Monday 30 December 2013

Home Sweet Home

After about a week and a half of travelling and visiting with family we are happy to be home again. Everything still in it's place, even Ottawa's reliably horrible weather. Honestly I don't think this place was meant to sustain human life but oh well I guess it's working out so far.

Our car actually held up pretty well this trip. Our little mini Mazda sure gets a lot of looks of bewilderment mixed with amazement wherever we go. With the five of us it looks like when clowns in a circus file out of an amazingly small car. No one seems to know how we manage fitting all the car seats in (with great difficulty) or how we ourselves fit in (with greater difficulty). Then you add heaps of Christmas presents, clothes, books, toys, and snacks; which really makes for a less than luxurious trip to say the least. But other than the extreme lack of space the journey went well. Miriam our littlest was actually one of the best behaved which is a very big change from when she was a baby.

It was wonderful to spend time with my side of the family as we don't get to see them as much as my wife's side who for the most part are here in Ottawa. My nephews are decidedly taller and so is their sister; all of whom will be entering teenagerhood soon (yikes). I finally met the newest addition to the family, baby Lily. Although she wasn't a huge fan of me I admired her mostly from across the room, which was certainly her preference. The few times I did hold her she would keep her composure for a few minutes so as not to hurt my feelings, and then finally would break down into the  "who the heck is this weird hairy guy holding me mama" cry! I seem to remember my own children doing the exact same thing with their uncles but perhaps with a bit more anger. I'm not sure if Lex caught the baby bug or not with having been around such a cutie pie but I guess we'll see.

We were blessed with many thoughtful gifts this Christmas, we have a very generous family indeed, on both sides. Thankfully our sock collection now includes more that four pairs of actual socks. Lex and I were literally sharing four pairs I kid you not. How did we let it get so bad you ask,,I really don't know, probably a mixture of laziness and cheapness, but were good now.

New years is coming soon and I will post pictures of whatever shinanegans we get up to on new years eve. God bless!



clown car

Saturday 14 December 2013

The Season

Ho Ho Ho

Making cards that are still waiting to be sent.



Mom supervising 

Tinseling our still frozen tree.

How did these lights get so tangled?
Setting up for caroling at the retirement home.

'Silent Night Holy Night'

Delivering cookies

My angels 

I love it here! They give you candy!!!

Monday 9 December 2013

Recession Smercession

I feel like North America, and most of Europe, has been in a recession for long enough now that it's starting to become just a part of life. Frugality is the new normal for so many families including our own. Although I wouldn't exactly call this period of our history that harsh. I'm sure people in Somalia would laugh out loud at our idea of hardship. "A recession you say, somehow corresponding with an obesity epidemic, HA"!

 Personally I am sort of glad that my children are growing up in the "doom and gloom" of it all. I imagine that it will make them more ambitious and more tough. Much like children of the depression held on to their frugal and hard working ways their whole lives. I hope it will make my kids generation more aware of what things matter and what things are irrelevant.
Perhaps they will be less wasteful than their parents (me), and less expectant.

Growing up I always just expected our lives to be full of mind blowing opportunity. "Just you wait till those baby boomers retire, you'll have so many options" my high school economics teacher would say! And although we have really been amazingly blessed, "real" jobs are such a scarcity these days that when you have one you hold on to it for dear life no matter what. I truly dread being out of work in this economic climate. Apparently so do baby boomers, as they don't seem to be retiring any time soon (not that you should Bonnie, just keep on truckin).  But perhaps my children will not have the same outlook on what's ahead for them and what they deserve. No one just deserves a good job after all, or a nice house or car. You must struggle for all these things. Go figure.

So not to end on a gloomy note here is some encouragement from the bible.


Jeremiah 29:11-13
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 'And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.


Where did it all go wrong!