Trimming the Tree

We chopped down the Christmas tree a few days ago but it took us a couple of days to get around to decorating. People were here and there and we wanted to do it as a group. A few more people trickled in last night so today was the day! We cranked up the Christmas music and pulled out the decorations, and cameras. Big thanks to my talented sister-in-law for sharing some of these!

 Uncle Arland strung the lights in expert fashion.

 The kids had painted their tree bases the day before and were so excited to finally decorate their trees too!

 The first thing they did was load them up with candy canes.

 Gramma Purdon came out to watch us string the lights and place the decorations on the tree. I feel lucky to celebrate with them this year!

 These two had fun hanging out on the couch together watching Uncle put the finishing touches on the lights.

 Next came the garland.

 This girl is getting so big!!

 The kids had fun climbing the ladder. I watched this boy with such love! I can hardly believe how big he is!

 Gramma stuck around for most of it and enjoyed some snuggles from the great-grands. 

(Thanks Naomi, this is a picture I will cherish forever.)

 We've missed this guy!!

 Joe woke up half way through and joined in on the fun. He scaled the ladder fearlessly and stretched to hang decorations on the highest limbs.

 He loved it!

 

 Part way through I went to the kitchen to help my Mom make some homemade perogies for dinner. Between batches I would slip out into the pool room to snap pictures and soak it all in.

 It was a pretty tall tree. Putting the angel on top required some team work!

 Once we were finished my Mom fried up the perogies and we had dinner!

 Dessert was birthday cake! We were late celebrating because we were away and also because we wanted to wait for more family to join us! Finley loved when we sang to him. It was worth the wait to be with everyone!

 The traditional birthday picture...

 It took him a while to dive into his cake. At first the plate was more interesting, but once it was gone and he had a taste, he ate quickly!

Happy birthday Finners!!

A Tree Hunt

 We are spending Christmas at the Acreage this year with all of my siblings. Mr. Stannix ended up with a few weeks off work so we came out early to enjoy the family time, the peace and quiet, and the home cooked meals. The first thing we needed to do this week was go hunting for a Christmas tree! My parents have lived here a long time and have lots of great friends always willing to help and lend a hand. I loved growing up in this community. This year we went to a friends farm to search for our Christmas tree. They have a huge quarter section full of beautiful trees! We spent a good hour walking through the winter wonderland to pick out the perfect tree. The blue sky, the snow covered trees, and the morning sunshine made for a whole lot of beauty to enjoy. I may have taken too many pictures! Some of these are also from my talented sister-in-law.

Deck the Halls

 We started our Christmas break with a little visit to Edmonton. We drove past our old place and the children recognized it right away. The Wolsey's offered us a place to stay for the night and it was so great to catch up with them and watch the children play together again. They get along so well. Before we got there Camilla said, "It's been so long I don't even REMEMBER what Clara looks like anymore!" It was sweet. 

On Sunday we enjoyed church in our old, old ward where we attended when we first moved to Edmonton. Since we've been there our family has grown a lot and it was great to see old friends and attend church with Nana. Camilla was giddy when she saw her old primary teacher, Sister B. We then went over to Nana's house and enjoyed a nice little visit there. We helped her get her tree up and had a nice little family dinner.

When the children started getting tired we loaded up into the van in hopes that they would sleep all the way to the Acreage. Our plan was a success and Mr. Stannix and I loved the peaceful drive as we watched the Northern lights dance away in the distance. I've never seen them for that long before. It was absolutely amazing!