We decided to take a trip to Fernie over the Christmas holidays. It took a bit for the girls to remember and get comfy in their skis again. Elizabeth had tried going down the little hill about twice last year so this was a big step for her.
Once they got setup, Cera and Emilee were off.
They were excited to be back on the hill again and it was a pretty nice day out.
Elizabeth was excited with the idea of skiing on her own but couldn't move without a little help from Dad.
They headed down the hill together - ready for a day of learning!
Emilee and Cera did great on the t-bar. Elizabeth was pretty nervous and it made it hard for Dad to help her get to the top. She's our timid girl though and will get better as she goes.
Cera's first trip down the hill. She remembered how much she enjoys skiing - check out that smile!
Dad helping Emilee remember some of the basics from her little bit of skiing last year. She did good and continued to improve and get braver throughout the day.
Dad did a couple trips down the hill with Elizabeth between his legs.
Dad took Elizabeth to the magic carpet area so she could try on her own and practice turning, etc. She was being a bit stubborn and when she fell once, then she was done for the day. Maybe next time she'll be ready for more.
Dad and the older girls headed up the chair lifts for some good runs for the day.
While Mom and Elizabeth enjoyed games, coloring and snacks inside. Everyone had a good day and enjoyed themselves. Next trip Mom and Elizabeth might stay home to play and color.
It was a fun way to end 2015 - hanging out as a family! We had a great weekend (except for the drive home in a terrible snowstorm). We are so grateful for the year we have had and look forward to another eventful one ahead! Happy New Year everyone!
Well the girls (and Dad) got "the best Christmas present ever" a couple days before Christmas. The conversation between Mom and Dad before this decision was made was:
Mom: "What if I say okay to a dog?"
Dad: *mouth open in shock, almost passing out on the floor*
Mom: "A few rules go with me saying yes though."
Dad: *nodding with excitement and agreement to almost anything if he can get a dog*
Mom: "One - it can't be a puppy. I can't handle the puppy stages. And two - I will do nothing for the dog. You and the girls will be in charge of walking it, feeding it, cleaning up after, etc."
Dad: "Okay! It will be a rescue dog so I'm not sure we can pull this off by Christmas."
Then Dad rushed off to start his search (and to skip around joyfully for the next few weeks) and was able to find a dog that seemed to be a great fit for our family. We quickly did the meeting of the dog, paper work, etc and surprised the girls on the 23rd as we headed to Calgary to pick up the dog. When we arrived outside the house (which the girls thought was one of Dad friends we were delivering chocolates to) we let each of the girls open an early Christmas gift. Inside their gifts were various dog items - lease, food bowl, treats, etc. It took some talking and convincing before the girls realized we were getting a dog and it wasn't a joke. They were pumped! Before we got out of the car, Dad made the girls pinky promise they would do their part to take care of the dog without complaining.
Doesn't Mojo look like she's in heaven? Welcome to the doggy spa!!
Mojo doesn't get much alone time around our house. It seems someone is always wanting to play with her, scratch her, or just lay beside her on the floor. She doesn't seem to complain too much!
In fact, she really misses the girls and Dad when they leave. She will lay by the door watching out the window for their return! Mojo and Mom have a mutual understanding that they don't bother each other and then they are both happy! Things seem to be pretty good for everyone.
For Elizabeth's writing one night, she decided to write a letter about Christina Marie. "I like my elf. Her name is Christina Marie. How old is Rudolph?_____print here." Then she drew a picture of her, Christina Marie and Santa. She did great work!
The girls love playing in the snow! It's great to see them build and create together and leave lots and lots of tracks around the backyard.
We were invited to join a group that was going caroling at the old folks home in town. The girls had a blast and we were grateful for the opportunity.
Mike can be so helpful around the house. Mom had to make some sugar cookies for an activity at church. Mike helped roll out and cut the cookies. It was also a lesson in patience for Mom as Mike is like the girls, they like to cut from the middle of the dough.
So excited for surprises at Christmas!!! Grandma Richards' kids all chipped in and got her the rack and trays used for chocolate dipping each year. She will be so surprised!
Grandpa dropped a nice big box off at our house for the girls to play with. It seems Mike is enjoying it more than the girls. Whenever he comes over he climbs in and likes to play hide and seek or peek-a-boo. He's pretty funny!
Mom received a heart melting text from Emilee's primary teacher. A girls in her class was having a hard day and Emilee was right there to help her out. Emilee is such a sweet, sensitive girl!
Another tradition completed - charity checkstop!! We opted for cash donations this year instead of actual food. The girls loved it!
The school had a competition to see which class could collect the most food donations and which class could build the most unique structure with them. Emilee's class was one of the winning classes and enjoyed a pizza party because of it. They had lots of food and built a miniature size of our town including many of the landmarks.
The girls were excited to get the mouth guard game for Christmas. They had fun with the mouth guards while trying to convince the adults to play with them.
They will love these pictures when they get older!
Elizabeth's teeth have been jumping out of her mouth! We aren't sure how she eats and her smoothie straw slides easily into her mouth without really having to open it! She's keeping that toothfairy busy!
The girls (and Dad) are still loving this face!
The girls were all very excited for Christmas morning. They loved each of their gifts and were very grateful for what they received.
One of the highlights of the morning was when the girls thanked each other for the gifts from each other - group hug!!
Emilee loves to turn her bed into a fort so Cera decided for Christmas she would make her a bed fort. She designed it, picked out the material (with input from Emilee although she had no idea) and sewed it (with a little help from Mom). Emilee loved it!
We sure do love these three beautiful, thoughtful, loving, caring girls! Here's to another great year!
The girls were so excited for the Grandma sleepover again this year! I'm not sure they will ever want to stop this tradition. They played some games, watched movies, ate treats and maybe slept a little.
What a great looking group!
When the girls got home, they enjoyed some playtime in the snow.
On Christmas Eve we continued with our family traditions, Santa was ready to make his trip around town on the fire truck and we headed over to say hi. It was pretty chilly out so we didn't stay long.
Our little Rudolph was pretty cute!
The crew tried to keep warm by jumping around. They were warm enough to give Mom a smile!
When Santa got ready to head out, the fire truck got stuck on the piles of snow on the road. It took a minute before he got on his way.
Keep warm Santa and have a great night!
After seeing Santa off, we headed home for our tradition finger foods and watching The Grinch together. The girls (and Dad) were still pretty excited to have an addition in our house this year - Mojo is still working on adjusting but is doing fairly well.
Merry Christmas!
We are so blessed in our family. We are grateful for the traditions we have and that we are able to spend lots of time together. We are also grateful for our knowledge of the real reason for celebrating the Christmas season. We are grateful for the birth of our Savior and the many blessings that brings into our lives. We are grateful for another great year, full of ups and downs, that our family has enjoyed together.
The girls were excited for Christina Marie to make a return to our house. She was up to her usual tricks! We are grateful that she is fairly well behaved though while keeping on eye on the girls.
She likes to swing from the lights!
She's good at camouflaging with the tree and decorations.
She invited the girls to build a snowman with her - this one didn't melt! The snowman hung around our front room for weeks.
She spent some time with the poor elf stuck upside down in the decorations.
She must have upset the dinosaurs - uh oh! This looks like the wrong group to mess with.
She must have been jealous of the girls stuffies and found some of her own to cuddle with.
Christina Marie enjoyed some of Grandpa's homemade rootbeer!
She wandered down to the basement one night but was nice enough to leave a note so the girls knew where to search.
Who doesn't love games of x's and o's by the light of the Christmas tree!
She must have been listening to Mom and Dad's secret conversations about surprising the girls with a dog for Christmas. On the morning we were taking the girls to pick up the dog Christina Marie had a bowl of water and some dog bone cookies.
The girls enjoyed another month of searching for Christina Marie. They also enjoyed a few laughs as Uncle Mike couldn't get her name right - to him she was Christmas Marie. Such fun traditions!
