Friday, December 30, 2011

So That Was Christmas... The Great Migration

So that was our first Christmas in our own house, kids. And you know? - I'm knackered. 
Okay, recovering now, but the day after - (The one after you only slept 4 hours, o my Sprocket?)I could have slept for a couple of decades. 

Christmas Eve was lovely - your Nana and Grandad Budgie and Uncle Pat came and stayed the night and we all walked up to the Crib Service and you were fairly good - by which I mean you kept your crawling under and over pews to a minimum. (Sprocket, I was particularly impressed with how you managed to get under a pew literally only inches above the ground by careful manipulation and wriggling.) There were a lot of helium balloons in the foyer and that helped. 

Then we walked Issy along our normal country road while the sun set and you two, my Poppet and Sprocket, fell asleep like little cherubs and then us big people played Father Christmas and gave each other presents and drank champagne. 

Sigh.  

Christmas day you slept in, my Sprocket, and what with packing for The Great Migration, (I know, I know... we are not organised!) getting ready for church, opening presents, doing last minute tidying for The Great Migration...it was all a little tense. However we were only 15 minutes late for church and a few hours late to Christmas lunch at Great Nana's in Melbourne. We had a great catch-up with folks and your dad showed off his gingerbread house and divine Christmas pudding and we went for a lovely walk in the park there. 

You're getting a theme? You got it... any chance we get... and you're walked... 

After that we drove to Nana and Grandad Budgies for Dinner (and a welcome cup of tea - extremely important) before driving through the rain and flooded roads to the airport at Avalon. And waiting and waiting for the plane. 

Despite the fact you'd been in the car for 4 hours on and off by then you were so good waiting around the airport. My Poppet - you won many many hearts with your sweet smiles. My Sprocket - your look of wonder and awe when the plane (finally) landed was just the best. 

And on the plane you were so so well behaved. Way past your bedtime (and mine) and you were just... angelic! My Poppet, you lay in my lap and nursed and held hands with the girl in the seat behind. My Sprocket - May I just say thankyou Pixar. (And especially Nemo!)

We arrived in Brisbane in the middle of the night - wheeling down to the muggy darkness of Queensland to see all the lights sprawled below and then Grandpa took us to our Sunshine Coast home-away-from-home! Nana and Aunty Bec and Great Nana and old friends from the Solomon Islands, wonderfully scented candles and Christmas trees and great lashings of food and wine and frangipani...and kilos and kilos of prawns! 

So in a way we had two or three Christmas's. Which were all wonderful. But it's taken awhile to catch up on sleep and timezones!

Merry Christmas!



                                            A Christmas Poppet


                                                The Poppet with Uncle Pat


                                             Running home from Christmas Eve service



                                                        Daddy with his mini-me

                                                         Poppet and Granddad Budgie

                                       
                                                        Poppet and Sprocket's New Kitchen

                                                       Our Gingerbread House!

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