Turning 8!

Monday 23/12

Matt has begun his two week holiday! We were all so happy to have him in bed with us. It is the best thing ever just sleeping in the mornings and reading together. The boys love just snuggling up to their dad. He is their best friend. We spent the morning nice and slow. The boys played around as we got ready for the day.

Then just after we had lunch we headed off to Westfield. The boys were so excited. George shoots out the lift when we get on the 3 floor. We took our seats and watched Sonic 3. The boys were so happy with it. They were laughing so much throughout the film. I've got to say I enjoy Jim Carrey so much in this film!

After the film we hung out together. Matt let me break free and head into Zara for a bit to do some shopping. It was so nice to do shopping without little ones to manage. After about an hour I joined them again. It was nice to have a few new things. The boys had so much fun going into different toy shops.

When we went home we had family dinner and then we had another family film night. The boys wanted to watch more of Sonic. They love Sonic so much now. We love sharing their passions with them too. When it was over we tucked up into bed.

Tuesday 24/12

It is Christmas Eve! The boys woke up so excited to eat one more chocolate from their advent calendar. They couldn't stop talking about all the things they were excited about. We spent the morning reading and dancing together. I love knowing that Matt was all mine for two weeks. Made me feel so relaxed. I love being able to steal a kiss from him whenever I wanted.

We ate lunch and then hopped on the bike and cycled to Westmister Abbey for the Christmas Eve service. We were going early to get a good spot. Matt stayed in the bike with the boys as they napped while I joined the queue.

This was our first time doing a Christmas Eve service at Westminster Abbey. The previous years we have gone to St Pauls which was also so beautiful. My Italian friend Imma invited us to join her this year at Westminster Abbey so we were excited to try! The queue moved along quite quickly so Matt and the boys joined us then. My friend Ashley also joined us.

When we were let in the view was so beautiful. It was prepared so lovely for the service. We quickly ran to get the best seats. I couldn't believe how lucky we were with our seats! The boys had their backpack full of so many things to keep them busy.

The service began and it was so enchanting. No wonder when kings and queens are crowned they do it here in this exact Abbey. The choir was so beautiful. As they passed in front of us you could hear each individual voice.

The boys listened to some of the songs and then played with their activities they had. They did really well keeping their wiggles in. The choir was so spectacular. Singing the carols together was so heart warming. I loved sing O Come O Come Emmanuel. The readings were done right in front of us. The whole service felt so intimate and beautiful. We are definitely coming back to this one every years. The boys loved the end when we held lit candles.

Wow. I walked out of that Abbey feeling the love of my Saviour and the true meaning of Christmas in my heart. When we got home we prepared our Christmas dinner. We eat on the ground and have a last supper type of meal. This was a tradition in my home growing up.

We then watched The Christ Child to remember the story of Christmas. Then it was time to place baby Jesus in his crib. George was so tender as he wrapped him up and cuddled him. We talked about the things we can give to Jesus that year. And on that note we got ready for bed and snuggled up together.

Wednesday 25/12

Christmas day!!!!!! The boys woke up so fast when we told them. They ran to the living room to open up their presents. They were so pumped to see some very big lego builds that my mum bought them. We don't do Santa but we still keep the magic of Christmas. And the magic was definitely felt in their smiles and excitement.

The next part of our Christmas morning is a breakfast of Dutch pancakes. The boys love them so much. Once breakfast was cleared we opened up some of the lego boxes and began building as a family. It was so fun to sit around the table for about an hour and just build away.

Then it was time to pack and have lunch. We then set off to the countryside to Worcester to visit Matt's parents. The whole drive was through thick fog. England can be so enchanting. It was truly a white Christmas.

We made it just after 3pm. James and George were so excited to see their grandparents and their uncle Daniel. We all sat down and chatted as the boys started to open presents. They loved every little thing they got from their grandparents. They had so much joy.

As we waited for more family to arrive the boys wanted to play Minecraft with Daniel so that is what they did. They love hanging out with their uncle Daniel. James and Daniel have been best mates since he was a baby. It's fun to see their relationship grow. Daniel has always given him so much attention and love.

When Matt's grandparents arrived we sat down to have Christmas dinner. It was so delicious and filling. My tummy was so happy. We then went over to the Christmas tree and opened some more presents. Christmas is just presents every hour haha!

I chatted with Pat and Reg for ages after Christmas pudding. I love talking to them. I feel like I learn so much from them. They are also fantastic people. I love hearing their life stories. I love them so much. Meanwhile, the boys were busy with their uncle Daniel as they went off to play. So cute.

Oh, I love Christmas time. The only thing that is incomplete about it is having my family nearby. I miss their noise and love. It's been 5 years since we've had a Christmas together. I miss them. I miss their hugs. I am truly grateful that my in laws don't feel over burdened about us coming the Christmases we can afford to go back to my family. I can't wait to see them this coming summer though! We said goodnight to everyone and then headed off to bed in the guest house.

Thursday 26/12

The boys slept surprisingly really well. I fell asleep as soon as they did. I can't get anything done off my to do list these days haha! We took the morning nice and slow. Matt cycled off into town to see if he could get my phone fixed. It fell a month ago and has been getting pretty bad.

When he came back he told me there was no hope in fixing it and we needed to get a new one. So off we all went into town. I upgraded to a Google Pixel 9. While I was getting things finalised with my phone the boys were entertained by How to Train Your Dragon on the TV.

When we made it home George and James joined their grandad and watched some football with him. They really enjoyed it! Soon my brother in law Elliot and his wife Megan and their daughter Rosie arrived. James and George were so happy to see Rosie. They love her so much. They were so happy playing together.

We then all gathered and opened more presents together. James and George can't get enough of ripping opne presents. They even opened ours haha! I loved seeing all the joy around. Once presents were done the kids played then watched a show together.

Just before the sun went down we went to Croome to see their lights. It was so magical being surrounded by such thick fog. I love following the trail through it all. We had to walk pretty quickly because it was going to close soon but luckily a golf cart picked us all up.

The estate was so beautiful. I loved the different themes in each room. Estate homes can look so enchanting during Christmas. There is so much to decorate and fill! George was pretty tired but still enjoyed it.

We then went into a room with lots of lights and an immersive experience for us to watch. The boys loved it. I loved learning the history of Croome. I can't wait to come back another day and explore the grounds. Once that finished we headed out.

With it being darker it was even harder to see. We followed the lit path together to the exit. James was so tired of walking so we made a fun games together to get to the end. He loved it. It's amazing how much strength children have when it becomes a game.

We then drove home and saw some beautiful decorated houses. Back at the house James and George went off to play with Rosie. They love her so much. They spun around a chair for ages and then made their way to the guest house to play Mario Karts. All the kids were racing and it was so cute how emotional they got about it haha! Then it was time to go to bed. Another beautiful day.

Friday 27/12

That morning James was so excited as he learned that it was our family birthday (aka our anniversary). Both boys were over the moon to celebrate the story of our family. We started off the morning with lots of play with cousin Rosie. James loves her so much. When we were ready to head out he was so sad he had to leave her behind.

Not many place are open on our anniversary usually but The Lego Discovery Centre in Birmingham was! So we booked it and drove to it that morning. The boys were so excited to explore a new lego place! First thing we did when we got in was get on the indoor laser ride.

Our journey led us to the miniland. I am alway so amazed at the hours of work that go into these lego builds. The boys loved finding little areas that were interactive. They also did the Christmas scavenger hunt and tried to find all of Santa's reindeer.

Then the boys ran over to the play area. We explored it together. George is getting to the age where he can do mostly everything by himself which is so great! But he still wants me to tag along. I don't mind as long as the spaces are big enough for me!

Soon James made some friends there and they were chasing after each other. It was very sweet to see how well they all played together. George joined in on the police chase. George never seems to notice his size. He is always one of the big kids.

We then watched two 4D films they were showing. James's new friends tagged along. It was cute to see how well they got on and wanted to do everything together. These films are the same ones we get at Legoland.

Next stop was the indoor ride. There was a bit of a queue. It was quite busy but I guess that is what you would expect from the holidays. The boys loved the ride. George is obsessed with anything that makes him feel like he is flying.

For the last little bit we were there the boy played in another play space. Overall, the boys really enjoyed it. It's not a very big place but perfect for kids. It would have been nice to come to this place when there is school on but we still all enjoyed it.

Matt and I decided a while ago that we would call our anniversary our family birthday. Because that is what it is! Our family was turning 8. James and George are part of our story. On the car ride back we talked about the story of the last 8 years. The boys loved listening.

When we got home I got busy at making a cake and the kids played around. James was so happy to be back with his cousin Rosie. It was so cute to watch them playing Mario Karts. George is getting surprisingly good!

After we had dinner with everyone we got the cake out. The boys were so excited to blow out the candles. I love that they felt important in this celebration. I can't believe it's been 8 years. I still remember our first meeting in the MTC. I never thought my life would be so full of joy.

The rest of the night we watched Dune 2. I was wanting to watch it for ages and Megan said she had it! So we began the journey and it was so good! Such a beautifully made film. It was late when we got into bed but it was so worth it!

Saturday 28/12

The boys were so excited to wake up another day in Worcester. This was going to be our last day though. In the morning the boys were busy playing with their cousin Rosie. She had to leave that morning and they were sad but they gave her the tightest hug.

Just after lunch family started to arrive. It was the Leece Family reunion. It was nice to catch up with uncle, aunts and cousins. Over the last 9 years that I have come to these reunion they have all grown so much.

Later throughout the afternoon games were played and gifts were exchanged. I had such a fun time with Matt's cousins. I love catching up on their love lives now that they are all young adults and teenagers. James and George had so much fun with the cousins too.

People started to leave around 7pm. We got the boys ready for bed know that they were going to fall asleep on the drive back to London. They were so sad to leave their Granny and Grandad. They love coming here so much. They soon fell asleep on the drive and we got back into London just before midnight.

Sunday 29/10

We were all so happy to wake up to a later church time. The boys wanted to build some lego before we headed to church so that is what we did! They are so happy with all their new lego builds. We then cycled off to church. It was just an hour church so we were back before lunch time.

George took his nap and then we headed back on our bikes to my friend Katie's house. She invited us over to make some Christmas sugar cookies. The kids loved this. James and George ate so many haha! They were not going to be hungry for dinner now.

Then we just sat and chatted with our friends while the kids played together. They were running around chasing each other. They favourite game was jumping off the table and landing on the bean bag. They got out so much energy. When we got back home eventually they had a small dinner and were off to bed. I can't believe one week of the holidays is done! On to the next!