The Rink Saga Pt 2

Well - there isn't any ice - yet - but hopefully it will be coming soon!!!  Braden wasn't able to fill it the night that he laid out the liner - and that wasn't a good thing because winds came along during the night a tore all his adhesive and tape apart - oops!

Tonight was the perfect night to fill it (weather wise) so Brade got out there, took out the snow that had blown in, re-adhesived it and started filling it (we're able to just use the basement tap, through my studio window for the hose). 

He spend quite a while out there when a heard him come in.  Looks like there is a leak in the liner and he doesn't know exactly where it is coming from.  So what does this mean???  Well . . . tomorrow he'll be running back to the hardware store to pick up another liner, he'll have to take out any ice that is in the rink and reline the entire thing to hopefully fill it up (again) tomorrow. Sigh - I'm just glad that this is his project and not mine - just thinking about making it and maintaining it (in yucky cold weather) exhausts me!  So, the saga continues . . . and yes - more updates will be occuring!

Fuel Christmas Party - Belated Post

For Braden's work's Christmas Party we went to Fat Tuesdays - a really cool piano bar with dueling pianos.  They were amazing!!!  The 2 guys played soooo well together and there was also an extra guitarist/vocalist.  They could play any thing that was requested and then started playing for various Fuel vocalists.  Braden and I haven't sung together at any Fuel things, ever, but this time we actually did - but Brade chose a song that I didn't know very well, but I went along with it.  Thus the reason I'm laughing!  So, here are a couple pics of the evening.  

Braden "Walkin' in Memphis" with Carrie watching :)

Carrie, Cynthia and Colleen

The "Rink Saga"

So - Braden has decided that the kids should have a rink in the backyard and he's going to build it for them - and it has begun!  Today the weather was +12 Celsius (yep - everything melting like crazy) so he didn't have to worry about really shovelling a ton of snow out of the way to build it, just a little tiny bit!

Emma wants to help out (in -20 I don't know how fast she'll want to help flooding it) and she's doing a pretty good job too.  It's kinda funny because they've chosen the day with wind warnings to do it, so Emma's been running after the tarp - hehehe!

Hopefully tomorrow night we'll get the first layer of ice made and within a few days have it in working order.  It's a good thing that the temperatures are dropping, but not too much!  It should be around -10 or so for the next week - sounds like perfect skating weather!

Stay posted - more details and photos to come - hopefully of kids skating soon!!!

Christmas Project - Family Trees

This year I decided to do Family Trees for our parents. (I got the idea from www.mmmcrafts.blogspot.com). I can't wait to now make ones for our house as I love how they turned out! It's really cool seeing the resemblances throughout the generations. Unfortunately when I decided to do this I didn't realize how much work this would be for the recipients of the gifts, but they were the only ones that I knew might have the photos and information that I needed - sorry moms! But thank you so much for all your work in finding me everything!!! I'm planning on doing our family tree starting at our children and then working up through the generations. Hope you like them too!

McGifford Family Tree

Bailey Family Tree

Merry Christmas from Our House! (warning - picture heavy!

Christmas Eve Eve

We opened up at Christmas Eve Eve gift and the kids had a blast - especially Navia with her "I blocked you, I blocked you, Oh ya, Oh ya, Oh ya" little song and dance she did EVERYTIME she put one in!

Christmas Eve

We had to make sugar cookies to leave out for Santa - the kids had fun deciding exactly which one they would leave - and then Mommy had fun eatting them - shhhhh!!!

Before we left for the Christmas Eve service at the church we had to leave Reindeer treats out for Rudolph and his crew (oatmeal, white sugar and pink sugar).  The kids thought it was great fun and couldn't wait to see if it was gone in the morning and if there were any hoof prints!

Every year we give the kids pj's as a Christmas Eve present.  Well, this year I wanted to make them, not just buy them.  It actually was pretty easy (i used a current pair as a pattern) and for shirts I just bought white t's and appliqued on them - Navia's would have fit a small Emma so I ended up shorting sleeves and the body too, but you'd never know!)  They loved them and they fit (wow to that!!!)

  

Emma is on her tippy-toes - silly girl

He loved the hockey sticks!

Navia actually choose her fabric without knowing that it was for her - hehehe!

I had to do a monogram on hers - and she loved it!

Christmas Day

These are just a few of the fun things that the kids will be playing with in the near future.  They say HUGE THANK-YOU's to everyone that sent them gifts!!! (although the sleds were used on Christmas day when Daddy took them sledding at our hill - which was melted at the bottom so they came home soaked as each time they landed up in a small pool!)

On Christmas Day we woke up at a reasonable time (yay!) and then opened a few presents, had a family breakfast, opened up a few more, video conferenced with the Bailey's in Regina, opened a few more, played, opened a few more and then finally finished the presents around 1pm - whew!  Then we played for a while and because of the gorgeous weather Daddy took the kids out sledding while I prepared dinner.  After dinner and the kids were all in bed Braden and I were able to watch "White Christmas" - as is the tradition in my family!  I loved it and am starting to be able to quote much of the movie - it's a gooder!!!

As soon as she got her princess dress up box she threw out all the clothes to decide which type of princess she wanted to be - of course it would be a pink one!

okay - maybe not a blonde one!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Happy Birthday Navia (belated!)

Last week (December 13) was Navia's 3rd Birthday, but Brade was working all day so that we didn't get to celebrate like we normally do - so why not just make it later - we thought!  And that we did - 1 week later!!!  Brade took off Monday and we did some Christmas shopping and then came home to celebrate Navia's birthday - family style!

Before Navia posed she told me that she was going to show me how to eat a Princess Cake:)

This is the first cake that I've done like this - and in reality it wasn't nearly as complicated as I thought it would be - Emma's castle cake a few years back was a lot harder than this one!  She was soooo excited when she saw it that she had to run upstairs and dress like a princess too - so off she went.

These are from Gramma and Grampa McGifford - horse toys of course!

Even Daddy was playing in his high voice!

Happy Belated Family Birthday our 3 Year Old Princess Navia!

The Annual Gingerbread House

The "after" picture!

Last night we opened up 2 Advent pockets (yep, I somehow still forget and have to do catch-up days). The first one told us to build a gingerbread house - which the kids suddenly jumped up and down with excitement when Kaleb read this. Right away they grabbed Daddy and put him to work making the icing and constructing the building properly, because Mommy tried to put the roof for walls and the walls for the roof - how did I know that the small ones where the walls - I like big walls!

Note the concentration!!!

What can I say? The icing bag exploded on the kids noses - what else could have happened!!!

and then it somehow got on Daddy's cheeks . . .

The second Advent pocket was a bit - okay - A LOT - different. It was to have a wrestling match with Daddy. So they each had the count of 10 to try and take Daddy out and then they'd tag their older sibling and s/he'd take a try. There were many, many rounds and Daddy didn't have a break until the end of the 30 second free-for-all. I'm just glad that we still have a Daddy because those kids were VICIOUS!!! After this Kaleb said that this is definitely the best day ever - awww!

Emma taking Daddy out!

The next shot would be of Kaleb being thrown on the bed and body slammed - yep - anything went!

Daddy said that this little fire-ball was the one to watch - you can see that she's already winning the psychological part of it and soon the big man will be taken down!!!