I try to do the bulk of my baking while Calvin is napping, but that doesn’t always happen, so I have to try to keep him entertained while I work. So of course I let him play with in the Tupperware cupboard. But once he’s done with that…
…he finds himself a playmate.
Then he lets me know that he is interested in what I am doing up high on the counter.
So I let him take a little peek.
Then, while my back is turned, he makes a run for it!
I need baby gates.
Snow removal is a full time job here. Not a once or twice yearly thing like back on the coast.
We keep our snow shovel leaned up against the front of the house for easy access. And it sure does keep the plows and graders busy! Our street regularly gets cleared after a good snow fall but this past week something different happened.
It was Thursday afternoon when I looked out out window to see some no parking signs plopped onto the snow banks on the side of the road.
I may be new here, but I figured out pretty quick that this would mean some pretty major snow removal was coming our way! It was necessary too. We were parking on a few inches of what was now ice, between banks that were a least 4 feet tall. If this is what it is like only one month into winter, I can’t imagine what it would be like after piling up for a few more months! So we parked the car in the back. I am actually glad we have the street parking instead of the driveway out back. The alley is cramped and a little hard to manoeuvre, especially with the snow.
The first graders came early Friday afternoon.
They did a bunch of passes down the far side of the street, pushing the snow and ice this way and that. They must have done at least 6 passes, moving the ridge of snow from the side of the street, to the middle, then back again. I had to be somewhere then, so I wasn’t around for when they sucked up that ridge that extended down our whole street, but was expecting a nice clean place to park when I got home. Unfortunately, it must have been the end of their work day because our side was not cleared. And since it was then the weekend, our car lived on the other side of the street for a couple days. I’m glad we didn’t have to park out back the whole time!
On Monday morning, I heard the tractors back at work, this time on our side of the street!
And this time I was around to see them actually get rid of the snow! I had seen these guys at work before, on the highway, but it was fun to see them right out my front window. This is what you call heavy duty!
You can see above that the truck is nearly full of snow. They must fill up fast. In the 5 or so minutes before this guy came along, two full trucks drove past. They have a little convoy of empty trucks behind the big blower guy, so when a truck gets full, it just pulls ahead and an empty one pulls up into position. They switched out right in front of my window. I feel privileged.
There were empty trucks going by at least every two or three minutes for about 20 minutes after this. So much snow being removed…I wonder where they end up taking it?
After all that, it sure feels nice to starts from scratch, with a clean, tidy(ish) street.
Calvin loves to cross his ankles when he sits. I think it’s super cute. Plus, it probably gives him a little core workout, having less area to balance on!
A couple weeks ago it was announced that there will in fact be some NHL games to watch this season! So the teams have gotten busy with practices and scrimmages.
The Edmonton Oilers had a handful of open practices, and when a friend of mine expressed interest in going, I was on board!
I have to make sure Calvin knows his roots, so he wore his Canucks socks.
It was pretty busy for a midweek morning.
Hooray for new friends who are also hockey fans!
The Canucks have their first game tomorrow, then play Edmonton on Sunday. Fun hockey times ahead!
When the new year rolls around, people start reflecting and setting goals for the new year ahead, or coming up with themes for the year. I don’t. So here you will get an account of what we did for New Years Eve. Fun!
We were in Victoria for the night of the 30th and hung out with our good friends Anna and Karl and a bunch of others who came for a couple hours in the afternoon. We got our Anna and Karl fix, and Anna and Karl got their Calvin fix. That, and they got to break out their newly acquired Ticket To Ride Europe.
The next day Tim and I enjoyed a breakfast together before he headed back across the ferry to Langley. He spent the night there so he could get an early start for home on the 1st to be back for work on the 2nd.
I then met up with Anna and Karl again and we made our way to Sooke where our friends had booked a vacation rental on the coast. It was a beautiful setting and the perfect place to ring in the new year with about 25 of our Victoria friends. Calvin was a party pooper and went to bed hours before midnight.
The first couple of days were spent back up in Nanaimo with Tim’s family, then I spent a week in Langley with my family.
It was a long holiday, and I was ready to head back home to Edmonton and get back into my regular schedule.
On Boxing day we once again hit the road (which unfortunately included a ferry ride) to head to the Island where Tim’s family is. We made a quick stop at their home in Nanaimo before heading out with everybody toward Mackenzie Beach Resort in Tofino. Tim’s parents booked the same cabin we rented a couple years ago in the fall, so it was kind of nice to have a familiar place to spend Christmas. If it isn’t at home, it may as well be somewhere you’ve been before! I was the first outsider to join their Christmases two years ago, and this year Amy joined us on the 27th when we all exchanged our gifts.
We spent three days there, and most of it was spent lounging around, playing games or going for walks on the beach.
There was a beautiful sunset the evening we arrived.
Take it all in, Calvin. Take it aaaall in.
It was PJs.
One of the afternoons we went for a good walk on the Wild Pacific Trail. I’ll be honest and say the two hour trek really did me in, but it was beautiful. Michelle borrowed an Ergo from a friend in Victoria and we all took turns carrying Calvin. Now I really want one!
There were so many pretty views along the way.
And that was our week with Tim’s family.
We left Edmonton in the evening of December 19th and arrived in Langley just in time for dinner the next day. The first six days of our Christmas vacation officially began!
We were able to attend my niece’s Christmas pageant at her preschool. She had the part of Mary and said her one line very well. It was such a cute little production, and everything a Christmas event at a preschool should be.
The next thing on the agenda was the Janzen extended gathering at our family cabin at Hatzic Lake. The cabin recently underwent some renovations to open the living space up, but we still seem to be bursting at the seams! It is always fun to catch up with my cousins and see how their own little guys are growing up so fast.
Cousin Julene tells a story to the youngest generation as they wait for their supper to be plated.
Uncle Abe (or Opa to the little ones) didn’t mind lending a hand to hold a great grandchild.
We had a fun round of a White Elephant gift exchange, involving some pretty ridiculous items. I liked what I ended up with though, a set of navy curtains that makes Calvin’s room look more like it belongs to a boy than a gender neutral baby.
At one point Tim had this lovely banana suit, but it was snatched out his hands quite quickly. What a sad day.
Since Darren brought Chelsea to our family Christmas for the first time I dunno, 9 or 10 years ago, we have switched up the days we celebrate together as a family. Every other year we do Christmas day, switched with Christmas Eve the other years. This year we had Christmas Day. Most of the family was there in the morning for a yummy breakfast (even Rosie’s new fiance and his son!) and then everybody else joined in the afternoon for a little while all together before Mark and Isaac were due at his parents’ place. Fun times were had and good food was enjoyed by all.
Isaac had to remove his Batman mask because it was scaring Calvin, but I think he will get over it and they will be great friends.
Showing off his present from my friend Carleigh.
Exhausted with Grandpa at the end of the evening.
And that was our week with my family.