Outdoor Holiday Fun

We had a bit of warm weather while we were down visiting my family. Even with sick kids, we still managed to get outside pretty much everyday to get some fresh air.

Cousins enjoying outside time:
Hunter playing with Keta, my parents outside dog:
Hunter riding in front of my dad. I took him up and down the driveway a number of times and he loved it. Made me really miss our skidoos!
My mom came up with a great idea to contain the little boys on the sled!! Sorry it had to be an adult diaper box though! Kyler, who was really sick this day, fell asleep in the box until Matt pulled them into some deep snow to avoid the tube and they both fell out. Not a good way to wake up!
Enjoying the ride:
My dad, brother, sister in law and nephew on the tube while Hunter and I drive. Shortly I will take the corner a bit too fast, the tube will go off the driveway and the four of them will fly through the air and land with a big puff into some deep powder!! Hilarious to me... not so much to them!!
Dad just a wee bit frosty!
Hubby! He took a spectacular fall off the tube, but I missed capturing it on video.
Dad after a few good runs:
Evil brother:
Sexy sister in law:
Why did I get on the tube with Travis driving???
And here is Corrienne practicing the scrotum shriveling death glare on my brother after a rather wild ride on the tube with him driving! The tube went off the driveway with her and I on it. I fell into the centre of the tube, she fell off the front and then the tube went over-top of her!! She was hurting pretty bad after this run.

Here is a clip of some tubing. Fairly tame because Hunter and Damon are on there. What you can't see (but you can hear her scream and see some snow fly at the corner) is my sister in law being drug behind on a sled. My dad is driving the skidoo and I am facing backwards to get the video.

Entertaining Moments From The Couple Days

• We are potty training Hunter, so that means we let him run around without pants or a diaper most of the time. He also likes to sit on the counter and help me prepare meals... This all created quite the mess when he decided to pee on my counter. At least it wasn't the other...
• Last night I sat down to eat supper, homemade lasagna, salad and sourdough buns, when Hunter decided to drop his banana into his milk glass. So I reached over to retrieve it and ended up knocking over my glass of pop right onto my supper. It looked like soup. Good thing there was extra!
  
• Today I dropped a plastic jug of mayonnaise off of the counter without its lid on. Thank goodness it did not break, however the mayo exploded out onto my foot, pant, oven, floor and down the kitchen cupboard. I cleaned it up, but the cat won't leave the area alone and is spending a lot of time in there licking things down for me.
• And the last fun tidbit- the baby can crawl!! Well it is more of a hand-hand-knee-foot-bum-skootch-skootch. But it gets him around the floor and poor Hunter is hiding his toys as fast as Cavan can grab them.
  

2010 is off to a very entertaining start!

What Will The New Year Hold?

2009 was an exhausting year. We had our second child and discovered that adding another boy to the house made the work load increase exponentially while sleep became non-existent. We spent three months, 1/4 of our year, out of our home either waiting for the baby to arrive or on holidays to show off the boys to friends and family. The year passed by so quickly I think it is going to take me until June to remember to put 2010 on cheques instead of 2009.

So what do I see for my family for 2010?

• more outside time, especially quadding, as Cavan grows and can stay out in the cold for longer periods of time.
• lots of camping in our lovely truck camper. This year we plan on hitting the North Canol road in addition to our favorite drive down the South Canol.
• a visit from the East Coast grandparents in late spring.
• a trip down to Dawson Creek in summer for shopping/visiting
• lots of hunting trips with me included as the kids are both old enough to stay home with a sitter now
• fingers crossed- more sleep as Cavan gets older
• berry picking in the fall
• trying some new sausage recipes in my new Bradley smoker
• teaching Hunter how to use a fishing rod
• finding and buying myself a pink lever action .22 and getting some grouse with it
• of course the husband sees a new rifle in his future as well

So no real resolutions other than for us to continue to focus on doing things as a family, staying away from negative people and to do the activities we all love. I see a great year ahead for my family.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Traveling Thank-Yous

We arrived in Faro this evening and if feels so wonderful to be snuggled in my favorite blanket on my super comfy chair. I want to send out some thank-yous before I hit the hay tonight, mainly to the wonderful strangers we always come across while out and about.

Thank you to:
- 8 year old Hannah who not only read two books to Hunter, she also acted them out while we sat at a kids play spot in the Vancouver Airport.
- 4 year old Alice who ever so patiently tried to get Hunter to play Polly-Pocket with her and then let Hunter play with her toy horse also at the Vancouver Airport.
- All the parents we chatted with at the Airport. You helped us pass our five hour layover quickly and all of your children were so much fun to be around!
- every ticket agent with AirCanada who were so accommodating and were able to get us all seats together
- the gentleman who so gladly moved a few seats up so I could have two seats to myself with the baby. (I think he was extremely happy to have the opportunity to move!!)
- to all of the friendly folks who sat around our boys on the plane. Thank you for smiling, waving, play peekaboo and not getting upset when the baby got a fistful of your hair!!
- to the young woman who picked up Hunters favorite blanket and ran it up to me after we dropped it unnoticed while pretending to drive the stroller like a race car in the Vancouver airport.
- to the gentleman who picked up my bag of flour in the parking lot of SuperAFoods in Whitehorse after it fell of my shopping cart (again, I never even noticed!)
- to the bag boy at the SuperAFoods for packing my groceries so nicely, bringing them out to the truck, and running out with my box of bread that yes... I forgot.
- to all of the friendly people working check-outs at the stores over the holidays. Every single one I chatted with was happy and entertaining (too bad the same cannot be said for other shoppers...)

And a couple of more personal thank-yous:
- to my baby for holding your barf until we got to the hotel instead of unleashing it on the plane
- to Hunter for sleeping on the floor of the Whitehorse airport while we got the luggage and strapped it into the truck
- to my amazing sherpa husband for heaving everything around
- to my folks for awesome holiday and the drive the airport (sorry about bringing the plague to your house for the holidays!)
- to my sister-in-law for being such a riot to be around and putting up with me when tired and miserable
- to my nephews for being so damn cute

A Christmas To Remember (but not for the best reasons)

We are still down in northern BC at my parents place, but I thought I would do a quick post. It has definitely been a Christmas to remember... **** don't read any more if you get queasy easily!

Hunter started yakking the day we arrived and did that for three days. He christened two beds, the living room rug, the sofa, the bathroom mat, me, Matt.... and more. Nasty projectile yakking to boot.

My nephew ended up with thrush. The doctor screwed up the prescription and the poor kid was taking five times the regular dose, so he kept throwing up after he would take the medication. After Matt read the bottle, he had my sister-in-law reduce the dose and he improved. But then he seemed to get a bit of Hunter's flu and was yakking more. The medication also gave this little guy (10 months old) the worst smelling liquid shit I have ever been around. And it would overflow his diaper. We had two shit-explosions. One under the kitchen table and another on the living room rug.

My parents little dog had pus/bloody squidge coming out of its butt onto the living room rug. So nasty.

Corrienne, my sister-in-law, got the worst of the flu on Christmas day and spent most of it in bed.

Matt was feeling sick Christmas Eve and Christmas day, but he didn't get it anywhere near as bad as Corrienne.

Cavan started yakking yesterday, but seems to be on the mend today. Again, the living room rug took its share of the action.

Hunter has been sleeping fairly well, but he has been in a bed with Matt the whole time. The baby wants to stay up until 11pm and then sleep until 8am, and he screams if we try and lay him down in the playpen to sleep on his own. I want my evenings and bed back.

And the worst? Are you ready for it? Cavan has some nasty diarrhea and had just filled his third diaper in about 10 minutes this morning. I had him between my legs (on the living room rug) while I was changing his diaper, when the shit exploded out of his ass like it was under a couple hundred pounds of pressure. It shot about two feet through the air and hit me in the crotch. I thought I was going to yak. Then Matt comes in, throws me some paper towel and starts to walk away!! Nice try husband. I gave him my scrotum shriveling death glare and he then gladly came to my rescue.

I think we will be buying my mother a new rug for the living room... it just has a funky smell to it now.

So this is definitely a Christmas to remember. I will post again about the fun we did still manage to have and the lovely presents Santa brought once we get home to Faro in a couple of days. I have some great pictures to share and some non-stomach turning stories to share!

Leaving For Christmas!

It has been seven years since I last celebrated Christmas with my parents in their home! Where did that time go? Oh yeah.... I spent it roaming around the north! The only reason we are headed down this year is because my parents were super generous and are flying us down. I absolutely hate traveling at Christmas, but I cannot turn down free flights!

Tomorrow we are leaving early in the morning to head to Whitehorse. I have yet another dental appointment early in the afternoon. We fly out on Sunday morning down to Vancouver and then up to Fort St. John. Then just a nice hour and half drive and we will be there. I know... you are wondering why am I not just driving?? Well it is about 2000km each way. That is 2 and a half days each way, in the cold, with screaming kids and only 10 days off for the holiday. Just doesn't work.

My brother and his family will be joining us there as well. Their boys are nearly the same age as ours, so this holiday is going to be a riot! I envision the boys destroying the tree, eating so many cookies they yak on Grandmas new and expensive sofa, sneaking sips of eggnog with rum and then yet again yakking on the sofa.... Ahhh.... this is how Christmas memories are made!

We will be back just before the new year as Matt has to work. I am sure I will find myself on the computer between now and then!

And sorry all of those recipients of our Christmas cards... the nifty photocards I ordered this year have still not arrived so they will be sent out in the new year. Something to brighten up your mail box full of bills in January!

We wish everyone safe travels for the holidays!

Cookie Recipe!

For those who asked!

The squirrel cookies are a recipe from a Country Woman magazine and are called Tea Cookies.
1c butter, softened
2/3c sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2c flour
1/2tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Cover and let refrigerated for 1-2 hours until the dough is easy to handle.

On a light floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters. Place 1" part on ungreased baking sheets at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Glaze
1 1/4c icing sugar
2tsp meringue powder
5tsp water

For glaze, in a small bowl, combine icing sugar and meringue powder; stir in water until smooth. Divide among small bowls; tint colours and spread over cookies; let stand until set.
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I do a couple of things differently.

First off, I at least triple the recipe. I make these cookies about double the thickness it calls for which helps for the icing technique I use. Plus they are addictive and everyone will want a dozen. Each recipe makes about 2 dozen if cut out thick.

Second I only bake for the 8 minutes and I don't like to let the edges brown at all. I like them to stay nice and white!

Third I add much more water to the icing recipe. I think there might have been an error in the printing of the recipe in the magazine. I think 5 tablespoons is more accurate than 5 teaspoons. But make it to a nice fairly runny consistency.

I have no clue how to ice cookies. My mother never made cookies like this when we were growing up. I have tried to spread it with a knife, but it always looks messy. So by making the cookies thicker, I can hold the sides, and place the cookie directly into the bowl of icing!! I pull it out and let a little drop off, then place on paper towel until the icing dries. That way it covers right to the edges!! Although, I was rushed with Hunter helping and was running out of icing, so some squirrels had bare patches (hehehe almost like they have mange!)

And the animal cutouts are from Ikea.

Happy Baking!!