Holiday Wrap Up

We've had such a wonderful and blessed Christmas Season.  I feel so sorry for the people who take their decorations down on the 26th and call Christmas over.  They seem to forget what the "Twelve Days of Christmas" is actually about.  Ella had so much fun helping Daddy get our outdoor Christmas lights up.  It was nearly Christmas, so Daddy didn't get creative, just up  :)

We headed to Scarborough Christmas Eve.  The weather was good and the heavy traffic was heading out of Toronto so that was good too.  Midnight Mass was beautiful.  Before Mass, there was a special carol service.  Just 12 women and a harp!  They were singing 14th and 15th century carols, most in old English/Anglo Saxon -it was the most amazing thing I've ever heard.  I wished Colin and Stefan had of come with us.  We left them at home with Ella -she was too tired/wired to try taking this year.  We had a very nice, relaxed Christmas morning at Auntie Belinda's new house.  We slept in until 8:30.  They spoiled us.
The three of us headed out around noon, made the mistake of telling Ella we'd eat lunch at McDonald's, little did we know they would be all closed.  We finally found a doughnut store that was open.  We met up with my girlfriend and her family for a brief visit.  We've been friends since before kindergarten.

Then it was over to Great Grandma's, just like every Christmas morning of most of my life.  Now that I'm married and live way up here, we only get down every other year.  We all got a wonderful present this year.  My cousin Bradley Brad came home from BC.  He's a fishing guide out there (perfect job for him) and doesn't get home much.  He had a surprise for us too, he has his hair cut for the first time since grade 8.  My youngest cousins don't even remember Brad with short hair.  I must admit I loved his long hair, he has such beautiful curls -I have to pay a lot to get my hair like that  :)  This is my Grandma, she was so happy to have Bradley, I mean Brad home again.

My Uncle Dennis gave Ella her favourite present.  Her own digital camera.  She actually took some good pictures.  I'll post a few when I get them loaded on the computer.  That's Uncle Stefan in the orange shirt, and Daddy of course.  It was hard to get a picture of Ella because she always wanted to take a picture at the same time -too cute.

As you know, we made the trip home ok.  The weather could have been nicer, but Daddy is a very good driver and our vehicle has 4-wheel drive.  This is Ella and Daddy playing with her favourite gift from Daddy and I.  We got a log building kit from Lehman's.  They are wood and nicely stained.  We got the big kit because I know Daddy will play with them as much as Ella does. 

Daddy's special gift this year was a scythe.  I know it seems a little odd, but Colin was very pleased.  Now he can get the grass and weeds that grow around the barns and greenhouse that are too inconvenient to use the gas trimmer.  He also thinks it will be helpful in the pumpkin patch.  We're lucky, Robbie, who is part of the OVFC has a scythe and is very informative.  He's actually very excited about Colin getting a scythe and has offered to help Colin get it set up and learn to care for it properly.  It's made of Austrian steel and not the large heavy American scythe that most people are familiar with.  If the handle were made my size, I would be able to use it comfortably.

We had a good time on the 27th at Colin's folks house.  Ella always has so much fun playing with her cousins Brittany and Jared.  This is a nice picture of Ella with Brittany and her Uncle Glenn (Colin's BIL).  Ella always takes a little while to 'warm up' to Glenn, she's like that with everyone that has any form of facial hair.  I don't know why??

We had the family over again on New Year's day.  At first Colin's sister Elizabeth wasn't going to be able to come, but things changed so we were all able to celebrate the start of a New Year.  Supper went well and I was able to use my new Kitchenaid dutch oven.  The rest of the Christmas season will be quiet and just time spent enjoying Ella and Colin, though Colin must work every day.