The Many Faces of Christmas 2011

Families are like quilts,
Lives pieced together
With smiles and tears,
Coloured with memories.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

And so it is Christmas...for us the season has never begun until after the December birthday, and so it was this year. We began with a festive lunch at Pine Ridge Hollow. Grilled cheese and fries topped the "favourite" list, and some purchases were made in the gift shop. We weren't even the noisiest group!
Grandpa and grandson complete some workbook pages, a favourite activity all of a sudden.

This grandson is a regular visitor. He usually looks much happier than he does in this picture. He loves the rocking horse, made by the great grandfather he never met. Thanks Dad! Courage Crafts is still delighting the young ones.
Of course, as the family expands, it gets more and more difficult to find a day that everyone has free, so we can gather to celebrate the season. We were missing a few this year, but got as many as possible together for delicious food, drink and good company. Roxie was quite overwhelmed by the youngest ones in the group. I think she wondered what happened to her nice quiet home.


This one was delighted to show us his latest skill - going DOWN stairs as well as up. These stairs were much safer than are grandma and grandpa's, because he couldn't fall side to side on these.


Grandma and Grandpa spent a lovely afternoon, evening and next morning with good friends. Once again, the food and drink were delicious and the company grand. What a beautiful location and wonderfully warm home. We will miss them for a few months as they head south, but will reconnect in the spring, with more stories to tell.
Grandpa and grandma were pleased to be invited to be part of the annual visit to Santa. As you can see, the two older ones were happy to see the jolly man, while the youngest was not a fan.



He was happier when he was helping us pick out our tree, and loved taking a wagon ride around the block with Jake.

And last night we had a special treat. Two of our five (almost six) spent the night and helped us decorate the tree, read favourite stories, and watch some very old favourites (thank you PVR). They were most interested in the decorations which actually belong to their mother, especially the one that has her picture on it.
Doesn't Grandpa look wise as one of the Kings/Wise Men? Da, da, da, DAH! (inside joke)
Seriously though, the season is really upon us now, with Christmas only a week away. Seems at this time that we miss the ones not here the most, and remember with a few tears Christmases of past years. We do our best to keep those tears at bay, and to remember all for which we are grateful, and what is really important. For me, the Prayer of Confession at John Black Church this morning said it all:

"Unlike Mary, Joseph, shepherds and wise men,
We allow Christmas to be drained of its splendour,
By our endless determination to be in control,
to do the baking, the gift buying, the tree trimming,
the cards, e-mail, partying, the visiting,
arriving at the holy day exhausted, relieved it will soon be over,
or afraid we have forgotten something,
a card, a present, or a salad in the fridge.
God have mercy upon us. Teach us what we have forgotten, to let go of our control and to humbly place our lives in your hands, free of wants and agendas. This is our present to You, it is the only one worthy of You. Glory to You in the highest who is born to us evermore. Amen"

Merry Christmas to all! Blessings of the season be upon you all!

Hair Story 2

12 weeks post treatment. Note the return of the eyebrows!

Sleepover

While her mom was helping out at big brother's nursery school, this little girl visited with Grandma and Grandpa, and stayed the night. She was busy the whole time, measuring everything...
watching Busytown for a few minutes with Grandpa...
making Clubhouse sandwiches out of playdough...
visiting her "uncle's" new house and giving him great presents (who doesn't need singing penguins?)...
and in the morning, reading the Cheerios book with Grandpa! We loved having her for an overnight guest!

Trip east

We took a long overdue trip east to see our son, his wife and two daughters. Along the way, Grandpa met a friend in Mall of America. (He is made of Lego!)
There are so many interesting places to explore in Southern Ontario. This one is called Winter Wheat, and is an art gallery/studio/gift shop. The store and grounds are decorated with whimsical creatures, sure to delight both the older members of the group and the younger.




We were delighted to be able to see the completed new house (it's been completed for a while now, but we just haven't been able to get there), and to stay in "Grandma and Grandpa's room". The house is beautiful, with lots of room for toys, and a garage big enough for both cars.

Grandpa and I were happy to be able to take the girls to school, and to see where they line up and leave at the end of the day. They both love school!
We watched the cyclists as well. The weather cooperated while we were there, so we were able to bike and go to playgrounds.

The newest acquisition is a backyard trampoline. It has actually been mothballed for the winter (there is a protective mesh that has been put away) but we all jumped for a couple of minutes - no tricks though (except for dad).
Our two favourite Ontario girls, posing on their staircase. Can't wait until the next trip!