Christmas Vacation

This year Christmas vacation has been loads of fun. I've missed having my kiddos around the house all day, and now am enjoying it! We've been busy. We had a great snow fall of 14inches, and we had tremendous fun romping around in that! It was hysterical watching Floyd run through it. He wasn't too happy about pooping in it though, and he was quite constipated by the second day!


This past week we have had some friends over, including Allen & Denise & Sarah, and also Amanda and the boys. It was so great seeing them all! It's been since the summer since we had a chance to see them. We certainly enjoyed our visits.

Today we spent cleaning the house, and I had to run to the store. Uh, yeah, after about 3 inches of snow falling this morning, shoveling the driveway and sidewalks, baking a pie, cleaning house, and the shopping on New Year's Eve... well... I was starting to get irritated. I managed to get everything put away, dinner started, the mopping done and refereeing the kids until Dustan came up from working downstairs at 5pm. Then Dominic and Gwendolyn came over, and they're here for a sleepover.

Currently, I can hear fireworks going off somewhere, and I am reminded again of our blessed time in Germany and the great celebration of bringing in the New Year. We always enjoy a quiet evening at home, and I always get sappy about the year ending, and tears inevitably roll. I don't know why, but there is always something that invisibly attaches you to the events of the year, and losing some we've loved, and rejoicing over the many blessings we've received... regretting choices we have made or dreams not accomplished... many hopes for the new year... it all becomes so overwhelming- just for a little while- on New Year's Eve. I really AM a sap!

Well, here's to all the good and the bad, the lessons learned, and many smiles we've made over even the smallest things, the memory of those who have been lost, and to all that God has in store for us in the New Year that is ever fast approching. May we all heed His voice and obey it, to His glory and our betterment. Many blessings to you all!

Baptism Discussion

"...not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing or regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5

Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall not be saved..."

I thought I'd share on here the background to the motivation for getting our children baptised. The link will take you to a note written on Facebook on November 17, 2009.

This past year we have been studying Orthodoxy, and have decided to become Orthodox. We have found that it is truly what we believe, what we've been searching for a church to teach for the 10 years we've been married. In doing so, we were Christmated and the children were baptised in November. What a HAPPY day! It came as a surprise to many of our friends and family, but rest assured, more of you are Orthodox than you think! All it takes is some reading and you will find it is exactly what you've been trying to put the Christian faith into words for all your life!

Snowfall

So, we got our first snowfall on the 5th of the month, and that's when we happened to get our Christmas tree too. The kids didn't get to play in it until the next day after church, and by then it was mostly gone, even though we had gotten 3 inches of the stuff. But on the north side of the house, they found enough snow to make a miniature snowman- and I do mean miniature.

Christmas Ambiance

Jobs

So, the other day (or was it 2 weeks ago?) Nathaniel came up to me in the kitchen and starting telling me all of the jobs that he was big enough to do. "I am going to be just like Ariel!"

His list of things he was already responsible for was pretty short- mostly to put his dirty laundry away everyday, not make a mess in the bathroom and to pick up the dirty towels and socks around the main floor of the house every night and take them up to the laundry pile. So, it was pretty easy to add to that list- since he volunteered anyway. Now he has a 5 o'clock job of turning the outside lights on for Daddy to come home, and he's learning to wash dishes. He did a fair job of listening to directions on the best way to wash certain items, and he managed to do a whole sink full of them. But since then, he's not volunteered again. ; )

As you can see, Ariel was very excited that she got to rinse instead of having to wash. She really likes this part of the deal!