Family Visits

When we were in Wales last year we had the pleasure of meeting family that I hadn't met before.  It was wonderful to have Julie come for a visit.  We got the chance to know each other a little bit better, spending a little time sharing a common love- the outdoors.

Bowling Bash

To celebrate Elias and Grammy's birthdays we decided to go bowling and out to dinner to celebrate.  It was a great choice of activities, all ages enjoying some friendly competition.  It turns out we all had our own 'style'.  There was the leg slide, the power house, the wobble, the one pin standing, the ramp but I think we could agree without a doubt that the most memorable and unique was the stomp.  Incredibly my sis could throw the ball and as soon as it left her hand she would extend her leg as though she was going to do the classic leg slide but at the last minute stomp it hard on the ground instead.  Impressive.  Ben even got an action shot!
Needless to say to was fun. 

Lots of love

Happy Birthday!

Party Zone

No contemplating was needed when it came to a theme for this birthday party.  Hands down it was cars, trucks, large equipment and whatever falls in between!

From there the decorations included caution tape streams, road signs, a road table cloth, pylons, buckets full of food, a cake with diggers and 'dirt'.  We played pin the parts on the dump truck, had a scavenger hunt for stop signs, made flags for the car races, played simon says and hot potato with a tool belt for everyone.
We laid out areas for the kids to play in with trains, a car mat, a little town, a construction area with blocks and dumpers.  The big hit was the race track Chris whipped up the morning of.   The kids sent cars down endlessly!
Shai had lots of us friends over whose company he was thrilled to have share in his party.  Despite the cold winter weather we so appreciated and enjoyed having our family come out for this special day.

Sunday Hikes

I love Sunday hikes.  This Sunday was cold, crisp but sunny.  We headed out to Algonquin park and explored a trail we had never been on before.  Peck Lake isn't a long trail, but quite rough with the snow so it turned out to be a perfect length for the littlest pair of walking legs in the family.  The kids loved walking part of the trail on the frozen lake.  It was great to have some down time in the woods.

Happy New Year's

We rang in the New Year with all our favorite things! After bowling we came home to some finger foods, got bundled and headed around the corner to the local ski hill for a fire works display.  We had fun with glow in the dark glasses and sparkles.  Back home for some more yummy treats, party crackers and party drinks.  The kids were thrilled to be playing bartender and mixing party drinks.  The favorite was cranberry juice, orange juice and gingerale.  After we heading upstairs for pj s and watched a movie projected on the wall.   There was lots of hooting and hugging to bring in 2011!

New Year's Eve

It's been a long time since we have been bowling.  It was a lot of fun!  Even Shai was able to bowl without any assistance and had a lot of fun.  The kids gave us a run for our money for sure !

Christmas Day

Christmas day was a beautiful day weather wise which just called for us to be outside and enjoy it.  The kids took their grandparents and aunt and uncle out to our toboggan hill.  Despite the height, speed and forest obstacles (which all freak mama out), they braved it and met the challenge.  There was air taken, bruises earned and crashes happened, but most of all lots of fun.
We ate lots of great food, played games, caught up and enjoyed Christmas day.

Family time

My sister and her family out did themselves hosting a beautiful breakfast- with everyone's favorite foods and lovely hospitality.  It was great to spend some more time together this weekend just hanging out (except for very sick Chris who slept and missed out) and catching up.   

This year my side of the family decided not to exchange Christmas gifts.  For all of us, it really is about spending time together, so it wasn't a hard switch.  My parents generously decided to celebrate by taking us all out to a pantomine, something we used to do as kids.  After the show we went out for dinner at The Spaghetti Factory, which is a great family friendly restaurant.  It was a wonderful evening, a great way to celebrate the holiday with time together.

Happy Birthday!

 

Happy Tenth Birthday Ben! 

Such a sweet, gentle soul! 

We love you!

It was a joy to spend a day hiking, surprise gifts through out the day, cooking together.