Peyton Turns 3

It's hard to believe that I first became an aunt three years ago! Jordan and Kari's little boy turned three last week, and we were there for the fun! Since Christmas, Peyton has learned that wrapped presents often have toys in them, so he was pretty excited to see more presents for him... too bad he has to wait 11 months until the next time he gets to open gifts.

Peyton got a bowling set... a fun indoor game for cold winter days

Papa with Drew... who was obviously partied out

James and mom with Maggie and Drew. Drew is only 6 weeks younger than Maggie; they'll have fun growing up together.

The birthday boy excitedly opening presents!

A Visit to the Ocean

A couple of weeks ago, Maggie took her first plane trip! We went to Courtenay, on Vancouver Island, to visit my parents who were out there for a couple of weeks. Maggie did so well on the plane... a little restless, but quiet and easily distracted. I was glad it was only a one hour flight though!

We were only there for four days, which was long enough since we were without James. We spent time in the shops in Courtenay and Comox, walking, shopping, and taking a drive to the other side of the island to Tofino, and the ocean. It rained most of the time we were there, which made the waves and beach experience exciting, although I'm looking forward to going back when it's sunny.

It was nice to have some extra hands with Maggie for a few days... and she enjoyed having other people to play with!

Dinner time with Gramma

On the beach. What's amazing is that there are surfers in the distance behind me... brrrr!

Our First Family Christmas

Well, Christmas has come and gone now and I have neglected to share any of it with you. I'll begin on Sunday, December 23rd, where we had our first Christmas meal of the season at the Mooney house. James and I had previously decided that we would alternate Christmases with our families, and this year it would be Clark Christmas. Fortunately, we live in the same city as both of our parents, so we were able to enjoy some time with the Mooney's as well. Judy prepared a lovely, festive meal to get us prepared for the days ahead!

Later that night, dad wanted to share with us an old English tradition: roasting chestnuts on an open fire (I'll give you a moment to sing the song). Once we got rid of the rotten ones, we found that roasted chestnuts are really quite tasty. Thanks for starting this tradition, dad!

Roasting chestnuts on an open fire. It's actually just an open pit with burning embers, but I guess that would be too long for a song.

James resolves to go to the dentist this year to take care of his overbite. Where have all the marshmallows gone?

Christmas Eve day was spent at the mall first thing. Every year I say to myself, "Self, get all of the shopping done by November 30th." And every year I'm doing something last minute on Christmas Eve. I didn't have much to get though, in fact, it was mostly groceries. Next year will be better, I hope. Although I can't imagine Maggie being as patient with me as a one-and-a-half-year-old as she was this year. She was a little angel tagging along with me everywhere I went.


For the evening we went to our church candellight service, then over to my parents for our annual book exchange. This is a 5-year old tradition where each family member answers some questions about themself (e.g., what was your favourite subject in school, what are your social interests, what would you like to learn next year, what was your favourite memory of this year, etc.), then we randomly pick one person to buy a book for, using the answers to their questions for help. It's a surprisingly interesting activity... finding "the book" that will match that person's interests, and a tradition that I have come to look forward to.

Christmas morning was spent at my parents' house. Jordan, Kari, Peyton and Drew spent the night there, so they were patiently waiting for us to arrive. Peyton did so well! He was a little unsure at first as to what was going on, until he realized that some of the gifts had toys in them! Christmases will be fun in the years ahead with all of these kids!

Papa and our favourite little present!

Jordan, Kari, and Peyton

We had a wonderful dinner, followed by an entertaining game of "Guesstures". All in all, a perfect Christmas day... too much food, with lots of laughs.

Boxing Day... for those of you who read my blog that live in the States, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, a holiday here in Canada, and also the biggest shopping day of the year. I was sick of the mall, so we went for a long walk instead. It had turned cold that day, so we bundled little Maggie up, put on our toques (tobaggans for you Americans), and headed out. Maggie was not too sure about this, but after about 10 mins, she had fallen asleep until we returned home. Poor little thing kicked off her socks though and had ice cubes for feet. I suppose I have learned a lesson in all of this as well...

Brrr... is this supposed to be fun? I can't even see anything!

That night, we went to the Mooney's for one of my favourite meals: ham and potatoes. James' grandma was in town from Moose Jaw and we always have fun playing "dice" with her. Again, another fun evening with too much food, and lots of laughs!

Judy, Jacqueline, and Great Grandma Gladys

The rest of the holiday season was pretty low-key. We played a few games of Canasta with Jordan and Kari, spent one night watching the Bourne trilogy, and attempted to do the same with the Pirate trilogy (which didn't go so well... it actually took us five days to get through them!). James is back to work in full force tomorrow, while Maggie and I go to Vancouver Island to see my parents for a few days.

So, although I'm a little late in my post, I thank you for checking in on the goings-on of our little family, and wish you all a very happy and healthy 2008!