Woo! New year, new start, keeping up… not bad not bad. I don’t do resolutions, just gradually change my patterns. So here’s hoping.

Anyway… December, last month… well… Christmas, of course. Winter, some snow (sort of), busy busy. But now for the actual details of the month…

We had our traditional paper chain countdown, perler bead Advent chart AND of course, went to Activity Village for their Advent fun. Just a warning – they have gone to membership now, it is a reasonable cost and I have already signed up.

Early on in the month Shandai and I gave it a go at a Vendor sale and set up a table of my crochet and her knitting pieces. It wasn’t a huge success but it was fun! And hopefully something we can do again!

A pretty view out the back of the building

We did all sorts of fun crafts at home and at Daycare.

You really can make any picture Christmas-y

Practiced our recorders.

Christmas with the Schwartz family is a yearly much looked forward to tradition. Of course we decorated our small gingerbread houses.

This is mine, you can see the rest on the overflow post HERE.

Opened presents and had so much fun.

Look what the boys got!

Ken and I took the girls to Jeffrey’s Christmas concert. We had Christmas with the Novaks on Christmas Eve. It was so much fun and we were there way past bedtime.

We found Anthony a stuffed appendix and made him up the certificate! He loved it!

Of course we had our Sunday School Christmas pageant. The Schwartz family came to watch.

We had a whole family of angels.

We also had dinner out at McDonald’s to celebrate.

We saw Santa a SECOND time (the first was at Macy’s with Nana and Baba HERE) at the YMCA. There was all sorts of fun to be had there. 

We had our monthly Bookit reading program pizza.

And made cookies. This year we tried out a new gingerbread recipe from the Activity Village site HERE.

Monster Cookies

We had some lovely mail come. 

Seriously WHO SENT THESE?

And spent plenty of time at the YMCA.

Gavin

Little Lotus Yoga pose

It was a jolly Christmas. Full of fun and friends and gifts and giving.

From Ken to me

I got these lovely puzzle pieces for Ken.

We took full advantage of our new fryer and made FRESH poutine!

We even made it to one of Anthony’s indoor soccer games.

Skyping family!

For New Years we spent the night at home with a lovely drop by last minute by the Schwartz family for an hour or two.

Yup quite the month!!! I hope you enjoyed the wander through images!

Hard to believe she is 8 already… And definitely her own girl as well. When asked what she wanted to do for her birthday this year she had a rather conclusive list:

1. Go to the YMCA to swim with JUST mom and Echo… so Daddy drops us off and LEAVES.
2. Opening presents with her brothers.
3. Dinner at Culver’s with the whole family.
4. Cake or cupcakes with Aunty Darcy and her boys (that last one will have to wait until a weekend of course).

The pool was basically empty (on the non lane side) except for us and after a minor blip of having forgotten out goggles and toy bag and having to call Daddy to drop them off we had a blast. I had to get the iPad out and email Ken to wait an extra half hour and come get us later.

I even packed a snack bag for the girls and myself. Echo angled successfully for an additional treat at the vending machines… I swear they ALWAYS go for the most irresponsible choice, though at the YMCA really the worst snack you can get is the rice krispie square.

We had a lovely stack of presents for Trinity to open, including a few items for the others. We had lovely parcels sent all the way from Canada and Aunty Holly, Uncle James and Cousin Jimmie, the items I made for Calli from our family AND a selection from Gammie all the way from Texas! Add to that yesterday’s FaceTime call from Nana and Baba and a phone call from Grandma in Canada after dinner and I think we did a good job covering the gift wish list.

Our afternoon had some minor classroom work, after all Mommy is a teacher at heart now, but for the most part we played on the new DS2D and hung out together in the bedroom.

Supper was at Culver’s, though Ken was kicking himself… WEDNESDAYS right now (apparently) are 2.00 kids meals… oops. Well we still spent less than you would eating out as a couple at a sit down restaurant and EVERYONE was full!

Cake will have to wait as we ended the day full up. BUT here are some more pictures from when I was playing with the camera of the girls. Happy Birthday darling Trinity.

In her new purple dress with her koala bag.

There is no such think as unlucky Friday the 13th for this family. After all, in 2010 in the early morning of Friday, August 13th we welcomed Miss Echo into our family. And life has never been the same!

The baby of the family has officially hit a milestone. 5 is the age when she can start going to Home Depot for the monthly wood working craft (Just not September as we double booked ourselves that Saturday! oops!), she is of age to really join our classroom… and according to her – big enough to no longer have her cone in a cup at McDonald’s (the jury is out on that one when mommy had to eat a portion of her birthday cone in order to save the birthday outfit).

Anyway, the birthday DAY… Daddy spoiled her with birthday tiny toast (french toast cut into small pieces).

Grandma called all the way from Canada!

Miss Echo had her photos taken (with Trinity) at the flower garden outside the library.

While there she ALSO had her first present (from Gammie)… a unicorn… which brought a HUGE smile!

We had her actual birthday party on the Sunday following with Aunty Judy, Uncle Jim and Cousin Robbie. She helped pick out her own colours (blue) and her own cake (Olaf!) on her birthday when we were out running errands. Small and intimate and perfect. Though the poor thing took TWO MINUTES to blow her candles out… she kept blowing up. I was sure she would hyperventilate and pass out into her cake.

Talk about excitement, family, presents…

AND a battery for her inherited Barbie Car! Thanks Nana and Baba…

Definitely a 5th birthday to remember for Miss Echo. Now for the extra pictures to enjoy… Note the amazing batgirl bear from Aunty Holly, Uncle James and Cousin Jimmie!