Reunited for a While

Normally I post two entries for the weekend that we have Lucy here and the girls are altogether, but this week with Lucy not being here so long and Emily and Catherine being away for most of Saturday I have decided to just do the one blog post.

It was lovely and sunny when I woke up on Saturday that I noticed that all the green had finally gone form the birch tree in the garden and despite the sunshine their was that nip in the air that tells you winter is just round the corner. Looking around the garden you can see the leaves on the ground like like a carpet of many colours all rich in tone and hue.

After a quick coffee and a shave it was off to Oakham to pick up the first one of the children to return home. Lucy was in fine form when I got her and started chatting away. It is amazing how much she has changed in just a few days and she seemed so much more grown up than she did just a few days ago. 

The morning for Lucy was spent playing in the garden on her tricycle and in the house playing with her toys, especially her wooden trains which was still set up for last time she was here. It never got put away in the rush to get off to Wales. As we played I got an e-mail that changed the weekend plans. 

It seems there is a family gathering going on at her Grandmothers and Lucy's presence was requested at the event. I know from what Lucy had told me that she has a new cousin who was born last week so it came as no surprise that her family from Essex would come up to see the baby. I wasn't too put out about the request although it means that a family Sunday lunch has gone out the window and I don't get to see her as much as I would like, but her family is important to me too.

After Lucy had some food we headed off in the afternoon to get Emily and Catherine from the services on the A1. They had been with their mother for the second week of half term. Lucy fell asleep in the car on the way there, which I expected as she seemed tired after she ate. I wasn't to concerned that she wouldn't sleep at night as i knew she would burn off the extra energy when she saw her sisters and I was right she was so pleased to see them and gave them loads of cuddles and kisses.

On the way home we popped into the supermarket. It was there that I realised I didn't know what to get Lucy for lunch the next day so I tried to cover all bases and got something that could be stretched or shrunk depending if Lucy was eating with us. 

Soon we were home and the real fun began for the girls as the settled down to some serious play while I got a quick tea together. At one point Emily left as for a Halloween Birthday party and Lucy was left to play with Catherine and watch television with her snuggled together under the same blanket. They looked really sweet.

When Emily returned after a super party with a pumpkin for Halloween there was a little more time left for some play before it was time for Lucy to go to bed. Eventually bedtime came and Lucy went off for bath, stories and kisses and cuddles from everyone she knows. Finally with Lucy in bed we all settled down to watch the X-Factor before the girls joined her in the land of nod.

In contrast to Saturday morning, Sunday started misty and grey. It was Lucy that was up first and not being a respecter of clock changes it was still quite early when she woke, but at least it was light. The first person she decided to wake this morning was Catherine who came to tell me that they were both up.

Once dressed I went downstairs to join them in the family room for a bit as they settled down together to watch some television and wake up before breakfast. It lovely the way Catherine doesn't hog the TV ad let's Lucy watch the programmes she likes before she goes off to play. It is only then that Catherine changes the channel to watch CBBC. 

Emily was the last of the children to rise. She must have been very tired after being with her mother for even when she did get up it took her a long time to wake up fully. While Emily was waking up Catherine and Lucy played around her. I'm not sure what they were playing but it all sounded rather fun from the living room.

For lunch we had traditional English breakfast with all the trimmings. It was something that was easy to cook and it was really yummy. Lucy loves eggs and tomatoes and managed to do her best to a acquire and eat as much of them as she could from reluctant donators. It might not have been as good as Sunday roast but they all seemed to enjoy it.

After lunch Lucy went doggie walking with Catherine before getting ready to go her family party at her Grandmothers. I was going to dress her in party clothes for the event but I didn't have a pair of tights that went with the party outfit I have for her. So off she went in the clothes she came in with her little bag of bits, her clean blanket that she loves so much and some bags of sweets for everyone. It was one of the hardest drop off I have done. When I got home the girls were out on their bicycles somewhere around the village cycling in the passing shower. It was quiet in the house again with Lucy and the girls gone and for some reason I missed them all more than ever.

Thankfully it wasn't long before Emily returned with Charlie and once again the house was full of sound that broke the silence. It was just what I needed make the place feel alive again. Although a lot of the time I love the silence of the house today it wasn't something I wanted at that point. They both played on the X box together for the rest of the afternoon eventually being joined by Catherine when she got home from riding her bicycle.

At five Catherine's maths teacher came round to do an extra lesson to help her out with her stats at the end of the year. She is doing really well now and although she doesn't like spending an hour of her weekend at home doing lessons the extra work is paying off.

Being the 31st of October and Halloween the girls had an appointment with sweets after Catherine's lesson. Soon they were all dressed up and ready to hit the village scouting for sweets around the many decorated houses. They had a lovely time and filled there bags that will keep them going in sweets for ages and ages. All to soon they were in bed and the house fell quite again and it was time to do some work.

This weekend was the last time they are altogether for over a week. Catherine is off on Holiday on Monday and won't see Lucy until a week after her birthday on Tuesday. I'm going to miss her while she is gone as much as I miss any of them when they are not with me. I still find it hard even after all this time. It's hard not being with the people you love. One thing I know that Catherine will gain from going away is that she come back that little bit more grown up like Emily did from her week away with the school when she was in year six. Of course she will have a super time too.