Christmas with the Davidsons

Here are some pictures of our time spent with Sean’s family. We had a wonderful time with them, as usual. Some of the highlights from our time together would have to be Brookie’s big birthday bash, our hike in The Royal Botanical Gardens where we got to feed the birds, Christmas eve with new pyjamas and stockings hung by the chimney with care, and just hanging out. If you ask the girls, their highlights often include time spent with Uncle Brent – a commodity in high demand whenever we get together with him.

 

Uncle Brent got the girls a great fort building set so we had fun trying it out in the basement.

But of course, the girls didn’t need a fort building kit – pillows on the couch work just fine!

Here the girls are hanging their stockings up on an actual fireplace (something we don’t get to do at home). They felt much more sure Santa would find them.

Presents Christmas morning . . .

 Nan and Rosie enjoying a snuggle    

These last photos are all taken on our hike at the Royal Botanical Gardens. The birds were super hungry and more than eager to nibble off our hands or my head. I was so glad to share this experience with the girls. Sean and I used to hike in this very place while we were dating and at an early stage in our relationship, Sean even carved our initials in a birch tree on our regular route. We tried not to read into things too much when we returned one spring to find the tree had been chopped down.  So we couldn’t show Brook and Rosie “the tree” though the stump is still there. But we did love sharing with them this little piece of Ontario splendour.

We had a lovely time with the family and look forward to our next visit. Thanks, guys!

~Mandy

Sorry - just a few more Christmas Memories

Bops and the girls

My Grandma's grave stone. It was our first Christmas without her. I wanted to say good-bye at the cemetery as I had missed the funeral. Although we had a wonderful Christmas, I missed Grandma - her spunk, her umpteenth attempt to teach me how to make gravy, her laugh. But I know her spirit was right there with us the whole time.

The classic "at the airport saying goodbye" picture.

~Mandy

And Still More Christmas

Rosie got a new dress-up trunk for Christmas and she did a lot of fashion shows for us.

We spent lots of time at the park. This picture is of the girls at a great park in Lowville.

Another highlight - a visit to Mountsberg Conservation area. We had a sleighride, saw lots of farm animals and watched the birds of prey demonstration. It was a perfect, chilly, sunny day.

And we had a great New Year's Eve celebration in Millgrove.

All in all,it was a lovely Christmas with my family. Thanks to everyone who made it so special.

~Mandy

More Christmas

Another highlight for our wee prairie family over the holidays was going to the theatre to see Oliver with my mom, dad and sister. This was a serious event which called for seriously pretty dresses. We had so much fun walking into this beautiful theatre from the wintery storm outside. Our seats were incredible and the performance was excellent. Everyone had a splendid time and the girls felt like princesses.

Aunt Nessa and the girls pre-show

We also had an opportunity to actually meet Santa this year! Wow! What a treat! The girls were quite literally speechless.

Some Santa love for Brooklyn and Rosie

And of course we opened a lot of presents!!

~Mandy

P.S. Stay tuned for Part Three of Christmas in Ontario

Christmas in Ontario

Okay - so it is May 26th and I am just now getting around to catching up with the blog. It has been almost 6 months since my last post and there has been lots going on for the Davidsons on the prairies. I am sorry that I have been a bit lax (understatement of the century) but let's just say that sometimes it is better to spend your time actually enjoying the life you are leading rather than stressing about the recording of it. So I have spent lots of time enjoying life with Sean, Brookie and Rosie. Now I am here to catch you up on all the major happenings . . . let's go!!

Our first stop is Rosie's special "Aunt Nessa" day, which she had while Brookie and I were still freezing our faces off in Caronport (see last post). Rosie and Aunt Nessa spent the day with horses and other farmyard animals, then came back to Millgrove where Rosie had fun just being Rosie. This includes but is not limited to dressing up, eating, playing the piano and watching movies. Thanks, Aunt Nessa, for a truly memorable day! By the way, Brookie says you still owe her one. They never forget.

Next we celebrated Brooklyn's 5th Birthday in style with all our family. We had games, cupcakes and of course, presents. Brookie wore the "Happy Birthday" hat in honour of the occasion.

~Mandy

You know it is winter in Saskatchewan when . . .

• your face is numb in the morning when you wake up


• you actually consider wearing a toque to bed


• you need to plug in your car (mental note - never live in a place where having a block heater in your car is a necessity)


• the ice is so thick on your dining room windows that you can't actually see the outdoor thermometer (which is actually a blessing because do you really want to see what it says?)

So it is officially winter here on the prairies. Don't even think you know what I am talking about unless you have experienced all four of the above examples. It would be funny if it wasn't exactly what Brookie and I are living right now. I wish I was exaggerating. It was -45 on Sunday and -40 yeterday. I haven't even looked at the weather report for today because really all I need to know is that it is still bone-chillingly cold. Yes, a dry cold but what does that even matter when it is -40?

And the hits just keep on coming because last night, the power went off a little after six and didn't come back on until almost 11. That is when I became terrifyingly aware of how cold it is outside. It was dark, cold and eerily quiet. Now, if I were not a mom, I would have panicked pretty much right away. I have no survival skills. I jump out of my skin at weird noises. The thought of scary things hiding in our basement causes me to turn on every light before braving the laundry room. I am 36 and I am a chicken. But when you are a mom and your five year old is scared of the dark, you need to pull yourself together. So that is what I did.

We lit lots of candles and chatted about what a fun adventure this was going to be. We ate our dinner by candlelight, dressed in our warmest clothes and then we had an impromptu lesson about shapes, including octagons, hexagons and parallelograms. We practiced reading. We took some pictures. Then we began to get a bit chilly so we decided to get ready for bed.

While I was brushing Brookie's teeth, she mentioned that she hoped the power came on soon so we could watch "Elf". In a moment of weakness, I said that I hoped the power would come back on soon so that we didn't "freeze to death." Yes, these were my exact words. Ooops.

I managed to make up for my accidental honesty by snuggling up in my bed with Brookie and every blanket we could find. We read stories and then when my hands got too cold to hold the books, we told each other stories. Finally, Brookie drifted off to sleep after I promised to stay awake until the power came on again. So I was left in the dark to think and ponder while Brookie softly slept beside me. I came to the realisation that power failures are fun adventures. I loved every cold, dark minute I had with Brook, talking, laughing, snuggling, telling stories. I think it was an early Christmas present just for me. I could almost hear God saying, "Here. Enjoy."

~Mandy

Formal Day at Caronport Elementary School

Brooklyn was so excited to get dressed up for the day at school. She chose her new fancy dress which we bought for Christmas this year and went to school feeling very pretty.

There is something to be said for getting all dressed up and feeling pretty. I could really use a "pretty day". Thankfully Rosie and Brookie are here to remind me that everyday can be a "pretty day" with the right dress and the right attitude.

~Mandy