Merry Christmas Everyone!
OK, so I'm a little behind. I chose to spend little time on the computer over the holidays and instead enjoyed my vacation time with Katie.
We had another great Christmas. We went on the Bethlehem Walk in Sooke with Rick and Mandi at the beginning of December. It's an event hosted by the Baptist Church every year in which they convert the sanctuary into Bethlehem's marketplace. You walk through and meet merchants and weavers and tax collectors; participate in contests, taste fresh bread and admire the new baby. It's a great event!
Christmas Eve we went to Mass in the afternoon and then had our family gift opening and stockings. Katie received a real bounty from Nana and Papa in Saskatoon! She is thrilled with her kitchen stuff and plays with it every day. She also got her first Barbie and enjoys brushing her hair.
Carli, Will and Bobby sent Pook products to all their loved ones this year - Dean couldn't be more thrilled to wear (Katie's) Pook Touque. He and I received Pook Loops (scarves). Awesome products (we had seen a Dragon's Den episode where the two young entrepreneurs who created this idea were seeking funding for expansion. Appears they are doing well).
Christmas morning we headed off to Abbotsford to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa and play with Katie's cousins. She is starting to enjoy running around with them more and took a real shine to Kyla. We had a wonderful feast at Garry and Judy's and enjoyed catching up with the family. Taking advantage of being at g'ma and g'pa's, Dean and I did a little shopping on Boxing Day - it was time for me to get some stretchy pants, and not just from the Christmas goodies! For those who don't know yet, we are expecting a new baby in June. Dean is hoping for his birthday (it would save me having to BUY him something!). We also went to the movies and got to enjoy some nice downtime, relaxing and hanging out with my parents. We arrived back in Sooke on the Monday afternoon and I spent the rest of the week with Katie, putzing around doing some long postponed chores.
For New Year's Eve, we headed over to Rick, Mandi and Marley's for a celebration. The girls had a grand time wrestling over Marley's very cool shopping cart and playing with her new toys. They are really starting to interact with each other more and it makes playtime increasingly enjoyable. After the girls were in bed, the adults sat down and played a couple rounds of Payday - an old favourite of Dean's. The new version has a few extra twists that keep the game lively but has hung onto many of the original postcards, such as - "Dear Mom, Camp Snake Bit is grate. Love Tommy." Ah, nostalgia.
Anyway, another wonder-filled year has come to a close and we look forward to all the adventures and news of 2010. All the best to our friends and family!
