North Bay

We just arrived back from a great week at the cottage. The weather was beautiful. It was fun spending time with family without the interruption of the phone, computer or the door bell ringing. It was also great to be away from anything that required bringing my wallet. This year Nate was much better behaved and he enjoyed playing in the water and doing games with his sister and Dad. Jade is one year older and stronger than last years cottage trip and she had a good time working out with her Dad and playing badminton with whoever was willing. Garry and Helen prepared the majority of the meals and the food was fabulous. Good times had by all :)

Hawaii

Hawaii was the trip of a lifetime. AMAZING!!

Family Day

Family day in Ontario is a provincial holiday given with the hopes that families will spend quality time together. We did just that.

Our family of four enjoyed lunch together at one of our favourite fast food places, Harveys and then we went skating on the canal. FUN!!! We had a great time. Weather was fabulous and everyone was in good spirits. This was Nate's first trip to the canal and I would guess Jade's second. We finished the visit to the canal with hot chocolate and beaver tails.

Jade tried out for competitive basketball and made the team. I was really proud of her that she tried.
I am also really happy with Jade's progress at school. She is a very motivated student and she takes her school work seriously. She always makes homework a priority and I don't have to supervise or bug her about it at all. Her hard word pays off with fabulous grades and she won the speech competition in French for her class.
I can really see that she is growing up. The phone conversations with friends are constant and she keeps what is going on with them quiet. I can't believe how fast the time is going and that she is really not a little girl anymore.

Nate is keeping us busy. He has a strong little personality and seems to manage to get himself into trouble on a regular basis. It is not unusual for him to be disciplined at circle time (school)for not keeping his hands to himself. He is mischievous..a little devil...but with a big heart. He has started to think about others and is concerned if someone is not feeling well. He also likes to be helpful.

Life with both kids is an adventure...a great time and a privilege.

Wheeler Holiday meal

The Saturday before Christmas we celebrated with a Wheeler holiday meal at our house. This year we requested that no gifts be given and only donations for the food bank. It turned out really well. We had lot's of stuff to bring to the food bank and the gifts were not missed. It was an opportunity to give back as a family and it was a great success. A couple days after the meal Jade, Nathan and I dropped off at the local food bank. We had collected so much stuff that they thought it was a donation from an organization rather than a family. Big thanks to everyone!

Christmas holiday

This year was magical for Nathan. At four years old he was full of excitement and wonder over the idea of Santa. Nathan's big thrill on Christmas morning was that Santa had managed to bring him a VERY large bottle of root beer. (With a little help from DM).

Jade was THRILLED with the surprise of the Wii and Wii fit. We had a great Christmas day opening stockings, big breakie, more presents, some time to play with toys and then out to do some sledding. We finished the day with dinner at Garry and Helen's. Good times.