 |
| This post is about Christmas, and someone had a theme in the gift acquisition ... |
The blog patterns reflect the broader pattern in our life right now - episodic big trip with a lot of daily routine in between. For Christmas we didn't actually make a big trip. The girls had two weeks off from school. I took a week off before Christmas and enjoyed the fact that being on secondment meant I didn't have to go into the office between Christmas and New Year's. It was a nice change of pace after coupling busyness in the office with various Christmas musical events for me, and Christmas shows at both schools that the girls worked hard on.
One noteworthy thing about the break was how much less oversight the girls needed with standard parts of the Christmas routine. Kristine put the tree together (with a little help to put the top on). The girls decorated it. On their own. With Kristine in the other room and me at a Christmas concert. Peacefully. No, I'm not joking.
 |
| Clare entertained herself at the tree while her sisters attended a Karate holiday party |
 |
| Trombone = laughter and chase, not trombone = tears. How times change. |
The Melbourne Town Band had a Saturday morning gig playing carols in the marketplace (I tried really hard not to jump into departure mode by ignoring the unpleasant thought that it was my last one). During a rehearsal, the director mentioned they were going to be short on tubas. I mentioned that I played tuba a long time ago. He let me play for the gig. The quality of the playing was questionable, but it allowed this conversation to happen at home.
I'm playing tuba with the band tomorrow morning.
You don't have a tuba.
...
Your baritone is in the US.
It's a tuba.
You don't have a tuba.
...
You don't.
...
You didn't buy one, did you?
...
You wouldn't! Where would you hide it in the house?
The girls also did really well with the cookie-baking efforts. Kristine has put in many patient hours with them. This year felt like the scales are truly tipping in favo(u)r of many hands making light work.
 |
| There was some eating on the job |
 |
| But also legitimate contributions |
 |
| They kicked me out of the kitchen during this part (false rumors about risk to the cookie dough were involved) |
 |
| The finished products |
 |
| Photo #2 about marmite- here is Kristine willingly putting some into a squeeze jar because it improves the flavor of her salad dressing. Let the record show I took the photo without (a) dying from shock; or (b) screaming at her for wasting my marmite. |
Kristine and I agreed we would go out of town for a few days during the week before Christmas. The girls asked where we were going to go. I said I was looking at options. Elise excitedly asked if we could go to Centerparcs. My first thought was to say "No." However, it wound up being on par with costs of other options I looked at. The girls have all really enjoyed chance to play in swimming pools in recent trips we've made. We gambled, correctly, that they would enjoy a couple days at a water park. We also gambled, incorrectly, that a mid-week trip would be less chaotic than the last time we were there.
We decided to book a Monday - Wednesday stay without telling the girls. I told them on Saturday night that I would be playing in a carol service Sunday afternoon, and that I needed their cooperation in my absence while Kristine packed their things. This naturally sparked lots of curiosity and wondering where we were going. Being the considerate and loving parents that we are, we naturally fueled their imaginations with stories about a globe-trotting trip to get mangoes from either Africa or Brazil. When asked why we were driving north out of Derby when the mangoes were on the equator (which would require going south), we explained that the bikes we'd brought along would power a boat that transported us from the English coast to Iceland, from where we would then depart south. Charis took it from there with a clever line about children peddling barefoot across the sea with no protection from the pounding rain. It all made for an enjoyable 45 minute drive, and it managed to keep the girls distracted from various signs we passed suggesting we were going to Centerparcs.
The actual time at Centerparcs was enjoyable, if not memorable (no potential catastrophes from potty-training toddlers like last time). The girls being that much older made it much easier to stay sane while navigating the crowds getting in and out of the locker room. Clare's increased mobility (and not potty training) meant neither parent had to spend hours in the toddler pool. Both parents got to go down the adult / kid rapids slide several times with Elise. Shawn got swindled into jumping into the cold water pool by begging daughters. All three girls went down various combinations of the different slides. The bikes didn't get used much. Rainy weather plus lack of collective skill on two wheels when navigating paths with other people on them that also included minor elevation changes meant we mostly walked. The bikes made the trip with us though, which is a step.
 |
| The bikes made the trek with us, although their primary use was as props in the "where are we going" story. |
 |
| Our cottage: Elise's room is the window on the right. |
 |
| Coaches on which to sit and read |
 |
| Or perch and watch sister play games on her Kindle |
 |
| Don't touch my Kindle! |
 |
| Couch - also a place to sleep when exhausted from a long day at the water park |
 |
| Despite the rain, Elise got in one ride when we walked out to get the car. |
 |
| Achievement unlocked: three daughters independently playing Dutch Blitz |
 |
| Mechanized singing raindeer: cheesy entertainment; albeit enjoyed by the girls |
 |
| Some things don't change - finding a parking spot taking a minor miracle being one of them |
My sister Michelle make the long trek across the ocean to land on Christmas Day. Elise and I did the morning drive to pick her up (Elise admitted she wasn't sure which was more exciting - picking up Michelle or getting up early to make the trek). Since it was our second Christmas, we were free of the self-inflicted responsibility to sample "normal" Christmas fare (ahem, brussel sprouts). We enjoyed bangers and mash - properly British fare that has become a staple in our home, and that can't be duplicated in the US (in case you're wondering, substituting Bratwurts just doesn't get the effect). The Yorkshire pudding was probably the best Kristine has made yet. And the flaming pudding actually flamed.
 |
| It flamed well, even if it wasn't very edible |
 |
| The only thing better than well-made Yorkshire pudding is two of them together |
 |
| Stockings: cheerful anticipation and reproach for having waited to open them |
 |
| Stockings: opened and contents being enjoyed |
 |
| LEGO sets: a Christmas tradition |
Like the baking, it felt like we crossed some thresholds with games during this break. The girls are all old enough now that when they play together, the ratio of time spent playing peacefully versus time spent squabbling often requires minimal (if any) parental oversight. They're also old enough that many games don't require daughter / parent teaming.
 |
| Daughter playing peacefully without parental oversight. This photo was not staged. |
 |
| Charis is usually gentle and kind-hearted. Not when playing hazard cards against her aunt. |
 |
| 9-hole golf: Clare creamed us on this round (hence Elise's look of sorrow) |
 |
| It's a glorified version of "Old Maid," but this set of cards makes it much more fun |
 |
| We did take a break from games to decorate a gingerbread house |
One of our morning activities was a glass-making workshop. Karen Worrell of KJ Design Glass in Derby plays cornet in the Melbourne Town Band (where I play trombone). She kindly took a morning out of the holiday break to come to our house and run a workshop. The part of the workshop where you get to cut pieces of glass and thrown them in the bin - everyone enjoyed. The part of the workshop where you get to be visually creative with colors and make designs onto coasters or magnets - everyone except a visually challenged father enjoyed (and even the visually challenged father's coaster with a boat turned out okay).
 |
| Destructive part of workshop - breaking glass |
 |
| Creative part of workshop - putting decorations into glass art |
Our last big activity was a day trip to London. Like our outing in July, this was via train from East Midlands Parkway to St. Pancras. We learned one important lesson from that trip - have an Oyster card for all adults and make sure to top it up when entering the station. We didn't learn an important lesson from that trip - assume one or more lines will be shut down for repairs. Fortunately a kind fellow at St. Pancras helped us figure out an alternate route to the Tower of London. And since we'd learned a third lesson from our previous trip (trim scope so you don't have to rush), we got in several solid hours of exploring the Tower and surrounding area.
 |
| Christmas tree in St. Pancras station |
 |
| Note the daughters in the foreground |
 |
| Clare enjoyed using Michelle's camera |
The Tower was more crowded than other places we've been (duh, Shawn - it's a holiday, you're in London, and this is a famous tourist attraction). The displays were generally less interactive than some of the other places we've been (although not as bad as the Beatrix Potter house). Credit the girls for handling the day well. They were noncommittal about the Crown Jewels (what's the fun of looking at cool clothing if it's in cases and you don't get to try it on), but enjoyed the exhibit about wild animals (which had a cage, several interactive displays to explore, and not that many kids crowding around them).
 |
| We got into the Crown Jewels ahead of the crowds. Here is the line when we left. |
 |
| Charis wearing a crown (sorry for the screen glare) |
 |
| There were several of these wire-framed animals around the tower |
 |
| In which Collins family members attempt to appear mean and frightening |
 |
| In case you're wondering why the Tower had wild animals in it |
 |
| Clare exploring the "build your own animal" display |
 |
| How your daughters feel when you don't turn on the flash |
 |
| What the throne looks like if you use a flash |
Part of the Tower had a reenactment of the court of Richard III. He turned out to be a jovial and engaging king. He came over to where we were standing and struck up a conversation with Clare. "I do not recognize you, but you are wearing purple. I take it you are of noble blood?" "You say you are from America? I have not heard of this place. Is it one of the duchies in southern Spain?" He did quite a good job interacting with the girls, while staying in character and telling us about his world. "You will return to American when you finish school - so you are in school, all three of you? It is good for girls to study. But you must be careful not to seek more than your station. That woman over there, Margaret Beaufort, I have had to confiscate her lands and give them to her husband. She is educated, and very intelligent. But she wants more than her station. This is dangerous. She has a son, Henry Tudor. He is raising an army to fight me. He will not succeed." The girls asked a couple questions that reflected knowing of Richard III from a children's version of Shakespeare's play. He graciously explained that these were rumors, but were in fact false. He assured us that his brother had died in the Tower. His body had been carried, bleeding all the way, from the Tower into a public square in London so that the people of England would know that Edward IV was dead. He said that he had just celebrated the feast of the Holy Innocents, which commemorated Herod's slaughter of the children in Bethlehem. He would never, he assured us, perform such a deed. His nephews had died, but not at his hand. He then gently told the girls, right before a member of his court called him away, that would be dangerous to believe such rumors.
Interestingly, Elise came home a couple weeks later and mentioned that they were studying Richard III in school. "Daddy, I'm not sure the evidence supports what Shakespeare said about him being a villain."
Three women of the court - Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York, and Margaret Beaufort (whom Elizabeth referred to as her "hopefully future mother-in-law") led the children in a rousing hunt, with animals played by other members of the court. Elise and Charis participated, while Clare watched from my shoulders. After successfully slaying several animals, the hunt ventured into the darkest parts of the forest (down the road toward the wall), only to be met be a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon. Chaos ensued (a certain 4 yr old was also fearful) until a bold knight strode into the forest and overcame the dragon. Said knight naturally turned out to be Richard III.
 |
| After slaying the dragon, Richard III gave a rousing victory speech about how no dragon, not even the Welsh dragon of Henry Tudor, would ever threaten England. |
We made our way across London Bridge to Brown's Restaurant on Butler's Wharf, where we enjoyed a peaceful lunch. Nope, I'm not lying. Maybe only exaggerating a little bit. But we did all go into a restaurant, order food that we had to wait for, manage to wait, and then eat together. And we walked back to the Tower. Without anyone falling apart. The Boogie Boards that Charis and Clare got for Christmas might have helped at lunch, as they did on the train ride home that night.
 |
| "Daddy, look! It's the London Roller-coaster!" |
 |
| Family photo in front of the London Roller-coaster |
 |
| Like last time, this trip had very few pigeons to chase |
Our trusty trip planner picked a return time on the train based on a guess at how long the girls would handle peacefully being in London. That part of the guess was mostly correct. However, the untrusty trip planner didn't factor in getting from the Tower to St. Pancras on the Underground during rush hour. Let's just say the first ride was a little cozy. However, we made it without further hassle, found our train without a mad dash through the station, and got home without excitement.
 |
| Obligatory Harry Potter photo at King's Cross Station |
 |
| More card games on the train ride home |
 |
| And a tad of father - daughter banter |
 |
| Melancholic farewell photo at Manchester Airport |
