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Big box!

So, at last the big day arrived.  Tom has been counting down for a while and was very very excited.  He didn't know what he was getting, however, he is way overdue a new bike - he has to work really hard with his current one to get anywhere on it as it has small wheels and no gears.  Matt did some research and spoke to our bikey friends for recommendations and got one at a reduced price from Evans.  It arrived in a huge cardboard box, which we wrapped up in brown paper and painted.  We have discovered in the past that Tom thinks if a present isn't wrapped then it isn't a present (ie his model railway wasn't in his mind a present because he didn't unwrap it - lesson learnt!).

We set our alarms for a full hour earlier than usual to give Tom enough time to open all his presents.  It wasn't quite as mad as last year as the mums at school now work together to buy presents between them, meaning the children get fewer presents of more worth rather than lots of scrappy presents.  I still don't like the expectation that is put on parents to provide a present if you get invited to a party - but it is something you can't avoid, luckily around here the mums spend roughly £5 per child which is sensible.  I think it would be worse down south.

Smart bike

Peeping in the box

Anyway, Tom went straight to the big box and ripped off the paper and was delighted to find a new bike in it.  What a smart bike too.

He was completely spoiled.  Uncle Martin from Australia did it again - he got him a Scaletrix!  He got a huge lego police truck and Mousetrap from the parents at school and then loads of bits and pieces from everyone else.  It was a good haul, plenty to keep him occupied, so thank you to everyone.  

Thanks Martin.  (Notice his new slippers)

Not a bad haul

He is obviously well known in his class for liking trains as he received 2 mini lego steam engines.  He already has one - so he has 3 now.  Not a problem though, you can never have too many trains in Tom's world and we might be able to find a way to link them all together.

Tom went happily to school, he took a huge tupperware full of fairy cakes for everyone, he demanded I made enough for all his class for snack time - which I did.  I made him decorate them which he happily did.

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He had a good day at school - he got to wear the birthday hat all day and came home with a Happy Birthday sticker.  He came home with Fred and Finn for a play for an hour.  It all went well until Finn and Tom decided to play football and Fred decided he didn't want to, and then got upset that the others weren't playing with him.  Oh hum.

When they left, Tom quickly spoke to his grandparents and then we went on our way to Gargrave, which is our new favourite Indian restaurant.  As you know it is tradition that we have a curry on Tom's birthday - this year was no exception, when we asked Tom want he wanted to do he said go for a curry with not a second's hesitation.  He demanded butter chicken which he got and my, did he eat it quickly.  He ate it so quickly at one stage, I was worried he wasn't able to breathe properly!  As you can see he was able to wash it all down with a pint!

It was a good day, he certainly enjoyed himself.