Wintery Precious Moments (January: Week Two)

It has been a funny ol’ week, with some delight and some stress….

It began on Monday, with Thomas’ 16th birthday (gasp…16!!), which unfortunately fell on the day of Charlotte’s first English Literature IGCSE exam.  We spent the morning unwrapping presents and spoiling our near adult son:

He then went out for his yearly (birthday) excursion with Granny to buy some shoes (ever since they were little, the children look forward to their birthday pair of shoes and some special time with Granny).  She also took him out to lunch.  She had asked me beforehand whether or not she could offer to buy him an alcoholic drink.  I am terrified of allowing any of my children any alcohol, but I know that eventually they will have to make up their own minds about the issue, and I really don’t want them to feel it is something to hide.  So…. Thomas had his first half-pint of fruity cider.  Sigh.

We had a lovely birthday dinner, with his girlfriend Annie:

Lillie had made the birthday cake with the help of the little ones whilst Gary and I were taking Charlotte to her exam.

Charlotte had written him a song/rap, which Annie had helped her put music to.  So after dinner, both she and Annie played it, with Gary on the Cajon:

Bless her heart, it was so good and so heart-felt and emotional, expressing how much she loves him and appreciates their hard fought for friendship).  I do love my children!  Thomas said it was the best song she has written, which made her day.

You know it’s love when your boyfriend is willing to thread your head with rose petals 🙂  (he might very well kill me for including that!):

Speaking of Charlotte, she had been quiet all morning due to worrying about her exam.  But she needn’t have worried.  She was very happy with the paper she’d been given and was able to fully answer the questions as well as use all the quotes from Pride and Prejudice, and The Importance of Being Earnest.  Phew.  One down and one to go (next Wednesday).  She has been studying hard this week, making sure she knows the anthology back to front and inside out 🙂

Lillie has been stressed all week.  She had literally spent hours each day over the Christmas Holidays, completing a photographic project.  She’d had to start again on account of one of models (B6) being too ill to complete the photoshoot required.  So she changed to a project she had done in her spare time about the exploration of light.  Anyway, she managed to hand it in on Monday, and she eagerly waited for it to be marked….and waited and waited.  The college were having some computer issues, which meant she didn’t get any feedback until Friday.  She got 85% and some excellent advice with regards to making it even better.

Midweek we had a power cut.  It began at 6 in the morning and lasted right through the day.  Needless to say not much school work was achieved on that day.  The older children spent hours huddled around the fire and chatting happily on whatever table topic Charlotte gave them (a Christmas game I bought):

By Thursday evening we were all going a bit nutso.  Me because I am waaaay too busy right now (no change there then); Thomas because he has to do an awful lot of writing each day for his upcoming summer exams; Lillie because of her photography project; Charlotte because of her exams right now and the littles because B6 is still recovering from whatever infection she had over Christmas and is ultra tired and a bit tearful at the moment.  I went to the kitchen where the children were doing evening chores, and there were the twins dancing away, with Charlotte singing into the mop.  Yes, they had well and truly lost it:

I just grinned, took pictures and reflected on how blessed I am to have these five children of mine.  Life is never dull, and y’know, is filled with far, far more laughs than tears.

I have just one more thing to share before I disappear off to see some friends….Thomas had an interview just before Christmas for a place at the music academy he wanted to go to, and he got in!!!  He was actually told in the interview, but asked me not to share until he had it in writing.  It is now official 🙂  So next September I will be one student happily graduated pursuing the dreams he has for his life.  Last night he couldn’t get to sleep, and this morning we were chatting.  He said he couldn’t sleep because he was too excited and just so happy with his life, right now.  My heart melted just a little bit.  That is really all I’ve ever wanted, happy, contented children who work purposefully and work hard.