Christmas Day - at home

Christmas Day was a different day for us this year...not only did we have company, J and we were in Vancouver, but Alex worked until 2 am on Christmas morning and had to work again at 5 am on Boxing Day...so we did some different stuff. We didn't do anything Christmas until the afternoon. While Alex slept, we went to the Aquarium - then we came home for dinner with cousin Nate.

good Christmas morning to you

the gifts appeared under the tree while we were out

and Santa came - look at the stockings!

J was pretty excited to see the stockings

what's in this stocking???

a train! Santa brought a train!

Alex opening his stocking

Paula was very interested in our tradition of getting an orange in the toe of our stockings. We decided Santa must not leave oranges in South African stockings because they have lots of oranges, all year...and when Santa first started bringing oranges to Northern Hemisphere stockings, they were a big treat!

it didn't take J long to figure out gift opening!

playing with the packaging

playing with a box

Nate juggling to entertain J - she loved him!

Recap of 2009

Okay, so I did this last year and in 2007 too and tried to do 2008 without looking at 2007 and I've tried to do the same this year.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
spent Christmas Day in a public place (the Aquarium!)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make New Year's resolutions

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I know a few people who had babies, some I know better than others!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Poppa Billy and Gayle and Andrew (by close I'm assuming family)

5. What countries did you visit?
England and Scotland

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I don't think we lacked much - more time with Alex and J maybe...possibly more sleep

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 3, June 25, July 3

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Receiving a Gold Merit Award

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not telling people how important they are to me often enough

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
no

11. What was the best thing you bought?
a tie between blinds and a Phil and Teds stroller

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Baby J

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
no one close to me

14. Where did most of your money go?
mortgage

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
J learning to walk and starting to talk

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Twinkle Twinkle little star

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
happier, thinner, richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
sleep, spent time with Alex and J

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
mourning

20. How did you spend Christmas?
celebrating for three days (December 24-26) with family and friends and a trip to the Aquarium

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
nope...I was already in love!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I would like it if the TV went away

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
no

24. What was the best book you read?
Hurry Hurry

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Yeah, I didn't make any...there just wasn't time

26. What did you want and get?
a new stroller

27. What did you want and not get?
we're not wanting for anything that I can think of

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I think I only saw four - so it's a tie between Harry Potter and Up. The other two were the Hangover and Zombieland

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Cried. A lot. 32

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
nothing - 2009 was pretty good except that we had to say goodbye to three family members

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
evolving

32. What kept you sane?
J

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
none

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
can't think of one

35. Who did you miss?
Kelsey

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Sharla and Inara and Chris

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Love your family. Tell them you love them. Think about what you're going to do before you do it. Take risks, but make them smart ones.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey.

You say goodbye and I say hello

We miss Paula.

She left town yesterday.

But at least it wasn't too sad...we picked Kelsey up just an hour and a half later.

Sad to see Paula go but oh so happy that Kelsey is home!

How to scare everyone involved

or how text messages can induce cardiac arrest...

The Mulvijohns are away enjoying a vacation somewhere warmer than Vancouver and they asked us to check in on the cat and do a few little things at their place once or twice before their housesitter arrived back in town from his Christmas vacation somewhere snowier than Vancouver.

I wasn't sure if he would be arriving today or tomorrow, so I sent him a text message (via his sister) to find out. Paula and I took J out for a few hours and met Alex for dinner. Dinner over and the Mulvijohn residence was on the way home, we decided to see how Daisy was doing.

We let ourselves in and I thought it was strange that the hall light was on, but whatever, they left really early in the morning.

I turned the bedroom light on and then I heard a voice...a voice saying hello?!?!?!

ACK!

Turns out I didn't get a text from Duncan saying he would be coming in today and that he already had keys.

So we freaked each other out...but it was okay...

And I survived and Duncan survived and he even got a hug *AND* a kiss from J when we left.

All is good!

Those Christmas Resolutions...

I made this list in 2007 and checked in last year. Let's see how well I did...

1. I will not leave all my shopping until the week before Christmas. We were pretty much done by the 20th although I had to run out on the 24th for a couple of small things
2. I will do some Christmas baking. Some yes...two batches of shortbread...
3. I will not forget an entire box of ornaments in the basement (or storage or closet or whatever other storage arrangement next year brings). Well, I didn't forget any, but we hardly brought any out as there are small hands that would love to touch, toss and taste all of the Christmas decorations.
4. I will not leave my Christmas cards until the weekend before Christmas. Um, yeah. Still not done.
5. I will use an assortment of different colours in my wrapping/bagging in future years. All red gets kind of boring. No problem. Lots of colours.
6. I will not look for a new place to live in the six weeks preceding Christmas. We're not moving anytime soon...
7. I will not move in the four weeks following Christmas (okay, so maybe those two are somewhat out of my control sometimes, but should I ever get amnesia and forget what it was like this year, this will serve as a memory jog I hope). See previous answer
8. I will enjoy every moment I get to spend with friends and family. Done. Over and over!

Stanley Park Lights

We went to Stanley Park tonight to go on the train and see the lights...the train was fully booked, so we just wandered. J had a great time! Last year I took a ton of pictures...this year, some of them are here (EDIT: January 11 - and if you're looking for some of the strange pictures, click here.)

mmm...roasting chestnuts

roasted chestnuts

Paula tries the chestnuts...and decides they're not her favourite...at all!

J loved the lights!

The Easter bunny is a bit confused...what holiday is it?

A Tree!

When J got up this morning there was a tree in the living room...she was pretty taken with it!

whoa!

getting a closer look

oooooooh! an angel!

Grouse Mountain Winter Wonderland

Yesterday we took Paula to Grouse Mountain to check out the snow and the Christmas festivities.

J saw snow last Christmas, but this was the first snow she would remember...

We started with the reindeer

J wasn't sure what the snow was all about...she spent a lot of time looking at it and wasn't entirely sure if she should walk on it.

Paula inspected the snow - to make sure it was real...

We had a quick visit with Santa

Paula with Vancouver in the background

The Lyons family

Paula skating

Just as we were leaving it started to snow...hard...so Paula got to see lots of real snow, falling from the sky!

The Christmas 27

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper...no question about it!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Unfortunately artificial for now...but I prefer real!

3. When do you put up the tree? Sometime after December 10. We might wait until December 24 this year because of the little fingers and hands at our house.

4. When do you take the tree down? sometime after Christmas. Probably Boxing Day (see above note about little fingers)

5. Do you like eggnog? Only Mrs. Piltz's...not even my dad's...usually ugh....

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The dollhouse my dad made me. The doll crib and bedding that my mom and dad made me. Pauline Jane, my Cabbage Patch doll. Toboggan

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yup. It doesn't have a home in this house (yet...) and is something J would love to touch! Bad idea. It's breakable. It's staying in storage.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My dad. My mom. Alex. Alex's brothers.

9. Easiest person to buy for? J and Isabella - little girls are the easiest!

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Can't think of one...maybe the XS shirt last year when I was still breastfeeding. And haven't been an XS since I was oh, 11?!?

11. Mail or e-mail Christmas card? Mail. I like Mail.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually (is that a Christmas movie? If not, the Grinch)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I see something that would be perfect for someone...I think it was October this year.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? nope. I've returned some though.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cranberry coffee cake with fruit salad, cinnamon buns and Baileys coffee...mmmm Christmas breakfast!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? coloured

17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, but I wish I could be in Kelowna too (maybe we should move there, then I'd get both!)

19. Can you name Santa’s reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (or is it Donner), Blitzen and of course RUDOLPH

20. Do you have an Angel on top or a star? an angel that I got last year...but nothing before that

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. But we usually got to open one on Christmas Eve and it was usually pjs.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Not enough time

23. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented? hmmm...where do I start...I don't. Each to his/her own

25. Which looks best theme trees or homey trees? no theme thanks.

26. Gingerbread or sugar cookies? Gingerbread. YUM!

27. Do you like Fruitcake? Ummm...we don't really eat fruitcake...it's not that bad though

She's here...

After months of talking about it (or years really), I picked Paula up at the airport yesterday afternoon. She's going to spend two weeks being J's roommate - good thing we got that sleeping thing sorted out and most nights J sleeps through the night now!


J is in heaven...not only is there someone else to play with, the new person reads to her too!

We're excited about all the adventures we're going to have in the next few days...and there's only three more work days before Christmas holidays! Yay!!!