A Couple of Stirrers....

It may well be the same bowl as last year but the boys have certainly grown since. We're also about a month later than last year too.

However, here's a couple of pics of the boys stirring this years Christmas pud.

Mikka Tree Video

Mikka Tree!

The boys are doing well so far with keeping away from the Christmas tree. (Oh bugger, that's that jinxed then)

Charlie absolutely loves it - shouting "Mikka Tree, Mikka Tree!" whenever he sees it. Hilarious!

We've also got a little Father Christmas by the fireplace and when we ask Charlie who he is, he replies "Mr Mikka Tree!"

Team Burchell Xmas Tree 2009

DON'T TOUCH! DON'T TOUCH!

That's bound to be the most uttered phrase in the Burchell household over the next few weeks as we try to prevent our collection of baubles from being thrown around the house!

Last year, the boys were only just really walking and we put a playpen around the tree to prevent them from pulling the whole thing over. This year, pure unadulterated discipline will be the order of the day.

Let's see how the our baubles and our sanity lasts....

Bedtime Story

The boys absolutely love a bedtime story. Once they've had a bath and got into their jim jams, they cuddle up on one of us and we read a story. Usually preceded by shouts from them of 'dory, dory!'.

We're currently working our way through all the Mr Men books. Here's a (very grainy iPhone) picture of Mummy and the boys.

Whilst Mummy and Daddy are away.....

Grandma and Nanny looked after the boys yesterday whilst we went to do some Christmas shopping.

However, 'Christmas shopping' really just consisted of a wander round Harrods, a spot of lunch in the Food Hall, a cab ride to Regent Street, a beer in a pub and the purchasing of a couple of Xmas toys from Hamleys. So, not quite as successful as we expected but, good fun nonetheless.

Anyway, this blog's not about us, it's about the boys and, from the look of it, they seemed to have a great time without us for an afternoon. Granddad popped along whilst they were all in the park and took some pics. Here's one of them...

Lunchtime Nap - A thing of the past?

The regular daily break from the boys that Clair used to get at lunchtime now seems to have all but disappeared. They just don't seem interested in sleeping in their rooms after lunch! Funnily enough, they do seem to have a nap at nursery, they're just not interested in settling down at home. Maybe they're just copying all the other kiddies at nursery.

To be honest, when it gets to the end of the day, it's obvious they still need a nap - and if we go out in the car during the day, they will always fall asleep.

So, is this the end of the day time naps? Who knows...

Lapland, TN3 8JH

We took the boys to Lapland UK last week.

We were dubious as to whether it was some dodgy scam - donkeys with antlers taped to their heads came to mind - but we can safely report that it really was a fantastic experience. It was about as close as you'd get to the Disney experience without stepping outside of the UK.

The day started with a trip through the elves forest (a bit of 'eco' waffle was included to keep it 'hip') before the doors open and you're presented with a snowy wonderland. Yes, obviously it's all fake snow but the effect was pretty good. And they've tried to hide any non-snowy bits of the wood quite well.

We then went to the toy shop to make some toys (Theo and Charlie ran all over the place), then to Mrs Christmas's bakery to decorate some gingerbread men (Theo and Charlie ran all over the place), then lunch and some ice skating if you so wished (we didn't - the thought of Theo and Charlie on ice gave us shudders). After posting a letter to Father Christmas, you then get your visit to see the main man.

After a wait in the pre-Santa waiting room, you get taken by one of his elves down a long snowy path to his chalet in the woods. A quick discussion of how good we've been (obviously, very good) and we all got a pressie before getting taken back through the woods to spend as long as you wanted in the rest of the place.

There were lots of other things to do but by this time, the boys (and us) were knackered and so we set off home.

If you get a chance to go, I'd highly recommend it. It's expensive but it's a effectively a whole day out and seeing the looks on some of the other kids faces is enough to melt anyone's heart. If I'd been to something like this when I was young, I'd probably have wet myself with excitements.

Here's some pics - with some more on Flickr here.

Too Long...

We're hanging our heads in shame here at Team Burchell. No blogging for over 4 weeks!

We've missed telling about Halloween, Fireworks Night, our fab two nights away from the boys (when Nanny and Grampy held the fort at home), our trip to Lapland UK plus a multitude of other things which I'm sure we'll think of soon.

Anyway, we intend to correct the situation over the coming weeks. Watch this space!