Vallentine Christmas 2016

Arthur picked out this ornament himself at our trip to Hamleys when we were in London for our US passport renewal.

.

Ada was a mouse in her school's Christmas nativity play, which this year was actually not a nativity play, but a production based on the story of how the carol 'Silent Night' came to be written. The Reception class (UK equivalent of kindergarten) didn't have their own song, but they were all mice and had a small "dance" number

The cousins from the Vallentine side were over visting from Nepal so we went to Weston Super Mare pier with them. I thought it was a good time for Ada to practice her skee ball. (I mostly just waited for her to get bored so I could practice my skee ball.)

On Christmas Eve, Ada took part in the local church's family Christmas Eve service. All the kids that wanted to could play a role. Ada's friend Grace was 'Angel #2. Ada was unnumbered, in the general "band of angels."

We made a gingerbread house, badly. But Ada did a good job decorating.

This is Christmas Eve, hanging their stockings up (and before we went upstairs for bath and getting into their new Christmas pjs). 

  

Arthur refused to be in the Christmas morning matching pjs photograph. 

Ada got a violin from Santa (it was on her list to him).

Arthur got a car transporter.

Arthur also got a lot of train stuff to fill in Ada's preexisting track collection.

Like mother, like son.

We persevered with getting a matching pjs shot. I was determined!
I love pjs.

Yay, Christmas!

Team Vallentine Christmas 2015

Pre Christmas fun:

The Christmas wreath I made myself!

Ada's visit to Santa, with her friend Jacob

Christmas photo shoot for Christmas cards that are late for everyone (or haven't even been sent yet)

Sugar high following IKEA

Sugar crash following IKEA

Christmas Eve:

Opening the now traditional Christmas Eve present

Christmas Day at home:

Scoot train down the stairs on Christmas morning

"Just what I wanted!" said on opening every present

Mark tries out his Christmas/birthday/Christmas/birthday present

Boxing Day at Nanny Kate's house:

Rocking horse from Nepal (Yes, Kate got that back in her suitcase. No, no one knows how.)

Calling his friends to tell them about his presents

Super girl tries out her new uniform

The best boots ever

Silly runs in the family

July 4th - Clevedon helps us celebrate

Team Vallentine update: 13 May 2015

We're all a bit...tired, so here are some photos of things we've been up to over the last couple of months. 

(Looks like Ada is still winning the photography stakes by a factor of 2. Poor Arthur.)

And voila! No hands!