Christmas Festivities

A flurry of festive activities is the best way to describe all of the holiday fun that has been going on at our home for the past week. Boy have we all been busy! I wish I could tell you everything that we have done over this holiday, but that would result in this being more of a novel than a blog post!

As most of you know, Grandma and Grandpa Werkman made the trek out to the mountains to enjoy Christmas with ourselves, and also Kylie and Lindsay. We have definitely made the most of their visit, cramming a tonne of stuff into the time that they were here. Let's see....in a nutshell, here are a few of the highlights of this past week: lots of baking, tobogganing (Brent actually bought me my very own sled!), Brent and I escaped to a dinner for two and to the Flames game (thanks Kylie & Lindsay!), we had our traditional family gym time in which Kylie and I beat the pants off of Brent and Lindsay at badminton (a yearly tradition in itself!), we have played hockey, gone skating, spent some Werkman family time in Canmore, Brent and I got to go snowboarding (awesome!), we did the annual Snider Christmas Eve light tour, but above all...the most fun we have had is spending good old fashion time chatting over numerous cups of hot chocolate and tea and just enjoying spending quality time together. Our house was definitely much louder this year but proved to be very entertaining and there was never a dull moment!

Here are a few (ok quite a few) pics from the past week! Enjoy!

Thanks to Grandma, we were able to get the cookies done just in the nick of time for Santa!

Grandpa Werkman testing out my new toboggan with Aidan and Maelle. This year, there were only a few bottom of the hill wipe outs!

The good old hockey game!

The cookies for Santa (and two very excited kidlets!)

Bree and Jenna's very first Christmas morning.


Maelle's main gift from us this year was a vanity that I refinished for all of her costumes and dress up accessories. She loved it!

Aidan's main gift, was a unbelievably beautiful castle handmade by Grandpa Werkman. This is sure to become a family heirloom and will be cherished by everyone in our home for many years. Thanks again Grandpa!

Here I am standing on "top of the world" at Nakiska! I could have stared at this view for hours!


So....there you have it. A summary of all of the good times we have been enjoying out here in the Rockies. There is nothing better than spending such a fantastic holiday with family and we are very thankful to everyone who made this holiday so amazing. Next year I am sure will be even more exciting as we will have a brand new member of the family enjoying his or her first Christmas! We cannot wait until Kylie and Lindsay welcome there new bundle of joy into the world in the new year! Christmas (I have a feeling) will get even better!!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here's wishing you all a very safe and happy holiday season from the Snider Clan!

I'll be back in a few days with a HUGE post of all of our holiday festivities that are currently underway and going strong! Boy it's a loud house here! So much fun! Love it!

Merry Christmas!

the excitement is building!

There is a certain buzz around this house as of late. Everyone is busy with something. Whether it's wrapping gifts in secret, finishing up a few projects after the kids all go to bed, trying to get a little baking in, impromptu skating parties with the neighbours (love that!), or running those typical last minute errands, one thing is for sure...we are all very, very excited. This Christmas I have a feeling is going to be a good one! I think it's because Aidan and Maelle are at that perfect age where Christmas is so magical to them. Whether it's finding Christopher Pop-In-Kins , singing along to Christmas tunes, or working on a letter to Santa, they both seem to be operating on a very different level this year. As hard as it is to calm them down most days, I need to remember this excitement and go with it!
The kids spent some of that energy today decorating our traditional gingerbread house.

The other day caused me to have a million smiles at this sight...

All the kids playing in the same room and having a blast! I can't wait for more moments like these as Bree and Jenna continue to grow. Speaking of Bree and Jenna, boy are they busy. These two are so active! I spend a good part of my day chasing them to and from each room and from climbing up the stairs. I should mention that they are full of giggles during this process as I think they think it's a game!

And yet while all the other kids are having fun, we must never turn our backs on the littlest ones...

....cause you never know where they will end up!

Both girls have taken a certain liking to my pantry....future chefs maybe...but Jenna likes to always close the door, while Bree tends to take a more exploratory roll. She is fascinated with my wine rack!
So all in all I am loving this Christmas season. I have been busy yes, but I still manage to find little pockets of time to enjoy the festivities around our bustling house. And tomorrow, our house will grow with the addition of two more eagerly awaited arrivals....Grandma and Grandpa Werkman!!!

around here....

there has been a whole lot of sharing...

some new discoveries....

lots of helping...

and a whole lot of wondering!

The excitement is definitely building as the big day approaches! We still have lots to do around here in preparation for all of the festivities...but not too busy that we can't throw a little fun into the mix!

preparations

Slowly but surely, preparations for the big day are underway at our house.

Special moments are being shared by the tree...


Letters are being written to the big guy himself...


Baking is starting to appear thanks to the help of a few little elves...


And we are patiently waiting for the snow to stop and the temperatures to warm up just a bit. Minus 40 is just a wee bit chilly (even for this family) to be outdoors!

Even though we are all super busy and super crazy, I am getting better at taking time out and enjoying these moments. I love this time of the year, and it wouldn't be the same if it weren't for the quiet moments like these.

performance

Aidan had his first Christmas concert tonight and it was a huge success! It was family night at Aidan's school where all the kindergarten kids sang a few songs both silly ones, and holiday ones, and that was followed by an amazing potluck dinner. Every family had to bring a favourite dish or a dish that was traditional to them, and let me tell you...the food was awesome! Dinner was followed up by an amazing magician who managed to keep all the kids attention for a good half hour. They loved it! We are so proud of our little Aidan. He had been rehearsing for days and it all paid off tonight. I'm sorry the video is a little jumpy. I had a hard time keeping the camera still while trying not to get all teary watching our little fella up on stage. A proud moment indeed!

Please click here for Aidan's Christmas Concert Video

Even Jenna and Bree came along to join in the festivities. That's Bree in the pic...she loves to stand anywhere and everywhere.

A fantastic evening for sure!

first skate!

We have ice!!

The boys gave the rink a trial run the other day and it's up and running. Now...if it would just warm up a little so we could be outside for more than 10 minutes before everything exposed freezes!

all things "tink"!

That seemed to be the theme this year for Maelle's 3rd birthday. Her fascination with this tiny green pixie was evident all day. She loves Tinkerbell! I have never seen her eyes light up as much as I did yesterday morning when she came downstairs for breakfast and was greeted by Tinkerbell herself sitting on top of her birthday gifts.

It was magical! She was so excited.
This was probably my highlight of her special day!


She received some fantastic gifts! Thanks everyone!

Her one big request however, was that she wanted a Tinkerbell cake. A tall order for this mom! A quick visit to the Disney Store was all that was needed to spark the design of the cake! Check it out...

I think she liked it!

Happy birthday sweet girl! Here's to another magical year! We love you!

so messy!

So true is the title of this post! It was messy indeed! This past Sunday was Aidan and Maelle's Sticky Fingers Art Party. We played host to about 18 kids and well....we got messy! Such as the theme implied we started the party off with some scented play dough, and green goop that had bugs hidden within it. The object...simple really....dig through the goop and pick out the bugs! Fun!
Next up...we split the kids into 3 groups and had them visit a few art stations we had set up in the basement.
First was Auntie Ky's Marble Painting and Blow Painting Station



Then it was off to Uncle Lindsay's Canvas Art where all the kids demonstrated their artistic visions and created a fantastic piece of work that will make it's home in the kids' playroom. This was their gift to Aidan and Maelle!


And finally...it was my station. Bubbling Brew Finger Paints. It doesn't get messier than that!


We enjoyed a lunch...


and some birthday treats!


The kids had a fantastic time and the energy level was awesome. It was great to see them all get down and dirty! A big thanks to Auntie Ky and Uncle Lindsay for all of their fantastic help, and to Brent for keeping a close eye on Bree and Jenna. Nice work!
A big thank you also goes out to all of the kids and their amazing donations for Toy Mountain. We had all the kids bring in a new toy to be donated instead of bringing birthday gifts for Aidan and Maelle. The response was fantastic! Check out the loot in the pic below!

Awesome!

The kids and I dropped off the donations today at Aidan's school, and he even got a huge thank you from the office staff and his teachers. Way to go guys!

grey cup weekend

What a busy but absolutely fantastic weekend we have had out in the (now very chilly) west! Uncle Colin, Auntie Hope, and Grandpa Snider (I hope you are feeling better Grandma Snider) made the trip into Calgary for the Grey Cup this past Sunday. What a game it was too! Sorry to all of you Roughriders fans! While the boys took in all of the Grey Cup festivities, the kids, myself, and Auntie Hope had way too much fun of our own hanging out reading many stories, playing just as many games, and taking every opportunity to get outside and head to the parks.
A "huge" thanks to everyone for all of their help and the time spent with all of the kids over the past few days! We look forward to seeing you all again very soon!


Jenna and Auntie Hope sharing a cuddle.


One of the many story time snuggles.


Grandpa Snider hanging out with the Snider kidlets.

A big thanks to Grandpa Snider for helping Brent get the rink set up and ready for flooding. This was done just in the nick of time before a bit of a snowstorm caught us all off guard. I guess when they say chance of a flurry they really mean 3" of snow!

While the wind and snow howled outside, we cuddled up by the fire and spent some quality time just hanging out, and enjoying some hot chocolates and yummy treats.

Thanks again everyone for a fantastic weekend!

festivities

Let the decorating begin!
This is how we spent our day today....lots of Christmas music, some yummy treats, and knee deep in decorating for the holiday season!


Aidan adding his 2009 Christmas ornament...a pair of hockey skates!


Maelle adding her ornament...a whimsical snowman.


Bree and Jenna just liked playing with the lights. So far they haven't shown too much interest in the actual tree. Give it time though!

busy but fun

We have had quite a few busy days around the Snider house lately (it's just that crazy time of year!) but we have also been able to sneak in a little fun too!


Bree is crawling up a storm....and is fascinated with the door stoppers.




Bree also loves a good fashion show. Here she is sporting a new hat picked up at a consignment store for $2.50! Oh how I love to shop consignment!!


We spent the day at the zoo today (fantastic weather) after a Kindermusic class that Maelle and I attended. We were joined by Brent, Aidan, Bree and Jenna for a nice lunch and some good zoo fun! Bree and Jenna are starting to notice the animals now, but there favourites so far are the fish and the giraffes.




Aidan is such a big brother. He pushed Bree and Jenna around the entire zoo making sure that they saw everything! Even the squirrels!



And speaking of busy....just because we weren't busy enough, I have decided to start up a new business venture of selling Discovery Toys. The line is amazing so as soon as I have my website up and running I will post the link on the blog. I am not sure that I will profit from this business however, as I am sure everything I make will be put right back into the company! The toys are fantastic and educational which I LOVE!!!!