I've been lazy about writing in here because I was stressed about remembering what we all did at xmas! So - you won't get much detail about that here!
I am going to be starting work at the end of March - I wrote a post about the pro's and con's of starting work - and then vetting was done and I had to remove that post from the public domain! lol.
I have mere weeks left before I start work :-( I really really hope I love it!!!
There are so many things going on this year too! Adam & Erika having twins and getting married - Lissa having a daughter and I am going to be there with her!
so - Christmas was fun! we did fancy dress again! we had fake Xmas day on 22nd Dec as they were all going to their in-laws for actual Xmas day this year. We did everything as we normally - had stockings - Xmas dinner - played games. One evening (might have been fake Boxing day) we all couldn't be bothered to do anything and American football was on - and Connor was having a mini strop because they had arranged to stay over meaning they would have to go straight to work the next morning - and we were all boring! So, we all dragged ourselves up and made the effort and ended up having such a good time! We were all very glad we had made the effort!
I do have an awesome family!!
It felt so like the real thing (Xmas day) that after they had left, on the real Xmas eve it felt like Xmas was over - not just about to happen! But Xmas morning was awesome because me and Andy had got each other really awesome gifts!! I got the Peleton (bike) and an amazing coffee machine - and loads of other stuff and I got Andy the Surface Pro...
Gender Reveal
The gender reveal for Lissa went so well! I was very stressed about it! I managed to keep the secret!! We wrapped a big box in yellow (gender neutral) and inside that box was another box with a PINK teddy bear from Build a Bear - so when she saw the teddy she knew it was going to be a girl - and secretly both her and Antony wanted a girl - and I knew that - and EVERYBODY thought she was going to have a boy so it was a big, and awesome surprise!!
Ian (my ex) and his wife Karen were both there so it was a tad strange attending a joint family event - but I guess we are going to have a lot more of those now the kids are getting older, getting married and having kids etc. but we get on fine when we see each other.
It was held at a pub, and we decorated it with pink and blue, and had cards for ppl to fill in with predictions and advice - and ppl had badges - Girl or Boy - depending on what they expected it to be. Most ppl chose boy.
The last picture really made me laugh because Connor was pretending to be stroppy because it wasn't a boy! hahahah
It was such a beautiful moment!! Because I just KNEW Lissa was going to be really happy with a girl, and I can just see my little baby girl, with a little baby girl! and Antony had said to me really early on in the pregnancy that he thought he wanted a girl - and I knew it was a girl because the gender had been revealed to me weeks earlier - so that I be the revealer!!! So all this lead up to a reveal that I just knew everybody would be happy about - and it was very emotional seeing Lissa and Antony react! The stress of keeping the secret and, finding and booking somewhere, deciding how the reveal would go - and travelling to Surrey - was TOTALLY worth it - loved the whole event and the emotion and happiness!!
SO....other little memories - we all had to wait for the reveal because Connor & Emily were late! lol So typical but I also felt sorry for them because they got stuck in traffic and were stressing. We were stressing because his estimated arrival time - was the same time the food was due to be put out. The food would have been later but me and Lissa decided that day to bring it forward cos we'd have loads of time! ha! In actual fact, we waited for Connor only to discover Antony's Dad was also late - but very late - so it went ahead when Connor got there!
I got to meet Antony's family too - who all seem really nice decent people! I already knew that already to be honest - I have known his sister Hannah since Lissa was at school with her - and they were drinking buddies after school (a large group of them - too much drinking tbh but they had a lot of fun!)- and that is how Lissa met Antony. We know her as mad Hannah for self-explanatory reasons lol, she was quite wild!
Lissa's sister Beth was there and I haven't seen her (other than in pics) since she was really little - and she seemed really lovely!
Adam & Erika are now happy that their two little babies are going to be fine after quite a few scans and the pregnancy progressing fine - and they announced that they were going to do a reveal as well - but via facebook live - so we could all watch in a group as they opened up their envelopes - so that was something else to look forward to!!
Fast-forward to Adams reveal - and Helen & Paul were here - so we were all able to watch and Zack & Eloise were watching from home - Lissa, Antony, Connor & Emily were in the group and Erika's parents, and brother were with them - so it was really exciting and fun to watch! Adam opened the first envelope and it was a boy! lol. I think they didn't want two boys, but didn't mind a boy & girl and preferred two girls. So - it wasn't going to be two girls! The next envelope - another boy! lol So Adam is going to have two sons and Lissa a daughter!
My niece (the first born of her generation - the second being Adam) had a baby boy on 21st February - Peter. My sister Beverley (Rebecca's mum) was with them for the birth and said it was the most amazing thing ever - watching him being born!
So - I'm officially old and really looking it too. Look at this pic (just for some realism)
I'm getting jowls....and old.....and this pic is probably not as bad as it gets! Andy looks good though! lol
Anyway - this has been an exceptionally long post so I'll leave it there!
