Merry Christmas!

Here are some pictures from our tree hunting adventure on Saturday. Due to Brian being away and the chilly weather, we didn't have a chance to get the tree until 4 days before Christmas. But we have been enjoying it very much ever since. :)

Here we are driving up snowy Mount Scio. This is less than 10 minutes from our house!

Bronwen figuring out how to walk in the deep snow. Our kids are lucky to inherit a series of red MEC snowsuits from their Prince George cousins.. thanks Krista! :)

Superdad cuts down the tree, then carries back heavy tree and heavy toddler through deep snow. The logistics of getting a tree with a baby and toddler are a bit tricky but we figured it out. :)

Investigating the new decor

Bronwen loves to take decorations on and off

Making pecan and butter tarts

Little guy likes the tree too!

And back to the tarts in the oven...

More pictures to come from our Christmas celebrations :)

Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ the newborn King!

December has begun

It's about time I posted again! It's been a little busy around here... and I haven't really felt like writing much, to be honest. It started out with a nasty cold that knocked all of us off our feet- toddlers have no concept of infection control and it quickly spread to 3 out of 4 of us. John was spared.. the only answer I have for that is the antibodies in breastmilk must really and truly be there, given the amount of times Bronwen gave him snotty, sloppery kisses and coughed and sneezed directly in his little face. And poked his eyes. Yes.

December is upon us and I am enjoying the holiday season so far. We are playing it low key this year, with nowhere to go but stay home in our cozy little house. While some may feel it rather unfortunate to have the closest family 3200 km away at Christmastime (and it would be great to see them, of course)- I am looking forward to a quiet and simple celebration with just the 4 of us. This weekend we're planning to go chop down a tree somewhere (weather permitting), and the Christmas baking has already started. There's a delicious fruitcake aging in our fridge right now, and some gingerbread dough all ready to be rolled out, yum!

This past Sunday we had John's dedication at our church. For those unfamiliar with such practices, it's where he is 'officially' welcomed into our church family.. but more importantly, where we dedicate him to God and promise to raise him to know about our faith. In the hope that one day, he will turn around and make his own choice to follow Christ. We are very thankful for our church family at Mosaic, they truly are like family to us. They love our kids too.. there's always someone to hold them and play with them and have a bit of fun!

We also went to an Advent service last Sunday, which was a great way to start off the Christmas season. The Newfoundland International Gospel choir sang a couple of songs.. wow, can they ever sing!

Brian will likely be gone for 5 days next week, doing fieldwork in northern Newfoundland. The prospect of being alone with the kids is not quite as daunting as it was when John was 6 weeks old, but I'll still be glad when he's back.

John with one of his friends at church

up front with our squirmy kids

prayer of blessing

ps- a few more pics on my other blog!

A couple of changes

It's been a while since I posted... kind of falling behind on this blogging train. I don't even have that many pictures to do a big photodump. (Note to self- must start taking more pictures again or John is going to suffer from the second-child-lack-of-pictures syndrome! And his scrapbook will be bare..)

I think I'm going to revive the second blog, "Days in the Life of Bronwen (and now John!)".... for more in depth coverage of the kids. And make it for invited readers only. I know that's a bit of a pain.. e-mail me if you want to be 'invited'. I tried to invite some of you already.

Sorry random internet people.. you can read my musings and see a picture here and there but I'm not sure I want you to be able to see as much of my kids as their grandparents can (which is not even a whole lot, considering all the grandparents live far away). I mean, I am all for internet strangers, and am glad you came to visit.. but still. :)

Photo Update!

It's been a while since I posted.. but here are is the latest crop of pictures! Starting off with before Halloween when we went to a 'fall festive party' at a local church. 

This little boy said, "Hey, that baby firefighter stole my cookie!" Because she did. But, I don't think he really minded.

John took it all in for a while with wide eyes, and then fell asleep for the rest beside the sad pumpkin (it was a pin-the-smile on the pumpkin game).

We went to a couple of Halloween playdates. This is the toddler one. A pensive ladybug, our own grumpy firefighter, an itchy tiger... a little devil with his fork in the air, and then quiet little Thomas the train.

This playdate was with the younger babies.. they sit a bit more nicely.

Dad came from Ontario to visit... he also brought along our new ride! A double stroller.. it's a dream.

At Tim Horton's in the rain.

Spending some time with Grandpa.

Mr Blue Eyes

Bronwen anticipating Saturday morning breakfast.. notice the large stack of pancakes!

We went to Cape Spear, and it was really windy but not cold at all!

Jab, this one's for you... :)

One more Halloween party.. here are all the little characters in the backyard. Bronwen is defending herself from an ice ninja.

Bronwen discovered this slide.. she then wanted to go down it over. and over. and over.

Sporting his cute hairdo! Our handsome little guy.

Friday is here again!

Linking up with Five Minute Friday again! "On Fridays we silence that voice and we just write without worrying if it’s just right or not."

This week's word? Together.

Together. The word alone sounds nice, something that brings comfort. Recently Brian went away and I was left with the kids... but while he was gone, some friends near and far showed me that we are all in this together. The first morning I was on my own, a friend appeared at my door with a Starbucks coffee and an invitation to join her and her little guy at a playgroup. Another friend brought ice cream and cookies and took Bronwen for a walk. Someone else brought pizza and a friend for Bronwen to play with. I had phone calls from friends far away. These friends are like family!

Living far from all of our family, at first glance sometimes things can seem the opposite of together. But really, that's where community comes in. Like the people who showed the kids and I all that kindness the other week. Like our church family here... who really have become like family. It takes a while to build up this kind of togetherness when you move to a new place, and I think that the first year or so that I lived here I was resisting putting down roots and finding community. But now, over four years later, I feel quite differently. In this place we find ourselves in, we are together with others, and we live life alongside each other. And it makes all the difference.

That's five minutes!

Bronwen and friends- Lots of babies born in our little community too!

Giving Thanks

Time for another onslaught of pictures! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here in St John's and have much to be thankful for...

We went to the annual Thanksgiving feast at our friend Dave's. Here is John having some deep conversation at his first holiday dinner.

Bronwen begging for chips (notice the outfit Lindi!?)

And helping Dave pick out some wine.

The centrepiece of this meal was the Turducken, made by Dave. Turkey, duck and chicken all in one. Complicated.. and delicious.

They have beer on tap here!

John from his vantage point.

The whole crowd at dinner.

That night, Mom Claus arrived from Terrace! On Thanksgiving Monday we enjoyed our own feast featuring lots of produce from our garden. Here are some carrots, beets, and green onion ready to be used...

Mother and son cooking up a storm!

Delicious beets

Here it is! A very delicious meal. Lots of fresh veggies.

So happy to meet her newest grandchild! John is #8 in the Claus clan.

We went to the Georgetown bakery for some delicious treats, and took shelter in the Rooms museum on the way home to enjoy them and the view.

Love our little man! Mr Bright Eyes. 2 months old now!

The Baker Extraordinaire herself made us these delicious sticky buns for our breakfast on Friday morning.

And we went out for Fish and Chips that night. Bronwen was very interested in everything.

 And here he is, for his 2 month picture.

Thanks Mom for such a great week! We really enjoyed having you here.

To everyone else... drop me a comment to say hi! I know you're out there ;)