From us to you

Christmas Eve!

Oma in her glory on Christmas Eve

After the stockings, the real thing, all the presents from under the tree.
What an excitement!
Look at little Alyssa with her plush toy from Auntie Yvonne!
Aila and her "Car's Lightening McQueen slippers" from Oma.

Some pics

Merry Christmas

Arrival

As you can see, Anneka could not wait, and Aila below mouths the word, Oma!!!!!
Sunday lunch at Oma's, they are so happy to be together once more!
Of course, Alyssa is the centre of attention.

How are we doing?

Well, life is hectic around here but so much fun. Actually, I have not felt so fulfilled in a long time.

Yesterday we did our Wal-Mart thing. Yvonne had to do a lot of Christmas shopping, only to find that most of the good stuff was gone. Nevertheless, we had a good time.

Today we will be meeting my niece Monica, (who also arrived from Toronto) at the Polo Park mall. Yvonne was thinking we might want Aila to see Santa, why? Well I just copied this from Yvonne's Blog: (in case you want to read the whole post) and you will understand.



Aila: Daddy....Iz Santa gowing to bwing me Pwesents for Cwistmas????"

Jason: No, honey. Santa is dead......*insert "obvious and loud interruption by Mommy clearing her throat" here*

Yvonne: Oh Daddy...you are such a JOKER! *evil eyes at Jason*

Aila: (eyes wide as saucers) Oh. Phew....Silwy Daddy.....

Yvonne: Go play downstairs okay, Aila?

Aila: Awight!

Jason: What?! I was going to tell her about Saint Nicholas! I wanted to be HONEST!

Yvonne: Uh...yeah...not THAT honest. This is Aila we're talking about....she'll be traumatized for 2 years if you tell her Santa's dead!!After all...this is the child who still talks about going to the beach with Uncle Ron. "I don't want to go to da beeech wif Unco Won. He spwashed meeee in my Eyeees!!" This was 18 months ago. She still talks about it.Uh yeah...I think we'll have to discern just how much honesty Aila can take at once! For now....if she wants to imagine that Santa brings the presents (even tho she watches me buy and wrap them) that's her prerogative. We'll bury Santa another time!



Yesterday we were looking after Anneka and Aila and they were building a fort downstairs with the blankets (pfffff what a mess). After a while they came upstairs with Anneka telling me that Aila was scared because there were ghosts (I wonder why!!!!) I said: "Their are no ghosts, only the Holy Ghost and He lives inside of us!" (That was actually a dumb church expression, which children and the unbelievers find most unreal). Aila looked up at me with big eyes saying: "What? (While looking inside her shirt) I don't see anything Oma." Archh! I quickly changed the subject, I did not want to go there! I still remember me being told in my early years to invite Jesus in my heart, or give my heart to Jesus, no way I thought, I only have one heart and I want to hang on to it, thank you very much!
There are better 'unchurchy' ways to explain that. But that is someting for an other post.
Right now I want to concentrate on: "Kids say the darnest things!"

Dirty windows
Read, or rather, if you can, listen to this and have a great day!

This morning while we were sitting around Aila was playing with a play phone. She would make it ring then say: "Oh, that is Unce Pauw, hi Unce Pauw, are you getting me a pwesent? Thanks".

Next call, ring ring, "Oh, that is Gwamma, hi Gwamma, are you geting me another car? Yes? Thanks.

Next call, ring ring, "Oh, that is unce Wuon (Ron), hi unce Wuon, are you bringing me a pwesent too?

Then she very excitedly looked at us all and said: "I can't bewieve I am getting all these (enthusiastically stretching her arms wide open) pwesents for Cwistmas!

They have arrived!

Yesterday Yvonne, Jason and the girls arrived, six suitcases and one guitar in tow!
It was indeed a happy reunion, you should have seen the girls running down the escalators right into my arms. The first thing Aila said: "You know what my Grandma gave me? A Mac truck! "No way", I replied, you are such a lucky girl to have a Grandma like that. (Nancy might like to hear that! Probably being very lonely in Toronto!)

Of course the girls came home with us in our car while Yvonne and Jason went to get a rental car. We had arranged for Ron, Lynne and the boys to meet us at the house. What a happy reunion between the kids! I think within the hour every toy was on the floor, (in the basement lucky for me!) I guess the girls had so many memories that they wanted to relive every one of them. Anneka even wanted to count the money in my coin container, which used to give her a thrill before moving away. But that, I told her, will have to wait. I could see all my loonies and twoonies all over the house, hahaha.

We ordered in Chinese food, it seemed to take forever to get here. By the time we ate it was near eight. Why is it you end up with so many left overs? At least Ron is going to have a nice lunch to take to work today and even tomorrow. I am not that crazy about it, but than again, what do I like? Not a heck of a lot, cheese and healthy crackers, fruit tea and coffee. Chinese is not really my choice, I like sesame chicken, but I have not been able to find it here in Canada. Paul ordered that in when I was down in North Carolina, now THAT I liked! Oh and yes TGI Friday's at the Minneapolis Airport makes it the way I like it.

Getting back to our company, the girls ran straight up to the Christmas tree looking for a present with their name on it. Anneka was concerned because she could not find one for her Daddy (it was there mind you) still I thought that was cute. They also wanted to look inside the already filled stockings, uhh, nope, I told them, got to wait.

From all the excitement I hardly slept, I was up at 4am this morning, it is now just past seven and I had coffee and toast twice already. Everybody is still sleeping but I promised the girls pancakes. Yvonne and I will have to get some groceries, because I might buy the wrong stuff. I thought I better buy cereal, got fruit loops, and that of course is a no no I was told. May be the birds outside might like that for a Christmas treat, hahaha.

I hope to get a few minutes during the following days to keep you updated.

Lost

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.

On my last trip to Ottawa Yvonne the girls and I planned a highly anticipated shopping trip to the mall but it took a dramatic turn for the worse as we suddenly realized that Aila (Yvonne's four-year-old) was nowhere to be found. With fears of kidnapping racing through our minds, we split up to search the mall for Aila yelling, “Aila, Aila!”
I have to tell you that I felt a little foolish. But being embarrassed by hollering in the mall was overshadowed by fears for my little granddaughter and my need to find her.

Click >>>>> to Cont......

Snow Clearing Angels

In Jan. 2001 when Ted had his first bout with cancer, I remember going to work in the morning with snow falling. I was somewhat concerned because after work I would go to the Hospital and sit with him usually till well after eight. I wondered if I would be able to get into our driveway so late at night.
As I was sitting next to Ted while he was sleeping I read an article by Billy Graham about Angels. It was actually very interesting and it stayed with me on my drive home while at the same time I was anxious about the driveway.
I was very surprised to find the driveway cleared. I called the kids, no they had not come out. Now I was really puzzled, who would have done that for me? I could not help but think about that article by Billy Graham. An Angel?

The next morning I walked over to my car and noticed my Filipino neighbour standing in the back lane with a snow shuffle in his hand. A light went on inside my head, I said: "Good morning, tell me, did you do that for me pointing at my driveway, are you my angel?" Smiling he shook his head, yes. I continued to tell him how much that meant to me and explained that Ted was in the Hospital with cancer and I was so busy with my job and running back and forth to visit him and how concerned I had been not be able to get into the driveway. With his very limited English he told me that he had heard about it and he wanted to help.

This sweet man has been clearing our snow ever since. If do it my self, like earlier this week because Ted and I had to get to the doctor, he goes and does an even better job than I. We are just so overwhelmed by this. They even clear the pad all the way to the door!

To add to the helpfulness of this neighbour the one next to him made it his hobby this winter to clear the back lane with his riding snow blower. Needless to say, I call them my "Snow Clearing Angels".

I just don't know what I would do without them. Ted cannot do that heavy work and I have a limited amount of energy after my bout with cancer.

What a blessing they are to us. Ted said: "If we ever move we take them with us!" Hahaha!

Cutie

A few of our favorite shots

Our weekend

Now where have I been? Busy you might say. I worked in the office and at home (end of the year), a few doctors visits, etc, etc. Ted found out last Thursday from the Oncologist that the last tests results were good. Of course we are very happy about that. Earlier in the week I saw a doctor as well. I am glad we don't get charged for all that we'd be in the poorhouse.

Friday evening we had the grandchildren over while Ron and Lynne were on date. Sunday they came over for lunch. Alyssa who turned one last month is trying to walk, or is it us grownups who are trying to make her walk hahaha. From the pictures you can see that bribing her with a cookie worked. She actually took a few steps with all of us applauding her and then she went into hiding. That coffee table has seen the other grandchildren go into hiding as well. One of the reasons I never store anything under there! We enjoy so much having them come over.

Decorating the house

Well, Christmas threw up in this house. That means in Jason’s words: “It is overly decorated for Christmas”.
Yesterday I put up the tree and also some lights and garlands around the windows and other usual places. I am not altogether finished. I have a few things to put up here and there. The decorations are usually the same every year. The tree looks the same, I will take a picture but I might as well use one I took last year and the year before that etc.
I know I have been told that we are in the year 2000 and that how a tree is supposed to look has changed, for Christmas? Not in my book. Nobody dictates to me how to decorate the tree, hahaha.

On the day I decide to start to decorate is also the day I put the first Christmas music on.
As I took the fake branches out of the box I remembered that exactly three years ago I had this pain in my stomach so that I just had to sit down once in awhile. A few days later Ted took me to the first Hospital and not until after Christmas it was discovered I had cancer. That it has been three years already with no reoccurrence is pretty amazing isn’t it? Again this Christmas we have so much to be thankful for.

We are pretty exited that Yvonne and Jason and the girls have booked their tickets and will be arriving the 18th till the 2nd of January.
I cannot say the girls will be happy to see the snow as they have had an unusual snowfall in Ottawa as well. Here in Winnipeg it is still coming down. What I like about the snow is that it stays so light outside. I can see the houses across the field when I get up early in the morning. When the snow is undisturbed it looks so pretty. Until some adventurous kid mucks it all up. Why they have to walk straight across the front lawn is a mystery to me, no it is NOT the junk mail boy either, he makes another track to ruin the lawn for next spring. I sound like an old cranky lady right? Well, I am old, very old as far as the grandkids are concerned! Am I cranky? Neh not really!