Christmas in Canada

I realize I'm going back a month or so but I figured it would be okay with the audience. The second week of December 2008 we got the chance to go back to Canada for Christmas with Izzy. It was Danny's longest trip back there since he left Ottawa about 8 years ago. We stayed up there for 10 GREAT days. Izzy and I were praying for snow so we could play in it. Neither her nor I have seen white Christmas's down here! We definitely got our wish!

Danny sister, Diana has 3 kids. Matt, Natasha, and Nick or Matty-Poo, Tash, and Nick-a-bob as Izzy would call them. For 10 days Izzy disappears with her cousins to play themselves tired! Pictured from left to right below is, Matt, Izzy, Tash, and Nick on a big mound of snow at Mere and Pere's house. (We call Danny's parents Mere and Pere.)

This year we were busy with all kinds of stuff. We went back to the hunt camp a few times. One of which we cut down 2 Christmas trees. One for Mere and Pere and the other for Aunt Diana. the hunt camp below is the old one... the new hunt camp is about 100 yards up the hill. You can see there was tons of snow up in the mountains!

Pere thought it was hilarious to have Danny whacking away at the tree while all the snow fell down on his head!

Izzy's short little legs couldn't walk through the knee deep snow so well on the way to find a tree in the bush so we got to carry her quite a bit.

Izzy got to make a snow angel. Poor thing was freezing afterwards so we ran inside by the fire to warm up a few times.

Below Nick, Pere and Izzy snuggle up in the camp to try to stay warm.

Two Christmas trees were quite a load on our car.... but we made it home safely. We had to wait a day for all the water to dry off the branches before we could decorate.

The running joke eventually was to see how many bulbs we could get on the big branches. Luckily Mere had tons of them and helped to support our cause!

Tash stayed home from school one day to play with Izzy without her brothers being around. They choose to decorate cookies... mmm mmmm good!

Finally Santa Pere arrived so that we could open all the presents...

Tash got High School Musical DVD game

Izzy got make-up from Uncle Davey and a penguin from Mere

Nick got a bow and arrow

Matt got a squirrel tail for shooting one off a squirrel during hunting season

In our final days there we got to see Nick and Matt play hockey. They both play for the Shawville Minor Hockey leagues near their hometown. It was my first time to see the boys in their gear on the ice. Danny and Izzy and I made a couple of poses in the COLD rink while watching Nick play.

Nick-a-bob plays in the MAHG league. His dad, Uncle Ray as we call him is one of his coaches. The picture below is during one of their practices where Nick is hitting the puck in between his dad's legs.... pretty talented!

After a long drive to the other side of the mountain we watched Matt play in Masham, Quebec. Matt plays for the Shawville PeeWee team. He's number 87... on the left hand side of the team huddle.

Our last night ended with the Quyon Christmas parade. Diana, Ray, Mere, Pere, Danny, I and all the kids walked a couple of houses down to see the 10 or so floats pass in front of us. Needless to say it was short and sweet and we hurried home for the fire!