The Poulton's Visit & Halloween

The half-term holidays have gone very fast! Scott took the day off on Thursday and we managed to fit in hiring the astro-turf pitch for the boys to play football, going to the dump, cleaning inside Scott's car, swimming, going to the driving range, cutting the grass, ordering Lucy's new bed etc.

Friday was spent cleaning the house (scrubbing window frames), making Lucy's fancy dress costume (she wanted to be an After Eight mint!), having a clear-out of Lucy's clothes, and getting ready for Juli and her family's visit for 2 nights. They arrived after our kids were in bed, and we got all Juli and Chris' kids settled down quickly. It was nice having little sleeping bodies in every nook and cranny of our upstairs! We had a nice evening chatting.Saturday it was chucking it down, (though Scott was out at 8.30am playing golf with blokes from church) so Juli and I decided to make cakes for the kids to decorate and give out at the 'Trunk & Treat' at church later on. We had great fun making revolting coloured cake mixture and icing, and the kids enjoyed slopping it eveywhere and sticking sweets on. The kids were all great - considering there were 9 kids aged 12 and under it was very easy and they all got on brilliantly. Juli and Chris' kids are so cute too!!
Juli and I went to the ward activity early, via Tesco (buying the last 100 hotdog rolls) and picking up the Activity chairwoman and her 3 kids. I had a very hectic couple of hours then, making sausages for the ward in an oven that DIDN'T WORK. (Ended up having to do them all in some frying pans.) It was my first activity being on the Activities committee and I learnt a lot, and I think the activity went OK. The kids were happy with their bucket-loads of sweets anyway!Nothing's changed!! I have a very similar photo of me and Juli 20 years ago, with some orange and purple cakes that we had made for some Young Womans thing!Juli and Chris went at about 9am this morning - to Ashley's baby blessing in Manfield, and then we went to church. Lucy had her first ever Young Womens, and I enjoyed Fast Sunday, even though it sounds odd that fasting, especially when you are shattered and getting ill, can make you feel so refreshed and renewed. I got the kids lunch and got Harry and Tom down for naps, then I had a much needed sleep too (till 5pm!) Two 5am starts this weekend, the ward activity, getting a cold, and not stopping moving all weekend caught up on me. Scott had a nap after that for a couple of hours too, and I think we are ready now for another week!

Lucy's first trip to the Temple

While Lucy was staying with Scott's cousin's family last week, the Youth in their ward went on a temple trip and as Lucy had just turned 12 she could go too - it was the first time inside the Temple for both Lucy and her 2nd cousin Eden. They both had a wonderful day by all accounts. Thanks to Keely for the photos.

The hair yesterday and the hair today!

The boys of the family are shedding some weight today!!

Kids Back!! & Autumn

Scott went after work to pick up the kids yesterday, and they got back late last night, tired, but all very happy! I enjoyed my couple of days on my own - got to go shopping, and sleep and read and just eat when I felt like, or eat out with Scott - we went out to an Indian Restaurant on Monday night, and I met him for lunch near work yesterday! Poor old Jack had the sick bug while he was away, and poor old Meg had to clear up and stay up all night with him... a really big thank you to Meg and Dave, and Keely and Grant for looking after the kids so well xxx

I have been wanting to take some Autumn pictures for a while, and today was a lovely clear day so we went and collected conkers and sticks, and played football. (Jack was a bit tired and in a bad mood for getting in trouble for clonking Tom, so he stayed in the car.) When we got home we carved our pumpkins...

We love them!!

No kids & Cambridge

Also on Friday, Scott's Mum rang up and invited the boys to stay, for the same time that Lucy would be staying with Scott's cousin. As soon as Lucy's friends left, we headed off down South to drop all the kids off and have a lovely birthday lunch at Scott's Mum and Dad's. We got to see Scott's Nan and Aunt and Uncle too which was nice, and also spent some time at Scott's cousin's.

Also found out that Jack and Tom's suitcases had made it as far as the living room at our house, but no further!! At least their church clothes/coats/wellies were separate, and Meg is so organised she had spare pants and toothbrushes!

Scott and I stopped off at Tesco on the way home and stocked up on goodies, and rented some films (after checking there wasn't anything on at the cinema).

This morning I woke up at 9.20! Well - 8.20 because the clocks changed, then got to listen to every word of the conference session that we watched at church. Elder Holland's talk on the Book of Mormon was powerful. If anyone has a curiosity about whether the Book of Mormon is true or not, they should watch it. (here) Click on 'Sunday PM' & 'Elder Jeffrey R. Holland'.

After a nice dinner (it's easier cooking for 2 than 6!), Scott and I drove to Cambridge and had a lovely wander round...

Lucy's 12th Birthday

Lucy had her birthday sleep-over, with some friends from school (we managed to get everything done in time, and Harry made a super-speedy recovery). They decorated fairy cakes, which became Lucy's birthday cake (saved me a job!), and then watched a film camped out on the living room floor... and they well and truly saw in Lucy's birthday... though I told them to pipe down not long after midnight.Getting a spare mattress down the stairs in the most noisy and least effective manner possible!

Our poorly boy

Harry wasn't very well last night, though we got 4 hours sleep which is an improvement on his previous sick bugs. There is an element I actually enjoy when the kids are ill though - where you get to really care for them and love them. Harry and Scott swapped places last night so I got to snuggle with Harry...

I'm feeling a bit better, which is a good thing as I have to get ready for some girls coming round at 6 for Lucy's birthday sleepover. (We will have to banish Harry). My impaled foot is less good though and I can't put weight on it. I'll worry about tetanus injections next week. The rest of the kids are fine, and Scott has a staff development day today which includes him getting an Indian head massage!