Christmas Celebrations....

There is just too too much that has happened in the past couple of weeks!  It has been a perfect blend of work, fun, family and Christmas preparations!   

I'll try to be brief in my recap, but no promises.  

(God bless whoever sticks it out to the end of this entry;)

1.  Junior High Fundraiser: 

 Every year the Junior High does a fundraiser to help students/families in our community and also to contribute to future "WE" initiatives.    This year Abby had the idea to run a "camp-a-thon" of sorts.  She suggested to the school council that they ask both the principal and the vice principle to camp out on the front lawn of the school if they managed to earn $1000.   IF, by some far off chance they were able to earn $2000, then the P and VP would agree to camp outside for 2 nights!     There were a couple of added catches.   Once $500 was raised, their steak dinner would be downgraded to wieners and beans.  If they raised $1500, then their large tent was taken away and they'd have to sleep in a teeny two man tent.   It seems a little backwards that a fundraiser would be based on trying to impose discomfort on the school admin (I worried if Abby was barking up the wrong tree with this angle) but it worked like a charm!!

They ended up earning over $2000 in less then 24 hours!  

Oh, and our brave VP and P were champs to the max and camped as promised (in -25 degree temps!) broadcasting their success and struggles all along the way.  It was fun to see what a party it turned into as community members, students, families - so many stopped by from 3pm-11:30pm to visit, roast marshmallows, and of course- drop off money.   So funny!!!

2.  School Dress up days:   

The last week of school consisted of lots of dress up days for all of us.  Pajama days, crazy sock days and more!   Sadly, I only managed to capture some of my favorites.

The Junior High held a "favorite Book character day."    Abby dressed up as Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter and Sam dressed up as Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings!    Please note the hairy feet and the gold ring that really does have the phrase "one ring to rule them all" engraved on the inside!    Sam played this part to a T - walking around barefoot all day!   At one point I asked him to carry his backpack to the closet and he responded by saying:

"I may not be able to carry my back pack - but I CAN CARRY YOU!!!"  

They went all out for Ugly sweater day too, though Sam went for a more effortless, "I barely cared about this" kind of a look.   

These two snots are perfect!  I mean - look at those dimples of Jessica's and that sly sideways smile of Nate's.  I'm obsessed!

3. Visits from Family:

Our Nephew Caleb and his friend Oliver stopped in for a few minutes on their way through town.  It was tonnes of fun to see him and to realize how OLD he has gotten.   Note: The first time I met Caleb, he was just a few years old.  What the heck?!

Rachel and Brent stopped by on Dec 23rd or a few hours.  It was great fun to see the kids!  Viv is 1 now and perfectly content to walk herself around a room, holding on to anything she can, eating paper as she goes;)

4.  Christmas Treats:
Rach, baked some KILLER Christmas cookies while here and luckily - she left them all behind!

SCORE!!!!

Speaking of Christmas treats - nothing, and I mean nothing is better than a delicious box of homemade chocolates, and John's Aunt makes the VERY BEST!!!

I photographed these and then hid them.

Then I only pulled them out when I was feeling extra generous.

Then I hid the remaining few.

Hmmmm....mmmmmmmm!!!!

5. Cello Success!

I've been so super proud of Sam this past month.  He's been doing his part, practicing both his piano AND his cello and improving on both!   On the Thursday before Christmas, we attended his first ever Cello recital.   He did a piano duet titled, "O Come little Children."   He got a couple of compliments after wards about the strength of his fingering and the beautiful tone that he has achieved.  He ALSO received 1st place in the practice competition among all of the students.  This first half of the year, he led the way with 107 practice minutes logged!   Woohoo cello man:)

6. Christmas "Adam"

Two days before Christmas (the day John refers to as Christmas Adam, because "Adam came before Eve") we hosted a dinner for a dear couple in town, the Gladdings.  We came to love them while we lived in the 5th ward and they have continued to be so special to us.   After dinner and some visiting, the kids performed their annual reenactment of the Christmas Story as we read in Luke 2.   

It's a different performance every year.  (That's the kindest thing I can say about it;)  haha

7.  Christmas Eve

And now for the most magical part of our week - Christmas Eve!!!

The fun didn't really begin until Grandpa arrived with more seafood then you can imagine!!!!

Naturally, the kids had to play with the seafood a bit first.  They like to name each animal, carry them around gingerly, try to convince us to let them have one for a pet....

and then we COOK THEM!!!!

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We dined on BBQ steak and mushroom sauce, potato wedges, french onion soup, baguettes, fruit, and of course (thanks to Grandpa) mussels, clams, Lobster and Crab.   We were stuffed like crazy and I am pretty sure that to my kids - food is the true meaning of Christmas!

I tried to make some Grinch juice for all to enjoy while playing a mean game of scrabble. 

(May have been one of those pinterest fails;)

After we could not eat anymore, we settled down for a brief musical concert.  

Nate played "Old MacDonald" on the piano, Sam played Silent night and Abby and Jess performed a song titled, "Send me someone to Lava" on the ukulele.   It was awesome!

Grandpa joined us for a drive around town to look at Christmas lights and then we returned home to watch Polar Express, set out some milk and cookies (and a letter to Santa) and go to bed!

One of the best parts of being a parent is getting to stuff stockings and set out gifts each year.  

8.  Christmas Day

Santa was good to us for sure!  I tried not to be too lavish with the kids' gifts and thankfully, they all seemed perfectly content.  Our favorite gifts this year was the two burner Camp Chef that I got John and a camp storage cook/table (also made by camp Chef) that Dave and Sarah gave us.  We are SO ready to go camping!!!!!    In fact, we are planning to spend a week in Banff AND a week on the BC coast this summer and we are suddenly feeling as though that isn't going to be enough;)

We attended church with Grandpa tonight because we wanted to get that out of the way liked the 10:00 meeting time much better;)   It allowed us to squeeze in our annual Christmas Day drive to Waterton in the afternoon.   It was blustery cold, but we did manage to see some wildlife.   We saw a wolf in the distance (which, upon closer inspection we realized was just a really fat deer) as well as a Moose resting in the afternoon sun just outside of the park (which Grandpa later informed us was just an Elk).

So really, we didn't see any cool wildlife at all,  but we had a great time nonetheless!

We are looking forward to touring and visiting a few new Canadian parks this coming summer, but Waterton will always be our Christmas Day destination!

We are settling in for a couple of weeks of vacation now and couldn't be more excited!

We hope our family and loved ones are feeling equally blessed.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

December at last!

Well, it happened.  

Our local grocery store brought in their one and only shipment of Christmas trees, which the kids were thrilled about!   On Friday, the moment he was finished work, John went and picked it out; and boy did he find a beauty!!!   Like, truly, the prettiest, most perfectly shaped tree I have ever seen.  

The kids set to work decorating it and for two days we enjoyed it's lovely soft glow.   I did however, begin to wonder if it was perhaps starting to lean a little.   Occasionally I'd ask John, to which he'd reply, "Oh humph...no of course it's not leaning. You are just looking at it from a weird angle...."  

Sure enough, early the next morning John woke up to find it laying on it's side.  Water, pine needles and decor were scattered everywhere!!!   

We've made a second attempt, going so far this time as to tie the tree to the wall with some fishing line.   Not cool!   haha

One of my favorite days so far, came last week when we seized the few available hours that we had and headed out to Waterton for a hike!  (Actually, we went out there because I was too "busy" to cook lunch and wanted to feed the fam at Wieners of Waterton, but it sure sounds better to say that we "went out for a hike";)   After we ate lunch, I WAS able to talk the family into walking up Bertha Trail.  The plan was just go as far as the kids wanted to go.  It was SUCH a blast!

I'm still surprised that the kids continued on without complaining.  They probably would have hiked all the way to the falls, if I'd had let them.  

Sam really was a fun one to have around on this particular hike.  He spent the entire walk up to our favorite checkout point, trying to spur on a snowball fight.  We'd run up and down the trail, conspiring attacks on whichever family member he could get a rise out of.  Abby played the part of the tormented sister very well,  but even she enjoyed the family time.   Nate and Jess loved "taking breaks" which involved laying flat on their backs in a drift of snow and staring up at the sky.  Jessica certainly did need the breaks, seeing as she was carrying a very large "snow baby."   (What eventually started as a small snowball, grew along the way until she needed both arms to lug the thing around.  She eventually did grow to tired to carry it though and smashed it on Sam's face.)

It was a PERFECT afternoon!

Nate has certainly been feeling the Christmas spirit lately and would not rest (or cease nagging me) until we let him have a "Christmas Party" with some friends.   I tried to delay things, but soon realized that I was only pushing his plans closer to Christmas.  I agreed to let him have his party,  so long as we did it sooner than later.  So, with a few days to notify his classmates, Nate threw together a Gingerbread House making celebration with 9 of his friends.   

Thank goodness Volleyball season is over, John was BEYOND helpful!

Just in case you were wondering, 9 grade one kids + a table full of sugary candy + two and half hours = sheer chaos!  

There is no other word to use and I certainly think some of their creations represent the mood perfectly.    Their houses looked how I felt;)  

Sam was recently officially introduced into the scouting program.  I look forward to him "being prepared" now.   That'll be a nice change;)

Last week Jessica (as part of the CES choir) sang at the 2nd annual lighting ceremony in town. 

There was music, tours of the museum, cotton candy, sleigh rides in the dark and of course...the lighting of the beautiful museum grounds!   It's always a nice way to kick off the Christmas season!!

  

Sunday night (tonight) we were excited to get home from church and watch the annual Christmas Devotional.   The church always does such a great job of it, but FIRST - we had to dine on a yummy BBQ steak, chicken and shrimp dinner!   I invited my cousin Ty over to join us.   

As you can see, we have begun eating our meals by Candle light, as per our December tradition. 

(oooh and this Cranberry bundt cake was not too bad.  Thanks to (my sis in law) Luci's friend Mel from Mels kitchen cafe;)

Nate continues to drive us all crazy with his desire to eat anything BUT what is served.   

While we all feasted - he settled for a meticulously peeled mandarin orange, strategically arranged on an otherwise empty plate.   The food pyramid is lost on this guy! 

Finally, after filling our tummies beyond capacity, we settled in downstairs to watch the devotional.   

Like I said, the church always does such a great job.  I'll admit, I fell asleep shortly after the opening number (I blame the food coma I was experiencing) but I'll watch it tomorrow and will no doubt be totally blown away!

Here comes Christmas!!