It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Dad spoiled the girls with Lego advent calendars this year.  They were so excited and a little disappointed they had to wait a few more days to start it!

Who doesn't pick Ikea for dinner when you are in the city running errands?!?  Instead of sitting in traffic we decided to have dinner (for about $15 for all 4 of us) and then do a little Christmas idea shopping.  It was a fun way to end a busy night!

Decorating the Tree

It's that time of year again!  The girls have been asking Dad when they were going to get the tree out.  They are getting better at spacing out the decorations but Dad still had to give a few reminders.

It was Cera's year to put on the star on the tree.  She was pretty excited!  The girls also setup their little tree upstairs and decorated it with mini decorations.  The Christmas season is officially here!!

Kids Christmas Party

The girls knew they would be seeing Santa (or at least one of his helpers) soon so they got to writing their letters so he'd know what they were hoping for this year.  Proceeding their letter writing was a trip to Walmart and Monkey Mountain to get some ideas of what they'd like.  As they've been watching more Netflix this year, it means less commercials letting them know all the things they "need".

A few days later it was time for the Kids Christmas Party for Dad's work.  The girls were so excited as it was the same as last year.  We met up at the Kyle Shewfelt Gym for some gmymnastics.

The girls had fun at most of the stations.  Cera and Emilee were in the same group and excited to have a boy coach.  He let them do some extra things when he saw their skill level was a little higher than the rest of the group.  They loved that!

Elizabeth was in a younger group but she was very patient with the kids and the less challenging things they did.  Nice pointed toes!!

This is one of the girls favorite parts at this gym.  They love the long trampoline!

After lots of gymnastics, some pizza and watching Kyle (Olympic gold medalist) and some other coaches show off their skills; Santa came!!  Each of the kids were called up for a little visit and were given an early Christmas gift.  They also got a candy cane and holiday cracker from Santa.  The girls were excited to give Santa their letters personally and also a few pictures they made for him.

The girls were so patient as Dad was helping call kids up and offered for them to go last.  It gave them a bit more time to chat with the big guy which was fun for them.

Last year we just got to see Cera's back as she visited with Santa so she made sure to take a seat this year.  Love the little smile as she talks to Santa.

It's a little fuzzy but we loved the excitement Cera had for the gift Santa brought her.  It was a spa science kit she was hoping for.  Emilee and Elizabeth were excited with their gifts also.  Who wouldn't be happy getting an early gift from Santa in November!!

We are grateful for another fun year at the kids party!  The girls are already looking forward to next year.

A Christmas Carol

One afternoon Dad called from work to say he had scored 4 free tickets to A Christmas Carol.  Cera was home sick that day and Mom had Uncle Mike over so Dad offered to keep Mike for the evening so Grandma could come use the forth ticket.  The girls were pretty impressed with this ice sculpture outside the building.  

The seats were pretty good.  They were on the top balcony but the very front row and center so we had an excellent view.  We were sad Cera couldn't come with us but happy that Grandma could use the extra ticket.  Mom was surprised with how they had changed things to still follow the story but make it unique from previous years she has gone (although it's been a few years since we've seen it)  It was a fun night out!

Stories and Playdates

Elizabeth has been working on writing and spelling at school so she decided to turn her one book into a storybook.  She did some great drawing and writing!

One of Cera's friends moved into the country so we were all invited for a playdate as it's a bit of a drive to take Cera, drive home and drive back to pick her up.  All 3 of the girls loved the mini horses.

They also had fun playing in their basement as it's unfinished and basically a bit play room.  There are swings handing from the ceiling, air hockey, plasma cars and a little playhouse under the stairs.  They had a fun afternoon playing with friends they haven't seen in awhile.

Light Up!

It was that time of year again!  We couldn't miss the town light up as it's become a family tradition.  The girls were excited to see Santa (although they say he isn't the real Santa as he's too busy to be at all the events so he has helpers) 

We enjoyed the lights on the town tree.  It seems they add a bit more each year to spruce it up.

What a great looking crew!!

This year they added a few new attractions - one being the s'more stand.  They girls had fun cooking a marshmallow over the firepit and then adding cookies and chocolate to it.  It was busy but not as bad as we expected.

The girls also enjoyed some hot chocolate to help warm them up as we waited our turn for a wagon ride.

It was a chilly night but we were able to complete our usual list - watch the lights turn on, enjoy a treat or two, have a ride on the wagon and head for home.  Some times the girls do the free craft or cookie decorating but they weren't too interested in the options this year.

Another tradition that has started is having our own hot chocolate when we get home.  Mom hadn't been made aware of this tradition so we had to stop by the store on the way home to get whipped cream and some candy canes.  The girls made beautiful creations to enjoy before they headed to watch the fireworks with Dad at 9pm.  It was a great night spent with family!

November Adventures

We tried to take advantage of our fall weather and we were always prepared to wake up each morning to a foot of snow.  The girls had fun rollerblading and bike riding around the pond.  

Mom was able to help with an in-school field trip in Elizabeth's class.  We learned about communities and the kids loved all the activities.

Elizabeth enjoyed her swimming lessons this year.  She was proud of herself learning how to do the front crawl.

Emilee also had swimming lessons through school.  She was excited to pass her level and had some fun while doing it.

The girls were excited to dress up for the Remembrance Day program at school.  Mom was able to attend the assembly also and sit with Emilee and her tender heart.  She needed a little Mom support during the event.  Those sure are some gorgeous girls!

Emilee was working on some goals for activity days (the church group for girls age 8-11).  She planned and made a healthy meal for the family.  She decided to make some steak stir-fry.

She learned a lot and practiced some new skills.  She had fun and Mom learned to be more patient as Emilee cut up the vegetables at her speed.  She made a delicious dinner and everyone loved it!  Way to go Em!

Elizabeth was so proud of the Remembrance Day wreaths they made.  She wants to keep it forever.

Emilee and Elizabeth were home one afternoon looking for something to do so what do we do?  Build a huge bedroom fort!  They loved it and played in it for hours.  At bedtime they didn't want to take it down.  Elizabeth didn't really have a choice but to take down hers so she could sleep but Em left the blankets hanging on the side of her bed for days afterward!  Everyone loves a good fort!

Mom was going to Canmore to take pictures for the Mysyk family.  They called and invited the girls and Dad to come up and enjoy the condo they were staying in while they were away getting pictures taken.  The girls loved the pool, hot tub and talking shower!  They  were also very interested in the cutting and dicing going on once they returned.  After pictures and a short visit, we headed for home.  It was a fun day for everyone.

Cera and Mom were able to go visit Clare and Aunt Jadi in the hospital.  Cera was able to learn how to use the lift and help Clare get into bed from her wheelchair.  She also learned about Clare's halo and the weights being added to it.  It was a good visit!

Mom did a little redneck BBQing this month.  Our outside light had burnt out and it was super dark by the time she went out to cook so what do you do?  Get the flood light out of the garage to shine on the BBQ.  She just might have had to put the meat back on the BBQ after she brought it inside to see it wasn't quite done yet!  Oh Moms!

After Cera made her body pillow out of green, fuzzy soft material (that she affectionately calls her pickle pillow) her sisters wanted to make one too.  Mom picked up some material and stitched it up for Elizabeth (she gave Elizabeth the choice to do it herself but she said no thanks).  She then filled it up and Mom hand stitched it closed.  It's always fun to create something yourself and she loves it!

Breathtaking Beauty

Not only have we been enjoying some outstanding fall weather but we have had some amazing glimpses into the beauty of nature!  One morning after exercising Mom looked out the back window to this breathtaking view!  It seemed like such a great reward after working hard. 

We also were able to see and enjoy a supermoon this month.  We were sad that it was so cloudy when it first started coming up so we didn't get any pictures with it beside landmarks to give an idea of how huge it was.  But we were lucky enough for the sky to clear later and it to experience the beauty.  Cera's photography assignment for the week was frames so we tried to get a few pictures of the moon in the frame we had.

We were able to get a few pictures that at least showed the texture of the moon even if you can tell how huge it was.

Cera and Mom were pretty chilly after being out taking pictures but it was worth it for the view.

One more incredible view from the backyard.  Who wouldn't want to wake up a bit early each morning to see this!