What's Really Up Over Here!

We are due for an update. So I've heard. So here it is:
Kevin and Kade have finished another year of basketball clinic. They both learned a lot, progressed a lot, made new friends, and had a lot of fun!
Of course the highlight to the year is always the last evening when the kids play a game against their parents, followed by pizza and gatorade! Yum. I think the kids won in Kade's group and I think the parents had no mercy in Kevin's group, and clobbered them.

A "just because we should do this every once in a while" photo of us.

I got to go with Kade's class to the Children's Museum. It was a fun afternoon and fun to watch the kids running from display to display. It was also fun to watch the teachers play a game of tag in the tunnels with their students!

Some Kylie pictures . . .

We've already started Christmas family gatherings . . .

The beautiful Meika!

My dear sisters . . .

And then the snow began to fall . . . .

The kids and I got to celebrate our first and second (so far;)) SNOW DAY!!!!!

This has got to be a wonderful advantage to school, because we sure never had snow days when we homeschooled!

The kids are loving the snow and spending quite a bit of time outside.

Kylie also really loved the snow and the hill and was a real trooper!

In other news and notes:

- speaking of snow . . . We have a tape of Snow White in our home. It is Kylie's personal favourite right now. In fact I think in the last month, we have heard it 273 times - and if that is an exaggeration, it is a "low side" exaggeration!!! We've both got it pretty much memorized.

- Kylie still has good and bad days with the boys being in school. I think that will pretty much be the norm for this little girl. She can play SOOOOO good some days and then just when you think you are making progress, she'll throw in a couple of extremely pitiful days when you wonder where she gets the energy to be so obnoxious:) She is mostly enjoying the boys being home for these snow days though!

-I made it to December the first without seeing a snowflake. I was pretty excited about that. I think that my excitement was short lived. I also think that Grandpa and Grandma who left for Florida on November 30th are very smart people:) Actually, as I sit inside and look outside it really is beautiful. And if I get inspired to venture outdoors, like I did yesterday to take the kids to the hill, I actually have a good time. In fact I outlasted them all by at least 40 minutes . . . I mean someone has to shovel the driveway!!! It feels good to be outside and moving.

-I have not yet gotten a Christmas tree, but it's on my list for this week. This was going to be the week where I accomplished a lot - b/c schedule wise it was very empty. Snow days kind of threw that for a loop, but I don't mind. It means I can procrastinate a little more:)

-We got to have Tim and Christiaan over for the weekend. I wish I had taken pictures, but I didn't. They are great kids and we all had a great (albeit busy running around) weekend together.

- I got to go with Kevin to a London Knights game in November sometime. That was a special treat for both of us though it was a little hard on our "super competitive" Kevin to have the score end up 8-2 or something . . . and NOT in the Knights favour.

-We got the kids first report cards and had our first set of parent/teacher interviews. The kids are doing really well all around and we are very thankful for that! They are still really enjoying school, though I have to say that with the coming of snow, Kevin is pretty excited to stay home!

-When Kevin is home, he has a hockey stick (mini) in his hand at least 50% of the time. He is constantly strapping on the pads, grabbing the stick and taking shots (and if you know our house, you know how VERY LITTLE space he actually has. He is a little obsessed right now. Kade doesn't always appreciate his one track mind. He will play with Kev for a bit, but when he asks Kevin to make snowflakes or something crafty with him, Kevin rarely acquiesces. C'est la vie!

- I know I had a lot more things I wanted to record here for the record, but they have momentarily slipped my mind.

Enjoy your December!