that's a wrap!

And there you have it!  Christmas and all it's excitement has once again come and gone as quickly as it does every year.  Almost in a blink of an eye, we find ourselves relaxing on Boxing Day and trying to take it all in.  The kids had a blast this year! We kicked off Christmas Eve by boarding the "Yukon Express" in pj's of course and heading out -on a very, very chilly night I might add- on our annual light tour and to select our favourite two houses.  The votes were unanimous and the kids made great choices and left the prizes on the doorsteps to be discovered Christmas morning. 

We read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" curled up in front of the fire before heading off to bed.

Santa left the kids a few presents, and stuffed their stockings right full of goodies to be enjoyed. 

All smiles on Christmas morning - and yes, I was that mom who made us all eat a nice breakfast before embarking on the gift opening!  Oh, and we did dishes too!  Mean....I know! 

Then it was full steam ahead!  Santa spoiled the kids with new Lego...

Handmade Barbie clothes from Grandma Werkman made this little gal smile from ear to ear...between these beautiful clothes and the Barbie furniture I made for Maelle, I think I see a business developing in the near future!

And these two little ladies couldn't even get their gifts out of the box fast enough before getting all dressed up...beautiful new princess dresses made by Grandma Werkman had these girls dancing all day! 

Lovin' the handmade goodies this year....something I hope to see return in years to come!   A big thank you to everyone for all of your lovely gifts both for the kids, and for Brent and I. We truly are very lucky indeed!

And so....Christmas is all wrapped up for yet another year.  It has been an absolute blast this holiday season!  Boxing Day had everyone picking their favourite book(s) and curling up by the fire enjoying mulled cider, Lego was built, new games were played, friends were entertained, and good food and fun was had by all.  We have just over one week left of our holidays and still have a few more things to see and do before getting back to the nitty gritty of the day to day.  I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday  as well, and we wish you all the best as we embark on an up and coming new year!

from our family to yours....

Happy Holidays everyone! 

Here's to wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!  We are taking it easy over here for the next few days and celebrating the magic of the season with friends and family.  Enjoy your holidays and all of the magic it brings!

Love Always,

The Sniders

 

 

 

winter wonderland

It was an "epic" day today for an adventure!  An adventure that lead us to Hogarth Lakes in K-Country, for our first snowshoe trip of the year.  And oh what fun it was!  The snow was unbelievable....thanks to the recommendations of the very friendly park staff at the Barrier Lake info building.  Love them!  The little bit of extra driving was so worth it!  Well over knee-deep white gold waited for our fresh tracks, and with a light snow falling it felt like we were in another world entirely!  Some of us snowshoed, others ran and jumped, and some enjoyed some good runs in the sled.  It was epic my friends, and in this case...pictures do say a thousand words.  And then some!  Woot!  Woot!

We are so making a return trip to this place!  So thankful we live in a place that is so close to this kind of breathtaking beauty.  A great way to kick off our holiday season! 
Walking in a winter wonderland...!

making it merry!

Busy.  Busy.  Busy.  This house of ours is buzzing.  Between baking for this and that, school events, our crazy house elf getting into all sorts of mischief and keeping the kids on their toes wondering what he'll do next, there has also been gingerbread house building - the kids were in charge this year - and then the hot chocolate pot always seems to be simmering away on the stove, anticipating those after school visitors both kids and adults alike.  Phew!  We are almost there my friends!  Less than two weeks now!  A few more days and I will be able to put my feet up and call it done.  Time to enjoy the season and all it has to offer!

What's buzzing at your house in your corner of the world?

sweet and six!

I am having a hard time believing that Maelle is SIX!  Crazy!
She was a very lucky girl, however, she had a pd day from school.  Meaning, that we could all enjoy her birthday without any set schedule or having to head out the door on such a chilly morning.  A relaxing day to end off our week, and what better than to celebrate a birthday of a very special little girl!

 

 

 

 

 

Kicking off the day with opening gifts after her favourite breakfast...cinnamon buns!

A pre-dinner game of hockey was on tap for the afternoon.

A tower of chocolate cupcakes was requested for dessert...complete with coloured sprinkles I might add.  Afterall, a cupcake just isn't a cupcake without them!

She continually amazes us, that Maelle.  She is our creative little spark of energy, and always (and I mean always) has a need to hug one of us at any given time of the day.  She can usually be found with her nose in a book, writing a story using her very creative imagination, or dressed up like a princess dancing around the house, or in her mind....her castle. 

So, Happy Birthday Princess Maelle!  May you continue to shine in everything that you do, and continue to always make us smile every day.  We love you sweetie!

 

 

 

hurry hard!

If we aren't at the curling rink watching Aidan, we are either inside watching it on tv, or, in today's case, we are playing it!  Outside.  On our very own "sheet" if you will.  And as of this afternoon, we even had our own "hack".   Yes, Brent came up with a very creative way to design, and build, a hack.  Rumour has it, that a family bonspiel is in the works for over the holidays!  I must say that the curling bug has bitten all of us.  I see a future in this sport! 

Now, the only thing missing....a scoreboard!  I will see what I can do....

Christmas in a glass

Officially dubbed the "Christmas Smoothie", this one is a keeper for sure!  And yes, it's green!  It was a big hit here today...in fact, we ended up making it twice.  Once for lunch, and again for dinner.  A simple recipe that came from Bree and Jenna's Sportball coach and one that has now made it onto the favourites list!
















Incase you want to bring a little "kid friendly" holiday bevvie to your table, here's the nitty gritty of the recipe:

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup raw spinach, finely chopped (puree with the milk before adding the other items)
8-10 frozen green grapes, halved
6 "limeade" ice cubes
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Blend it all together and enjoy!

Super simple and super good!  This recipe could very easily be adapted with other fruits both fresh and frozen.  And yes, I did tell the kids that there was spinach in their drink....I just made sure that they liked it first!

the power

It's that time of year!  You know the holidays are looming closer when this little guy "pops" in for his visit.

Hello Christopher Pop-In-Kins! 

Oh, if only you new the power that this little fella has over my clan of kidlets.  Who knew that a little dude dressed in green and red could have such a powerful impact?  Well, at this time of year, as excitement mounts and tempers can tend to fly (just a little) it's nice to know that this little elf can help keep things in check.  Because, if silly behaviour ensues, then this little guy reports right back to the big guy himself.  That my friends, is a power unlike no other!  Here's to weeks of good behaviour!  (Right?)

school portraits

Wow.  I think they are growing up.  Goodness.

he's eight!

Today the day started early.  Six in the morning kinda early, as the oldest of my little clan celebrated his eighth birthday today.  Wow! Eight!  As tradition would hold, Aidan is always an early riser on a special occasion, and as he has for the past several years, always wears his white collared shirt.  Love it!  A bit of a birthday tradition, or "perk" if you will, is that in this family if it's your birthday, then you decide on what we do for the day and what we eat.  Thanks to our most recent snowstorm, you can only guess what Aidan's "to do" list consisted of.....

Yep.....TOBOGGANING!! 

And not just tobogganing with all of us, but inviting his buddy from a few houses down, along with his dad, to join us.   

Oh, there was one more request....thermoses filled with hot chocolate (in this case both regular and peppermint) and cookies!  What could be better than warming up and enjoying hot chocolates on the hill? 

Having a great friend to share it with! 

Smiles galore this afternoon I tell ya!  It was a busy tobogganing hill today, and it was awesome to run into lots of school buddies and their families.   

We topped Aidan's big day off with a dinner of his choice....pizza & fettuccine alfredo, and of course....cake! 

So little guy, Happy Birthday!  You continue to amaze us everyday, and we are so very lucky to be your parents.  You have grown up so much this year, and have made us so proud.  You can always make us laugh, and you are always their to help out your younger sisters.  Thank you Aidan, for just being you.  We love you!