Fresh Air and Fresh Scenery

The day before we were all scheduled to be back at work and school, the boys and I took a chance between rain showers to walk through a park that we had never been to.  We all needed some exercise and fresh air if we were going to adjust getting back to bed at a decent hour.

 We went to Albert Dyck park here in town.  It's a man-made lake that mostly used for the local water-skiing club.  It's not too big....the walking path around the water is about 1.6 km.  There were many people walking their dogs which  means watching for dog poop which is one of the annoyances of life.

 We stopped for several photo ops along the way.  It was chilly but dry.  I used my camera phone for all these photos....it's quite handy to have a good camera in one's phone. 

 I would have loved to have walked the loop at least three times at a good clip but Liam is not quite there yet so it was more of a meander.  Good thing he's so cute!

This park is right next to the airport and upon getting back to our car, we were able to watch a plane practicing for an airshow.  Loop-de-loops, free falls and spins were among the things that absolutely captured Liam's attention. 

It was a great morning out!

Super Liam!

 On Thursday afternoon when I went to pick up Liam he had been transformed into 'Super Liam!'.  Yes...that is Super Liam! with an exclamation point.
My m-i-l had found Murray's costume that she had sewn for him when he was three years old.  This is a vintage costume!
Liam was zooming around their house just as a super hero should and insisted on wearing it the rest of the evening. 
That cutie can rescue me just any old time!

Enjoyment

 Oh, we are most certainly enjoying our hot tub....even in the rain! 

Funny, we thought that once we had a hot tub (5 years ago) that so many people would want to enjoy it with us but basically, my parents and brother are the only guests we ever get.  It's weird.

That being said, please invite yourself over sometime!

PS.  For the record Keith changes the water very regularly and is stringent about the chemical levels so you won't find any ickiness in our water!

Weddings are Exciting

I was in grade 10 when Bethany was born.  Another cousin in our very large extended family.  She was a sweet little dolly and then all of a sudden she grew up!  A few years ago she left for Alberta to attend university and lo and behold found her future husband as well!  A few days ago my aunt hosted a wonderful bridal shower brunch for her while she was out for the holidays.

Glowing, as a bride to be should!

 We all brought a dish to share and enjoyed a delicious brunch in my aunt's newly renovated kitchen.

 The family room was simply decorated with a wedding dress and bouquet from my cousin, Erin's wedding.

 It was a time of day shower and I had the 10 pm slot.  Now that was fun!  She held up the negligees but wouldn't hold up the undies :)

 There were also practical gifts!

 Both her Omas were in attendance and were MOST interested in inspecting the lingerie!

We look forward to the wedding in May!

Take Me Back Tuesday

I thought that I was MUCH cooler than I actually was in 1986!

A New Toy for Me!

 This is my Christmas present.  I have upgraded from a flip phone to a modern touch screen smart phone.  I am barely using all it's capabilities but it's fun to explore and play with all the features.  Basically, as long as I can text and check my email, I'm content.

The camera is pretty nice...below is a shot I took the other day.   Not too shabby for a cell phone!

Welcome 2012

We had a lovely time last night 'partying' it up (and I use this term loosely) with our traditional group of friends for New Year's Eve.  The typical activities were partaken.  Eating, games, eating, visiting, and eating.  I daresay others had more exciting nights than us, but for our group it was just right.

No resolutions or expectations for the year on my part.  Although I do wish Keith and I would socialize a bit more.  I think that we did a lot of 'nesting' this year in our new house and were most content to stay home. 

Happy 2012 to you and yours....may you seek and find happiness and peace!

Sleeping Angel

I don't know how this happened and I can take no credit but this little boy has been a most amazing sleeper during the holidays.  He's adapted beautifully to waking up late and even staying up late without too much drama.  Every morning he quietly waits in his bed for us to get him.  He doesn't call out or get out of bed to play with toys.  He just waits.  Sometimes until 10:30 am! 

That in itself is a Christmas gift to Keith and I!

Holidays are for Sleep Overs

Even if they are just down the hallway!

Take Me Back Tuesday

My wedding shower in the summer of 1994.  Such an innocent young thing!

Christmas Highlights

Oh dear!  All this staying up late and getting up even later is going to bite me in the butt when 'real' life returns.  For now, I will enjoy but I always know in the back of my mind that the body reset is going to be painful!

It's been a whirlwind the past few days.  We have a family dinner this evening and then a bit of a respite until our very large Klassen clan get-together happens on New Year's Day.

I'll post a few pictures highlighting our holiday happenings!  In a word it was wonderful!

 Christmas eve dinner at my parents after church...as per tradition.

 And we always pose for a family shot before we open gifts.

 Matching presents from Andrew.

 A gift for Andrew to remember a great part of our holiday together last Christmas.

 My dad got out his antique train set for Liam.  He was fascinated!

 Dad got his own 'In 'n Out' shirt too. 

 Liam was spoiled with wonderful gifts.  He really got into Christmas this year which was entirely entertaining.  Watching the kids enjoy Christmas is a good enough gift for me in itself!

 Nate was pleased to get one of the items on his list.

 Liam approves of Christmas!

 We all chipped in to get Dad a Kindle.

 Chad only had Lego on his wish list so that's pretty much all he got!

 Liam loves his Thomas the Train set.

 We ate way too much...as is expected during the holidays.

 So here we are Christmas morning.  We have only one fireplace in this big house and it doesn't even have a mantle.  So the stockings were hung on the railing with care.

This year Nate got more clothes than 'toys'.  Hopefully he didn't mind!

 Keith had been using an old wooden and uncomfortable chair for his computer so I got him this very comfortable office chair.  A happy man, is he.  I got a wonderful and modern cell phone.  Mine was a flip phone so to be brought into the 21st century is nice.  I need to figure it out though which will take some time, I'm sure!

 Christmas afternoon we headed to Keith's family home for festivities.  It was very fun to spoil our soon to be born nephew!

 Oh great...weapons!  Nate and Chad will have great fun battling each other.

 Chad got a matching gun...good times ahead!

 Liam was becoming an expert gift opener at this point!

 We squished 16 people into his parents wee little kitchen which meant Grandma put herself at the kiddie table!  What a good sport.

 By 11:00 pm it was time to lock up the animals.

Nate trying out his remote control helicoptor....sorry if there is any damage to your walls Grandma!

Well, there are about 100 more photos I could post.  I tried to just chose a few as not to make this the longest post ever.  Hoping you all had a wonderful time with your families and friends!

Merry Christmas!

"The universal joy of Christmas is certainly wonderful. We ring the bells when princes are born, or toll a mournful dirge when great men pass away. Nations have their red-letter days, their carnivals and festivals, but once in the year and only once, the whole world stands still to celebrate the advent of a life. Only Jesus of Nazareth claims this world-wide, undying remembrance. You cannot cut Christmas out of the Calendar, nor out of the heart of the world."

~Anonymous