are chuffed with their stuff but sadly Tim not chuffed with is selection and thinks Santa is ignoring him. We get a bit miffed at this.
Breakfast once we are all up - sausage, poached egg on toast, bacon & black pudding! Yummy!!
Then we open the presents that are under the tree. The kids are all much happier now. They find the games for the various consoles and there is a moment when presents stop being opened and beeping starts! John and I use this rare lull to open and enjoy our presents. Thank you one and all for our gifts!! So generous we are now wondering if we really do have space to take them all home. Pleasingly there is a huge Hotel Chocolat cracker that we can reduce to nothing and we start on that right away!
At 10am we are at Castleside church for their morning service. We are made very welcome in this lovely warm church but sadly it is spoken Eucharist only. So we enjoyed the intimate service, the other folk enjoyed our kids and we are were of church by 10.30. I call Mum and then Ruth... we are not welcome until 12.30 lunch time. The 7 of us just too much and their presents etc in progress ;-) We are a challenge!
So we swim!! How excellent is that?
Much festive fun in the pool and then off to Ruths. We make it bang on 12.30, and 10mins after Mums text asking us to hurry up.
Dinner is excellent - Tom has made us Roast rib of beef. The food is fantastic and I eat a lot. Time and care has been put into the seating and kids are looked after and adults are in good chatting positions. Well done one and all.
the last present of the day is the center table present and this has been a secret santa. I get a scarf and put it on. I like scarves. Thank you santa! Ruth has porvided my kids center table presents as we had forgotten it, and santa may have given them earlier in the day.... oops. Thank you Ruth!!
Lots of chat and food later.... we discover that Zach REALLY likes Christmas pudding!
All good things come to and end and at Bentley bedtime we make our exit.
Good night and thank you!