Random Pictures from the last week or so...

We've had snow on the ground for more than two weeks now. To be honest, the bloom has worn off the rose. But the kids are enjoying it still (in fact, Davey's enjoying it more than he was before) so that's good.


Here's Elisabeth enjoying her breakfast one morning while Uncle Rob was still here.

And later that same day, she went outside to play. That fort we built when the snow first fell has changed shape a few times, but it's still there. Rob and Dave's has shrunk a little bit hah hah hah



On New Year's Eve Ashlie and Elisabeth decided to watch movies and eat junk food...at least until Clay and Faran arrived and then Ashlie headed home to play Rock Band with them.


Back outside in the snow. It's too bad Uncle Rob had to go home or we could have some awesome snow ball wars. I even have a box of snow balls waiting in the freezer just in case this snow melts!
This is from yesterday. Kathi and I decided to hit up the big Ikea Winter Sale in Coquitlam. Ellie was SO excited to go!

That's because I told the kids we were going to a place that had french fries and ice cream and lots and lots of toys. I may have oversold...
Elisabeth was really mad when we got there. It was not the pleasant experience I was hoping for. But Kathi got some great storage stuff for 50% off. And once I gave Tinker a metal colander and two spatulas to play with (I told her she was the Dragon Warrior from Kung Fu Panda) she was happy enough.

We came home and the girls came over to play dress up in the basement.

No new pictures to post, nothing profound to say. Just feeling very joyful and blessed.

And I also wanted to wish everyone who stops here (especially my family(s) in Ontario, Britain and anywhere else who stops by) a very happy Christmas season and a joyous, blessed 2009!

Love, Andrea and family

My brothers are outside playing in the snow right now. I wish my camera's flash would illuminate more than the snow flakes between me and them.


From above our fort looks like a giant mouth.

And this is the massive one they built. Those snow balls are bigger than the boys are...

It's STILL snowing...

I sure hope it stops snowing one day. I'm not sure where all this is going when it starts melting. Plus it would be nice to get out of our driveway without shovelling for hours first (or pushing the cars...)

In the meantime, let's ignore the driveways and play outside!

Even if the snow's too deep to sled ;P


Uncle Andrew will make a track for us!


It's tough work, but someone's gotta do it :)

Uhm, cheese?



Finally! A sledding track!!

Wheeeeeeeee!
And now time for something different.


Jade's perfect snow brick:

I dug a snow fort. Andrew is finally done sledding and coming to help me and Tink and Jade build it too.

Filling bins for their snow bricks (and maybe eating a little snow too).





It was too cold, we gave up the project early and came in for hugs and hot cocoa!

MNNN!

Baked beans, perfect for warming your toes ;)

And here's the fort...for now. Once we've warmed up I think we'll go back out and keep working...

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day and Elisabeth was the first one up in the house. It wasn't long before Andrew followed us downstairs. So we dug into the stockings. Andrew's was full of the usual things (chocolate orange, Dilbert calendar...) but right at the bottom was his real Christmas present...A new wedding ring! You might recall, he lost his while working on cleaning up our building lot this fall. I couldn't find one that was exactly like his old ring, and I was dismayed with how much rings cost. But a great pre Christmas sale and a patient salesman helped me find something that I'm pretty happy with.

Next came Davey. He was still half asleep and in what I like to call his Calvin mode (notice the squishy face? Very calvinesque!) but soon woke up.

ahhhhh..our stockings were full of bandaids and socks and
masks and
Cutlery? Mum must have been desperate when she did the shopping!

Then we had some early morning revellers out to greet us!

And it was time to play with our presents.

More presents at Grandma's house...



Kathi has pictures from the dinner which I will try to steal later. Suffice it to say that it was one of our best yet. Cody and Kat supplied the turkey and mashed taters, I did stuffing, cranberries and veggies, Dave (or rather Alexis) supplied the Italian Christmas cake. YUM!

Then we kidnapped Jade and had a sleep over.

More of the Night before Christmas!

My family has a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. The battle was always, do you feel for something that's probably pyjamas, so that you don't only have crummy presents left for Christmas Day? Or do you open something totally awesome because you just can't wait any longer to find out what you got? Somewhere along the way, pyjamas became exciting so the decision is a little less difficult...

I still don't think Andrew believes that it's actually a tradition and not just me being impatient. But I've worn him down. So here are our kids opening their presents from the Menary side of the family. Luckily, I'd saved their birthday presents too, so there was a TON of stuff to open :P