New Year's catch up

Oh, hello 2014, when did you creep up on me?

It's been a while. What can I say, it's mid way through January and I feel like just now am I coming out of the hazey blur that was the winter holiday season. I feel the need to post a few highlights from our holiday because, despite the haze, it was in fact a blast and it should go on the record, even if it is nearly a month late.

2nd Annual cookie decorating party!

And it snowed!  It was gone by the lunch hour but it still fell. 

Finally, Christmas eve at my parents' place:

Followed by Christmas morning at my sister's.

He got a lot of train-related things. It made him happy.

Of course we ate too much, but with the Christmas eve roast my brother made, and the Christmas turkey my mother in law made - well, how could we say no to it all?

And whenever possible Amelia and I did this: 

Moving on to 2014. So far so good. Our Boyd family new year's resolutions are simple this year: Focus on and enjoy the little things, with the exception of possibly tackling one very big transcontinental vacation with our two littles. I still need to work up the nerve to totally agree to that one!

Meanwhile, they grow:

Our girl turned 2 months old on Christmas day.

This guy needed a hair cut badly on Christmas day. He got it a few days later. 

 And we get to enjoy it.

December-ish Things

Okay okay, it is the middle of December and I haven't posted once. Not about life with the new baby, not about our Christmas preparations. I have no excuse other than that both of those things have been keeping us Boyds very busy!

It's all a good busy though. With the first hard and tiring six weeks under our belt I feel like we might be hitting our stride as a family of four.  We're still tired, still getting up at night, and still lacking and predictable routine, but we are getting used to all of that and somehow it's starting to feel normal.  Anyway, the result is one long holiday post in lieu of five short ones.

Happy things that have been going on this month:

Adorable preschool Christmas concerts:

They were all angels. It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen, and somehow watching my son proudly walk onto the stage smiling ear to ear, waving to his family out in the audience and singing along as best he could to all the songs made me feel like I had arrived as a parent. What started out so naively three and a half years ago at St. Paul's Hospital all came full circle to this perfect moment to the tune of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

She slept through it all. It was like they sang her lullaby's.

Sleigh rides in the "snow":

It snowed the other week, about three centimeters. We played like it had snowed three meters deep. In these parts you take what you can get.

Somehow Jake and his friend managed to build a snowman.

Visits to Butchart Gardens:

Hands down the best garden light display I have ever seen, and if you ask Jake the best Christmas train display he's ever seen. Amazing. If you are ever in Victoria during the winter holidays go see this light display. You won't be disappointed.

Visits from long lost best friends, who made the effort to come all the way over to our wee island to spend a part of her precious and infrequent holidays with us: 

My friend Judy has been my friend since we were Amelia's age, basically sisters from another mother. Over the last decade our lives have taken us on different paths - mine down the road to family and motherhood, hers into war torn countries as a UN aid worker. I am never in her part of the world (and I can't say I'd want to be) and she rarely has enough time off to come home, so on average we see each other once every two or three years. But she made it home this holiday season, and we were excited to welcome her into our new home and show her our town.

Jake may have only met her twice in his life before this, but through photos and gifts and stories he is very familiar with his Tante Judy. And oh the fun they had playing trains, eating chocolate, and decorating gingerbread houses. We are already looking forward to the next visit.

Meeting Father Christmas:

Other visits from places far away included one from Father Christmas, whom we went down to the Royal BC Museum to meet. Jake climbed up on the old man's lap and informed him that all he wants for Christmas this year is more track for his electrical train. It was a happy bonus to hear that St. Nick also has an electric train that runs around his Christmas tree back home, so these two have something in common. Who knew?

This week we look forward to more visitors, cousins and aunts and uncles. There will be cookies to decorate, presents to wrap and carols to sing along to. I love this time of year, even sleep deprived and unshowered the joy and innocent happiness of this season cannot be sapped out of me.

Ho ho ho everyone! go bake some cookies.

Samichlaus Tag: he found us in Victoria this year.

MOvember

My husband has spent all of November growing a mustache. It might seem (and look) silly at first glance, but beneath the visual ridiculousness there is a seriousness.

He is part of a campaign that is raising awareness and money for men's health issues from prostate cancer to mental health. So far he has raised more than he would have hoped for considering it's his first year at it, but there is still one day left in November to raise more before he shaves it off.

We Boyds ask you to support this cause, and one of the ways you can do this is through the link below:

http://ca.movember.com/mospace/9548373

There are also many other ways you can contribute and support men's health issues and research: volunteer, join an annual run, donate to a specific charity, help a neighbour, friend, brother, father, cousin, who may be suffering from a health issue by cooking a meal or paying a visit.

But failing any of those go to Mr. Boyd's MOvember site and toss in a couple of dollars. The money raised gets filtered out to various important and necessary programs and organization that help men across our country.

Wishing you all health, happiness and a wonderful November 30th!

Love the Boyds

Four Weeks

We survived the first month! There have been highs and lows, and not ever enough sleep, but we made it.

Things that have helped make this month easier than I could have ever imagined: Good weather, lots of help, visitors, preschool, many free dinners.

Oma came to rescue us for a week. We miss her.

Cousin Margaret singing my girl to sleep

Amelia: 4 Weeks