contemplation

 

Miss Olivia Grace

 

christmas tribute

Many benches dotted around parks and gardens in Greater Vancouver are dedicated to those who have passed on . This is a common custom is many parts of the world, I know. But the sight of this Christmas tribute, got me thinking about empty chairs casually placed or left sitting around dinner tables, unconsciously paying tribute to those we miss; those we have lost and those we love but can not be with.We hope your Christmas was filled with cheer, and the new year brings health, healing, love and fortune of many kinds, to you all.

christmas 2005

Christmas started early for us as we awoke at 1am, to a rustling sound coming from down stairs. "Who goes there?" Ashely and I both wanted to know. "ALEX"....we both assumed, but no, he was still fast asleep in his bed. "Surely not Olivia" we wondered (who mastered climbing out of her cot a couple of months back). It was very dark in her room and we could not see, so with much haste we ran panicked down the stairs to catch her in the act. But we were soon to discover, it was not Olivia. Can you guess who it was? He has been a controversial figure this year and the topic of many an anguished email and web posting - yes, it was @#*?^%* ! COBIE.
Trampling over several presents and punching holes through the carefully stuck wrapping paper, he had managed to sniff out a gift containing chocolate chip biscuits - the ones I snuck into Ashley's gift as a joke (as usual the joke is on me). By the time we had got to him he had ripped a hole in the gift, managed to somehow open the packet and had eaten his way through an entire row of biscuits. He was then given a stern but quiet yell at (so as not to awaken certain people), brow beaten and growled at, and given a swift kick up the back stairs where he didn't dare move a muscle till morning.
The kids actually didn't rise until 6:30am, which is the regular time anyway. Everyone got dressed before going down to see what santa had delivered. I don't think Alex or Olivia could believe their eyes when they first spied thier haul. We were all very lucky, and we thank all those who sent gifts, photos, cards and well wishes.
After the gift unwrapping we brought in the bobcat to clear out the great piles of paper, cartons and packaging. We managed to have a quick brunch, before preparing for our hour long journey to Langley. Once in Langley we spent the evening with some friends, originally for Montreal, who made us feel very welcome. Christmas dinner was made in the French Canadian style. I sat next ot an elderly Greek man who told me about his homeland and asked many questions about Australia.
The weather was apparently uncharacteristically mild -15 degrees. So not a white christmas this year, but that was ok, we have seen it now.
The day came to an end around 9:30pm. The kids were great staying up and out so late (for them). They slept all the way home in the car, and didn't awaken until 8am the next day. Yay!

Fussy old Santa

Baths were had; pyjamas were on and stockings were hung up by the fireplace. All that was left to do was put out Santa's milkshake and the cookies, which Alex had been saving just for Santa. These were special biscuits, vanilla biscuits with lemon cream inside and a dab of raspberry jam on the top almost like a cream filled raspberry tartlet - Alex and Olivia love them, but Ashley, well........
he told Alex that Santa prefers chocolate chip!

Exerpts from "The Sunflower"

There are times, it seems, that God throws a cosmic switch that moves the tracks beneath us,
hurling our lives headlong in a new and uncertain direction. Of these times just two things are certain: It's best we don't know what is ahead. We can never go back.

The Sunflower, Richard Paul Evans (P. 9)

Was that a secret?

"We carry around in our heads these pictures of what our lives are supposed to look like, painted by the brush of our intentions. It's the great, deep secret of humanity that in the end none of our lives look the way we thought they would. As much as we wish to believe otherwise, most of life is a reaction to circumstances".

The Sunflower, Richard Paul Evans (2005, p. 269).

Don' t call me Buddy...

Alex has been attending a soccer skills thing for 3-5 year olds, and he really enjoys it. The "coach" has patience of steel and is able to control and focus the 10 or so kids who participate (although the free-willingness of that participation is somewhat questionable, when the same howling child is pushed onto the playing field with threats of going straight home if they don't cut it out, which only ensures more determinated crying will follow).
The coach actually knows everyones name, but has a habit of calling all the kids "buddy" when talking to them individually. "How's it going buddy?" Great score buddy", "See you later buddy". At the end of the session the other week, the coach gathered all the kids around to tell them what a "great job" they had all done and to give them a final high-five before they left. We noticed that Alex lagged behind and had a brief chat to the coach.. I heard the coach say "you did well today buddy", but I could not hear what followed; only the coach stood up with a rather perplexed look on his face before saying, "Ok, see you next week". When Alex ran over to us afterward, we asked him, "what did you say to your coach". His reply? "My name is Alex".

Pre-school class

There is a clearer picture of the class room, including Alex's teachers -Mrs Handley on the left, and Miss Mischuda on the right of Santa. Alex tells me that both teachers are his favourite, which is very fair and diplomatic. 

Animal Crackers Christmas concert

This is Alex's pre-school classes christmas concert in full swing (Alex is second in from the right) . I think Alex was the only one who didn't sing a line or do any of the actions, even though he had been practicing all month. 

He was a skater boy...

Ashley's work had a christmas party for all the employee's kids. It was held at an ice rink and was a lot of fun. This is Alex's first go at ice skating and he actually did very well at it. The guy on the left is one of Ashley's fellow work colleagues, John Squires. Notice Ashley is not wearing skates (spot the Aussie) I didn't wear them either. Instead we had ice shoes, whcih are these rubber things that go over your regular shoes and have spikes on the soles. We were the only ones wearing them, but it would have been a very comical affair and potentially dangerous if we were trying to support Alex in skating while slipping and a sliding ourselves. Olivia was pushed around the ice in her stroller, as others of her age were, but she was clearly unamused that she was, yet again, confined. After the skating part of the agenda. We all retreated upstaris to have luch in the restaurant, where the assumption was all kids like pizza. Obviously haven't met Alex and Olivia, but that was ok, they had a bit of a go at it. They also had a table where the kids could do craft activities if they got a bit bored. Alex and olivia rushed over to it as soon as they saw it pretty much and made some nice tree decorations which are hanging up as we speak. And then......

Alex and Santa

Santa was actually one of Ashley's work colleagues. He made a very good Santa.

olivia and Santa

Santa came out and gave all the kids a present and they each got their photo taken with him. Olivia refused to sit down and the other photo I have of her with Santa shows a more traumatised girl, so I won't humiliate her further by blogging that one. But she has grown hey. The Santa thing was done by age, which was ingenious because the older ones, who were still a bit unsure (i.e Alex) saw that you got a present if you went up and willingly sat on the knee of a oddly dressed stranger bearing sweets. Mmm, doesn't this go against all that' stranger danger' advice we attempt to scare the pants off them with - no wonder kids today are freaked out about Santa.

Channeling Anne Wills

Alex was sooo excited about putting the christmas tree up last week; he insisted on lights. So we walked down to London Drugs (a um...everything shop) and bought a $5.00 packet of indoor tree lights and I let them pick out one decoration each to put on the tree. Olivia picked these pink icicle things, but was more interested in wearing them like earings. Since then, the tree has been threatened to be packed away forever on numerous occassions, "which is really going to confuse Santa when he comes down the chinmey", because Olivia just won't stop pulling the decorations off. Three sparkly red drums have been detroyed in the process - now how do you think that would make the little drummer boy feel? And with the decorations laying on the ground, Angus has wondered sheepishly over, more than once, with a decoration in his mouth. Luckily for him, his conscience has forbidden him to mangle the objects into unrecognisable slobbery particles, which is most unlike him, but I am grateful that only a quick rinse under the tap is necessary to restore the festive ornaments to their former glory.

The snow chalet

This our house the morning after the first snow - the snow that apparently rarely descends on the Delta. In September, I was told that "it rarely snows in Ladner - it might snow maybe once or twice a year, might only snow once every two years". That is what they said. It has snowed 4 days this week alone, and it is only the first official week of winter. The people around here are either delusional or this is a highly unusual occurance.

Our snowy street

 

Snow bunnies

 

Alex rugged up

While a great deal of time is devoted to the indoors, the aim really is to keep warm. Therefore, we can still enjoy the outdoors when dressed appropriately. I took teh dogs for a walk to the post box today. Angus was beginning to look a bit depressed at having to stay indoors all the time. Even though it was snowing quite a bit, the dogs seemed to enjoy the walk as much as I did, and we were all a bit cheerier having gone out.

Chilly Olivia