Tramping Lake Christmas

We spent Christmas out at Tramping Lake with the Volk clan!  Everyone was at the farm and it was a great time! So fun to watch the kids play cousins and enjoy each others company. 

Photo bomb!

Handsome boy cousins!

Beautiful girl cousins!

Everyone in the same picture!

Two Cuties!

Holding Baby Haley

Santa came.....

Christmas pjs - Super Mickey!

Christmas pjs

New dolly

Opening presents!

Opening presents

Making music!

Grandpa, Madelyn, Haley

Tubing behind quad

Madelyn and Emma's turn

Santa Pancakes

Worms and Dirt Pizza

Tomorrow at daycare the kids are having pj and pizza day.  Our wonderful daycare lady had been telling Will that she was going to make him worms and dirt pizza.  We took matters into our own hands, I am sure she will be a bit surprised when we show up with worm and dirt pizza tomorrow!

Making dirt!

Worms and Dirt Pizza!

Christmas Memories

Tonight the kids and I created Christmas memories by making cookies for Santa Claus.  I have to say I have fond memories making sugar cookies as a kid, I hope that Will and Madelyn will too.

Will was very excited to make cookies this year and cut almost all of the cookies himself.  Both kids "helped" roll out the dough and they each decorated special cookies for Santa!

Madelyn enjoyed eating the cookie dough, I can't blame her sugar cookie dough is yummy!



Will decorating cookies.

Madelyn done eating her cookie! Note how Will has no shirt, which apparently got dirty and Madelyn no pants for the same reason! I wasn't about to put clean ones back on only to have the same thing happen.

Will's Cookies for Santa! He thought it was hilarious he put Rudolph's nose on top of his eyes!

Madelyn's Cookies for Santa!

And now my wonderful husband is making his own Christmas cookie memories doing the dishes while I sit with my feet up and drink in hand!

Christmas Tree

The art of decorating a Christmas Tree with kids:

1) only have plastic, none breakable ornaments.
2) lay them out on couch.
3) let them go to town.
4) don't worry if the mutiple ornaments are on the same branch.
5) try to prevent the tree from tipping over.
6) sit back and enjoy because in 10 years you will be fighting with them to help.

Checking out the decorations, Will would separate out shapes and put all of one shape on first then move to the next.

Madelyn putting on decorations. She kind of enjoyed taking off more.

Will made sure the tree was decorated all the way around.

Will would load his fingers up with ornaments then head to the tree. Efficiency at its finest.

More decorating, Will loved decorating the tree this year. He probably hung well over half the decorations.

Finished product.  Not sure what Will's face is about.....

Experience Santa

If you live in Regina or are coming through Regina in the next couple of weeks, you seriously need to check out Experience Santa at the Southland Mall. 

You make a minimum donation of $5 to the Z99 Radiothon in support of the Regina NICU.  About a half hour of the kids singing songs, listening to a story and hanging out with Santa.  Will absolutely loved the experience, Madelyn too as long as she did not have to get too close the Santa!

Waiting for Santa

Posing

Will wanted to get free!

Loving making music

Hokey Pokey

Story time.

Getting ready to sing Rudolph

Will asked Santa what his reindeer eat.  Oats with carrots and lettuce mixed in and a bit of crushed candy cane on top.  The reindeer really like the crushed up candy canes apparently. 

Family picture with Santa, Madelyn did not want to sit with him alone so this was the compromise

Christmas Train

We went to the Christmas Train tonight, definately worth the wait in the cold!

The kids were so excited to see the train and were in awe when Santa came off the train and handed out candy canes. I did not get any good pictures of the train, but I did get a picture of the stage and Doc Walker performing. 

The timing was perfect to take the kids for a change, I always find that activities happen too late and the kids are tired and ready for bed or over naptime.  The train arrive about 6pm which was perfect, dark outside so you got the whole effect but still early enough that the kids could have fun!

Here is a link to some information on the CP Rail Christmas Train.  They raise money and collect donations for the food bank at each stop. http://www.cpr.ca/en/in-your-community/holiday-train/schedule/Pages/default.aspx

I think this may be the turning to point to getting me into the Christmas spirit.

MIA

We have been MIA the last few weeks with:

• Work travel
• Illness
• A great visit from my oldest brother and kids

Stay tuned for updates such as writing Santa letters this weekend!