Special Trip

Today started out cold, breezy and grey. Quite a contrast to the day before so going out to the park or attempting to go out in the cold to play was out of the question. Today was going to be an indoors sort of day that is more common this time of year, but with one special trip for Lucy.

The morning for me started with voices of children playing, it had started slightly earlier for Catherine, when Lucy had decided she should get up. Clearly Lucy has worked out over the months that Catherine is the best bet for getting up in the morning, as she is the early riser in the family. It was lovely to find them both having a good time in the family room when I got downstairs. Soon I was making coffee for myself, a drink for Lucy and breakfast for two hungry girls.

After breakfast the girls both went back to the family room to play some more, while I got on with the cleaning. The living room needed doing as did the kitchen. The wind of late had blown in lots of leaves from the garden on the floor in the kitchen and there was sides and cooker to clean. Catherine seeing the cleaning going on did the bathroom and Lucy came to help in her own way to do the living room.

After we finished cleaning we headed out to Gate's for for our special trip for Lucy to see Father Christmas. We had been spelling the name out all weekend while we were talking about it so we didn't spoil the surprise. When we arrived the first thing Lucy wanted to do was play in the playground and specifically on the tractor. So off we went to find it. The garden centre looked magical with all the decorations. It really is a lovely time of year to go there.

She had a grand time in the little playground, especially on the tractor before we continued on for the main event. The lead up to see Father Christmas was stunning as always. They really make it special for the children. Thankfully we didn't have long to wait and Lucy was next in. When she was inside she went all shy and forgot her age. She couldn't even think what she want for Christmas. In the end she said she wanted a baby book, that might have been because the night before we had been watching laughing baby videos the day before, but who knows. In the end she came around and happily accepted a present from Farther Christmas.

Before we left the Garden Centre we has a look at the Christmas decorations they had for sale. The displays they have are always lovely. I can't describe how beautiful they make the decorations look. Lucy loved the soft toys and anything that had buttons that either sang or talked. I always love the model villages, especially those that move in some way and light up. There is really something for everyone there and the colours are just outstandingly beautiful and vibrant. 

Lucy had managed to carry her present all around the garden centre, but as soon as she got to the car she asked if she could open. When I didn't answer straight away she said "Just say yes daddy", and so I did. I'm not sure if I finished the s, and she was ripping the paper apart to get inside to see what she got. It turned out to be an art and craft set and she loved it. I managed to get her not get everything out and just look at until we got home, not an easy task as we still had the supermarket to go to. 

In the supermarket we had to pick up quite a few things for Catherine's sleepover, lunch and for dinner. Catherine needed food to munch, and drink to gulp while her and her friend watched films to make her sleepover go to plan. Lucy was soon sitting in the trolley and we were filing it food and goodies before heading off to the checkout to pay. We even remembered to pick up some sweets for her take back to her mummies and something to munch on the way back to home.

As soon as we got home the art and craft set came out and Lucy was busy at table making things as I made everyone some lunch. Nothing special just some sandwiches but as we both ate them we had to share the table with furry balls, coloured pipe cleaners, sticky eyes, and glue. She had clearly been having fun making L shapes for Lucy out of coloured lollipop sticks , which she showed off as she ate.

It was after lunch that Catherine turned up with her friend, Evie, for the sleepover. Thankfully Lucy wasn't shy, but it did make her a bit hyperactive for a while as she ran around the house like a headless chicken on speed. Thankfully she calmed down after a while and Evie became her instant best friend after she said she was cute, which she sure is, most of the time. Soon she was playing around the two older girls in the family room showing off her favourite toys. They all played beautifully together for the afternoon.

The afternoon passed quickly and soon I found myself in the kitchen again. This time cooking meat balls, which Catherine said that Evie liked. I did these with an onion gravy, fresh vegetables and with creamed mash potatoes. I never really done an onion gravy before with fresh onions, somehow I have never got round to it, but was funny it reminded me of the French onion soup I had while I was at Durham University. It wasn't until I looked up the recipe for the soup I realised why, I had made it in the same way. Thankfully, the gravy and the meal went down like a dream, with one exception, Evie didn't like onion gravy so she had a beef gravy instead. 

After dinner the girls went back to their games. At one point Catherine and Evie were playing on the X-Box and Lucy was sitting with them with another controller thinking she was driving the cars around too. She kept shouting how fast her car was going, not knowing it was someone else's car she was watching, but I guess that didn't matter much. They all were having fun and that is the main thing. She really liked Evie, which was lovely.

Eventually Lucy's bedtime came and she headed up to bed. Of course she had to have stories from everyone, but after these I read the last one and she snuggled down. I gave her kisses and cuddles for all the people close to her in her life and after a special hug, I always give her, she drifted off into the land of nod to dream.

With Lucy in bed Catherine sorted out the drink and the food and with her friend they settled down to an evening of films, chat and fun. All you could here was laughter and giggles from the family room. After the first DVD had finished they changed for bed and brings some blankets down from upstairs snuggled down for another DVD before they eventually went off to bed to chat and finally to sleep.

It has been a relatively quiet but lovely day. Seeing Lucy's face when she met Father Christmas was a picture. It might be rather early in the year but with the way her visits work out it was the best time to take her. It is just a shame she will miss putting up the decorations with us this year, they go up after Emily Birthday which is Monday. All the same I hope it gave her a bit of Christmas spirit.